Never Alone~ A Spiritual Article by Hogan Stevens

Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
These verses drift into my mind as I sit in the hospital waiting room, my worried father in the chair beside me. Looking around, I spot a small Bible lying on a nearby chair and I idly wonder if I should fetch it and look up the verses that I am thinking of.

It’s been a worrisome past week. My ninety-three year old Gran had a stoke just last weekend and is now unable to speak. It’s hard for me to see my beloved grandmother--always so strong, so loving--lying in that hospital bed, her light brown eyes showing her pain and confusion. I know it’s been even harder for my father to see her this way.
\If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.
I silently pray that my Gran knows this, that she is not afraid of being along in these dark hours, that she feels God’s loving presence. I know He’s there with her and that His thoughts are always on her. Glancing at my dad, I can see the anxiety on his face and it makes me wonder what he is thinking.

Without a word, I rise and go to the Bible, bringing it back to my seat. I flip through its worn pages silently until I come to one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament, Psalm chapter 139. I read it slowly, allowing the familiar words to wash over me, and a small smile tugs at my lips.

“Here,” I say, handing the open Bible to my dad. “Read this. It’s one of my favorites.”

I watch him as he reads to himself, hoping the words will lift him up as they did me. When he is finished, he nods, and it seems to me that he might look a bit more reassured than he had been just a moment before.
 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the light hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee. (Psalm 139:9-12)
These verses have always warmed my heart because I know without a doubt that they are true. God never leaves us, not even when it seems like everything is dark and hopeless. We need to trust in Him, especially in these hard times, because it is in the dark that we can truly see His light.

He is always thinking about us. Isn’t that a great thought? It’s a big comfort for me to know that He cares for my Gran as she lays in the hospital bed, regaining her strength. He thinks of her and loves her way more than any of her earthly family ever could, and that’s saying something because Gran is loved and cherished by everyone in my family.
 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand. (Psalm 139:17-18a)
Later that day, I grip my grandmother’s hand between both of my own, my eyes taking in her face, a face that I have grown to love throughout my life.

“I love you, Gran.” I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking. I squeeze her hand a bit tighter. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Her eyes lock onto mine and I can see love and strength pouring out from them, filling my heart with hope. She says nothing, but I don’t need words to know what she means.

As I turn away from her and leave the hospital, I feel an emotion well deep inside of me. Not worry, but confidence. I know that whatever happens the Lord will be with my Gran, surrounding her with His all-encompassing love.

And I know that she knows it, too.

Loving Yourself~ A Spiritual Article by Rachel Melillo

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  - Matthew 22:37-39

Love.  Love.  Love.  With Valentine’s day coming up sooner and sooner every day, Love is everywhere.  But these verses focus on a slightly different type of love, the agape kind of love, not the eras kind of love (‘Eras’ being the Greek word for romantic love). 

The first reference to love is used by the Greek word ‘agapeseis’ which translates (as literally as possible) to ‘you shall be loving’.  The root of the word, ‘Agape’ we often translate to ourselves to be something along the lines of ‘love unconditionally’.  The suffix “-seis” is the command form of the verb agape, adding in the ’you shall’.  Jesus didn’t say this as a ‘as a good idea, you should…’  No, he was very specific in what he said as it was a commandment. 

Normally, people focus on the fact that we should love God and then others…but I’ve noticed that they leave out the ‘love yourself’ part of the verse, and it’s super important.  When I think about it, if you cannot love yourself with the agape kind of love, it’s hard to love God with your entity, and it’s even harder to love those around you.  How many times have you said to yourself, “Ugh I wish I were skinnier.”?  -Raises hand- I know I have.  How many of you have said “Why can’t I be as skinny as her?”  Again, I’m guilty.  When it comes to that question, you’re guilty of breaking both the greatest commandments.  In one sense, you can’t love God because you’re not loving the person that he’s created you to be, and you can’t love the person that you’re envying because you begin to resent that person (and God) for being the way they are.  Whether its subconscious or conscious, it happens, and that’s a problem. 

So what do we do about it?  I’m sure we’ve all heard the ‘You’re perfect the way you are’ speech, but does that ever do any good?  Well, sometimes it does, but most of the time we simply brush it off and refuse to believe it.  I’m not going to claim to have all the answers.  That would be silly of me, considering I’m only eighteen and I’m still trying to figure out my life.  Advice I do have for you, however, is to become comfortable with who you are.  Stop envying other people.  I’m not the skinniest person on the planet (not even close!), but for the most part, I’m fairly comfortable with who I am.  And while I continuously struggle with loving myself, I can handle being comfortable with who I am.   

