Please click HERE for more updates on UC's Mag 09; it'll give you the titles of articles we're hoping to get, etc.

Guys are also welcome to send in articles, please don't be offended by being sent to a "girly" site for the details on how to submit stuff. ^_^

And also, REMEMBER: UC won't be able to last long if YOU don't submit an article. The contents of the new magazine is mostly written by readers like you!

*DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING IS DECEMBER 18!*

Hello to all the faithful readers of UnderCover! I thought it was about time I gave everyone an update on what's going on at my place and at UnderCover.

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" ~John 9:1-3

The story of the blind man in John 9 amazes me. Here's a guy who has lived all his life in total darkness while people are bashing him over and over again. "You sinned!" "You're good for nothing!" "You'll never make it in the real world!" "You're not perfect, so stay away!" People have shouted at him. Yelled at him. Shunned him. Mocked him. Judged him. And some have probably spat on him more than once.

The world is looking bleak for the poor dude. Even Jesus' disciples start guessing about the mysterious one who sinned and made the man blind. Peter states firmly that it was the man who sinned. Phillip argued that it was the parents. James says he sides with Phillip, it must of been the parents. Peter asks Judas who he's siding with. Judas mumbles and kicks some dirt, wondering why on earth he was there.

Finally they ask Jesus.

His reply shocks them. "The man is blind because...of what, Jesus?!" Peter, the loud one, shouts. Jesus calmly restates his answer: "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Whoa. Andrew's mouth is hanging open, Peter's sputtering, James and John look like their eyes were opened for the first time, and Judas is rolling his eyes heavenward. They never thought about that before.

And neither do we.

Do we judge and mock the blind/handicap of today? One of the worst things your could ever see in your life is to see someone "less fortunate" being made fun of.

When I'd go to my grandma's house when I was little, sometimes we would go next door and visit the neighbors' horses. Now, the neighbors also had a son who was younger than I was. He couldn't talk, used a walker, and always wanted to hold my hand or touch my hair. He was handicapped, but since I knew him ever since he was a baby it didn't bother me. I never noticed that he was way different than me. He really was a sweet little boy if you look the time to know him, but most people won't.

We are the ones in the world that are "blind" and "handicapped". We never think that the ones who have physical trouble might be used to glorify God, that the work of God, the Creator, might be displayed in their lives.

Are YOU "blind" and "handicapped"? Next time you see someone who is mentally/physically challenged, give them a smile. They need encouragement even more than you do. Remember that they just might be a vessel used to display the work of God.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters." ~Psalm 23:2

Busy doing this, busy doing that. Running here, running there. Late for this, late for that. In our chaotic schedules of today, we hardly ever take the time to talk with God. To walk with God. To be close to God. Sure, we pray in the morning and pray at night, but do we ever talk to God in the house in between? Do we even want to walk with God...step by step?

For my last two guitar lessons, I've been working on the chords and strum for "Step By Step" and as I was playing it for the 16th time today I realized how many Christians don't take the song to heart.

Oh God You are my God, and I will ever praise You- Now wait a minute. I want everyone to think back on their day. I'm sure we all (myself included!) can think of at least one or more times that we grumbled against God. Most of the times its over stupid little things, such as being thirsty and not having water, the car in front is going too slow, etc., and we complain about it. Do we really praise God, always?

I will seek You in the morning- How many times have we jumped out of bed and forgotten to give the day to the Lord?

And I will learn to walk in Your ways- One of the biggest problems in some churches today is the "pick and choose" doctrine. People only pick out the bits and pieces of the Bible that aren't a big effort for them to do/apply to their lives. They want to hear things that make them feel good, not hear the things that change their lives. Do we really want to learn about and walk in God's ways? Are we willing?

And step by step You'll lead me- God's willing to lead us, by the hand, through life's joys and sorrows. He's there to comfort us, yet we're "too busy" to even take him up on His offer. Is that how we should treat a promise from the Maker of the universe?

