Blooming in Christ

Persistently

2012-01-31T11:43:00.000-06:00

Children instinctively know how to beg. They are experts in persistence and persuasion. They understand that loving parents cannot long ignore their consistent pleads.

I don't pray like a child.

I don't like to be annoyingly persistent or rude. If I don't get an answer right away, I just take a step back and gradually move on. After a while, it gets tiring of praying and praying and praying and praying. Not to mention that begging is impolite. I don't want to keep asking God for something that He may have already said "no" to (but I just don't know it yet). Plus, I begin to wonder if there's really a need for redundancy. God already knows what I want, right? And I've already prayed for it several times. Is there a need to continue?

Usually, I don't consciously make the choice to give up on prayer. Over time of unanswered prayer, I begin to lose all urgency or passion and, after a while, my faith kind of dies.

But the real issue is this head and heart struggle between what I know is true and what I actually believe. When Luke 11:9 says, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you," I know it's true. But do I believe it?

I often forget that God is my Father, and I am His child. He is a Father who delights in giving me every good thing. He desires to lavish on me every good and perfect gift!

God is good.

And He has good things in store for me because that's what He delights to do. God wants me to be persistent in my prayer life. But I give up too easily on prayer. When I don't get an immediate answer, my prayers fizzle, my faith loses fire, and my passion burns out. But this shouldn't be. The longer I'm waiting for an answer, the more persistent and aggressive my prayers should be!

Of course, God doesn't answer our prayers based on the amount of faith we exert or by how hard we pray. Sometimes He answers no, and sometimes He answers yes. My responsibility is to faithful to the God who is always faithful. He has promised to answer. And I don't want to give up. I want to pray like a little child.

Give Him time to do great things. The greater work He plans, the greater the prayer preparation that may be necessary, including prayer for guidance. God often waits so that He can be even more gracious.
—Wesley L. Duewel

The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer. —R.A. Torrey

Hopeful Thoughts

2012-01-20T15:15:00.001-06:00

Honestly, I don't know what to think right now. I've been wrestling with so many conflicting feelings that I'm not even sure what I'm feeling. I'm at this place where I know I'm trusting God with my life, but I'm still wrestling with this fear of my uncertain future looming ahead of me. (I'm so thankful that God has a plan for my life... because I don't!)

Enough of my complex emotions. I want to share some hopeful thoughts that I've been musing over lately.

"You will not gain holiness by standing still. Nobody ever grew holy without consenting, desiring, and agonizing to be holy. Sin will grow without sowing, but holiness needs cultivation. Follow it; it will not run after you. You must pursue it with determination, with eagerness, with perseverance, as a hunter pursues his prey." -- Charles Spurgeon

"I'm an imperfect vessel who gets to be a conduit of perfect grace."

"The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer." —R.A. Torrey

"Care more than some think wise.
Risk more than some think safe.
Dream more than some think practical.
Expect more than some think is possible."

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)

‎"We will be dead a lot longer than we will be alive. Doesn’t it make sense that we would invest more of our time in eternity?" -- Rick Grubbs

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”?

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40: 27-31)

Jesus > Religion: TAKE 2

2012-01-16T13:11:00.002-06:00

This video is spreading like wildfire! With over 12 million views (and counting) and all over facebook, this video reaching lots of people. But I've been thinking about it. And I've talked with some friends. And so, I've come to a different conclusion about its message than when I first saw it. Let's take a closer look at some of the lyrics, written by Jeff Bethke:

What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?

This is basically the whole message of the poem. But you make some BIG assumptions about religion. If religion equals self-righteous laws and working your way to salvation, then you're right on target.

But that's not what religion is. The problem is, this is what most people perceive religion as: rules and regulations and priests and institutions and hypocracy. But Jesus didn't hate religion.

Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums. See one's the work of God, but one's a man-made invention.

Jesus was not anti-religion at all. In the Old Testament, God established the Mosaic Law; God gave the Israelites' all those rules and regulations. Jesus didn't come to abolish this Law - He came to establish it on an even higher level! See the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus takes the law (thou shalt not murder) and raises the standard (he who hates his brother has committed murder in his heart). Jesus came to show us that "the law" is not an external issue - it's a heart issue.

True religion is about what's in the heart. Take James 2:27, which says, "Pure and undefiled religion is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." While I don't doubt that the "religion" referred to in this video is addressing legalism or self-righteous salvation, the well intended message may be having a not-so-good effect.

So for religion, no I hate it, in fact I literally resent it. Because when Jesus said it is finished, I believe he meant it.

Whoa there. That's an extreme statement to make. You resent religion? Of course, I believe you mean that you hate all the hypocritical rules that some religions place on salvation... but it's still a rather broad and bold statement to make about religion in general.

And another thing: When Jesus said those last words on the cross, was He meaning that He was ending all religion? Or was He just completing man's atonement to God? Let's be careful not to take Jesus' words out of context.

Conclusion: I think this video fuels religious skepticism. It leaves me with the feeling that Jesus hated any established or organized religion. I can see how non-believers could see this video and come to the conclusion that any kind of "religious" affiliation is hypocritical and self-righteous. In fact, I've even read that the atheists and agnostics are using this video to prove their viewpoint! While I understand that this video is meant to condemn the legalistic extreme of religion, I think it might end up steering people AWAY from its intended goal.

Just because all your Christian friends share something that they say is great, doesn't mean it's doctrinally sound. This video was a good reminder for me that I need to think more critically about what I see and hear. I need to view everything through the lens of God's Word -- and not except it just because all the other Christians do.

{See this article and this article for more analysis of the video.

To see Jeff Bethke's response to this, read this.
But this article in the videos defense is worth reading, as well.}

Link Love: 1/13/12

2012-01-13T07:03:00.004-06:00

Happy Friday the 13th! =)

Failed Humblebrag? - Jim Hamilton: “Some people think it ironic that Moses purportedly wrote Numbers 12:3, ‘Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth’ (NAS). The irony is obvious, right? It’s hardly humble to declare yourself the most humble man in the world. Unless it’s true.”

50 Rules for Dads of Daughters - This is so sweet!

How many Pages Does the Internet Have? - A lot, apparently. “A group called the World Wide Web Foundation — appropriately founded by Tim Berners-Lee, who pretty much created the internet — is on a quest to figure out, with some degree of certainty, how big the internet really is.”

The Sinful Tragedy of Boredom - "To be bored is to fail to see the many and varied good gifts God has given us, not the least of which is in creation."

Welcome to the English language - And for some weird reason, English is my favorite subject!

The Rollerman -

Jesus > Religion

2012-01-12T14:17:00.001-06:00

To see why I don't fully agree with this video, READ THIS.

"There's a problem if people only know you're a Christian by your Facebook."

God is Too Good

2012-01-09T19:37:00.000-06:00

“God is too good to be unkind.
He is too wise to be confused.
If I cannot trace His hand,
I can ALWAYS trust His heart.”

-C. H. Spurgeon

Why We Love Jane Austen

2012-01-07T20:15:00.000-06:00

I dislike romance novels. Nope. I'd choose C.S. Lewis or G.K. Chesterton over Nora Roberts any day. I can't understand who would want to fill their heads with unrealistic expectations of men and dream about the "perfect" romance story which many romance novels present. I mean, come on! Give me some reality!

But Jane Austen is a different story.

For some reason, I, the romance-novel-hater, am captivated by Jane Austen's works. Oh yeah, I had seen the movies before, but once I picked up her books, I couldn't stop reading. First of all, Austen is a literary genius, in my opinion. But not only is her writing enthralling, but her characters are captivating and her story-lines are pure brilliance. There's just something about the class and formality of the early 1800's that enraptures me.

So, I began thinking, Why is it that we love Jane Austen so much? (I'm assuming that some of you like her work as well). What is it about her work that has captured hearts for hundreds of years? Why do I love her novels when I shun all other romance books? I have a few theories. =) Here is why I think I love Jane Austen:

1. Her books are literary works of art. I already referred to this, but it's worth pointing out again, that Austen is an excellent writer. Her sentences alone are romantic! The descriptions, the character development, the emotions she portrays—pure brilliance. Certainly, her books are a joy to read.

2. Men are portrayed as men. In a society where feminism prevails and where male leadership has declined (and is often even discouraged), Austen's works are a breath of fresh air. In her works, men know how to be men—even when their deeds go unrecognized, even when it's awkward, even in disappointment, even in a room full of women. Her male characters possess a kind of confident civility that goes far beyond flattering words and good looks in the area of romance. Deep down inside, I think all of us dream of a romance built on character and principles: where the men pursue the women, where honor is upheld, and where sacrifice is heroic. Yes, "heroic" accurately describes the men we all love in Austen's novels.

3. Redemption is beautiful. No one wants to read a romance that's "happily ever after" right from the beginning. Bor-ing. We love Jane Austen (and all other good stories, for that matter), because there's a conflict that has to be resolved. The truth is, romance stories are sweeter when there's a disagreement or a misunderstanding or a separation, because it makes the resolution at the end all the more beautiful. (I'm also thinking about the BBC movie North and South. You gotta watch it.)

As I was thinking about the beauty of redemption in Austen's novels, it occurred to me that this is one of the reasons why the gospel is so beautiful! If you think about it, we were once enemies separated from God; but because of His love for us, God sacrificed Himself for us so that we could be brought into fellowship with Him and be made into the Bride of Christ. Totally Pride and Prejudice-y!

It's just a thought, but I think this is one of the reasons God allows sin in the world. I mean, God knew Adam and Eve would sin, and He could have made the world so that there was no sin. But He didn't. In His sovereignty (that I don't claim to understand), God allowed sin. Yes, He hates it. Yes, it goes against His character. But God's ultimate goal is to magnify Himself and bring Himself glory, and through the reconciliation of the sinner to God, God looks great. The gospel of Christ is so beautiful because of redemption.

Bottom line: I love Jane Austen. But God wrote a more beautiful romance than any human author ever could. Praise God!

Time and Twenty-Twelve

2011-12-30T17:13:00.002-06:00

It never speeds up. It never slows down. Time is constant: steadily constraining our lives in this world, yet unceasingly bringing us closer to the end.

To us, time is just a measurement—it passes in minutes, hours, days, and years; but we live day to day subconscious of its passing. To us, time is eternal—it's all we have ever known; but we don't often think about the fact that we are only given a short allotment of it. Forgetting its brevity, we readily spend our time on meaninglessness pastimes, using it on whatever seems best at the moment. But are our lives to be spent away moment by moment? Will we use our time with a "present" purpose only? When we live for the "here and now," we forget that time had a beginning, and it will one day have an end. We forget that time is precious.

Of course, it's much more pleasant to live as if we had "all the time in the world." We dream; we scheme; we plan our lives away because we don't want to admit that we have no control over our lives at all. Yet, we are surprised when things don't work out like we'd planned them; we complain when we don't have "enough" time. Although time never changes, it always seems to "fly by" faster than we expected it to.

Time is temporary, limited to this earth. Even so, it is so easy to view our lives in the span and sequence of time alone. We see our past as years gone by and our futures as simply more years to come. It's the mentality of "this year is gone and over, but—hey!—I'll have next year!" But God says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). We can't count on tomorrow, or next week, or next year.

But, what if our lives were about more than...our lives? What if we were created for a greater purpose that totally exceeds the boundaries of time? What if the little bit of time we have could have eternal significance?

I want to challenge you (and myself!) to view this new year like you've never viewed it before. Although there's nothing wrong with New Year's resolutions (in fact, they're great), I don't want to get so caught up with "right now" that I completely miss the eternal perspective on my life. Today is more than today. Next year is more than next year. Our lives were created to have an eternal impact!

So let's make our resolutions; let's look forward to a fresh start. But let's keep in mind that 2012 is more than eating right, reading more books, getting better grades, losing weight, or whatever resolutions you may have. 2012 is a year of purpose. God put you in this world in this decade for a purpose! Let's use our time on stuff that really matters, on things that will count in the end.

If your life purpose exceeds the limitations of time, then it doesn't matter when it ends. What matters is how it counts.

Lord, teach me to number my days,

That I may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Beautifully Incomprehensible

2011-12-20T13:47:00.001-06:00

This was the moment. The moment the world had been waiting for. All of History had been scripted for this one moment. Every prior event was played to set the stage, to build and lead to the climax of this beautiful story. Though through the ages, many wonderful stories have been crafted and retold, none can compare with the beauty of this story—the Advent of the Savior.

"Though he was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,"
Jesus—the infinite, eternal God—did not hold on to His heavenly, glorious position as God. Although He didn't become less of God, He gave up all of heaven's glories to come down to earth.

"but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."
I will never conceive how much Jesus gave up when He became a man. It is too great to fathom. He was the Creator of the universe, yet He lowered Himself to become a human. Truly beautiful.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Not only did Jesus give up all of heaven, He gave up His life. He willingly traded His righteousness for our filthiness. A beautiful exchange, indeed.

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
God valued His glorious, righteous name so much that He was willing to kill His own Son to justify sinners. Jesus' birth and death is more than our salvation—it's God's declaration to the world that He Is Righteous.

We hear this story every year. And in the midst of the rush, the hustle, the bustle of the season, it's easy not to hear it at all. I don't ever want this story to become too familiar to me. This story is the beauty of the gospel and the glory of God. It may be incomprenehensible to our small minds, but it is beautiful.

The most beautiful story was written by God Himself.

Philippians 2:6-11

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A Peace Offering

2011-12-12T10:22:00.000-06:00

So in case you haven't noticed, I haven't been a very good blogger. Sorry, guys. Last year of high school + college planning stuff = a very busy me.

As a peace offering for my lack of posting, please accept (and watch) this awesome rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas." You'll seriously love it.

I hope you all are having a blessed Christmas season!!!
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18 Things that Eighteen Means

2011-11-23T05:38:00.001-06:00

Eighteen means Grace. For eighteen years God has graciously given me life and breath. He loves me, yet I don't deserve it. He sent His Son to die my death, and, by His grace alone, He saved me. Instead of my filthy rags, He sees Christ's righteousness! Praise be to God!

Eighteen means Time. Yeah, it's time for me to get a car. Still workin' on that.

Eighteen means Choices. Boy, I am so grateful that God has a definitive plan for my life... because I don't! Yes, there's a bunch of choices, but thankfully, I don't have to rely on my own wisdom.

Eighteen means Legal. You betcha I can vote now! (And buy all that stuff off TV.)

Eighteen means Wisdom. I have a tiny bit more and need a LOT more of it.

Eighteen means Family. Without the love, encouragement and comradery of my family, I wouldn't be the person I am today. (Or here, for that matter.)

Eighteen means Endings. *Deep, scoffing voice* "Ah, high school, your end imminent!"

Eighteen means Beginnings. The beginning of a new season of life, new responsibilities, and new decisions. And another year. :)

Eighteen means Fast. Whoa... these eighteen years have gone by a lot faster that I ever dreamed they would. I'm pretty convinced that life continually gains momentum. (Which leads me to....)

Eighteen means One. "Only one life 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."

Eighteen means Wonderfundle. I'm not sure why. It just is. (Actually, I think it's just because I like that word.)

Eighteen means Vision. I may be considered young, but having vision is not defined by youthfulness. Whatever age I am, I want to have God's vision for my life.