So this Valentine’s day, instead of focusing on the boyfriend you do or don’t have, focus on how you can love God, yourself, and others. 

The Kid That Stinks~ A Spiritual Article by Emily Ciszewski

You know how I’m talking about right? The one who loves to come over and sit down right beside you? Who’s breathe and clothes reek, and who’s teeth are yellowed over? Who everyone picks on and no one misses when they’re not there?
Yeah. I’m sure you know just who I’m talking about. It’s kinda hard to forget them.

If someone asked me, “Em, how do you treat that kid? Are you kind? Do you listen? Do you care what happens to him/her?”
If I was being a fake I’d say - “Oh yeah - we’re tight! We’re best buds!”
But to be honest I’d tell you this; “Well….we’re not exactly best friends….I hardly ever speak to him/her….it’s hard…because of the smell…..and no one else talks to him/her….”

I know - I might sound like a hypocrite, right? But that’s the truth. And I want to always be truthful with you. I’ve strived to be.
Now - maybe you have the same problem as I do - a pride issue. A deep, deep, deep pride issue! And maybe you don’t. Maybe you’re the kind of person who should be writing this…..but let me tell you , my goal this month is to be so open armed - to the kid that stinks to the girl coated in perfume. But sometimes, that is so hard. Especially over the smell.

1^st Corinthians 13:4 says this; “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” Wow. That verse just kind of hit’s the nail on the head for me. It is not PROUD. Pride. We can’t even see it yet it’s so nosy!
I have known a lot of kids that just need love. They might stink, they might where the same clothes often, they might curse in Church - but deep down, they just need love. Often times, I’m just too prideful to show it…to love them they way the yearn for. But look at my Jesus, he loved with such great love - even the beggars were his friends. We all know that some beggars stink. Jesus loved the people who stunk.

So I should too.

When he walks up to me, to say hello, to chat, for some companionship - I want to smile and ignore the outside looks. Talk to him, ask about his week. Be a bud. When she wants a hug - and she’s still wearing the same clothes she was yesterday - I’ll hug her and give her some love.
But I can’t just love without some heart surgery. Jesus has been working on this heart of mine, sometimes it hurts - but so do the hearts of those kids who don’t understand why they aren’t loved.
They can’t understand why the kids at CHURCH even reject them. They hear “God is love.” They hope to find that in his house. And from his followers. Let’s show them they are so loved. That we care. Going up to them and telling them the gospel and then walking away doesn’t count. We need to love. Talk to them. Listen to them. Hug them. Invite them to parties. Yes. Even our parties. Because, when you truly care about your friends you have them over. You want them to have fun with you.
And I can’t do it just because I feel bad for them. In the beginning that might be why, but later on - I’m sure I’ll see a bigger reason to hang with that person. Everyone has some God given qualities. Everyone can be fun and anyone can surprise you.
That is a real challenge for me. That’s hard. That is a bigger challenge then just praying for them.
I hope I don’t come across as preaching at you. I’m preaching at myself - when I present something to you like this, it’s really a challenge for me. It helps for others to see my commitment.


So, next time I head to the movies, you just might see me sitting with them. Maybe we can make a party out of it. You want to bring the popcorn?

The Fruits of the Spirits~ A Spiritual Article by Heather Young

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

            To walk in the Spirit is to act on these traits.  Yes, act on them; not to just have them.  The beginning of Galatians 5:22 says, “The fruit of the Spirit.” Fruit doesn’t just grow on a tree by itself.  The tree has to work to get energy from the sun and water from the rain.  We are like trees.  We get our energy from the Son and water from His Word.  In order to bear spiritual fruit, we must look to God and grow closer to Him by reading and learning the Bible.  Galatians 5:19-21 lists various sinful acts and states, “…those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God,” which does not mean that if you sin once you will not go to Heaven.  If you sin many times (as all of us have) you will not go to hell if you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the grave and ask God for forgiveness.  When God forgives you, you become cleaner than snow.

            Even before verses 19-21, verses 16-17 sum up what it means to walk in the Spirit:

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

            The Spirit and the Flesh are opposites.  The Spirit is purely good, while the flesh is purely evil.  Temptations arise from our fleshly sides but we can use the Spirit to resist temptation.  Difficult times will upon you, if they haven’t already.  We can be prepared by walking in the Spirit.  How exactly do we walk in the Spirit? Well, Galatians 5:24 explains that for us:

“And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

            When you become a Christian, it is your responsibility to grow closer to God through the Bible, prayer, and other ways that may help you such as devotional books.  We are God’s children, and when we believe that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins, we also crucify our sinful desires.  This does not mean that we never feel the desire to do something bad; it means that we now have Christ helping us win the battle over sin.  Isn’t that a really good feeling? We don’t have to rely on ourselves anymore; we need to rely on God and He will help us overcome our evil desires, no matter how big they seem to us.  Our problems are super-duper teeny-tiny compared to our great, awesome, mighty, glorious God, Father, and Lord, Jesus Christ.

