For my second outreach I baked cookies for the Ronald Mc Donald house. Since I am still 15 I am not allowed to work their so I had to find a way around the rules. I decided that I would bake cookies for the families that live there. I wish that I could have seen their reactions and talked to them but unfortuantly I couldn't. But it did feel great to bake cookies for them. The best way to peoples heart is through food so I have heard, so hopefully those yummy cookies could show them that I had a greater purpose for them than just making cookies. I wanted the holy spirit to move through them like it does through me during the holidays. During the holidays when I eat my favorite foods I am reminded of family and love and friends and Jesus who died on the cross for me and I am eternally grateful for all of those. That makes my relationship with the Lord stronger and all I wanted to do was share that with those families. I am praying for all of their illnesses to be healed during this holiday season so that they can have the best time this year. Overall, I enjoyed baking cookies for those families whether or not they knew what my intentions were.
Until next time....
Alexa
Monday, December 13, 2010
YOUNG LIVES!
My first outreach was at the Breakfast with Santa party at young lives. AH it was so fun! I am so glad I went! I had a chance to walk around and talk to the moms briefly before I was assigned to a different task. Then I went into the toy room to help the moms pick out toys for their kids. I got to talk to the moms about their kids and their favorite toys! I talked to this one mom and she was pregnant with her first and just barely 5 months. Since she was just pregnant, she didn't really pick out toys. I found a few things like cute books and crib sheets that she took instead of toys. Then I talked to this other mom that had 3 kids! She was one of the first ones in the room so she got to pick out the toys first. She got this huge play kitchen! I honestly got the chills when she got that because she had 3 kids and so that toy will have great use and she was so thankful. After that I had a chance to play with the kids. This one girl was adorable! She kept attacking me with stickers and putting them on my nose and legs. Then 2 other girls came over to help her attack me with stickers! They were so adorable and I had the best time playing with them. Although I didn't get to make a connection with any of the moms like I hoped, I did see Christ move through their lives in a way that couldn't be spoken. I had a great time over all and I will definitely be making a visit.
Until next time...
Alexa
Until next time...
Alexa
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Rhythms of Me project
Hey bloggers...long time no blogging for me haha
okay well in prac miss we did a project where we did tons of things for people soo im going to tell you about it briefly.
I really enjoyed this project a lot. At first I was skeptical because I wasnt sure how I would be able to do everything. But everything turned out perfectly! I didnt even realize that I had done parts of my project until i reflected on my day. This project really helped keep me accountable of what I am trying to be more like which is more like a servant leader. God calls us to be servants of him and of each other too. With all of the blessings that I have, I find it selfish that I wouldn't bless other people. That is really what I learned the most out of this project.
until next time...
Alexa-
okay well in prac miss we did a project where we did tons of things for people soo im going to tell you about it briefly.
I really enjoyed this project a lot. At first I was skeptical because I wasnt sure how I would be able to do everything. But everything turned out perfectly! I didnt even realize that I had done parts of my project until i reflected on my day. This project really helped keep me accountable of what I am trying to be more like which is more like a servant leader. God calls us to be servants of him and of each other too. With all of the blessings that I have, I find it selfish that I wouldn't bless other people. That is really what I learned the most out of this project.
until next time...
Alexa-
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
End of the Spear
This movie was amazing! Not even kidding this was in the top 10 favorite movies ever. I really loved this movie for many reasons. I really have a heart for missions which is why I signed up for this class so I really loved this movie because I really want to mission over seas so badly. I'm not saying that I want to go somewhere where I will be speared to death, but I do want to reach out to people who are in so much denial and who have 0% Christianity background. What I also loved about this movie was how amazing the family who came to reach the Indians were. When they were spearing them all they wanted them to know is that they came here to be sincere friends with them.
I really wish that the Indian tribe would have realized that they were great people and trying to help them. My favorite part of the movie was the end for sure. It was really touching when Mayacani apologized for killing his father and straight out told him the story about what happened. I could tell that throughout the movie it was really bothering him and he really regretted it especially when he got to know the family a little bit and knew that they were good people and only trying to help. I couldn't hold back tears because it was just so emotional. It was awesome how they found his picture. This movie was awesome and really showed the power of God and the way he used that family to work through the tribe even if it meant to give up family and American life. That is a true missionary.
Until next time....
Alexa :)
I really wish that the Indian tribe would have realized that they were great people and trying to help them. My favorite part of the movie was the end for sure. It was really touching when Mayacani apologized for killing his father and straight out told him the story about what happened. I could tell that throughout the movie it was really bothering him and he really regretted it especially when he got to know the family a little bit and knew that they were good people and only trying to help. I couldn't hold back tears because it was just so emotional. It was awesome how they found his picture. This movie was awesome and really showed the power of God and the way he used that family to work through the tribe even if it meant to give up family and American life. That is a true missionary.
Until next time....
Alexa :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Unit 1 review blog!
In this blog I will talk about the first unit of Practical Missions class. This unit was really great and I learned so much about the Kingdom, Satan, our mission, and just so much more!So this blog i will answer some questions or elaborating on some statements that were common throughout this unit.
1. The whole Bible is one story. The Bible is a meta-narrative, which is one big story with smaller stories throughout. There is always a protagonist, antagonist, rising tension, climax, and falling tension and the resolution. This story is the story by which we understand what the meaning of our lives is and how we are going to live it out. The protagonist is God, the antagonist is Satan, the rising tension could be seen as the fall of man to the serpent, the climax is the resting day for God after he made his creation. The falling tension could be the rejection of his word from his followers and the resolution is the judgment day when God comes to earth and judges us.
2. Throughout the Bible, God's purpose is mentioned and explained so many times. I like to think of his purpose more as his mission because his purpose was to send his one and only son down to earth to take our sins away and cleanse us from worldly things. God's mission is to have a relationship with us. There are more than one answers to this question but I think that his main mission is to make disciples out of us and to have a deep relationship with us. God wants us to be able to go with him for ANYTHING and it not be awkward. He doesn't want us to look at him like someone who we can't be ourselves around. He isn't going to judge us because he loves us no matter what. He will forgive us for our sins, AKA redemption. He is such a forgiving God and I thank him for that so much because we would all be in so much trouble if he wasn't so forgiving and didn't give us so much mercy. Lastly, he has reconciliation. Reconciliation requires us ti live out his word and have a friendship with God to some extent.
3. This section was my favorite part of all. God blesses us so that we can bless others. It's as simple as that. He gives us money and a house and food so that we can go and bless others by serving food to the homeless, donating to a charity etc. I also think that somethings that happen in our life that are not positive can also be a blessing. Whatever it may be, it happened for a reason and we need to take advantage of it so that we can help other people who are going through the same thing as we are and lead them to Christ so that they can give it all to him. He doesn't give us blessings just so we can have fun and have a good time. There isn't really much to say other than if you are given something so great and wonderful, dont be selfish, share it with others, even if it is only by words and your heart. Sometimes the best thing that can ever be given is love.
4. God wants us to participate in his kingdom with him. The reason we are a part of his kingdom is so that he can use us to expand his kingdom. As Christians, we are called to Earth to us our life as a mission and to mission to others. Even if its just sharing the word of Christ because that is mainly all he wants. When we simply tell someone hey, you know that God loves you so much and he sent his son just so you could have a great life, you are sharing the most important thing about God. If anything he wants everyone to know his love for you. So overall, we are called to expand his kingdom that is here right now on the earth. We are in his kingdom now. His kingdom is based around LOVE.
