Benefits of Being a Christian on Valentine's Day

So I felt like the spoiled girl who everybody hates because she gets everything she wants on Valentine's Day. A very sweet guy surprised me on Valentine's Day with a teddy bear and chocolates.

...my dad. :)

I was talking with some of my friends about how Valentine's Day went; most of them said something like they got a text message like "Happy Valentimes Day," "The Pizza is Dying," and "Happy Worst Day of the Year"--basically Valentine's Day was just any other day. Nobody had a big Valentine's banquet or went on a romantic date.

Probably most of us had a Valentine's Day just like that--probably most everyone in the world. There are a lot of people out in the world that don't have love--not just a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse, but some people don't have families period. Some people don't have friends, or at least true friends. Maybe one of us felt unloved on Valentine's Day.

But I wouldn't think so, if each of us are Christians.

Despite what our situation may be--we may not have the love of our family, our friends, our "special someone"--but we have something better: the perfect love of God that will never fail us. Even if not one person on earth loved us, we are loved by God, and that love should be enough for us. And because God loves us, it is our job to show His love to those that do not have love.

So this leaves us with some big questions: True love is more than just giving gifts or just saying "I love you." What is true love? How do we truly love other people?

The Power of Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Isn't it awesome that we can always talk to God no matter where or when?And that He actually listens to every one? It still blows my mind. I used to hate it when my mom asked me to pray at mealtimes. And even when I began to understand the power of prayer I still was embarrassed when me and my family would pray over a meal at restaurants. Even now I still forget to pray. But I am so thankful to God that He listens.

One day my brother Nathaniel accidentally ate something with peanuts in it. He is very allergic to them and it caused him to go into shock. He couldn't breath. He could have easily died within the next thirty minutes. We rushed him to the hospital. I was about eleven at the time, and all I remember doing was praying the whole way there. My mom was praying too.

As we took Nathaniel into the waiting room we noticed he wasn't wheezing anymore. By the time a nurse had a look at him he was perfectly fine. God had completely healed him. This is one of the many miracles Jesus has done in my life.

Alright, I know some of you have already shared, but what are some other things Jesus has done in your life because of prayer?

TURN IT UP!!!

Scroll down to see our new music player! We've got some great songs from our favorite Christian artists like Skillet, Red (their new stuff, too!), Jeremy Camp, Superchic[k], Anberlin, and much more...a LOT more! Thanks to Justin for putting it up!

Somebody to take our troubles, our worries and our problems all away

God is so amazing. I'll start with that.

I wanted to share a discussion me and my dad had on our long road trip yesterday. We were looking at some lyrics from a really cool song by a secular band. I just wanted to share a portion of the lyrics with you:
Well, everybody's gonna need somebody To take our troubles and our worries And our problems all away...

This part really touched me and my dad. But when my dad asked me who that person is and how they are going to do that...I was a little stumped. I said "Jesus, of course." Then I thought about it. Does Jesus just take all of our problems away? No. If he did, why are we the way we are? Why are loved ones dying? Why are people getting into debt? Why are there Anorexic and Bulimic girls out there? Why? Because Jesus doesn't take our troubles and our worries and our problems all away. When we get to heaven, of course. But why doesn't he take them away now? I'm still answering this question myself. I used to listen to "Adventures in Odyssey" by Focus on the Family. One of my favorite characters "Jenny Roberts" became blind through some sort of incident. One day she was at "Whit's End" (the soda shop) giving advice to a girl who was recently feeling disconnected to God. Since Jenny became blind, she had grown closer to God herself. Jenny told her that whenever she went through hard times, those hard times had brought her closer to God. Why? Because she would spend more time sharing her problems with God!


So, I have a question: Does God let us go through hard times, let us worry, have troubles and problems so that we will grow closer to him? Please give me comments, I would love to hear your opinion.

What If We All...?

