Not Your Typical Thanksgiving Day Post

Today is Thanksgiving, and I have much for which to be grateful. However, that's not what this post is going to be about.

I've never been a huge fan of holidays, but Thanksgiving sickens me. Every 3.6 seconds someone dies of hunger, and it is estimated that around 800 million people in the world go hungry every day.

Please check out this website, it won't take more than a minute, and it updated in real time: http://www.stopthehunger.com/

Ridiculous.

When I have a family of my own, I don't want to celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional way. Sure, it's great to get together and have a nice meal, there's nothing wrong with that, but to gorge oneself to the point that most people do is just flat out gluttony. And the worst part of hunger is that it won't kill you right away, oh no, it tortures and torments you for a long, long time. Hunger is a pain unlike any other; one that many people can't even begin to understand. So many people are suffering greatly while we cook enough food to eat for days, and even then end up throwing leftovers out.

Imagine yourself in the D.R. where I or some other third world country. Now imagine trying to explain Thanksgiving to the people over there. Tell them of your yearly holiday devoted to food where you eat until you pass out on the couch. Can you see the look on their faces?

Now comes part two of my rant: As I was watching the Packers game, some of my relatives were talking about how much it would cost the Bears to get a certain new coach. Millions of dollars, and that's just for one year. Millions of dollars to coach people who play a GAME professionally. I love sports, don't get me wrong, but there is something seriously distorted about these numbers. I literally feel a bit like throwing up thinking about how many people we could help feed, clothe, and educate with that money (and trust me, that's not from eating too much because I didn't).

Think about how much of your food you waste on a daily or weekly basis and then think of the money also wasted. Now think of the money you waste on other stupid, petty things like football. In the time it took you to do that, several people died of hunger. I urge you, nay, I beg you, use your resources wisely. We have been blessed to bless others. From now on, think about Thanksgiving differently, act differently. Try feeding others instead of focusing on yourself.

"At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality" - 2 Corinthians 8:14

Does your giving reflect this? Or do you not trust God to provide for you if you give generously? Make a choice to act.

Reflect the Glory of the Lord

Sorry it's been over a month since my last post. Life has been a bit crazy, and last week I was really struggling. Today, however, I could not resist posting.

I was in my Foundations of Christian Thought discussion group this morning and we were talking about the new-atheism movement that is becoming extremely prominent and what exactly that particular worldview entails.

Then the thought struck me: atheists are not the biggest opposition to Christianity; "Christians" are. Those lukewarm Christians who do not live out their faith are a bigger stumbling block to non-believers than vehement atheists. We all know the people who call themselves Christians, but to them it's nothing more than a title; the ones who don't really care about their relationship with God but still throw around the word Christian. It's those people who defer non-believers from Christianity the most.

People look to Christians to live set apart lives, and when they see people not living any differently than others, they become disgusted with the Christian faith and get a distorted view of Christianity. While intellectual atheists are a danger to uninformed non-believers and new Christians, the largest greatest obstacle to these people is the poor example and lukewarm nature of the so-called Christian world.

It is, therefore, our solemn duty to "Live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received." Eph. 4:1 We must be set apart, not only because it is what God has called us to do, but because we are constantly under a microscope - the world looks to us for an example, and our lives must reflect the glory and perfection of the Lord.

Dwelling in the Lord

Tonight my small group studied Psalm 90, and what I learned was awesome; I just had to share it with you guys right away. Go read it now, please, you'll get more out of this if you do.

Verse one states "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations."

This will be my theme for this entry.

Verses one and two focus on the fact that God's nature is eternal, or in the ESV, everlasting. Now read verses three through six. These focus on the fact that we, on the other hand, are not. We are quite temporal, in fact. This is a huge contrast. God is so everlasting that He isn't even inside of time. Before a system of time was created, God was there. Before the sun and the stars and the ocean, He was there. We flourish in the morning and fade by evening. A thousand years are like a day to God.

Fast forward to verse ten. We won't live much more than seventy or eighty years. A lot of our life has already passed away. How much longer do you have left? In light of this, read verse twelve. "Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Why should we number our days? And what does wisdom have to do with anything? We are temporary, yet God is eternal, therefore, live the few days you have in a wise matter, that is in a way that is glorifying to God.

The point I want you to consider in light of this chapter is this: Are you dwelling in the Lord at all times? Or are you wasting your precious, precious time trying to do things all by yourself? What are you holding on to for dear life that you won't give to God? Bitterness? Anger? Envy? Lust? Why won't you give it to Him? Put your trust in Him; dwell in Him!

To dwell in God doesn't mean some of the time. It's all the time. I find myself dwelling in God for the small things, I know He can take care of those things, but sometimes for the bigger things, I tend to run away from the Lord's presence. Keep in mind that Moses wrote this. Remember what happened when the Israelites didn't dwell in the Lord? They ended up in the desert. This is what we do when we try to estrange ourselves from God, we wind up wandering around and suffering in the desert, when we belong with God.