5. Spiritual warfare is tough and really confusing. I still don't fully understand all about this warfare but its just terrible. To me, it seems that Satan is getting everyone sick and tempting us to get back at God for taking away his power. It is weird to think that God's kingdom is spreading while Satan is taking over too. When God heals and brings someone else to Christ, he is taking back land that was once taken from him by Satan. Satan cant create so he tries to ruin everything that is tempting or is "easy" for him to ruin. Every bad thought, every sickness, everything that is bad is a curse from Satan. Some people think that it is from God because something good comes out of it but I think that is God just beating Satan and working his miracles through him. So all in all, God's kingdom grows through Satan whenever God defeats him.
1. The whole Bible is one story. The Bible is a meta-narrative, which is one big story with smaller stories throughout. There is always a protagonist, antagonist, rising tension, climax, and falling tension and the resolution. This story is the story by which we understand what the meaning of our lives is and how we are going to live it out. The protagonist is God, the antagonist is Satan, the rising tension could be seen as the fall of man to the serpent, the climax is the resting day for God after he made his creation. The falling tension could be the rejection of his word from his followers and the resolution is the judgment day when God comes to earth and judges us.
2. Throughout the Bible, God's purpose is mentioned and explained so many times. I like to think of his purpose more as his mission because his purpose was to send his one and only son down to earth to take our sins away and cleanse us from worldly things. God's mission is to have a relationship with us. There are more than one answers to this question but I think that his main mission is to make disciples out of us and to have a deep relationship with us. God wants us to be able to go with him for ANYTHING and it not be awkward. He doesn't want us to look at him like someone who we can't be ourselves around. He isn't going to judge us because he loves us no matter what. He will forgive us for our sins, AKA redemption. He is such a forgiving God and I thank him for that so much because we would all be in so much trouble if he wasn't so forgiving and didn't give us so much mercy. Lastly, he has reconciliation. Reconciliation requires us ti live out his word and have a friendship with God to some extent.
3. This section was my favorite part of all. God blesses us so that we can bless others. It's as simple as that. He gives us money and a house and food so that we can go and bless others by serving food to the homeless, donating to a charity etc. I also think that somethings that happen in our life that are not positive can also be a blessing. Whatever it may be, it happened for a reason and we need to take advantage of it so that we can help other people who are going through the same thing as we are and lead them to Christ so that they can give it all to him. He doesn't give us blessings just so we can have fun and have a good time. There isn't really much to say other than if you are given something so great and wonderful, dont be selfish, share it with others, even if it is only by words and your heart. Sometimes the best thing that can ever be given is love.
4. God wants us to participate in his kingdom with him. The reason we are a part of his kingdom is so that he can use us to expand his kingdom. As Christians, we are called to Earth to us our life as a mission and to mission to others. Even if its just sharing the word of Christ because that is mainly all he wants. When we simply tell someone hey, you know that God loves you so much and he sent his son just so you could have a great life, you are sharing the most important thing about God. If anything he wants everyone to know his love for you. So overall, we are called to expand his kingdom that is here right now on the earth. We are in his kingdom now. His kingdom is based around LOVE.
5. Spiritual warfare is tough and really confusing. I still don't fully understand all about this warfare but its just terrible. To me, it seems that Satan is getting everyone sick and tempting us to get back at God for taking away his power. It is weird to think that God's kingdom is spreading while Satan is taking over too. When God heals and brings someone else to Christ, he is taking back land that was once taken from him by Satan. Satan cant create so he tries to ruin everything that is tempting or is "easy" for him to ruin. Every bad thought, every sickness, everything that is bad is a curse from Satan. Some people think that it is from God because something good comes out of it but I think that is God just beating Satan and working his miracles through him. So all in all, God's kingdom grows through Satan whenever God defeats him.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Let the Nations Be Glad!
So I really enjoyed last class! I liked going to the chapel to read this paper because it makes everything more interesting instead of just reading in the room.
This paper that we read was about worship and missions--hmm figures? haha oh well :)
Any who, I guess I will talk about my favorite part of this article. My favorite part or parts was when he was talking about how God is calling us to be a person whose theme and passion is how great God is. I really like this because I think that we all need to hear that because it gets confusing sometimes and its great reassurance. God is calling us to worship him because not everyone can be a missionary. But, before you become a missionary you have to worship too because that is most important. Without worship you wouldn't feel the power of Christ dwelling inside you and you wouldn't see his strengths so your mission ambition would not be so successful. I also like the first paragraph. It talks about how missions will eventually end. A missionary cant be one forever. Eventually their time will come when they have to stop but the one thing that never stops is worship. You can never escape worship or ever be too old or whatever the reason is. It will always be there. This article also talks a lot about the church and how the church views missions and worship. Well the goal of the church isn't missions so it has to be worship. But that does make since. So overall, you have to love Christ and want to worship him and have a strong relationship with him before you pursue missions.
Until next time...
Alexa :)
This paper that we read was about worship and missions--hmm figures? haha oh well :)
Any who, I guess I will talk about my favorite part of this article. My favorite part or parts was when he was talking about how God is calling us to be a person whose theme and passion is how great God is. I really like this because I think that we all need to hear that because it gets confusing sometimes and its great reassurance. God is calling us to worship him because not everyone can be a missionary. But, before you become a missionary you have to worship too because that is most important. Without worship you wouldn't feel the power of Christ dwelling inside you and you wouldn't see his strengths so your mission ambition would not be so successful. I also like the first paragraph. It talks about how missions will eventually end. A missionary cant be one forever. Eventually their time will come when they have to stop but the one thing that never stops is worship. You can never escape worship or ever be too old or whatever the reason is. It will always be there. This article also talks a lot about the church and how the church views missions and worship. Well the goal of the church isn't missions so it has to be worship. But that does make since. So overall, you have to love Christ and want to worship him and have a strong relationship with him before you pursue missions.
Until next time...
Alexa :)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Curses from Satan?
Hey friends of the internet...
Last class we read this article about Satan..EW. It was a really good article and I really enjoyed reading it! The title was God at war and it was basically about spiritual warfare. There is no set questions and stuff that I need to answer so I am just going to say what I found interesting and confusing etc.
First, I wanted to address the question that we talked a lot about in class..are sicknesses, deaths, diseases etc from Satan or God. I really have no idea. I have gone back and forth about what my answer was. I think that God puts these situations in our lives to test our faith and to help us grow stronger. I do believe that with every bad situation you grow so much and learn so much about your faith and yourself. But, I also think that they are from Satan. Satan is PURE evil and these things are evil too. I really have to set answer that I can say because I just honestly do not know.
I was also confused about a few things. First I remember reading and someone saying how Satan was once in control or partly in control of the world and God beat him? I do believe that God has overcome Satan but I also think that it is still a battle because so many people are still falling for Satan's trickery. Another question that we talked about in class was why we don't see demons in people anymore? I think that the reason I'm not like she is totally demon possessed is because there are so many different things that could be going on behind the scenes. I also think that the picture that was placed in my mind of possessed people is the picture of these people screaming and yelling and rolling on the floor and just going crazy. I have never seen that before so I think that is why I don't quickly say that they are possessed. Although in the Bible, the towns people and everyone else automatically knew that they were possessed. Its interesting to think about..
I think that God can overcome ALL of Satan's tricks of sickness, possessed people etc. IF you have full faith in God and you trust him completely with your life than I think that there is no way that Satan can even touch you. You might be tempted, but you won't cave in. With that note...
Until next time...
Alexa :)
Last class we read this article about Satan..EW. It was a really good article and I really enjoyed reading it! The title was God at war and it was basically about spiritual warfare. There is no set questions and stuff that I need to answer so I am just going to say what I found interesting and confusing etc.
