Faith in things you can't see

In social studies we were learning about scientific theories. My teacher made a good point that I really thought about.

He said, 'If you see a sign that has the words "wet paint" written on it what are you going to do? Go over to the sign and touch it! But why? What makes us want to touch the "wet paint"? We want to know whether or not the sign is true or not. It's the idea of wondering and testing if what it says is true. You don't trust that sign.
Humans always have to know that truth, we always have to see it.
I don't always have to "see it to believe it" or even touch it to believe it. I believe in God but I can't see Him or touch Him. I know He's there but I can't see Him. It's faith, I have faith He is here with me. He shows each of us in different ways that He is real.
It's not very persuasive, me saying that I can't see my God but I still believe in Him. But lets be honest here, it's obvious you can't see God. Nope, it's not convincing, but He is real. I hope you might have the faith I have.
Just for instance, nature. Who could honestly make mountains 10,000 feet tall, oceans so wide, and trees so high? Only one true God could do that.
I have faith He is true even though I can't see Him or touch Him skin to skin. Hopefully you have the faith I have.

Look at the pictures above. Who could make scenes so beautiful? Do you think they just appeared?

A Million Miles in a Thousan Years

I'm reading a new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. It's about him making his memoir into a movie. He talks about the things he learned while editing his life. I was reading this book in class and found a great quote in it.

"If I have a hope, it's that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me, specifically, into the story, and put us in with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say, 'Enjoy your place in my story. The beauty of it means you matter, and you can create within it even as I have created you.'

God gave each of us a different story and we're here to live it. Live it right, you only get one chance to make a difference in life. Live life so you enjoy it, you matter so don't take life for granted.
Like the picture I took above; it's a path. Where does your path lead to? Where will you live up to? God has a specific path for you so live it right.

safe by phil wickham

check these lyrics out.
Safe by Phil Wickham lyrics.

To the one who's dreams are falling all apart
And all you're left with is a tired and broken heart
I can tell by your eyes you think your on your own
but you're not all alone

Have you heard of the One who can calm the raging seas
Give sight to the blind, pull the lame up to their feet
With a love so strong and never let you go
oh you're not alone

You will be safe in His arms
You will be safe in His arms
'Cause the hands that hold the world are holding your heart
This is the promise He made
He will be with You always
When everything is falling apart
You will be safe in His arms

Did you know that the voice that brings the dead to life
Is the very same voice that calls you to rise
So hear Him now He's calling you home
You will never be alone

These are the hands that built the mountains
the hands that calm the seas
These are the arms that hold the heavens
they are holding you and me

These are hands that healed the leper
Pulled the lame up to their feet
These are the arms that were nailed to a cross
to break our chains and set us free

It's all about love

You're the one worth living for.
You bring the dark of the night and the light of the day.
You are enough for me.
The cross made of love drips blood from above.
Still more love than I could ever find.
You satisfy me.
The search for good has ended.
You are the definition of love,
the Alpha Omega,
the Start and Finish.
Heavens gates are open wide for you and I.

Why hate?
Why not love?
To comfort and love is all that is needed.
The hatred speaks to no one.
The tricks, the deceiving lies.
How can this be?
To worship such a monster lets me know how much the world is in trouble.
The world needs our help.
To rescue, to love, to hold in my arms the devastation of today.
The vein eyes of treason.
Red skin of hate and anger.

we're up against satan

Let's talk about witnessing.
Life is a battle between Satan and I. Who will "win them over"? It's though as you have to be competitive to live life. It makes me literally sick to my stomach thinking about how Satan could ever "win anyone over". We're up against a battle against all evil. Satan won't win, I have God on my side.

If God loves us so much, why does he let us suffer?

If God loves us so much, why does he let us suffer?
The answer is sin. Sin lets and makes us suffer.

I found this answer online: "Suffering has many purposes, to waking a person up, to getting a person to turn to God, to causing a person to activate their faith, to drawing people together, etc. So how are you using suffering when it comes upon you? Are you blaming and blaspheming God, or, are you drawing closer to God?"

"If sin had not entered this world, there wouldn't be any destruction, calamity and famine. It was not His choice. The choice was made by man and has continued to be made by man. God will not force us to serve Him, it is our choice. And it's our choices that have made this world what it is today. The fact that we suffer is not by God's choice. But He will use situations and people in our lives to help mold us and shape us into what He wants us to be. Trials come to hone us as Christians and to make us aware of the tactics of the enemy. "

what's the point of life?

