Jesus Freak Teens - Homeschool Blogger

Sorry

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:50:00 -0500

Hi Everyone,

I'm really sorry I haven't been posting lately. I've been really bad about it. I promise I'll try to be more regular. But I need your comments and input! This is a place for discussion.

Right now I just wanted to let you know about a discussion Grace4God is having on her blog. Click here to check it out. This is definitely an issue a lot of teens deal with.

In Christ,

Emy

Trust

Mon, 9 Jun 2008 23:08:00 -0500

By: Emma92

Do you ever feel like you're in a deep, dark pit? You're not sure what happened or how you got there, all you know is that you're surrounded on all sides, and the walls of the pit loom far above your head. Doubts and fears surround you. No matter how hard you try, you can't climb out. You can grope, and jump, and try to claw your way to the top but it never works. You can try to use other things to get out, you can pile dirt and rocks up and try to climb them but you never get high enough. It seems hopeless and depression overwhelms you.

Sometimes I think we are like this in our spiritual lives. Have you ever had a time when you're just down and you feel so overwhelmed? No matter how hard you try, you can't seem to get it right, can't get yourself out of the "pit". You can try piling up good works, friends, enjoyment, pleasure, etc., but it will never get you there. Maybe you confess your sis and try to get right with God. Try to read the Bible and spend time with Him. But it's tough, and you just can't get it right no matter what you do or how hard you try.

It's at this point that we have to collapse onto the floor of the pit, realize that we can't do it alone, and ask for help, then trust God. He is waiting for you to ask, and when you do, He'll reach down and pluck you out of the pit just like that.

Sorry

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 23:13:00 -0500

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted, I've been really busy. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm leaving tomorrow morning for church camp with my youth group so I won't be back on until Saturday afternoon. I'm so excited! Please be in prayer for everyone going, that God will grow us and draw us closer to Him and that we'll never be the same.

Here is the link to the website for the camp I'm going to, if you're interested.

http://www.summitcamps.com/templates/System/default.asp?id=20970

Talk to you all when I get back!

~Emy

EDIT: Sorry this post didn't show up before.

Discussion: Armor of God

Sat, 17 May 2008 21:25:00 -0500

Chickengirl gave me the idea for this discussion.

A lot of times, I don't think I really think about the armor of God as much as I should. It's something I've learned since I was young and used to have memorized, sadly, I don't anymore. But when she brought up this idea, I read the passage and realized there is a lot to think about and many areas there where I can grow.

Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

Wow. That's a lot to think on. Here's some discussion questions to get us started, and please add more in the commentst if you think of them.

Why do we need the armor of God?
What are examples of how we struggle against the powers of this dark world?
How can we put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit?
Why should we pray "on all occasions"?

Can't wait to hear from you all.

Please pray

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:43:01 -0500

I received this email from JocelynDixon:

Some of you may know Dixiefiddler, Ryansgirls, or Dixiebeauty on HSB. Something tragic happened to their family. Their father was killed in a car accident last night. They need lots of prayer. They are just devastated and lost. Please go check out this link We need prayer.

Also pass this email onto any prayer chains or Christian friends who can also pray.

Please pray for this family and leave them a comment to let them know you're praying, if you feel led. I cannot imagine how they feel and my heart goes out to them. As their Christian family I think the least we can do is lift them up to God in prayer.

Update

Thu, 8 May 2008 17:28:00 -0500

Hello all,

I am so thrilled with the response I have had on this blog. I want to say thank you to everyone who has joined or visited. The object of this blog is for Christian teens to be able to have discussions and encourage each other. Therefore, I don't want this to be "my" blog, I want it to be "ours". I am just the moderator and poster. :) So, if any of you have posts, ideas for posts, poems, stories, suggestions for songs for the playlist, ideas, or anything else, please let me know. I was also thinking of doing one discussion a week, to keep the blog active and exciting. Please let me know if you think this is a good idea or if it would be to hard to keep up with. If you think that is too often, I could do one every two weeks. And I also need ideas for discussions!

I look forward to hearing from you all!