First, I wanted to address the question that we talked a lot about in class..are sicknesses, deaths, diseases etc from Satan or God. I really have no idea. I have gone back and forth about what my answer was. I think that God puts these situations in our lives to test our faith and to help us grow stronger. I do believe that with every bad situation you grow so much and learn so much about your faith and yourself. But, I also think that they are from Satan. Satan is PURE evil and these things are evil too. I really have to set answer that I can say because I just honestly do not know.
I was also confused about a few things. First I remember reading and someone saying how Satan was once in control or partly in control of the world and God beat him? I do believe that God has overcome Satan but I also think that it is still a battle because so many people are still falling for Satan's trickery. Another question that we talked about in class was why we don't see demons in people anymore? I think that the reason I'm not like she is totally demon possessed is because there are so many different things that could be going on behind the scenes. I also think that the picture that was placed in my mind of possessed people is the picture of these people screaming and yelling and rolling on the floor and just going crazy. I have never seen that before so I think that is why I don't quickly say that they are possessed. Although in the Bible, the towns people and everyone else automatically knew that they were possessed. Its interesting to think about..
I think that God can overcome ALL of Satan's tricks of sickness, possessed people etc. IF you have full faith in God and you trust him completely with your life than I think that there is no way that Satan can even touch you. You might be tempted, but you won't cave in. With that note...
Until next time...
Alexa :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Kingdom of God
After reading chapter 4, the biggest thing that I got out of it was that the kingdom is here. The Kingdom is not just "in the sky" like everyone assumes. We are currently part of his kingdom on earth. It is confusing as to what our part in the kingdom but I think part of it is to expand his kingdom. We are to tell EVERYONE about his kingdom and make it grow. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we enter the gates of his kingdom. Most people think that when you die you enter the kingdom but that is definitely not true because we enter his kingdom when we accept him into our hearts as our Lord and Savior.
until next time....
Alexa.
until next time....
Alexa.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Reflection of the 1st quarter
Hello peeps from the internet,
This blog I will be reflecting on the first quarter of practical missions. This quarter has been really great so far. I really love how laid back this class is and takes the stress away from the other classes. This class is truly my favorite. One of my favorite parts about this class is the book that we study from. Every chapter is so practical and its not textbook boring. They are really fun to read and I really learn something each time. On the negative side, some of the speakers that we watch can be boring so that is a negative thing. But, I really do enjoy mostly all of the sermons that we watch. All I can really say is that I can not wait for the rest of the year to progress. It has great so far and is really helping me grow in my faith as a christian and become a servant leader.
until next time....<3
-Alexa-
This blog I will be reflecting on the first quarter of practical missions. This quarter has been really great so far. I really love how laid back this class is and takes the stress away from the other classes. This class is truly my favorite. One of my favorite parts about this class is the book that we study from. Every chapter is so practical and its not textbook boring. They are really fun to read and I really learn something each time. On the negative side, some of the speakers that we watch can be boring so that is a negative thing. But, I really do enjoy mostly all of the sermons that we watch. All I can really say is that I can not wait for the rest of the year to progress. It has great so far and is really helping me grow in my faith as a christian and become a servant leader.
until next time....<3
-Alexa-
Thursday, October 14, 2010
LUKE WARM.EW.
Firstly, before I start blogging, I would like to state that the term "luke warm" is simply DISGUSTING. eww its one of those words that grosses you out by saying it. Like...meatloaf and moist. EW. okay now im going off topic...
SO last class we watched a sermon by a man named Francis Chan. I really love him. I am reading his book crazy love and it is crazy good :) It is an easy read so I enjoy reading it! He is a great speaker and I really want to hear more sermons from him! He talked about what it means to be on FIRE for the Lord and what it means to be luke warm. So there are some questions that I will be answering now...
1. Does Jesus expect us to be radical or is there a middle road? Follow the leader or …?
I got really confused when he was talking about this middle of the road story. I guess I kind of blanked out because I was thinking so I sort of missed what the point he was trying to get at was. Although I think Jesus wants us to be radical for him.
2. Why is it that so many people in church think that our life is ideal?
Everyone wants to live the "American Dream." Well, noo why would anyone want to live that? People from the church think that our life is so ideal because we have a house to live in, we are FILTHY RICH compared to the rest of the world, and we are blessed beyond needs. I want to hit on the rich part because I couldn't even believe that people live on 2 dollars. Chan's example about the 2 dollars was spot on. It is just so hard to believe. When we go to the movies and we pay 10 dollars for a ticket, that is like HUGE to someone who is poorer than us. Its just insane. If we are not really surrendering our lives to God and not on fire for him then our life is not ideal at all. We are going to hell. Hell. If we continue to live luke warm lives.
3. Do you agree that being filthy rich is a spiritual disadvantage?
Im so off and on about this..so I dont really have a set answer. I think yes it is a major disadvantage in some circumstances. Actually, now that I think about it, it pretty much always it except when you are using your money to solely help others. But the main way that I think it is a disadvantage is because we don't rely on God for everything. When I say everything, I mean literally EVERYTHING. They don't know if they will see the sunset tomorrow, or if they will eat, or have clean water, or have ANY water, or be safe, or anything like that. We don't have to worry about any of that! I know that when I come home, I can eat anything I want. Imagine this, the TOILET water is 100% times cleaner than the water that they have. The water that they have is nasty swampy water. This may sound gross but the toilet water is water that unfortunate people would walk miles for! So, yes I do think that being rich is a spiritual curse.
4. Are you luke warm and loving it? Or are you trying to do something about it?
I am definitely NOT loving it. Why would someone love it? I am putting an effort in my relationship with the Lord and I can really see the change. I write in my prayer journal and read my devo book every night and sometimes under my bed. That sounds weird but there are no distractions under there except maybe spiders...haha just kidding! But for real, I am luke warm and hating it. I want to say ohh no I am not luke warm, Im perfect! But in reality, I am luke warm and I strive to be ON FIRE FOR GOD!
5. Is my life making God vomit? Would the way you live your life make the poor vomit?
The first part of the question could go either wat, but yeah I do think that my life is making him vomit. I am not living the way that I should be but I am trying to cut back and change the way that I do things so that I will not make him vomit. And I definitely think that the way I live my life makes the poor vomit. I bet they would be disgusted. I spend 10 dollars on a meal and 10 dollars would go a lot further than just a meal. I just think that the way that I spend my money could not be so selfish.
SO last class we watched a sermon by a man named Francis Chan. I really love him. I am reading his book crazy love and it is crazy good :) It is an easy read so I enjoy reading it! He is a great speaker and I really want to hear more sermons from him! He talked about what it means to be on FIRE for the Lord and what it means to be luke warm. So there are some questions that I will be answering now...
1. Does Jesus expect us to be radical or is there a middle road? Follow the leader or …?
I got really confused when he was talking about this middle of the road story. I guess I kind of blanked out because I was thinking so I sort of missed what the point he was trying to get at was. Although I think Jesus wants us to be radical for him.
2. Why is it that so many people in church think that our life is ideal?
Everyone wants to live the "American Dream." Well, noo why would anyone want to live that? People from the church think that our life is so ideal because we have a house to live in, we are FILTHY RICH compared to the rest of the world, and we are blessed beyond needs. I want to hit on the rich part because I couldn't even believe that people live on 2 dollars. Chan's example about the 2 dollars was spot on. It is just so hard to believe. When we go to the movies and we pay 10 dollars for a ticket, that is like HUGE to someone who is poorer than us. Its just insane. If we are not really surrendering our lives to God and not on fire for him then our life is not ideal at all. We are going to hell. Hell. If we continue to live luke warm lives.
