Chivalry

Good Morning!  Today I'm gonna talk about Chivalry.  These days, it's hard to find.  That makes me sad.

I try very hard to be Chivalrous, because that's how I've grown up.  I see no reason Men shouldn't have full respect for Women.  Many friends say I'm like an old man from the 40s, 50s, and I even get 20s sometimes.

Awesome!  I wish I was from those days.  Although the 50s-60s brought some of the most appalling, sexist, Male-Superior times, shortly before that, probably until right before the end of WWII, it was still a nation of Gentlemen.  Why don't we have many Gentlemen anymore?  I don't see a reason why.

But it sure irks me.  Even wonderful, Christian men just aren't the same kind of Gentlemen.  The Bible is really the ultimate guide to Chivalry.

 ^3-4Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect. (Ephesians 5:3-4, The Message)

 ²⁹Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. (Ephesians 4:29, The Message)

 ^31-34"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that. (Luke 6:31, The Message)

 ^13-17Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; they are God's emissaries for keeping order. It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society. Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government. (1 Peter 2:17, The Message)

So guys.  Have some respect! To Women, other Men, and to everything around you.

Open doors for Women, let them enter a building/room first.

Stand up when a Woman enters a room.

If a Woman comes in and there's no empty seat, stand up and offer yours.

When walking, offer to carry her coat/bag.

Always offer to pay.  If she declines, respect that.

These are simple things any man should be able to handle!  C'mon, dudes, make a change.

Be Courteous, be Kind, be Gentlemanly.  Be Chivalrous.

Last Week.

G'morning, world!  It's raining :)

Last week I...

Did Coffee with Jules. Whoopie Pies and Lemon Squares.

Woke up every morning.

Listened to some awesome live Piano Jazz.

Drank too much coffee.

Called a scone dinner.

Saw Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors Live En Concert.  Jaw Drop.

Determined Ellie Holcomb is one of the most adorable people ever. Ever.

Experienced the lovely atmosphere that is the Bijou Theatre.

Saw God's beauty everywhere.  Jaw Drop.

Listened to 3 lovely, powerful sermons.  Lots of blog material thought up.

Watched fake people be fake.

That was my week.  How was yours?

2 Timothy 3 (Life Listenings and a Photo)

 ^1-5Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people.

 ^6-9These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself "truth." They get exploited every time and never really learn. These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.  ^10-13You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.
 ^14-17But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (2 Timothy 3, The Message)

Timely words for a lot of people, including me.

Shot Senior Photos with Sarah and Sissy the other day :)

Our God Is Love

Good Morning!

My Pastor is doing a 6(? maybe 7...) week series, "Words From the Cross" leading up to Easter.  This week was The Word of Substitution.  Basically, God loves us so much He substituted His son for us.

God Loves us so much, He gave up His son for our life.  Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"

God paid the wages of sin with His son.  We sing a song a lot that goes "He became sin, who knew no sin...So we might become, His Righteousness"  That's what happened.  Jesus took the burden of death so we could live on.  And if we believe that's what happened, then we do.  We get to live on.

So we need to live in a state of Gratitude.  Because we get to live.  If He loves you so much he paid for our sins, why wouldn't we love Him back?  Why wouldn't we want to love and thank Him?

We need to live a life of Gratitude, Faith, and Purity.  My favorite verse 1 Timothy 4:12 says "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in Life Love Faith Speech and Purity"  Verse to live off of.

Tell others the Good News. Wether you go to Starbucks and buy a stranger a cup to start it, or you do like I do and blog about it.  However it is, get it out there.  Don't be shy!  God'll be there helping you.

I've said it before, Shout Your Faith from the Rooftops.  Share it with people.  Sing about it, write about it, talk about it.  Put it out there.  Look for opportunities.  Be ready.  No Plastic Jesus.  Be shining of 1st Chair wherever you go.  Last night in Youth Mike said if you don't live a 1st Chair life, your message of Good News won't be well received.  You should be Glistening, yes, Glistening of Giddy Love for The Lord your God all day every day.  Be excited!  I see no reason NOT to be excited!  A lovely gal named Maggie who's now in The Rock (Friday Night bible study) Gets questioned because she's so happy all the time.  She is a real 1st chair.  Don't put off a bad vibe.  1 Timothy 4:12.

That's what I have to say this morning, but I can assure you I'll be back on this topic soon.  Have a good day all!  Prayer Requests? Comment or contact me :)

Last Week.

