Ways to Let Your Light Shine~ Heather Young

No matter where you are; at school, at home, or at work, there are always opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with people. Be bold in your faith, and great things can happen. Luis Palau, a renowned evangelist, said, “It's very convenient to make excuses for not persuading others to follow Christ. We may say we don't want to be overbearing or offensive. We may think we can't possibly witness to someone because he or she will become angry. But over the years I have learned that some of the people I thought would be most closed to the Gospel often are the most receptive. Although they may outwardly fear it, in their hearts they welcome the message of the Gospel.” To read the rest of his article, “Telling Others the Gospel, Even When It’s Difficult,” click here.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 1:16

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1

Here are seven ways you can show others Jesus, whether through your actions or words:

1. Keep God on your mind all day

Practicing this has been a huge help for me. When I think about God throughout my day, I find it hard to get bombarded with the busyness of life. Just be sure not to miss important information in school!

2. Think, “What Would Jesus Do?”

In any situation, if you think, “WWJD?” you will most likely make the right decision. Although many positions you are in may not directly match up with an answer from the Bible, you can usually figure out how Jesus would respond. For example, if someone asked you, “Why is it wrong to smoke?” A verse you could direct them to is 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

3. Talk to people everyone else ignores or puts down

When you talk with people who no one seems to love, it has a great impact on not only their life, but also others’. If you are sensitive to someone, they may share their story with you. They might even say, “Why are you doing this?” which would be a perfect opportunity to share the Gospel with them. A verse that came to mind when I thought of this subject was Psalm 82:3, “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”

4. Be kind to others – even those who are hard to get along with

This one kind of goes along with number three. You know those few kids in your class who make fun of your friend’s outfit every day? Or what about your parent who is always telling you to do chores? And yes, even your bossy boss needs a dose of loving kindness.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

John 13:34

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

5. Wear shirts with positive messages

I have had great success in this method of shining Jesus’ light. Over the years, I have received many compliments on my shirts. I would recommend checking out http://kerusso.com because it has a lot of cool designs with positive messages.

6. Don’t cuss

The third commandment is “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Deuteronomy 5:11). That means not flippantly using His name. I hear a lot of people these days say, “Oh my ***,” without even thinking about it. But it’s against God’s law! Christians especially should not cuss in any way, because as James said:

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

James 3:9-12

7. Have a joyful attitude

Recently I heard a message by Francis Chan that really stuck with me. Using the example of the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, he explained how others should see God through us. If you haven’t seen the show, I will briefly illustrate it. Basically, a family in need gets their house demolished and a new one rebuilt over the course of a week while they are away at Disneyland or some fun place like that. The whole show boils down to three words, “Move that bus!” But when the family arrives home from their trip and yells those three words, the camera doesn’t shift from their faces to the amazing new house. Instead, the camera stays focused on their faces, so we see how great the house is just from the gratitude and awe radiating off their faces. Similarly, when others look at us, they should see God shining from our faces – even if they are not looking directly at God.

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Galatians 1:10

Did you know that Heather has never broken a bone?!

Did you know that Abby plays piano?!

Photograph property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Photograph taken by Abby Whear.

A Word From the Wise (The Wise Being God)

Dear Nadia,

 I'm a shy girl and I'm not very good at starting conversations with the girls at my church. Do you have any tips on how to start a conversation with them?

 ~ Ice Breaker


Dear Ice Breaker,
An amazing thing about making friends at Church is that you already have the greatest common point you could ever share - your faith in God! I know it might feel uncomfortable to use that as a topic of conversation at first, though. One great way to break the ice is to give sincere compliments! Complimenting a girl on her cute outfit or on an awesome youth group sharing brightens her day and may open doors to more topics. Asking questions also stimulates conversation. Breaking the ice can be/feel really awkward, but you need to push through the stickiness! You can do it, girl! And Jesus, our Best friend, reminds us: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust in me also" (John 14:1). Jesus will always remain by your side and you can run to Him - especially when you feel lonely and disheartened (I know how that can be)! He is the Best friend ever! Talk to Him about how you feel and ask Him for opportunities to talk to your Church girls. He will guide you! Even if it seems like something like starting a conversation isn't important to Him, I know it is! Let His Spirit guide you. As Romans 8:14 says (my paraphrase), the Holy Spirit will guide God's children!


Dear Nadia,

People at my school make VERY rude comments to me because I make it known that I am a Christian. Right now, I'm getting sick and tired of gritting my teeth and keeping my mouth shut. I pray as I walk down the hall and pass them, but my mind is swarming with comments to say to them. Help me please!
 
~Tired and Angry


Dear Tired and Angry, 

I'm sorry you're having to deal with these rude comments. Remember what Jesus said? "No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also" (John 15:20). But that's not it! He also promised "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6). He also said that He would send us an Advocate - a Helper - who would strengthen us (John 14:16, 15:26). Now I know, that's all well and good, but it doesn't change the fact that these people at your school are bullying you. But I encourage you, beautiful daughter of the King, Take Heart! You are so beloved by Him and He is pleased immensely by your big heart and your faithfulness to Him! He wants to whisper words of comfort, a soothing balm to your soul: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12). It's still hard and chances are, it will continue to be hard. The fact that Satan is putting such effort into getting you down suggests that you are doing an amazing job of shining for the Lord, sister :) Please don't let the criticism those who don't understand get you down! I'll leave you with this: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Romans 1:1-5).

 

Did you know that Haylie, the editor, gave Nadia the nick name, Noodles?!