And I will follow You all of my days- Are we really willing to follow God, to forsake what we want and give it all to Him?

"Life's hard, yard by yard. Inch by inch, it's a cinch." Life is difficult, stressful, and emotional. In the fast-passed world we live in, sometimes we just want to break under the brutalness of life. But take it easy! Take a deep breath and slow down your clock. Walk life with God, step for step. Enjoy the green pasture you're in, walking with your Maker.

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU walking step by step?

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?

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It's all for HIM

Verse: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." ~Romans 16:20

This verse has a special meaning to me. Most people would just read it and think, "Okay, God's going to crush Satan under my feet. Wonderful." and go on to the next verse. But to me...it really happened! I'm not kidding....

October 30, 2007. We all pile out of my dad's truck and walk up to the porch. It's dark and cold, and not many lights were on down our street. But low and behold....sitting on our front porch was a red plastic devil. (I'm shivering even while I write this) Complete with horns and horrible eyes, it was only about a foot tall but it the cold dark night it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. My dad picked it up and went to put it in the outside trash can (we still hadn't opened the front door yet...but we all knew there was no way that thing was going into the INSIDE trash can!) KcD and I looked at each other, then down the dark street, and then back to the...."thing" in my dad's hand.

"Crush it."

KcD's words were the exact feelings of all of our hearts. Romans 16:20 came to my mind, and I started to put in the plea to crush it. Throwing the hideous thing on the driveway, dad raised his foot and wham crushed it to a million pieces. Somehow, on the dark driveway with who knows what lurking around while we're picking up satisfactory broken red devil pieces and throwing it away, somehow Romans 16:20 became very real for me. Sure, our whole family was pretty shook up  (we weren't even gone for that long, and there was still my mom's car in the driveway...so someone was watching us as we all got into my dad's truck and left) but for me, as we checked all around our house, I kept saying Romans 16:20 in my mind and it helped calm any fears that I had. But I tell you what, there was not a sound that was so satisfactory then to hear the sound of the God of peace crushing that red devil under my dad's feet.

So, next time you feel trapped or scared, remeber Romans 116:20. God always will come to your rescue, even in your darkest hours

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It's all for HIM

Verse: "And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!" ~Philippians 2:8

What do you think of when you hear the word "tree hugger"? Does some crazy person pop into your mind who runs around hugging any tree he can get his arms around? Or do you think of someone who just loves trees so much and wants to save them?

Here's the thing: we're all tree huggers. Yup, that's right...if we all believe in Jesus, we're a tree hugger! We don't go around hugging trees, but we DO cling. Cling to what? The answer is a certain tree that was placed on Golgotha so many years ago. A piece of wood that separates us from death. A piece of wood that spans a canyon of sin. It reminds me of a poem I memorized when I was little:

Sin dug this canyon that can't be crossed

God on one side, the other the lost

Broad was the rift, broader still our sad estate

With no hope of spanning a chasm so great

But God in his infinite, merciful plan

Used his own Son to bridge that span

Amazing grace was His great gift

That closed the chasm and sealed the rift

I myself, no longer on the side of the lost

For I have found that bridge at the foot of the Cross

~Author Unknown

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU a tree hugger? If you're not, think about what side of the canyon you're on. The only way over is through a tree, a lowly piece of wood...the cross.

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~Deuteronomy 31:6

Being in the completely crazy football spirit that I’ve been in for the last couple months, I thought it would be an awesome idea to tie football to the Bible. But alas, not all of you are so crazy about the wonderful sport, so I won’t do a WHOLE post on it, (there is some football content…hey, the guys like it!) although I HAVE picked a verse that applies to football, as well as everyday and every aspect of our lives.

Being strong and courageous is a hard thing to do when you’re facing danger. Most often than not we’re terrified, freaked, and we run when we’re facing danger. When danger comes our way, we’re weak, but guess what? It’s not the end of the world. We have a God Who is strong. He will give us the courage we need if we only ask Him.

