Today I'd like to share a verse with you that has been brought to my heart the last week and a half or so.  Ahem, please open your Bibles to Philippians 1:21... or keep reading right here.

"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

I enjoy reading multiple translations and paraphrases, so here is the same verse in the New Living Translation.  I love this translation of the verse.

"For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better."

This last week has been one of the hardest weeks I've had in a quite a while.  Nearly every day I've woken up and become immersed in my own worries and hurt.  It's so easy for me to lose track of what life is all about. 

To live is Christ. 

I've felt alone, broken, stressed, and hurt.  I walk to class, study, go to sleep, struggle to maintain new relationships and continue to build my friendships here... and occasionally, I'll spend an entire day focusing on my concerns more than I focus on Him... or on anything, for that matter.

This reminds me of my favorite Shane and Shane song called "I Miss You."

I had a fleeting thought this morning and I mentioned You today.  It breaks my heart just to know You in part and not to be with You where You are.

Living means living for Christ.  I want every part of my life to be for Him.

My life isn't easy right now. 

But it's not about me.  It's about Him.  Lately, I've been trying to change my perspective around... and that's hard to do sometimes.  But here's how I'm re-molding my mind with His help.

• On bad days, I purposely wear Christian t-shirts and cross necklaces so I'll be constantly reminded to act like a city on a hill, even when I don't feel like it. 
• I've tried putting encouraging Bible verses around me so I'll think of His promises rather than my own doubts. 
• I make it a little game to mention Him in every conversation I have. 
• And Stephanie and I have been meeting every Thursday as accountability partners.  We share Scripture with each other, pray together, and talk through any of the doubts or struggles we've been facing throughout the week.  That's been a huge blessing in my life. 

And you know, I think this is working more and more each day.  The Lord is restoring my heart piece by piece.  And even during the hardest weeks like this one, I am constantly reminded that He is there.  He is holding me.  He loves me despite everything I've ever done. 

It's funny because many days living here, I feel so pumped up in my faith.  Living in a place where I'm the minority is invigorating.  It's one of the biggest mission fields I've ever seen.  And then a week like this will happen and I'll start to lose focus.  Again.  I can never forget all that He has given me.

Living means living for Christ.

Dear seniors,

School started last week back in my hometown.  Around the same time, I began to see Facebook statuses popping up, written by the upcoming seniors at my old high school.  These statuses said things like, "I can't wait to be done with high school!" and "I already have senioritis.  I hope this year passes by fast!"  Honestly, those statuses made me a little sad.

Don't get me wrong.  I was the same way.  I vividly remember the senior girls above me, warning me "not to wish high school away."  I would usually think to myself, "You're just saying that because you're finally almost done with this nonsense!"  And I even loved high school.

When senior year rolls around, you quickly acquire this feeling called senioritis.  (You may have it already!)  The end of your high school career is in sight and everything else about high school begins to feel a bit meaningless and boring.  Graduation, college, and moving out all linger in your mind.  Some days they feel a little scary... most days they tend to feel exciting. 

I thought senior year was the best year of high school.  By far.  Here are a few quick tips I wish I would have known before I started my senior year.

Be a leader.  The underclassmen truly look up to you.  Participate in Bible studies.  Reach out to the younger girls.  Strive to be kind and Christlike in everything you do and say.  Shine through your life.  You seniors are the most influential group of people in your high school.  I wish I would have reached out to younger girls more than I did when I was a senior.  Don't let hesitation and timidity keep you from shining as a leader.

Participate.  If there are senior activities, pep rallies, service projects, or even get-togethers with classmates, attend!  These are your last high school memories, so make the most of them.  You don't want to look back in nine months and wish you'd done more.

Senior year will be different from what you expect.  My friends and I all had unique experiences of expecting one thing from senior year and quickly learning another.  In a lot of ways, senior year can be hard.  Emotions will be running high.  These are your last days of high school, which is a scary thought.  Know ahead of time that you will struggle in sometimes unexpected ways.  Tough, unexpected situations might occur that you have to deal with.  Choosing an applying for college and scholarships is stressful.  Be prepared for some unexpected trials to come, but know that although they may be tough in the moment, you will overcome them and senior year can still be wonderful. 

I walked into senior year thinking that the "right" college would somehow find me, that school would be a big party, that I could easily step up and be a leader and leave a legacy for my class, and that senior year would be fun, fun, fun all the time.  I was wrong.  School was still school.  I still felt shy and was often hesitant to reach out to younger girls.  Some difficult things happened in my life and in my friends' lives as well.  While senior year wasn't the 24/7 party I expected, it was still a blast.  I still made a lot of great memories and I will never forget some of the things God taught me that year.

Enjoy these moments.  Don't wish them away.  I can't repeat this enough.  Savor each moment you have left with your family at home, with your friends, at your high school, feeling like a "kid..."  Everything is about to change--and the change will ultimately be good!--but don't rush this time.  It will pass more quickly than you realize.  Senior year can be such a great year.  Don't let it go to waste.

Try to not let stress consume your life.  I know it's hard when you have deadlines, essays, and applications weighing on your shoulders.  Choosing the right university and waiting for acceptance letters can feel incredibly overwhelming at times.  Remember that it will all work out.  Spend time in prayer and Scripture every day.

Set your standards for college ahead of time.  Decide whether or not you'll be going to church, joining Bible studies, drinking, dating, having a quiet time with the Lord each day...  Set your standards and make your habits now so you won't be thrust into heavy temptation and difficult decision-making when you're in the moment.

Don't fall into apathy.  As a senior, it's easy to fall into an apathetic mindset, thinking, "None of this really matters.  I'm leaving in a few months anyway."  Don't be apathetic.  That isn't beneficial to you and it isn't what the Lord wants for your life.  My senior year, I would switch back and forth.  One month, Ali and I would be planning a big social experiment or the 30 Days of Kindness.  Another month, I wouldn't want to go out a whole lot or participate in senior activities.  Mostly, I was apathetic when it came to my schoolwork.  I procrastinated pretty badly, especially towards the end of the year.  Although I kept up with my grades and made A's, I didn't do my best, which is what the Lord asks for.  You'll probably feel apathetic at some point this year.  Even if the schoolwork is boring or if senioritis is hitting you hard, try to make the most out of the time you have left in high school.  Leave a mark for Christ on your school.  Apathy can be a huge temptation senior year.  Do not give in.  Make something great come out of your year. 