Eighteen means Uncertainty. Honestly, I don't know what lies ahead. But as Corrie Ten Boom said, I don't have to be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. I've learned more about trusting God these past several months than I ever have in my life.

Eighteen means Adventure. With God, life is one big adventure. I can't wait to see where He takes me next!

Eighteen means Food. What can I say? My birthday is always Thanksgiving week.

Eighteen means Memories. Dear family, friends, and e-quaintances (my bloggy readers), thank you for being a part of my life. I have a plethora of stupendous memories tucked away in my long-term memory.

Eighteen means Closer. I'm one year closer than I was before, closer to the finish line. And as I press on, my goal is to one day hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Eighteen means Anticlimactic. That's weird. I don't feel any different. :)

A Bigger Gospel

2011-11-19T11:20:00.001-06:00

Do I really know what the gospel is about?
Well, I thought I did... until my youth group started studying the book of Romans. It wasn't that I was incorrect about what I had known before, but it was that I was missing the bigger picture of what the gospel is truly about. Because of a few misconceptions I had about the gospel, my view of it was narrow. However, the gospel is deeper than I ever realized.

The Gospel is for Believers, Too
I think it's safe to say that most Christians think about the Gospel in terms of those who are not Christians. But notice that Paul writes the book of Romans to the Roman church. In the first chapter of Romans, Paul commends the Roman church for their faith because it's known "in all the world" (1:8). If anyone should know what the gospel is about, it should be the Romans. Yet, just several verses later, Paul says that he's "eager to preach the gospel to them" (1:15). Why would they need to hear the gospel?

The reason that the gospel is for believers as well as non-believers is because the gospel is not a one-time event. Salvation is the first part, but then it continues to feed the Christian. The gospel is living and is to be a part of our lives every single day. Believing is not what I did yesterday -- it's present tense, it's continual. Yes, it has a starting point, but it keeps on going. I want the gospel to play an active role in my life, and I want my entire life to be about the gospel.

The Gospel is Not About Me
While it's true that my salvation is definitely a part of the gospel, I don't think that's what the gospel is about. The very first verse in the book of Romans mentions "the gospel of God." So often, I see the gospel in relation to myself. I think of it in terms of my salvation, how Jesus saved me, or how I have been forgiven. But it's not about me.

Before the gospel is about me and my salvation, it's first about God and His righteousness. Next time you read Romans, I challenge you to mark every time the word "righteousness" is used. (It's a LOT, by the way.) The gospel is all about the righteousness of God! Because God made a way to pay in full the penalty for sin AND therefore justly forgive sinners, the gospel displays His righteousness. It screams with the righteousness of God.

The Gospel Has Power Because of Christ's Righteousness
Jesus came and died so that we can be forgiven, right? Well, yes, but there's so much more to it. You see, there's a problem with forgiveness. A big problem. God could have just wiped out our sins and forgiven us all, but... it's not right. If a convicted criminal goes before a judge and pleads for forgiveness, the judge would not be just if he just pardoned the criminal and let him go. Consequently, if the judge gave the criminal what was rightfully due him, he would be upholding justice.

That's what it's like with God. He can't just freely pour out forgiveness to everyone who asks for it because He would be marring His righteousness. To forgive guilty sinners would go against God's character. But God solved this problem. He made a way to forgive sinners AND uphold His righteousness: justification. When I placed my faith in Christ, God could declare me "not guilty" because He imputed Christ's righteousness on me. Jesus died, taking my sin, so that I could have His righteousness. This is what justification means; I am made just (or righteous) in God's sight.

The Gospel has power to save because of God's righteousness. Romans 1:16-17 says that "it is the power of God for salvation... for in it the righteousness of God is revealed...." Without God upholding His righteous character, the Gospel would be powerless.

Do I really know what the gospel is about?
The Gospel is so much bigger than I ever realized. It's beyond myself and all about God. Now that my perspective of the Gospel has changed (from being about my salvation to about God's righteousness), I get so excited when I hear the Gospel preached! Before, it used to be that I'd already "heard it, done that." Now, I can't help but thinking how great, how glorious God is! The Gospel is not just a thing of the past - it's about the present and the future.

I Love Martha

2011-11-07T16:58:00.001-06:00

Martha Mahinsky has all the answers to life, so her videos are certainly worth checking out:

"Not everybody is like me... unforntunately."

"If you werew a Bible verse, I would memorize you."

"If you're single... you obviously have communication problems."

"Once again, you're welcome for watching."

(You should really check out the Jostie Flicks Youtube channel. The Jost family uploads new videos nearly every week... and they are so creative and hilarious! Yeah, you might be seeing more of them on my blog soon!)

So He Can be Gracious...

2011-11-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Give Him time to do great things. The greater work He plans, the greater the prayer preparation that may be necessary, including prayer for guidence. God often waits so that He can be even more gracious.

~ Wesley L. Duewel

The Point of Waiting

2011-11-01T15:39:00.003-05:00

Swamped. That's what I've been. Constantly searching for scholarships, writing essays, and trying to squeeze in some school. I feel so bad that I haven't been able to comment on any one's blogs lately... but I've just been so busy. But you all know what that's like, right?

As I am in this season of "waiting" in my life, I thought it appropriate to share this poem. Read it. It's amazing.

What's the Point?

By Josiah Schwartz

The point in waiting is
to enjoy
To love and worship God
In act of your life

Including the waiting.

And in the waiting
Remember His nature
That He is the Giver of every perfect gift
That He desires to lavish on you with such treasures
Treasures that are worth the wait
Solely because He is in them.

Rest in this:
He is going to give you
Exactly what you need
At exactly the time you need it.
That is reason to smile.
That is reason to breathe easy
And rest in Him.

Let go of "when" and "if"
Because His ways
Are so much higher than yours.
His thoughts
Beyond what you could ever fathom
Because He loves you.
Oh, how He loves you.
And that is the point
of your entire existence
To experience His presence
His love
Inside every moment.

Especially in the waiting.

Just a Simple Man

2011-10-24T21:39:00.001-05:00

I can't see God's future plan for my life. I don't know what's ahead.
And that's okay.

Because it's not about me.
Because it's not about my significance.
Because it's not about my qualifications.
Because it's not about my inadequacies.
Because it's not about me.

My life is just a tiny piece in the larger scope of God's plan. And it's God's plan. I don't want to get caught up in the tiny picture of my life (with all its decisions, choices and troubles); I want to see the bigger picture of God's plan, where I merely play a small role.

Maybe you all haven't noticed from the themes of my recent posts, but I've really been struggling with some decisions in my life that seem really big right now (i.e. college). It's called "there's-a-bunch-of-options-and-I-don't-know-which-one-God-wants-me-to-chose." (And it doesn't help that I am naturally an indecisive person.)

Anyway, this Brandon Heath song has been on constant replay on my ipod. I kid you not, there are some days where I play it up to 30 times. At least. Serious. It's been such an encouraging reminder that God is sovereign and has my life all panned out... not to mention that it's just a catchy song. =)

So take a few minutes, and be blessed:

I'm just a simple man

A little part of a bigger plan

Everything that gives me worth, God, it's you

So take the rest of me

Cause you got the best of me

Everything good in me comes from you

Two Years

2011-10-15T14:48:00.001-05:00

Today marks the second anniversary of my blog! =) When I first started Blooming in Christ, I never knew how much I would enjoy writing. I never knew how much I could encourage others through writing. I never knew how much I would come to love this blog.

Over these past two years, I have learned many lessons just through blogging. I'm amazed at how God can use something so simple as my little blog to teach me so much! Here are just a few things I've come to realize about my blog:

1. You don't have to meet someone in person to become good friends with them.
2. I should not blog for affirmation. (In others words, the reason I blog is not to get tons of comments or followers.)
3. My purpose for blogging is to put in words what God is teaching me 1) to promote and glorify God, 2) to create a kind of visual journal of God's grace in my life -- for my sake, and 3) to encourage my readers in Christ.

Thank you to those who have stuck around these two years! I hope to continue writing for more years to come!

~Chloe

Waiting for a Sign...

2011-10-06T18:02:00.000-05:00

Our culture seems to expect young people to have their life planned out by the time they graduate high school. Once the senior year rolls around -- and even before -- the reoccurring questions seem to be, "What college are you going to?" "What do you want to major in?" "What are your future plans?" With all of the huge, significant choices that life brings, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the fear of making the wrong choice.

Lately, I've found myself wondering, how do I know what God wants me to do? What if I chose the wrong thing? I just wish I could know God's will for my life! When I, or most other people, talk about the "will of God," I think they're usually looking for a specific sign from God, or an "open door" for God's specific plan for their future. In Scripture, however, God doesn't often reveal a person's life plan to them in advance. Abraham, for example, left everything he knew to follow God... without knowing anything about his future.

So here's the thing about the will of God: you can't always know it.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).

I think some of us have this notion that we can "mess up" God's plan. We become paralyzed with the questions and decisions of life. The fear of making a wrong choice keeps us from committing to anything. So we sit. And wait. We want a specific answer from God before we move forward.But when I don't know God's will, how do I know what direction I should take? Maybe the question isn't What is the will of God? but rather What should I be doing right now so that God can lead me? Instead of waiting for a "sign," I should be moving forward. Stepping out.

God may not verbally reveal His plan, but He sure does guide. Take the time to read Proverbs 3:5-6 (and really read it): Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. If we trust in God's sovereignty, He promises to direct our paths. But God can't direct our paths if we aren't moving forward.

It's okay not to know the future. Although God doesn't always give us our life story in advance, He does require us to step out in faith and move forward in confidence. So do something. Develop your skills and talents. Pursue your interests. Look into all of your options. You may find something that God wants you to continue doing.... Or, He may shut the door in your face. But either way, don't just stand around doing nothing.

Instead on focusing on the great unknown future, find a way to follow God now. God is sovereign. You can't mess up His plan. Move forward and trust that He will lead you exactly where you need to be.

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Takeing every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

Yet Will I Wait

2011-09-27T15:16:00.002-05:00

Patience is more than endurance. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and then the saint says -- "I cannot stand anymore." God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God's hands. Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. "Though He slay me, yet will I wait for Him."

~Oswald Chambers

My Upmost for His Highest

Settling for Less. Made for More.

2011-09-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

Photo source unknown

His testimony was radical. His transformation was dramatic. His passion was dauntless. His words were persuasive. His impact on the world was momentous. Who was he? He was one of the greatest missionaries to ever live: The apostle Paul.

I love the book of Acts. It's filled with rise of God's Church, the spread of the gospel, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. In it, I clearly see the strength, courage, faith, and passion of Paul. (He's probably my favorite Bible character.)

Subconsciously, however, I think I often elevate Paul in my mind to some "super-Christian" who had an extra dose of boldness from God. Seriously. He spend his life preaching the gospel, building churches, and encouraging believers. He was beaten multiple times and left for dead and performed many miracles by the power of God.

Paul may have been one of the most influential people for Christ, but it wasn't because he was amazingly gifted (or because he was a "super-Christian"). Only by the power of God did Paul accomplish what he did. It was God's power in his life that enabled Paul to change the world. The truth is, the same God that dwelt in Paul dwells in me.

Wow.

Just as Paul was merely a vessel of God, I am merely a vessel of God as well. (Okay, I am just blown away by what this means for every believer!) What if we really believed that we have the very same God that Paul had? What if we actually lived like the infinite, all-powerful God dwelt in us? Can you imagine what God would do if every Christian lived like they had been "crucified with Christ," and if they counted all things as "loss" for the sake of knowing Christ?

I can say that I "know" that God dwells in me... but do I really live like it? Why is it that God's power doesn't seem to be very evident in my life? While I'm sure there are several answers to this question, I've come to this conclusion: I have settled for less than God has for me. I'm content with just "good-enough." Since no one seems to expect anything of great significance, I don't strive for excellence in my life. When I treat God as a separate part of my life, His power is not so clearly displayed in me.

Although I may not be called to preach the gospel in the streets of every city I encounter (like Paul did), God's power should be evident in my life. But I have to die to myself so that God can live in me. He can't work if I don't move.

It's time for me to get out of my comfortable chair of Complacency and live a life of continual striving after God.

Why would I settle for less when He has so much more for me?

In My Seat - A Story of 9/11

2011-09-11T05:43:00.000-05:00

A Pilot's Story (Peter Scheibner) from Sept 10th - 11th. He has a powerful testimony about the providence and grace of God. Please take the time to watch this video -- it's very powerful.

Will you remember to pray for the families of the 9/11 victims today?

Link Love: 9/8/11

2011-09-09T06:24:00.001-05:00

Dear Photograph - It's a picture of a picture. People take old photos and take a picture of it in the same place it was originally photographed. It has never been so fun to look at people's old pictures!

Starfall - This one is for the little ones in preschool. Now there's a lot of children's websites that claim to be educational, but this is seriously the best site I've found for helping kids with reading! In fact, it's more like an online interactive book than a game. My little sister loves it and will be using the activities as part of her schooling!

Suffering: the most feared blessing - "Personal suffering is the thing we fear the most." A good reminder for me that God is in control of everything, even suffering. "Suffering is no doubt God’s most feared blessing. How are you stewarding the gift?"

Thinking About Grad School - I'm not quite to this point in my life yet, but it was a helpful article about the costs and benefits of grad school. When is graduate school pursuing God's calling on our lives? When is it an irresponsibly expensive, time-consuming venture? And you might as well check out part 2 if you're interested.

You Lead - A very catchy song from Jaime Grace:

If you want a religion to make you feel comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity. —C.S. Lewis

Lord, Prepare Me....

2011-09-07T17:25:00.000-05:00

photo source unknown

September? When did this happen? This year... over halfway over already?

Wasn't it just recently that I was celebrating the new year? It seems only a couple months ago that I committed this year to the Lord. I didn't have many plans, and I didn't know what the future held for me. Like the blur of a very distant object, God's direction for my life was not clear. Still, I prayed that God take this year and use it to prepare me for whatever He had in store. Though I did not know what His plan was, my prayer was that God would use the upcoming year to ready me, prepare and equip me.

Little did I know how immensely God would answer my prayer.

It all started at the end of April, when I had just finished my TeenPact class. Through that class God opened my eyes in so many ways. I saw how many opportunities I have to live for Christ right where I am.

Well, that TeenPact class lead me to the TeenPact National Convention in Tennessee. I don't know if I can describe in words what God did there. It was incredible, powerful, and challenging.... and the impact on me will last a lifetime.

This was only the beginning of God's plan to shape me. It was a beautiful beginning with much more to come: Not long after National Convention, God graciously gave me the opportunity to attend Worldview Academy. Again, I can't put into words everything that I learned from there. All I can say is that I learned a LOT and I loved it. Each day there I was equipped with more and more tools to use in ministry for God. (Even months afterwards, I am still excited about everything I gained from that week!)

When July rolled around, I was ready to pour out all that God had taught me (thus far) into three sweet campers at Camp Good News. That week of being a counselor was definitely a stretching experience, but totally worth it. There is no better feeling than knowing that you have been used of God. I'll never forget it.

I probably would have been satisfied with all that God had done that summer,

but He wasn't done yet....

Three words: Do. Hard. Things. Yes, I went to the conference in Kansas City! If I thought the book was good, then this tour was absolutely amazing! It's one thing to read it in the book, but to hear Alex and Brett's story from them personally was so much more impactful. After coming home, I was overwhelmed by a bittersweet feeling because this was their last year of touring... and I wished that I had convinced more people to come. Nevertheless, that conference was definitely something that God used to prepare me as a rebelutionary.