God has been our dwelling place in all generations. Forever. Back when Moses lived and wrote this psalm, God was there. Long after you're gone, God will be there. God has proven Himself trustworthy more times than anyone could ever count. Never once has He failed. Why then, in light of this information, are we still so terrified of trusting God with our problems?

I challenge you this week to wrestle with the things that you're holding from God. Assess the following: What are you keeping from Him? Why are you holding it? How can you let it go? Who can you get to hold you accountable to this?

Nothing in your life is too big for God to handle. Dwell in Him, He will give you rest and peace, but only if you let Him.

The Power of the Tongue

I bet you that there have been things people have said to you that you remember vividly. Hurtful things. Cruel things. Unnecessary things. Have a particular instance in mind? I bet you do. I can think of a few myself. A lot of the time we don't realize what an impact our words have on other people. As a writer, I focus on the importance of words. Typically when people address the use of words, they address it from a negative point of view. Today, I'm going to do the opposite.

First read James 3.

Powerful stuff, isn't it? The tongue really is a powerful thing. Just as James wrote, we should not use it to praise God and curse men; we are called to a higher purpose than that. We are called to use our words for spreading the Gospel and building each other up.

I'm going to focus on the latter.

Building each other up can include multiple things, such as accountability and gentle correction, but right now I'm just going to talk about edification, or the literal building up; to put it more simply, encouraging.

I believe that we, as humans, remember kind word more than we remember the negative. In fact there have been several instances in my life where something trivial I have said has made a huge impact on someone else's life without my realizing it until later.

In junior high I used to say "Never worry about the future; it's already tomorrow in Australia." I simply thought this was a clever play on words, so I repeated it. Turns out, one of my friends took it to heart. I was spending the night at her house, and she let me read part of her journal. I was in it. It was about the start of the summer and how she missed me, but also about how I had deeply impacted her. I was shocked. I never thought that I had done anything out of the ordinary; I was just doing what I thought was proper for a friend to do. My encouraging and even my jokes made a serious impression on her.

Later in high school, one of my friends was struggling with some pretty heavy stuff. I told her about something that I had read once because her circumstance reminded me of it. Turns out, those couple words of encouragement helped convince her that taking her life wasn't a good option.

Soak that in for a minute. That's intense. Keep in mind that I don't write this to lift myself up. My desire for this blog is to push you, as my readers, on to become better for God's glory. It's not like my words are the only ones that have an impact. I can almost guarantee that something you've said has had the same impact on someone else, even if it was only a passing remark.

Now that you're aware of the power of words, I challenge you to use them to edify others. Practice the art of taming your tongue. It's hard, impossible even if you try to do it alone. The great thing is that we don't have to do it alone, we have the perfect Christ to help us out along the way. With this in mind, focus on using your words to build one another up. Don't tear people down, even in a joking manner.

Words have more power than many of us will ever know.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." - Eph. 4:29

These Are the Days

This is my second post since I've been at Taylor. A lot has happened, and I love it here.

To my own surprise, I am in the middle of ICC (inter-class council) or student government elections. We run on tickets, so I am running for secretary and there are three others running along side of me. It's awesome.

There are a few things that this election has been teaching me, but I will focus on only one aspect for the moment.

Seize the day. I may be young, but that doesn't mean that I cannot accomplish big things. In fact, I know that I can. Our campaign is called IMPACT. We call it this for a few reasons, one of which being that we believe we can truly influence this campus, this world, and our future. We are working for God's glory, so we know that with His help we can be successful. Don't wait to change the world; the time is now. You cannot get back lost or wasted time. These years are valuable, use them for something bigger and more worthwhile than sports or parties. Use them to impact something eternal. Nurture younger people. Learn from older, wiser people. Grab life by the horns and hold on tight. You'll never accomplish the things you don't try. 

I recently read the book "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. This is a book I wish I had read when I was 14. Well, for me it would really be 16 since that's when I accepted Christ into my life, but fourteen would have been a good age too. I encourage you to read it, or to give it teenagers or pre-teens that you know for them to read. It stresses doing things that may be difficult or uncomfortable for the glory of our Lord in heaven. 

Take charge of your life, after all, it is yours and you only have one (excluding eternal life). Don't put things off because you lack faith in yourself. 

Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" - Matthew 19:26

 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:28-32

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." - 1 Tim. 4:12

~So

Use Your Gifts

I'm going to confess something to you. I am super completely and utterly terrified of playing my French horn in front of people. I don't mind if I'm playing in a group, but if it's just me I hate it. I don't even like to practice when other people are around. It's not that I'm bad at playing it, I'm actually pretty good. I just don't feel comfortable. This is especially weird if you know me well. I can play my guitar or sing in front of hundreds of people and not feel nervous, in fact, I actually do this quite frequently. It's not the same with the French horn.