I'm so excited for you as you begin your senior year.  I will definitely keep the seniors in my prayers.  You have such a large platform to make a difference at your high school.  So many kids look up to you right now.  Leave a legacy behind you as you finish up these last few months of high school.

Enjoy these moments.  Please, please, please don't wish them away.  This year has the potential to be amazing.

I love you, seniors!

-Emily

(If you're a senior and you have a specific question or prayer request, feel free to write me at jacksfavoriteowner@yahoo.com or in the comments below.)

Since January of this year, my city has received less than an inch of rain.  The all-time low for my city is eight inches of rain in a year, but for us to even get that, it'll have to rain seven and a half inches in five months.  Highly unlikely.  I've never seen a drought like this before.  The grass isn't yellow like it usually is.  If the wind hasn't blown it away, it's brown, shriveled, and dead.

The other day, my friend and I were having a Lion King movie marathon.  There is one scene where Simba returns to the pride lands for the first time in years.  He is stunned to see a dry and dead land.  Grass crumbles beneath his feet.  Do you remember?  That is my city.

My family's well is going dry.  Our water is now an orange-brown color, cloudy and filled with sand.  We can't drink it anymore.  We'd rather not wash in it.  We can no longer water what is left of our lawn.  The heat has reached record temperatures.  There have been several fires recently.  Homes have burned down.  My grandma's old farmhouse burned down a few days ago.  A month or two ago, I jokingly said, "Where's a prophet when you need one?"  It hasn't rained in what seems like forever.

Obviously, we cannot have fireworks on the 4th of July.  There will still be a celebration.  I'll get together with friends and we'll try to make the most of Independence Day, focusing on the meaning of the holiday over the excitement of firework displays.

July 4th has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember.  I love the cookouts, the family get-togethers, the warmth of the summer nights, the fireworks.  I live outside of the city limits, so friends and family gather at my place to shoot fireworks and light up the sky with vibrant colors.  I love the smells and twinges of excitement and the taste of homemade ice cream.  I LOVE the 4th of July.

It won't be the same this year.

No fireworks.  No sparklers.  Not even the city will have its huge annual display that we watch along the horizon from our back porch.  It won't be the same.

Honestly, this summer has been an emotional struggle for me.  I'm working a lot of hours at a job that isn't for me.  My friends are also working and taking summer courses, so we don't get together often.  My family is running out of water.  My favorite holiday has been turned into a common cookout.  I'm packing up my bedroom to MOVE AWAY from everyone I know and love within six weeks from now.

I'll admit I'm having a harder time than I thought I would be.  I feel like the ground outside right now.  Windswept, parched, and aching for nourishment.

Sometimes the Lord feels so distant.

When I see those around me do amazing things in His Name and I return to my job at a frozen yogurt shop, when I write yet another post for my blog and don't FEEL my words, when I go to bed early because I'm just so TIRED, I feel confused.  Lonely.  Thirsty.

Psalm 77:19 says, "Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footprints were not seen."

I'll admit it.  It's been harder to feel God this summer than it usually is.  And maybe it's entirely my fault.  I can't help but compare my emotional and spiritual weariness and thirst to the land around me.  To the parched ground in my backyard.  To my empty well.  To the state of my city.

We need rain.  It may be our driest year yet, but it WILL rain.  Rain will come and nourish the ground one day.  It will bring color into the grass and water into our wells.  This may not happen for a while, but it will come.  God will never abandon us.  And even when I'm going through a dry spell like I have this summer, I have faith that God will not leave me.  He is still here, even when His footprints are not seen.

If you're reading my blog and I sound insincere or weary, I'm sorry.  It's probably because I AM.  But I have faith that I will get through this with His help.  I'm in a drought, but He will bring rain.

He will never leave me.

During my first three years of high school, I always used to perceive the seniors above me as being crazy.  Not the clinically insane kind of crazy, but rather living the ideal high school life: partying all night long, never doing homework, and always, always having a good time kind of crazy.  At least, it sure seemed that way.  No matter what time it was, whenever I saw the seniors, they were all smiling and laughing about something.  In class, in the halls, at lunch, at Bible study... the seniors always seemed to be having a crazy good time.

What an unbelievably exciting thing to anticipate for my senior year.

Even towards the end of my junior year, my friends and I would discuss how eager we were to become seniors.  "Now we're just going to be able to relax and have fun," we'd tell each other.  "I can't wait to become a senior and just go crazy!"  Even a mere four months away from being actual seniors, my friends and I had no idea.

Our perception of seniors was correct... in a way.  Do we act crazy?  Yes.  Definitely in the partying together kind of way, but perhaps a little in the clinically insane kind of way too.

My senior year has probably been the biggest emotional rollercoaster I've experienced since middle school (when everything was reason for drama) and most of my friends would probably agree with me.  Senior year has been crazy.  Sometimes in a good way and sometimes not.

I think everything I experience these days comes in extremes.  I'm either having a blast with friends while fighting shaving cream battles and prank wars and hosting movie nights... or I'm panicking about my future, wondering where on earth God wants me to go for college... or I'm terrified about leaving my family and friends and I feel both sad and scared at the same time.  Occasionally, I'll feel mellow, but even on those days, I seem to switch to the extreme.  "I don't care.  I just don't care.  Why do school work?  Why hang out?  Why do anything?  I think I'll just sleep for the rest of my life."  I think at times, there are so many confusing emotions and fears churning around in my head, it's hard to feel only one thing at once.

There is a peace that comes from the Lord, and when I'm as frantic as I so often am, it's very easily recognizable.  There is nothing more comforting than to be faced with a life-altering decision and then to feel a flood of peace fill my heart.  It helps me realize that God is there and taking care of me, even when I feel like I'm about to go insane.

I'm sure the seniors in my class seem just as crazy to all of the underclassmen as the previous seniors did to me.  You know, we are trying to make memories and leave a legacy behind us and enjoy the last few weeks we have with each other.  Imagine if you were told you had nine months left to live.  During those nine months, you'd try to enjoy yourself as much as possible, right?  On a lesser scale, we've been given nine months together as a class before we must go our separate ways... forever.  That leaves just a little bit of pressure.  If we want to have good memories, we've got to make them right now.

Honestly, I don't know one senior right now who isn't dealing with some tough issues.  Every single person in my close knit group of friends has struggled with something difficult this year.  Perhaps God is preparing us for our futures, which are sure to be filled with occasional trials.  Perhaps it's just a part of the stress that comes with entering a new chapter of our lives.