Throughout the entire end of the summer, I began participating in The Truth Project with a group from my church. Honestly, this one of the best video series I have ever seen! In fact, I'd like to go through it again sometime in the future. I'm convinced that every Christian should go through it.

Finally, the end of the summer came around, and God had one more thing in store. As a vocalist on my youth group's worship team, I had the humbling opportunity to help lead worship for our youth retreat. I don't think I could have ended my summer more appropriately than in worship of our awesome God.

I prayed that God would prepare me. He answered it above and beyond what I expected. Through all that's happened this summer, I feel more equipped, more prepared than I've ever felt in my life. And even though I'm still not sure what exactly God has in store for me,

I feel ready to go

wherever He leads me.

(And the cool thing is, this year isn't over.... yet!)

Broken and Glorious

2011-08-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

2 Corinthians 4:7

There are times when I am overcome with my inadequacies, my faults and insufficiencies. While there are many other people much more qualified and able than I am, God still chooses to use me. Why does God find pleasure in using me in my weakness? How is it that God uses me inabilities to bring Him glory?

"But we have this treasure..."

This treasure refers the glorious Gospel of Christ (4:4), the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (4:6). And it is this priceless treasure of surpassing value that I hold. I have this treasure.

"...in jars of clay..."

In Greek, the word for "jars of clay" literally refers to cheap, baked clay pots which were used for holding garbage and human waste. They were expendable, easily replaceable, and common. Worthless. They were not beautiful or glorious, simply used to hold filth. I am this jar of clay. I am like a lowly, cheap pot: unimportant, common, replaceable. And still God chooses ME to be the bearer of His glorious Gospel!

"...to show that the surpassing power belongs to God..."

God uses lowly, unworthy people like me so that others can only conclude that the power of the Gospel is from God. The all-glorious power of God overcomes and outshines the jar of clay... so all that's left to be seen is God's glory. God doesn't use me because of my abilities, He uses me in spite of my inabilities. He is most glorified to put Jesus on display through my weakness.

"We are afflicted in every way,

but not crushed;

perplexed,

but not driven to despair;

persecuted,

but not forsaken;

struck down,

but not destroyed;

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."

I often try to cover up weakness for the purpose of appearing strong. I do my best to make myself as glorious as possible. But when others see me as glorious, they can't see Christ as glorious. So, sometimes God humbles me. He brings suffering and adversity into my life. Because through every struggle, every trial, every persecution, I am left more cracked than I was before. And the more cracked I am, the more God's glory shines through.

I am Broken. But He is seen more Glorious.

(2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

Link Love: 8/27/11

2011-08-27T19:57:00.001-05:00

Hello dear Readers! I thought I would start sharing some on the interesting things I've stumbled upon every now and then. Enjoy my "findings" for the World Wide Web.... =)

9 Core Principles of Writing - A "short-n-sweet" list of principles useful for any writer.

Soul Surfer - The point of this review isn't whether this movie is "good" or "bad" (I actually haven't even seen it yet). But, as many people would label this a "Christian" film, this post simply asks the question, is it really a Christian movie?

The Freshman Fifteen - "Dining hall food gets a bad rap, but incoming college freshmen don’t seem to have a problem packing on the infamous “freshman 15.” Honoring that tradition, here are 15 ways incoming freshmen (or upperclassmen for that matter) can seek to glorify God as they head off to college this month."

Singing to Build Up - I love singing. I love worship. And this puts a whole new light on it.

Half-Aborted - I don't understand how anyone can justify abortion. The immorality of abortion is just too apparent and sooner or later people will have to come to terms with the reality of what it is.

37 Ways to Love One Another - This would make a wonderful personal (or group) Bible study!

Students Love Technology - This is a really interesting infographic on the importance of technology to students today. (And if you've never seen an infographic, you should check this out!)

Music

2011-08-14T17:35:00.002-05:00

Enthralling. Captivating. Mysterious. Rapturous. Those are a few words that come to mind when I think of music. And I've been doing some thinking on music recently.

Music intrigues me. I'm fascinated that people have been writing music for centuries, and yet composers never "run out" of music to write - it's so versatile that there will always be new music. I am in awe of how when completely different notes are played together, it can sound so beautiful. It amazes me that the most intricate, complex piece of music can be precisely and literally written on a page. Possibly most fascinating of all, however, is the fact that simple sound waves floating through the air are interpreted by the ear as harmonious music that stirs the soul in a way nothing else on earth can.

Have you ever wondered why music even exists? Why are there different pitches of sound, and why do a bunch of notes have such a profound impact on us? I am convinced that music is evidence of a Designer, a loving and good God who created and enjoys beauty. Any musician (with a little theory knowledge) can attest to the fact that music is incredibly structured, precise, and ordered in a systematic and organized way. Whether jazzy and irregular, or flowy and lyrical, every piece of music can be calculated in exactness on paper. The chords are related, the keys are related... it all fits together! If the universe really came about by randomness and chance, then how can the order and harmony of music be explained? How can something with such exactness, structure and unity be accounted for?

My belief is that God created music as an expression of His nature - His character, glory, and beauty. Music reflects God's creativity. And, because you and I were created in God's image, we interpret these floating sound waves as something much deeper than sound. We understand that music is more than just notes. As human beings made in the image of God, we have a greater appreciation for the beauty (and possibly even divinity) of music.

Music has a way of reaching down inside a person and stirring the soul like words alone cannot. Music is powerful. And whether you realize it or not, it affects you. That is why it's important to only listen to truly good music. The purpose of this post is not to define exactly what kinds of music are worthy of listening. I would like to challenge you, however, to evaluate what you listen to.

I once heard "the arts" in general defined from a Biblical worldview as "skilled human creativity that reflects the truth and beauty of God." Personally, I think this is a wonderful standard for me to evaluate all types of "art" (music, movies, literature, paintings, etc.). Is it the product of skilled creativity? Does it reflect truth? Beauty? The character of God? Is it therefore worthy of my meditation?

When music is skillfully composed with order and harmony, it is beautiful. I love music. It intrigues me. It resonates deep within me. It is evidence of design and order. And I can't help but think how privileged I am and what an honor it is to worship and glorify God with music. God is good.

Do Hard Things 2011

2011-08-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

As Alex and Brett closed the final session of the Do Hard Things Tour, I was overwhelmed with bittersweet emotions. On the one hand, I was filled with excitement and passion to go and put into action everything I had heard about living my best life as a Rebelutionary. I was in awe of how the pressence of God was evident that day, moving in the hearts of many there. But at the same time, I realized that this was the last Rebelution tour - Alex and Brett were moving on.

I was almost tempted to think that this was the end. But this is not the end of the Rebelution. It's only the end of the beginning. It is up to the youth of this generation to carry on what God used the Harris twins to begin. It's up to the young people to continue doing hard things for the glory of God, going above and beyond the culture's expectations, and focusing on preparing for the future.

I was so blessed to have been able to attend this conference. I was inspired, challenged, convicted, and filled with enthusiasm and passion. God is so good. There is nothing like being surrounded by over 1,000 people with the same desire to rise above the low expectations placed on youth. When I think of the young people in that room fully surrendering their lives - their best lives - to God, I am filled with encouragement and hope. If God is for us, who can be against us?

So. It's up to you, it's up to me, to carry on the Rebelution. So what do you say.... Are you with me?

"We become the men and women we strive to become. What are you striving for?"

"There's nothing more foolish than holding back from what God has in store for us because we're afraid of failing and what people will think. Failure is not wasted when you turn to God and try again."

"When we become exceptional in a mediocre culture, we become exceptionally mediocre. Do what's hard for you, not someone else."

"Don't let people tell you that you're amazing. You are just a regular teen who believes that God uses youth."

Free Viewing of Divided

2011-08-02T17:32:00.001-05:00

What is the purpose of modern youth ministry in the church? Is it biblical? Is it multiplying or dividing the church? These are the questions asked in the new documentary put out by the National Center for Family Integrated Churches. For a limited time, you can watch this 50 minute film for FREE on their site: http://dividedthemovie.com/index.html

My family hooked our computer up to the TV and watched it together. It's an interesting movie. It made me think about the youth culture in a way I never had before. Though I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the information I learned from Divided, it was incredibly informative and I recommend that you take the time to watch it (while it's still free).

Trailer:

Divided Trailer from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Here's the description from their site:

"There is a crisis. Christian youth are rapidly leaving evangelical churches for the world. This well-recognized disaster has been the topic of significant discussion in recent years for both church leaders and modern new media. DIVIDED follows young Christian filmmaker Philip Leclerc on a revealing journey as he seeks answers to what has led his generation away from the church. Traveling across the country conducting research and interviewing church kids, youth ministry experts, evangelists, statisticians, social commentators, and pastors, Philip discovers the shockingly sinister roots of modern, age-segregated church programs, and the equally shocking evidence that the pattern in the Bible for training future generations is at odds with modern church practices. He also discovers a growing number of churches that are abandoning age-segregated Sunday school and youth ministry to embrace the discipleship model that God prescribes in His Word."

CGN11

2011-08-01T22:13:00.000-05:00

I've just returned from an amazing week of being a counselor at Camp Good News. These are the three girls I was with nearly 24/7 of that week. God did incredible things. I was so privileged and blessed to be used of God and to influence the lives of these girls. Than is nothing more exciting than being used of Him! But, after a week triple digit temperatures, it's nice to be home. =)

Truth

2011-07-20T11:43:00.002-05:00

In an age of moral relativism, where absolutes are seemingly non-existent, and where Truth is said to be determined by the individual, I found this quote from Joshua Harris's Dug Deep Down encouraging.

Actually, Harris quotes Wayne Grudem in his book Bible Doctrine when points out that in Jesus' prayer in John 17:17, he doesn't say, "Sanctify them in the truth; your words are true." Instead he prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth."

Grudem further writes, "The difference is significant, for this statement encourages us to think of the Bible not simply as being 'true' in the sense that it conforms to some higher standard of truth, but rather to think of the Bible itself as the final standard of truth."

God. Is. Truth.

Isn't it so comforting to know that God is The final source of Truth, and not the whimsical ideas of man?

Only a Word Fanatic

2011-07-13T14:13:00.002-05:00

I really don't know why, but I have this odd fascination with words. I love words. I love how they're spelled, I love how they sound, I love what they mean.... It's amazing that something so simple as a word can convey a message with meaning. Language is the coolest thing ever!

Hence, being the word fanatic that I am, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite words with you. (Yes, I keep a list of all my favorites.)

Scoured - it's better than just "searching" (rummage works well too)
Chortle - you've read "Jabberwocky", right?
Connoisseur - you've gotta admit: French words are pretty awesome
Tenacious - one of those sophisticated sounding words
Provocative - fun to say in a German accent
Prolific - I just like it
Ostentatious - if you like to show off your vocab
Inevitable - change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
Abominable - just too fun to say!
Discombobulated - means confused
Utterly - use for a dramatic effect
E-quaintance - that's what you all are: a person know only through online communication
Hakuna-Mathata - it's a real word in Swahili meaning "no problem"
Skidaddle - a very cool word indeed
Tweetox - tweet + detox = to take a break from Twitter
Plethora - instead of saying "many"
Indubitably - say it really fast
Hullabaloo - it's just as crazy as it's meaning
Nifty - my synonym for "cool" (spiffy works too)
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - I'm still working on pronunciation

So, is it just me, or do you all have favorite words too?

I'm so sorry you have to watch this, but I just couldn't resist! (Since we are on the subject of words and all...)

Beauty for Ashes

2011-07-11T14:57:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 61:3

To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ."

Gain. There are many things that are "gains" to me. I have numerous things that I take pride in, many things I put my confidence in. My accomplishments, my talents, my abilities, my knowledge - all of these are gains for me. Loss. But how can I lose my gains? How can I count them as loss? These are the things that define me. These are the things I've worked for. And yet I'm called to count them as loss.

"I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."

However, when I count all these things as loss, I'm actually not losing anything of value. In reality, my gains are all nothing without Christ. I am nothing without Christ. But, I can trade my nothingness for His fullness, my rags for His righteousness, my worthlessness for His surpassing value.

"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ."

He gives me beauty for ashes.

It's not a fair exchange, by any means. I do not deserve it, nor will I ever deserve it. When I count all things loss, I gain Christ. So why is it so hard? Why do I struggle with this everyday? Why do I cling to everything that's of myself? Because I'm trusting me. My confidence is still in myself. Therefore, I need to crucify myself so that Christ can live in me. I lose myself, but I gain a priceless treasure beyond all measure and worth.

He gives me beauty for ashes.

I lose my social status, but I gain Christ.

I lose my good works, but I gain Christ.

I lose my possessions, but I gain Christ.

I lose my reputation, but I gain Christ.

I lose my accomplishments, but I gain Christ.

I lose my relationships, but I gain Christ.

I lose my life, but I gain Christ.

He gives me beauty for ashes.

(Philippians 3:7-11)

Freedom: A Call to Action

2011-07-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

We are free. But for 27 million people in the world, freedom is not a reality. Slavery exists today - even more-so than any other time in history. As we remeber our freedom today, let us not forget those who are enslaved. We must continue to fight for freedom.

So now I give you an important call to action from IJM (International Justice Mission). Please go to their website now and send your Senators a message asking them to support the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. This crucial bill will renew the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which established the State Department Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, authorized the annual Trafficking in Persons report, and established a global minimum standard for confronting trafficking and slavery. Your action is needed! Go to this website to send the message. The message is already written for you - and it takes less than a minute!

For more info on this bill, go HERE.

Happy Independence Day blogging buddies! Remember the One who truly makes us free!

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. - John 8:36

Vision: Where I'm Going (post #2)

2011-07-02T18:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, writers get their point across by gradually and indirectly introducing their subject. Other times, writers may poetically verse their point so masterfully that the point is made through effect. I, however and in this particular instance, am going to get my point across in clear, concise, straightforward way:

You should have a vision for your life because it is very important.

(There. Now let me elaborate.)

In my last post, I talked about vision. Vision means looking beyond what is now and becomes the aspiration of what could be. For instance, Joshua and Caleb were visionaries because they saw things differently, they envisioned taking the land of Canaan as God described they would. I shall now get personal and directly ask you a question: What's your vision? Do you know where you are going? Where are you headed?

I told you vision was important. You see, without it there's not one specific goal to direct your life towards. And if your life is not directed anywhere, how do you expect to do anything significant? John Piper says it better: "The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered my one great thing." What's your thing?

Your vision might change. You might find a new vision. But having vision is what's important. Have a goal that you're reaching for. Ask yourself questions like, "Where do I see myself in one year? Five years? Ten years?"

Your vision should encompass something you're extremely passionate about AND something you're good at. Personally, I am passionate about music (writing songs on the piano and singing). It's something I've been doing nearly my whole life; and if I may say so, I feel like God has given me talent in this area to use for His glory. I have a vision to bless others with my music and glorify the Lord through it, whether by participating in my youth group's worship band, performing for others, or maybe even recording some songs. Although I don't have all the answers, I have a vision; and if God so wills, I will pursue that vision and reach my goal.