 

You probably wonder where I'm going with this. God has gifted me with musical abilities, and, therefore, I should use my talents to honour Him and bring glory to His name. After all, that is my purpose in life, more or less. 

Each year my school band goes and plays at a conference of Christian schools. A bunch of different schools come together with their bands, orchestras, and choirs to form larger band, orchestras, and choirs. I was fine playing with the high school band, even when I had solos during the music. In fact, I really enjoyed it! This year was different, though. I was asked to accompany the high school choir on my French horn. Just the choir, a piano, and me in front of close to, if not more than, a thousand people. The music wasn't hard, and I have a hard time saying no to anything, so I agreed. I felt honoured that they asked me to do it, but I don't know what I was thinking. I got the music a few days before the concert and I only got to practice with the choir once. I wasn't prepared. I was scared silly. 

The day of the concert came, and no one outside of my band and director knew I was playing the accompaniment, so the crowd, including my parents, was confused when I got up and walked across the room after playing with the band, with my French horn in tow. As I waited backstage for the choir to sing their first two songs before I came on, I thought I was going to pee my pants or pass out from fright and nerves. The choir director introduced me, and I walked onto the hot stage, sweating from the heat of the lights. I could feel all the eyes staring at me. All attention was on me. I knew I was going to mess up. "Surely there were better people to ask than me," I thought. I shook hands with the director and sat down. The piano started and I began to play. Yes, I messed up a little. Everyone says they couldn't tell; I don't believe them. The choir sang beautifully and overall everything went wonderfully. The crowd exploded with applause and everyone cheered and whistled like it was a professional concert. I wasn't happy with how I played, but I saw tears welling up in the director's eyes. She hugged me, and I stood there feeling awkward for a second, bowed, and walked off stage. I could still feel people's eyes on me as I walked back to my seat in the band. 

The point is this: we are to use our gifts for God's glory. I got to use my French horn to glorify God at this Christian music festival, and after the concert everyone kept coming up to me congratulating me, and I got the opportunity to tell them that it was all God's grace. Sometimes God will ask us to do things that are out of our comfort zones, but He will also give us the strength to do it. When these opportunities arise it is dishonouring to God to back down because of fear. Trust God. He has gifted each of us in so many different ways, some that we may not even recognize as gifts right away, but if we listen and obey, He will make them known to us. The next time you feel prompted by the Holy spirit to do something that scares you or makes you nervous, answer the call; you will not regret it. 

"One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.  Then the LORD called Samuel. 
      Samuel answered, 'Here I am.'  And he ran to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' 
      But Eli said, 'I did not call; go back and lie down.' So he went and lay down.

Again the LORD called, 'Samuel!' And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.'
      'My son,' Eli said, 'I did not call; go back and lie down.'

 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am; you called me.' 
      Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, 'Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, 'Samuel! Samuel!' 
      Then Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening.'" - 1 Sam. 3:2-10

Answer the call of the Lord eagerly with a trusting heart. Samuel did, and though he faced many trials in his life, the Lord was with him the whole of every moment.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Cor. 10:13

~So

Lesson #4 from the Dominican: God's Timing is Perfect

My friend Lyndsey had a really cool experience while we were in the D.R. that I just had to share with you. 

Last year Lyndsey went to D.R. and met a woman named Chachi. Chachi lived in a building right across from the building where our team always stays. Lyndsey's friend Alyssa wanted to hold Chachi's baby, so she and Lynds went over there. Lyndsey speak some Spanish, so she spent time playing with her kids and talking to her all week. Lyndsey said she felt like Chachi was the one who was serving her, rather than the other way around because she was so giving and selfless towards Lynds. Lynds spent most of her time with Chachi listening to her (Lyndsey has a gift for listening, so it's awesome that she got to use it). 

This year Lyndsey also went to the D.R., and so she went back to Chachi's house hoping to see her, but to her dismay, Chachi no longer lives there. The lady that lives there now told Lyndsey that Chachi moved about around six months ago. The new tenant's name is Eva. She instantly welcomed Lyndsey into her home and Lyndsey once again got to listen and learn and bond. The next day Lyndsey went to go see Eva again and this time took her friend and small group leader, Lil, with her. After a while Lil went in to shower, but for some reason Lyndsey felt the need to stay. Not five minutes later, guess who come walking down the street with children and groceries in tow? It turns out that she had only moved a few streets down. As soon as Chachi saw Lyndsey she ran to her. She invited Lyndsey over to her new house, but Lyndsey couldn't just leave because she's part of a group. Luckily, there was a full-time missionary from the organization we partner with right there, who said that she would take Lyndsey to her house tomorrow. 