G'morning, everyone!  I think I'm gonna start doing a post every week looking back on the week before.

So, here we go!

Last Week I...

Frolicked through the park.

Made photos with my favorite people.

Stood by as my deeply sore Father fell.  Twice.

Made more photos with darlings.

Ate the best sandwich you can buy at Tomato Head.

Blogged, multiple times.

Thought about Japan.

Worried.

Experienced Bliss.

Mused under a tree.

Watched the moon.

Saw my Grandparents, and cherished it.

Was reminded that God Loves.

Bookmarked verses.

Re-Kicked off The Rock.

Loved Life.

That was my week.  What was yours?

Life Listenings (1 Thessalonians 5 And a Photo)

 ^1-3I don't think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master's coming can't be posted on our calendars. He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other—"We've sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!"—suddenly everything will fall apart. It's going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.
 ^4-8But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
 ^9-11God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.  ^12-13And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
 ^13-15Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
 ^16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
 ^19-22Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
 ^23-24May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
 ^25-27Friends, keep up your prayers for us. Greet all the followers of Jesus there with a holy embrace. And make sure this letter gets read to all the brothers and sisters. Don't leave anyone out.
 ²⁸The amazing grace of Jesus Christ be with you! (1 Thessalonians 5, The Message)

Good words to live by.

Jules and Sissy were being Dinosaurs :)

Prayers Are Appreciated

Good Morning, all.  If anyone out there could spare a moment today and pray for my Father, it'd be greatly appreciated.  My dad is 55 and has had Chronic Back Pain for a long time, I think 2 discs have disintegrated, and Tuesday night he fell back in a chair and really torqued his body.  Luckily he kept his head forward and didn't crack his head on the Trunk behind him.  Later that night, well kinda walking with a cane, he fell again.  He's walking, kind of, but you can see it in his face how much he's hurting.

So if you'd like to put my dad in your prayers today or tonight or whenever, I and my family would be grateful.  Thank you.

Shout Your Faith From The Rooftops

Good Morning!  Sunday I was reading Velvet Elvis, and I randomly thought about something.

Faith.  for me, Faith is loud, Faith is strong, Faith is courage.  And I was thinking about the ongoing thing, you know, have real faith, no Plastic Jesus, all that.  But that's not all of it.

Your Faith should be Loud.

You should shout your love and trust of God from rooftops and stick your head out the car window and scream I Love My God, The God.

Because is a quiet Faith really Faith?

If you don't want to scream about your Faith, do you have Faith?

Whenever I hear people talking, anybody, about Faith and Esteem and whatnot, I always think to myself....

If you're being laughed at and made fun of by non-believers, you're probably doing something right.

Yes? no?

I still do have some friends who spit on the idea of God and Heaven and the whole shebang, but I feel like it's good to have a few friends, not too close, like that, if for nothing else to keep you in check.

You know, check your Faith, through them.  Because if they're not laughing at you, then you're not shining.  You're not beaming God through yourself.  You want to be made fun of.  Or at least, I do.

Check your Faith, at the door.  When you walk into a place, whether it be Starbucks or Barnes & Noble or Walmart, check your Faith at the door.  Make sure you're ready to show God in any way possible.  Be prepared to shout it from the rooftops.  Be prepared to be tried on your Faith, the Devil is everywhere.

Pray for Japan.

Seek Other Believers as Your Family?

Good Morning!  Yesterday was Sunday, I hope you made it to church despite the time change!

One of the points from the Sermon yesterday, was Seek Other Believers As Your Family.

I like that.  I found two amazing believers and they took me in as a brother and helped me when I was new in my journey, as I still really am, and are continuing to help and we learn from each other.

Family is vital.  Whether it be physical or spiritual family, you need family.  To support you, for you to support, to love.  But something jumped out of that point just now.  I have a spiritual family, a lot of us do. Helpful loving brothers and sisters of God.  But what about the non-believers?  Should we not take them in too?  Chances are they don't have a spiritual family, and for all we know they may have no family at all.

Nobody that loves and cares for them and nurtures them and keeps their head up.  Love your Neighbor as Yourself.  What if that Neighbor isn't a believer?  Now I'm not saying take someone off the street in as your close spiritual family member, but I am saying to make an effort to shine some light in their day.