I think God wants to let people know life isn't a game. When you really think about it don't you think He wants to let people know life isn't just all about having fun? I think He wants life to be a great adventure or a great lesson.
God can deliver us the worst day in history but you just have to know it isn't all that bad; He'll still be by your side, the bad days will pass, life isn't perfect.
I don't really know where I'm getting at but just think about life.
I have had numerous talks with people about what the true meaning of life is. I truly believe the meaning of life is to serve God and witness; it says in the Bible to spread the word and tell others about Him.
I've had people tell me there is no God, they'll say, "How do you even believe that, no one can do that!" I just have to say, that's why it's called faith, that's what I believe, this is who I live for.
Take a step back and look at life and try to see what God makes of it.

changing lives

Today I delivered flyers to houses in Warren. These flyers were for advertising our church and sharing the plan of salvation. Yea, it was tiring, but it's awesome to know that I'm helping God change lives.

Cliques and Popularity

It's Wednesday already?! Awesome! I went running again. It's weird, now that I jog more often I'm not as hungry as I was. Awesome! Try it out!

Today was pretty good but one thing really popped out at me; how much I hate popularity and cliques.

Dictionary.com says:
the favor of the general public or of a particular group of people is being popular and a small, exclusive group of people for the definition of a clique.
I loathe the fact that people have to make themselves be known, they think that they have to be at the top.
It's not just in public school, it's everywhere. At your work, in your youth group, at school, everywhere! It's just something in life that you have to deal with.

I was at school today and in one of my classes I witnessed a clique make fun, ridicule, humiliate and put down someone for no reason! There was no reason whatsoever. This girl did nothing, whatever she said, anything that came out of her mouth, they would make fun of her and put her down.

I don't understand why people have to be like that. I loathe the sin these "popular people" make.
Have you ever thought about how the people got "popular"? They didn't! You made them "popular" by giving them power.
My opinion, you don't want the title "popular".

Leaking Stress

It's always nice to have a day off. The juniors had the ACT today; tomorrow and the next day are half days. Awesome!

How do you leak your stress?

This nice weather we have been having for the past couple of days here has been pretty awesome I would say. But don't you ever wonder who made all of the beautiful things? Whether you believe in God or not, don't you wonder how everything got here? I used to hate running but now I don't. I look at it from a whole different perspective. I look as it as a chance to get out of the house and see what surrounds me. I never get the chance to take a long look at what's really around me so this is my way of doing it. Instead of thinking about all the things I am stressed out about like grades I think of what is around me, my mind is on the total opposite subject of stress.
All of the pictures I have posted on here are taken by me. I love photography, it's something I am amused by, it catches my attention easily. This is also something that helps get rid of stress. I show my emotion through the pictures and it takes everything that was on my mind off of it.
Listening to music helps too; it sets the mood.
I talk to God all the time. I know that he listens and he tries to help. I know that he is always there for me and loves me. Just to know that, is enough: I'm never alone, God is with me.
Last, I love to write. When I write it's like everything that was on my mind is now on paper and will never bother me again.

I just wanted to share this with you readers because I know every one's life can be tough, I know everyone gets stressed out easily so here are ways that could help you deal with it.

Quicky

Monday, a new week! It is such a beautiful day God has given us! I woke up to John Mayer playing, school went by fast, I went running with my sister, I will be going to a bible study tonight, no school tomorrow, life is good! Since I have to do homework and I'm leaving soon I need to make this short so here we go!

Just read these and tell me what you think. They are all true.

1 John 4:17-18 (The Message)
To Love, to Be Loved
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message)
"Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

Psalm 27:1 (The Message)
Light, space, zest— that's God!
So, with him on my side I'm fearless,
afraid of no one and nothing.

Church these days

It's Saturday, a good day. I'm slaving away at homework, time is passing.
The homework I am "slaving away" at is a report for English. I'm doing mine on Dorothea Lange, a photographer. As I'm learning more and more about her I am so surprised and disappointed. She has gotten divorced and re-married; she puts her work -photography- before her kids, and she is stubborn. I don't look at her as a roll model, I look at her as inspiration. Her photography is ridiculous. Instead of posting one of the pictures have taken, today I posted one of hers.