The next day Lyndsey got ready to see Chachi, but the missionary forgot that she was supposed to take Lyndsey out and left early. Naturally, Lyndsey was upset, but she was still trusting God to work out everything for the best, so she went and showered and then sent to the roof. As she was relaxing on the roof, she noticed Chachi sitting in the street waiting for her, so Lyndsey grabbed a girl named Katie that she was getting close to, and they went and visited Chachi's house. It was great that not only did Lyndsey get to see her friend again, but she got to take someone else along and share the experience with her. 

God knew all along how things were going to end up. At the time it seemed like things weren't going to work out, yet God provided, and His timing was perfect. When we trust God with all situations, we find that His plan is better than anything we could have come up with by ourselves. 

"Those who know your name will trust in you, 
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." - Psalm 9:10

"As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" - Romans 10:11

~So

Lesson #3 from the Dominican: Submission

Before I tell you a little more about my trip, I'd like to tell you about my week.

On Friday, a friend of mine gave birth to a beautiful little girl. On Saturday a friend of mine got married to an amazing man. Yesterday, my friend's father who was diagnosed with stage 4a cancer (4b cancer is untreatable) was declared cancer free. God is good. I just had to throw that out there. 

I met a man who's a full time missionary while I was in the Dominican. His name is Dave Schwulst. He and his family moved from my town a few years ago (I can't remember how long). His story is truly amazing.

Dave was in his prime while living in the United States. He made a ton of money, had a great house, and was the epitome of the American dream. Then he and his wife felt God's call to be missionaries. His wife spoke a bit of Spanish when she was in high school/college, but Dave didn't speak a word of Spanish. But they knew it was God's call, so they obeyed, and along with their two young daughters, they packed up and moved to the D.R.

They gave away everything they had, which was a lot, to live in relative poverty and serve God. 

I got to talk to Dave a bit and he told me about how his men's ministry is difficult because of the way women are viewed and treated in the culture. Believe me, it's worse than in the U.S. He is faced with the challenge of making disciples of men who think women are objects. His desire is to make them into leaders. It will be no easy task. He also told me about how he has struggled with addictions in the past, and how they have affected his life and his relationships. He was really open with his past and even though he seemed like a great example of a Christian man to me, he was incredibly humble.

He made me realize that submitting to God is more than just following His laws. It's trusting Him with your life; every aspect of it from your job to where you live. Dave and his family submitted to Christ in a way that seemed radical to me, but it's really what all of us are called to do. While Dave is a good man, there is nothing extraordinary about him. He strives and he fails and he goes on with his life. God does not call us all to be missionaries and to give up everything we have, but he does call us follow and submit to Him fully. 

"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 
 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:13-25

~So

Lesson #2 from the Dominican: God Will Provide

Our group going to the D.R. was so big we had to take two planes. One group flew American. They left earlier than my group did, flew from Chicago to Florida to Santiago. They got there before us. My group flew Jet Blue. We left later, which was nice, but also didn't get in until much later. We flew Chicago to New York to Santiago. It was around 1 in the morning by the time we got to where we were staying for the night, which isn't fun when you have to get up early in the morning to work. I didn't mind, I'm used to running on small amounts of sleep. 

Turns out, the group that flew Jet Blue got the better deal.

American Airlines lost almost ALL of our group's luggage. I'm talking maybe a handful out of 40ish people got their luggage. We all packed the next day's clothes in our carry-ons, so they were good for the day. The next day came, however, and still no luggage. People were dirty and their clothes were gross. People from Jet Blue all came together to support our brothers and sisters in Christ, loaning them clean clothes, towels, and anything else they needed. God calls us to provide for others. It was a great way to serve.

The next day all the luggage got there that night around dinner time! What a blessing! That is, all the luggage except for one girl's. Her name is Kaley, and she's one of the most natural born leaders I've ever met. Kaley never once complained, but instead talked about how she was learning through the situation, and with all the other girls around, she didn't go wanting. She never let it get her down, and she praised God throughout everything.

Her luggage came either the next night or the day after, I can't quite remember. The point is this: God provides for us when we trust Him. God created all the universe and all of creation, yet many times we don't trust Him with things much more insignificant, like money, jobs, grades, schools, friends, etc. Why do we doubt? He already knows the outcome of all situations, and works out all things for the good of those who love Him [Romans 8:28]. If you put yours trust in God, you will not be disappointed! He loves us more than we can ever imagine, and because of His love for us, He gives us more than we could ever deserve. Even in little things like clothes for a week in a foreign country, He provides. 

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Mt. 6:25-34

~So

Lesson #1 from the Dominican: God is Powerful

To introduce this theme, let me tell you a little something about myself.

I'm not a kid person. They annoy me. A lot. They love me, and I'm good with them, but I don't like them much. 

Now let me introduce you to Ellaleena.

We were in a place known as the Hole. It's completely poverty stricken, and the conditions are horrible. We were serving meals at a feeding center for lunch. The meals were basically rice and beans, and were typically the only meals these kids got. One meal a day six days a week.