Because they might be happy, but they might not have Joy.  One pan of brownies on a rainy day is all it takes to show a person God.

The new Neighbors across the street? Take them a meal.  Not just to welcome them to the neighborhood, but to let them know you're there and are gonna be there, for it all.  Make a relationship and show God through it.  Invite the family to church, go out for coffee.  Create bridges.

I'm blessed to have a new friend that was dragged to church one day by Jules, and now loves to come with or without Jules.  She found a comfortable, loving, caring, friendly environment and she's learning about God.  She goes to Jules' small group on Wednesday night where they have a question box, for God Questions.  She asks a lot.  And she's asking good questions!  Questions others are afraid to ask.

How could you not invite her into your family?  She's not some raging serial killer, she's a real person that just hasn't found Jesus like we have.  So make it your duty to search with her.  Help her find God's unconditional love.  One of my friends was talking one day about a friend who wasn't allowed to come to church because her parents said she was too bad a person, God wouldn't take her in.

That broke my heart.  Like, I got teary when I heard that.  God doesn't care what you've done!

God will always and forever love you, no matter what.

One day soon I'm gonna talk to my friend about going to get coffee, and learning more about each other.  You don't have to say "let's go get coffee and talk about God" to the new neighbor, because you can bet there's a good chance that's gonna make them feel pretty uncomfortable.  Go get coffee to learn about each other first.

We're at the point where she's asking me questions in the middle of Robert talking on Wednesdays, just about God in general.  Not always about the lesson, but about Christianity and all that.

Answer her.  Don't point at the speaker and say listen, talk to her.  Step out of the room and give her an answer.  Because that question might be very important to her.  It may be simple as day to answer, but she doesn't know that.  She doesn't have everything figured out, and she wants to know.  Respect that and nurture her. Don't turn her away to a speaker that makes no sense to her, answer her.

A lot of people like her don't have parents that can answer those questions.  Her family may love and care for her, but she needs a spiritual family to do the same.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, Go and make a family of believers.

That's not the same as making believers your family.

Go And Make a Family Of Believers.  Seek people that are seeking people like you, there's plenty out there.  You might sit down the pew from someone lie that every week and not know it.

Seeking other believers as family is just as important, but remember to make a family of believers.

Start a family, and nurture that family like a father or mother.  Care for them, grow them, grow with them.  Good chance they'll ask questions that you may not know the answer to, at which point you ask your pastor, they answer that question and boom you've just answered a question you've had for a while too.  It's a thing, you learn from them just as they learn from you.  Your family of new believers, or your new believer sister or brother will teach you.  Indirectly probably, but it'll happen.

So go invite the new neighbors to coffee, make them a meal.  Do something to build a bridge and eventually show them God.

Seek other believers as your family, while making a family of believers.

Jesus made Disciples out of people, showed them God and His love.  Do the same.

Life Listenings (James 4 And a Photo)

 ^1-2Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
 ^2-3You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
 ^4-6You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble."
 ^7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.
 ^11-12Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?  ^13-15And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."
 ^16-17As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil. (James 4, The Message)

Good words to listen to.

Sissy and Ali and I shot pretty spring photos yesterday :)  Outcome?

Go to Church. Feed yourselves the eternal food.

The Perfect Preacher

Gash, sounds like some sort of poem!  No.  Today I'm gonna talk about Pastors.

I go to a lovely church, that renovated/expanded in 2007.  I've been going there for almost 10 years, and lived across the street for about 6.  It's a lovely church.  Has it's own issues and whatnot, but I'm not complaining.

When I went for the first time, it felt right.  Granted I was only 4, but it just seemed good.  Everyone was so nice, and the Pastor was hilarious, but still reverent.  So we started going there.  Time passed, we joined, the usual stuff.

But recently, I really feel like God gave me the Perfect Preacher, I just didn't know until I listened.  No one is perfect, but people can be perfect for people.  The right fit.  Well this guy is a good fit.

Although I've been there for 10 years, it's really only been about 5 months of listening for sermons to click and all that.  (You've got to listen to hear.)

In the past 5 months, almost every single sermon clicks.  It's just, what I need to hear that week.  And since I learned that The Bible is actually really cool (stupid teenage minds), the verses work and it's a whole thing.  I've bookmarked so many verses in the past half-year it's a little bit crazy. And I love it.