Of course, being the completely crazy football fan that I am, I thought of one of my all-time favorite football players when I read that verse. Here’s an example of being strong and courageous: If I was in Eli Manning’s (#10, QB of the NY Giants going to the SUPERBOWL!!) shoes, I would be flipping out just about now. To go against the puffed-up Patriots (who, in case you didn’t know, has Tom Brady…I hate to admit it, but he IS one of the best football players out there) who have a much better record than my team would be freaky. Facing opposition and doubt on every side, would I stand? I would probably be terrified of defeat, freak out and run…but guess what? Eli Manning CAN’T run. He’s got to stay in AZ and try to win an almost impossible football game. He has to be strong and courageous.

God won’t give us more than we can’t handle. He knows we’re weak and scared, but with HIM we can be strong and courageous. We have nothing to fear when God is on our side!

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU strong and courageous? If you aren’t, do not be dismayed. All you have to do is ask God, because He is always near. We are never left alone when troubles come.

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: Luke 21:28 “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Careless. Reckless. Stupid. Prideful. Unworthy. Anymore words that describe us? Haughty. Dishonest. Arrogant. Sinful. You know, I never really liked thinking of how horrible I am, do you? Of course not. So since we’re all so horrible, why in the world does God want us? He’s Holy. Awesome. Perfect. Beautiful. Why, He’s everything we’re not! And yet He promises us redemption! Imagine us! Dirty, bratty, ridiculous us! Now, do those words fit in with awesome, perfect, and beautiful? How can lowly us except such a treasure from such an exhalent God! Amazing God even wants us!

We’re just clay…yet I see people who think they’re good. Wonderful. Amazing. They think that God is just a life-line to grab hold of when they’re dying. That’s the only time they’ll want the redemption. They don’t want to think about how low they really are, how imperfect their lives are. But in order to truly appreciate redemption, we need to think about how low we are and how loving and BIG God is.

We really should think of how careless and reckless we are compared to God, so we can fully appreciate how badly He wants us. If you were a King, would you want to take in some lowly man off the slums of the streets to come and live with you forever? Well, God does that with us.

See? Now that we think of it that way, we have a deeper appreciation of what He’s done for us…He’s redeemed us!

So, let me ask you this: Do YOU appreciate redemption? Or do you not want to think about the fact that you’re so low and unworthy?

Princess Croc Toria: Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: Ephesians 5:30 “For we are members of his body.”

Songs and nature are usually the top inspirations in my life. Actually, half of the posts on this blog that I’ve written have been inspired by songs. This one is just the same.

There was this song I was listening to on the radio the other day that really made me think. Part of it went “If we are the Body, why aren’t His feet going, why is the love not showing” and it made me think, “How many times do we just walk past the lady struggling to unload her heavy groceries in the parking lot? How many times do we ignore the cry of a lost child? How many times do we answer rudely to a loved one? You know, if we truly ARE the Body…why are we falling into the category of the world?”

We’re God’s children! We have a high calling, and we need to strive to shine a good light on God’s Name. If Christ were in the grocery store, do you really think He’d just walk past the box of food that fell off the shelf? Of course not, He’d probably pick it up. If Christ were on the playground, do you think he’d walk past the bewildered child that couldn’t find his parent? Of course not, He’d probably help him find his way. And if we’re supposed to be like Christ…why aren’t we doing acting in that way, too?

So, here’s a New Year’s Resolution: This year, let’s strive to be more like Christ. Let’s go out of our way to help someone in need. Let’s shine a good light to God’s Name.

So, let you ask me this: Are YOU going to be the Body? Or are you going to be the average Joe who isn’t imitating Christ? As my dad says…. “Just something to think about.”

Please click HERE for more updates on UC's Mag 09; it'll give you the titles of articles we're hoping to get, etc.

