Thursday, October 2, 2008 - Singleness...Blessing? Curse?

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

I think I may have finally found a time to post!! During the lunch hour. So, I guess I should be updating my blog more often.

I've been thinking a lot about many things lately..and you'll see the fruits of that in some of my upcoming posts. I am intending to finish my series on self-harm with two more posts. One, on what to do if a friend of yours harms themselves, and one on anorexia and bullimia. However, those are going to be longer, and thus, take more time to write and research. :) So, I'm taking a break from those...however, they will continue!

When we went to see Prince Caspian in May, one of my brothers pointed out a bumper sticker to me. It was a picture of a skeleton sitting on a bench with a flowery hat on top of it's head, and the words, "STILL waiting for Mr. Right."

Maybe I laughed. I don't remember. But, I can remember the times that I've felt like (and watched others feel like) the right guy won't ever come. I suppose I could be extra-spiritual here and say that it shouldn't really matter....that my single years should be devoted to God anyway.

Yeah, I'd agree. It shouldn't matter, and my single years SHOULD be devoted to God. But, that's a lot harder than it sounds. Quick poll: Who wants to get married? Who doesn't? If you don't want to get married, well, maybe you won't get much out of this post. However, I'd encourage you to read it anyway. ;)

What does the Bible say?

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Monday, July 28, 2008 - Feelin' Feminine Website!

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

Miss Jocelyn emailed me a few days ago, and asked me to do a post about the Feelin' Feminine Website today, when she first posted about it on her blog.

You can go here to view the website:

http://feelinfeminine.com

Since I did the challenge a few weeks ago, but never got the oppurtunity to post about it, I thought I would now.

I actually only got to do it for a couple of days, due to some very interesting circumstances...

We had day camp that week, so for me it was a challenge to find skirts that were cool, functionable, and worked well when you were running after kids all day long. :) It was also really fun to explain to the kids why I was wearing a skirt (even though I did it over and over again). All in all, I really enjoyed the challenge, even though I had to shorten it a wee bit.

My story with being feminine...well, I have four brothers. I'm the only girl in our family, and at 14, I'm in the middle. I have an older (married) brother who's 19, another older brother who's 17, a younger brother who's 11, and another who's 7. So, I've gone back and forth. When I was little, I played cowboys and Indians, and marched in the army every day. When I got a little older I had to get on my brothers for stealing my baby dolls and hanging them from a tree. All that to say this...I didn't really grasp what femininity was until about a year ago. As far as dressing, I went for...whatever that's really simple and works for me. Which was fine. Until then, when I started to grasp what it meant...not only to dress, but to speak, to act, everything.

So, I suppose, that's my story. :) And I'm sorry it's late.

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Youth Groups

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

Let me say this first. I'm in a youth group. I've been in a youth group since the end of 6th grade (I just finished 8th). My Dad is a pastor. My big brother Luke is a youth leader. My older brother Daniel leads worship with Luke....we're extremely involved in our youth group. If they're doing anything, we're there, and we're in the middle of it. And I love it. :)

Youth groups. I'm involved in one, quite heavily. My youth group runs about thirty every week. We're closely knit, and we're all friends with one another. It might sound like boasting, but honestly, there aren't any cliques in our youth group. Certaintly, groups of friends get together during dinner, but everyone feels free to sit wherever and with whomever they like. On an average Wednesday night, we gather about 4:30. We play ping-pong, basketball, football sometimes, and the girls help cook and talk and ride the waves.  (the skateboardy things) We eat dinner about 5:15. After that, we hang out until the guys go back and pray, and then we clean up dinner, and set up the chairs and stuff for the service. That starts at 6:30. We sing three or four songs, sometimes have a skit or two-minute warning, and then we have a message brought by one of our youth leaders. Really, we just have a regular service. We finish up about 8:15, usually.

Whenever we get together just to hang out as a group, we have some sort of devo, and an oppurtunity to share the gospel. We don't really do much together. Well, besides just hanging out. We don't go to water parks, go bowling, really, anything. We go to church camp in the summer, and host a youth event for teens in our area in August. That's our youth group. I suppose we're kinda strange. Our leaders are really good about reminding us that youth groups aren't for meeting that guy or that girl. That's not the reason we go to church...or it shouldn't be anyways.

Recently, Miss Jocelyn wrote a post about your family being your best friends. I agreed with almost everything she said...it was an excellent article. My family are some of my best firends. My 16yo brother is absolutely one of my very best friends. I tell him everything...he tells me most everything. We listen to music together, he takes me where I need to go, we spend a lot of time together. I'm right in the middle of four boys. I don't have a sister....well, I do have a sister-in-law, but they don't actually live with us. :) So, I have some very close girl friends...from church. From the youth group.