            The Holy Spirit was sent to Earth to live in us.  It is our Helper.  Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control come from the Holy Spirit.  When we become a Christian, God sends the Holy Spirit to come and reside in our hearts and help us win the battle over our sinful desires.  “If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) You can be living in the Spirit but not walking in the Spirit.  Walking in the Spirit means to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Becoming a Christian means you are now living in the Spirit, but you must act on what God is telling you to do in order to walk in the Spirit.  The fruit of the Spirit are traits that you must act on so you can walk in the Spirit instead of just living in the Spirit.  Remember, God can help you win your spiritual battles, no matter how tough they are.

Letting God's Plan Be the only Plan~ A Spiritual Article by Rachel Melillo

I’m a planner.  I want to know what I’m going to do and when.  I’ve known what college I want to attend, what kind of a guy I’m going to marry, how many kids I’m going to have, and what I want my career to be.  That’s just who I am, and I’ve never really had any problems with it, until now.

Recently, I got a rejection notice from the college I’ve wanted to go to since I was fourteen.  I applied early decision and they said now; that they would reconsider me for regular admission.  I got this news and I fell apart. All my plans, all my dreams, were gone for the moment.  I had backups, but they were mostly for show, and I didn’t really want to go there.  My immediate future got thrown into the unknown, and I’m going crazy. 

During the month I’ve been waiting for this letter, my mind has been plagued with “what ifs”.  Those “what ifs” have now become reality, and that, my friends, was NOT in my plans.  I went through shock, major disappointment, and anger.  I took my dog for a walk and just vented at God, telling Him all the things that should happen in my life, and halfway through that walk, I realized what I was doing. 

I was telling God what to do.  Note to everyone reading this: telling God what to do isn’t a good idea.  My mind immediately flips to Job and how he and his friends were talking about how life was supposed to work, and what God says is “Don’t tell me what to do.  I know more than you, idiot,” except God was extremely more eloquent. 

Life is full of change and disappointment. God’s the only one that knows the outcome of our lives and our actions.  He’s the only one that needs a plan for us, because He knows what’s best and He’s in control.   I have no idea what He’s got planned for me, but for now, I’ve simply got to live by faith and trust that God knows what’s best.  Are you willing to do the same?

For this new year, what’s something that you need to give to God?  What’s something that you’ve been holding on to, not willing to realize that by holding onto that. You may be keeping yourself from fully experiencing a life dedicated to living for Christ?  It’s not easy, but ask Him to help you let go, and if you’d like any of us to pray for you, please email us and let us know.  I wish you the best of blessings.

White as Snow~ A Spiritual Article by Abby Massung

Christmas is probably one of our absolute favorite times of the year –and I am certainly no exception! I love spending time with family and friends and watching with anticipation as they open up the gifts that I put so much thought into selecting for them. Who doesn’t love all-you-can-eat cookies and goodies for a month (which I’ll inevitably spend the following month obsessing over how they increased my waistline FYI). On top of all that, there’s just something about the atmosphere at Christmas time that brightens up my entire outlook on life and the world around me.

  Christmas-time this year means some different things for me however. This year, Christmas-time includes tons of holiday shoppers to assist at my new job and lots of gift receipts to remember to print out. I must do all of this while smiling and wondering if I should say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas” as I bid my customers good-bye. Certainly, it is a much more busy time of my life than it has been in the past.

  As I sit here, considering how to capture the actual meaning of Christmas, I think back to a couple years ago. Back to a time when I had one of my many random insightful moments while I stared out a window at the beautiful, white landscape of rural Michigan.

  As I’d been sitting there, I’d thought about how the snow that we receive, during the time we celebrate Christ’s birth, symbolized a very special significance of the occasion (my apologies to those of you who don’t actually get any snow for Christmas). You see,  just the night before, we’d had a huge snowstorm (which is really a daily occurrence here in MI). Absolutely everything was coated in a heavy layer of thick, white snow. The sight just made me really stop and think about the real meaning of Christmas and how it affects my life personally.

Salvation and Snow…

  Before the snow came, you noticed all the dirt and mess of our world. You could see the dead brown grass in everyone’s yards, and could easily pick out those of your neighbors who had and hadn’t taken the time to rake up their leaves that year. Then, with one big snowstorm in the middle of the night, God covered over everything, making it all appear so perfectly pure and clean. Overnight, my world had been turned into a beautiful piece of artwork.

