I just got done reading a biography called She Said Yes about Cassie Bernall, a girl who was shot in her school in 1999. Her life might have been spared if she said that she didn't believe in God, but (from the sounds of it) no one really knows since the other thirteen that died with her weren't all Christians. Whatever the case, she was a martyr because "she said yes". This one sentence at the end of the book really popped out to me: "...it is better to die for what you believe, than to live a lie." Like Cassie, we shouldn't be afraid to die for what we believe in. We should stand up for Christ rather than lie and live because of it. It would most likely be hard if that ever happened to us, but Christ died for us and took all our sins upon Himself so how could we not die for Him?

Mirables Happen

"I've seen dreams that move the mountains/ Hope that doesn't ever end/ Even when the sky is falling/ I've seen miracles just happen/ Silent prayers get answered/ Broken hearts become brand new/ That's what faith can do" -Kutless
I have been thinking about the chorus of this song all day because I experienced a miracle.
I'm planning on going on a mission trip to Africa with my Dad and some others this spring. To leave the country you have to have a passport. My passport was no problem to get, but my Dad's on the other hand is having many complications due to him being born in Canada and has been processing for a couple months. Well, we found out today that the passport might not make it here in time for the missions trip (a month and a half away). I have wanted to go on a mission trip to Africa for more than a year now, so I was not/ am not going to let anything stop me (unless God tells me not to go in a very clear way) because I feel this is where God wants me to minister this year and most likely again in the future. So I instantly went to my prayer journal to start begging God to perform a miracle as He has done since time began. Then I logged into Facebook and my e-mail and started asking people to pray also. Within fifteen minutes the passport place called and said they had enough information, and they decided that the information that they had wanted would just be skipped and then speed up the processing of Dad's passport. Miracles do happen... and in fifteen minutes! I'm not joking, and neither is God!
 I have seen miracles just happen. Silent prayers do get answered. Faith can do amazing things. And I'm hoping that broken hearts do become brand new in Africa. I'm at loss for words about God's amazingness!

New Years Resolution

Jeremiah 29:13 says, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." I think this is a great scripture verse to use as a new years resolution. It seems simple, but when you seek God with everything you have, and give Him all of yourself, He can do amazing things! Just giving God a simple thing that you have been keeping back can change things. A couple weeks ago I was so overwhelmed because I hadn't received an answer to my prayer, but I started thinking about it and realized that I wasn't trusting God to answer that prayer in His perfect timing. I gave my trust back to God and, literally, within two days I got an answer.
My point is, give God your all this year and let Him change you and strengthen your relationship with Him.

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)

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)

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.

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.

God Provides!

For the past couple of weeks I have been looking for some some dressy boots, but everything I found was out of our price range.  (My mom said that I couldn't spend more on my boots than she spent on hers!)  Last weekend we were on our way home from visiting family, and we stopped at a big strip mall, but we still couldn't find anything in our price range.

While I was pitying myself we were walking to Claire's, and my mom kept saying, "God will provide!" I knew she was right, but still found myself feeling a little hopeless. As we were walking into Claire's my eye caught a rack of boots. I walked over to the rack and hanging there were some perfect black scrunchy what I like to call pirate boots. I was a little afraid to look at the price tag, but when I flipped the tag open there were the numbers $28.00. I was happy and excited. I raced to my mom and said, "I found the boots! I found the boots! I could have gotten them for $48.00, but now I can get them for $28.00." After I got the boots I kept thinking God will provide, and God bless Claire's! 

Comfort!

A mother's love for her child isn't only for human mothers!



"As a mother comforts her child, I will comfort you..."  (Isaiah 66:13 NIV)

KMBI Christian Radio

Every Saturday morning on KMBI there are a bunch of different kids programs on. Some adults enjoy them too. All you have to do is turn the radio on to 107.9 or 83.3, but if you don't have a radio get on the Internet and type in kmbi.fm and click listen live. The programs are from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The programs are Coconut Hut are Ranger Bill, Kids Corner, Down Gilead Lane, Adventures in Odyssey, cool Christian music and more. I hope you decide to turn on KMBI sometime and listen to one, or all of the programs.

Good News

"...I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never

walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

(John 8:12 NIV)

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I was listening to the radio today and someone said this: "We may not be able to preach the gospel in front of them, but we can live the gospel in front of them." People have said this so many times in different ways, but it never made this much sense. If you are in another country where you can't talk (preach) about Jesus you can act (live) like Jesus would--be kind, be patient, listen to what people have to say, etc. When you do this, some people will ask why you are so patient and kind and everything. Then you can tell them that you act (live) this way because Jesus does.

Integrity

The dictionary defines integrity as:

• adherence to moral and ethical principals
• soundness of moral character
• honesty

If  a person has integrity, they can be trusted  and keep promises. Like Noah, we can choose to have integrity. People with integrity don't gossip and hurt people. They don't watch movies, shows, or read anything sinful. They don't think bad things. They are kind. They have loving thoughts. They are like Daniel. Not only did he have integrity with people, but also with God. Daniel thought good thoughts and kept his relationship with God.

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