As soon as I walked out of the door after lunch, this little girl grabbed onto me, and didn't let go the whole time I was there. I couldn't speak her language, but that didn't matter because I was there and loving her. She giggled and played with my hair, the whole time holding on to me. Look how happy she is in that picture. 

God's power is evident in several aspects of this story. The most obvious is the changing of my heart. I'm still not a kid person, but He helped me to see through His eyes, to love the orphan and the widow and the less fortunate. For a small moment, I got to feel the compassion Jesus has for all of us, and I got to live out His love to this little girl. If it weren't for God's power, I would have been completely lost in the Hole. I can't speak Spanish to save my life, so I had very little idea of what was going on. I don't love children the way most girls my age do. Without God working through me, I would have been standing around confused in the corner. God can do all things. Language barriers are nothing to Him. He allowed us to communicate in a small and significant way. 

Imagine what our lives would look like if we allowed God's power to work through us all the time. He can change hearts. He can overcome boundaries. He brings hope to the hopeless. He can do the miraculous and the impossible. He changed my life (see first post) and each day He is gradually changing my heart. He raises the dead. 

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7

I Haven't Forgotten About You

I have so much I want to write about my trip, but I've been struggling with what to start with, and how to organize it. I need to find some sort of system, so that I don't try to burst it all out at once. 

In the mean time, here's a video made by a member of the G.O. Ministries team with some pictures and videos of our trip.

In most of the shots of me, I'm wearing neon green or pink, and sometimes a blue Tarheels hat.

You'll see that we worked on two different site, a house and a church, digging foundation. There's a short video clip of me pick-axing if you know where to look. Haha. It was a lot of hard work, but so worth it.

~So

Eastview Christian Church-Youth from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo.

See You in a Week

Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for the Dominican Republic for a week!

Along with 81 other teens and adults, partnered with Eastview Christian Church, we are going to be working on building a church, and helping out local families. 

It's going to be a great experience, and while I'm excited, I'm also nervous, having never done anything like this before.

Your prayers are appreciated, and I'll write more when I get back. I'm positive that I'll have a ton of amazing stories to share.

~So

More on Prayer

Sometimes it seems like God is ignoring your prayers.

You pray and you pray, but nothing happens.

Take courage! God knows what we need before we ask, and is faithful to provide! (Mt. 6:8) 

 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13

God does, however, delight when we ask Him because it shows our reliance upon Him, and our trust in Him. Don't give up. God answers prayers in unexpected ways and in His own time, which is always perfect.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:6-7

Seek the Father always. He will provide for you in ways impossible for us to foresee. 

Read Mt. 6:25-34. 

God will provide when the time is right, even if it doesn't seem like it to us. 

~So

Can I Tell You Something?

If you ask God for something, He'll give it to you. For real.

Granted, it has to be within His will, but the closer you grow to Him, the more your desires will match up with His.

In fact, a good way to start is by simply asking God to make you more like Him. If you're consistent and sincere in asking, you will receive. The other thing is, you have to work at it; it's a gift, but it's not magic. If you want to be more like God, you have to make an effort every day to be more like Him.

This morning I prayed that God would make me more like Him. Lately I've been praying for opportunities to serve, and the courage to step up to them. Today, I almost missed one.

A friend of mine came up to me right before the church service as I was on my way to sit down. She was upset and said, "Hey, I need to talk to you." I said something like, "Yeah, sure. Just find me during service or after..." and then I realized: why? Then I said, "Actually, do you just want to talk now?" She said yes. I almost got so caught up in going to church that I almost missed an opportunity to be the Church. God says in Matthew 25:40 that whatever we do to the least of people we do to God. Ignoring this girl's hurt would have been like ignoring God after I specifically asked Him to come to me. Don't overlook ways to serve; they're everywhere.

There have been several little things like this the past week or so. You kind of have to look for them. God isn't going to give you a huge task right up front; it will be little things at first. They might even seem insignificant, but they're not.

"So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11:9-10

Be bold! Ask things of God with confidence. Just remember that God will move through you if you are willing to move to Him. God's promise is clear. Ask, then move.

~So

Why It Matters

I wasn't satisfied with my last post. I felt that it didn't convey what I wanted it to. In response, I felt a follow-up would be in order. I want to briefly explain why it even matters.

God created everything. The creation story can be found in the book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible. God creates man in His image. Perfect. However, God gave man freewill to either love and obey, or sin and reject. Man chose to sin.

We, every last one of us, has sinned. We all sin frequently, if we're honest with ourselves. Therefore, we all need a Saviour to come restore us to our Creator God. We cannot do this alone. No one can live perfectly, that is, without sinning, which creates a schism between God , who loves and cares for His creation, and mankind. God is just, and must punish sins, so He sent His Son, who is really a part of Him, to the earth. His Son is Jesus, the Christ. Jesus came into this world, born of a virgin, and He did what no one else could: He lived a sinless life. He lived perfectly and He died for sinners. God poured out His wrath on Jesus, who takes the place of sinners when it's time for Judgement. 