I feel like, if you don't have the Perfect Preacher, and you're just not hearing anything even though you're really listening and trying, you should try another church.  What can it hurt?  I don't think looking for the right church is against the law.  Because no matter how much you like the elegance or the friend that goes to your current church, you need to find the right church, or rather the right Preacher for you.  It's why we go to church!  To Praise Him and to feed.  Feed our spiritual life.  Why go to a church that's not feeding you?

And that's when I realized I haven't even gotten to the point I wanted to make about my Pastor.

He preaches simply, while maintaining the importance and point of what he's preaching.  He's great for bringing a friend, or for anyone who doesn't know how to pronounce half the names in the Book of Acts.

Our entire Youth Group of about 65 kids Sat In on Ash Wednesday (more on that later) instead of doing normal youth stuff, and I was watching everyone, and they were listening.  Almost everyone I looked at was really...Tuned in.

I'm talking about teenagers with attention spans like a 5 year old boy, and they're intently listening.

Because he didn't stuff his sermon with things only a Bible Scholar knows the definition of.

He used real, understandable, graspable stuff.  And these kids are listening to hear stuff, they just don't always know what to listen for.

So anyhow, my Pastor captured the attention of an entire section of Sanctuary, probably the hardest group of people to capture.  He's got the stuff if he can do that.

So there's my very ADD post about Pastors.  Love your Pastor?  Don't even like your Pastor? Tell me!

And Pray for Japan.  Really.

Just to get something straight...

The last post about Being Thankful, got two comments. Both legitimate, great comments from awesome people. One problem, and excuse me if this comes out harsh..... I'm a boy. Male. Man. Just putting that out there! I'll change my picture soon, I understand it's a little bit hard to tell. But yes, I am a male. Glad we got that cleared up :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Are You Thankful?

I love this picture.

Anyhoo!  Read the last post before/with this one, they tie in well.

The other night I was complaining to Sissy how fake some people I know are.  I've known them for forever it seems but they're so good at being fake, it's saddening.  She wrote a song about it, you know, it's called No Plastic Jesus.  But as I closed the conversation, it hit me that I may be griping about them, but I'm not raving over how awesome the other friends I have are.  I LOVE MY FRIENDS. All of them.  I realized I'm not as thankful as I should be.  Roger Williams, the guy who wrote King Jesus, wrote a song called Smile Everyday, about I think his dad.  It's an amazing song, the chorus at least.

"Smile Everyday, cause every day is just a gift! That's been given by the Father, so won't you give the praise to Him"

That song makes me happy when it pops into my head.

But anyhow, be thankful, guys!  What wouldn't you be?   I can't understand how it's so hard for us to do something so simple as be thankful and to not take things for granted.  And if you read the last post, you'll know that I'm blessed beyond belief and that's one of my biggest problems, I just figured out how lucky I am to have parents that are still together.

So today I'm thankful for my Daddy, my Savior, my one and only God.

My parents, and what they do for me.

My Big Sissy.

My Best Friend.  Imagine life without a best friend! That would SUCK!

An amazing new friend that I have the opportunity to share God with, it's a feeling like no other.

The fact that I'm free to Worship and Love God, whereas a third of the world doesn't know what The Bible is.

Everything and Everybody I have in life, my Youth Group, my Rock, all of it.  It's all from Him.

Thank you, Daddy.  For Loving me like no one else.

Today, be thankful.  Tonight, when you turn of your lights and get in bed, close your eyes and say Thank You Daddy.  When you wake up tomorrow, look out your window, smile, and say Thank You Daddy, for this new day.

You Don't Know What You Have Until It's Gone

Alrighty, I'm gonna post the last post that I had on the old blog because it ties in really well to the next one.

Another great night at Youth last night, we sang King Jesus, Mighty to Save, Lay 'Em Down, and Oh How He Loves. Best setlist ever, I do believe.
But what was just as cool as the music, was Robert's lesson. He talked about Divorce, and Rich Men. The Divorce part hit heavy on me, for a surprising reason.
When he started talking, he said that most of the group knew how tough dealing with Divorce is, and he's right. Probably 60 percent or so have Divorced parents.
But whenever I hear about Divorce, I think to myself, "no, I actually can't relate" and I'm afraid I'll look like the lucky kid like so many other times that happens.
Then it hit me. I've been taking for granted one of the worst things you can take for granted.
A healthy house.
So many of my friends have broken households, and I never even think about how lucky I am that I have one and only one set of parents, that have been married for more than 30 years. How stupid am I to not see that? One of the best things that a teenager could have and I didn't even realize it. Needless to say, it was a humbling thought chain.
If you are lucky enough to have parents that love each other, go give them a big hug, and tell 'em you love them. You don't know how blessed you are. Even if your parents divorced and remarried, if you have two loving & caring parental figures, go hug them. Do it.
And thank God for giving you a healthy household.