  This made me consider Christ’s birth on earth, and why He’d come to us. Just as God sent the snow to hide the blemishes of the world and to cover for those who hadn’t taken care of their leaves, so did He send Christ in order to hide our blemishes and cover for those who hadn’t done all they were supposed to. Through Jesus, our blemishes, scars, and mistakes are covered up. That was His sole purpose for coming to us. That is why we celebrate Christmas. It is the day that God sent His Son to fulfill His promise of salvation for His creation.

Renewal…

 After the snow finally stops coming, another miracle takes place. Suddenly, life seems to have been brought back to everything. The flowers, once again, begin to bloom and the grass regains its former green glory. Just like that, God uses Jesus to cover up our sins over and over. Later on, in God’s timing, He is going to make us completely new and beautiful, returning us to what He’d intended us to be all long before Adam and Eve’s, and thus our, fall into sin.

  Isn’t it a beautiful thought then? Realizing that God chose to give us this symbol of the work He is doing in the lives of each of us every day? How He demonstrates to us how He comes along and turns our messes into something so stunningly beautiful and bright that it’s sometimes hard to look at?

Capturing the Meaning…

  You can never fully capture the meaning of Christmas because it’s more than just some definition that you can recite. Christmas is an amazing feeling that steals over your heart and soul as you allow yourself to be drawn in closer to God.

  This year, as you plan out gifts and anticipate the reactions you’ll receive from your friends and family, think about God’s most precious gift to you. He planned for and anticipated giving you His gift for thousands of years.

 Really, we don’t know just how long He was thinking about it. After all, since He already knows everything before it happens, He could have been looking forward to sending Christ to save us since long before Adam and Eve even existed. Just try to wrap your head around that!  

  If you get excited over something as small as giving your brother his favorite, newly-released DVD, think about how excited God had to be about offering us such an enormous gift! Just as you’ll enjoy seeing your brother’s gratefulness and joy over the gift you’ll give him, God would enjoy it if you showed Him just how grateful and excited you are over His gift to you. Take time this Christmas to read the Christmas story (Luke 2:1-20; you also might like to read about the times leading up to the birth of Christ as well), and truly offer God a heartfelt offering of thanks for the ultimate Christmas gift He gifted us, setting off our tradition of giving gifts. Also, considered following the examples of re-gifting that the apostles and saints of old demonstrate in the New Testament by sharing God’s gift with others around you!

What Are You Giving God For Christmas?~ A Spritual Article by Emily Ciszewski

I was trying really hard to think up something to write for my spiritual article this month! I often find my best work comes from my journal entries and little lists I make all the time! (A first-born trait!)

Here is what came to mind the other day; If God is the biggest thing in my life - how am I showing it? I thought of all the important people in my life - familyand friends - and then about my dream boyfriend - and that is what got me thinking! If I had a boyfriend, I would shower him with affection! Seriously - I love doing things for people - giving them gifts, cooking for them, visiting them without telling them beforehand - all that. This got me making a list of all the things I'll want to do for my boyfriend or fiance.
- Make him meals
- Read to him
- Visit him
- Write letters to him- Sing to him (I can't sing...oh well!)
- Do special little things for him - like chores and yard work
- Ect. Ect. Ect.! :)

Then I thought to myself, if this is how I would treat my boyfriend, God is really missing out! I've decided what to give God this Christmas - all that on the list! God came to earth and gave me the bestest gift ever! His Son came to DIE for me! DIE FOR ME! He died so that me - little Em Ciszewski - could go to Heaven! Yes - I've given Him my heart - or have I? How many times have I given him a simple thing on that list just because I love him? He who has blessed me so much! Just for your info - if you have money in your wallet and money in the bank - you are one of the top richest 8% in the world! That is a fact! So, again - what are you getting God for Christmas?

"The Kind will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matt. 25:40

My challenge is this; to find one person each to perform these good deeds to - someone to make a meal for, to read to, to visit and so on. I want you to make your own list. Make your own list and think hard for people to serve!

You know the Christmas story. You know the cliche articles on the wise men's gifts - I want to give you some cud to chew on (nice mental image, huh) - how many Christmas gifts have you given Christ in your life time?

I hope I lose count!

Merry Christmas all!

Love,
 Emily

Turning Into the Positive~ A Spiritual Article by Abby Massung

Ok, I realize now as I look at the title that it looks like I might be preparing to tell teach you how to meditate and tune into positive energy or something, but let me assure, that’s not my goal here. At least, that’s not exactly my plan….

