Take the time to... THINK OF WHAT IS RIGHT

~Friday for Friends~

This is the tenth post in the Take the Time series. The rest are Take the Time to Listen, Encourage, Talk With Someone, Stop Gossip, Forgive, Calm Down, Plan Ahead, Smile, and Thank God.

Sometimes we just drift around in the current. We don’t take the time to realize that we are making decisions today that we would have thought appalling a year ago, that our thoughts are turning to things that used to have a taboo on them. We need to constantly remind ourselves that, though we may be growing up, some things are not meant to be changed.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Our thoughts are important. They should be kept in check as well as our actions.

How about you? Have you drifted away? How do you keep thinking of what is pure?

Wherever we go

~Tuesday Thoughts~

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

""And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”" Matthew 28:20b  (NIV)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a]" Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

Wherever we go... That can be had to believe, but it's true. Wherever we are, in one country or another,  in one community or another, in our comfort zone or out of it, God is with us.

Amen!!!

He lives

~Monday Movies & Music~

Because He Lives (Amen) is a song by Matt Maher. Here are the lyrics.

"Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely[a] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:23-25 (NIV)

Our God is alive and we can be made alive in Him!

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

Hallelujah!!! Who can you share this with today?

My family's moving

Hi!

My family is moving - for a year. I have scheduled the posts for the time we'll be traveling, so please enjoy! I probably won't moderate, publish and answer comments, though. Please comment anyway!!! I'll be glad to catch up with everything later on.

And please pray for us! That would be awesome.

Blessings!

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8 (NIV)

Chokepoint by Jill Williamson

~Saturday Stories~

Typical Spencer: "I’d proven that I could do this spy thing. ... And the baddies? They could just bring it, because I’d be ready."

A couple of months after the Moscow trip, the Mission League people are still keeping an eye on Spencer. Seriously? Nothing's happened, no threats, no kidnappings, nothing. What's the big deal? But starting one-on-one training with Beth- now that's cool. Until it turns out that someone is looking to nap him. And he might have to move.

Chokepoint is an action-packed novella. It also has some truths about God, though not as much as I'd like. Spencer is a great character, who is fun to read about and very relatable. His voice, dripped with boyishness and quick wit and just plain freshness, was one of the best parts of the story.

Chokepoint is the 1.5 book in The Mission League series. The first one is The New Recruit; the others - Project Gemini, Ambushed (novella), Broken Trust, Lockstep (novella), and The Profile Match.

For more on Jill Williamson visit her website and Facebook page. She also blogs regularly at Go Teen Writers.

Take the time to... THANK GOD

~Friday for Friends~

This is the ninth post in the Take the Time series. The rest are Take the Time to Listen, Encourage, Talk With Someone, Stop Gossip, Forgive, Calm Down, Plan Ahead, and Smile.


It’s easy to take things for granted. To think that the way it is – if it’s good – is how it should be. To think the opportunities and blessings we have are a right, not a gift.

We also tend to think about bad stuff in a “God-please-make-it-go-away-very-soon” sort of way. But sometimes bad stuff happens. And yet we still need to be thankful. So, my friends…

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Even when it’s hard going we can be grateful. His love is abundant and He will never fail us.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe," Hebrews 12:28 (NIV)

How about you? What are you grateful for today? Let us lift our voices to heaven!   

He knows us by name

~Tuesday Thoughts

"The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." John 10:3  (NIV)

God knows us – each and every one of us. He knows your name and my name. He knows how much hair we have. He knows our thoughts. He knows what we’ll say before we say it.

Our God is a personal God, One who knows us.

Amen!!!

Jesus saves

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Jesus Saves" is a song by Jeremy Camp. Here are the lyrics. 

""Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”" Acts 4:12 (NIV)

There is no other name; Jesus is the only way. How merciful God is to save us! 

Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

~Saturday Stories~

Here are a couple great quote from C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

How about you? Have you read the book? What do you think of these quotes? What are some quotes you can share?

Take the time to... SMILE

~Friday for Friends~

This is the eight post in the Take the Time series. The rest are Take the Time to Listen, Encourage, Talk With Someone, Stop Gossip, Forgive, Calm Down, and Plan Ahead.

  "A cheerful heart is good medicine,

    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

Sometimes when you're sad a smile is one of the most helpful things. A family member, a friend, or even a stranger can light up the day by just smiling. 

And the cool thing is... we can do that too. Smile! Who can you try and cheer up today?

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Punishment...

~Tuesday Thoughts~

  "because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]" Hebrews 12:6 (NIV)

""Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent."" Revelation 3:19 (NIV)

Most of the time punishment isn’t well accepted. We don’t go “Yay!” when we get punished. It takes us a while to realize that that punishment might have served us some good and gotten us out trouble.

Whatever we think of the punishment at the time, if we are God’s children He does punish us. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly how that works. What are some of your thoughts and examples? 

We can decide to learn from the punishment or we can decide to ignore it. And although ignoring seems so much easier, learning is so much more worth it.

How about you? When was a time when you got punished and learned from it? When was a time you ignored it? 

Lifting His Name on High

~Monday Movies & Music~

"Lord, I lift Your Name on high" is a song sung by MercyMe. Here are the lyrics.

Our God is really worthy of praise!

"1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord." Psalm 150 (NIV)

Let's praise Him today and forever!

