Easter

Easter is tomorrow and as we get ready to celebrate, it is important to remember why we celebrate it. Easter is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. This is three days after he was hung on the cross for our sins. This was the only way for us to have a relationship with God again. This was Jesus's mission since he was born on this earth. He was a perfect lamb, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  I think in this day and age, we forget the price that God paid for himself to send his son to take our place on the cross. The song by Citizen Way, really puts this back into perspective. The band wrote the song after a little boy said that it should be us on the cross instead of Jesus. So this Easter I pray that you remember the reason why God died for us.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xlNwDpPoWs

Sources:
"Citizen Way- "Should've Been Me" Official Lyric Video." Youtube. Citizenway, 27 July 2012. Web.

Appearance

Many people worry about what they will wear and how they look. And I know for many teenage girls, the way we look is a big part of who we are. But what message are you sending by what you wear. Are you sending a Godly message, or a message that you are looking for someone to hook up with. If you are looking for a Godly man, but you're wearing super short shorts and a tank top that shows your stomach, then you won't end up with a Godly man. And the same goes for guys. If a guy is wearing his pants below his butt, and walks around without a shirt, then he isn't going to get a Godly woman. This doesn't mean that you can't dress up, but it does mean that you dress appropriately. For example, if your exercising then you may wear shorter shorts for girls, and you might go shirtless if you are a guy. But wearing short shorts to school, or walking through an airport shirtless is not appropriate. Also girls, you don't need to cover your face in make-up. A little bit is fine, but covering your face until your not recognizable isn't fine. God made us already beautiful and make-up should be used to show off your beauty, not cover it up.

Abortion

Abortion is a major topic in today's society, especially since the recent presidential election.  I just want to explain my view on it and I hope doing so might change your opinion if we disagree.

We have all heard about how Justin Bieber's mom, Pattie Mallette, was going to abort Justin but in the end, obviously, she didn't.  Now he is known all over the world for his ability to sing and perform and followed by many teenage girls.  I hear conversations at school that are like this:  "If I don't have an abortion, then my child will be famous."  Well, of course you can't know that.  Most people just see Justin's fame over his story.  But abortion is about not having another human in this world.  Just think about what life would be like without Justin.  For one, I might actually study more, instead of watching his videos on YouTube. :)  And many teenage girls could agree.  But really, think about how your life would be different, if he wasn't born.  To give you another example, think of your best friend.  How would life be different if your best friend wasn't born?  I know my life would be different.  Now would you really want to not give someone else a chance of have a best friend?

Also abortion is the taking of a life.  Though this is debated in the media and politics, as soon as you have a fertilized egg, you have life.  One of the Ten Commandments is, "Thou shall not kill."  If you have an abortion, then not only are you taking a life, but you are disobeying one of the Ten Commandments.  Sure if you are a single mom, it will be hard, but it will be worth it.  Hopefully, you will have the support of family and friends but you will always have the support of God.

How Far Is Too Far?

Now a question that people who are dating often ask is, "How far can I go with out getting in trouble?" It is like we a looking for a line in the sand to tell us how far we can go and where you can't cross.  But every person you ask you will get a different answer, based on religion or personal morals. But if you turn to the Bible, God tells us exactly what to do when we are dating. 1st Timothy 5: 1-2 says, "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger man has brothers, older woman as mothers, and younger woman as sisters, with absolute purity." The part of the verse that sticks out to me is "threat younger man as brothers," and "younger woman as sister." What Paul is saying to Timothy is treat your peers and younger as brothers and sisters. And Paul means every one. He doesn't say treat everyone as a brother or a sister, except the one you are dating. No, he means everyone. Imagine kissing your brother or sister. That is just plain out disgusting. So if you won't do it with your brother or sister, then don't do it with your boyfriend or girlfriend. The last part of the verse is important to, "With absolute purity." This means that what you do is pure. If you are doing something with the one you are dating, and you think impure thoughts, then you shouldn't be doing it. So with treating the one you are dating as a brother or sister, and with absolute purity, then the line in the sand will disappear. God gave us very detail instructions to follow, and it will be hard some days, but on the day of your marriage it will be worth it.

Sources:

True Images Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Print

What He Said

We all go through hard times at some point in our lives. Whether it is cancer, a missed birthday, or negative criticism, everyone goes through it. Sometimes it may feel too much for you. Let me say that God will not give you more then you can take. He will be right beside you every step of the way. In Psalms 119: 105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." With faith in God, He will show you which way to go, and He will show you how to get through whatever you are going through. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" People will criticize you for things you do, how you dress, and how you sound. But the Lord looks at your heart. He sees you for you. He sees your motives, your heartache, and your joy. Even if the world doesn't see you for who you really are, God will. Revelation 21:4 says "He will wipe every tear from your eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things have passed away." Think about this. One day what you are going through will be no more. In Heaven there is no more pain. Take comfort in the fact that what you are going through can't compare to the glory in Heaven.

This song pretty much sums up what I just. "He Said" by Group 1 Crew featuring Chris August, is really uplifting. The music video is very well done with all the bibles and the verses written on the mirrors and piano. If you have a chance you need to watch this video. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmi9IBP209s

Sources:
True Images Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Print

Group1Crew. "Group 1 Crew- "He Said (feat. Chris August)" (Official Music Video)." YouTube. N.p., 18 July 2012. Web.