Thank you and God bless,

Emy

20 Days of Prayer Challenge

Mon, 5 May 2008 12:21:00 -0500

Miss Jocelyn started a 20 days of prayer challenge that I thought was a good idea. I'm going to be praying for our own country, because I think it is sad how America is God's country but that we have gotten so far from Him. I am praying for the leaders, the churches, the Christians, and the lost. Please join the challenge.

Questions for the Heart

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:29:00 -0500

I found this onBeauty from the Heart. I read these questions and went "wow". I think they are very thought provoking and very true. Please take a moment to read them and share with us what you think. You don't have to share your answers, just give us some thoughts. I definitely think that it is something to think about and pray about. I know I do/don't do so many of these things way too often or spend too much time thinking about things other than God... and then it's time for my quiet time and I find I am too tired or don't feel like having that time with God. Grace4God(Sarah) wrote a great post about that.

Do you act out of obedience to Christ and a passion for His glory--or your own?
How do you spend your time?
How much of your time per day is spent chatting with friends (online, on the phone or in person)?
How much of your time per day is spent daily in conversation with family members?
How much of your time is spent daily speaking to God?
How often do you meditate on the Cross? (Once a day? Once a week? Once a year?)
Do you set time aside every day for prayer and Bible study?
Do you try to faithfully obey God in public and at home?
Do you ask God for the grace to help you obey consistently?
What people, books, movies, etc. influence you the most?
Do you read books, watch movies, or listen to music that does not encourage your walk with Christ? Do you think this is wise?
Are your friends fellow Christians who are seeking after godliness? Or do they encourage you in gossip and ungodly thoughts?
If so, do you also join in that gossip and allow those thoughts to dominate your mind?
What are your main spheres of influence?
What steps could you take to become a stronger influence of a Christ-like attitude to friends, siblings, neighbors, relatives, etc.?
Do you actively serve in your community?
When making decisions, do you consider how they affect others?

What will you do with the time that's left?

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:03:00 -0500

Written by croctoria

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." ~Romans 12:10

We all hate doing this. We never like raising someone else up to make them look better than us. We don't like going into the shadows so the light falls on someone else. We don't like stooping low to do something else for someone. We like the world revolving around us, not around others. Didn't they just see that we already ran upstairs to get something once, and now they're asking us to do it again? Can't they see we're running late, and we don't want to stop? Let's face it, no one likes being the servant.

But when we do serve, it's showing honor. It's showing brotherly love. It's showing you care. It's showing that you think the needs of others are more important that you and what you want to do.

We can show honor in our actions, in our words, in our attitudes, and in our time. We can show honor in our actions by going the extra mile to help our younger siblings. We can show honor in our words by not speaking badly of our parents or raising up the kid at school that everyone picks on. We can show honor in our attitudes by having a smile and a cheerful heart when doing things for others. We can show honor with our time by giving it for the service of others. We can show honor in many ways...it's just a matter of will we show it or if we'll just ignore it.

We don't want to be remembered for not helping others or not honoring others. We don't want to be remembered for always wanting the world to revolve around us of for speaking badly of others. Wouldn't you rather want to be remembered for giving your all for others and doing it with a smile?

We don't know how long we're here for. What will you do with the time that's left? Will you give honor to others and live so that you will have no regrets with the time that slips and fades, never to return again? Love, honor, and cherish to your final breath. We have a legacy that we're leaving...what will it be? Good or bad? Full of honor or selfishness?

Please Pray

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:48:00 -0500

Hey everyone,

I am so excited about the response I have seen! I love how many of you have joined us and how many of you have added to our discussion! It is so awesome!! You can keep commenting on the previous post to keep the discussion going, but I wanted to ask you all to pray for one of our fellow Jesus Freak Teens. As Meggy said, "Yesterday in the GINORMOUS storms of AR, two trees fell on Lady's family's house and wrecked it all up. Please pray very hard for them. Here's the link to the news video. Skip ahead to the the 16th minute past all the smashed windows on the cars. Tell your friends to pray for them too. Mom told me some of their stuff got covered in plastic and saved, but they don't have a house. It stinks to be TV stars for a bad reason. And moving really hurts, no matter where you're moving." So please be praying for her and her family, I'm sure it's pretty hard on them, but we know that God works everything together for the good of those who love Him and that His grace is sufficient for us, His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.

~Emy