I've enjoyed my senior year of high school.  I truly have.  God has taught me so much during these stressful last months.  I know it has been good for me.  But I'm writing this to debunk the theory that all seniors are crazy.  ...Well, perhaps we are crazy, but it isn't always in the partying all day kind of way.  Half the time, we're crazy in the clinically insane kind of way.  It's tough to grow up.

But I wouldn't give up these moments for anything.

Lately, I've been thinking about how valuable life is.  I often hear stories about people who have died in tragic accidents or from diseases.  I see their smiling faces in photographs that have merely snapped a glimpse of who they were when they were still alive.  Life is precious.  I forget that sometimes.

A few months ago, I read about a girl named Shannon Tavarez.  At eleven years old, she'd already achieved remarkable success in her life.  She was Young Nala in New York's Broadway show of "Lion King."  She was known for her big voice, beautiful smile, and determined spirit.  Last April, Shannon discovered she had a serious form of cancer called acute myelogenous leukemia and would require a bone marrow transplant to save her life.  Unfortunately, Shannon was part Hispanic and part black, so it was nearly impossible to find a perfect bone marrow match.  Multiple celebrities such as Alicia Keys and Rihanna rallied for Shannon, begging people to be tested and donate bone marrow for Shannon, in hopes of saving her life.  Even 50 Cent offered to donate his own marrow if he was a match.

Unfortunately, on November 1, 2010, Shannon succumbed to leukemia after a six month battle.  Her death was a huge blow for the many people who had rallied for her and tried so hard to save her.  How discouraging!  Shannon was so young.  She had such a promising future.  And suddenly, she was gone. 

When I first heard about Shannon's death, I was incredibly discouraged.  "After all that," I thought to myself, "after so many people stood up and fought with her, she still died.  This is one of the most depressing stories I've ever heard."  However, Shannon's story doesn't have to be so depressing.  Her legacy encouraged people to donate their marrow and be tested... and that donated marrow will save lives.  Many celebrities donated their time (and even offered their own marrow!) for Shannon's cause.  Shannon taught so many people empathy and positivity and sacrifice and hope.

Shannon's death was very tragic.  She was only eleven years old... and her death could have been prevented if the right bone marrow match had come forward.  But Shannon stayed positive and strong, and she made the best out of the life she had.

You may be having a difficult time in your life right now.  You may be struggling so badly that you feel like you're drowning in a world where nobody understands, where nobody cares.  I've been there before.  I've contemplated and even attempted suicide.  I've been there.  Life is a gift, but it can be very hard at times.  If you're struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide right now, please remember the value of the life you've been given.  God gave you your life for a reason.  Deuteronomy 14:2 says that the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession.  You're His.  You're valued.  Your life is precious.

Three years ago, a friend of mine committed suicide.  In one moment of recklessness, he ended his entire life.  He stopped the plans God was working in his life.  He abandoned his purpose because he didn't think life was worth living anymore.  Gatlin had so much potential.  He was smart and kind and talented.  But he gave it all up.  It's difficult to come to terms with the fact that your loved one didn't find your friendship enough of a reason to stay alive.  That's tough.

If you or a loved one or an acquaintance is contemplating suicide, please seek help.  Life is precious.  Nothing is worth destroying the plans that God has made for you.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'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.'"  Life is precious.

You may have been walking through life recently, trying to wish the time away.  "I'm tired of high school.  I just can't wait till I graduate."  "Life is so hard right now.  If only I could move forward a year or two."  "I wish I could make time go faster."

We don't know how much time God has given us.  But whatever situation you're in right now, try to savor every moment you've been given.  Today will be the only February 16, 2011 you'll ever experience.  Don't waste it.

You may have fifty years left of your life.  You may die today.  James 4:14 says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  Make the moments you've got count.  Shannon Tavarez made a legacy with the little time she had.  She changed lives with her determination and her joy.  She helped to save lives by asking people to donate their bone marrow.  She gave people hope.  Shannon's life was short, like a mist, but she made a mark on the world with the time she had. 

Make every moment worth living.  Your life is so valuable.  Don't let it go to waste.

How will you leave your mark?

I got the pictures used in today's entry here and here.  

 
 

I have a confession to make.  Sometimes I go quite a while without thinking about God. 

I try to start out my mornings thinking about Him, saying a few prayers, listening to some praise music, and smiling at the thought of the God who made me... but I don't always.  Sometimes I'm too tired and hardly think about anything as I get ready for my day.  I try to think about God during my car rides and my days at school, but I often forget and become caught up in conversations with friends, stress about upcoming assignments, and worries about the future.  There are so many things going on in my life that I often forget to think about or pray to God.

You might feel the same way.

There are so many important things in my life right now.  I'm just too busy.  I often don't have time to have a real quiet time with God.  My schedule is really hectic right now.

Is God so small to us that we can so easily put our silly schedules above spending time with Him?

We have a Creator, a Father, a Savior.  We were made to worship Him and yet we forget our purpose in the pursuit of drama-filled friendships and struggles and jobs and grades.  Nothing is bigger than God.  Nothing is worth putting above God.

There have been times when I've gone to youth group and heard the speech about how if we love our cars or iPods or Facebooks more than anything else, then they may have become an idol in our lives.  Perhaps some teens need to hear that speech, but I often would think, "Nah, I could easily give up those things for God.  They're only material possessions.  They don't really matter."

But have you ever stopped to think that your schedule might have become an idol in your life?  Think about it.  If you're too busy to stop and think about God, if there is too much going on in your life for you to spend time with God, if you think about yourself and your own problems more than you worship God, then there is a huge problem in your life.  You're placing your wants and schedule and priorities above the One who created you and gave His life for you.  You're making your priorities and thus yourself an idol.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray continually.  Another translation of the same verse says for us to pray without ceasing.  We were made to think about the Lord constantly.  Our purpose is to glorify Him, not to focus on our own schedules.

Putting God above our schedules is much easier said than done.  Life is a big thing and when it gets in the way, it's tough to push it down and say, "No, it's God time right now."  Placing God at the top of your priority list is a difficult habit to create, but it's time to start trying.

Remember to have some sort of a quiet time with God every single day.  Take a slice out of your schedule to spend time with your Father and worship Him.  Talk to Him.  Remember Him.  Jesus Christ suffered and died for you.  The least you can do is spend some time with Him.

I wonder if it makes God sad when He is so frequently shoved into a ten or fifteen minute slot out of a day that lasts twenty-four hours.  "Okay, God.  I've given you a fifteen minute quiet time today.  Are You happy now?  Isn't that good enough?"  God is not small.  He is not insignificant.  He is life-consuming.  He should be the center of our existence.

Memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  It isn't that difficult.  It's two or three words long, depending on what translation you use.  Memorize that verse and use it.  Hide it in your heart.  Spend some alone time with God each day, yes, but as you move through your busy schedule, talk to God.  Think about Him.  Let Him fill your thoughts and transform the way you live your life.  When you're consumed with the Lord, your words and actions and heart will change.  You'll glorify God with the way you live, and that's how it's meant to be.

God is not small.  Don't make Him small in your life.

This is something I wrote on August 3, 2009.  I wrote this a few weeks after visiting Kenya, Africa and right after volunteering at a camp called Angel Tree Camp, a place where children whose parents are in prison can relax and have fun.  I came across this piece of writing again the other day and thought I would share it on this blog.

---

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.  Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine.  I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.  I want ecstasy, not transformation.  I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth.  I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack.  I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."  -Wilbur Rees

Isn't that what we all want?  Just enough of God to make us feel good, but not enough to break our hearts?

This summer has been exactly the opposite for me.

I've seen enough of God this summer for my heart to be broken again and again.  I have been shattered into a thousand pieces, restored, and shattered again, and yet I feel like this is something that God has been planning for me to experience over these past three months.

Seeing the street boy sin the cities of Kenya, high on glue, unable to walk straight.

The little children in the slums, shrieking with excitement over a little piece of candy.

Students, who are even sponsored, but don't have shoes that fit right... and yet they would absolutely call themselves blessed.  You know why?  Because their neighbors don't have any shoes at all.

Children sticking their scrawny arms through the gates of the school, watching the students eat lunch, wishing in vain for the education they will not have.  For a future that is not to be.

People who have NOTHING, who are STARVING, and yet want to give what they have to those who have less... or more, in my case.

A little girl at Angel Tree Camp, sobbing into my shoulder because she is so ashamed of the sexual abuse she has suffered at the hands of her own father.

Children praying over lit candles for their loved ones who have hurt them, setting the candles on a cross, and letting them float into the middle of the pond, shining through the darkness.

"We get THREE good meals a day here?  I've never had so many meals in one day in my whole life!"

A balloon pops and a girl screams out in a sudden burst of panic, thinking someone is shooting in the cabin... just like they do in her backyard.
 
Kids who live in MY town who have never had a pillow... pajamas... a tooth brush... underwear... a Bible... a father... a hug.

How are you supposed to take this and remain whole?  When little children are hurting, being hurt, enduring pain with silence that screams louder than sound, how can my heart not break into pieces?

But how can I ask for a mere $3 worth of God?  How can I not open my eyes to see the TRUTH?  I don't want to be blinded to the problems until things change.  And they still have a long ways to go.

I'm throwing away that tiny paper sack.  I'd like to buy a million gallon tank that's wide open for everything God has in store for me. 

Open my eyes, Lord.
Let me see the truth.
Let me see the pain.
And let me see the goodness too.
Restore me.  Transform me.  Break me.  Delight me.
I want to see it all.

 

Last week's article was about being different.  I strive to be different.  Not necessarily in the way I dress (although that matters too), but instead in the way I shape my actions and words.  I know I'm an example of Christ.  You may strive to be different as well. 

The biggest obstacle to being different is apathy.  I'll give you the definition of apathy, just in case you aren't familiar with the term. 

apathy ap-a-thy (āp'ə-thē) n. Lack of interest, concern, or emotion; indifference.

The chaos of life is difficult to overcome.  Believe me, as an honor student finishing my final year of high school, I get that.  Some days, I'm so exhausted that I simply want to fall into bed and sleep for three months straight.  When you're busy, apathy hits hard because you can easily become exhausted.  When you're lazy, it hits even harder. 

When you're feeling apathetic, it's easy to think, "Yes, I believe in God.  Yes, I'm different.  Yes, I abstain from what the 'bad kids' do.  Yadayadayada... but today, I don't feel like being different.  I'm not changing the world.  I'm just a kid.  What does being different even matter?  I just want to blend in with the crowd today.  I just want to be normal."  Sound familiar? 

"It's true!" you might be ready to shout at me from the safety of your computer screen.  "What does it matter if I don't do anything important today?  What does being different even do?  My life is hard right now, okay?  Why should I even care about this stuff?" 

I get it.  I promise you.  It's hard to stand up for what you believe in, and it's hard to stand out from the crowd, especially when you're feeling weary.  Especially when apathy is beginning to set in.  It's tough.  When it comes to apathy, I easily fall.  I am shy, timid, and often filled with doubts.  It's hard to stay strong.  But it's possible.

Why does it matter?  There are two big reasons why you should strive to be a city on a hill that come to my mind.  Because God called you to be different and because there are people watching.  It's as simple and as difficult as that.

God has called us to stand out from the crowd and be different for Him.  One of my favorite verses is Matthew 5:14.  "You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden."  As a Christian teen, you are a city on a hill, meaning that you are an example to everyone around you.  If you're an outspoken Christian, then when people see the things you do, they think, "He's doing that because he's a Christian."  If you screw up and make a fool out of yourself, many will blame it on God or on Christians in general, and not only on you.

As soon as you make a confession for Christ, you're putting a burden on your shoulders.  With your words and your actions, you're showing people the words and opinions of Jesus Christ, whether you mean to or not.

According to God's Word, you're not of the world.  Your focus should not be the focus of other kids.  Miley Cyrus's latest scandal shouldn't be the first thing that comes out of your mouth.  When you log on the internet, why do you need to be watching YouTube music videos where women flaunt their skimpy clothing while dancing provocatively?  You're not a part of that world.  You're a part of God's kingdom.

A famous verse you've probably seen around before is Romans 12:2.  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing, and perfect will."  If that isn't clear, I don't know what is.  Many Christians read that part of the verse and take it to heart, but they leave out Romans 12:1, the verse that comes right before.  "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship."  Not conforming to the world isn't merely avoiding drugs and sex.  It isn't merely knowing the cool Bible verses and wearing the clever Christian t-shirts.  It's not knowing the words to the worship songs you sing at church.  No, not conforming involves giving the entirety of your life for the purpose of following Jesus Christ, the One who died for you.

You were made to be a city on a hill and a living sacrifice for the purpose of leading others to the Lord.  That means that no matter how exhausted and weary and sick of religion you are today, as a living sacrifice, you were meant to be stretched beyond your limits.  You are a cup meant to be filled to the point of overflowing.  You were meant to go beyond the constraints of religion and into the realm of true faith.