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." - Romans 3:22-26

Christ offers more than just the forgiveness of sins. A lot more. He offers us eternal life. If we give our lives to God and follow Him, though we will die, we will live forever in His kingdom. We will experience the fullness of life, how it was supposed to be. On that day there will be no more suffering, pain, or death. All will be made new and perfect.  This is what Christ offers everyone. All we have to do is accept Him.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."-  John 5:24

There are, however, consequences for sin. The wages of sin is death. Outside of Christ there is only death. Instead of being raised to eternal life in the Spirit, those who harden their hearts to Christ experience death in it's truest sense. Much like eternal life is often referred to as heaven, eternal condemnation is often referred to as hell. It is described as a place of fire and gnashing of teeth. It is pain and it is suffering. 

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."  - Mark 16:16

That's why it matters. There's more than this life. So much more. 

What we do on this earth right now matters. Not only for ourselves, but for others. 

~So

Don't Make My Mistakes

It's Memorial Day, so what would be more appropriate than a memorial blog? This isn't going to be easy for me to write, so it may seem mediocre compared to my typical postings, but we'll see.

I believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned from every situation in life. Or death.

My friend Rachel died this past January. She had rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer. She and I were really close in junior high, but after I got expelled, we didn't talk as much. It was September of 2007 when she was diagnosed. It's funny, your natural reaction to hearing that someone has cancer is to think that they could die, but I never would have thought in a million years that I'd be standing over Rachel's grave. She was only 17.

Rachel died pretty suddenly. She was responding well to treatment, and I grew less and less worried about her all the time. When I left for Germany on January 1st, she was fine. I got back on the 10th or the 11th, and heard that she was having a hard time with treatment, and that she wasn't doing well. I attempted to contact her that week, but couldn't get ahold of her. She died the 18th. 

I couldn't believe it. It happened so fast. She was gone. My biggest regret throughout this whole situation is that I didn't see or talk to her more, and that when I did, I didn't really bring up God. I said I was praying for her, but that's about it. Now, it's not my place to judge a person's salvation, but I knew Rachel wasn't living in the manner of a Christian. Maybe she was just having a rough spot in her faith, I don't know. What I do know is that I never confronted her. I never made the effort to get out of my comfort zone to talk to her about the only thing that really matters.

Basically, what I hoped to get out of this post is to encourage believers to share their faith with people. You never know what will happen. Life is short, and anyone can die at any moment. Don't wait until it's too late to confront someone. You'll hate your life. It won't be easy, but if you call yourself someone's friend, and don't confront them when they aren't living the way they should be, what kind of friend are you really? There are people in your life who may call themselves Christians, but don't act like it. Confront them. There are those who openly deny God. Confront them.

And by "confront" I'd like to qualify that I mean it in the most gentle and sensitive way possible. It doesn't have to be an intervention. Just talk to the person openly. Be humble and caring. Tell them of the hope you have, and explain why all people need this hope. Don't let yourself be put into the position I'm in: standing above a grave, wondering why you didn't share with her, and if she truly knew Christ. 

Take example from the Ezekiel 33. We are all watchmen. Why would you not warn others? Why would you not give them hope and everlasting life?

~So

We Can All Learn From Communists

Karl Marx once said, "Religion is the opiate of the masses."

And, believe it or not, I agree.

What Marx meant by this is that religion is something people look to to make themselves feel better. They have a religion to comfort themselves when someone dies or something goes wrong. Religion is a way of lying to make oneself feel good about his choices, past, and future.

Most Christians find this quote offensive. "Religion is truth" they say. Not true.

Religion isn't what's important. Faith is what really matters. Anyone can label themselves with a religion, such as Christianity, but faith is the important part. You can call yourself a Christian, but if you don't have faith that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God, and all that that implies, it doesn't really mean anything. Many people turn to Christianity, but do not really believe these things. They want the label for one reason or another. The label doesn't matter. Catholic, Presbyterian, Non-Denominational, whatever. What matters is being part of the Body of Christ.

I could start calling myself a genius, but that wouldn't make it true. I could say my hair is blonde, but that doesn't change the reality. Truth and Faith come only from Christ Jesus, and our relationship and response to Him are what actually matters.

Don't let religion be your opiate. Make sure you really believe what you claim, then take action and live your life for your real beliefs. To call yourself a Christian and not be changed isn't Truth, and it is not honouring to God.

~So

Why Ethiopia Has a Whole New Meaning for Me

Today, I just want to share with you all a short story. Actually, the story is quite long, but the fact of the matter is I've not left this seat since six o' clock because I've been working on my big senior paper. (I'm done!!!)