Now it's your turn to share. What's your vision? Discipling younger believers? Writing a book? Becoming a fashion designer? Starting a Bible study? Teaching English? Serving God in another country? Running for representative? Learning another language? Whatever it is, I wanna hear it! Leave a comment and share the vision God has given you! =)

P.S. I highly suggest reading John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life for more about vision.

.

Seeing Things Differently (post #1)

2011-06-25T11:09:00.005-05:00

"Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith."

~ Stephen S. Wise

We've all heard it. "God has a great plan for you." "Follow God's purpose for your life." And we know it's true because God says, "For I know the plans I have toward you..." (Jeremiah 29:11). But, I'm still left with one question: What's my part in God's plan for me? Will God's purpose just "happen" or do I need to be doing something?

--------------------------------------------
"The spies are coming! The spies are coming!" shouted the people of Isreal. In the distance, the figures of several men appeared on foot, carrying large bundles of... something. Eagarly, the people awaited the spies' reports and curiously tried to figure out what they had brought back with them in those bundles.

Finally, Moses and Aaron had quited the Isrealites. Moses addressed the spies, "You have been forty days in the land of Canaan. Tell us, is the land good or bad? Are the cities fortified? How is the fruit? Are there many trees?"

With much excitment, the spies began describing the richness of the land. The bundles which they had carried contained the sweet, delicious fruit which grew in Canaan. The land was fertile and lusch.

A wave of excited anticipation rushed over the Isrealites. Was this really the land that God was going to give them? They couldn't think of a better place! But then the spies continued their description.

"Nevertheless," they went on, "the people of the land are big and strong. They dwell in heavily fortified cities."

Another spy came forward and exclaimed, "Not only that, but we saw the descendants of Anak there! The Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites all live there!"

"We don't stand a chance against them!" Another spy added.

The people gasped and began murmuring amoungst themselves. With their enemies (who just happened to be giants) well-armed in fortified walls, the Isrealities truly didn't stand a chance. The spies convinced the people that it was hopeless.

Then Caleb and Joshua stepped up.

(See Numbers 13:17-32)
-----------------------------------------------------

When everyone else saw the giants, they saw the fruit.
When everyone else saw the fortified walls, they saw the potential.
When everyone else saw the curses, they saw the blessings.

Caleb and Joshua had vision. Visionaries see things differently.

God calls you and me to be visionaries. He wants you to have a vision, a holy ambition. John Piper defines holy ambition as "something that you really, really, really want to do - and that God wants you to do also." Like Joshua and Caleb, God wants you to see beyond the world's expectations and dream big.

Maybe you're thinking, well having a vision is great and all, Chloe, but I still don't know what God wants me to do. If I don't know what His calling for my life is yet, how can I have a vision for what He wants me to do?

Introducing post number two....

.

The Two Best Ways to Start Your Summer

2011-06-15T00:16:00.002-05:00

Imagine the entire ocean. It's vast. It's huge. It's got a lot of water. Now imagine that the entire ocean represents all the attainable, knowable knowledge there is. How much of that knowledge do you know? After considering all the history, statistics, facts, equations, trivia, lives, names, laws and other knowledge that's available, I've come to the conclusion that my knowledge would amount to about a drop.

These past few weeks I've learned a lot. A ton. But the more I learn, the more I realize exactly how little I know. Still, these past weeks have been life-changing for me. I can't even begin to describe how incredible this past month has been... but I'm gonna try.

Three words: TeenPact National Convention 2011. (Or is that four words?) First of all, let me just say that if you've never been to a TeenPact state class, you are missing out on one of the greatest experiences of your life. Check it out. National Convention is a whole week spent on focusing on God with teens from around the nation. Imagine worshipping God with 500 other people, having a quiet time in the middle of His creation, participating in a national ultimate Frisbee tournament, watching TeenPact's election campaigns... not to mention hearing amazing speakers like John Stonestreet and Brett Harris!!! At National Convention, I was encouraged, strengthened, and challenged in the Lord. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Next on my life-altering list is Worldview Academy. Again, if you haven't been to or heard of Worldview, you must check it out! I can sincerely say that it was one of the best weeks of my life. Worldview Academy is not your average camp. For most of each day there I was being lectured on subjects concerning worldview, apologetics, evangelism, and leadership. Of course there was still ultimate Frisbee, small group games, team competitions and worship. And it all adds up to equal the ultimate camp experience. But it was more than an experience; Worldview Academy was a launching pad.

So you see, I've learned a lot, but this new knowledge has given me the desire to continue to learn and to press on in my search for Truth.

God is so good. There is no better way to start summer. I can't wait to learn.

A Surreal Reality

2011-06-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

I. Am. A. Senior.

Make Me Humble, Father

2011-06-01T13:32:00.001-05:00

Make me humble, Father

Put me in my place

I see myself for who I am

As I look upon Your face

Make me more of your, Lord

And less of me

As I discover more of who You are

Give me humility

Make me humble, Father

Clothe me poor and meek

On my own I am unable

But Your strength shows through me when I'm weak

Let me boast in You, Lord

And not in me

As I magnify the strength You are

Give me humility

Make me humble, Father

Show me how to serve

For You came and washed our feet

Though You are of surpassing worth

Let me place myself last

And look for other's needs

As I follow Your servant-example

Give me humility

~ By Chloe 2011

Giveaway Winner

2011-05-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

I might as well get straight to the point and save my ramblings for last.... Using random.org I now have a winner of the earrings I made and am giving away. Congratulations Marie! You are the lucky winner!

If you don't mind, you can email me (my email is on the sidebar), and I'll get the earrings to you. =)

Thanks to everyone who entered! I'm so excited to look up (and hopefully read) all of those wonderful books you suggested!

~Chloe

Because He Lives....

2011-04-24T13:13:00.000-05:00

Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God fall on my knees

And rise

I will rise

Thank you for conquering death, Lord Jesus!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Numero Cien

2011-04-13T22:19:00.002-05:00

Apparently, this post is significantly substantial.

Not because this was posted on April 13, 2011 (a very fine day, I must say). Not because the title is in Spanish (which is, by the way, totally awesome). Not because it was posted by yours truly (significant as this reason may be). No, this post is special because it is officially my 100th post.

By now, many of my readers have by far surpassed their 100th posts, and for them, this might seem like a trivial accomplishment. However, for the author of a blog which has been much neglected, this is huge. The very moment that I hover my mouse over the "Publish Post" button and apply a slight force with my right index finger, I will have clicked that button for the one hundredth time. Oh, the exhilaration.

In honor of this significantly substantial occasion, there are some things I will NOT do.

First, I will not aimlessly ramble on like a sophisticated idiot who redundantly says things twice and appears to know what she's talking about but really has no idea whatsoever and therefore she completely bores her readers or either slightly amuses them with her complete ridiculousness and absurdity.

Second, I will not make an atrocious list of one hundred facts about myself (as many are accustomed to doing on their one hundredth posts). If anyone ever reads one hundred facts about any one person, they either have way too much time on their hands or they're stalkers. (If you have ever read one hundred facts about someone, please say that it is because of the first option.) Plus, I doubt in my ability to come up with one hundred facts about myself.

Those, my friends, are the things I will not do in this post. However, there is something that I WILL do in this post.

(Yes, I am a firm believer in productivity.)

In honor of my great accomplishment of reaching my 100th post, I will be greatly accomplishing my very first giveaway! The object of this giveaway will be these beautiful, intricately hand-crafted earrings. (Okay, they weren't that hard to make.)

It's nothing huge compared to the hugeness of the occasion of this post, but I've been wanting to do a "give-away" for a while now. So... Ta-da!

P.S. - The earring part is made of nickel-free metal

P.P.S. - I sincerely apologize to any males out there whose expectations of a "cool" giveaway were utterly dashed. Please feel free to enter the giveaway anyway, and if you happen to win, you may in turn give them away to somebody who would be more likely to enjoy them

P.P.P.S. - To enter, you must do these 3 1/2 things:

1} Leave a comment on this post.

2} In your comment, suggest one of your favorite books that you think I should read. (Preferably, suggest a book other than the ones I have listed in my "Faves" page.)

3} This give-away ends on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

3 1/2} You don't have to be a follower of my blog, but as I'll be announcing the winner on here, it's probably a good idea.

It's almost here!

2011-04-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

Spring is just around the corner!

Disclaimer: Yes, technically, spring is already here and it's summer that's just around the corner, but then that would be no fun at all because how can you make a funny, cheesy picture with the idea of "summer" and "corner" and it still make sense and be funny and cheesy all at the same time? So, for the sake of my post, let's just pretend that spring really is around the corner, okay? Thank you for understanding.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

2011-04-01T20:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know. Where have you been? Anyway, here's where I've been:

Buried in books, school, papers, school, homework, and school...

(Duh!)

In Kansas City for a regional Bible quiz competition...

Then, in Chicago for the national Bible quiz competition...

(BTW my teammates and I placed 9th!!!)

Practicing my Chopin piece (Nocturne in E minor) for State competition...

Babysitting...

Playing tennis on a local homeschool tennis team...

(My doubles partner and I placed 3rd out of 8 teams in a recent tournament!)

And finally, preparing for TeenPact! I'm going this next week, in fact!

Busy school year? Yes.

Was it worth it? Absolutely!

Do I want to do it all again? Noooooo.

The Problem of Priorities

2011-02-07T18:05:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty sure this has been the busiest year of my life thus far. My schedule feels full to the top (but probably not compared to the lady in the picture, haha)! Needless to say, my time with God has unfortunately fallen to the back-burner. It's not that I don't do it, it's just that I feel rushed. Have you ever felt so busy that you rush your time with God?

I justify my snappy "quiet time" by saying that once this year is over I'll have more time to devote to God. But is that really true? If I'm honest with myself, I'll admit that life will always be busy. But I have to develop the habit of sacrificing my time in order to spend it with God. If prayer and Bible are a priority in my life, I'll make time for them, no matter how busy I am.

This is one area that God has convicted me of: I need to be still before the Lord. Not rushing to get going on all my work, not worrying about the day, but still. "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:7).

So I have to ask myself, What are my priorities and what do I spend the most time doing? Am I willing to give up "my" time to sit still in God's presence? Would I give up extra sleep, facebook time, watching that TV show, time with friends, etc.? My desire is to make God a priority in my life - but it's easier said than done.

Yes, the modern lifestyle is one of business. But I want God to be my priority in the midst of it. What are some ways that you make God and His Word a priority in your life? What are some things you've had to sacrifice in order to spend time with God?

This Thursday - Join together to reach the world

2011-02-02T13:49:00.000-06:00

Every 5 seconds a child dies of starvation.
That's a startling number, yet most of us are comfortable living our lives indifferent to the fact that people are dying from hunger.

But it's time to get uncomfortable. You CAN do something!
I was been introduced to the One Day, One Lunch Project by Lexi over at Choosing to Wait.

The Average American spends between $2.00 and $8.00 a day on lunch. If everyone who reads this blog post would simple choose- on February 3rd to give up their "lunch money" and then donate what they would have spent on lunch that day to Lifesong For Orphans for the Adami Tulu preschool in Ziway, Ethiopia. Can you image what Jesus could do? A mere $3.00 feeds a child for ONE MONTH.

So, on Thursday, February 3rd, you can make a difference in the life of a child. This is such a simple yet powerful way to change the world.

Here's how you can help:

1} Donate your lunch money
Donations can be given online at: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html - please indicate it’s to go to the Adami Tulu Preschool.

Or mail checks to:

Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
*Indicate for the Adami Tulu Preschool

2} Spread the word on facebook
Join the One Day, One Lunch Project on facebook, and then invite your friends to join too.

3} Post about it on your blog and share it with your family and friends

--------------------------------
Okay guys. I know I'm posting this a little late, and by the time you read this Thursday might be over. Even if you do this after February 3rd, I still challenge you to join in. It doen't matter on what day you help to change the world. You can donate $3 any ole day and feed a child for one month.

Forever n Ever n Always Giveaway...

2011-02-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

This is just the greatest shirt to give away on a photography blog. Too cool! To enter to win this cute camera shirt, head over to Forever n Ever n Always Photography! Seriously, this green shirt is so adorable! =) If you're interested, go HERE to find out how you can win.

~Chloe

P.S. Happy February! =)

Get the word out: Human trafficing needs to be stopped

2011-01-31T21:30:00.000-06:00

On 22 December 2010, President Barack Obama and The White House proclaimed January 2011 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

"Although the United States has made great strides in preventing the occurrence of modern slavery, prosecuting traffickers and dismantling their criminal networks, and protecting victims and survivors, our work is not done. We stand with those throughout the world who are working every day to end modern slavery, bring traffickers to justice, and empower survivors to reclaim their rightful freedom. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can combat this crime within our borders and join with our partners around the world to end this injustice."

- President Barack Obama

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/12/22/presidential-proclamation-national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevent)

Please take advantage of this opportunity to educate yourself and educate others on the problem of human trafficking and modern slavery. The fight against injustice is a long and tedious fight. But victory is possible! In short, education leads to awareness, awareness fights demand, and reduced demand reduces supply.

READ the Department of State's "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010" which included the USA in its findings for the first time.

DO ONLINE SEARCHES FOR ORGANIZATIONS like...

The International Justice Mission
Free the Slaves
Abolish Slavery (w/ Aaron Cohen)
The DNA Foundation
Love146
Amnesty International
Polaris Project
Not For Sale Campaign
Shared Hope International
Loose Change to Loosen Chains
The U.S. State Department, etc.

FIND OPPORTUNITIES to work, intern, and get involved.

READ BOOKS like "A Crime So Monstrous" by E. Benjamin Skinner, "Modern Slavery" by Kevin Bales, "Good News about Injustice" and "Just Courage" by Gary Haugen, "Slave Hunter" by Aaron Cohen, and others.

TELL OTHERS.

SPEAK UP. SEEK JUSTICE. Proverbs 31:8-9.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE TO SPREAD THE WORD! :)

BE THE CHANGE.

-----------------------------------------------
P.S. - Charity is having a special challenge to spread the word about human slavery. Check her BLOG out to find out more!

To Make God Smile

2011-01-26T23:16:00.000-06:00

There is just way too much to do in life! The problem is, I can't do it all and so I actually have to make a choice! Decisions. Options. Details. Preferences. Alternatives. Selections. Possibilities.

One life.

From my point of view, some of these choices (like jobs, collages, majors, cars, classes, when, and where) seem so pivotal. I feel like the whole future of my life depends on my decision.

Fortunately, God has a different view. He sees reality, the way things really are. The reality is, God has a plan for my life... even to the end. Because He's sovereign, God has my life under control. My choices won't be a surprise to Him.

I know this is true, but in the midst of life's craziness it's often hard to believe. Sometimes, I start believing the lie that I actually plan my life. Although I do have choices, and although my choices do effect my life, I'm not the one who directs it. I'm tired of worrying over the future, so I'm giving it over to the One who has it in His hands anyway. I will seek Him for every decision, and I will trust Him.

God delights in being trusted. Want to make God smile? Then trust Him. Trust Him with everything. Trust Him with your life. I can't see the road ahead and I still don't know what all of my decisions will be. But I'll leave the answer to God. After all, He's written all of history - I'm sure He can write my life.

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Officially Official

2011-01-19T15:59:00.004-06:00

What kind of blogger am I? I haven't posted since the beginning of the year! *tsk, tsk, tsk* If you can pretend that this post was posted two weeks ago, then I shall consider you the most wonderful blog followers ever! =)

So, I figured, as I am seventeen years of age, that it might be about time for me to go through the process of obtaining an automobilist's certificate of authorization to operate a potentially hazardous vehicle. In other words, I decided to get my driver's license.