  Music has always had a huge affect on me for as long as I can remember. Before, my one last link to God and sanity used to be through the music I listened to. I could destroy myself all I wanted, but I could never bring myself to turn from that one link that told me that somehow, I’d be alright. The promise that I was going to make it through every one of my parents’ fights and everything I face. The belief that God was still there and cared about messed-up me. Then, though I still don’t know just how it happened, I stopped listening to that music, turned to secular music, and fell into the darkest time of my entire life. I had severed my link to God, and closed out the one thing I had never before omitted from my life. 

  Now, don’t get me wrong, Carrie Underwood, Selena Gomez, 3 Doors Down, and Lifehouse are usually all pretty good for the most part. What these artists are frequently missing though, is the hopeful note that points towards Christ and His mercy; something that I desperately have been in need of since I stopped listening to most Christian music. So, finally, realizing how dark and hopeless my life has become, I’ve begun taking a pretty serious look at the music I’m listening to and have, consequently, been mirroring the mood of.

 

 

 

Making a Change…

 

  A couple of weeks ago, I went through my computer’s and began deleting songs that my conscience had already been telling me over and over that I shouldn’t be listening to. As a result, I had to give up some of my favorite songs by Adam Lambert, Ashley Tisdale, and other artists. I don’t even really miss those songs much anymore since I have a great deal other awesome music to listen to, but it was surprisingly extremely difficult to delete those songs from my computer and iPod. To be honest, I’m still working on removing some artists from my life. For instance, even though I know how badly Three Days Grace affects my mood and general attitude, some days I like nothing more than to simply fade into that “hate the world and everyone in it mood” that seems to fill almost every single song. So I definitely need to still work on that elimination process.

 

  After cleaning out my ipod and computer, I started really thinking about the music I was tuning into on 102.5 The Hit Music Channel on my radio. Sure, I have a soft spot for “DJ Got Us Falling in Love Again” and though I haven’t closely examined the lyrics, the song seems clean enough. What about songs like the one where Nickelback is singing about essentially spending all day, every day, getting drunk though? Sure, the beat is good, but it’s definitely not a good song to be listening to. So although I might not completely nix listening to that station, I’ve decided that I’m not going to listen very often, and that I’ll turn the channel when stuff starts to get positive about what should be negative.

 

 

Seeing the Difference…

 

  This past week I’ve been listening to a Christian station that you guys might be familiar with: KLOVE. Now generally, this is not my station of choice; not unless my parents are within hearing range anyway. Mostly, I prefer a local Christian station that’s more upbeat and teen-savvy (if you’ve ever heard of 101.7 FUSE FM, I’m their official stalker Abby, whom they know by name and voice now and are want to talk about at times. They even have a phone call I made to their station two years ago that they frequently play during their fundrives; it’s scary).  

  Anyway, while I’ve been listening I’ve been realizing just how much I’ve missed listening to Christian music. Over the past few days, despite that they’ve been spending a lot of air-time trying to raise funds for their station, God has used them to teach me and remind me of several things. It’s truly been an incredible experience for me. Through them, God’s reminded me that He can help me break free from the things I struggle with; that I can get right back up even when I’ve fallen so far; that He knows what He’s doing with my life and I can trust Him; that my faith needs to be more than superficial; and dared me to believe that I still have a reason to sing (that’s literal too, but a story for another time). All that in just about three or four short days! Like I said, awesome experience, and one I’d recommend anyone try. I used to laugh at radio stations’ “three song” and “one week” challenges. Now though, I see just how amazing actually trying one of those challenges can be.

 

  

My Challenge to You…

 

  Ok, so here’s a challenge that I have for you; it’s a three-parter:

 

    1. Look at the music you’re letting into your life, including radio, CDs,   iPods/mp3 players, and friends’ music. What’s the mood of the music, and what’s the affect that it has on your general attitude. Also, what are the songs focusing on, positive things and relationships; or negative views, feeling sorry for yourself, and bad relationships? It’s very important you’re honest with yourself about this part.

 

  2. Next, clean out the negative music that makes you think about thing and feel ways that you shouldn’t. Yeah, it might be hard at first, and you might miss those songs for awhile, but after a week or two, you’ll realize that those songs aren’t a must for the soundtrack of your life. Whether you have to skip those songs on your CD, delete them from your computer or ipod, request your friend play something else, or even break the CD, you need to eliminate the negative vibes they’re sending out to your life.

 

  3. Just spend three days listening to a Christian radio station or just Christian songs. Whether it’s KLOVE, Air1, or another station that’s in your area, it might amaze you how different you may feel or see things, and God may teach you a thing or two in that time too.