Today, my dear friends, the Semlows, left for Ethiopia. They're finally going to get the three beautiful children that they're adopting. They've been on this journey for over a year now, and it's been a roller coaster! There have been numerous occasions where they were on the verge of traveling to get these kids, but something's gotten in the way. It's been hard. Really hard.

Today, however, is God's time for them to travel. One thing I've learned the past two years is that God's timing is perfect. More perfect than we can ever imagine. I won't get into it much tonight for the aforementioned reason, but I want you all to know that. 

GOD'S TIMING IS PERFECT. ALWAYS.

Tonight, I praise God for his faithfulness and timing.  I hope that if there's anything you get out of this blog, it's that God is faithful, and his timing is perfect. Always.

I have so many stories to share with you about these topics.

Please just think about that for a while until I have time to write more elaborately. 

~So

Are We That Blind?

  I felt compelled to write this one day, so I did and stuck it in a note on my facebook. It got a lot of positive feedback. I hope it challenges you to love one another.

"We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." - 1 John 4:19-21

The other day, I was in the passenger seat of our car running errands with my mom. We were at the stoplight on Airport and G.E. going west, and I happened to look out my window. In the car next to me was a teenage girl and her mom. They were both upset. I tried not to look, but I couldn't help it. The girl was close to my age, maybe 15 to 18 years old. She was crying. Hard. The mom was more angry than upset. She rolled her eyes and shook her head a lot. The girl was a gorgeous blonde; I bet she could pull off a fake smile really well, and no one would ever know. She tried to wipe her tears on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. It was raining. 
I wanted to go over to her and hug her; let her know that I love her, even though I don't know her. Her mother said something that really hurt her, I could read her lips as she said, "I know, okay?" I thought of all the times in my life I'd said the exact same thing. How many times my own mother or someone else I cared about had said something blatant and hurtful to me where the only answer I could muster was, "I know." There is so much meaning in those little words. 
I didn't know what the fight was about, I didn't even know if it was a fight at all. It sure looked like one. Perhaps she had gotten caught drinking. Maybe her grandfather died, or her boyfriend broke up with her. She could have gotten pregnant. She could have gotten raped. Dozens of possibilities popped into my head. Maybe her friend had cancer. Maybe her parents were getting divorced. The amazing thing was that it didn't matter. It didn't matter what happened; what mattered was that she was upset. She was hurting. Deeply. The source of the pain could have seemed small or large depending on who was looking at it, but that didn't change the fact that she was hurting. She felt pain and it was real.
How many times a day do we see someone without even thinking about what could be going on in his or her life? How many times do we walk right past someone without realizing that that person is a child of God? Do we even realize when people are quieter than usual? Do we connect people's actions with their emotions? Sure, we're busy, but no one is too busy to notice when someone else is hurting. People are hurting everywhere every day. We don't see when people are upset because we don't want to; if we're honest without ourselves, we don't really care. We think, "Oh, he's fine." or, "She just wants attention." How do we know? He could be suicidal, and she could be abused. We don't know because we don't try to find out, and we don't try to find out because we don't really care. We're so self-absorbed that we don't even consider other people's problems. 
People are reaching out for help and love all the time, even, if not especially, the ones who reject it. People may seem like they don't want to talk or want help, but a lot of the time, they really just want to know that someone cares. It's not hard to show someone that you care, really. It doesn't take a lot, so why don't we love people the way that we should? People will try to hide their pain, but what they need is someone to love them. What if you were that person who's hurting? Wouldn't you want someone to help and love you? Many times we forget that people are all children of God and are longing to belong. We forget that the pain is real. We ignore it. Ignoring it doesn't make it go away, it makes it worse. 
I could throw all kinds of statistics at you, like every 1 in 4 people has been abused, or 60% of people polled have admitted to trying to kill themselves at one time, but would they really do any good? People aren't statistics. People are real, and so is the pain they feel. You don't know what a person has gone through, or what they're going through right now, and the fact of the matter is that you might never know. You'll never know because most of the time you don't care. People are crying out for deliverance and love. How long will we ignore them?

"Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." -Unknown

~So

Salutations Readers

I was hoping to spend more time writing this, but I have to get up early tomorrow, so I'll probably write more later. 

That's probably not true, I'll probably become so encompassed by  writing that I won't care...until I have to wake up tomorrow.

I thought a good way to start this blog would be to tell you a bit about my life. Not just random things like I went to Colene Hoose grade school. Who cares? I want to tell you all how I came to believe what I do. My testimony. 

I grew up in an upper-middle class family. My dad's a doctor, my mom was a nurse (she doesn't practice anymore). My parents raised my older brother, Brian, and myself as Catholics. Brian and I both didn't have a great relationship with our parents or each other from the start. My brother had some problems. I never really understood them; I just knew he was angry a lot. I just found out this past year that he was diagnosed with O.C.D. He had to see a shrink, and he scared me, that's all I knew, so did my parents. I was afraid. A lot.

