31 posts tagged “christian”
Tonight Daniel and I went to Canvas, our church's High School youth group. We are checking it out for a few weeks to see if this is where God wants us to be serving. This group of kids are great, they had about 50 kids there and they have about 14 leaders. A very different feeling from the youth group we used to work it, about 12-15 kids and only two leaders. Not to mention that the staff were so welcoming. We felt so wanted and needed and the Youth Pastor really made a point to show interest in us and really has wanted to get to know us as friends. Pastor Dan has been doing a great job with these kids and you can easily see his passion for teenagers
and telling them about Christ. We have so enjoyed getting to know and become
friends with Dan and his wife. We have a lot in common and we enjoy
hanging out together. I also enjoyed meeting a few of the kids and getting to chat with one of the leaders for a while. The worship was amazing, one of the students lead an awesome time just spent singing praises to Jesus. It was a great first experience, and we look forward to next week. Please pray for us as we try to figure out if this is where God wants us to be. We want to follow the plan the Lord has set before us, so pray that we are wise and have an open ear to hear God's voice. I so want to be in the place that God wants me to be in. The events of the past few months have made me timid about jumping into anything, and I want to be sure we are doing what the Lord wants not just want we want. Thank you all so much for your on going prayers and for your wonderful kindness to me.
Daniel and I were proud to have three youth group alumni council at camp and eight of our youth group kids as campers. We made for a pretty large group just from one home town. Sienna loved being at camp for her third summer and having so many friends to play with, along with so much time spent outside. She has grown up so much since last summer and made Daniel and I's job much easier. Daniel helped me with games and was in charge of the sound and technical stuff. He has been such a blessing to me and to so many at camp. I am so thankful for him and the skills and talents the Lord has given him!
I praise the Lord for being with me no matter what. I have been repeating this verse over and over this past week, Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?". I praise God for never leaving me! My favorite part of this song is "For You are who You are, No matter where I am". Thank you Lord for loving me even though I am so unworthy and undeserving of your love. All through out this storm Lord, I have felt your loving arms around me. You are mighty, and I praise you for what I am learning through all this. May your Glory be seen in all this!
"Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You
But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away
I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth
As I have said in my previous post, I am posting songs that have been helping me understand my own feelings about my life right now. I have loved this song since i first heard it when I was a teenager. But never truly felt this way, right now I am truly asking my self, "What if I stumble?" could all the Lord's done in my life be erased because of what others may think I have done. My heart is aching and shattered.
What if I stumble By DC Talk
What if I stumble?
What if I fall?
Is this one for
the people?
Is this one for the Lord?
Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford?
You can jumble them together, my conflict still remains
Holiness is calling, in the midst of courting fame
Cause I see the
trust in their eyes
Though the sky is falling
They need Your love in their lives
Compromise is calling
CHORUS:
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?
Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?
What if I stumble, and what if I fall?
What if I stumble,
what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
Father please forgive
me for I can not compose
The fear that lives within me
Or the rate at which it grows
If struggle has a purpose
On the narrow road you've carved
Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar
Do they see the
fear in my eyes?
Are they so revealing?
This time I cannot disguise
All the doubt I'm feeling
What if I stumble?
Everyone's got to crawl when you know that
You're up against a wall, it's about to fall
Everyone's got to crawl when you know that (2x)
I hear You whispering
my name [You say]
"My love for You will never change" [never change]
What if I stumble,
what if I fall?
You never turn in the heat of it all
What if I stumble, what if I fall?
You are my comfort, and my God
Is this one for the people, is this one for the Lord?
I will be sharing a few songs with all of you that have been reflecting my life right now. I am trying to chose my words wisely, to not hurt anyone or cause any sort of conflict and in spending time in my bible, prayer and listening to some amazing Christian music, I have found words to my feelings that have even been hard for me to explain. I have always been in awe of people who have the talent of taking words and putting them to music. Music has been such a big part of my walk with Christ, it's in my times of singing praises to Him that I feel the closest to my Savior and constantly listening to Christian music has kept my focus on Him daily. So since i can't sing or play an interment, to express myself musically, I have borrowed the music and lyrics of others. I hope you take the time to listen to the songs and read the words, it's really struck a cord in my heart and what I am going through right now.
Stain Glass Masquerade By Casting Crowns
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
*Chorus*
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who’s been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who’s traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is CONVINCING
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay
Chorus x2
Well if the invitation’s open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small
I have been working in our Youth Group at the Chatsworth Lake Community Church for five years now. Daniel and I do everything from planning events, teaching lessons to attending the kids school events. These teenagers are a big part of our lives. There is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I have a passion for teenagers and telling them about Jesus Christ. Well last night after a long time of waiting, Daniel and I received out Christian Workers Card. It's a card that we can keep with us as proof that we work at our church as well as identification in cases of emergency if anything were to happen to any of our youth group kids. It also helps in letting us have verification in hospitals and jails when other people can't get in. However in the 7 years Daniel and I have worked at various youth groups we have never had occasion to need to visit someone in jail or the hospital, but now we can. hehe!
My heart is on fire for youth ministry, so this card isn't just a little piece of paper, it's validation of years of hard work. I was once asked by a pastor, if i really believed that a teenager could have a deep personal relationship with Christ. I told him right then and there that I wouldn't be working in youth ministries if i didn't believe that. My heart broke when I heard him ask me that, because i saw in his eye's that he really didn't believe that teenagers could experience Christ. The world has pushed this idea on to us that teenagers are not worth fighting for. And I have one thing to tell the world, I AM FIGHTING FOR THEM! If we don't invest in the next generation then there won't be anymore churches. Christianity is just one generation away from being forgotten. Even though i don't get paid for what i do in our Youth Group, I see this as being my most important job (behind being a parent). I want to thank the Advent Christian Conference of Southern California for acknowledging my work and for pushing me to be the person that God meant me to be!