Apathy is a difficult thing to overcome, yes, but God has called you to make that effort.  It's time to stand up for Him now.  Are you in?  
 

Day 6: A moment you wish you could relive

It was ninth grade.  I stood in a group with some casual friends of mine.  We were at a high school basketball game, but none of us was actually watching.  We had formed a circle, laughing and chattering and sharing all sorts of stories.  Several kids from the opposing school had joined us, and they were all cursing and talking about raucous subjects.  To my surprise, the kids I was with joined in without batting an eye.  I tried my best to stay out of the crude conversations, but I didn't want to leave the group , so I continued to laugh and talk with everyone without cussing or talking inappropriately.

At one point, a boy pulled me to the side.  "I've been watching you," he said.  "You're different.  There's something about you.  You stand out from the crowd.  I can't tell if it's the way you act, the way you talk... or what.   What is it about you that's so different?"

I was shy and timid, proud of myself for merely joining in a conversation that included people I didn't know.  I knew the answer to the boy's question: I stood out from the others because I loved Jesus.  I was a Christian.  However, I was embarrassed.  I didn't want to sound preachy or annoying.  I didn't want to look silly.  I stammered around for a few seconds before finally muttering, "I don't think there's anything different about me." 

"No, there is something different.  I can see it.  What is it?"

"Nothing.  It's nothing.  I guess I'm just a unique person," I mumbled and turned away from the boy and back to the crowd.

I dreamed about that situation for nights afterword.

I had a chance to share the Word of God with someone who didn't believe, and I lost that chance.  I failed the purpose God had for me in that moment.  To this day, I still feel incredibly guilty.  I hate the feeling of having failed God.  If I could go back right now, I would share my faith with that boy and chance a weird look or a mocking laugh.  I would embrace any ridicule I received. 

If you're ever in a situation where you're given the chance to share your faith- but possibly face ridicule- share your faith.  Don't let yourself feel ashamed of your choice later on when you have a moment to look back on the day.  Jesus is worth any and all ridicule.  Never be ashamed of what you believe.

With each year, seniors have stood before the high school and said, "Our class will be the one to help start a revival at San Jacinto.  We will not let you down."  And there have been individual seniors who have fulfilled their promises and helped bring SanJac into a new spiritual place to the best of their abilities.  However, in many cases, the promises made have been nothing but words spilled from the lips of children that fell straight to the ground like shattered glass.  It is very easy for words to remain only words.

This year is our legacy.  We are the leaders of our school for the next nine months.  It is our turn to take the step of leadership.  Our year.  We have two choices.  One, to unite as a class that is strong in Jesus Christ and help to point our school in the right direction.  Or two, to give the yearly promises like all seniors do, and then sit back and allow one or two individuals in our class to take the burden of leadership onto their shoulders alone.  Which direction will you take?  The choice is yours.

How will you be a leader this year?

Will you reach out to underclassmen to the best of your ability?  Will you befriend them, fellowship with them, and mentor them in a way that shows both respect and friendship?  Will you strive to make your words and your actions reflect maturity rather than foolishness?  Will you continue to grow in a relationship with the Lord even when life feels too difficult and chaotic?  Will you listen and allow God to mold this year into what He wants it to be?

Our class isn't perfect, and I don't think there ever will be a class that is.  But I am saying right now that I will try to the best of my ability to make this year something meaningful and worthwhile.  If you see me acting otherwise, do not be afraid to call me out.  Ask me, and I will do the same for you.  Sometimes it will be hard, but I know God has something big in store for our class and for our school this year. 

It's time to stand up, seniors.  Let's transform our words into action.  Let's transform our wishes into true faith.  Are you in?

If you go outside and walk down a busy street and look around you, you will see the faces of many people who do not know Christ.  You probably have gone to your church, to your school, to your home, and prayed fervently for God to start a revival, but for the first time in a long time, your prayers seem unanswered. 

Sure, there are moments when you see a young Christian become fired up for Christ or you are able to witness the conversion of a nonbeliever.  A new member joins your church.  Someone is healed in the Name of the Lord.  All of these are great things that are happening all around you... but where is the revival? 

According to the dictionary, the definition of a revival is: "a restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence." 

Is that not the truth of what has gone on in the United States- and the globe, for that matter- for past hundred or more years?  Christianity has fallen into a state of obscurity and apathy.  Many- if not most- Christians today are in a state of deep sleep.  We are like the walking dead.  Do you not believe me?  Let me ask you a few questions.

1. When was the last time you openly witnessed to an unbeliever?  How often do you share your faith with the lost?
2. When was the last time you took the Lord's Name in vain?  (for example, saying "Oh my ---.")
3. When was the last time you listened to music or watched a movie or a television program that contained people inappropriately using the Name of the Lord as a cuss word?  
4. When was the last time you spent more than ten minutes in solid prayer?
5. When was the last time you spent more than ten minutes reading the Bible?

As you answered these questions, did your heart sink?  If these questions did not apply to you, then do you realize how many Christians that they do apply to?  I am not going to lie.  I feel like a hypocrite when I read these questions, and I'm the one who wrote them!  I know for a fact that I still have a long ways to go in improving my life for the Lord.   

We are praying for a revival.  We are praying for a restoration of the use, acceptance, activity, and vigor of our faith after this period of obscurity and quiescence.  But at the same time, what are we as Christians doing to start this revival?

Here is a huge issue: when we long for a revival in our nation and around the world, we look at the people around us.  "If we could get Christians to stop being hypocrites and actually follow God... if we can change the reputation that Christians have to unbelievers... if we could get more people to have faith in Christ and less people to doubt... if we could get more people to pray..."  That is not the issue.  Other people are not the issue. 

You are the issue.

Instead of looking for the lack of revival in other Christians, in our nation, and in unbelievers, why don't you look for the cause of this missing revival inside of yourself?  You are the only person that you can change.  Every revival has to start out with a core group, and why can you not be one of these people? 

If you are doing something consistently sinful in your life, be it watching movies that take the Lord's Name in vain, be it listening to sinful music, be it not living out every aspect of your own life to God's glory, then how can you truly look around you and ask, "Why is there no revival?"  What are you doing to start this revival?  You must do more than pray.  You must do more than wish.  You need to make a change in your own life before you can make a change in the lives of anyone else. 

