Worry

Who doesn't worry about life? Worrying is in all of us in different parts of our lives. I tend to worry about everything being perfect, over the top, and whether people like me or not. Some people work about money, school, parents fighting, common problems every suffers with. But God has a purpose for everything, and if you trust him with it, he will pull through. I had to put all my trust in him when i started the devotional club at my school. People would mock and teachers wouldn't had a amazing church leaders that prayed with me, and I trusted God would make this work, this group has been amazing. More girls showed up than i ever thought would. From 't open their classrooms, Satan really was trying to make me give up and quite. But because i experience, trust God, and everything will be okay. Worrying is a sin, trusting God is a blessing.

How Can we Market Jesus More Accurately?

I have been reading this book called Messy: God Likes It That Way by AJ Swoboda, and let me tell you, I'm a believer already and this book is teaching me more then ever before. Right now I am reading the Messy Church chapter (chapter 2) and it talks about how people flee the church. That a gold Cross fits around our neck but wooden cross took the whole body of Christ, it required strength, blood, and a painful death. It talks about how that could be a reason people flee Christianity and the church. Or maybe because they DIDN'T hear how painful and hard Christianity is, that this hard and bloody religion isn't what they signed up for. They were promised a pain-free, cross-less religion that makes everything better. But then it ends that section of the chapter asking a question i had never thought hard about. How do we Christians market Christianity to others? How can we market Jesus' way more accurately?

             It first talking about circumcision. How it is what God required. But then it talks about a second option, that we need to speak more honestly about the difficulties of following Jesus to the outsiders. AJ explains a story on how he went to a church service and the Pastor tells everyone to close their eyes and pray. Then asked for people who wanted to accept Jesus into their hearts to raise their hand and pray the prayer he was saying. After the prayer the Pastor told them that they had just entered into a better, more blessed life. That everything will soon improve in their life. They also could pick up new believer packets out front.
             "The thing that sticks out to me," he writes," is how Jesus never did the whole raise-your-hand thing for his disciples. Jesus never told people to close thier eyes. He tried to open them. Jesus helped people see....Also, Jesus never gave them a new believer's packet. He did the opposite. Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit....there is a difference between Jesus and the message we sell today. What did Jesus sell?"
          

        I love how he gowes on to explain that Jesus doesn't sell life, infact he sell's death. I was always told that in order to see the sun rise in the morning, you have to see the sun set at night. Which means you have to die in christianity, and then you are risen again in new life with God. It also seems like when we tell those new believers welcome, we also tell them that everything does get better. But anyone who has been a Christian for a long time knows that it doesn't get better it gets worse. AJ says that when we have a new believer want to except Jesus into their heart we should look at them with compassion and then with all our strength punch them straight in the face. Then we reply with, "Welcome to the kingdom of pain. This thing sucks. Hope you're ready." But he's right. Following Jesus all the way is hard and you face alot of hardships. But the bruise on the face is the mark of discipleship, the pain, the gore, the strain and the toil. He ends the powerful message saying, "Jesus' church is a support group for those learning to live with the bruise."

Friend and Follower

Four steps to be true friend and follower:

1. Come and see (John 1:35-39, 45-46). You have to check him out, see what hes like, what he doesn't like, what you have to be like around him 
2. Come and follow (Mark 1:16-18, Luke 9:59). You come from checking him out to being interested in him and wanting to be around him/follow him.
3. Come and be with Him (Mark 3:7-14). You become his main man, the child he mentors.
4. Come and remain with Him (John 15:4&14). You want to change inside and out, you become a mini Christ because you are connected to him like a vine on a tree.

BOYZ!

Do you remember in elementary school the saying girls rule, boys drool? Well, everything changes in middle school. The saying becomes boys rule, girls drool. But the problem is when u think they are there for you, or that you have to have them, you end up giving all your attention, power, and love to them. When you give your power away, you have given up your freedom. My friend Michelle is about 50 and has never been married, yet she is the happiest person i know. People say shes to normal to not be married, when really shes perfect. You don't need that guy to make you happy. Us girls just want to hear that were pretty, we want to feel loved, we want that attention. But when you give them that power, you change yourself for them, you give your heart to them, you devote your life to them. We think, I'll just give them a little of my heart, but in reality, are you ever going to get that part of your heart back? If you give a piece of pie away to your friends are you going to get it back?
         God tells us to devote our life to him, and him only. Here's a analogy for ya; you just got out of a marathon and your DYING of thirst. I have two choices for you, a cold chocolate milkshake, or a cold bottle of water. Which one would you choose? Most of you would choose water right? Because the milkshake isn't going to quench your thirst, but make you more thirsty and with a tummy ache after. The water will quench your thirst and make you ready for another race. Boys are like milkshakes, they might taste better then water, but later on they just bring heart ache and troubles. God is like the water bottle. He quenches your thirst and helps you in your life. God has a special person for you, and the longer you wait on that special person, the better they are going to be when you meet them. A guy once said, " I am romancing the girl God has planned for me even before i meet her."

Bad days at school..

Today was not the best day at school. Sadly certain kids are just bullies. One thing i remember when i am in a situation when i just want to scream at the other person is that one day, one day i won't have to take all this negativeness. One day all this evil will be gone, soon enough i will be in a happy place where i can party and rock all i want! Today my secrets were also tossed out the window an now everyone knows, but when u think that you don't have a friend, remember that God will always answer the phone, send you a email, give you a shoulder to cry on, and will have open arms for that fatherly hug you need. People on this Earth will always make mistakes, but there's one person in heaven that fulfills His promises, and that's God. Love you guys and hope you had a better day then me :)

Prayer Request!

 
Hey guys. My older brother, Steven, is in the army and is having so hard times in war. He is a believer but its hard to stay a believer when you are put into a major storm. One thing i learned is that in a storm you always gotta keep your eyes fixed on Him. No matter how rough it gets, don't worry because God is bigger then any storm we will face. When Jesus and the disciples were in the boat on the Sea of Galilee, they got so worried that they went and woke Him up, when really they needed to wake themselves up spiritually. That's what my brother needs right now. Please keep him in your prayers. Love you guys!