3. Do you agree that being filthy rich is a spiritual disadvantage?
Im so off and on about this..so I dont really have a set answer. I think yes it is a major disadvantage in some circumstances. Actually, now that I think about it, it pretty much always it except when you are using your money to solely help others. But the main way that I think it is a disadvantage is because we don't rely on God for everything. When I say everything, I mean literally EVERYTHING. They don't know if they will see the sunset tomorrow, or if they will eat, or have clean water, or have ANY water, or be safe, or anything like that. We don't have to worry about any of that! I know that when I come home, I can eat anything I want. Imagine this, the TOILET water is 100% times cleaner than the water that they have. The water that they have is nasty swampy water. This may sound gross but the toilet water is water that unfortunate people would walk miles for! So, yes I do think that being rich is a spiritual curse.
4. Are you luke warm and loving it? Or are you trying to do something about it?
I am definitely NOT loving it. Why would someone love it? I am putting an effort in my relationship with the Lord and I can really see the change. I write in my prayer journal and read my devo book every night and sometimes under my bed. That sounds weird but there are no distractions under there except maybe spiders...haha just kidding! But for real, I am luke warm and hating it. I want to say ohh no I am not luke warm, Im perfect! But in reality, I am luke warm and I strive to be ON FIRE FOR GOD!
5. Is my life making God vomit? Would the way you live your life make the poor vomit?
The first part of the question could go either wat, but yeah I do think that my life is making him vomit. I am not living the way that I should be but I am trying to cut back and change the way that I do things so that I will not make him vomit. And I definitely think that the way I live my life makes the poor vomit. I bet they would be disgusted. I spend 10 dollars on a meal and 10 dollars would go a lot further than just a meal. I just think that the way that I spend my money could not be so selfish.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Rob bell :)
Blog for Sermon of Rob Bell:
So I thought this sermon was interesting…The first 45 minutes was really boring to be completely honest. All he did was state facts that wasted time. I mean it is great to see how complex everything is to prove that there is a God who is amazing and powerful and there is no other way that everything could have been created but I think he went on with it for too long. He talked a lot about the 7 days of creation and how God rested on the 7th day. God isn’t a machine that uses fuel and runs all day; he is like us and needed to rest after he made something so amazing. I know on Sundays is my rest day, probably like everyone else, but I have this prayer journal and on Sundays I just reflect on the past week and think about how blessed I am. Rob really all he talked about was how amazing and beautiful his creation is. My favorite fact that he told us was the one where he was talking about space and how if the sun was one centimeter up then we would freeze and if it was one centimeter down then we would burn to death. How crazy right?? I really don’t understand how anyone could not believe that God made all this and that is just happened like spoof, the earth is made. No, that is IMPOSSIBLE. It just fazes how people can be evolutionist and all into the science things.
So that is pretty much all I have to say…
Until next time……..
Alexa (:
So I thought this sermon was interesting…The first 45 minutes was really boring to be completely honest. All he did was state facts that wasted time. I mean it is great to see how complex everything is to prove that there is a God who is amazing and powerful and there is no other way that everything could have been created but I think he went on with it for too long. He talked a lot about the 7 days of creation and how God rested on the 7th day. God isn’t a machine that uses fuel and runs all day; he is like us and needed to rest after he made something so amazing. I know on Sundays is my rest day, probably like everyone else, but I have this prayer journal and on Sundays I just reflect on the past week and think about how blessed I am. Rob really all he talked about was how amazing and beautiful his creation is. My favorite fact that he told us was the one where he was talking about space and how if the sun was one centimeter up then we would freeze and if it was one centimeter down then we would burn to death. How crazy right?? I really don’t understand how anyone could not believe that God made all this and that is just happened like spoof, the earth is made. No, that is IMPOSSIBLE. It just fazes how people can be evolutionist and all into the science things.
So that is pretty much all I have to say…
Until next time……..
Alexa (:
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
blessing to others!
I really loved the topic in chapter 3 about blessing others. It is so true! We are here on earth not because we are blessed, but to pass the blessing to others. We are blessed in order to be a blessing onto others. You really have to not be selfish to live out your life like this. One bible verse that I like that explains this is Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." When it says let our light shine before others, I think of it like let our actions and good hearts be used to bless others and when we do that, we glorify God. In my life I have been very blessed. I am very blessed to be living where I do, to be going to Houston Christian and to wear the clothes I have and etc. With all that I have that I was blessed with, it seems wrong to me if I dont bless others with what I have. I have food on the table when I get home because I am blessed to be able to afford it, so I like to serve homeless people who are not as fortunate. I am also fortunate to have blankets to keep me warm at night in the winter, so I like to go out and hand out blankets around Christmas time and tell people that Jesus loves you. When I bless other people, I really hope that they bless others, and then those people bless other people. I just cant help but feel selfish if I do not help other people. I have way too many resources to just let them go to waste. There have also been times where God has blessed me and I'm sitting here thinking Why in the world did you let this happen? this is not a blessing! But when I think about it, maybe its not a blessing in my life, but to other people it is. And most likely it will turn out to be. God does reveal his plan through blessings. So with this, I really hope that you use your gifts to bless others! Maybe your gift is singing, go sing holiday songs to the elderly! Or maybe your gift is giving, go give to an organization that needs it. Whatever your gift is or what you have been blessed with is, because everyones is different, go bless others :)
Until next time....
Alexa <3
Until next time....
Alexa <3
Spiritual Emphasis Week!
Ahhh last week was absolutely AMAZING. The band was great, the speaker was great, and the sermon was great. I remember last year's sew (spiritual emphasis week) didn't have an impact on me at all. I know that sounds bad,but it really didn't. I didn't go into the next week thinking wow i have SO much to do with my faith. This year's was perfect. The "theme" of the week was exactly 100% what i needed to hear; without a doubt. I was going to write about each day, but I'm just going to write about certain things that happened or I liked or didn't like.
1. What bothered me so incredibly much is how people take chapel as a joke. I look around and people are laughing and they are like woohooo chapel! but being very sarcastic. I guess it bothers me because I take it really seriously, i have my little chapel notebook I take and when I write in my prayer notebook each week or reflect on the week, I turn to that too.
2. I really loved the speaker! At first I was like oh great, hopefully this speaker isn't boring. But when I heard it was Greg, I got so excited! Every message that he gave us was soo practical. I could relate to every single one. He lightened the mood with his voices and noises, but when he needed too, he got very serious.
3. My favorite day was Thursday. If I remember correctly (I don't have my notebook near me): ) the talk about saying sorry to people and being sarcastic was on Thursday. This day was my favorite for many reasons. I know that a lot of people are really fake when they tell their friends like ohh i love you and you will always be my best friend. Then, behind their back, they are like omg did you see her today? Wow! And she is SO annoying. I know so many girls that are like that. Another favorite part of mine is when he started talking about the dad hugs. Immediately I started bawling crying. I just couldn't hold it in. Ahh, I'm crying just writing this because it was so emotional for me. My dad is not present in my life for many reasons. He decided to get involved in unhealthy "activities" and so therefore he is not allowed to see me. I have all these memories from when I was 6, but I never remember him telling me he is proud of me and stuff like that. He would write letters to me but I never thought they were genuine and he meant it all. So when Greg was talking about the dad hugs and he would give us one, I went up to him after chapel and I got my first real dad hug. It was the biggest relief and it felt so good for someone to tell me they loved me and were proud of me.
4. One day Greg talked about being rude to people and negative towards them (probably thursday). So far, if anyone says a bad word or something negative, I tap them and ask them if that was really necessary. I also tell them that I am becoming a better person and their actions are not really helping me or others, I know its not all about me so I also say this so they will be a better person too. I did the challenge and tried my hardest to not say anything negative to anyone. I know that I did not succeed but I am working hard and trying my best.