Matthew 17:20 says, "...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Have you seen any great miracles lately?  Have you seen a true revival in your nation?  No, our world is sliding further and further down into the depths of sin and worldly things.  According to Jesus Christ, the smallest amount of faith should be doing things even greater than moving a mountain.  When have you seen such a thing happening lately?  When have you seen mountains being moved?

When have you seen a true revival occurring all around you?

I believe that we're close.  I believe that starting a revival isn't too far away.  It can happen. 

The next time you close your eyes and pray to God to start a revival in the United States and around the world, I would like you to reword what you have to say.  Instead of saying, "Please, God, start a revival in the world," why don't you pray, "Please, God, start a revival in me?"  If God can start a true revival in your heart- and in mine as well- then our lives will shine through the darkness, and a revival will have begun.  A revival begins with each individual. 

I would like to end this post with a quote from A.W. Tozer that I think is extremely mind-blowing if you stop and think about what he has to say. 

"Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late- and how little revival has resulted?  I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work.  To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble.  Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience."

What is the obedience that can begin to start a revival for Christ in our world?  Obedience is obeying the ten commandments, refraining from participation in worldly activities, witnessing (you witnessing) on a frequent basis to unbelievers, and your life becoming transformed to that of Christ Jesus.  That is true obedience.  That is what will begin a true revival that will go beyond moving mountains.

Do you have any comments about this subject?  Feel free to leave your opinion in the comment box below.

Credit to the photos I used in today's post go to here and here.     

What I've done is probably going to cause a lot of controversy amongst my readers.  Some of you guys may be shocked and angered.  You may call me a hypocrite, and you may say that what I've done is sacrilegious and blasphemous.  On the other hand, I think that a lot of you will be positive about what I have done, and you may even want to do this yourself. 

What I've done is cut up a Bible. 

It was an old King James Bible I got when I was about ten years old.  It's been sitting on my shelf for years, gathering dust.  I prefer the New International Version and I have a newer Bible that I read each day instead of my older Bible.

Now before you start to feel indignant, I would like you to stay seated and keep reading what I have to say.  I did not cut up my Bible because I was angry with God or because I disagreed with things that the Bible has to say.  No, the reason I cut up my Bible was to make a point. 

I cut out every verse in the Bible that has to do with poverty and helping the needy.  The reason why I did this was partially to prove to myself exactly how much importance that God places on serving the less fortunate.  I also did this so that I could have tangible and physical evidence to show people and be able to honestly say, "Look at what our Bible is, at what our faith is, without us serving the poor and the destitute." 

I suspected that there would be many sections chopped out of the Bible after this experiment- big holes eradicated from God'sWord- but I was shocked to discover what was left of my Bible after I had removed the verses about helping the poor and the needy.  My Bible was completely tattered.  There was little left of its pages.  It was unreadable, unusable. 

When Christians do not serve the needy, we are not putting into practice what the Bible so strongly emphasizes that we need to do.  We are ignoring these huge sections of God's Word when we should be obeying them with every fabric of our lives.   

The Christian church today does not put nearly enough emphasis into service .  Don't get me wrong- some churches are focused on helping the needy in their communities and around the world, but most churches are more focused on other things.  These things are also important, but Christians too often overlook the needs of so many people across the globe, and that gives Christ a bad name.  There are people dying of hunger, thirst, lack of medical care, and poor sanitary conditions every single day.  There are so many people who are living without shoes or a home and who are going through life without an education.  This is a huge problem. 

As children of God, we should be following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, the One who said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me."  (Matthew 25:40, TNIV)  Service was so important to Jesus, and this is reflected throughout the Bible, in the New and Old Testaments. 

What makes me cringe is the fact that there are so many more secular efforts to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless than there are Christian efforts.  Why do the big rock stars who are into drugs and sex and worldly things do more for the poor than we as Christians- who are supposed to do what Jesus did and live how He lived on earth- do for the poor?  This puts Christians in a bad light when people think to themselves, "I'm doing more to help the hungry than the people who love God do.  Why would I want to be like them?"  This needs to change right now.

Over the next several weeks I am going to be expanding on this vitally important issue.  I am going to be talking about the greatest needs of the world today in regards to poverty.  I will also talk about what you can do as a Christian, right now, in your community and around the world.  Don't allow your faith in Jesus to be tattered and torn like my Bible because of the fact that you ignore one of His most important commands: to help those who are in need. 

What do you think about this topic?  Do you believe that the church has been greatly apathetic in regards to helping the poverty-stricken people throughout the world?  What do you think about my physical evidence (the ripped Bible)?  What do you plan to do to serve the needy in your community?
 
 

Recently, for those of you who have not noticed, I seem to have come to a dry spell with my writing.  My stories, my songs, and even my blog entries have unfortunately become few and far between.  I've lost my inspiration over the past several weeks.  I need a new muse to reawaken that writer's fire that I'm used to feel burning deep within me.  Despite this frustration, I am confident that I will soon find that part of me that will give me the inspiration to pick up a pencil and write away into the night once again. 

I think that we as Christians sometimes go through these "dry spells" as well in our walks with the Lord.  Sometimes it may seem unusually difficult to force yourself to sit down and open your Bible or pray for more than a few minutes at a.  It can be easy to become so focused on our own busy lives and our own struggles and our own sorrows that we lose focus on our almighty, all-powerful, all-loving God. 

If you are going through a dry spell in your walk with God, I want to encourage you with the verse I have provided below. 

In this passage, King David was feeling lost and alone.  He was searching for God in a place that seemed to be void of strength and hope that comes with the Lord.  And when he was actually in a dry place- hiding in the desert from his enemies- he probably felt spiritually dry at that moment.

The world in which we live is sinful and filled with people who do not understand what we are going through as children of God.  We live in a dry and weary land.  As Christians, it can be incredibly difficult to get through a single day without feeling like our hope is fading away.  We search for God, we long for Him, but the anxiety and pain of the world continues to pull us further and further away from that goal.  And that makes it so much more difficult to stay strong in Him. 

The next three verses in Psalm 63 are impacting and thought-provoking.

I think this is beautiful.  Despite the fact that David was alone in the desert, both spiritually and physically, despite the fact that his enemies surrounded him, and I'm sure that he felt void of hope, he still trusted God.  He was struggling so hard to find the Lord in this difficult, difficult situation.  Despite all of that, he trusted God.  He had seen God's work before, and He knew that God wasn't going to leave him.  David said confidently, "I will praise You as long as I live." 

How amazing.

As Christians, we should strive to be like David.  No matter what trial we are going through in our own lives, let us strive to praise Christ for as long as we live, because truthfully, His love is better than life, and His security will overcome every struggle we have. 