I'm Southern Baptist. Honestly, one of the things that really bothers me is how people think of church these days. People think we sing hymns, wear funny outfits, it's very formal (too formal), etc. I have had people ask me if I am allowed to dance and/or wear jewelry! I'm not saying that it's wrong if you do those things I'm just saying the church I attend isn't like that. It just needs to be known that not all churches are like that.
My church sings contemporary music, most people wear jeans to church, we dance like southern baptist people should, and we wear jewelry. We are like any other person in this world.
Hollywood has given you this idea that church is this retched place where you aren't good enough for anyone there. Don't base church off of Hollywood.

$$

It's Friday and the school week is over! I'm unwinding to this trumpet solo -- freddie hubbard. It's absoloutly ridiculous how high he went. If you didn't know, I play the trumpet, I've played for about 6 years. It's one of my geeky hobbies.

In school I read a book called "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck. It's about a couple and their baby. Their baby gets stung by a scorpian and is dieing, so they go to a doctors house to see if he can cure the baby. This family is very poor and the doctor is wealthy, so the doctor wouldn't help them. The couple sets sail to find a pearl in the ocean. It ends up they find one.
They made a huge transformation because of this pearl! They were poor but now they are wealthy and not happy. When they were poor they were content, but when they found the pearl, they suddenly made a transformation; they are now greedy and unhappy.

The point of this is the tangable factor of life, money. It's something everyone wants and something everyone needs. Yes, you do need money to live off of but don't let it get you obsessed with getting more. Tithe! Give offering! Be gracious! You won't regret it.

It's crazy how some people get so obsessed with money these days, don't let that happen to you.

What makes parents cool?

Ahhh! Today was pretty crazy, bad thing after bad thing happened. I got my backpack showered with pink lemonade, my backpack was sticky the rest of the day. Then I took a pop quiz that we could use our notes on and I took my notes on the wrong section. On top of those two things I just had to be a klutz today; hitting my knees on chairs, getting my feet stepped on, etc. It was over all just a long, tiring day.
Now that you have heard me complain, you're probably asking yourself what the point is of this story. The point is this, after I had a pretty rough day at school I know that God gives us good and bad days because he doesn't want us to take the good ones for granted. There is a reason for bad days!

What makes parents cool?
When I was in elementary school and I saw other kids parents, I wished those parents were my own. Those parents just seemed so fun! They let their kids do whatever they wanted! I thought they were so cool. Now that I've grown up and have seen my classmates grow up I'm glad I stuck with my parents.
What makes parents cool is when they are real, when they love their children unconditionally and when they walk with God.
For everyone to hear, no parent will ever be perfect. They are allowed to make mistakes.
I don't know about your parents, but mine are cool.

what is normal?

It's Wednesday, church tonight! It was a rough day at school today. I missed Monday so I had to make up A LOT. I'm making this post short and sweet, I need to get to my homework!

What is normal? Dictonary.com says: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.
Normal is what you make normal to be. If you always wear your shoes in the house, that's normal to you! But not to me! Just take a long look at that, think about when you are saying different things are weird. The only true definition of normal is, what you make it to be.
My mom's definition is, "Within your own relm of what you're accustom to."

our representatives

Before, this blog was simple to keep up with, then again, I was on mid winter break. It's hard to get a good 40 minutes to sit down and pour out what's on my mind, plus keep the readers attention. But, here I am again, working on this post, hopefully I'll make something of this.

There are so many different things that are wrong with this world. I know, you probably are thinking, "Wow, what a downer. Way to be optimistic, not!" I'm just pointing these things out so we can take a step back. For instance, we send representatives to Washington D.C. to represent us, yet they try to pass a health care plan that we don't want! What's with that? How are they supposed to represent us and just say what they want, not what we want?!

Here is "Gravity" by John Mayer singing at the concert I went to 2 nights ago.

Thanks again!

do you have joy?

It's always been our family tradition to have individual one on one trips with our dad. All of the kids take turns taking trips with him, so it was my turn and I decided I wanted to go see John Mayer in concert. For those of you who are strangers to me, John Mayer is one of my favorite musicians. I wasn't just excited to just see John Mayer but I was excited to hear the music plus it was a great opportunity for me to be able to get some great shots with my camera! It's a great place for photography.

This was my first time seeing him live so you imagine how ecstatic I was. I went to it last night and yea, it was everything I wished for and more! At the end of the concert I noticed something. I was so happy to see John Mayer live but nothing can beat the joy I get inside my heart when I worship God, not even John Mayer! God is what makes me feel joy inside my heart, not a music figure.

Dr. Larry Allen said this:
"Mental joy is heavily influenced by circumstances. Joy of the heart grows out of relationship with Christ and is rooted in his promises no matter what the circumstances are."

At the concert I had happiness in my mind, but when I worship God I have joy in my heart. Do you have joy?