The Mushrooms Are Here!

Genesis 1:11-12
Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them; and it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good."

UNASHAMED - Session 1

My goodness. This weekend at Faith Baptist Bible College was amazing. I attended the annual youth conference, and the theme for 2014 was UNASHAMED.

 My cousin, Jessica and I. She has been my best friend forever, and I don't know what I'd do without her! 

 My Pen-pal, Kaitlyn and I. 11 Years!

Jenni and I! She is one of the most courageous and strong girls I know! Love you girly!

We met a guy from Kansas City too! This is Andrew, and he will hopefully be attending Faith full time next year!

Boy, did I learn what it meant to be fully unashamed of Christ living in me! It was such a blessing to have Dave Tebbenkamp as the speaker this year, and he certainly went the extra mile. It would be a shame (no pun intended) if I didn't give a 'miny summary' of my notes from the sessions and workshops, so here it goes...

Session 1

Intro

1. Colossians 1:15-18
In everything HE (Christ) needs to have the supremacy. In each one of our lives, we preach 'something'. Everyday, our lives, actions, attitudes, and words preach 'something'. Whether that 'thing' our life preaches is the Christ or something else is a choice we continually make.
2. Numbers 21:4-9
If the people of Israel looked to the pole with the fiery serpent, they lived! They didn't have to walk to it or do anything but look to the serpent on the pole for 'salvation'.
3. John 3:14-15
Just like the children of Israel had to look to the pole to 'be saved', we must look to Christ. We must look to Him, and believe - with that, we shall NOT PERISH but have ETERNAL LIFE!

When I step away from showing the love of Christ, He's not the supreme anymore.

Three areas in life we should show the supremacy of Christ:

1. We are to show the supremacy of Christ in full-view of people's rebellion.
If we really believe in the Gospel, then we should be able to show it even when all those around us rebel, and, boy, do people like to rebel.
2. Show the supremacy of Christ in full-view of people's remorse.
You can choose your choices, you cannot choose your consequences. We shouldn't hide from sharing Christ out of fear. We should show the love of Christ to bring people to repentance!
Remorse leads the Repentance (the idea of pushing back from the banquet table of sin with Spirit filled resolve to NEVER go back again). But without Christ, we can never truly repent.
3. Show the supremacy of Christ in full-view of people's restoration.
There is a BATTLE going on! It's God vs Satan, and every person is involved! It's not about predestination or being the elect. Every soul is up for grabs, and every soul is lost needing a savior. That Savior is Jesus Christ.

God's in the business of SAVING. We're in the business of SHARING. 

Why are we surprised when someone comes to Christ?! We aren't the ones that do the saving. We SHARE. GOD SAVES. Every sinner that comes to Christ is saved.  

If you know Christ - SHOW CHRIST. Be UNASHAMED.

The Wonderful Whirlwind of Life

Wow.. How has the past month blown by so incredibly fast? It seems like just yesterday I was looking forward to April.. and now April's already ten days gone!

Last week, I had the opportunity to compete the vocal category of Iowa's Talent's For Christ Scholarship Competition. It was a blast seeing Laura Christensen who I work with at IRBC, and we chatted the whole day :)

To make a wonderful day even more perfect... I ended up taking FIRST PLACE in Female Voice! I am soooo excited to be participating in the Iowa Talent's For Christ Tour this June, and to be rooming with Laura will be an awesome experience! 

As a Talent's For Christ (TFC) State winner, I also have the opportunity to compete at a national level, and this year, TFC Nationals will be held in Florida!! Lord willing, if He provides the funds, I will be able to sing and compete, but I am honored to even be a qualifier. Though it will be a lot of hard work, I am looking forward to the challenge, to spending time with friends, and to making new friends along the way! 

College.

College is right around the corner... IT'S ALMOST HERE!

This weekend is Scholarship Weekend at Faith Baptist Bible College, and the suspense is killing me!  I can't wait to have a fun-filled extended weekend with so many amazing Christian friends and, of course, my future roommate, Celeste!

We met five months ago, and Celeste and I have already become so close! It's like we've known each other for forever. As well as always having something silly to say, she is such a comfort, a blessing, and an encouragement in my walk with the Lord. I just can't wait for January 2015! The only aspects of the weekend where butterflies begin to creep into my system.. are the interviews. I know that God will give me the strength and comfort I ask Him for... but I still am more than ready to be done with that part of the admission process! 