Matthew 6 (The Message)

Matthew 6

The World Is Not a Stage

1 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. 2-4"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
Pray with Simplicity

5"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

14-15"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.

16-18"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well.

A Life of God-Worship

19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.

25-26"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29"Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

This spoke to me in ways I needed to be spoken to. The Bible is awesome!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Who's this Dashing Young Fellow?

Hi!

I'm Evie.

This is my blog.

This is a blog for me to post thoughts on things I hear every day, Quotes out of The Bible, Reflect on Youth Lessons, and drink coffee.

Last year, I became friends with a gal I call Jules, and Sarah.  Two amazing people.

I was in a bad place, I didn't know what I was here for, didn't know what my life was gonna be, didn't know much at all.  I've grown up in church, but I became a teenager.  And, well yea.

But then Jules and Sarah changed me.  So much.  I became close to them and we started talking and talking about God. We talked about God through texts, and over Coffee.  They put me in a good place.  Showed me what God's Love is really like.  They showed me how cool it was to be a Jesus Freak.  And now where am I at? I have the Best Best Friend ever, Jules.  And I have a big sister.  Who cares for me like a sister and I care for like a brother.  Sarah.  God gave me these people, and I can't thank him enough, they're amazing.

We keep each other on track, and we have God moments together.  Over Coffee.

So by now you might get the blog name.  God & Coffee.  I'm a Coffee Lover in the truest sense.  I French Press every morning with my Today Show and Blogs.  I'm saving for an Espresso Machine.  A decent one.

But I'm also a Fashionista...In Training.  I have a better sense of style than I dress myself with, but I'm changing that.  Friends are annoyed because wherever we go I'm talking about Fashion and Shoes and apparently teenage boys aren't supposed to know what Ballet Flats are.  Whoops.

Oh yea, I'm also a photographer.  Well, for the most part.

So that's a little about me.  Jesus Freak, Coffee Connoisseur, Fashionista in Training, Listener of Jazz, eater of Good Cheese, Friend, Blogger, Photographer, Conversationalist.

I love people, so please say hi sometime!  We can talk about whatever you like :)

Hi There, Conflict, I'm Evie

G'morning.  It's gonna be one of those days, I can tell.

Anywho.  Google sent me an email last evening, (yup, last evening) and my other account is online again What the French toast?!  But GUESS WHAT.

I'm staying here.

I've found SO MANY amazing people in the past two days!  I knew that Fashion and Photography and Vintage kinda went hand in hand, but I've found a huge amount of awesome Jesus Freak fashiony-Crafter people!  It makes me really happy.  I've gotten so much clutter out of my google reader, I've got a ton of new awesome blogs that are cooler than the ones I used to read, it's all just good.

So I'm here now.  I'll slowly move the Photo Blog to a new one on this account I think, now that I can get the HTML from my posts and it's easier to rebuild.

So yea, I'm here.  Thank you to everyone I've found in the past few days, you're awesome.

And now to real posts.  I'ma make an about me :)

Rebuilding

Good Morning, folk!  A few days ago, for no reason (That I could find), Google disabled my account.

So, I'm past that now, the bigger problem is that with that, my Photography Blog of well over a year and several hundred posts, was removed.  That was a heavy blow.  My newer Jesus Freak blog, was also removed.  That sucked too, I had a lot of writing on there I didn't really enjoy losing.

So now that brings us to here.  I re-made the Jesus Freak blog, as you can see, because I really like it.  It's a good place to let my thoughts flow somewhere.  I'll probably start a new photo blog in the near future, but I'm gonna take this opportunity to work more on this without feeling guilty about the other.  To focus.

I'll continue posting as if nothing happened, although I might re-write my most recent, about Divorce.

We'll see.  I'm actually a lil bit happy about it because I refocused my Google Reader as well, with more Fashion and less junk.  I'm gonna hope that the wrath of Google is over and continue on, if something happens again, I'll be doing something different after that.

But for now, it's time to rebuild.