Sun Block vs Son Block

I wanted to share something I heard at our church group at school.  It was so touching I had to post it.  The student's topic was on sunblock and Son block.  Sunblock is a great way to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays.  We all use it, or should anyway, on sunny days on the beach or outdoors and we all know the risk that can come from not using it.  Most of us know we can get skin cancer without the use of sunblock.  But many people don't know about Son block.  Son block was made when God's Son came down to earth and sacrificed Himself for our sins.  Son block protects you from the devil, and the darkness and immorality of this world.  Son block isn't talked about as much but by not doing so, it can lead to some catastrophic disasters.  One result of not using Son block, is sin cancer.  There are a lot of similarities between skin cancer and sin cancer.  They can both be deadly and they can both start as small spots which grow bigger and bigger if not treated.  Skin cancer starts as a small spot on the skin and sin cancer starts as a small spot on the heart.  You may seem cool if you don't wear any protection, but the end result can be deadly in both cases.  I recommend putting on some Son block for protection every day.

Stepping Stones

At some point in every one's lives, we think about our future.  We wonder where we will go, what we'll do, who we might meet and how they might affect our lives.  Our future is a big mystery because not every plan or hope comes true.  But God is already at the end of life, and He knows every thing that will happen to every one of us.  In the song, "Already There", by Casting Crowns, they talk about how God knows every pain we will go through and every success we will have.  He knows every step you will take.

I have a story to help explain my belief that He knows every step and which step is best for each of us.  Let's say you are standing by a river.  This river is fairly large and it is flowing fast.  There are about 100 different, large stones that you can walk on scattered across it.  Let's say that where you are standing is at the beginning of high school and the other side of the river is the end of high school. As you look at the river, you see four stones all in a row and large enough to comfortable use to cross. Unfortunately, they are spaced far apart.  Still, you are confident that you can make the jump between each.  You step on the first stone, but suddenly, God takes you off the path of the straight stones and over to the right.  At first, you're wondering why you went this way but you go with it, confident it will all work out.  You hop around stones for a while until you come to a stone that is close to the bank.  You get very excited because it seems your journey is almost done and you can move on to other things you've been looking forward to.  But then God turns you around and away from the bank.  You go backwards.  This frustrates you so much!  You were so close but now, your going backwards.  All God says is, "Trust Me".  There is nothing you can do, so you keep hopping from stone to stone going forwards and backwards, until you finally cross the river.  You made it and as you look back at the path you just took, you see all the steps you took to get here. You see how God kept you safe through every experience.  You realized that if you had taken the path you had chosen, you would have drowned.  You now see that God knew the right, safe way that you should go.

So though you may not understand why things happen the way they do, why you must take the stones put in front of you instead of plowing along the quickest, easiest way, trust in God's decisions.  He knows what He is doing and if you stay open and aware of what He is telling you, He will keep you safe through your journey, because He is Already There.

God Plan vs. Your Plan

Just like me, I think a lot of teenagers have wanted something and the only way to achieve what they wanted was through steps:  A, B, and C.  When we don't follow the steps in order, resulting in it appearing we will not achieving what we wanted, we get mad.  I believe you are trying to control what God does in your life.  You might say, how can He only do this or that in your life when really, He  just has a different plan for you.  For example, I thought the only way for me to go to New York with my school was to turn in my forms by the deadline.  When my parents said I couldn't go, I was crushed.  I thought it was then too late and there was no other way to get in.  A few months later, after discussing it for a while, my parents decided to let me go and turned in the paperwork.  Now I'm going to New York!  Of course, the process didn't happen the way I wanted it to, but I got the same results in the end.  God will work in ways that we can't imagine or understand.

Another example of things working out differently than you think they will often happens to me when I listen to the radio station, K-Love.  When I'm down, I know I can turn on K-Love and the right song will be on to lift my spirits.  But the song that I want to hear being played may not necessarily be the one I wanted to hear.  It is usually a different song that I forgot or a new song I don't know, yet the result is the same.  And every time it seems like the song that is playing lifts my spirits more then the song in my head.  This goes to show you that God knows you better then you know yourself.  He knows what you need and when the time is right He will deliver them to you. You just have to trust in His plan, and not think that you  know better.

Opinions

Opinions are everywhere.  And people love to give their opinions about things.  The question is, how are you letting other's opinions influence you?

I know haircuts seem small and insignificant, but to me, it can be a big deal.  When I first look at a person, the first thing I notice is their hair.  Of course, everyone gets a haircuts at some point in their life.  Some are noticeable and some aren't.  Some of the most dramatic haircuts that I see are among celebrities.  Some of them I love and some I don't like at all.  When Justin Bieber got his hair cut from being long to short I loved it.  I personally believe that Justin looks better with the short hair (Maybe because I live with two guys with short, blond hair - my dad and my brother).  When Nick Jonas, whom I love, got his curly hair cut, I hated it.  Nick looked so much better with his curly hair and it was one of the reasons why I feel in love with him and the Jonas Brothers in the first place.  I chose to watch the first Camp Rock because I liked Nick's hair!  When Liam and Louis from the group, One Direction, got their haircut, I couldn't tell them apart anymore!

These are my opinions.  They aren't necessarily right or wrong, it's just how I feel.  If you disagree with me, then that is fine.  It is how you present your opinions that can make a difference.  If you state your opinion respectfully, then more people are open to listen to it.  If you say it with an attitude, then people will most likely ignore your opinion or be confrontational with you.  And it is important to listen respectfully to other's opinions.  Everyone has a different background and tastes that affect their opinions and you just might learn something you didn't know before by being open to them.  Sometimes, others opinions might actually change your own.  The other thing we need to remember is that opinions are allowed to change.  Your experiences and amount of knowledge can bring you to a different conclusion.  So you don't have to stick to the same opinion your whole life as long as the one you have is important to you.

I would love to hear your opinions on the hairstyles of celebrities so please share!  But do so respectfully.