Being Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, I took the day off from school, and both my parents were home, so we had "family walking time" at the mall, early in the morning when no one was there. No time to make sure my hair was okay. As soon as we all woke up, I grabbed my iPod, put on my tennis shoes, and rushed straight to the mall. Around 10am, we decided to watch Paul Blart: Mall Cop at the movie theater in the mall. While waiting in line for tickets, I saw a fine young man, wearing a sky blue Hurley t-shirt and tight black jeans, his auburn hair styled somewhat in a Mohawk with bangs swept to the side just barely touching his eyes. Seeing that, I looked sadly at myself, no lip gloss, in my old sweats, and my sweaty hair matted to my face...I was a disaster. And I was at the mall! I muttered an "oh well" in my head and tried to quit looking at people, holding an "if don't see them, they don't see me" attitude.

After the movie, we went to the post office to mail my grandma's birthday present. The people there were mostly older people probably wearing whatever they woke up in. Then I thought to myself, "What if we all didn't care about what we looked like? What if we all could just go out wearing our comfy sweats and no one cared about it? Then people would be more focused on the personality rather than what they look like."

Teens can be so caught up in outward appearance sometimes. My dad said that he once was the same way. He said that teenagers always think that people are always looking at them, but in reality, no one really cares.

Like what Grace said in an old blog, beauty is in the heart. Like mannequins...they're stylish, but they don't have any heads.

A Shack Made in Heaven

For school, I had to read a short story by Henry Van Dyke called "The Mansion."

It told of a wealthy businessman named John Weightman, who was best known as a philanthropist and almost "righteous" man, always following the Bible and doing good to others. Though he was wealthy, he lived in a regular house and gave most of his wealth to organizations and churches. He was revered and admired by all. However, he had a discontented son named Harold, whom he had plans for; however, Harold, though he respected his father completely, wanted to travel and take a different path from what his father wanted. On the night of Christmas Eve, he asked his father for three or four thousand dollars to help a sick friend from college who had a wife and baby to take care of, but his father refused, saying that he would never get anything from helping his friend, probably only a mere letter of thanks. Unhappy with his father's answer, he left and went to bed, deciding to make his own choices for his life.

John Weightman felt troubled as he had never felt before. He opened his Bible at a random place and found the verse, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust do corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." Suddenly, John felt his body become weak and slipped away.

When he awoke, he found himself in a beautiful place and meeting people who have died years ago. Filled with excitement, he instantly knew where he was. Among the people he had met were the poor, the widowed, the blue-collar workers, and the formerly crippled or sick. Soon, a Guide came told them that their mansions were ready. Almost every person in the eager group had been taken to their mansion, leaving John the last one. Finally, it was time for the Keeper of the Gate to take John to his mansion. They traveled far out of the city, many miles away from the others. After seeing them, John was confident that his reward would be much greater. Yet to his surprise, the Keeper of the Gate took him to nothing but a rusty shack made of scrap material, sitting in an open field. Confusioned, John enumerated all that he had done on earth. He had kept God's commandments, served at his church, and most of all, given to the poor. Because the Keeper of the Gate told him that he had already been rewarded on earth, he did not need another reward in Heaven. With bitter disappointment, John asked what he could have done better on earth, what really counted in Heaven? With that, the Keeper of the Gate replied:

"Only that which is truly given. Only that good which is done for the love of doing it. Only those plans in which the welfare of others is the master thought. Only those labors in which the sacrifice is greater than the reward. Only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself."

Gradually, John began to feel colder. Then he awoke, to find himself back in his home. He rushed up to his son's room and wrote a check for his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't want to do so much to find that it meant nothing. Righteousness is filthy rags. Giving for receiving is a shack. Check your heart as I check mine.

Living like You and Me

Ever since Christmas, I've been thinking non-stop about what Jesus was like. At the time he was here on earth he was a human. He was born as a baby, he had to learn how to walk, talk, he even had to potty train I'm sure! It is such an encouragement to think that Jesus went through life, he was here on this earth. So when we start complaining to him with our problems and how earth is such a terrible place...He can relate! Of course we could never compare ourselves to Jesus. We are a lot different than him, He has never sinned for starters. Jesus had to grow up just like us! I'm sure he got in fights with his siblings, went to school and had chores. By the time he was maybe 12, he probably started working with his father. If you haven't seen the Nativity Story, I highly suggest it. Joseph asks the question "Will he just know he was born with greatness? Will he gradually grow into this leader? Will there be something in his eyes?" This will be one of my millions of questions to ask God when I get to heaven. He even had to die like a human. He knows what challenges we face, he had most of them too.