I'm also ready to finally hold a grasp on my diet. With highschool, it's becoming quite difficult to eat the appropriate foods so as to Not feel terrible for the rest of the day after lunch, but one goal I hope to accomplish at Faith is a steady diet with my 'safe foods'. With now knowing about Gastritis, Esophagitis, and erosions on my stomach lining, the secure list of foods that will not make the situation worse.. to say the least, is pretty short.

The other day, I was reminded of how Christ, Himself, was also tempted. When asked how in the world I was not depressed after and through all that has and still is happening in my life, it honestly took me a moment to figure out how to respond. For a long time, I felt like I was all alone with struggles. Sure, I knew that God loved me, I knew that I would go to Heaven when I died, I knew that God knew every single situation that took place in my life, but I never registered the fact that Jesus knew exactly how I felt. 

Hebrews 4:15 

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet He did not sin.

In Luke 4, Jesus is tested. He's in the wilderness for forty days, and He eats absolutely nothing. He's hungry! But the amazing fact is that, rather than giving into temptation and turning the stone to bread like Satan tempted Him, Jesus says, "Man shall not live my bread alone." In this, He is refering to Matthew 4:4, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Knowing that even Jesus was tempted with hunger, even though it wasn't because He would become sick from eating, He still couldn't eat! Jesus knew what it was like not being able to eat, and He made it through the struggle by meditating on the Word of God.

Lord, help me today to meditate on Your truths, and to love you above all others. Give me strength when I am weak, and give me wisdom and words to say during my interviews this weekend. Thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for my sins, and thank You for loving me.

Amen

Hope Does Not Bring Disappointment.

Romans 5: 1-5

Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.  Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Suffering – Endurance

Endurance – Character

Character – Hope

Hope does not bring disappointment.

Pride Needs To Go.

Everyone tries to stick out. Everyone wants to be original. Unique. Nobody wants to be the exact same as everyone else around them. Why can't we be content with ourselves? Is it so bad to just 'fit in'? Is it too hard to follow in the footsteps of someone who may or may not be greater or wiser? The intent of so many these days seems to be to make a huge impact on the world, to change a problem into a solution, to fix what no person has fixed before. A goal of having a joyful life or even a family who simply adores one another just doesn't seem to be enough anymore. We've trashed what a true, pure family really is by tearing it into pieces with our lust for worldly love, by adding a stepfather, by adding a stepmother, by throwing in half siblings here and there. We say it's okay. We try to move on, but the true fact is, we're lying to ourselves. Even the American Dream has been distorted into some sort of selfish, greedy will to do better than those around us. People can't stand to see the person next to them hold an accomplishment in their hand with any small sense of pride. Money. A car. A job. A family. We feel the need to somehow prove ourselves worthy of affection, of love, of praise. Since when has a simple 'thank you' not sufficed for gratitude? Since when has 'you're welcome' perverted into 'whatever' or 'yeah'? Since when has 'I love you' been told to the man met yesterday on the street corner? We claim to want to change the world. We claim to long for a better future. We claim to desire a utopia of love, peace, bright rainbows, and butterflies, but all we accomplish is prideful, self-indulgent, scrimpy, sinful, disdainful victories over what is right. What is true. What is pure. What is just. There's absolutely no way to fix any problem, to accomplish any dream, to hold any worthy victory while focusing solely on oneself. Every single time we put ourselves before the good of others, we forfeit the right to a blissful, delightful life. Every time we put ourselves above that homeless persons across the street, we throw away what could've been the joy of helping another. Every time our pride comes first, we fall, because "pride comes before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). The next fall, just may be the fall of man.

This is Still Going to Make Me Perfect

Well.. That, I have to say, was the longest Christmas break I've ever had.. Even though it went by the fastest! It was a blast spending time with long lost relatives, and I have to say, I do hold the record for the best friends in the world. :) 

On Christmas Eve, I had a scope and a few biopsies done at downtown Mercy, and as a result, my specialist found "more than a few ulcer like erosions" around my stomach lining... Apparently, this could well be the cause of all my digestive/allergy problems. So, I don't have allergies? I'm seriously confused... He put me on a normal diet and some new medication, and hopefully they will have more answers at my next appointment. For now.. I'm eating anything I want! Mostly, because everything I eat makes me sick... But I might as well enjoy myself, eh? 

I could definitely still use prayer... I'm not really sure what God's doing ehe with my life. It's starting to seem almost as a game, and I'm not sure I truely appreciate it.

James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the tring of your faith workers patience. But let patience haver her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

This is still going to make me perfect.