5. The last thing I will talk about is one thing that Greg briefed on. He said that no Christian is better than the rest. I know that I have ALWAYS struggled with this. I would look at some people and be like wow they are so much better Christians than I am because they have never missed Church and I missed last Sunday. I used to feel like there was a level of Christianity. For example like some people could be in a low category but some were in the highest because they were "perfect Christians." I know now that we all worship in different ways and we love the Lord differently but we all have one thing in common which is the Lord.
The last thing that I want to say quickly is that I had previously accepted Jesus in my heart but I don't feel like I was living for him, so now I have in a way reclaimed my faith and recommitted myself to him. Im super excited for this so please pray for me as I start a new life :)
peace & blessings
Alexa <3
1. What bothered me so incredibly much is how people take chapel as a joke. I look around and people are laughing and they are like woohooo chapel! but being very sarcastic. I guess it bothers me because I take it really seriously, i have my little chapel notebook I take and when I write in my prayer notebook each week or reflect on the week, I turn to that too.
2. I really loved the speaker! At first I was like oh great, hopefully this speaker isn't boring. But when I heard it was Greg, I got so excited! Every message that he gave us was soo practical. I could relate to every single one. He lightened the mood with his voices and noises, but when he needed too, he got very serious.
3. My favorite day was Thursday. If I remember correctly (I don't have my notebook near me): ) the talk about saying sorry to people and being sarcastic was on Thursday. This day was my favorite for many reasons. I know that a lot of people are really fake when they tell their friends like ohh i love you and you will always be my best friend. Then, behind their back, they are like omg did you see her today? Wow! And she is SO annoying. I know so many girls that are like that. Another favorite part of mine is when he started talking about the dad hugs. Immediately I started bawling crying. I just couldn't hold it in. Ahh, I'm crying just writing this because it was so emotional for me. My dad is not present in my life for many reasons. He decided to get involved in unhealthy "activities" and so therefore he is not allowed to see me. I have all these memories from when I was 6, but I never remember him telling me he is proud of me and stuff like that. He would write letters to me but I never thought they were genuine and he meant it all. So when Greg was talking about the dad hugs and he would give us one, I went up to him after chapel and I got my first real dad hug. It was the biggest relief and it felt so good for someone to tell me they loved me and were proud of me.
4. One day Greg talked about being rude to people and negative towards them (probably thursday). So far, if anyone says a bad word or something negative, I tap them and ask them if that was really necessary. I also tell them that I am becoming a better person and their actions are not really helping me or others, I know its not all about me so I also say this so they will be a better person too. I did the challenge and tried my hardest to not say anything negative to anyone. I know that I did not succeed but I am working hard and trying my best.
5. The last thing I will talk about is one thing that Greg briefed on. He said that no Christian is better than the rest. I know that I have ALWAYS struggled with this. I would look at some people and be like wow they are so much better Christians than I am because they have never missed Church and I missed last Sunday. I used to feel like there was a level of Christianity. For example like some people could be in a low category but some were in the highest because they were "perfect Christians." I know now that we all worship in different ways and we love the Lord differently but we all have one thing in common which is the Lord.
The last thing that I want to say quickly is that I had previously accepted Jesus in my heart but I don't feel like I was living for him, so now I have in a way reclaimed my faith and recommitted myself to him. Im super excited for this so please pray for me as I start a new life :)
peace & blessings
Alexa <3
Sunday, September 26, 2010
You cry; I cry
The last time I felt pain for someone was today. I feel sorrow for people every day but am I REALLY feeling pain for them? Yes I think to my self wow it is truly said that someone has to live this way but I never felt pain for them. I mean like I never felt what they were going through because I am so blessed.
When I usually cry, I cry about things that are going on in my life. But, I remember one time, my best friend was going through some hard times and we just sat on the phone for a long time and I cried for her. For the first time I was feeling someone else's pain. I love her so much so when I knew she was hurting so badly, it was killing me inside. Ever since then I have opened my heart to care for others and I feel like an emotional wreck all the time. I just cry so much. It seems like I no longer cry for myself anymore. It's not that I am not going through hard times-believe me I am- but I am just slowly becoming less selfish. I know that I can give my sorrows to Jesus and he will take care of them for me. I cry a lot for people who have no one that takes their sorrows. The sermon was really great and really felt at home, I even started crying. I never thought about how seeing someone else cry can make that big of an impact on someone. I know that it is hard for me to cry in front of other people. It makes me uncomfortable for people to know how broken I am, but really, we are all broken. I do this weird thing where I hate showing my emotions so I cover my real pain with other emotions because I don't want people feeling sorry for me and I don't want them to see the real me. I am really vulnerable about my emotions so when some of my close friends that see my cry see me break down, they cry too. We are humans and we have emotions and feelings and if they are shown every once in a while, it could save a life, like in the story that the preacher told.
So whether its crying for someone you don't know or crying with your best friend, try and take on someone else's pain.
When I usually cry, I cry about things that are going on in my life. But, I remember one time, my best friend was going through some hard times and we just sat on the phone for a long time and I cried for her. For the first time I was feeling someone else's pain. I love her so much so when I knew she was hurting so badly, it was killing me inside. Ever since then I have opened my heart to care for others and I feel like an emotional wreck all the time. I just cry so much. It seems like I no longer cry for myself anymore. It's not that I am not going through hard times-believe me I am- but I am just slowly becoming less selfish. I know that I can give my sorrows to Jesus and he will take care of them for me. I cry a lot for people who have no one that takes their sorrows. The sermon was really great and really felt at home, I even started crying. I never thought about how seeing someone else cry can make that big of an impact on someone. I know that it is hard for me to cry in front of other people. It makes me uncomfortable for people to know how broken I am, but really, we are all broken. I do this weird thing where I hate showing my emotions so I cover my real pain with other emotions because I don't want people feeling sorry for me and I don't want them to see the real me. I am really vulnerable about my emotions so when some of my close friends that see my cry see me break down, they cry too. We are humans and we have emotions and feelings and if they are shown every once in a while, it could save a life, like in the story that the preacher told.
So whether its crying for someone you don't know or crying with your best friend, try and take on someone else's pain.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Chapter 2!
Hey guys! So this post is about chapter 2 of the book we are studying...soo here we go. First, some reflective questions..
Which relationships do you turn to first when youʼre looking for guidance and support?
I'm not going to lie to you, but the first person I turn to is not God. I know I easily could say God but that gets me no where. I really wish I could say God but I am not there yet. The first person I go to is my friends (specifically Rachel & Allie). I am working really hard to get to that point where I will run to God so bear with me.
Does your relationship with God have the same sort of dynamic interaction as some of your other relationships? Should it?
No, sadly my relationship doesn't. It seems that I do not take it as I am talking to my best friend when I talk to God. I feel that sometimes I am like oh I haven't prayed today, let me get it over with. Its so horrible of me, but again I am working on that too. And yes i definitely think that my relationship with God needs to be the same as with anyone else.
Would you describe yourself as someone who seeks reconciliation, whether for yourself –reconciliation between you and God or between you and other people – or for others whom you help to reconcile with God? What are some situations you see in your world that could use reconciliation?
I do actually seek reconciliation from God often. I can't think if a direct time when I asked for reconciliation from God, but some common ones are like being mean to friends and parents, not trying your best, and distancing yourself from God. I do repent a lot for the last one. Sometimes I feel very distant from God which is my issue because I know that whether I want him to or not, he will ALWAYS be there for me even when I give up.
