Grand Parents Visit

So my grandparents came by the last week and visited us for my brother's graduation. It is always a joy seeing them and getting to hang out with them and talk with them. One thing that I learned from my grandma is that it is okay to make mistakes because that is how we learn. She repeated that line every time one of us made a mistake or told a story of a time where we made a mistake. And I believe that is a good way of looking at our mistakes.

For example, we started to put together my first desktop while they were here. Long story short, we have already switched out my motherboard for a new one, and it looks like we will have to buy a new motherboard again. Sure that can be frustrating, but if you look at it the way grandma, then it is a good learning opportunity. Especially for me because I have a very limited knowledge of how a computer works, it is a good way to learn.

So when we go out and try new things it is okay to make mistakes because that is the only way we can learn. So go out there and try new things and make mistakes so you can learn and grow.

Dear Heavenly Father
Thank you for allowing us to make our mistakes so we can grow. I pray that we are not afraid of making mistakes, and that we make all the mistakes that we can. Amen. 

Pile of Rocks

This past Sunday my family and I went to the mountains and went on a hike. The path we ended up going on was really rocky and it was often difficult to know where the path was. So to mark the path there would be piles of rocks. If we followed the pile of rocks we were on the path. It is very helpful to know which direction to go in, and if we did get lost, all we had to do was look for that pile of rocks to get us back on track. That very simple idea of just piling rocks was a major help as we went hiking.

As Christians, we are provided with the same guidelines to help us as we walk through life. It just in a pile of pages bound together and not a pile of rocks. The Bible is a guide for us as we walk through life. As Psalms 119: 105 states, "You word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  The Bible is the way that God shows us the path we are to follow. So to know this path, we have to spend time in God's word and getting to know what it says. 

Over the summer I am challenging myself as well as all my readers to read the bible every day this summer. For some of us this may be really easy, but for others, it could be rather difficult. But when we take the time to read the Bible so we know where the path is for us to follo

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Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your word that is a guide to us so we know what path we are to take. Help us to spend time each day reading the bible and getting to know your word better and better. Amen. 

Bible Memorization

Many of us know that reading the Bible is important. But many of us don't take time to memorize the Bible. Now I bet a lot of you reading this are freaking out because you need to memorize 1000+ pages. When I was in Chicago for my mission trip recently, one thing I noticed was that the members at the church could just recite verse on the spot, and some times entire chapters of the top of their head.  That is impressive, and I know that I can't do that, partly because I haven't put the time or effort into that.


I'm not saying that you have to memorize the whole, Bible but memorizing parts of it will help. Psalms 37:31 says, "The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip." It is one thing to just read the Bible, but it is another thing to put the Bible in your heart. When you have memorized scripture, let's say on how God values you, then when you are tempted to believe that you are worthless, and not meant for anything, then you could just say back the scripture you memorized to strengthen you. Ephesians 6:17 says, "And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The word of God is to be used as a defense weapon , and if you don't know at least parts of the Bible how are you ever going to defend yourself. I know that it is hard to memorize verses, but when you memorize ones that actually pertain to you and what you are going through, they actually become useful quite often. We should all be encourage to memorize even just a couple of verses over the next week so we are able to recall them when they are needed.


Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your Word that you give us to read. Help me to read it and study it and to memorize it so I am able to recall it when needed. Amen.

Damage of Gossip

Many of us who went to high school or go college have to deal with some sort of drama. Whether it is boyfriend drama to best friend drama to enemy drama, we all encounter it at some point in our high school careers. Most of the drama starts with someone gossiping. Then that one gossip spreads to the whole school, and that creates drama between friends and enemies. The definition of gossip is "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." Gossip mostly not being true, it creates problems in our lives that we don't need. Proverbs 26:20 says, "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down." Without gossips, many of the arguments that happen, or the drama that goes around the school wouldn't exists. But every time you gossip about someone, it is like adding wood on a fire that is already out of control. If you are in an argument with someone, keep the argument between the two of you. When you go off and tell your friends, and then the other person goes off and tells their friends, then we drag more people into the problem then what is needed. With that many people involved, it becomes exponentially harder to find a resolution for the problem.


