In AP english we're studying Macbeth and theres a witches brew scene in there where the rythym of the play changes. We were assigned to write at least 10 lines in that same pattern about what was wrong with our world today and then put them into our own "hells broth pot" Now overlook the witches and hell references this assignment really got me thinking about all things wrong with out world today. Here's what I came up with:
VH1 and MTV
Constantly we hear and see
Sex we use to fill a void
Shame and guilt and lives destroyed
Earthquakes shake and fear inspire
Things on Earth have grown quite dire
Hearts are swayed and feet do stray
Lies leave hearts in disarray
Words that hurt and wrists that bleed
Life goes on we pay no heed
For our dear worlds hope to grow
To the pot this all must go
So what things do you see in our world that need to change? Ghandi once said "you must be the change you wish to see in the world" and i agree 100%. If you dont like it, do something to change it. Agree about the MTV? Theres a petition at battlecry.com. Donate to the earthquake victims, Don't judge those who make mistakes, show love to those around you. Be Christ to those that surround you because for some of them the only Christ they'll ever see is the evidence of him in your life. Keep livin in out :)
We all have things in our lives that scare us. We worry that we can't handle them and we're afraid of how things will turn out. Those are the times when it's so important to remember that we don't have to go at it alone. God is always right there with us.
Psalm 112:7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
So when you're stressing out, afraid or worried just remember that God is always there for you. He's as close as a silent thought or whisper and he'll never let you down. Turn to him in prayer if you feel like its not worth praying about then its probably not worth worrying about ;) Love you all, God bless!
The new Indie move "To Save A Life" is changing lives! I've seen it four times now, each time with a different group of people that i really wanted to see it. I've watched the expressions of my confirmation girls and listened to what they had to say after after saying that it was the best movie they'd ever seen they said that it really changed how they saw things and a girl who had come with some of the girls from my class is now a FORMER athiest. Praise God! I've also heard from some of my High school friends that this movie has really made them step back and reevaluate their lives, and their faiths. I've talked with still other kids who had grown up in the church but never really believed and say that this shed a totally new light on God and what it means to be a Christian. God is using this movie and if you haven't seen it I strongly suggest you do :)
Etymology: Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorth worthy, worth + -scipe -ship
Date: before 12th century
1chiefly British: a person of importance —used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors) 2: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence 3: a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual 4: extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem
5. a feeling of profound love and admiration
So what is worship really? Well before we go there i just want you to read a few verses and really think about them for a moment:
Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Genesis 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Luke 12:7
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
God created us. He created the world and not only the world but the entire universe and everything in it. He know our hearts, he knows our every thought. He has seen every tear we have ever cried and he Loves us more then we could ever comprehend. So now back to worship, to worship means to attribute worth to something or someone. God doesn't really need us to tell him that he is worthy; he is whether we choose to attribute that worth to him or not, but when you think of the amazing things that our Lord has done, of his ultimate sacrafice, of how much he loves us and all the things that are in store for those that love him how could we not worship him? We are so unworthy of his love and he is more than worthy of our complete adoration. Worship isn't a style of music or an act you put on for the people around you. Music is a wonderful way to express to God how much you love him, but thats not all it is. Worship should be a lifestyle... everything we do should point to God and attribute worth to him. Every year i go to this conference called Acquire the Fire and every year it amazes me to see hundreds of kids lost in worship and i say lost in the sense of them being completely oblivious to the people around them, not caring what anyone thinks, getting down on their knees, raising their hands, closing their eyes, and literally crying out to God. Our generation is suffering, dragged into the church is on sunday mentality we're falling away from the truth and I can't help but wonder what would change if we simply lived a life of worship. If on sundays we sang along and truly meant it...and then didn't stop. If we listened to the Holy Spirits calling and reached out to those around us and loved them as Christ loves us. We can worship God in everything we do and thats how we should try to live... With a true heart of worship
Have you ever had a thought that turned into an analogy when you thought about it longer? It happened to me about two o'clock this morning. It's not the best analogy but without all my devotionals and such, reminders while Im at my dad's house are a blessing. So here's the story, I'd been in a small car accident (nothing serious) and a piece of my fender had fallen off and the bulb for my right hand turn signal and everything around it had been shattered. I drove around like this for a week or two but when i brought the car to my father's house he saw the damage and told me that I deserved better and he would fix it for me. He took it into the shop and it took a little time to track down the right pieces in the right color but it happened. A few days later he drove the car back with me in the passenger seat, he took it through the car wash and vaccumed it and it looks really nice again. It looks like new, it will still need oil changes, car washes, tire rotations and it will need to be filled with gas on a regular basis but its fixed.
I think that God, our heavenly father does the same for his children, he wants us to be happy and he wants us to have life and have it to the fullest. When we stray from the road that he has for us we get hurt and our relationship with him suffers. God calls us back to him and he can restore us fully, it takes time and the process is never done but he can heal all our hurts and pains if we're willing to let him have control. Once the process of restoring our relationship with him is started we have to keep being "refueled" by digging into his word, prayer and fellowship with other believers. But unlike a 300 dollar car repair God paid the ultimate price for our restorations and repairs; his son. Who knew that a simple car repair could remind me that God isn't finished with me and that If I turn to him he can restore me. I may make a wrong turn here and there but I'll never be completely lost because ultimately he's in control.