God is a relational God and he WANTS a relationship with you! I know it sounds weird that I am saying that because I may sound like a hypocrite, but I like to take my own advice too because I personally need to work on my relationship with God too. My relationship also gives me the excitement to go have more relationships with other people too! But, I could have a MILLION relationships with different people but none of it matters because they can't give me what God can :)
Hopefully I blogged about what I was supposed to...sorry if I didn't ):
Which relationships do you turn to first when youʼre looking for guidance and support?
I'm not going to lie to you, but the first person I turn to is not God. I know I easily could say God but that gets me no where. I really wish I could say God but I am not there yet. The first person I go to is my friends (specifically Rachel & Allie). I am working really hard to get to that point where I will run to God so bear with me.
Does your relationship with God have the same sort of dynamic interaction as some of your other relationships? Should it?
No, sadly my relationship doesn't. It seems that I do not take it as I am talking to my best friend when I talk to God. I feel that sometimes I am like oh I haven't prayed today, let me get it over with. Its so horrible of me, but again I am working on that too. And yes i definitely think that my relationship with God needs to be the same as with anyone else.
Would you describe yourself as someone who seeks reconciliation, whether for yourself –reconciliation between you and God or between you and other people – or for others whom you help to reconcile with God? What are some situations you see in your world that could use reconciliation?
I do actually seek reconciliation from God often. I can't think if a direct time when I asked for reconciliation from God, but some common ones are like being mean to friends and parents, not trying your best, and distancing yourself from God. I do repent a lot for the last one. Sometimes I feel very distant from God which is my issue because I know that whether I want him to or not, he will ALWAYS be there for me even when I give up.
God is a relational God and he WANTS a relationship with you! I know it sounds weird that I am saying that because I may sound like a hypocrite, but I like to take my own advice too because I personally need to work on my relationship with God too. My relationship also gives me the excitement to go have more relationships with other people too! But, I could have a MILLION relationships with different people but none of it matters because they can't give me what God can :)
Hopefully I blogged about what I was supposed to...sorry if I didn't ):
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Blog about Satan....ohh no...
So I was SO confused about what was do when and what not although I probably should have been a good student and checked the portal. I guess I got hung up on time...not sure, but thats besides the point. This blog is about Satan and God's plan/promise! In class we talked about Lucifer and God's promise and Adam and Eve!
Firstly, I had never really had known too much information about Satan prior to this discussion so a lot of this was new. What was weird to me that I had to piece together is that once Satan, or Lucifer, was an angel of God. Weird right? This terrible deceitful man was an ANGEL? I had never really thought about it too much like that. What is also weird is that he was THE most handsome angel of all of them. Today we perceive him as a red monster with horns and steam coming out of his ears, which is quite the opposite. I could pretty much go on and on, but I will answer a few questions too...
1. When considering God's purpose for creation how does this encourage you as you join Him in His work?
Well, I know that because Adam and Eve, and because we are sinful people, that makes me want to mission to others. I want to help people repent for their sins and draw them closer to God. I don't really know how to verbalize my answer because this is a tricky question..
2. When considering Satan's counterfeit kingdom and his rebellion against God, how do you see/experience this playing out in the world you live in?
Well, I see Satans whole kingdom as trying to get revenge for God kicking him out of his kingdom. Satan wants to ruin people's lives so that they never come to love and learn about Christ. That pretty much sums of Satan's mission. In our world I see it quite often. For example, if my friend did something terrible to me and I told them, hey I really don't want to hang out with you anymore, they would get angry. Then that person could go and get a group together and start rumors about me and make my other friends leave me or make other people not want to be my friend. That example reminds me a lot like what Satan does.
3. Finally, when you consider the promise of Scripture - that Christ will accomplish this purpose - how does this make you feel? How does understanding this Truth open your eyes to your own individual purpose and how will this understanding impact the rest of your life on earth?
Eh, this question is really confusing and I'm not quite sure what it is exactly asking...but I'm just going to go with if I keep reading the bible and letting God guide me wherever that may be, then I'm good and my life on Earth will be ALL up to him.
-Alexa-
Firstly, I had never really had known too much information about Satan prior to this discussion so a lot of this was new. What was weird to me that I had to piece together is that once Satan, or Lucifer, was an angel of God. Weird right? This terrible deceitful man was an ANGEL? I had never really thought about it too much like that. What is also weird is that he was THE most handsome angel of all of them. Today we perceive him as a red monster with horns and steam coming out of his ears, which is quite the opposite. I could pretty much go on and on, but I will answer a few questions too...
1. When considering God's purpose for creation how does this encourage you as you join Him in His work?
Well, I know that because Adam and Eve, and because we are sinful people, that makes me want to mission to others. I want to help people repent for their sins and draw them closer to God. I don't really know how to verbalize my answer because this is a tricky question..
2. When considering Satan's counterfeit kingdom and his rebellion against God, how do you see/experience this playing out in the world you live in?
Well, I see Satans whole kingdom as trying to get revenge for God kicking him out of his kingdom. Satan wants to ruin people's lives so that they never come to love and learn about Christ. That pretty much sums of Satan's mission. In our world I see it quite often. For example, if my friend did something terrible to me and I told them, hey I really don't want to hang out with you anymore, they would get angry. Then that person could go and get a group together and start rumors about me and make my other friends leave me or make other people not want to be my friend. That example reminds me a lot like what Satan does.
3. Finally, when you consider the promise of Scripture - that Christ will accomplish this purpose - how does this make you feel? How does understanding this Truth open your eyes to your own individual purpose and how will this understanding impact the rest of your life on earth?
Eh, this question is really confusing and I'm not quite sure what it is exactly asking...but I'm just going to go with if I keep reading the bible and letting God guide me wherever that may be, then I'm good and my life on Earth will be ALL up to him.
-Alexa-
Monday, September 6, 2010
The bible is one HUGE story!
It's late and I am very tired and I have been sitting in front of my computer for 30 minutes going back and forth about what to write. I am having complete writers block! Maybe I am distracted because I am so tired and I have a terrible sunburn, but I am still stuck. So, I will try and do the best I can.
The bible as a story is so important to us. God uses his story to convey and reveal himself to us through his word. Remember when we were younger and we would have older people tell us all of these cool stories to prove a point for example why its fun to have a dog, or why you never want to eat spinach or something like that. Well, God's story is not a silly as that, but its serious and its important. Story is a way of communicating truth and God's story, The Bible, is ALL truth. The story of the bible shares that we are all to join God in his mission. We are invited to participate with God as bearers of His purpose. The Bible is a big meta narrative, which means that there are little stories that belong in the BIG story. The story exist so that we can carry it down for generations to come. I remember when I was little I had the bible picture book. Every night I would have someone read a new story to me which was filled with pictures. Whoever that person was, was sharing the word of Christ with me. They were sharing his story and joining him in his mission. The best stories are stories that are real. Looking at the future and what God has in store, personally I am nervous. I know that God is in complete control, therefore I never know what will happen tomorrow. If I was in control, I would be able to plan for tomorrow because I would know what was going to happen. I have no idea what will happen in the next 10 minutes either (I'm hoping God has sleep in my future though). Therefore, there is this wonderful huge story that showed me Christ and showed me to lay it all before him and I hope the same happens to you.