I know that by now, it has became a habit for most of us to gossip, but that isn't a good habit to have. I ask that as we start this school year, that we could break some of those habits of gossiping. It will be hard, but with God's help it is not impossible. You can then save a lot of hurt feelings, and it will create less high school drama, and it may allow us to focus on school and just having a good time.  Without the drama, school can be a fun place to go to learn and hang out with friends. The thing is that the drama, creates an environment that most of us dread to go to. We can change that environment just by changing the things that we tell people. I don't know about you, but I want to go to a place that has limited drama and, I can actually go and enjoy my day, and not sit in class just waiting for the day to end. Let's make a change this year to stop the gossip coming from our mouths, and speak of encouragement and love to the people around us.



Dear Heavenly Father,
I know that gossip can ruin friendships, and it can create unnecessary drama. I pray that you will help me watch the words that come out of my mouth, to stop me from gossiping about the people who I meet. I know that my words can hurt a person, but I also know that if I speak encouragement to someone, that can make their whole day. Help me to chose my words carefully before I say them. Amen

God Already Loves You

So many of us who are making new friends, or who are trying to impress the in-laws, or maybe who are looking for a new job, know that when it comes to impressing people that we need to have it all together. We need to look out best and dot our i's and cross our t's. We tend to hide who we really are on the inside so that we can make it look like we have it all together on the outside. The thing that amazes me about God is that we don't need to have life all put together to go to him. He wants you as you are, and in a society where looks and outward appearance matters it is hard to comprehend that God loves us for who we are. He is not going to reject you because he wants you to go and get your life in order and then come back to him. He will accept you as you are. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 2000 years ago while we were still sinners, God came down to Earth to die for us. He died for us because he wanted to have a relationship with us, and he wanted to show his love for us by being our sacrifice. He did this so that way you didn’t have to be perfect to come to God, but so that you can come broken and bruised, so that way he can be with us as he works in our live to make us more like Him through his love. You don’t need to get you life in order, to go to God. So I encourage you this week to take time to meet with God just as you are so that way He is able to love on you.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for loving us just the way we are. I pray that you will help us understand just how much you love us, and that we don’t need to have it all together to come to you. Thank you for sending your Son as a sacrifice for our lives, so we all may have a chance to have a relationship with you. Amen.

Purpose vs. Calling

I am giving you a warning now, today's post is going to be a English lesson. We were talking one day in our Bible study, and at the end we were given the task of finding the difference between purpose and calling. From what I found, purpose is the reason or motivation of why you are doing something, while calling is a job that you do. They are not interchangeable, and even I have been found guilty of thinking that they are one in the same. If you are Christian then our purpose is to bring glory to God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." That sentence describes our motivation behind everything we do, and it is to bring glory to God. Calling is the job that you do, weather it be a teacher, or an engineer, or the CEO of a company. The members of Casting crowns were called to work at their own churches, but they were also called to form a band and write such amazing songs for people. That is their calling. They do everything that they do to glorify God, and that is their purpose. 
I just want to make you more aware of the difference between these two words, because understanding the difference may help develope other understanding of God and yourself.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to understand the difference in these two words. Help me to serve you in all I do, because that is my purpose. Help me understand what your calling is for me, because it is different for everyone. But knowing that I have my own individualized calling is refreshing to know. Thank you Lord for that. Amen.

I Actually Have Friends

Last night was the Dordt Talent Show. It was a blast and me and my friends had a great time together. In comparison to last year, I have came so far with having friends. I remember I didn't even go to the talent show last year, and I often spent my Friday nights alone in my room most likely watching YouTube. Just this semester alone I have seen more movies with my friends than I have my entire freshman year.

It is interesting to look back and see how alone I felt, and how God has put people in my life that I can have fun with and we get along really well. Just at dinner last night we were laughing so hard because we have this warped idea of what is fun is that I don't think I could explain if I had too.

It is amazing how God has engineered each one of to be friends with certain people, and he then places friend sin out life that will help us grow closer to him, and grow as a person. It is amazing how we each have our friend group, even if it takes some time to find. In God's whole scheme of things, he wants what is best for you, and that includes giving you the best possible friends for you. They may not be what you imagine, like being friends with the popular kids, but he will give you friends that you need. It is important to cherish them and enjoy your time you have with them.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the friends you have placed in my life. Help me to be the friend that they need, and thank you for the friend they are to me. Amen.