Guys are also welcome to send in articles, please don't be offended by being sent to a "girly" site for the details on how to submit stuff. ^_^

And also, REMEMBER: UC won't be able to last long if YOU don't submit an article. The contents of the new magazine is mostly written by readers like you!

*DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING IS DECEMBER 18!*

Hello to all the faithful readers of UnderCover! I thought it was about time I gave everyone an update on what's going on at my place and at UnderCover.

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" ~John 9:1-3

The story of the blind man in John 9 amazes me. Here's a guy who has lived all his life in total darkness while people are bashing him over and over again. "You sinned!" "You're good for nothing!" "You'll never make it in the real world!" "You're not perfect, so stay away!" People have shouted at him. Yelled at him. Shunned him. Mocked him. Judged him. And some have probably spat on him more than once.

The world is looking bleak for the poor dude. Even Jesus' disciples start guessing about the mysterious one who sinned and made the man blind. Peter states firmly that it was the man who sinned. Phillip argued that it was the parents. James says he sides with Phillip, it must of been the parents. Peter asks Judas who he's siding with. Judas mumbles and kicks some dirt, wondering why on earth he was there.

Finally they ask Jesus.

His reply shocks them. "The man is blind because...of what, Jesus?!" Peter, the loud one, shouts. Jesus calmly restates his answer: "...this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Whoa. Andrew's mouth is hanging open, Peter's sputtering, James and John look like their eyes were opened for the first time, and Judas is rolling his eyes heavenward. They never thought about that before.

And neither do we.

Do we judge and mock the blind/handicap of today? One of the worst things your could ever see in your life is to see someone "less fortunate" being made fun of.

When I'd go to my grandma's house when I was little, sometimes we would go next door and visit the neighbors' horses. Now, the neighbors also had a son who was younger than I was. He couldn't talk, used a walker, and always wanted to hold my hand or touch my hair. He was handicapped, but since I knew him ever since he was a baby it didn't bother me. I never noticed that he was way different than me. He really was a sweet little boy if you look the time to know him, but most people won't.

We are the ones in the world that are "blind" and "handicapped". We never think that the ones who have physical trouble might be used to glorify God, that the work of God, the Creator, might be displayed in their lives.

Are YOU "blind" and "handicapped"? Next time you see someone who is mentally/physically challenged, give them a smile. They need encouragement even more than you do. Remember that they just might be a vessel used to display the work of God.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters." ~Psalm 23:2

Busy doing this, busy doing that. Running here, running there. Late for this, late for that. In our chaotic schedules of today, we hardly ever take the time to talk with God. To walk with God. To be close to God. Sure, we pray in the morning and pray at night, but do we ever talk to God in the house in between? Do we even want to walk with God...step by step?

For my last two guitar lessons, I've been working on the chords and strum for "Step By Step" and as I was playing it for the 16th time today I realized how many Christians don't take the song to heart.

Oh God You are my God, and I will ever praise You- Now wait a minute. I want everyone to think back on their day. I'm sure we all (myself included!) can think of at least one or more times that we grumbled against God. Most of the times its over stupid little things, such as being thirsty and not having water, the car in front is going too slow, etc., and we complain about it. Do we really praise God, always?

I will seek You in the morning- How many times have we jumped out of bed and forgotten to give the day to the Lord?

And I will learn to walk in Your ways- One of the biggest problems in some churches today is the "pick and choose" doctrine. People only pick out the bits and pieces of the Bible that aren't a big effort for them to do/apply to their lives. They want to hear things that make them feel good, not hear the things that change their lives. Do we really want to learn about and walk in God's ways? Are we willing?

And step by step You'll lead me- God's willing to lead us, by the hand, through life's joys and sorrows. He's there to comfort us, yet we're "too busy" to even take him up on His offer. Is that how we should treat a promise from the Maker of the universe?

