I’ll give Him my heart! August 29, 2008

Earlier this afternoon, I was taking care of my little brother (he’s 1 year old

), and he was playing with his blocks. He kept trying and trying to put them together, but he wasn’t able to, so he looked at me and started babbling, like he was asking me to help him. So I tried to take the blocks and show him how to do it, but he screamed and pulled them away from me. This happened again, so I said, “Micah, I’ll help you do it, but you’ve gotta give the blocks to me first!”

That just reminded me of what Lady Arwen and Heather (on the LoE forum) were saying about giving our “crushes”, our relationships, over to the Lord. With crushes, if we feed them, and keep thinking about the guy, trying to imagine all the possible ways a relationship with him could work out, praying that God would let him be “the one”, I think we’re doing what my brother was doing with his blocks: yeah, we want God to bring along our Prince Charming to sweep us off our feet, but we want it to be our choice, done our way. We don’t give our heart (as far as relationships) over to His work completely, we keep a tight grip on it.

If Micah had given me the blocks, I would’ve had a castle built for him in a matter of minutes, and in the same way, if we give over our hearts to God, and let Him choose our husband (or, if He wants us “single”, we can let Him be our King ) and in his timing, it’ll all fit together much more nicely than if we try to do it all our own way.
I know that doesn’t relate directly to “crushes”, but I hope it makes some sense!

And, these are my personal views…I don’t want to debate anything or criticize anyone. If you disagree, I’m totally fine with that.

When You Abide In Me August 29, 2008

I tell myself all the time, “God’s will above mine, God’s will above mine.”  And it truly is God’s will above mine. 

I recently applied for a job–a job that I was very certain I would be hired for.  The odds were all in my favor, and I told myself that I needed this job.  In a way, I do need to start saving money for college, and this seemed like a perfect way for me to do so.  I had begun to get used to the idea of my weeks being jam-packed with school and work…until I got the call this afternoon.  They hired someone a bit more experienced, so I am not hired. 

My hands were shaking, and I felt a rush of different emotions.  First off, dissapointment and worry–how will I save for college?  Or have money to send birthday gifts to friends?  Or spend on my family?  Or buy the ever growing list of CD’s I want?  Or the mp3 player I was hoping to get?  But then I felt relief–I can actually live my life this year!  I can dance, maybe help out with the little kid classes.  There’s a possibility I could even do Drama Club. 

I have no doubt that this is what God wants.   I’m not sure why…I’m not sure how I’ll get into college with no money, but I’m just leaving that in His hands.  I’m going to live for today and not worry about tomorow–that’s God’s job.

Songs from Kristin Chenoweth’s song calmed me after the call:

“When you abide in me
Then I’ll abide in you
My words in your heart
Oh child believe
That when you seek my face
And make me your first love
Then all of the rest will be taken care of”

Update August 27, 2008

At the bottom of our green bar on the left, there is a section that says “Pages”.  Our prayer request page is there…somehow it disapeared at one time.   But it is back, and I encourage you to check it regularly.

How Do You Pray? August 25, 2008

Every night I get down on my knees by my bedside and say a prayer.  At most meals I fold my hands and say a little prayer to thank God for the food and my day.  But there are so many more ways to pray than just the traditional, bow your heads, fold your hands, close your eyes. 

I love to pray when I’m walking.  I move over to one side of the sidewalk, as if someone is walking alongside me, and talk to Jesus, pretending He is walking right by me.  I tell Him about my life, my worries, my friends, my thoughts–just about everything!  Sometimes I have to force myself to tell Him my dark and dirty secrets, even though I know He knows them already.  It is hard for me to say out loud the horrid things I’ve said or done.  But once I do, I feel better, as if a load has lifted from my back.

Another way I like to pray is in my room on my own, sometimes when I’m knitting or quilling.  Like when I’m walking, I just talk to God.  Forget the formalities of a prayer that you’re taught in Sunday school–I talk to Him as a friend. 