 

The Power of Words~ A Spiritual Article by Lea Sadler

“Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt.” How many times have we all heard this before? How many times have we wished it were true? Words have an unimaginable power to build someone up, tear people down, make someone’s day, or desecrate their esteem. But why do we let other people’s words act as our self-definition? When someone calls us stupid, fat, or useless why do we automatically assume that it’s true? If we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), how could we possibly be all the horrible entities people make each other out to be?

 

The way I see it, the basis of fear of detrimental statements comes from fear of rejection or denial. As humans, we need to have the satisfaction of knowing we are accepted into a group. When a person is unwanted, the need for approval and acknowledgement only grows as that person searches for more. But think about this: How often do you seek God’s approval before your peers? How often do you pay attention to that one diminutive remark tugging at your heart while God is trying to turn you towards Him for healing? Refutation only makes us doubt ourselves, see worthlessness, and brainwash us into believing that God had finally made a mistake. But God doesn’t make mistakes. And He made you. Read 2 Timothy 1:7 and Psalm 139:14.

 

But let’s not start thinking that we’re the only victims of these horrendous declarations either. Let’s face it; we have used the influence of words to damage our enemies too, even our friends and family. But why do we do it? We do it out of anger, frustration, or even if we, ourselves our hurting. We use it as a balance. We drop one insult on one person, and our esteem goes up. We break up someone else’s confidence in themselves to upsurge our own. And that’s really sad. What I don’t understand is why we continue to do it even when we know how bad it hurts; but we’re all guilty of it. So how can we learn to use our words only when we want to build someone up? We might need to know what’s ok to say as building them up. Just as an example, your friend doesn’t wear deodorant, but you can tell that they need to. Will it hurt their feelings to tell them that they need to start using deodorant? Probably, but only because they’ll feel embarrassed. In the end, it only helps them improve. There will be many situations like this. What about if your friend simply straight out asks you what you think of her new makeup style? What if you think it makes her look like a clown at a convention? You wouldn’t say that to her of course, but you would be honest, right? Maybe you could tell her that her face is beautiful without the makeup, but if she wants to wear it she might want to use a little less/try a different color/blend more. Ok, gentle honesty may not feel like you’re increasing their self-esteem, but it does act as the perfect glue for keeping their stability. Read Psalm 39:1 and Proverbs 10:18-20.

 

Healing from hurtful terms unfortunately may take awhile if you’re not used to thinking about what God says you are verses what people temporarily think about you. Remember that time when that classmate called you stupid for misunderstanding the problem? You couldn’t hear it, but God told you he made you with a brain and intelligence to go with it. Remember when you messed up and were called useless? God told you he was going to use you, and he had plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). Really, comparing what people think and what God knows, which one seems more likely to be true? The almighty God who knows everything, made everything, and can do anything? Or the kid who just had an angry outburst because he didn’t hear your side? Remember that when it comes to God, He’s always right, and He made you exactly how He wanted you to be. Now let’s practice making words never hurt ;) Read Psalm 16:24.

God, Our Father~ A Spiritual Column by Hogan Stevens

It seems like it was just yesterday when my dad was teaching me how to ride my bike. I was six at the time and I wanted to ride that bike more than anything, so my dad decided that he would go ahead and teach me. Well, it wasn’t that easy. I did fine with it as long as he was holding the handle bars to keep me steady, but as soon as he let go I would tumble to the ground, much to my aggravation. Whenever I fell off my bike, I would get angry and give up. I was determined to never try again.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Maybe it doesn’t trigger memories of when you learned to ride a bike, but memories or thoughts of something completely different. Sometimes we feel like God has left us alone in our lives, don’t we? And when we feel abandoned it seems like we can never do anything right; we mess up time after time and just feel like giving up. Even David sometimes felt this way. In Psalm 22:1 he says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV)

After a little while, I would forget the anger or hurt I felt after wrecking my bike and I would go outside and tell my dad that I wanted to try it again. He would smile and gladly show me how it was done--every single time I asked him. He never once said to me, “I’ve already showed you how to do enough, Hogan. Do it yourself.” Instead, he would say, “You want to give it another try? I’ll help you.” He promised me that I would eventually get it, and I did. One day I finally pedaled up and down our driveway without the slightest wobble, and when I got off my bike I had a huge grin on my face. My daddy was right there, smiling along with me and congratulating me.