-Sorry it was so short :( -
Until next time,
Alexa :)
The bible as a story is so important to us. God uses his story to convey and reveal himself to us through his word. Remember when we were younger and we would have older people tell us all of these cool stories to prove a point for example why its fun to have a dog, or why you never want to eat spinach or something like that. Well, God's story is not a silly as that, but its serious and its important. Story is a way of communicating truth and God's story, The Bible, is ALL truth. The story of the bible shares that we are all to join God in his mission. We are invited to participate with God as bearers of His purpose. The Bible is a big meta narrative, which means that there are little stories that belong in the BIG story. The story exist so that we can carry it down for generations to come. I remember when I was little I had the bible picture book. Every night I would have someone read a new story to me which was filled with pictures. Whoever that person was, was sharing the word of Christ with me. They were sharing his story and joining him in his mission. The best stories are stories that are real. Looking at the future and what God has in store, personally I am nervous. I know that God is in complete control, therefore I never know what will happen tomorrow. If I was in control, I would be able to plan for tomorrow because I would know what was going to happen. I have no idea what will happen in the next 10 minutes either (I'm hoping God has sleep in my future though). Therefore, there is this wonderful huge story that showed me Christ and showed me to lay it all before him and I hope the same happens to you.
-Sorry it was so short :( -
Until next time,
Alexa :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
proclaiming the excelences of Christ!
I really really liked this discussion last class about what it means to be a missionary and distractions and..stuff!
First I wanna talk about how I agree with what the author said about the differences between being a christian and a missionary. Many people think that a missionary only shares the word of God. Well, yes they do, but isn't that also what Christians should do too? Isn't that why we were called to the earth? I believe so. I also think that a missionary GOES somewhere. For example oversees and they are curious to learn new cultures, languages, cross a culture, proclaim the excellencies of Christ, and plant the Church of Christ. If you are called to be a missionary then its game over. I dont think your life is over..I think your life has just began. In my opinion, once i know what God has in store for me is when I really will start living because I am living for his plan.
What I also want to talk about is the money issue. We were discussing this in class and I agree with the side that money can be a curse. Of course its a blessing too but I think its also a curse. I think its a curse if you use it in the wrong way. God made money..use it to glorify him! He made all of us to use to spread his word and money is something that will help us do so. It can also be a curse because it is wrong to worship money which is what a lot of people do. You can not worship two things. God is in my life and should be in yours, the one and ONLY thing that you worship because he is the only one and thing that is worthy of it. Many people in class saw it as a blessing and a good thing which is understandable. I think that it goes both ways and I cant really decide which one more but I do think that money is more of a curse, inless you use it in the right way. AHH this is really hard to choose between!
Well overall, I really liked that lesson and it was really interesting.
Till next time,
Alexa :)
First I wanna talk about how I agree with what the author said about the differences between being a christian and a missionary. Many people think that a missionary only shares the word of God. Well, yes they do, but isn't that also what Christians should do too? Isn't that why we were called to the earth? I believe so. I also think that a missionary GOES somewhere. For example oversees and they are curious to learn new cultures, languages, cross a culture, proclaim the excellencies of Christ, and plant the Church of Christ. If you are called to be a missionary then its game over. I dont think your life is over..I think your life has just began. In my opinion, once i know what God has in store for me is when I really will start living because I am living for his plan.
What I also want to talk about is the money issue. We were discussing this in class and I agree with the side that money can be a curse. Of course its a blessing too but I think its also a curse. I think its a curse if you use it in the wrong way. God made money..use it to glorify him! He made all of us to use to spread his word and money is something that will help us do so. It can also be a curse because it is wrong to worship money which is what a lot of people do. You can not worship two things. God is in my life and should be in yours, the one and ONLY thing that you worship because he is the only one and thing that is worthy of it. Many people in class saw it as a blessing and a good thing which is understandable. I think that it goes both ways and I cant really decide which one more but I do think that money is more of a curse, inless you use it in the right way. AHH this is really hard to choose between!
Well overall, I really liked that lesson and it was really interesting.
Till next time,
Alexa :)
"Do not repeat anything you will not sign your name to" (anonymous)
Although the assignment was to go to the after school place on friday...i was unable to attend because of important previous plans which made me really sad. I don't really think that its fair that they have to write 2 blogs and I wasn't assigned to..soo I decided to be fair and write one too.
This blog is going to be coming from my Alive Devotions for Students book by Rick Christian...Ironic right? anywho.. the devotion for today is about rumors. Every high school has them and they can tear people apart and relationships and friendships. The story that was in this devotion was about the time that a couple put a real finger in their Wendy's food and sued Wendy's for that..turns out the couple put it in there. First, that is GROSS. Second, Wendy's reputation changed after that even though it was fake. There are soo many rumors like Barack Obama is a Muslim, Miley Cyrus is pregnant, and once Justin Bieber was dead? This sounds weird but the tongue can be a murder weapon. I know all of us have had rumors passed around that are absolutely ridiculous..but they can hurt a lot. It hurts a lot when your best friend starts them, or your best friend believes the rumors. In Peter 3:10 it states "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking the evil and your lips from telling lies." We all know that rumors are lies and the people who make them are insecure about themselves which is sad.
So with that don't make up rumors!
Until next time,
Alexa :)
This blog is going to be coming from my Alive Devotions for Students book by Rick Christian...Ironic right? anywho.. the devotion for today is about rumors. Every high school has them and they can tear people apart and relationships and friendships. The story that was in this devotion was about the time that a couple put a real finger in their Wendy's food and sued Wendy's for that..turns out the couple put it in there. First, that is GROSS. Second, Wendy's reputation changed after that even though it was fake. There are soo many rumors like Barack Obama is a Muslim, Miley Cyrus is pregnant, and once Justin Bieber was dead? This sounds weird but the tongue can be a murder weapon. I know all of us have had rumors passed around that are absolutely ridiculous..but they can hurt a lot. It hurts a lot when your best friend starts them, or your best friend believes the rumors. In Peter 3:10 it states "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking the evil and your lips from telling lies." We all know that rumors are lies and the people who make them are insecure about themselves which is sad.
So with that don't make up rumors!
Until next time,
Alexa :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Am I called to be a missionary?
Hey guys soo today the topic is again about missionaries. It's pretty much about why its important to accept the challenge and accept the missionary call..soo here we go.
I think that it is very important to accept the call of missions. If God is leading towards this kind of life style, then you need to do three things. I believe that you need to stop, drop, and go. I know that kinda sounds cliche because its like the fire drill, but its completely true.
Stop: If God is leading you to this then you need to stop whatever you are doing. Stop getting sidetracked and focus your self on what he is showing you.
Drop: Drop is pretty much the same thing as stop. I don't mean literally like drop to the ground, I mean drop everything else. God knows EXACTLY what is in your plan and he will only lead you to the right direction and if he put this on your heart then you need to GO and listen. Which brings me to my next point...
Go: When I say go, I mean go where its needed. If its on your heart that you are called to mission then you need to get your suitcase pack a few things and get out of here and go do what you were called to do. God makes one plan for you. If this is in your plan then you can't say no. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6 When you trust in him and give it all to him, then he will make your paths straight no matter what.
~I challenge YOU to accept the challenge because you won't regret it!~
On a random note, there is this devotion book that I read every day that has different messages each day. Today it is about failure. There is one part that I want to share that has been on my heart lately. It says "A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else." I know that all of us, myself included, have blamed someone else for something that you have done. Even if its as small as who's job was it to take out the trash and you blame it on your younger sibling. We will all fail in life and we need to repent and give them to God so he can deal with them. So I guess I'm trying to say that failure has been on my mind alot with school starting up and other things so if all else fails you have GOD :)
& continue praying for my brother and family please :) thanks!
I think that it is very important to accept the call of missions. If God is leading towards this kind of life style, then you need to do three things. I believe that you need to stop, drop, and go. I know that kinda sounds cliche because its like the fire drill, but its completely true.
Stop: If God is leading you to this then you need to stop whatever you are doing. Stop getting sidetracked and focus your self on what he is showing you.
Drop: Drop is pretty much the same thing as stop. I don't mean literally like drop to the ground, I mean drop everything else. God knows EXACTLY what is in your plan and he will only lead you to the right direction and if he put this on your heart then you need to GO and listen. Which brings me to my next point...