This is what I looked like before I took the drivers test. I wasn't really nervous, just... uncertain.

After waiting for nearly two hours past the time I was given, this is almost what I looked like (but I didn't fall asleep).

Finally, my moment of destiny came.

A very rigid and intimidating-looking man introduced himself as my evaluator. At least he smiled. Still, he looked strict; but my hope rested upon the fact (other than my mad driving skills) that since it was the end of the day, he would be tired and pass me just to get done.

A nugget of advice: If you are about to take your driving test, pray that you don't get an instructor that mumbles, because it is quite hard to hear exactly what you're supposed to do.

I finished my drive without an major mishaps. When I stopped, my instructor informed me that, to pass my drive test, I had to score at least a 75. Then he told me that I scored a 1. As I could not perceive how that was possible, seeing that I did not crash, I assumed he was kidding. (My assumption was fortunately correct.)

End of story: I passed.

This is what I looked like after I passes. It was a great day.

Hurry! iheart's giveaway ends Monday!

2011-01-07T12:55:00.001-06:00

You could win Start Here by Alex and Brett Harris PLUS and $10 gift card to a store of your choice! All you've got to do is go and enter at iheart's blog.

But hurry, it ends on Monday, January 10. Click HERE to enter.

And while you're there, go ahead a follow their blog - it's so encouraging and inspiring. Becky, Jessica and Madison all have a heart for the Lord, and it's obvious from their blog. Go and check it out! =)

~Chloe

Teach me to number my days...

2011-01-02T18:14:00.000-06:00

At some point in my life I guess I'll have to stop being so surprised at how fast the year goes by! (And from what I hear, the older you get, the faster it seems.) Oh. My. I was just getting used to writing "2010" on all of my school papers. So... is it just me, or does the new year mess up your dates too? *grins*

I am convinced that life is like a freight train going downhill: it seems to start out slow in the beginning; but then it picks up speed as it goes along, getting faster and faster! Then all of a sudden, the ride is over.

Because the new year comes so quickly, it reminds me of how short life on this earth is. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (according to James 4:14). I think that so often we get so caught up in life that we forget that it's going to end. And since we don't know for sure when our lives will end, we just take it for granted that we have plenty of time. But our time is short.

What if you knew that 2011 would be your last year to live - you only had 12 months left.... Would you live it differently than any other year? Some people might do the things they've always dreamed of doing, like sky diving, getting tickets to the Super Bowl, touring France, recording an album, or even [insert your own life dream here]. But if you believed what the Bible said, you'd probably strive to do things that are of eternal value. (Of course, it's just plain sense to plan for the future, but there's a lot to be gained by living like your days are numbered.)

New Year's is filled with expectations, resolutions, and goals - all of which are very helpful. But more important than New Year's resolutions is how you actually live. Here's some great ways you can make 2011 count for eternity:

Begin praying that God will use this year to equip and prepare you for His purpose for your life.
Find a local Christian ministry where you can volunteer and invest your time - even it's only once a month.
READ. It challenges your worldview and "expands your horizons." Go to my FAVES page for some good ones to start with. =)
If you've never studied in-depth a book of the Bible, this year would be a great year to do it! I studied Philippians this past semester and I'm still amazed at how much I've gained from it!
- Find a way to specifically serve someone each month and record what you do and learn in a journal. Jesus came to earth to serve, so it should be important to us too!

Those are just a few. There are SO many other ways to make your year purposeful. What are some of your ideas? What are some of your goals this year?

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

He. Gave. It. All.

2010-12-21T13:08:00.000-06:00

Before the dawn of time was The Word. The Word was God. The Creator. The I AM... Yet, The Word (God) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). That's the entire Christmas story summed up in just one sentence! This miraculous act we call the "Incarnation" -- Christ became completely human while remaining completely God. Our tiny human minds can't understand it, but it was absolutely necessary for these two reasons:

1} Christ had to be completely God to take the punishment of sin. Only God is holy and sinless and only He could pay the penalty.
2} Christ had to be completely human in order to be your substitute, my substitute. Because He was a man, Christ was our representative on the cross!

Pretty much, it boggles my brain how Jesus could be 100% God and 100% man. I love C. S. Lewis's analogy of this: Like an author writing himself into the script of a play, so the Word - the Author of creation - wrote Himself into the story of our world! Jesus is the author, but He also became a character for us!

Do you realize just how much Jesus gave up by becoming a man? I will never fully understand it (in this life), but Philippians 2 gives a good picture. Jesus, who was fully God, "did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" (2:6). In other words, Jesus didn't hold on to His position and privileges as God. Although He never stopped being God, He gave up those rights when He came to earth.

When He "emptied Himself" (2:7) HE GAVE UP EVERYTHING.

He set aside the glories of heaven; He surrendered His independent authority and became obedient to His Father; He let go of His eternal riches and lived a life of poverty. But most of all, Christ bore the wrath of God as He took the sins of the whole world on Himself. He was separated from His Father. For me. For you. This, the greatest gift, was also the greatest sacrifice ever made!

You know the rest of the story. Jesus conquered death and now God has "highly exalted Him" (2:9). Have you, in the business of this season, taken the time to exalt the Lord? Have you thanked Him for His indescribable gift? The gift that cost Him His life, gave us ours.

"For God so loved this world

Though He knew what love would cost

He made a way in a manger

To make a way to the cross"

Please be careful putting up your Christmas decorations

2010-12-19T15:50:00.001-06:00

Can you believe Christmas is less than one week away? Since I'm in a silly mood right now, I thought I'd just share some funny facts about Christmas that I've found.

What on earth are Yuletide carols?
"Yule-tide is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas."

You know that song, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"?
Well the song became so popular, that a campaign was organized to actually give the singer, Gayla Peevey, a real live hippopotamus for Christmas! But... she donated it to the zoo.

Does Santa Clause scare you?
One Government website has warned parents that a visit to see Father Christmas could be 'terrifying' for small children.

Hungry?
Christmas trees are edible. The needles of pines, spruces, and firs are actually a good source of Vitamin C, and the pine cones happen to be quite nutritious (if you can chew them).

Who wasn't originally on Santa's reindeer team?
"Rudolph" was created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's for a holiday promotion.

Talk about lots of wrapping!
If you received all of the gifts listed in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" song, you would receive 364 presents.

How does Santa do it?
Click HERE to read how scientists have proved that Santa has an impossible job.

Have a laugh!

2010-12-15T14:27:00.000-06:00

I've neglected my poor little blog lately in order to study for finals. =( Thank goodness for Christmas break! To start up my posting again, I'm just gonna share some funny videos I've seen lately. Enjoy!

This is one of the best spelling bee clips I've ever seen!

Okay, I admit that this guy is a little weird, but it gave me a laugh!

Blondes....

CLARIFICATION: I am not supporting rum here, but the commercial is so funny!

This one cracked me up too! I love Geico commercials!

Alright, this one's not so funny, more... INCREDIBLE (for all you sports fans out there)!

Gasp! Christmas is in December this year????

2010-11-30T22:39:00.000-06:00

Oh. my.

December has come WAY too fast! It's already time to break out the Christmas music. There's so many Christmas songs that I love. What have you been listening to? Not only do I like to listen to them, but they're pretty fun to sing... really loudly... in German accents. Haha. Anyyyywayyy...

I now have a new favorite Christmas song: "While You Were Sleeping" by Casting Crowns. Have you heard it? It's a beautiful and touching song about the city Jesus was born in, yet it ends with a powerful challenge to America. You'll just have to hear it....

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again,

And leave us slumbering where we lay;

America, will we go down in history,

As a nation with no room for its King;

Will we be sleeping?

What do you want to be doing when Jesus calls His Church home? Will you be ready? This Christmas, let's not be sleeping, caught up in all the holiday hustle and bustle. It's time to wake up. God has given you a purpose in this life. What are you going to do with the time that He has given you?

This time of the year is a HUGE opportunity to reach out to the hurting and show the love of Christ. If you're thinking about how you can make an impact this Christmas, I'd encourage you to check out the blogs I have on my sidebar:

Wake Up Stand Up, Teens for Orphans, Do: Living Water.

Each of those projects were started by young people who made the effort to reach out and make a difference to people in third world countries. Even if it's just following their blogs and praying for their projects, you could be part of the change. Of course, there are so many other ways to make this Christmas an impactful one. But I challenge you to do something if you're not already.

I've already read some posts from fellow bloggers about what they're doing to make a difference this Christmas. Are you doing something? I'd love to hear all the different ways that you all are reaching out this year! What are you doing to make a difference this Christmas?

Pumpkins + Colorful Leaves + Sunlight = Awesome photos

2010-11-24T11:09:00.001-06:00

But I'm only one month behind! Oh well. Even my Thanksgiving break is busy (but I'm still thankful for it, of course). I absolutely LOVE the fall season! That's why I love these photos....

Silly picture!

L to R: Cierra (5), Aaron (12), Austin (15), Me (17), Mariah (11)

A random cat got in the picture.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Shutterfly - 50 FREE Holiday Cards!

2010-11-21T21:14:00.001-06:00

I have heard of Shutterfly before, but I have to admit, I've never used it. However, when I heard about their amazing offer from Charity Anne's blog, I knew I couldn't pass it up!!!

So here's the deal: If you sign up to post about Shutterfly's photo gifts, you automatically get 50 free holiday cards! Too good to be true? Not this time!

What can you do with Shutterfly? You can upload your pictures, order awesome photo gifts and prints, and you can pick up what you order at any Target, Walgreens, or CVS. Here are just a few of the neat cards you can make with your photos (Click on the photos to see more from Shutterfly):

Christmas Cards - like this one! (ONE of my personal favorites. This would be great to send out with Christmas letters to family and friends.)

Holiday stationary (and even Hanukkah cards)

You can easily upload photos from your computer!

Personalized photo calendars!

Photo mugs

This is the one that I would probably choose:

SERIOUSLY. Check out their Christmas cards (and do it in time to send them out for Christmas). There are literally hundreds to choose from; and if you sign up and blog about it, you get 50 FREE! Do it.

My Healer

2010-11-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

Recently, I've been listening to all of Kari Jobe's music. Not only does she have an amazing voice, but her lyrics are so sincere and uplifting. I've been especially touched by the song "Healer." If you haven't heard it. check it out!

This is video is a story that brought tears to my eyes. Watch the video to see how her music inspires hope and how miraculous our God is!

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

STORY's Worship Leader Kari Jobe from Story Chicago on Vimeo.

P.S. Charity Anne from Footprints in the Sand interviewed me on her worldview blog! To read it, go HERE. You should totally check out her blog - she has a passion for Christ that shows through her posts!

Wild for Wild Olive!!!

2010-11-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

I don't post about very many give-aways, but this one is just too awesome not to! Wild Olive Tees is giving away some of their cool Christian tees for ladies! Check out their new blog to find out how you can enter! :) Go HERE to enter.

That's all.
Bye!
Chloe

God's Peace.... A Guard?

2010-11-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

In a humanities class I'm taking, we recently finished studying Philippians. Have you all ever studied that book in depth? Man, it's packed with spiritual nuggets of wisdom! =)

I'm sure you have heard these verses before, right?

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

When I read that, I usually think something along the lines of, "Okay, so God doesn't want us to worry about our troubles, but instead pray, and then He will give us His peace." However, when I read it this time, something totally new stuck out to me. Read the verses again. (Seriously.) Now what do you think it means when Paul says that God's peace will "guard your hearts and minds"? This is the question I asked myself. I mean, I've never really thought about peace...guarding. So what does it mean?

As I kept reading these verses with that question in my mind, the Holy Spirit taught me something totally new to me. (Aren't those moments just so amazing???) God's peace guards us from focusing on ourselves.

I don't know about you, but I'm a worrier. If something can go wrong, then I'll be thinking about it. And especially if something does go wrong, then I'm definitely worried! However, when I am worrying, I'm focusing on my problems, my troubles, my embarrassment, situations in my life that might go wrong.

Do you see the problem here? I'm not focusing on God, who is in control of my life - and nothing happens outside of His plan. God's peace guards me from focusing on myself. Instead, I'm placing my life in His hands and leaving it there. His peace keeps me focused on HIM: who He is, what He has done, and what I know He is going to do. God's plan is perfect, and I know I don't have to worry about anything. That's how God's peace is a guard.

Are you a worrier? Then cast your cares upon the Lord, and ask Him to give you His peace - it surpasses all understanding! Keep your focus on God, 'cause He will never let you down.

A Worldview Challenge from Charity

2010-10-16T16:28:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! My friend Charity Anne from Footprints in the Sand is having a giveaway! But it's not just any giveaway: it comes with a challenge. On her worldview blog, Think Hard Think Well, she has challenged everybody to write an essay answering this question....

Do you believe it is right for Christians to break the law of the land under certain circumstances?

Go HERE to read the full instructions or if you have any questions about it for her. The giveaway is a surprise, and I'm sure it will be awesome!

An essay is really not as hard as it sounds. It's basically just three paragraphs with an introduction and concluding paragraph! You can do this! And it would be so worthwhile! I encourage you all to think about accepting this challenge. The deadline for the essay is November 2, 2010, so get going on it!

I Cannot Believe It!!!

2010-10-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

I can remember the night when I asked my mom if I could start a blog. It was thrilling to think that I was going to have my very own sight where I could post anything I wanted! I had so many plans, ideas for making it unique and insightful. I created my blog so carefully...I wanted everything to be perfect! After much thought, I named my blog and posted the first post. Exactly one year ago, Blooming In Christ began.

Okay. Hold on while I let out some excitement.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOOMING IN CHRIST!!! =)

I can't help but smile when I think about how God uses the simplest things to grow me, like my blog. I originally began it with the purpose of encouraging others in the Lord. But, of course, God has used it to grow me. I thought that it might be fun to take a look back where Blooming in Christ has been over this past year....

My "whys" of starting a blog. Ahhh, good memories.

I began my posting in October of 2009 with a study I had done on the roots of Halloween. I'll admit - it wasn't the lightest topic, but it was something I wanted to know because it is a controversial holiday among Christians. There were four posts in this series, and if you'd like to read them, go to the posts in the month of October in 2009.

Then there's November. Yes, each November another page of my life is turned. That year was a special time for me.

Oh yes. The waffle. I never will forget that one!

My life seems to be destined for embarrassing moments. This is proof.

God is so good. Whenever I begin to doubt His sovereignty, I can go back here, to a record of His amazing faithfulness!

Good times with family! That is definitely something I love to share on my blog! =) I love pictures too!

Wow. I started playing tennis last year. That seems ages ago! lol

How could I forget the disease? You know, Affluenza. That video was a huge eye-opener for me!

There's not a ton of posts. I'm not the expert in grammar. Humor is something I lack. Sometimes I get busy and don't post. My blog is not perfect, but it is a journey. God is the guide, I am His follower, and I will go wherever He leads. I pray that this blog will be a testimony to God's goodness and faithfulness as I record what He is doing and how He is growing me.

Blooming in Christ.

You know the feeling when...