New Girl in Town by Nancy Rue

~Saturday Stories~

“I, Laura Duffy, made a decision on October 20th of my junior year. It was a decision that rocked my world. After three days at Panama Beach High, it was obvious that I was essentially the biggest loser in Panama City, if not on the planet, and that nobody was ever going to speak to me. Period. My decision: I couldn’t spend another lunch period pretending I didn’t CARE that I was being ignored. I knew kids believed being a loser was contagious; I believed it too. I wouldn’t be friends with me either.”

New Girl in Town tells a story of a Laura Duffy, a teenager, whose family moves from Missouri, the place she has known as home all her life, to Panama City, Florida. She doesn't know anyone. No one knows her. Her 'home' life isn't too good either: Dad and Mom are always at work plus she has to take care for her six-year-old sister, Bonnie. When Laura somehow gets into trouble at school with two very mean girls, Mrs. Isaacsen takes her under her wing. She gets Laura to meet other girls who feel out of place and tells her about God. Laura's life is about to change.

Genre: realistic. Target audience: girls 15- 18 years old. Issues dealt with: family relationships, friendships, dating relationships, trust in God, self-esteem, and suicide.

This book deals with heavy issues. It talks about the difference between just going to church and really having Jesus in your heart. It shows that you can’t do everything yourself: you need God. God isn’t thrown in briefly; He is a Great Part of the book.  This is the first book in the ‘Nama Beach High series. The second is False Friends and True Strangers; the third and fourth Fault Lines and Totally Unfair.

  "I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1 (NIV)

For more on Nancy Rue visit her website, Facebook page, and blogs for tweens, teens, and new adults.

Take the time to... PLAN AHEAD

~Friday for Friends~

This is the seventh post in the Take the Time series. The rest are Take the Time to Listen, Encourage, Talk With Someone, Stop Gossip, Forgive, and Calm Down.


  "The plans of the diligent lead to profit
    as surely as haste leads to poverty." Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

Plans are a neat thing. They can help us keep working on our goals and not waste time. They can help us make time for what we need to do and for the people around us. BUT we should not cling so hard to our plans. And that because God's will is so much better! Our plans and His plans might be the same, but when they're different it's obvious whose plans are greater.

"Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

""For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. "" Jeremiah 29:11(NIV)

How about you? When was a time when you found out for yourself that God's plans -for you and for others- are amazing?

By God’s grace

~Tuesday Thoughts~

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin” Romans 3:20 (NIV).

The covenant we have now – the new covenant – is based on grace. Jesus is the Mediator; His sacrifice is more than enough.

“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” Colossians 1:21-23a (NIV).

Also: “This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” Romans 3:22-24 (NIV, emphasis mine).

God’s grace and mercy are fully evident in this. We receive this grace by faith: “This righteousness is given through faith in[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe.” Romans 3:22a (NIV).

What an awesome God we have!!! There is no one more loving than He!

Adventures in Odyssey

~Monday Movies & Music~

Adventures in Odyssey is a Christian radio series. Adventures range from trying to find one's dad to having a kid break into school records. The stories are fun, interesting, and laced with Christian truths.

Some episodes my siblings and I liked are The Treasure of LeMonde, East Winds Raining, The Devil Made Me Do It, and The Ill-Gotten Deed.

You can listen to this on the radio or online, buy it online or on iTunes.

How about you? Have you listened to some of the Odyssey series? Do you know about another Christian radio series?

Two church camps

Hi, everyone!

I'm going to 2 church camps this month!  One is July 6th-12th, the other July 17th - July 24th. I HAVE scheduled the posts, so please enjoy! I won't be able to moderate, publish and answer comments, though. Please comment anyway!!! I'll be glad to catch up with everything once I get back.

Blessings!

"Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)

Am I too late?

~Saturday Stories~

Tessa Emily Hall has writing prompts regularly. Here's one I did a long time ago:


"Come as soon as you can," the doctor urges. I sit up in bed and clutch the phone. "Yeah. I'll be there. Give me twenty minutes." "I don't know if I can." I hang up and dash for the bathroom. After a quick splash of water on my face, I put my hair into a high ponytail. It's five in the morning. As I pull on my clothes I consider what the doctor said. Surely this can't be happening. I run down the stairs and into the garage. Diving into the driver's seat of my Prius, I realize I forgot the keys in my room. I rush back, grab them, and dart downstairs again.  I slide into the seat and turn the ignition. God, please help me get there on time! The streets are almost empty and I speed as fast as I dare to. Thank You. Thank You, God. Pulling into the parking lot, I picture my brother as I remember him best: leaning forward in his seat at church, eyes sparking, mouth smiling, laughing. I race into the hospital and jog up the stairs to the second floor. I open his door. "Am I too late?"

What do you think of the prompt? When was a time you were really hurrying somewhere? Have you lost someone dear to you? 

Take the time to... CALM DOWN

~Friday for Friends~

This is the sixth post in the Take the Time series. The rest are Take the Time to Listen, Encourage, Talk With Someone, Stop Gossip, and Forgive.

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." James 1:19-20 (NIV)

Getting angry is something we can do every day. It doesn't take much and if we're focused on what's bad in our lives, we can become angry very soon.

But the Bible tells us not to become angry quickly and not to sin in it.


"“In your anger do not sin”[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry," Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

Calming down before getting into another argument is so needed.

How about you? When do you get angry? When was a time that you controlled your anger?