Sorry I haven't posted for a while...there is a reason. So here's how it is. Life is hard, and then you die. its that simple. Oh yes, I forgot. there are a multitude of happy things that go on in there...but it seems that these days (i.e. finals week) my life is lookin' a bit hard. Now granted, i'm not starving in Africa. or being tortured in Bosnia...but still. Its pretty rough. Thankfully, I have a God who is my friend and sticks closer then anything else.
It feels to me that lately my dad has been saying, "If you can learn these things now..." And it seems like I have the opportunity to learn a whole bunch of fascinating lessons right now!! And while it seems that my life is becoming more complex with all these new lessons to try to weave into my life, I think the best is yet to come.
I guess what I am trying to convey is this: There are difficult things in life. It requires accepting responsibility, learning lessons and then living the results of it. Its hard. No one promised it would be easy. But it is bearable...if you know God. and thats what I'm finally getting. Is that to stick near God will pull me through these excruciatingly hard finals that make NO SENSE and to move on to what my life means long term.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Red bull = Holy Spirit?
Being a teenage girl hanging out with her friends for a weekend of fellowship, I find that staying awake is a necessity. There is an easy solution, however. Buy the four pack of Red Bull. (to share amongst the four girls of course!) Red Bull is amazing. What once you were (tired and ready to drift in to the pleasant land of slumber), you are no more. This amazing drug (aka caffiene and that other stuff) is now coursing through your veins and can now keep you active and awake for another, oh lets say...four hours?
So after one such Saturday night (the hour of bed time will remain un-named) we went to church the next day. In Sunday School, we were discussing the Holy Spirit, and His closeness to those who choose to invite Him in. We were all struggling with the words to say to describe the awesomeness of this phenomenon. And for lack of a better example, Red Bull popped into my mind. So here it is:
We are Christians, going about our daily walks of life. But because we are human, we have the propensity to sin. (goes along with kids feelign the need to sleep...its just life) But we need an extra measure of "something" to boost us and keep us going on, active and ready for whatever comes up. So when we're tired, we drink Red Bull. But when we grow weary, spiritually, we need a healthy dose of the Holy Spirit. His power, coursing through our hearts, souls and minds can give us the extra boost we need to keep on in our walks with Christ. We can remain alert, active, ready for action when the Enemy attacks. But what good does Red BUll do us in the can? We have to open it up and drink. Same with the Spirit. He is around us constantly, but unless we CHOOSE to partake of what He has to offer, it won't do us any good.
So next time you're tired, go ahead and drink a Red BUll. But remember, when you feel immune to sin, ready to give in because you're weary, drink deeply of the Spirit and the life He has to offer.
So after one such Saturday night (the hour of bed time will remain un-named) we went to church the next day. In Sunday School, we were discussing the Holy Spirit, and His closeness to those who choose to invite Him in. We were all struggling with the words to say to describe the awesomeness of this phenomenon. And for lack of a better example, Red Bull popped into my mind. So here it is:
We are Christians, going about our daily walks of life. But because we are human, we have the propensity to sin. (goes along with kids feelign the need to sleep...its just life) But we need an extra measure of "something" to boost us and keep us going on, active and ready for whatever comes up. So when we're tired, we drink Red Bull. But when we grow weary, spiritually, we need a healthy dose of the Holy Spirit. His power, coursing through our hearts, souls and minds can give us the extra boost we need to keep on in our walks with Christ. We can remain alert, active, ready for action when the Enemy attacks. But what good does Red BUll do us in the can? We have to open it up and drink. Same with the Spirit. He is around us constantly, but unless we CHOOSE to partake of what He has to offer, it won't do us any good.
So next time you're tired, go ahead and drink a Red BUll. But remember, when you feel immune to sin, ready to give in because you're weary, drink deeply of the Spirit and the life He has to offer.
Hook, line and sinker
Hello, world. This is the beginning of my posting.
First, for thought, I was listening to a speaker at my school, and here's what I came away with: He was talking about being free from enticing things that Satan puts before you. and here was his illustration. So we've all been fishing, right? well when you fish, you don't just put a hook on the end of a line and drop it in the water. I mean, what kind of fish is going to see a hook and say to himself, "Self, I haven't had me a hook in a while, i think its looking pretty good so lets go check it out!" No, of course not. if it was that obvious, the fish would not hang around. So, the fisherman, being the bright guy that he is, puts an amazing lure on the end, so the unsuspecting fish gets drawn towards the hook, completly oblivious to the end result. as soon as he bites down on it... WHAM he's caught.
Then the man called a football guy from the audience. Now this guy, Tanner (*psudonym), is Mr. Cool. He's confident in his skills at being the sickest guy in Maranatha High School. So our speaker brings him up front, blindfolds him and proceeds to rub his back, sweet talking and getting him relaxed. Then he takes him walking around the front and all of the sudden, three other football guys come out of nowhere and tackle him, stealing his wallet and leaving him on the floor, disoriented. Tanner was taken off guard and didn't know what to do. Our speaker then said, He just got decieved by my relaxation and was blindly taken out by the hook!!Then he said: but there is always that fisher man who removes the hook and tosses the fish back in the water for a second chance. Thats what Jesus is to us. He looks at what Satan left, a robbed, beaten, destroyed individual, and he removes the blind fold, restores our heart and sets us back on our feet. (at this point, he picked up Tanner, removed his blindfold and got his money back for him.) The whole scene was amazing. Everyone was silent as we listened to how blind we can be to the hooks behind the lures. God calls us to be alert, ready and watching for those deceptions that are enticing.
Thank the Lord for second chances, forgiveness and grace!
All to His Name!
<3
First, for thought, I was listening to a speaker at my school, and here's what I came away with: He was talking about being free from enticing things that Satan puts before you. and here was his illustration. So we've all been fishing, right? well when you fish, you don't just put a hook on the end of a line and drop it in the water. I mean, what kind of fish is going to see a hook and say to himself, "Self, I haven't had me a hook in a while, i think its looking pretty good so lets go check it out!" No, of course not. if it was that obvious, the fish would not hang around. So, the fisherman, being the bright guy that he is, puts an amazing lure on the end, so the unsuspecting fish gets drawn towards the hook, completly oblivious to the end result. as soon as he bites down on it... WHAM he's caught.
Then the man called a football guy from the audience. Now this guy, Tanner (*psudonym), is Mr. Cool. He's confident in his skills at being the sickest guy in Maranatha High School. So our speaker brings him up front, blindfolds him and proceeds to rub his back, sweet talking and getting him relaxed. Then he takes him walking around the front and all of the sudden, three other football guys come out of nowhere and tackle him, stealing his wallet and leaving him on the floor, disoriented. Tanner was taken off guard and didn't know what to do. Our speaker then said, He just got decieved by my relaxation and was blindly taken out by the hook!!Then he said: but there is always that fisher man who removes the hook and tosses the fish back in the water for a second chance. Thats what Jesus is to us. He looks at what Satan left, a robbed, beaten, destroyed individual, and he removes the blind fold, restores our heart and sets us back on our feet. (at this point, he picked up Tanner, removed his blindfold and got his money back for him.) The whole scene was amazing. Everyone was silent as we listened to how blind we can be to the hooks behind the lures. God calls us to be alert, ready and watching for those deceptions that are enticing.
Thank the Lord for second chances, forgiveness and grace!
All to His Name!
<3
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