2010-10-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

...when you've completed something really challenging? Something that, at first, you weren't sure how you would complete it? Well, I have that feeling right now. I have just written an essay on a five-line poem!!! (It was "A Man Said to the Universe" by Stephan Crane.) The essay was supposed to be on the worldview of the poem/author. As you can guess, I had to focus on what the poem implied, rather than what it said ('cause it didn't say much). It felt so good to finish it, because I felt as though I had completed something of utmost substance! =D Satisfaction in work is a wonderful feeling.

I know how busy life can get with school and activities, but remember to keep persevering and doing your best in your work. God commands us to do everything for His glory--that includes our everyday responsibilities! =)

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man. (Ephesians 6:5-7)

Doing hard things are hard, but in the end, it's so worth it! So keep pressing on, doing your work as for the Lord, even in your busy life! There is a special promise for those who do everything for the Lord, and it's found in the very next verse!

" knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." (Ephesians 6:8)

Food for Thought: Water

2010-10-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

Water from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

Americans consume an average of 70-100 gallons of water every day. The developing world consumes under 3 gallons a day, much of which contains infectious diseases. Do you take water for granted? I definitely do! Millions are dying because of the lack of water, or because of the contamination of it.

You can help change this. Each of these organizations were started by teens. I encourage you to visit their sites and encourage each one them who have chosen to take a stand and change the world. Leave them an uplifting comment and encourage them in the Lord! It is a huge responsibility to run a ministry such as these! Ask God how you can also help to make a change, whether it be praying, giving, or whatever. God will use you to make a difference if you let Him.

Wake Up Stand Up

Do: Living Water

Teens For Orphans International

When Life Is a Tragedy & Death Is Not

2010-10-02T19:17:00.000-05:00

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - Apostle Paul

Why are Paul's words such a radical statement? First of all, living for someone other than yourself is pretty much unheard of in this culture. Second, dying is something that we've been taught to dread.

Have you ever thought about why you value life so much? (And if you're living right now, there's a good chance that you value life.) One of my friends recently challenged me with that question. It really got me thinking: Why do I value life? What makes it so precious to me? Worldly pleasures? Human approval? Social status? Amusement? Or maybe I value life because I have a fear of the "unknown"?

Let's look for a minute at what Paul says about death. He considered it gain. In fact, he said that to depart and be with Christ is "far better"! Paul could sincerely say that because he didn't value his own life. He valued Christ. To live meant to live for Christ, to die meant to meet Him.

So let me ask you: What do you value? Be honest, for the answer will pretty much determine what you're living for. Personally, I have been asking God to show me the things that I value too dearly in this life, and I would challenge you to do the same. If everything you treasure is of this world, then dying can't be gain and living can't be Christ.

When life is lived for pleasure, comfort, and self, that life is a tragic one. Don't miss out on the privilege of living for Christ and magnifying Him. In the end, dying will be gain, not tragedy.

Just to be Clear =)

2010-09-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Thank you so much to everyone who took the survey! (If you haven't yet, I'd still love to hear your opinions! You can take it HERE.) Your advise and suggestions were really helpful! I am planning to implement many of them here very soon. =)

I want to make one thing clear, though: You don't have to comment on all of my posts. I really was just wanting to see if anyone was reading my blog. Well now I know! Please don't feel like you have to comment just to make me happy or to keep me blogging - that's not the message I was trying to get across at all! Yes, I love comments, but I don't blog for comments. I blog for Jesus Christ, and this is a place where I can share about what He is doing through me.

With that said, I want you all to know that I do have some neat posts planned, but just be patient as I will be making some changes (hopefully) to this blog! Most of you all said that you would like me to post more. My goal will be to post about once a week once I get my blog all "settled in" after I implement all of your suggestions.

Again, THANK YOU! to you all who took the survey! I appreciate it so much!!!!

In Christ,
Chloe

Attention All Followers!

2010-09-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Where are you guys? I have over 60 followers and I only get a couple (or no) comments on my posts! I have created a survey so I can find out how I can make my blog better, and hopefully find out what you think! If you have any more comments or suggestions for me, please leave a comment or shoot me an email!

Please take just a couple minutes to complete this survey! Thank you, thank you, thank you! =)

(If it doesn't work, HERE is a direct link to the survey.)

How to Make a Flock of Sheep

2010-09-03T20:19:00.000-05:00

Bake some cupcakes...

Ice the cupcakes...

Cut some mini-marshmallows in half...

Make a head out of icing...

Stick the marshmallows on and make a face...

And you have a flock of sheep!!! (Edible sheep.)

This one is Fluffy.

These cupcakes were made especially for my "baby" sister's birthday. I cannot believe she is five!

FIVE!!!!

She's growing up so fast. I love you, Cierra!

Beyond Measure

2010-08-28T16:06:00.001-05:00

The road was dusty. The air was hot. But the Arabian traveler continued on, walking several steps and then wiping his face with the sleeve of his tunic. The journey to town was a long one. The heat made it seem longer.

The exhausted traveler considered finding a shortcut; he didn't think he could go much longer. The field to the right looked promising, so he decided to cut through it. Staff in hand, he wearily pushed himself forward with each step through the field. The tall grass slapped at his legs as he walked on. The sun beat down.

"Maybe I should go back and make this trip another day," the traveler reasoned, his staff hitting the ground with a rhythmic thump, thump, thump, thump, THUD. His staff had hit something. Stopping, he squatted down and cleared the grass away, revealing the corner of a wooden box. He began to move the dirt away, curiously wondering why a box would be buried in a field in the middle of nowhere.

Something glimmered.

The traveler stopped in amazement. The box was edged with gold. With new vigor, he started shovelling dirt away with his hands as fast as he could. His dry hands began to crack and bleed, but he didn't notice and continued on digging. Finally, the man had made a hole big enough to ease the box out of the ground. It was unbelievably heavy. Out of the ground, the box looked exquisite: beautifully ornate gravings cover the lid, and gold adorned the edges. The box itself must be worth a fortune!

The rusty lock easily fell off. With trembling hands the man carefully lifted the lid. His eyes were met with more treasure than he had seen in his entire life! It sparkled and gleamed in the sun's rays. For a while, he just sat in awe of such wealth.

It's worth was beyond measure.

When the traveler came to his senses, he realized that he could not take the newly discovered treasure home. For one thing, it would be much too heavy to carry; second of all, he did not own the field, and therefore anything in the field was not his to take. The man would not even think of stealing it; he was a man of the Law. What a disappointment to find such treasure and not be able to keep any of it! Just then, the man knew exactly what he should do.

Forgetting the very reason for his journey, the traveler covered up the treasure, jumped up and ran as fast as he could home. He didn't even notice the heat. When he reached his home, he stopped in front of the small, humble dwelling and smiled. He would sell his house. Yes, and everything he owned!

His house, possessions, livestock, furniture, and measly plot of land...all of it he sold. With that money he bought the field. Now the treasure was rightfully his! His heart overflowed with abundant joy.

The things he had owned before could not even compare to the treasure he now had. Selling all he had was not a loss, but a gain! He traded that which was worthless for that which was priceless. The reward was beyond measure. And the traveler's life would never be the same.

By Chloe

August 2010

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Matthew 13:44
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

How to Fail a Test...with Dignity

2010-08-21T16:15:00.000-05:00

Test-taking time is here! And not to worry if you don't know the answers - at least you can fail with dignity! (Click on the pictures to make them larger.)

Pressing On

2010-08-14T17:21:00.002-05:00

It is exciting that a new school year is almost here! I can't believe how fast the summer has gone by! Now it's time to settle down and get back into that good ol' school routine!

As I'm looking ahead at the plethora of classes and activities that are about to fill up my weeks, I realize that I need to set some goals so that I can make the most of my time. One of them is to go to be early. The morning time is when I'm the most productive, so I plan on getting up extra early this year. Family are excellent accountability partners, and I've asked mine to keep me accountable.

Do you have any goals for this year? I would encourage you all to set one or two. Why? Goals give direction, an end to pursue. Without goals, it's easy to get distracted and not to care when you start to lag behind. Without goals, you can give up without feeling any guilt. When there are no expectations set, you can't let yourself down because you have nothing to live up to.

If goals are important for our daily life, how much more important they are for our spiritual life!

"...Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

It makes me excited to think that Christ has a goal for me to reach! The goal: Christ likeness; conforming to the glorious image of Christ. The prise: Christ likeness obtained in heaven. We will never "arrive" in our spiritual life here on earth, but when God calls us to heaven, we will finally receive the prise that was an unattainable goal on earth.

Though we will never reach the goal of Christ likeness in this life, it keeps our lives focused on Him, so we can live a profitable life for Jesus. It's impossible to reach the goal just yet, but Christ can help us grow closer and closer to that goal.

So now it's time to get focused. What are you pressing on for?

Good News...Camp!

2010-07-31T14:29:00.000-05:00

It seems as though I am always saying that it's been a while since I've last posted (and it's usually true), but this time I really do have a good reason: I've been gone! A few weeks ago, I was teaching 5-day clubs, which are Bible clubs that reach children with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was gone all day teaching multiple clubs each day! Even though I didn't personally lead a child to Christ that week, there were at least 13 salvations from other clubs! Altogether this summer, over 60 children have made decisions for salvation through a 5-day club, here in my district! Then this past week, I was a counselor at camp. Camp Good News! I've been a camper there for about five years, but this was my first time to be a counselor...and it was awesome!!! Instead of just boring you with any more of my rambling, I'll just show you some pictures.

Me and Olivia...she was a junior counselor with me.

Me and Olivia with our amazing campers!

Apparently, I'm the only one who heard "silly picture."

Awesome people...

Multi-colored tongues are just a part of camp.

There was never a dull moment. :)

Wonderful friends!

I loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back next year! The kids have a ton of fun, but also hear the gospel everyday, as well as learning more about God and how they can follow Him everyday! Camp Good News is like one big family reunion where we can daily serve the Lord!

Well, it might be a while before you hear from me again. I'm volunteering with my church to help out with a VBS at John 3:16 Missions! And then school starts up! Where has the summer gone? Hope you all have had a good one!

Risk Is Right

2010-07-12T21:53:00.001-05:00

Don't Waste Your Life. It is the book by John Piper that I'm currently reading. I have gained so much from what I've read so far...and I have yet to finish it. (If you haven't read it, read it!)

Chapter five of Don't Waste Your Life is titled "Risk Is Right - Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It." Around the time I was reading chapter 5, I saw this video:

God doesn't call us to safety or comfort. The life God calls us to live means taking chances for His glory...taking risks. We might stumble, we might fall, but that's part of what it means to trust God.

John Piper defines risk as "an action that exposes you to the possibility of loss or injury." Everyday we take risks because we are finite creatures, we do not know the future. But would you be willing to deliberately take a risk to achieve something great for the cause of Christ?

After reading books like Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and (part of) DWYL, I've come to see that safety is a myth, a mirage as Piper puts it.

"The tragic hypocrisy is that the enchantment of security lets us take risks everyday for ourselves but paralyzes us from taking risks for others on the Calvary road of love. We are deluded and think that it may jeopardize a security that in fact does not even exist...[I]t is right to risk for the cause of Christ, and not to is to waste your life." (Don't Waste Your Life, 81. Emphasis mine.)

The video by Francis Chan reminds me of the parable in Matthew 25, when a lord gave his servants different amounts of money. You know the story: The ones who received the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant," were the ones who took the chances of investing the money. The one who the lord rejected was the one who played it safe, who took no chances.

You won't get human applause when you live the life God calls to (you'll probably get called crazy and even foolish); but you will get applause from the King of kings. Think of Stephen, the martyr, who before he died, saw heaven open up and the Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Stephen risked - sacrificed - his life so willingly, that the Son of God actually stood to welcome him into eternity.

So I would encourage you, live not the safest life possible, but a life that's passionate about following Christ, no matter the cost.

Meet Cameron and Riley

2010-06-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

Allow me to introduce two of my new friends!

As many of you know, my digital camera broke a while back when I was on a trip. I was hoping to get a new one in time for my missions trip to BABR, but realized it wouldn't arrive in time for me to take it. So, being the ingenious person that I am (haha), I bought a new camera and had it shipped to BABR! It arrived about the middle of the week, but I was still able to take some great pics! And now for the good part....

Blogging friends, meet Cameron, my camera. Get it? Cameron. Camera. Well, I thought it was cute!

(It's slightly difficult to take a picture of your camera with your camera. Thank goodness for mirrors!)

But there's someone else very important that I want you to meet! She's cute and cuddly and her name is Riley.

Riley is a Shih Tzu, very loving, and so friendly! We love her so much! (She fits perfectly in build-a-bear clothes! =D)

I have some special posts coming up, so stay tuned! I hope you all are having a great summer! I'd love to hear how God has used your summer so far; just leave a comment!

Blessings,
Chloe

I'm Back from BABR!

2010-06-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

When I looked up into the vastness of the night sky and saw it covered with stars of endless number, how could I but think of eternity in heaven with the God who created it all? Although it is nice to be back to my " home-sweet-home," I enjoyed my week working at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch so much! Living outside the city limits is an awesome experience - I can just look around me and know that nothing is impossible with my God!

Throughout the week I was dwelling on part of Isaiah 40:

26Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing. 27Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

God changed me in so many ways during my stay at BABR - but not in ways that I expected. I guess I was expecting God to do some marvelous work in my life, to radically change me. Rather, He reminded me of the "small" things that I had forgotten, but they were very important. And He did change me! Just not in the way I expected. I've found that God's ways are so much better! Aren't you glad that God doesn't always give us what we expect? Aren't you glad that our expectations cannot even compare to God's wonderful plan? I am.

Praise God for a week I will always remember! A week where I saw God's family grow just a bit larger; a week where I received new brothers and sisters in Christ; a week where I had the opportunity to serve Christ alongside fellow believers.

Thank you to everyone who was praying for me and the team! To God be the glory!

My youth group (I'm the one on the far left).

One of our projects was to scrape and repaint this water tank. Some of the guys built the shed behind it.

The perfect verse for dry New Mexico! My friend Michaela did most of the artwork. Isn't it amazing?

I wasn't a counselor, but I was assigned to a group!

Farewell - for a while....

2010-06-04T18:04:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Tomorrow morning (Saturday) I'm off with my church youth group to Broken Arrow Bible Ranch, a camp in New Mexico that reaches many Native American tribes in that area. While we're there, we will lead the chapel times, help with cleaning and any repairs the camp needs, and also counsel the kids. I'll be working at BABR from June 7-11, but I won't be back until the 13th (my youth group is taking a tiny side trip to go white water rafting).

I would love your prayers for the week!!!! Please pray that the children's hearts will be ready to receive the gospel and that many will come to know Him.

Lord willing, I will be back soon! See ya!

~Chloe

The Cure

2010-06-02T21:46:00.003-05:00

A terrible disease has been sweeping the nation - and the world. It's affluenza. And like I said in my previous post, it's a disease that God hates, and it strikes the most u8nexpecting victims. What exactly is affluenza? It is derived from the words influenza and affluence. You're probably familiar with influenza, but possibly not affluence, which means "an abundance of material wealth and possessions." Affluence itself is not a disease in itself; but when it becomes dissatisfaction and a constant desire for more, that's when it becomes sin. It doesn't just end with a want for more possessions, however; affluenza is the whole sense of entitlement to comfort, luxury and convenience.