And I will follow You all of my days- Are we really willing to follow God, to forsake what we want and give it all to Him?

"Life's hard, yard by yard. Inch by inch, it's a cinch." Life is difficult, stressful, and emotional. In the fast-passed world we live in, sometimes we just want to break under the brutalness of life. But take it easy! Take a deep breath and slow down your clock. Walk life with God, step for step. Enjoy the green pasture you're in, walking with your Maker.

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU walking step by step?

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?

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It's all for HIM

Verse: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." ~Romans 16:20

This verse has a special meaning to me. Most people would just read it and think, "Okay, God's going to crush Satan under my feet. Wonderful." and go on to the next verse. But to me...it really happened! I'm not kidding....

October 30, 2007. We all pile out of my dad's truck and walk up to the porch. It's dark and cold, and not many lights were on down our street. But low and behold....sitting on our front porch was a red plastic devil. (I'm shivering even while I write this) Complete with horns and horrible eyes, it was only about a foot tall but it the cold dark night it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. My dad picked it up and went to put it in the outside trash can (we still hadn't opened the front door yet...but we all knew there was no way that thing was going into the INSIDE trash can!) KcD and I looked at each other, then down the dark street, and then back to the...."thing" in my dad's hand.

"Crush it."

KcD's words were the exact feelings of all of our hearts. Romans 16:20 came to my mind, and I started to put in the plea to crush it. Throwing the hideous thing on the driveway, dad raised his foot and wham crushed it to a million pieces. Somehow, on the dark driveway with who knows what lurking around while we're picking up satisfactory broken red devil pieces and throwing it away, somehow Romans 16:20 became very real for me. Sure, our whole family was pretty shook up  (we weren't even gone for that long, and there was still my mom's car in the driveway...so someone was watching us as we all got into my dad's truck and left) but for me, as we checked all around our house, I kept saying Romans 16:20 in my mind and it helped calm any fears that I had. But I tell you what, there was not a sound that was so satisfactory then to hear the sound of the God of peace crushing that red devil under my dad's feet.

So, next time you feel trapped or scared, remeber Romans 116:20. God always will come to your rescue, even in your darkest hours

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It's all for HIM

Verse: "And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!" ~Philippians 2:8

What do you think of when you hear the word "tree hugger"? Does some crazy person pop into your mind who runs around hugging any tree he can get his arms around? Or do you think of someone who just loves trees so much and wants to save them?

Here's the thing: we're all tree huggers. Yup, that's right...if we all believe in Jesus, we're a tree hugger! We don't go around hugging trees, but we DO cling. Cling to what? The answer is a certain tree that was placed on Golgotha so many years ago. A piece of wood that separates us from death. A piece of wood that spans a canyon of sin. It reminds me of a poem I memorized when I was little:

Sin dug this canyon that can't be crossed

God on one side, the other the lost

Broad was the rift, broader still our sad estate

With no hope of spanning a chasm so great

But God in his infinite, merciful plan

Used his own Son to bridge that span

Amazing grace was His great gift

That closed the chasm and sealed the rift

I myself, no longer on the side of the lost

For I have found that bridge at the foot of the Cross

~Author Unknown

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU a tree hugger? If you're not, think about what side of the canyon you're on. The only way over is through a tree, a lowly piece of wood...the cross.

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” ~Deuteronomy 31:6

Being in the completely crazy football spirit that I’ve been in for the last couple months, I thought it would be an awesome idea to tie football to the Bible. But alas, not all of you are so crazy about the wonderful sport, so I won’t do a WHOLE post on it, (there is some football content…hey, the guys like it!) although I HAVE picked a verse that applies to football, as well as everyday and every aspect of our lives.

Being strong and courageous is a hard thing to do when you’re facing danger. Most often than not we’re terrified, freaked, and we run when we’re facing danger. When danger comes our way, we’re weak, but guess what? It’s not the end of the world. We have a God Who is strong. He will give us the courage we need if we only ask Him.