Psalm 63:7 says, "Because You are my help, I sing in the shadow of Your wings."

Again

There are days when I am tired,

And I'm weary of this earth.

Sometimes I only want to hide,

When I cannot see my worth.

So I walk outside the open door,

Into the gently pouring rain.

I've been in this place before,

And here I've found myself again.

You'd think I'd learn the first time.

This isn't where I want to be.

I wish that I could find a sign,

That You're taking care of me.

I tilt my face up to the sky,

Even though the sun is gone.

I shut my fists and whisper, "Why?"

I know that I'm not strong.

I close my eyes against the rain,

As it streaks across my skin.

You love me through my tears and shame,

And you wash me clean again.

Today I was home alone.  My family had all gone to run errands in town, and I stayed home to relax.  It was the weekend, after all.  The sun was shining outside.  The air was warm.  The blaring television and blinking computer screen did not satisfy my restlessness.  As I stepped outside and breathed in the crisp winter air, I decided to go on a bike ride.  Only very recently have I learned how to ride a bike, and since then, I've found myself wobbling down the streets of my neighborhood until my legs are too tired to pedal any further. 

In some ways, it is an easy escape from the confinement of my home.  I am free to look around at the rolling countryside and listen to the whispering grass and feel the gentle rays of the sun brush against my arms and face until I feel secure and content. 

Even though I live in a relatively flat city, the small area of my neighborhood is adorned with hills and cliffs and little canyons.  Today, I decided to ride up a particularly steep hill, something exciting to my meager, new-bike-rider skills.  As I tried to force my way up the hill on my little bike, straining against the wind and squinting through the harsh sunlight, I soon wanted to give up and turn back around.  The muscles in my legs were burning and tired, and my breathing felt labored.  I didn't want to struggle.  I wanted to feel relaxed, confident.  I wanted to go back to the smaller hills that I could easily overcome.  I hadn't thought that this would be so hard. 

Sometimes it does seem easier to just give up.  Something hard may be going on in your life, and you just want to say, "Forget it!  It doesn't matter.  I give up."  Even in our faith with the Lord, if something doesn't go our way, it can seem so much easier to just say, "God isn't showing Himself.  He obviously isn't here for me."  But that isn't what God intended for us. 

Imagine if the apostles and the early church decided that Christ wasn't worth it.  What if they chose to give up and stop following Him?  Their lives would have become so much easier.  Their persecutors would have left them alone.  And we would not know the truth about Christ today.  However, they realized that God was worth the struggle.  He was worth the pain and the persecution and the heart break. 

When you are enduring something difficult in your life, do not let yourself give up.  God has a plan for you, and it may take some struggles to get there.  I heard from someone that the depth of your valleys indicate the height of your mountains later on, meaning that the harder times that you face will become greater triumphs in the end.  Do not allow yourself to give up. 

Philippians 3:14 says, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  Press on.  Your goal could be to overcome a battle in your life or to be an example to someone who you know is struggling.  Your goal could be to survive just one more day.  Just know that you can do it.  God will not allow you to handle any more than you can bear.  Keep strong.  You do not have to be overcome. 

When I reached the top of the hill, a slow smile stretched across my face.  I made it.  I tried to do something difficult, I struggled, and I made it.  I made it to the top.

And do you know what?  After the long ride up the hill, it took me mere minutes to come back down.  I glided easily on my bike, feeling completely at ease as the breeze brushed my face, and I was finally able to relax once again.  I felt exhilarated, peaceful.  It was all made worthwhile in the end. 

I'd made it.

(In case you were wondering, the pictures are from the day when I first learned how to ride a bike, and not necessarily the experience that I wrote about in this entry.)
 

Have you ever been discredited because of your age?  "You're too young."  "Maybe when you're older."  Honestly, every time somebody puts me down because of my age, I want to take my Bible and beat them over the head with it.  ...And then I ponder this thought and realize that it might go against the whole, "I'm mature," idea, and probably against the Christ-follower persona as well.

I like to quote the verse Jeremiah 1:7, where the Lord says, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.'  You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you."

You can be eight years old and have a specific purpose for your life that is meant to happen right now.  Think about children who have made a difference.  Did you know that Mozart was composing music at five years old?  Fifteen year old Tara Lipinksi became the youngest person to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.  And who could forget Mattie Stepanek who raised awareness for muscular dystrophy and published six books of poetry before his death at age thirteen?  There are so many young people who have made a difference in the world.  You do not have to be thirty, forty, fifty years old to do something worthwhile with your life.  You can start right now, at whatever age you are.

I have always had big hopes and dreams.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to do things that most people wouldn't even consider.  I have memories of when I was eight or nine years old.  "What do you want to be when you grow up?" a beaming adult would ask me.  I would grin right back at them and reply, "An international journalist."  How's that for a startling answer from an elementary-aged child? 

Could you believe that somebody has said to me before, "I know you want to do all of these things, Emily, but wait until you get a good skill... wait until after you graduate college, and then you can do what God wants you to do."  People have told me that as a seventeen year old girl, my brain hasn't developed enough for me to realize what God's plan is for me.  People have told me that I can't actually know God's purpose for me until I'm out of my twenties.  This is what the enemy is putting into our minds. 

I don't want to be put in a box labeled, "Useless until college graduation."  I want to be considered a child of Christ with a purpose already set in motion for my life, starting now, even if it means for me to do something almost incomprehensible if you aren't looking through God's eyes.

1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

Jesus has a plan for me.  I can already taste it.  I can already feel Him touching my heart.  However, I feel hindered by false assumptions.  When people look at me, I fear that all they see is a seventeen year old junior in high school instead of the potential that I have as an instrument of the Lord.  "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." (Philippians 4:13, The Message)

I encourage you to erase all judgment from your mind and focus instead on having blind faith.  Nowhere in the Bible does God encourage you to wait until you are "old enough" to change the world.  No, in many instances, He purposely used young people to fulfill His plan, people like Samuel and King David and Esther and Timothy. 

The Lord uses the young to change the hearts of the old.

If you're young and eager like I am, then keep up the good faith.  Let no one's false prejudice keep you from following God's plan.  He does have a purpose for you, and it's never too early to begin fulfilling His call.

To be honest, I'm feeling pretty weary today...  It's the middle of January.  It's cold.  It's windy.  I'm going to school for eight hours at a time, working out at the gym after that, and then filling up the remainder of my day with various activities after that.  I'm tired!  My schedule is packed.  I've had some troubles recently that I didn't expect or want.  At the end of the day, all I want is to lie down and say, "I give up." 