After sixth hour a few weeks ago, as I stood gazing into my locker trying to remember what exactly it was that I needed for my next hours Chem lab, a kid suddenly smashed into the locker next to mine and it startled me. But what happened next was even more startling. The kid who had pushed him shoved him to the floor and began throwing punches. The kid rolled out and began fighting back. Of course it was right at this moment as a crowd had begun to gather, no one was doing anything useful of course, that an announcement came over the intercom saying that we were going to have a lockdown drill. So a teacher comes around the corner to see the two boys, still fighting and tells them simply to cut it out and get to seperate classrooms for the drill and then walks away. I was confused by this response considering the blood coming from the one kids nose. So i moved on to my next hour class for the drill. Because you go to the nearest classroom once the drill actually begins there were some kids in my classroom who aren't actually a part of my class and during the drill i was saddened to hear every detail of the girls' conversation. I heard about the party, the drinking, the breakup, the rebound with his best friend and the pregnancy scare all in a matter or 12 minutes. What is our generation coming to? It's scary and all of these are real and prevalent issues for teenagers in our society. Within the same day I added to the list of problems that I saw facing my high school and our generation as a whole. I listened to a friend share about the thoughts they'd had about committing suicide and they're attempt to do so (Thank God that he has brought them through that and that they're doing much better) I saw a 7th grade girls wrists,scarred from cutting, (I didnt know her and she disappeared before I had the chance to catch her name or talk to her) and I listened to a group of Junior boys talk about chewing, and what drugs give the best high for cheap. God has called me to go into youth ministry and it pains me to think of the harsh realities that I am going to have to deal with. As for now I've resolved to do whatever I can to make an impact or at least raise awareness in our school about the problems that these kids are dealing with. In our school this process starts with a leadership group called S.L.A.M. Many of my friends and I were chosen last year to be a part of this group and we already talk to kids about Postponing Sexual Involvement we've tried to get involved with an organization called "To Write Love On Her Arms" that isa non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery . April is child abuse awareness month and we hope to do something at the school to raise awareness for that and maybe volunteer our time at one of the crisis centers in town. Our latest project however deals specifically with our school and our generation and it involves a movie called "To Save A Life". Its an Indie film that takes a good look at many of the issues facing our generation. The group is going opening weekend to raise awareness amongst ourselves and then spread the word about the movie throughout the school. There is a Christian theme in the movie and although the group is school sponsored and not specifically affiliated with any religion many members of the group are believers so for us this movies potential is double. It will raise awareness as well as provide opportunities for us to share our faiths. I've realized that Sometimes its important to take a step back and look at all the things that are wrong with our generation. Its really hard for me to admit that we are straying so far from what is right. I went through High school often times acting as if these issues were not prevalent in our community but that denial didnt make the problems disappear and it certainly didnt help in any way. So here's to my last 3 and a half months of impact at this school. I pray that God will give me and those around me the courage to stand up for what is right and impact this school in a way that so obviously points to God that we will not only see a restoration in our school but a revival in our school and community.
So its senior year and I decided that with college ahead this was the year to make sure that my relationship with God was growing. I'll admit I'd been slacking quite a bit. So i dove head first into Bible studies, helping teach confirmation and youth group and it was all great at first. But then i discovered something. Being so involved with church activities didnt equal a stronger relationship with God. In fact i let it distract me from him. I realized that its kind of a balancing act. Those times of fellowship are really good, I learn a ton from my different studies and the fellowship with other believers is such a blessing to me but if Im going to be so involved i need to make sure that Im taking the time for some one on one with God. So i got back on track with digging into God's word. I'd kind of started to slide in that area. I told myself that i spent time in his word every day of the week in my other activites so when i got home i could kinda put my feet up and relax, but boy was I wrong. As soon as i got away from spending that time with him i began to get so distracted by everything that that time just dwindled more and more. So I've started making sure that I set aside that time each night to devote to him. God's also layed another thing on my heart through conversations with the girls and our sharing hopes aspirations and dreams. Every girl dreams of her wedding day and finding that one guy that God has for her and I am no exception. So I've started keeping a journal again. I did it when I was younger but for a while i had stopped. This journal I keep is filled with letters to my future husband and the prayers that I pray for him each night. I dont write in it every night but I do it at least once a week. I do however make a point of praying for my future husband in the morning when I wake up and at night before I go to sleep because I know that one day I'll love him with all my heart after God so why not start now? God is so good and I am so thankful that no matter how far I stray he will always draw me back into his loving embrace and show me how capable he is even in the midst of my tendency to be so terribly incapable. I hope that this has really made you reflect on what it means to have a relationship with Christ and that you have a blessed day.