I know we face much harder dilemmas and circumstances in life than learning to ride a bike, but Jesus is with us each and every time. Just like my dad when he let go of the handle bars, God never completely abandons you. He is right there beside you, making sure you don’t fall. And when you do fall and get hurt, Jesus gently picks you up, wipes the tears from your eyes, and sets you right back on your bike, once again showing you how to ride it.

“I call to God, and the Lord saves me.” Psalm 55:16 (NIV)

Isn’t it amazing, to think that we all have a Father that looks out for us and loves us unconditionally? I’m not talking about our earthly fathers, though they can be wonderful as well. The Father I am speaking of is our heavenly Father, God. We are all His children, no matter where we come from or what we have done, and He loves us with a passion. Why else would He even have created us if He knew that we would turn away from Him? And yes, He knew very well that we would fall into sinfulness! But, like the loving Father He is, Jesus still loves and cares for us even when we mess up.

I once knew a girl that when she prayed, instead of calling Him “Father” or “Lord”, she said, “Daddy”. At first, I thought that that was a little odd, but later I learned that there is a Hebrew name for God that is more or less the equivalent of our word for “Daddy”. It is Abba, the name that Jesus used when praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. When I first heard the meaning of Abba, I cried. To think that God, the all-powerful, all-knowing God considers Himself my Daddy! And He is yours as well.

Maybe you have never before thought of God in such a way before, and this is the first time you have ever heard of His love and tenderness toward you. If so, I pray you feel a need to have this wonderful Father in your life. If you do want to accept Jesus as your Father (or if you have already done so but want to ask Him to help you realize that He never leaves you), then pray this simple prayer:

Jesus, I know that You are my heavenly Father. I know that, because of Your selfless love and sacrifice, I am Your child, and I ask You to fill my heart, to fill my life, and to make me whole. Thank You so much for always being there for me. In Your name, Amen.
May you always remember that your Father is smiling down at you, leading you down the right path, and ready to catch you when you stumble and fall.

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we might be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Note from Haylie: If Hogan’s article has helped you in any way or has lead you to your heavenly Daddy, please let us share in your joy! Let us know that you have become a Daughter of the King! We are praying for you J

Stand Up~ A Spiritual Article by Rachel Melillo

It started out as a normal Friday morning. They had just finished going over homework when the teacher asked seven specific students to go outside the classroom. Without warning, a minute later they were blindfolded, pushed down a hallway and into a back stairwell and then tied up. The hostage takers and their hostages sat there blindfolded and tied up.

Is this what we think will happen if we stand up for our faith?

I see too many Christians walking around like spies in a foreign country; afraid to be detected and overly focused on fitting into the culture. We don’t have time for disguises. We don’t have time to fit in. For those of us who are in a public high school, you have four years to make the difference in someone’s life. The chances of someone coming to know Christ goes down dramatically after they leave high school. So what’s keeping us from making our faith plain to see?

Our reputations have become more important than our faith. Where would we be today if Joseph had been too concerned with his reputation as a good carpenter and honorable man to continue his betrothal to Mary? What would have happened if Paul let his desire to have a good reputation in society be more important than standing up for Christ and the Church? Are we going to let our desire to have a good reputation in our school be more important than standing up for our faith?

We can’t let that happen. I have a friend who calls me Jesus freak, or J freak, everyday, all the time. At first I thought to myself “Hey, I’m a witness for Christ!” Now I’m sick of it. Does that mean I turn from my conservatively Christian beliefs and let them decide how I should live my life? Does that mean that I should hide the most important part of who I am because I’m tired of a nickname?

High school is four years of our lives. We cannot let ourselves be pushed into whatever our friends want us to do. We can’t let our reputations be more important than our faith. We cannot allow fear define who we are and what we do. We need to stand up.

Note from Rachel: The opening scenario was a planned activity by a teacher and known by all students. It was also not aimed at Christians. Do not fear that you will be taken hostage if you stand up for your faith.

Note from Haylie: Has there been a time in your life where you took and stand for your faith? Do your friends know that you are a Christian? Do they know because you said you are or because they have seen it in how you live your life? The LAT staff and I encourage you to take a stand for your faith. If you have a story of how you took a stand, please email it to us. Click here.

                                             Remember, when you stand up, you are not alone.

When Your Faith is in Shambles~ A Spiritual Article by Abby Massung

When Your Faith is in Shambles

Where to start…

  When you’ve been as messed up for as long and as badly as I have, the very last thing you really want to be asked to do is to write a spiritual column for impressionable teenage girls (sorry, but you all know it’s true, why’d you buy that new and very fashionable skirt for going back to school?). You’re afraid that you’ll end up passing on the rather jaded way you view the world to your readers. You find yourself wondering how you could ever manage to help other’s spiritual walks when just yesterday –or so it seems – you were cursing God for the life He’d dished out to you. Why, just a couple months ago you’d practically become a self-proclaimed atheist! How were you going to manage this, and really, what right did you honestly have to try? When your own faith is in shambles, where do you start?

