Growing In Your Relationship

My youth pastor recently shared a couple Bible verses with me about growing in relationship with God, so I thought I would share them with you:

You, God, are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you,

in a dry and parched land

where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I cling to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Psalms 63:1-8 (NIV)

Just Go!

A couple weekends ago my Aunt Joyce came to speak at our church. She is becoming a missionary, and she wanted to tell us all about it. Aunt Joyce started telling us the story about the Bible character Nehemiah and how he was ready to go and rebuild the wall in the land where his fore-fathers had lived. The Babylonians had come and made a mess of things in Jerusalem. Nehemiah litterally had a sad face because he was hurting for the people and the destruction of the city. Aunt Joyce told us that when God calls us to go somewhere or do something we just need to go, like Nehemiah. We shouldn't question God or procrastonate. Just go! Just like when you are skydiving. Someone give you instruction and the safety tips. Then you get in the plane, and when it is time to jump, you jump. You don't stand around and say, "Are you sure this is safe? Do I jump now?" You just do it! Do what God is wanting from you. He isn't just going to tell you, "Go to a spread the gospel. Good luck! Don't die. Make sure you make the right choices and go on the right path." No, God has everything planned out. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He sends us in His power, not on our own.
Yesterday night I was reading the SUSIE Magazine and found something that I thought went along with this. "...Dreams... take a lot of sacrifice, and the journey isn't always smooth." Dreams aren't the only thing that take a lot of sacrifice though. Doing what God has called you to takes sacrifices sometimes. You may have to give up your time, maybe leave your friends and family, and (in some circumstances) possibly loose your life. But God has a plan behind all that, and wouldn't you rather go with His plan than turn down the amazing calling you have? God will reward your obedience (I was reminded of that in the SUSIE Magazine). "Take that leap of faith," as my youth leader talked about on Wednesday. Just Go!

Boston Missions Trip

Recently I went on a missions trip to Boston, Massachusettes. A missions trip is when you go somewhere to tell people about Christ or just show them His love, for those of you who didn't know. The first three days in Boston I was participating in training for a human video, childrens ministries, evangelism, sharing my testimony, garbonics (a.k.a. stomp), and more. Those three days felt like forever, but once the training was over, and we were on the streets ministering for the other 7 days, time flew by. As we ministered, people heard about God for the first time, some got questions about God answered, others ignored us, and some decided to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
God also changed my life when I was there. I knew I was going to have to step out of my comfort zone, and talk to people I didn't know, dance, act, and play music (garbonics). Those were not things I loved to do, so I asked God to help me. Once I stepped out of my comfort zone I found so much joy in all the things I ended up doing and made many, amazing, Christian friends.
If you are expecting something from God, and you act on what it is you want, God can do amazing things. I, and many others, was expecting God to change lives in Boston, and stretch my life. He did!

My Favorite Verse

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."  (Psalm 31:30)

John 14:1-3

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."  (John 14:1-3)

Easter Stick Drama

Happy Mother's Day!

This is a great Mother's Day song I thought I'd share with you! Tell your mom you love her.

Turn Old Into New

Do you have any shirts that are too small or too big for you? Maybe you have a shirt that you think you will never wear. Well, here's a solution...turn the old into new. All you need to do is use your imagination then cut it up, tie knots, and try it on. It's that simple!

In the end you may say "I am never wearing this", and throw it out or pass it on to a friend, but it's always fun to mess around and laugh at a new creation! (Make sure it is OK with a parent before you customize a shirt.)

The place God calls us...

"The place God calls us to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."  - Frederick Beuchner

Kisses from Katie

The book Kisses from Katie is an auto biography about a girl named Katie Davis. Katie was an eighteen-year-old Jesus lover who had been planning to go to college. Like most other popular Tennessee girls she also wanted to get married to her high school sweet heart and have a dream life. Why in the world did she choose to move to Uganda--a place with starving and diseased people who live in 4x4, cardboard boxes?

Not all Ugandan people’s life styles were like this, but most of them were, and that is why Katie wanted to go. She loved these people; she wanted to bandage their wounded feet, give them a clean place to stay, and feed them, even if it was the same food every day. Katie most importantly wanted to show them what love was. How could Ugandans know the love Jesus had, and still has for them, if the only love these people knew was the love that left them the day they were born though? Katie would show them.

Katie was so courageous to leave her home in the states so she could serve God even though she was only eighteen. She did so much in such a short amount of time. It is amazing to read how God worked in her life and other’s. I definitely suggest this book for teenage and adult girls to read.

Cute, Easy, Cheap Picture Frame

I had a specific picture frame in mind for a couple of my pictures, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it, so my mom and I came up with something very cute. You will need 3 $.95 frames, about 2 yards of ribbon, fake flower petals, sequins, craft glue, a hot glue gun with glue, and you might need a friend to help you.

Put hot glue on one side of the frame at a time and have a friend quickly put the ribbon on because hot glue dries fast. Do this on each side, then tie a big bow at the top of the frames. Use the craft glue to attach the fake flower petals to each other and the frame. Also attach the sequins. Let the project dry.

There you have it- a cute, cheap, and easy (if you have a friend's help) craft.

Valentine's Day

Most people celebrate Valentine's Day as a day of love. Have you ever noticed though, that some calendars say "St. Valentine's Day"? Do you wonder why the "St." part is in there? Well, a long time ago people had a celebration for the Roman god of love. (As we Christians know, the other gods were and are not real.) The Christians could not take part in this holiday though, and they didn't want to miss out on the fun. So, Christians decided to celebrate something different, but on the same day. The Christians would celebrate the death of two martyrs both named Valentine, one being a Saint. Martyrs are people that are killed because they love Christ and would rather have their life taken then deny Christ.
This Valentine's Day, and the rest, let's remember the martyrs, and pray for the families who have lost loved ones because they were killed for their faith. I don't mean you shouldn't celebrate Valentine's day like everyone else. It is fun getting chocolate, teddy bears, and cards, isn't it?
I sure hope you are willing to die for your faith if you ever have to.