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We watched "How Great Is Our God" tonight and I am absolutely amazed by what the speaker talked about. Take a look at the picture above and think about just how crazy cool our God is!

Laminin is a protein that holds our cells together. Without laminin, our bodies would not function. The crazy thing is that under a microscope laminin looks like a cross, how insane is that?! I mean seriously, How amazing is it that just like this little cross holds us together just like the cross of Christ holds us to him.

Colossians 1:15-20 (New International Version) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

He truly is everything to me

Easter's coming up soon. Lately i've hit a lot of rough times. I'm busy, Im tired, Im stressed, Im worn down, I've had some hard times with friends, my dad had open heart surgery and i know that God is always there and that in him I can find rest but its still really hard sometimes. In the midst of all of it though I would have moments where right when i reached that point where I wasn't sure if I could handle one more thing I felt this peace rush over me, a calm that I can't describe and felt God reminding me calmly that in that he was there for me, that everything had a purpsose even if i couldn't see it but mostly that he loves me more than i could ever ask or imagine. Enough to send his son to Earth for me. What a reminder! I mean when's the last time you really thought about that? The Almighty, Creator of the universe, our Savior and Lord loves us more than we could ever fathom and he calls us his children and his friends. We can't even comprehend that kind of love..... In Alexandria, where I live, we have this thing called the Passion Drama put on by a local church where you walk through scenes of Jesus' life. It's amazing to think about all that Christ went through for us, as many times as we deny him, and disobey him, and turn our backs on him, he forgives us anyways and never for a second does he ever stop loving us. That is truly unconditional love. No one could ever even come close to loving us the way that God does. So I hope that you all have a blessed Easter. I've posted some lyrics below, let it be a reminder and an encouragement to share and to realize that the Easter story isn't just a story, It is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for us.

I grew up in sunday school
I memorized the Golden rule
And how Jesus came to set the sinner free
I know the story inside out
I can tell you all about
The path that led Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He loves me
And I don't know what to say
But i'll never be the same
Because he changed my life when He became...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything, everything to me

We're living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that i'm aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
Now everyday I'm praying
Just to give my heart away
I want live for Jesus
So that someone else might see that he is...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
more than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything
And looking back over my life at the end
I'll go to meet you saying you've been...

You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
You're everything to me
Lord, you're everything to me

Everything to Me by: Avalon

Everything

Today I was looking through the sites I've saved in my favorites and i came across the lifehouse, everything skit. It is sooo powerful. Heres a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

When is the last time you guys really thought about God's gift to us? He loved us so much, despite all the wrong, messed up, sinful things we do, that he sent his only son to die for us. Can you even fathom that kind of a true, unconditional love? I can't even begin to comprehend how much God loves us. I hope that the skit touched your heart, i know that no matter how many times I watch it It will always make me stop and stand in awe of my amazing God and the unconditional love that he has for his children.

You're beautiful

How is a girl ever supposed to live up to the worlds expectations? I sat in a room today and listened to my aunts tell me how i needed to lose twenty pounds and change my hair and wear more makeup and change the way i dress and so on and so on.... thirty minutes later i was feeling pretty down. And i started to think about how all of what they were saying was an exact echo of the things that society has been whispering in girls ears as we've grown up. A girl's beauty should be measured from the inside out. Our God, our Creator, made us exactly the way he intended for us to be and no one can tell us that we need to be any different. Proverbs 31:30 says that "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." In first Samuel 16:7 it says that "man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart" Girls you are absolutely beautiful! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise because they don't have any right to. The God of the universe created you in his image and you are gorgeous just the way you are. The King of Kings loves you with his whole heart and considers you a daughter which makes you a true princess in the kingdom of heaven. I pray that you will all begin to see your beauty through the eyes of our Lord and Saviour instead of through they eyes of the world because that will transform the way that you view yourself. While the world may tear apart your self esteem and try to bring you down just remember to take a step back and listen to the whisper of your heavenly father telling you that you are beautiful and that you are loved far more than you will ever be able to fathom.

Please check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7UJE22Td9s

I love you guys, Keep shining his light!

"Beauty in the flesh attracts the wandering lust of the eye, but the beauty from within takes hold of the thoughts from within the conscious heart and brings forth the truth."

Do all things joyfully and out of love

Sometimes i look back on the times where i was forced to kind of "grow up" in hurry, with regret. But other times i realize that God put me in those situations for a reason. When my dad and step mom got divorced i cooked and cleaned and did the laundry. I did the grocery shopping and brought my little sister to arabic school on saturdays and it wasn't always fun but i did it out of love for my family. Right now i'm laying on the living room floor. I'd been laying on the couch upstairs so i'd be able to hear my dad if he needed anything downstairs but everytime he moved, or inhaled deeply, or moaned i'd rush downstairs afraid that something was wrong. I realized that i wasn't going to get any rest that way so i brought my blanket and pillow downstairs. I love my dad and the rest of my family and i realize that i may not ever get the chance to witness to them, and if i do it may not be anytime soon. But there are things i can do. I can love them, and serve them, and sacrafice for them. I can do everything joyfully and out of love as if i'm doing it for Christ. I can do my best to reflect God's love for them, even if i can't talk to them about it right now.

Reach Out

My dad had quad bypass open heart surgery on tuesday night. It scared me to death. What if he didnt make it??? See my dad's muslim and if I lost him without ever having been able to share the truth with him it would have broken my heart. Its ignited a new sense of fervor in me. I got down on my knees that night and pleaded for my dad and my family in a whole new way. It brought the feeling of urgency to a whole new level. You never know what moment will be your last and we should be living with a passion and intensity that reflects that. Im emotionally and physically drained, but spiritually i have a renewed fiery passion and I pray that God doesnt take this burden off my heart. I need to be reaching out

Assignment that made me think....

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 :)

Sarah