I've gotten pretty close to these girls. Emma and I have only been friends for a year or so, but we're really close. We tell each other almost everything, and it's really great to have someone to pray for you, even when you can't tell them why yet. Tara, otherwise known as Jazzy, is a great friend. Not to mention that she and my 16yo brother are....well, very good friends. But, Tara's been there for me. She's quick to slap me back to reality, crush the sappy moment, tease me when I need it, and laugh at some of my bad puns. (the others didn't deserve it) Stuphy is another friend....she and I are accountability partners right now in several areas of my life. I told her that if she saw me going too far, to tell me. It's great.

I have a lot of great guy friends too...many of them are almost like my brothers.  But, my point isn't that I have great friends. Though...I do, and I love them all. But, my point is that my youth group is like an extension of my family. My spiritual family. They're there to hold me up, encourage me, tell me when I'm living in blatant sin....they're part of the body of Christ. I do the same for them. To me, the Church is vitally important.  I need my church family. I need my blood family more, but I still need my youth group.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is this: our youth group isn't the average group. Our service isn't a "hookup time", but rather a time of worship and truly praising God. Our sermons aren't about not doing drugs...that's expected of us. One example of one a couple of months ago, was when Dusty preached about making (and keeping) vows to God. Or we talked about being a dreamer for God. And so much more. It's amazing to get to fellowship with people my age that also have a strong walk with God.

With this post...share your opinion. Do you go to a youth group? Why, or why not? Please remember to be respectful. :) Thank you!

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Sunday, February 10, 2008 - My Journey in Blogging...

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about why I blog, and when I started blogging.

When I started blogging, I wrote out a mission statement. This is what I said, "I believe that through blogging, I could encourage teenage girls in their walk with Christ and in their desire to be a homemaker. If I had a blog I could also use it to share my faith with others. Proverbs 27:17 says: "as iron sharpens iron, so one man [or woman] sharpens another." I believe that that verse sums up my mission statement." On Thursday, December 28, 2006, I started my blogging journey. It's been two years, and I haven't regretted making that decision once.  But, if I had to write a mission statement now, it would be more like this, "I believe that Soli Deo Gloria is a journal of my spiritual experiences. Soli Deo Gloria exists for the sole purpose of glorifying God, and I hope that in doing that, I will encourage fellow believers. Soli Deo Gloria is all for HIS glory. It's not about me, my life, or anything. Soli Deo Gloria."

Why is my blog the way it is? I think that question is answered by my mission statement. My blog in reality isn't mine. I've dedicated Soli Deo Gloria to God. It's all His. The reason there is such a gap in my posts is that I truly do try to only post when I feel God's given me something to say. That's not anything great about me...in fact, sometimes I wait until God has to practically shout into my ear.

I started blogging because I wanted to share my life on the internet. Now, I believe I blog because I want to glorify God. I hope that's my sole desire in everything I do.

Thanks for reading my boring post about my journey. But, now you know why I blog the way I do.

Sola Christo!

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Monday, January 28, 2008 - A Few Thoughts

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

I don't have much to post on today....in fact, that's why I haven't posted in the last week.

Anyway, as I was finishing up my reading-through-your-Bible-in-one-year-plan, I read an awesome verse in Micah, and I'd like to share it with you.

Micah 7:7 says, "Therefore I look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me."

I love that verse. But, to better grasp the meaning, let's paraphrase it.

"I will ask God for help; I'll wait for the same God who saved me: I know my God will answer me." Okay, yes, it's a bad paraphrase. But, think of the last phrase, "my God will hear me." Think of the trust in that statement. The utter dependence. The child-like faith. We know God will hear us. However, do we act like it? Most of the time I don't. It's a last resort sort of hope...."Well, I don't know of anything else to do....I guess we could pray." No. See, you can absolutely trust in the fact that God will hear you. No matter where, no matter what.

Oswald Chambers once said, "We often think prayer fits us for the greater works. However, prayer is the greater work..." Think of it in this context. Trust is a greater work. To know God will hear you requires you to trust God. To fully lean on Him, and know He is all you have.  The older I get, the more I want to rely on my judgement. My abilities (or the lack thereof). Don't look to yourself for the strength to overcome obstacles in life. Look to the God who saved you....He will always hear you.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - Merry CHRISTmas!

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

I do apologize for not posting sooner. I'm hoping to have my next post up in the next few days.

But, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I truly hope you have a wonderful day, filled with joy, as you celebrate Christ's birth. But, as you remember His birth, consider also His death and resurrection.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for coming down to earth...for me. For coming as a baby...for me. I love you, Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us.

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Saturday, October 6, 2007 - Why?