This year was our third year participating in The Childern's Hunger Fund Holiday Pack Day. I was up bright and early picking up kids from our youth group around 6:30am! I am so not a morning person, however i will do almost anything for a good cause. And you know what, wrapping gifts for under privileged kids is a good cause. I was so proud of our group, we had about 20 people come out bright and really to be apart of this awesome event. We were the first group to arrive and got prime spots for wrapping. There were so many people there, well into the hundereds. We spent the morning wrapping Hannah Montana sweatshirts. However other groups were wraping toys and stuffed animals. We all worked hard to get the job done. Even Sienna and my two nieces helped out, with carrying boxes and helping put wraped gifts in bins. It was a awesome morning spent serving others.
I am so proud of our youth group kids, for taking time out of thier busy lives to give back. Also I am so happy that Daniel and I had family memebers join us as well, my sister Dawn and her daughters, Daniel's mom Rissa, his brother Matt and Matt's girlfriend Sarah. It was a great group of people, and i really enjoy each of them. Thank you to all who helped out!
Friday night was had a great big youth event for the teens in our youth group. We have been studying the Last Days of Christ Life. And the movie night was a reward for all their hard work and commitment through out the study. We enjoyed a meal together and then sat down to watch The Passion of the Christ. This was the first time seeing the movie for most of the kids. And I really think they understood what was happening and really had a connection, because of the study we have been doing for the past two months.
After the Movie we went outside and worshiped. I will explain more in another post.
We had so much fun hanging out and fellowshiping that night. We played games, oh by the way i rocked at Scrabble! The around 3 in the morning we all headed to bed. I so enjoy my time with these kids and getting to talk to them one on one. It's such a blessing that the Lord lets me be a part of their lives and lets me know them.
In the morning I made breakfast for the kids and we read scripture together. This was a great youth event, and i was a little nervous about it. One reason being that it was Daniel and I first Big Youth Event that we have done by ourselves. And two adults for 11 kids can be a little intimidating. However God is good and answers prayers. The kids were great and we didn't have any major problems. All in all a great event!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24- 27
Lately I have been thinking about the kind of women, wife, mother, daughter and friend I want to be. God has truly been working on my heart, and making me think really hard about the way i act and the choices I am making in my life. I want to glorify God in all i do and I want to honor Him with the fruits of my labor. As I have been praying God brought these verse to my mind. It really encouraged me. Sometimes I feel like i am overwhelmed and that i just can't do anymore. However these verse gave me renewed strength. I am running a race, the race of life, and it is my job to try my hardest and to push my self harder in all that i do. I want to stand before God someday and know that I ran my hardest and I did all I could do.
So I have been taking a good hard look at my life and I have been praying. Asking God to show me where I can improve and what things I need to change in my life. I want to be the person God made me to be. I want to be a wife that Daniel can be proud of, I want to be a mother that Sienna respects and loves, I want to be a loving daughter and sister, and I want to be a caring and kind friend. In a lot of ways I have a long way to go to accomplish these things. However the Lord is working on my heart and I feel His power working.
I look forward to writing more about how God is changing my life and how He is working on my heart. But I wanted to tell you why I am writing this down here on my blog. I am writing this for two reasons. One is I want to praise God for what He is doing in my life and tell everyone about His mighty power and His greatness. Reason number two is I want to encourage you to run the race of life, start living your life in a way that glorifies God and RUN. God doesn't ask us to walk through life, He tells us to run. He wants us to run as to win the prize, and you know what the prize it? Eternal life with Jesus! What a amazing prize to win. So get started, jump into your bible and be encouraged and get strengthened.
Get up and Run, I look forward to running this race along side you!
Tonight we took Youth Group outside. Daniel and I recently received a wonderful gift of a fire pit from our friends Sherry and Meghan Christiansen. So Daniel had the wonderful idea to bring it to Youth Group tonight and have our lesson by camp fire. Well the kids loved it, we enjoyed worshiping God under the stars and did our entire lesson outside. We broke into our Gospel groups and they read their verse. After reading we came back and talked about the difficulties of being outside. The thing we talked about most in these verses was that Jesus was sorrowful and prayed to God to help Him with what was to come. Some of the kids had ever thought that Jesus could be sad. It was a interesting conversation and for many of them they felt closer to Christ because they could relate to Him. That is a big step for a lot of the kids, I found it powerful as well. To know my almighty Savior had struggles as well, and totaly understands me. We also talked about following Christ 's example, that whenever we are having a hard time or facing difficulties that we can come before God and pray. It amazes me how God can listen to all our prayers and cares for each of us. God is faithful and heard Jesus' prayers and I know that He hears mine.
The kids really loved be around the fire and it was amazing how well they listened. It seemed like they were already to hear what God had to say to them. It seems like God is pushes these kids, and it is a neat thing to watch! After the study we broke out marshmellows and roasted them for smores. It was a great time of fellowship, study, and worship all the while being outside under the stars. We are hoping to make this a once a month tradition. I'm looking forward to next month!
Read along with us:
Matthew 26:36-75
Mark 14:32-72
Luke 22:39- 64
John 18:1-26