Forgiveness

  I think that when your faith is in shambles, the best place to start is at forgiveness. Why? Well, in my experience, I’ve learned that when things aren’t right between you and God, there’s usually someone or something that needs to be forgiven before your relationship with God can be healed. Whether it’s you, a friend or family member, or God, forgiveness has to take place.

  Alright, you might have caught onto the fact that I listed God in the needs to be forgiven list. You’re probably thinking, “Wait a sec, God’s perfect! There isn’t anything He could have done that requires forgiveness.” I know it’s not really something we think about and it sounds like it goes against everything you’ve been taught, but bear with me here for a minute and I’ll tell you what I mean.

 

    Forgiving God

  God can’t do anything wrong, that’s definitely true enough. However, we still tend to look at God wondering why He allows this or that a lot. After all, He runs everything, doesn’t He? So why couldn’t He have gotten you a job out of the fifty you applications you filled out this past summer, or maybe at least given you a boyfriend? Couldn’t He have kept that drunk driver from colliding with your friend’s car? He could have at least tried to keep your dad from walking out on you, or make the other kids treat you less like an outsider? He’s God, He could do it if He wanted to, if He cared like he claimed He did.

  That, right there, is where the resentment and hurt begins building up, just as if a friend had betrayed us. We feel hurt because something that we felt we really needed or wanted was withheld by someone who was able to give it to us and whom we trusted. We don’t know why He chose to not do whatever it was, we just know that it hurts that He did. He didn't do anything that was actually wrong of course; but our faith in Him wavers, and we question Him regardless.

  We definitely aren’t the first to think this way. Millions of people have felt this way over the history of this world. Most prominent, is Job’s story. Most people focus upon his faithfulness to God through his trials, but not so much on his doubts and declarations of abandonment by God.

  Let’s look at a couple passages:

    

   “I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. You turn on me ruthlessly; with the might of your hand you attack me. You snatch me up and drive me before the wind; you toss me about in the storm. I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.”

     -Job 30:20-23

  “He carries out his decree against me, and many such plans he still has in store.”

     -Job 23:14

  "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?”

   -Job 19:21-22

  Job didn’t understand why God was allowing him pain, just as we wonder today. People have been asking the same question we do for literally forever! It's ok to ask, it's ok to not know. However, we can't allow it to separate us from God. We can't hold a grudge about it. It's easier to accept things when we know why God did things, and sometimes we find out later why God allowed certain things. But, frequently, as was the case with Job, we don’t. We have to accept God’s choice, and forgive and let go of the hurt it caused. After all, we have God’s promise that He only does things for our own good.

   “’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

  And while you forgive God, ask Him to forgive your doubt in His desire to care for you. He'll understand. Remember, even Jesus had a moment of doubt.

  "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' - which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'"  -Mark 15:34

Forgiving Others

  Did someone else hurt you? Whether it was a physical wound, or an unkind word, the pain is still there and extremely real. In fact, Emotional abuse is becoming more and more recognized as being as damaging as physical abuse in many ways. Maybe someone criticized your body, or maybe someone forced you into something you didn't want to do. Maybe your parent(s) have ignored you. They've given you everything you’ve ever needed, accept them. 

  No matter what it is, it'll likely take time (depending on how deep that hurt went,  and who caused it), but you have to forgive them for whatever it was they did to harm you. Trust me, you can't just let it go, you have to face the pain and then consciously forgive it.

 

Forgiving Yourself

  Ok, this one is definitely the hardest for me to do out of all of them, but also, it is one of the most important. You have to forgive yourself. Yes, you turned from God, so tell Him how sorry you are for doing that, and ask Him to forgive you. After that, don't dwell on it, after all, He isn't going to.

  Yes, those scars are going to be around for awhile, but the shame and regret that are haunting you because of them will only make things worse, let it go. You've done things you're not proud of, but so have we all. You can't keep punishing yourself for them when God's already forgotten and moved on. He wants you to move on too so you can enjoy a closer relationship with Him, but until you release your past, you'll never be able to.

  "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:18-18

Conclusion

  Do you feel that thrill of sheer joy? If you've just experienced forgiving God, others, and yourself; or you've at least started to, you probably do. That feeling is forgiveness and freedom, completely and totally. That's what release is like. It won't always be like this from now on. This is just a little gift from God, a sign that you're on the right track. This is where you start when your faith is in shambles.