I don't want to go into too much detail or dwell on this part of my life too much, but I'll try to say what is important. I was always happy at St. Pat's (our Catholic church), but something never felt right. I was going to hell. I knew it at an early age. I felt that I was too horrible for God to love or forgive. Overall, I enjoyed church.

Fast forward to 5th grade on up. I was depressed, but didn't really know it. I was in fifth grade the first time I seriously considered suicide. I wrote a note and everything. Turns out I'm clinically depressed, but I wouldn't find that out until I was in eighth grade. I thought about suicide a lot in the period between that day and when I was started on anti-depressants. Even a few times after. I cut myself in junior high. I drank. I smoke. I swore. I had a lot of good friends who helped me through, but something was always wrong. My home life wasn't great. I didn't consider it anything that could be changed.

Six weeks into my freshman year of high school I got expelled. My best friend for most of my life lived down the street from me at the time. She brought a pocket knife to the bus stop one day and was cutting herself. It upset me, naturally, so I took it from her and lectured her a bit. I was planning on giving the knife to her guidance counselor at school during my free period, but never got the chance. There were two boys at the bus stop who didn't like us very much. They were both a year older than us, but didn't have many friends. I guess they thought it would be funny to get me into some trouble, so they told the asst. principal that I had threatened to stab one of them with it. I was pulled out of first hour German II and escorted to the office. I told them what had happened and explained that it was Cassie's knife and that she was hurting herself. They called Cassie in, and she was really mad that I had told them she cut herself, so she admitted the knife was hers, but wouldn't back up my story. It was the word of the guys verses my word. I was outnumbered. They even got a boy from the next bus stop over to go along with them. They changed their story when I pointed out he wasn't even there. It didn't matter. I was suspended for two weeks followed by an expulsion hearing. I was expelled. We tried to get me into the local Catholic high school, but that didn't work because of rules. My dad found Cornerstone Christian Academy, a tiny little school, on the internet, and I visited and interviewed. They weren't what I wanted, but by this point I had been out of school for almost two months and was desperate. They graciously accepted me. 

I hated Cornerstone. To make matters worse, none of my friends were mad at Cassie for lying. They were still friends with her. Cassie started changing. She went from punk on the verge of goth to preppy. Not that I would have cared, I had a ton of preppy friends; it just wasn't her. She and I tried to talk a few times, but nothing was ever resolved. She and I ended our friendship bitterly. It took me two and a half years to get over it. Even worse, my other friends started to drift from me. They wouldn't return my calls, or were always too busy. I was pretty much alone and miserable. 

The summer before my sophomore year I got so drunk that I almost died. After throwing up no less than thirteen times my blood-alcohol level was 1.86. I was fifteen and on Zoloft (you shouldn't mix that with alcohol). I never drank again after that night, but it was mostly because my parents were watching me like a hawk. 

My sophomore year Theology class was a study of Romans. It was really in depth, and was a turning point in my life. It answered so many of the questions. I started talking to a senior in my school who was a bit of a loner. He listened to me, understood, and accepted me. One day I mentioned to him that I had been considering going to Eastview (a large, local, non-denominational church), but every time I tried to ask someone I knew who went there about it, they acted like jerks to me. I had noticed that people at Cornerstone had something I didn't have. At first I thought them all sheltered (which most of them are), and holier-than-thou, but I began to see something different in them. Could it be their relationship with God? I wanted to know. I wanted to know so badly. He invited me to go with him that Sunday, and I did. Between talking to him, and studying Romans, I realized that I had been believing lies. God does love me. I had been trying to earn my salvation, which is why I felt so hopeless. I finally understood that I can't earn salvation or God's love, and that I didn't have to try anymore. Christ did all that for me. Christ lived perfectly and died for me! It was like a lightbulb went off suddenly in my head. I understood. I accepted God in January of my sophomore year. 

Ever since then, I have been living my life for Christ. I'm not claiming that my life is now easy or perfect. It's not. I'm still on anti-depressants, even though I've tried going off them. Life is still hard. Things happen that try my faith on an almost daily basis, but that's what happens in the Christian life. The trials I'm going through, and all the ones in my past can be used to glorify God and draw me closer to him.

 My parents didn't support my going to Eastview. It was the cause of a lot of arguments and bitterness between us. It's gotten a lot better, but it's still not where I'd like it to be. We definitely don't see eye to eye on a lot of things about our faiths, but it doesn't separate us the way it used to. 

Well, that's my testimony in brief. There's a lot more I could say, but it would take forever. If you would like me to expand on any particular part, please just ask. I hope this speaks Truth to someone and helps glorify God, for that is what I'm here to do. If God can use my past and my story to bring one person to Him, then it was all worth it. 

Peace, my friends.