Go: When I say go, I mean go where its needed. If its on your heart that you are called to mission then you need to get your suitcase pack a few things and get out of here and go do what you were called to do. God makes one plan for you. If this is in your plan then you can't say no. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6 When you trust in him and give it all to him, then he will make your paths straight no matter what.
~I challenge YOU to accept the challenge because you won't regret it!~
On a random note, there is this devotion book that I read every day that has different messages each day. Today it is about failure. There is one part that I want to share that has been on my heart lately. It says "A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else." I know that all of us, myself included, have blamed someone else for something that you have done. Even if its as small as who's job was it to take out the trash and you blame it on your younger sibling. We will all fail in life and we need to repent and give them to God so he can deal with them. So I guess I'm trying to say that failure has been on my mind alot with school starting up and other things so if all else fails you have GOD :)
& continue praying for my brother and family please :) thanks!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Missionary God
God is definitely a missionary God in my eyes. Here is why:
Firstly, in Genesis 12:1-3, God reveals to Abraham that He is a missionary God. He promised land to Abram as well as the blessing of many nations. That right there, is an example of a missionary. God always wanted to help others in ANY way that he could. It didn't matter to him if you we are different color or anything, we were all the same in his eyes. It is just so wonderful that God is so great. I really am so excited to be like him in the mission sense this friday when we go serve! I hope it is a lot of fun because I really can not wait. Ah, I got off topic...but, as I was saying, God has many ways that he shows how he is a missionary God. I just told you one way so that maybe somehow, you could tell me some more! I know of more but I want to make it in a sense a challenge where you have to dig into your bible and look for ways which can help you a lot.
Even though I am going off topic.. I wanted to shoot a prayer request to anyone who is reading this..
My family is dealing with a lot with my brother and other members of my family..so please pray that things will only get better from here because there is only so much a person can handle but, when you give it to God, its ALL in his hands.
Until next time...
Alexa :)
Firstly, in Genesis 12:1-3, God reveals to Abraham that He is a missionary God. He promised land to Abram as well as the blessing of many nations. That right there, is an example of a missionary. God always wanted to help others in ANY way that he could. It didn't matter to him if you we are different color or anything, we were all the same in his eyes. It is just so wonderful that God is so great. I really am so excited to be like him in the mission sense this friday when we go serve! I hope it is a lot of fun because I really can not wait. Ah, I got off topic...but, as I was saying, God has many ways that he shows how he is a missionary God. I just told you one way so that maybe somehow, you could tell me some more! I know of more but I want to make it in a sense a challenge where you have to dig into your bible and look for ways which can help you a lot.
Even though I am going off topic.. I wanted to shoot a prayer request to anyone who is reading this..
My family is dealing with a lot with my brother and other members of my family..so please pray that things will only get better from here because there is only so much a person can handle but, when you give it to God, its ALL in his hands.
Until next time...
Alexa :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Psalm 96 and Isaiah 58!
Hey people of the internet :)
I'm back for another blog! I guess I'm getting more comfortable writing them now even though I never really felt uncomfortable since I love writing! Anywho...I recently read Psalm 96 and there is so much "stuff" in there! It sends many different messages that I want to talk about!
Firstly, If you are not familiar with this Psalm, you will be now :)
- 1
- 1 Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
- 2
- Sing to the LORD, bless his name; announce his salvation day after day.
- 3
- Tell God's glory among the nations; among all peoples, God's marvelous deeds.
- 4
- 2 For great is the LORD and highly to be praised, to be feared above all gods.
- 5
- For the gods of the nations all do nothing, but the LORD made the heavens.
- 6
- Splendor and power go before him; power and grandeur are in his holy place.
- 7
- Give to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD glory and might;
- 8
- give to the LORD the glory due his name! Bring gifts and enter his courts;
- 9
- bow down to the LORD, splendid in holiness. Tremble before God, all the earth;
- 10
- say among the nations: The LORD is king. The world will surely stand fast, never to be moved. God rules the peoples with fairness.
- 11
- Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound;
- 12
- let the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice
- 13
- before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with faithfulness.
- So I really like this Psalm and there are a few parts that are my favorite! The 2 bolded verses are the ones that I want to talk about. The first one, verse 2, I really like. This verse can mean many different things but the way I like to see it is about the last part. When it says announce his salvation everyday, it means that we need to praise him EVERY day! We can't just be like oh I haven't prayed for like a week...I feel bad...ok I guess I'll pray. No, we have to be consistant with our faith and showing God how much we love him and appreciate him. DAY AFTER DAY. WEEK AFTER WEEK. YEAR AFTER YEAR. ( you get the point). We need to announce his salvation all the time. Although I know we all have been there where maybe we stayed up late Saturday night and didn't want to wake up early for church, we need to. I don't want to sound like a hypocrite so I will admit that I have been there done that sadly. But, we do need to stay consistent in our faith. Verse 8 is another one that I like. When it says, give to the LORD the glory due his name!, It simply means that we need to give him what he deserves. He sacrificed so much for us, it is only right that we do the same. We need to praise him DUE to his name.
- I also read Isaiah 58 which is... WAY to long to post on here...so I guess you will have to go pull out the bible that might be hiding...I hope not :)
- But, my favorite verse from that book is Isaiah 58:7
- Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
- I know that this book is more about fasting and about what it means to fast and why we fast, but I LOVE this verse. Sometimes we can be selfish and we really need to share the last chicken finger from our meal. Something that I know a lot of people can be guilty of is hiding ourself from our own flesh. For example homeless people. I know that everyone has been there when a homeless person walks up to your car and asks for money. Sometimes we think it would be better not to look that them so that we don't reject them money, but we are hiding from them like we are afraid to look at them because they are different then we are. I find it pathetic that we do that sometimes. I really hope that this can change your heart and next time you see someone less fortunate then yourself, you can help out a brother or a sister by giving them something small.
- Thanks for reading :)
- Oh! and there is this great song that came to my heart while writing this..I'll post a video of it. It's called Give me your eyes by Brandon Heath!
- ~Alexa~
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2cYxOkR2-g&feature=related
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
first blog!
Hey guys! So this is my first blog...so, here we go! I just got this blog for my practical missions class and I'm super excited!
From that, there is term that is "Missio Dei." This term means mission of God. On a deeper level, I think that it means spreading the word by missions. There are plenty of ways to spread the word but i think missioning is the most effective. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you help someone and could have saved a life. When you share the word of Christ you are saving a life from going to hell. Now they have the best thing to look forward to. Forever will they have a huge party up in heaven. So, therefore I feel that missions are very important! I feel like my faith is definitely shown best through them. I have a huge heart for helping people. Sadly, I have not been on an over the sees mission trip but, I only dream that one day I can share the word of God to people in other countries who have not yet heard the wonderful scripture of the Bible. So, as you can probably tell, i love missions!! :)
So speaking of my love for missions, i decided to do this class because of it. I was SO excited when my bible teacher told me about this class. I was skeptical at first because I knew no one that was going to be in it with me but luckily i know someone in the class! Even though i was nervous about that, it never crossed my mind to not sign up. I had my heart set on this class. I can't wait to get started doing anything and everything and I am also looking forward to the speakers...I hope I don't cry! :( It touches me a lot when i see all of these pictures and hear stories about how people live. Especially living without God! From this class, I expect to deepen my relationship with God for sure. I feel like sometimes there is distance so I definitely want to fix that :)
With all of that said, I think I'm good until next time :)
But, here is a quick bible verse that I love:
He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15
So...GO...preach the good news! :)
~Alexa~
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