Of course, being the completely crazy football fan that I am, I thought of one of my all-time favorite football players when I read that verse. Here’s an example of being strong and courageous: If I was in Eli Manning’s (#10, QB of the NY Giants going to the SUPERBOWL!!) shoes, I would be flipping out just about now. To go against the puffed-up Patriots (who, in case you didn’t know, has Tom Brady…I hate to admit it, but he IS one of the best football players out there) who have a much better record than my team would be freaky. Facing opposition and doubt on every side, would I stand? I would probably be terrified of defeat, freak out and run…but guess what? Eli Manning CAN’T run. He’s got to stay in AZ and try to win an almost impossible football game. He has to be strong and courageous.

God won’t give us more than we can’t handle. He knows we’re weak and scared, but with HIM we can be strong and courageous. We have nothing to fear when God is on our side!

So, let me ask you this: Are YOU strong and courageous? If you aren’t, do not be dismayed. All you have to do is ask God, because He is always near. We are never left alone when troubles come.

Princess Croc Toria (Lady Toria the Teaser): Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: Luke 21:28 “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Careless. Reckless. Stupid. Prideful. Unworthy. Anymore words that describe us? Haughty. Dishonest. Arrogant. Sinful. You know, I never really liked thinking of how horrible I am, do you? Of course not. So since we’re all so horrible, why in the world does God want us? He’s Holy. Awesome. Perfect. Beautiful. Why, He’s everything we’re not! And yet He promises us redemption! Imagine us! Dirty, bratty, ridiculous us! Now, do those words fit in with awesome, perfect, and beautiful? How can lowly us except such a treasure from such an exhalent God! Amazing God even wants us!

We’re just clay…yet I see people who think they’re good. Wonderful. Amazing. They think that God is just a life-line to grab hold of when they’re dying. That’s the only time they’ll want the redemption. They don’t want to think about how low they really are, how imperfect their lives are. But in order to truly appreciate redemption, we need to think about how low we are and how loving and BIG God is.

We really should think of how careless and reckless we are compared to God, so we can fully appreciate how badly He wants us. If you were a King, would you want to take in some lowly man off the slums of the streets to come and live with you forever? Well, God does that with us.

See? Now that we think of it that way, we have a deeper appreciation of what He’s done for us…He’s redeemed us!

So, let me ask you this: Do YOU appreciate redemption? Or do you not want to think about the fact that you’re so low and unworthy?

Princess Croc Toria: Wildlife Warrior and Soldier of the Cross- It’s all for HIM

Verse: Ephesians 5:30 “For we are members of his body.”

Songs and nature are usually the top inspirations in my life. Actually, half of the posts on this blog that I’ve written have been inspired by songs. This one is just the same.

There was this song I was listening to on the radio the other day that really made me think. Part of it went “If we are the Body, why aren’t His feet going, why is the love not showing” and it made me think, “How many times do we just walk past the lady struggling to unload her heavy groceries in the parking lot? How many times do we ignore the cry of a lost child? How many times do we answer rudely to a loved one? You know, if we truly ARE the Body…why are we falling into the category of the world?”

We’re God’s children! We have a high calling, and we need to strive to shine a good light on God’s Name. If Christ were in the grocery store, do you really think He’d just walk past the box of food that fell off the shelf? Of course not, He’d probably pick it up. If Christ were on the playground, do you think he’d walk past the bewildered child that couldn’t find his parent? Of course not, He’d probably help him find his way. And if we’re supposed to be like Christ…why aren’t we doing acting in that way, too?

So, here’s a New Year’s Resolution: This year, let’s strive to be more like Christ. Let’s go out of our way to help someone in need. Let’s shine a good light to God’s Name.

So, let you ask me this: Are YOU going to be the Body? Or are you going to be the average Joe who isn’t imitating Christ? As my dad says…. “Just something to think about.”