I need to keep telling myself, "That's not His plan." 

Even when I am feeling apathetic and tired and worn out and frustrated, I need to remember that Jesus went through the same thing.  Think about when He was walking the earth, trying to express what He wanted to say to the disciples who never seemed to understand.  Think about when He stepped into the temple, only to find that it had been turned into a business instead of a place of worship.  Think about how weary and frustrated Jesus must have gotten while He lived on the earth. 

You may be feeling the same way that I am feeling today.  You may have something difficult going on in your life right now.  You may just be exhausted from a busy schedule or a stressful week.  Whatever is going on, you may feel like collapsing in a chair and closing your eyes for the next two months.

Believe it or not, that isn't His plan for us.  Jesus understands that we get tired.  He understands our daily frustrations.  He knows how it feels to live in a world that isn't easy.  He understands.

Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

When you are feeling tired of life, allow Jesus to envelop you into His arms and give you the rest that you need.  He will be our strength if we let Him.  He is our hiding place.  He is our green pastures and still waters, the place where we can flee when we can't go any further.

I don't think we realize this enough, but Jesus is there for us even on the days when we're just feeling apathetic and tired of life.  He wants to help us in everything, and all we have to do is come to Him.  He will give us the rest we need.  He does not fail His children.  

On this particular day, when I was driving to go work out at the gym and feeling a little bummed out about that fact, a terrible cold front was coming in, and the sky was a dark gray.  The wind was blowing like no other, and the temperature dropped fifteen degrees in half an hour.  A dusky fog was beginning to settle, and the entire town seemed restless and anxious as the upcoming arctic blast headed our way. 

At a certain stop sign, I glanced around, still feeling kinda down in the dumps, when I saw an old, rusty sign standing several houses down from where my car was.  I rushed to take a picture before the light turned, and I'm actually surprised my zoom was able to get such a clear image of the sign through the fog and the dust and the long distance, but here is the sign:

I can't believe that I have passed this sign every day on the way back from school, and I have never noticed it before.  I squinted to read the sign, and when I saw what it said, my thoughts just brightened with realization and a sudden hope.  "That's true," I said to myself.  "I did say that today was going to be a good day." 

And I really did.  But as the day went on, I found it easy to forget about some promise I made to myself when I was half asleep, and focused on other things.

Have you ever done this?  You start out the day with bright hopes and a light heart, but then troubles and worries start to arise, and weigh everything down until you completely forget about your former plans to have a good day until you're lying in bed, wondering what on earth happened to make you feel so stressed out and tense. 

There are so many things that can mess up your day: school work, work-work, bad traffic, mean people, a hectic morning, an angry family member, tragedies, frustrations, illnesses... (the list could go on for pages and pages, but I think I'll stop with general topics.)  I want to encourage you to try to remember to stay positive, even when there seems to be no point to positivity. 

This reminds me of something that happened to me yesterday afternoon.  I was eating lunch with a few of my good friends.  I was feeling down in the dumps.  It was the first day of school after Christmas Break.  We already had homework.  I was tired.  Blah, blah, blah...  I was silently thinking of all of this when one of my friends looked around, beamed widely, and said, "This is such a great day!  This is one of my favorite days!"  She then proceeded to list several good things that had happened to us that day, things that I had not credited into my thought process until just then.  She was being optimistic, and her words truly did brighten up the rest of myday.

When you are having a stressful day... when you are feeling tense and frustrated, I encourage you to stop for a moment and list to yourself a few good things that happened throughout the day.  And if you can't think of anything, think about the good things that Jesus has given you in your life in general... and if you still can't think of anything, then you can remember the salvation and the love and the grace that He has given to you!

There are good things in this world.  As Christian examples on a sorrowful earth, we need to shine as optimistic lights for the Lord.  Promise yourself that you're going to have a good day, and make sure that you do, no matter what bumps in the road come your way.

School starts back on Tuesday the fifth after a too-short Christmas break.  I already am dreading the thought of returning to the class room.  Getting up early, studying for tests in every class, stressing out about my future, keeping a tight schedule with no free time... that just isn't my cup of tea, figuratively speaking. 

Guilty for my bitter thoughts, I keep telling myself that there are children all over the world who long to go to school.  And there are children all over the world who get up at three or four in the morning to walk hours in the darkness, through the dangerous streets, to go to a school with no electricity, dirt floors, and a low-standard education.  And yet they are thankful that they have the privilege of going to school. 

When I think of this, I feel guilty that I dislike school.  I try to enjoy it for the sake of the children who don't have the same opportunities that I do.  In a way, I feel like if I make the most of my education, and strive in the best way that I can to make the best of my life, then maybe I can pay it forward and provide a better world for those who never got the same chances as I did.  That's why I started sponsoring a child in Africa with my allowance when I was in my freshman year of high school.  The thought that I could provide another human being, another child, with everything I have that I take for granted (and shouldn't take for granted), was something that I couldn't pass up.  It brought me down to earth just a little bit, and gave me a reality check about how blessed I truly am.  Children are starving to death all over the world, dying of treatable diseases, and not getting even the most meager of educations that could bring them out of their poverty.    

I read somewhere that the United States has the 19th highest literacy rate in the world (which is ridiculous in its own way, because with our resources, we should be at the top of the list) at 99.0 percent, which means that our youth today should not have an issue going to college, furthering our education, and then using our gained skills and knowledge to change our world for the better.  Burkina Faso has a literacy rate of 23.6%.  Mali has a literacy rate of 24.0%.  What are we doing about this?  Obviously, not a whole lot, or this would not be happening by the twenty-first century.

This year, 2010, is a new beginning in many ways.  No matter your age, I challenge you to change the world around you for the better somehow, someway.  Do everything in your available power to make things even remotely better.  Do something that only you could do, or do something that anybody could do, but nobody has ever bothered.  There are so many global issues in the world today, in the United States, in Africa, in Asia, in South America, everywhere.  There is no country on earth without issue.  There are problems.  And yet, wherever you look, in any nation lying under the stars, you will find one common ground.

Apathy. 

As the year of 2010 dawns today on January first, I challenge you to make a difference.  Erase all signs of apathy from your life.  Be that person you thought you could never be. 

In the words of Elvis Presley, "Do something worth remembering."  It sounds so obvious, but how many people have actually done this?

Stand up with me and do your best this year and from now on to make the world a better place.