Why is this? Why can't "enough" be "enough?" Maybe it's because our perspective is distorted. If we actually set our minds on things above, not on earthly things, our personal comfort will have little value to us. Ouch! That is convicting for me! In a world that feeds us lies and tells us that we need more, it's hard to live a life focused on storing up treasures in heaven! That's why we need the cure. You guessed it! Jesus Christ.

The Bible says that we are dead when we are living for our own pleasure. Jesus wants to be our sole satisfaction. As John Piper said in his book, Don't Waste Your Life, "[God] is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" (36). I will ask you a question that always convicts me: Am I satisfied in Jesus? If He asked me to give up everything I have, could I do it? glorified

"Jesus Christ reveals Himself to those who follow in His steps. He draws near to those who build their entire lives around His pattern. If we feel far away from Him, it is very likely that we aren't truly building our entire existence around Him; that we are living far more for self than for the glory of His name....The moment that we actually deny our self, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus Christ...is the moment we are surrounded with the power and presence of His Spirit - not just every once and a while, but every moment of every day" (Leslie Ludy from Set-Apart Femininity, 68-69).

For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. (Psalm 107:9.)

When Jesus is our All-in-All, we don't need anything else. Is He your All-in-All? Is He more than enough?

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24.)

Teenage Disease is Spreading Fast

2010-05-29T18:43:00.002-05:00

All over the world, people are being diagnosed with a terrible disease. Although anyone is susceptible to this disease, teens seem to be the most contagious. This disease has spread worldwide, but the most cases have been reported in the wealthier countries of the world, such as the United Sates, Australia, Europe, and many more. Experts are now calling this disease affluenza. You may not have heard of it before. However, the chances are that you already have it!!! Not sure? Watch this video and see if you can identify with any of the symptoms.

Affluenza - a feeling of dissatisfaction, anxiety, etc, caused by the dogged and ongoing pursuit of more.

Have you been infected?

Wow. I don't know about you, but I am definitely guilty of breeding "affluenza" in my own life. How can any of us ever think that we've got it tough, that life isn't fair? After seeing a video like that, my little, every-day complaints appear as the awful sins that they really are.

If you have not read Francis Chan's Crazy Love, then I highly recommend that you do! These facts about our wealth are taken from his book:

If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make more than the average person on this planet?

I can't tell you how often I've thought that I actually need something. Need something. Not only that, but so often I find myself discontent with the possessions I have. I hate to think of what God feels about this sin. Don't you think He just wants to spit us out of His mouth??? I cannot imagine the kind of disgust He has towards my ungratefulness.

We need to wake up and see that we are blessed. Abundantly blessed! Why do you think God has put you where you are with what you have? Do you think maybe it could be because He wants us to use our blessings to provide for the needs of others, for those who have nothing? We are supposed to love those people just as much as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39).

I want to see God's blessings in a new way. I want to stop complaining. I want to be known as a giver, not a taker.

I want to do something.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side note, I want to mention a few ways that you can do something:

Check out Jumps 4 Joy where the goal this year is to raise enough money to build two wells in 3rd world countries.
Or check out Teens 4 orphans where the goal is to raise funds to build an orphanage in Myanmar.
You also have to see Do: Living Water, a project that is working to raise $25,000 dollars for clean wells in the Congo.

Each of these organizations were started by teens!!!

Exercise Curse

2010-05-27T18:36:00.000-05:00

"Carrying the Cross Around the World"

2010-05-19T16:40:00.001-05:00

"The cross is a reminder of God's love for all people. It is at the foot of the cross where the best of God meets the worst of mankind." -- Keith Wheeler

Keith Wheeler felt God's call in 1985 to carry a 12-foot wooden cross through the streets in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Good Friday. Sounds crazy? Keith Wheeler thought so too. But these words kept burning in his heart:

"Anyone can carry a cross--think about Simon of Cyrene; he carried Jesus' cross. Anyone can die on a cross--think about the two thieves on either side of Jesus. Only One, however, could die for the sins of the world ... and that was because of love. I want you to take the cross and identify that message of love along the roadsides of this world."

Since carrying the cross in Tulsa that Good Friday, Wheeler carried the cross to Oklahoma City and then to Arkansas, then eventually overseas. He has now walked with the cross for 25 years, nearly 20,000 miles, and through more than 185 countries on all seven continents.

Keith has carried the cross through Rwanda, Bosnia, Chechnya, Nicaragua, El Salvador, all throughout the Middle East - Iraq, Iran, even Antarctica!!! Though most counties welcome him, he has been arrested many times and jailed (none for crimes). He has also been held at gunpoint, beaten and left for dead, accused of being a spy for the CIA, run over and stabbed.

Keith obeys God no matter the cost, and God has continually provided for and protected him. In Kieth's own words, "When God called me to the mission of taking the cross to the nations of the world I felt His instruction was to "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness …" (Matthew 6:33). I felt that He said that if I pursued His Kingdom, His righteousness, and His purposes that He would meet all the necessary needs. I have been amazed at God's grace and mercy as He has provided for and watched over me as I have gone with the cross, and the message of God's love into the world. I can truly say Jesus has done it all!!"

Mark 8:34: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

This video is about 20 minutes, but please watch it. This is one of the most inspirational videos I have ever seen. You have to see it! Keith shows what it really means to follow Christ.

For more information about Keith Wheeler, visit his website at http://www.kw.org/index.htm, or see these articles:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20100403_18_A1_KeithW827779&archive=yes

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=12249438

Miss Personality

2010-05-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Don't Forget....

2010-05-06T08:21:00.001-05:00

As you go throughout your day today, remember that today is the National Day of Prayer. I would encourage you to set aside some time to pray along with fellow believers around the nation. But let's not pray just because this is the NDP, but because Christ commands it and because it is a privilege! We all say that prayer is powerful...let's live it out!

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Poaching, Contacts, and Other Various Contemplations

2010-05-05T16:58:00.001-05:00

After many months of continual matches, the tennis season is finally over. For those of you who don't know, I joined a home school tennis team this year. My dad and my brothers have played for years, so I figured this would be a good year to join in (not to mention that my dad is the coach)! It has been so much fun playing all the schools around the area--our team has a winning record!

I have learned so much this year and have improved a bunch (if I do say so myself) =D. It definitely has been a challenge learning to play with one hand, but I've learned not to let that stop me from trying anything new! I'm so glad I decided to play this year!

So, as the tennis season is coming to an end, I thought I'd leave you with some of my "profound" thoughts about this tennis season:

~Whoever came up with the scoring for tennis was a complete wacko!
~Don't judge a player by their "cover"
~Poaching does not refer to illegally killing animals or cooking eggs (and is totally legal in tennis!!!)
~Always have an extra pair of contacts with you in case one falls out while you're in the middle of a match
~And if you think your contact fell out while you were playing, make sure it's not stuck somewhere in your eye
~Half of the battle is footwork
~Put sunscreen on before you play
~The wind is a great excuse for a bad shot =)
~"Hit the strings" means the middle of your racket
~Don't call a shot out until it hits the ground (oops!)
~Overheads are awesome!
~It's not uncommon to get pegged in the face
~Tennis matches can go on for a LONG time (my teammate had a 3-hour match!)
~Keeping your eye on the ball doesn't guarantee you'll hit it

Now I'm still planning on playing tennis through the summer, but it will be mostly practice an tournaments. What about you guys? Do you play any sports? If not, let me recommend tennis. =)

Check out this court! I would totally play on this one (just be sure to bring plenty of balls)!!!

National Day of Prayer - get involved!

2010-05-01T11:38:00.003-05:00

On May 6th, 2010, believers around the nation will come before God in prayer. Even though it was ruled unconstitutional, The National Day of Prayer will still be observed this year. Our country is in need of prayer more than ever. We all know this, but does it change how we pray...how much we pray? This year, I want to specifically set aside time--extra time--to pray this Thursday...and I want you to get involved too! So what can we do?

From the Boundless website, here are a few things you can do:

Will you join me in praying this Thursday?

"We stand tallest when we are on our knees."
--Billy Graham

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?"
--Corrie ten Boom

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work."
--Oswald Chambers

FINALLY! (pictures)

2010-04-25T16:07:00.000-05:00

I'm very blessed to have brothers with cameras (so when mine breaks, we can still take pictures in the beautiful spring weather at the park)!

The girls had dolls with matching dresses.

The boys weren't very photogenic that day, but they finally consented to a few group pictures!

(Left to right) Austin, me, Aaron, Mariah, Cierra

I just happened to bring some crackers. Cierra fed this squirrel a couple pieces!

Little "princess" became a little pout-y at the end of the day. She probably had one too many pictures taken.... =)

Summit 2010

2010-04-19T22:01:00.004-05:00

Hi. My name is Chloe. You might remember me from a blog I used to write on called Blooming in Christ. You might even remember me commenting on one or more of your posts. But I don't know. That was a long time ago. I used to have a lot of awesome posts, but they have become a little infrequent now. However, I have returned, for now, with an important clarification:

Contrary to popular belief, Chloe has not abandoned you, but rather has become otherwise preoccupied.

Thank you for understanding. Now for the good stuff....

I have returned from Chicago and am now back into the full swing of things! This is going to be brief, but here is a recap of what I did in "the Windy City."

For those of you who are familiar with the AWANA Bible memory program, Summit is a national competition of Bible quizzing from material in the AWANA handbooks. But while you're at Summit, you also get a chance to participate in AWANA Games and Volleyball competitions. (I didn't play volleyball, but I want to congratulate two of my church's teams who got 1st and 2nd overall! Way to go you guys!!!)

In Bible Quiz my team made it to the "gold" round, the round before the final round. Only ten to twelve teams make it to the final round, so getting there is quite an accomplishment! I think there were about 100 teams total this year. It was so much fun!

And while we were there, my church took a double-Decker bus tour of Chicago. There is so much I could tell you, but I'll save you the bore. =) (Actually, it wasn't boring.)

Now for the sad news: my camera broke while I was there, and I unfortunately was not able to take any pictures of Chicago. If I get any from someone else I'll try to post them. In the meantime, I'll be looking for a new camera!

So...that's about it!

In closing, please bear with me, dearest friends, as I finish up this semester of school and ignore you for a while...but not on purpose! Trust me!!! =P

Hello Strangers!

2010-04-05T13:22:00.003-05:00

Or is anyone still there? I hope I haven't lost any readers in my absence! I've missed blogging. Things have still been a little crazy for me. Trust me, I'll try to get some substantial posts up here soon! =)

For now, here's just a quick update of what's going on...

I had a tennis match every day this week except Friday. I was a pink Easter bunny for Easter.

I'm going to be in Chicago April 12-15 for Summit Bible Quiz (Ever heard of it? It's with the AWANA program at my church.)

I'm trying to get ahead in school so I don't have to catch up when I get back. (But that hasn't happened yet.)

I'm still working on my recital peice.

So, yes, I'm busy. I've told myself that I'm going to keep my summer a little more "open," but you know how summers can turn out! =D Easter was lovely...amazing sermon...I got way too much candy (Dad, you sure went all-out! At least it was mostly chocolate! =P)

What did you do for Easter? I'd love to hear about it!

Today I Am 9...

2010-03-18T08:00:00.004-05:00

Nine years old as Your child. Nine years ago today I was brought to my knees in realization of my sinfulness and Your holiness and grace. Because of Your great love for me, I stand here today, forgiven. I don't even want to imagine where I would be right now without Your sacrifice! I don't think I can ever grasp the full extent of Jesus' sacrifice. For me. Never in a million years could I deserve it! Yet He came and died in my place, took my shame, and has now given me new life! I am a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! (2 Cor 5:17) Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor 9:15)

As I think back over the years, I can't help but be overwhelmed by Your faithfulness. You were with me through it all, You never failed...even when I did. Your mercies never came to an end, they were new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness! (Lam 3:22-24)

So, I am nine years old. But I'm still constantly struggling, God. Sometimes I get distracted. My sin gets in the way. I think I can do this on my own. But I can't. After growing in You for nine years, I feel like I should have learned this by now. Thank you for Your unending grace that picks me up each time I fall!

God, I don't want anything to come between our relationship. I want every day to be a new opportunity to deepen my love for You and continually seek Your face. In Your presence is fullness of joy! (Ps 16:11) I pray that You will become my the love of my life, my number one priority, and my sole satisfaction. Remind me every day of how unworthy I am. Instead of people noticing me, may they only see You. You must increase, I must decrease. (John 3:30) May my boasting be in You alone (2 Cor 10:17) because it is only You who can do anything great with me.

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I’ll overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes like diamonds in my hands
But those trophies could not equal to the grace by which I stand

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

- From "In Christ Alone" by Brian Littrell

Year after year, Your grace is sufficient - and it still amazes me. Somehow, in Your sovereign plan, You chose me and are growing me and molding me to become more like You. Take me and use me; I am Yours. My deepest desire is to be used by You, for Your glory. I know that You will, as long as I am fully surrendered to You. As I surrendered my life to You for the first time nine years ago, so I surrender my life anew to You now. I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6

We Are the House of God

2010-03-16T20:39:00.004-05:00

"House of God" - John Waller

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22

Partly because I memorized it for my Bible Quiz team, but also because it has to do with the song I've been listening to lately, this paragraph from my Bible study book has been on my mind:

Long before He created the world, Jesus planned to die for sinners. But He saw beyond that. He planned to unite each forgiven sinner with all other forgiven sinners, and all of them to Himself. Together they would become a living organism, always growing, becoming more and more like Him in holy character. This is the Church.

When I think about what the Church is, I get so excited! I can't really explain it, but there's something so awesome about how Christ unites the Church. Just think, in Christ I'm united to EVERY believer--even if I've never met them...like many of you! One thing I'm really looking forward to in Christ's return is that "heavenly reunion" with the entire Church. Imagine what a glorious reunion that will be!!!

Come quickly Lord Jesus! Your Church is waiting!

My Apologies

2010-03-06T10:18:00.004-06:00

No, I haven't forgotten about you. Yes, I am still alive. But let's just say my life has become increasingly busier, and my time had to be cut somewhere. Unfortunately, I'm sad to say, that happened to be my blog. (Whoa. Has it really almost been a month?!)

So...I humbly apologize for my lack of posts. =) Of course, I really couldn't help it! Also, I just want to say that I'm sorry I haven't been commenting much on any of your blogs. It's that time thing again. I promise I'm still reading them, though!!! I can't promise, though, lots of more posts on my blog, for now (not until school is over anyway).

Just to prove that I have an excuse, here's what I've been up to:

Writing a research paper on Joan of Arc
Memorizing my piano recital piece
Getting reading for Bible Quiz in Kansas City (oh no! It's this Friday! =D)
Then after that, studying for Summit Quiz (Nationals)
Playing tennis matches for the home school NOAH team - at least 3 times a week!
Getting ready for Broken Arrow Bible Ranch with my youth group in June
Trying to keep my room clean and stay on top of my chores
Finishing the rest of my school
Trying to stay consistent with my time with God

Have you all ever heard of the word "busy" standing for "being under Satan's yoke"? Now, I don't think that every time we get busy it's because Satan has a foothold in our lives, but when we start to believe the lie that "we're so busy we don't have time for God right now", that's when we fall under Satan's yoke. That is a scary thought!!!