Sometimes I sings my own Psalm to God.  Or simply sing a hymn or praise song.  If it’s raining, I might open my window and sing or talk into the rain.  A very refreshing way to pray.

There are so many ways to pray to God!  Have you ever tried trying a different form of praying?  If not, I encourage you to find some alone time today and give it a go.  Talking to God as a friend can be very encouraging and heart-lifting.  He wants to be your friend, so talk to Him like one.

Today is Now August 17, 2008

I’ve seen so many people who are constantly “living in the past”. They wish they were still in the past…or they regret their past so much that it’s all they can think of. Then there are the people who dream and dream about their future. They live FOR the future. All they can do is think of what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it, etc. It made me think…what about living today? We take each day for grantedd, and we never really fully appreciate them. Every day is a gift from God, and do we thank Him for them? No, not all the time. Each day should be something we live to give God glory. We need to thank Him for these days! They slip by so quickly, and then we look back and regret, “I wish I had spent that day more wisely.” When we’re not living NOW, we’re missing those little bits of beauty. That baby’s laugh, that rose bud in the garden, the rosy sunset, the joke your sibling tells, the chance to make a difference.  We need to show God our thanks for each day by LIVING each day. Just like Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “I’m going to live the next five minutes like they’re my last five minutes.” We need to take each day one at a time. Let’s not live in the past. Or the future. Let’s live NOW.

 

Today is Now

Today is now

Yesterday, forever past

Where and how

Do we make each day last?

 

Tomorrow comes too fast.

What about today?

Too soon it’ll be past

It cannot stay.

 

Are you living in

Yesterday or today

Or the future’s “win”

That you dream of on the way.

 

You awake from the dream

Too late to have seen

Too late to deem

What could’ve been.

 

That certain smile

That golden sunset

Dreaming all the while

Made you forget.

 

Life is too great a gift

To waste away

Ignoring this gift

Is going astray.

 

Today is now

Look and see

See just how

Great life can be

When you live it now.

 

 

Love to you all!

Sam

Witnessing August 13, 2008

I am new here, so I hope I am doing this right.

 I have just returned from a five day trip to Chicago. We went there as a congradulations for getting this award in a program called AWANA. ANd also to get training. One of the main things we learned there was wittnessing. I could go on and on about this so probably won’t do it all at once lest I confuse or pile too much into one post.

 The main thing they taught us was witnessing clearly. One of the things they said was, when you tell someone to ask Jesus into their heart. There was this little boy whose grandpa had a heart tranplant and the boy was terrifed because he thought his grandpa was going to Hell because he no longer had Jesus in His heart.

 Another thing they said, not saying that we have any power in this, but let’s say you had the chance to witness to someone, and you didn’t, and later something happened to them. Now, what if you had? My best friend’s dad was killed by a drunk driver, if someone had witnessed to the young man would things have been different? No, because it was all in God’s hands, but it puts a new look on our witnessing.

 Also, what if the one who had witnessed to you, hadn’t?

 Another thing is our actions. Me and my friend Michael flew home together from Chicago. While at the airport we were playing cards, go fish. We weren’t doing anything special, just a friendly game. Sometimes we would pick on each other, but in a friendly way. Well the lady across from us noticed us.

 Michael invited her to join us and so we had a chance to witness. What if she had just watched us. She would have thought, “Okay, they are just extra nice people,” or something. Our actions attracted her attention, or interest in what she said opened her heart up, and our wtinessing showed her why we acted the way we did, see how it works?

 What would be a better approach? Walking up to someone and saying, “You are a sinner and going to Hell!” Or asking them about themselves, showing that you actually care about them. Not an easy thing to do, but neither is flat out telling them they are doomed sinners.

 Also remember that we fail. Me and Michael weren’t so great when it came to actually TELLING her about God, but God could still us our actions. Maybe use the fact that we were willing to share. God is in control, not us, we do our part and leave the rest to Him.