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

This is a poem I wrote a few days ago. I was sitting in my room thinking, and then I had all these questions pouring into my mind. I had to write them down, and it came out as a poem...in other words God gave it to me. But, I'm not a great poet, so, bear with me.

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Thursday, September 13, 2007 - Mighty Is the Power of the Cross by Chris Tomlin

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

Verse:
What can take a dying man
And raise him up to life again?
What can heal the wounded soul?
What can make us white as snow?
What can fill the emptiness?
What can mend our brokenness? Brokenness?

Chorus:
Mighty, awesome, wonderful
Is the Holy cross.
Where the Lamb lay down His life
To lift us from the fall.
Mighty is the power of the cross.

Verse 2:
What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones?
What can save and overcome? Overcome?

*Repeat Chorus*

Bridge:
It's a miracle to me
It's a miracle to me
It's still a mystery
And it's still a mystery
It's a miracle to me
The power of God
Those who believe

Chorus:
Mighty, awesome, wonderful
Is the Holy cross.
Where the Lamb lay down His life
To lift us from the fall.

Oh and mighty, awesome, wonderful
Is the Holy cross.
Where the Lamb lay down His life
To lift us from the fall.
Mighty is the power of...
Mighty is the power of...
Mighty is the power of the cross.

Ending:
Thank You for the cross.
Thank You for the cross.
I love the cross.
I love the cross.
It's a powerful cross.

What can take a dying man (thank You Jesus)
And raise him up to life again? (thank You Jesus)
Worship You Jesus (wonderful cross)
By Your wounds we are healed
By Your wounds we are saved

Mighty is the power of the cross (echo)
Mighty is the power of the cross (echo)
Thank You Jesus
For the Holy cross
Oh

Wow. When I'm down, when I'm depressed, when I'm on rock bottom, the cross is still there. It is still powerful.

Many people believe that we worship the cross. While I cannot speak for everyone, I do not worship the cross. Without Christ, it is nothing more than an instrument of torture. But, what Christ did on the cross makes it wonderful. It makes it mighty. Christ forgiving our sins on the cross made an instrument of torture something loved around the world. What He did there was holy, it was mighty, it was powerful. The cross made the difference in my life. Redemption was given on that cross. Christ forgave me on that cross. He loved me on that cross. 

No, I don't worship it, but I do revere it. I think of it with respect, if not love. Yes, I can love what happened on the cross. Why? The cross doesn't symbolize pain and suffering to me. It symbolizes the truest form of love. "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends." John 15:13 Jesus layed down His perfect life for my sinful one. That's what the cross is to me.

*Please express your opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and comments on this post. I would love to hear from you!*

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Thursday, September 6, 2007 - Why I Believe the Way I Do: Baptism!

Soli Deo Gloria-It's all for HIS glory.

There has been a lot of confusion, and even people being misled about baptism in the last several hundred years. When the world was primarily Catholic (please take that with a grain of salt), everyone was baptized at birth.

While I could write a history post about that, I won't. Let's just say that now, most babies aren't baptized. But, on to what I believe.

I believe that someone should be baptized when they have accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord, and have made that decision public. I believe in immersion baptism. I believe that baptism does not save you.

Acts 19:4 says, "Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him who came after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."

Colossians 2:12 says, "Buried with him in baptism wherein you are risen with him though the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

The greek word for repentance in Acts 19:4 means showing that you are serious about repentance. Christ is the only mediator between God and men, and he is the only way that we can repent from our sin, and turn to God. Hence, I believe that you should be saved when you are baptized.

Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we are buried by baptism with him into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Baptism by immersion is a picture, really. As you're lowered into the water, it symbolizes Christ's death and burial. When you're lifted from the water, it symobolizes Christ rising from the dead. It's also a picture of us as Christians. Our old life (before we were saved) dies, and God makes us anew. It's a beautiful symbol of death and life.

1 Peter 3:21 says, "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:"

"The putting away of the filth of the flesh," is referring to when Jesus forgave you of all your sins, for now and always. "The answer of a good conscience," refers to our communication with God (you can correct me on any of this stuff if you like). Therefore, it really isn't talking about how Jesus saves us.

I probably made everyone confused, and if I did, I'm sorry. If you have any questions, please ask them! I would love to hear them!

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Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - Why I Believe the Way I Do: Once Saved, Always Saved!

As this is a touchy subject for some people, I believe I should define what I believe on this point, and attempt to back it up with scripture.

I believe that once a person sincerely accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, they are saved forever. Nothing they can do can take them out of the Lamb's Book of Life. And, nothing they can do can make God take them out of the Lamb's Book of Life. I believe that once a person is saved, they are always saved. Why do I believe this?

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