10 Ways to be Prepared for School~ Heather Young

As the school year approaches, helpful tips are always useful to get you ready for yet another ten months of grueling mind labor. No worries, though! God—and this list—are ready to assist you through the last few precious weeks of summer.

1. Pray. Before you embark on this great adventure, take time to ask for help. Preparing for school can be stressful and extremely exhausting—and God is here when you need Him (which is all the time). “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

2. Plan ahead. One way to make things harder on yourself is to wait until the last minute. Procrastinating will only leave you with left over school supplies and backpacks that no one else wanted. Also, making “to do” lists will help you stay focused and organized.

3. Take inventory. Go through your leftover supplies from last year and see what you still need to buy. Clothes are also an important element. As in step 2, you want to make sure you plan ahead; in February you don’t want to be out shopping for a sweatshirt when bathing suits are just coming out.

4. Sell stuff you don’t need. The Internet and yard sales are great places to sell old school supplies that you don’t need, but are still in pretty good shape. Selling your used stuff is also beneficial because you earn money to buy new stuff. Even if you can’t find a buyer, consignment shops will give you money for lightly used items. Things can also be donated to thrift stores.

5. Organize. No one wants to come home from school with a workload and find their room impossible to study in! Cleaning and organizing your room BEFORE school starts is smart because you won’t have to add that task to hours of homework. Designate a place for doing schoolwork, and make an effort to keep that spot clean and orderly throughput the school year.

6. Go shopping. In my opinion, early August is the best time to shop for school supplies because there are worthwhile deals that many people have not taken advantage of yet. Even at yard sales you can find good supplies for cheap. This year at a yard sale I found a dusty, yet working binder, for free!

7. Get your brain ready. Instead of kicking off the school year feeling groggy and out of it, why not prepare your brain to take on the mental work? This doesn’t mean giving your brain a really strenuous workout. After doing a few math problems in the shower, reviewing grammar terms while washing dishes, and trying to remember the idioms from your language class, you’ll be ready to go!

8. Read your Bible. We should all read our Bibles as often as we can. For me it seems like summer has flown by, and I’ve had hardly enough time to read much. Especially as we prepare for school, God shouldn’t become second in our lives. Reading our Bibles will help us to stay closer to God not just at the beginning of the school year, but until June and beyond.

9. Get your heart ready. This step kind of coincides with steps 8 and 10. Preparing your heart involves not only getting closer to God, but also getting closer to the heart of God. “And behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’” Luke 10:25-28 (NKJ) Loving others is so important that it’s a command. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34

10. Pray. Prayer is right up there with reading our Bibles. Both help us grow closer to God. Ask God to prepare your heart and help you to love others like He loves us (John 13:34). Ask Him to give you a pure heart and the right attitude about school. Ask Him to guide you to make right decisions and be respectful to your teachers and others. God answers prayer in great ways. “Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)

Did you know that Heather LOVES horses?!

Photograph property of Lilies Among Thorns Magazine. Photograph taken by Alyssa Dannettel.

The Start of School... Oh How I Love It!~ A Fun Article by Rachel Melillo

Yes, I realize school started in September, and now that it’s October, it’s getting really old and you’re ready for Christmas break already.  I’m a senior in high school, and here are some of the most exciting things that happen to me in the first two months of almost every school year. 

The first thing that usually happens in our school is the fire alarms.  Aren’t they fun?  If it’s a fire drill, you get out of class for about fifteen minutes and by then your teacher might have forgotten that you were supposed to have a quiz that day.  However, if the fire alarm was pulled, then you get out of class for somewhere between twenty to thirty minutes. This year, our first fire alarm was a drill and we got out of class for about fifteen minutes, but it was enough so that my creative writing teacher forgot that I hadn’t shared a piece of writing, so I didn’t have to!  The second fire alarm wasn’t funny until I learned that it had been pulled by a child in the preschool department of our school.  Fantastic, the hoodlums of the high school are teaching four year olds to pull fire alarms….we have high hopes for the future generation.

The second thing is the bomb threats, although the more interesting and memorable ones don’t usually happen at the beginning of school.  Some of you may not realize how appealing the thought of a bomb threat really is under the right conditions.  If it’s real, yes it can be scary.  The first time, it can be a bit nerve racking, but once you realize it’s just a student pulling a prank, you begin to laugh them off and use the spare time to either catch up on homework you never finished, homework you want to finish so that you have less that evening, or talk to your friends.  Bomb threats are better for the innocent students than the fire drills because you get out for a longer amount of time. I have had some fantastic bomb threats and some awful ones.  For example, two years ago, spring of my sophomore year, we had a bomb threat on an absolutely gorgeous day.  It was seventy degrees at nine thirty in the morning and sunny with a couple of scattered clouds for convenient shade.  We sat out in the parking lot talking with friends and playing games while the police and fire department spent two hours scanning the entire school for a bomb.  However, one of the worst bomb threats was last year.  It was freezing cold, about ten degrees with a light snow.  I would have been more than happy to get out of honors pre-calculus any other day but that one, but that day we had a free day to do our homework.  In addition, we didn’t have time to get our coats from our lockers, so we’re freezing cold. 

Next, there are the fights.  This year, I was coming out of my second class and while I was rushing to the bathroom before third period started, these two girls are pulling each other around the hallway and end up on the floor slapping one another and seeing how much hair one person can manage to remove from the other girl’s head.  I’ve never understood what could possibly be so important that you had to get into a hair pulling fight over it… oh well.

Now, I am definitely not advising anyone to do anything like this.  These three things are the top three things on how to get yourself suspended, expelled, or even arrested.  So do not attempt these things under any circumstances.  However, if they happen to occur, enjoy a good bit of drama and laugh it off later with friends.