I'm believing a lie when I think that I'm just too busy. I don't think anyone can be TOO busy not to spend ANY time with God. Ten minutes in His Word, praying little prayers throughout the day - it doesn't have to be hours. Unfortunately, I have believed the lie and many days have gone without me digging into His Word. But, with God's strength I can sacrifice some of my spare time and spend it in a way that will last for eternity. Because, in reality, the time I have isn't mine, is it?

Well, I hope you all have a great 4th quarter! Yes! We're 3/4 of the way through the school year! Have a great week!

Happy Singles' Awareness Day!

2010-02-14T13:27:00.005-06:00

Hey you all! You probably haven't hear of Singles' Awareness Day, have you? Well, actually, I think you have. It's my fancy name for Valentines Day. Why? Because if you're single, you're aware of it. =D

Okay, just kidding! One of my friends told me about that name for Valentines, and I thought it was too funny not to share! =) Anyway, I hope you all have a lovely Valentines Day! Here's a couple of my favorite Valentine videos (just for laughs)....

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EDIT: Whoa! I just realized this is my 50th post! How cool is that? And I didn't even plan for it to be on Valentines Day!

Purity Challenge - Week 2

2010-02-11T07:22:00.006-06:00

When people talk about purity, they usually talk about saving yourself for your future mate, or not doing certain things, keeping your body pure because it's the temple of God, making your thoughts pure, etc. All those things are wonderful things that God commands us to do; but as I was thinking about what I'd write for this week's purity post, God showed me something that had never occurred to me before.

Last night at church, we had a night specifically of worship. After our worship through songs, we broke off into small groups and discussed what worship was, what it meant to worship. We concluded that any way that we honor, serve, magnify, and bring glory to God is an act of worship. Then I thought, my purity can be an act of worship too!

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1-2, ESV)

When we present our bodies as holy, living sacrifices to God, that is worship! The world tries to get us to conform to its ways and deceive us by saying that purity is not a big deal--in fact, it's un-cool. But when God renews our minds, we then see the corrupt thinking of this world. Even though it's often difficult and many times awkward, God wants us to live pure lives in a filthy world, full of impurity. But God's will is good and acceptable and perfect, and by His strength, we can keep ourselves pure and offer our lives as living sacrifices to Him.

Worship is not just singing and praise. I can worship God through the purity of my mind, body, and heart. I can't do it on my own, though. I must daily sacrifice myself, my desires, my thoughts, so that He can renew me and my mind. I want to save myself for my future husband, if marriage is the plan God has for me. But most of all, I want to remain pure for God, and spend these years learning to serve Him, glorify Him, and worship Him.

So I would encourage you all, keep your minds pure as worship to God. Keep your temple pure as an offering of worship to your Savior. May HE be glorified in our purity!

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If any of you are interested in participating in Lexi's "Purity Challenge" this month, visit her blog Choosing to Wait to find out more. If you do a post about purity, make sure you link up on her site by Thursday (11th) night to be eligible for an awesome giveaway!

Idol Worship

2010-02-09T18:28:00.003-06:00

The Super Bowl party at our church showed this video. I thought it was very fitting (not to mention funny)!

Book Review - And the Word Came with Power

2010-02-06T15:02:00.010-06:00

Summary
"God, show yourself stronger than the spirits!"

This is what Joanne Shetler, a missionary to the Balangao tribe in the Philippines, had prayed for years. She was translating the Bible into the Balangao language, but the people just weren't getting it! The spirits had too much control on the people's lives. They always knew when they had angered a spirit because someone in their family would get sick. The only way to keep them from dying was to sacrifice one of their animals to the spirits. The people wanted to believe in God, but what would happen if they stopped sacrificing?

What I Learned
And the Word Came with Power is the touching story of how God changed a people forever. I have really gained a lot from this book. Because we don't usually deal with confrontations of evil spirits, I often forget how real they are and that there's a constant spiritual battle going on. This book shows that spirits really do have power--but it's nothing compared to God's!

Each chapter of this book is filled with miracles of God! When someone mentions "miracles," I usually think of the New Testament miracles of Jesus and the apostles. But this book was an awesome reminder that miracles still happen today--and the BIG, supernatural miracles too!

The Word of God is POWERFUL. That's something I too often forget. Joanne Shetler has an amazing testimony of how the Bible works wonders and changes lives.

What I Love
I love the way that Joanne describes the great work God did in the Balangaos lives. Many people might relay it as God working through them. But in her book, Joanne gives the idea that she's just obeying and following God, but HE'S doing all the work!

The summary on the back of the book has this sentence, "Be careful when you read her book, you might catch the vision, too." And it's true! This is an exciting and inspiring story! I would encourage you all to read it! I loved it all!

In Conclusion
This book is a quick, easy read, but packed-full with lessons and spiritual truths. It's a great story for all ages, to be read aloud, or alone! I would recommend this book to all of you! You'll be inspired and encouraged through this true story of God's mighty power!

Find this book on Amazon

Humbled on the Telephone

2010-02-05T17:24:00.007-06:00

Have you ever got one of those recorded phone calls? You know, the kind where you say "Hello" and then the message starts playing. Well, we are always getting those phone calls from our library, letting us know that we have books ready to be picked up. The caller-ID always just has the name of our city on it, not the name of the library.

So today, when we received a call with our city as the ID, we just assumed it was the library. Mom asked me just to answer it so we wouldn't have the message to delete later from our answering machine. I thought it would be kind of funny to be real silly when I answered (with it being a recording and all), so I picked the phone up and said, "HeeeeLOOO!" in the craziest voice. What I didn't expect was the voice on the other end laughing a little, then asking to talk to my dad. What?! Someone actually heard me say that?! I barely heard the guy as I tried to compose myself.

"Oh, um, he's not here right now."

"Okay. Can you take a message?"

"A . . . Sure."

I still could hardly focus on what he was saying because I was so embarrassed at what had just happened. Maybe he thinks I'm like 8 years old or something, I hoped. I clumsily got his name and number written down and hung up the phone to find my mom and siblings laughing at me, and telling me I was blushing. I was just relieved the whole thing was over!!!

Needless to say, I don't think I'll ever answer the phone like that again! =D

Purity Challenge - Week 1

2010-02-03T13:16:00.011-06:00

Hey everybody! Lexi at Choosing to Wait has a neat-o challenge for the month of February: a purity challenge! All her posts for this month will be focused on purity - but she doesn't want it to be just her! She challenges all of us to post about why waiting for our future spouse is important to us. I encourage you guys to check out her blog and even join the challenge! (If you're interested, check out the challenge rules first.) Anyway, here's my first post....

Getting married. Isn't that what every girl dreams about? That handsome prince who will gallantly ride up and sweep you off your feet =), someone who will love and cherish you--and even risk their life for you! Dreaming about our future husbands can be exciting, but it's important that these are not the thoughts that consume our minds. Marriage is a special gift that God blesses some people with, but to others He gives the gift of singleness. Whichever situation you find yourself in, God wants us to keep focused Him.

1 Corinthians 7:25-28 (ESV)
So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.

Paul is saying here that marriage is not a sin, but his personal opinion is that a person can better be focused on the things of God as single person, than a married one. When reading this passage, though, we must keep in mind the Corinthian culture. Corinth was a city where the Christians were persecuted for their faith. It was hard enough just being a Christian, but having a marriage partner would be even harder! You'd have another person to care for, provide for, and worry about. Your attention is divided.

Now, of course, things are different than the Corinthian society, but we can still apply Paul's main point to our lives: we should be devoted to the Lord right now. "Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called," is Paul's instruction is 1 Corinthian 7:20.

Looking forward to marriage is not bad! But we (as young singles) shouldn't be looking for or seeking out attention from the opposite sex. Boyfriends/girlfriends and "crushes" aren't things we should be thinking about. God wants us to be content with where we are right now. One of my small group leaders gave an awesome illustration of this, and so I drew a couple simple pictures to help illustrate it.

In our life, we should be solely focused on Christ, running with all our might toward the cross. We let go of every distraction and burden and let Jesus become our only passion. Our eyes are fixed on Him.

But as we're running, out of our peripheral vision, we see someone else running straight for the cross too...

God designed marriage and blesses many people with this gift. If this is the plan God has for me, then I want Him to be the initiator of it. Instead of constantly dreaming about when I'll get married and who it might be, I want to stay focused on God. I will be waiting. I won't be chasing other guys. I won't be giving my heart away. I am choosing to wait because I want to honor the Lord and a future husband God might bring me. My mind and body is not my own, and I my Savior to be honored with it. And someday He might bring me someone else who is focused on God too, and we can run the race together. Until then, I'll be focused on the cross, running toward Christ.

Bless the Lord!

2010-01-30T11:30:00.004-06:00

I know I haven't mentioned this on my blog before, but my dad has been out of work for over 6 months. Yes, that's a long time! It's been hard on our family (mostly my parents), but I knew God was going to use our situation for His glory.

I was praying for my dad from the start. And I kept praying, and praying, and praying (or so it seemed). It soon got to the point where I was tired of praying for the same exact thing every day...for months! I knew that God knows our every need, and I had prayed so much before - I was beginning to feel like I had done all I could do and that prayer wasn't needed anymore.

Around this time I began reading Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. Chapter 6 changed my view of prayer.

In that chapter Leslie talks about how she had learned to worship and let God speak to her through His word, "But the idea of wrestling, importunate, persistent prayer was completely foreign to me." (152) I knew exactly what she meant when she said that sometimes we pray, "God, if it's your will, please do this," or, "Please do that, if it's your will." Then, if God doesn't answer after a few times of praying, we assume that it's not His will. But maybe, just maybe, God doesn't answer right away to teach us faith and perseverance.

Our praying needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage that never fails.

-- E.M. Bounds

James 4:2 says, "...you do not have because you do not ask." Christ teaches that He wants us to be "relentlessly persistent" in our prayer: Luke 11:5-9, Luke 18:1-8, John 6:23-24, and so many more!

Here's what Leslie Ludy says, "God asks us to have the kind of faith that asks boldly for specific things. Instead of vague, general prayers that don't demand faith, we must begin 'putting it all on the line' and take the risk of laying our precise needs before the King." (160)

After reading that, I was convicted about the way I had been praying - especially for my dad's job. I began to change that. It's probably one of the boldest prayers I've ever prayed, but I prayed that God would give my dad a job in one month. One month. I struggled with myself at first, thinking, What if Dad doesn't get a job in one month? What would happen if God doesn't answer this prayer? I don't want to become like the "name-it, claim-it" people who think that they'll get whatever they pray for!!!!

But I prayed that God would give me faith in Him, that He is more than able - and He delights in giving us good gifts! I began praying with fervency everyday: Okay God...give me faith. One month.

Now, since this is all written in the past tense, I'm sure you all know what I'm about to say! =D

My dad got a job!!!!

I'm sooo amazed at how God has answered this prayer! On January 10, 2010, I prayed Dad would get a job in a month, and on January 28, 2010 he did! Praise the Lord! All glory to God! He used a trying situation to teach me an important lesson about prayer! Bless the Lord!

Teens 4 Orphans

2010-01-28T17:13:00.002-06:00

Hey guys! I wanted to tell you all about a neat organization that needs your help to get it off the ground!

Kade started a blog called the looser (see his blog button above). He based his blog name off the verse Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." It all started because he wanted this year, 2010, to be a year of doing big things for God. Well, he's already started!

He has created Teens 4 Orphans International. His goal is to raise enough money to build an orphanage in Myanmar this year! How cool is that?!

So how can we help? Well, you can visit the site to get all the details...but the word needs to get out! You can follow his blog to get all the updates on what's going on, and then you can post about it on your blog! And of course, you can donate some of your money to help if you feel God is leading you to do so. If not, please spread the word and pray that God will take this ministry to something that no one ever dreamed could happen!

I know God is going to use this for His glory! Will you join me as a "fighter for 2010"?

What I'm Learning

2010-01-21T14:27:00.003-06:00

Have you ever heard any of Laura Story's songs? I got her CD a year or two ago, and I loved it so much that I got the songbook too! Currently, I'm learning to play her song "Grace" on the piano (and I like singing it too =D). I was gripped by this song the moment I heard it! It's one of those songs I can sing and play with all my heart and soul.

God is beginning to teach me more about His grace. Yes, I know it's a free gift, and I know I need it everyday - but how often do I take it for granted? Each night, I can kneel down and ask God to forgive me of all my sin and mistakes, but I tend to forget how much God HATES my sin. Do I take His forgiveness lightly? Every sin that I commit is what nailed Jesus to the cross. Every selfish action is what killed my Savior.

But. God. Is. Gracious.

I don't want God's grace and forgiveness to be taken for granted in my life! And that's what God is teaching me. I'm learning "Grace" and grace.

Wanna know what a waffle looks like after it's been on the griddle for 2 hours?

2010-01-16T11:03:00.004-06:00

Yup. Real crispy.

Last Wednesday Mom made waffles for dinner right before we went to church. In our hurry to get out the door, it somehow slipped our minds that we still had a waffle on the griddle--and the griddle was still on! Needless to say, when we got home a smoky aroma filled the house. This crispy waffle is what we found!

Negative side: The house smelled bad and it's one less waffle for us.

Positive side: We're so grateful nothing caught on fire! God was definitely protecting us!

Blooming in Christ

Persistently

Hopeful Thoughts

Jesus > Religion: TAKE 2

Link Love: 1/13/12

Jesus > Religion

God is Too Good

Why We Love Jane Austen

Time and Twenty-Twelve

Beautifully Incomprehensible

A Peace Offering

18 Things that Eighteen Means

A Bigger Gospel

I Love Martha

So He Can be Gracious...

The Point of Waiting

Just a Simple Man

Two Years

Waiting for a Sign...

Yet Will I Wait

Settling for Less. Made for More.

In My Seat - A Story of 9/11

Link Love: 9/8/11

Lord, Prepare Me....

Broken and Glorious

Link Love: 8/27/11

Music

Do Hard Things 2011

Free Viewing of Divided

CGN11

Truth

Only a Word Fanatic

Beauty for Ashes

Freedom: A Call to Action

Vision: Where I'm Going (post #2)

Seeing Things Differently (post #1)

The Two Best Ways to Start Your Summer

A Surreal Reality

Make Me Humble, Father

Giveaway Winner

Because He Lives....

Numero Cien

It's almost here!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???

The Problem of Priorities

This Thursday - Join together to reach the world

Forever n Ever n Always Giveaway...

Get the word out: Human trafficing needs to be stopped

To Make God Smile

Officially Official

Hurry! iheart's giveaway ends Monday!

Teach me to number my days...

He. Gave. It. All.

Please be careful putting up your Christmas decorations

Have a laugh!

*Gasp!* Christmas is in December this year????

Pumpkins + Colorful Leaves + Sunlight = Awesome photos

Shutterfly - 50 FREE Holiday Cards!

My Healer

Wild for Wild Olive!!!

God's Peace.... A Guard?

A Worldview Challenge from Charity

I Cannot Believe It!!!

You know the feeling when...

Food for Thought: Water

When Life Is a Tragedy & Death Is Not

Just to be Clear =)

Attention All Followers!

How to Make a Flock of Sheep

Beyond Measure

How to Fail a Test...with Dignity

Pressing On

Good News...Camp!

Risk Is Right

Meet Cameron and Riley

I'm Back from BABR!

Farewell - for a while....

The Cure

Teenage Disease is Spreading Fast

Exercise Curse

Gasp! Christmas is in December this year????