TEEN CHALLENGE

    Fear is an emotion that everyone has felt at one time or another. Fear is not fun to have, but it's good for us at times.      No matter if you're shy and reserved or outgoing and confident, fear is something we all feel at times. It's not wrong to be afraid, but it is wrong to let our fear control us. Now how do you know if your fear is controlling you? Is there something that you should be doing for God that you're not doing? Something that you would like to do, but you're not? If your only reason for not doing it is that you're scared, then your fear is controlling you. Maybe you would love to teach Sunday school or sing in your church choir, but you're afraid to. So what do you do? Well, you can let the fear control you and waste the talents God has given you, or you can work to overcome your fear and do something for God.      How can we overcome our fear? The Bible says "The Lord is my strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?". No...

      This past week was a rough one for me and my family. After a few months of her health being up and down, we had to put my dog down. I know a lot of people don't get attached to animals, but I certainly was attached to mine. It was about the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I'm still sad about it. But what I want to share with you are a few "small" things that I came away with from the week. It amazed me how God seen how hard it was for me and planned things to help me through it.      Late afternoon on Wednesday my mom told me what the vet had said after calling with the results of the test they'd run. They said there wasn't much hope. I cried on the way to church that night, and when I walked into the sanctuary my Pastor was practicing a solo he's singing. The first words I heard when I walked in were "I AM Almighty God your Father, the risen Son of man, The Healer of the broken, and when you cry, I AM.". "No way", I th...

  "Let your Christianity be so unmistakable, your eye so single, your heart so whole, your walk so straightforward, that all those who see you may have no doubt whose you are and whom you serve." -unknown     How obvious is your Christianity? Is it noticeable throughout your entire life? Today I have a few thoughts on some areas we might consider how we can make our faith more noticeable.  1. Your Christianity so Unmistakable      "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;"  1 Peter 2:9 Recently one of my coworkers asked me about something I did. I asked, "what's wrong with it?". "Nothing," he answered. "It's just- different." We are called to be a peculiar people. If the world doesn't find us strange, there's an issue. They should wonder how we have strong families, uni...

     I had a different post planned for today, but then my Pastor said this last night in church and it was so good that I decided to share it. I don't think I can add anything to make it better, so just watch the video and try to apply what he said. Think about this often; make everyday count for something. Never waste a day, each one is a gift from God. 

Do you ever stop and think about how powerful and amazing God is? Do you ever wonder why He takes the time to love us sinners? Some people get angry at the idea of Him trying to be part of our lives. But when you understand how amazing God is, when you think about all that He is, it makes you grateful that He would even let you serve Him, for He certainly does not need us. And when you realize that He not only allows us to serve Him, but He also adopts us, makes us His children, and promises that someday we will live with Him forever in paradise- should make you worship Him in absolute awe. It should make you eternally grateful. It should keep you from ever being upset that He wants to be in charge of you. You should want the world to know someone else is running your life and that's why it's not a total wreck. It should make you want to tell the world about Him, to share Him with everyone, to tell everything about Him and to proudly proclaim- "that's my King".  T...