A New Year

A New Year

By Adebisi A.

This is the season everyone loves. Who doesn’t want to proceed to the New Year? This article is more of a challenge, yeah, Christmas. But, do this before the New Year.                     

Just sit down for a few minutes and think about 2015. The joys and sadness, as well as other
things. You find more than enough reasons you need to thank God for. So, just spare a few minutes to thank Him for the year and also for the season, without Jesus there would be no Christmas.

Psalm 118:1 Says:

Thank God for He is good and His love endures forever. (NIV) 

After doing this, start writing down your new year resolutions. If you haven’t, make sure they are realistic and achievable. If your resolutions don't work, try to figure out why they don't work. Forgive and forget all grudges before the New Year. It's so important. Enjoy the season, God Bless you!

Take a Deep Breath

Take a Deep Breath

Sarah P.
“Praise the LORD! I will thank the LORD with all my heart as I meet with His godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in Him should ponder them. Everything He does reveals His glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember His wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our LORD!” -Psalms 4-111:1 NLT
I’m a fan of a Christian band known as The Afters. I want to start off today by introducing some lyrics from their song “Breathe In Breathe Out,” which is one of my favorites. It goes like this:
“[I] Always think tomorrow will be better
There will come a day when I arrive
The list of everything I’ve gotta do would be a page of empty lines
I apologize…for living in the future…
Cause if happiness if always down the road, then I’m missing it today.”
How often do we live in the future? We get so caught up in our next class, our next assignment, our next meeting, our next meal, our next everything, when life is lived not in the future but in the present moment. Sometimes we just need to slow down, take a deep breath, and thank God for the amazing things around us. In this psalm, David chooses to focus on God’s greatness and glory for a few minutes out of his busy day- and he was the king of Israel! Surely we can set aside time for God in our days as well!
As teens, we tend to focus on the future. We tend to think our lives will “get better” or we’ll “arrive” when we turn eighteen, or get our driver’s license, or graduate, or start college. Yet we need to focus on appreciating what we have right now. Planning for the future is good, but we can’t get so caught up in it that we forget to be thankful for what we have. Today, that is my challenge to you: slow down, take a deep breath, and thank God for something in your life. It doesn’t have to be difficult; maybe you’re just thankful for Christmas lights, or your sweet dog, or chocolate. You might be surprised at how many things you can come up with! The point is that gratitude helps us focus on the One who gives us our lives instead of what’s down the road from here.
What are you thankful for today?

Sowing the Seed

Sowing the Seed

Rachel V.

Matthew 13:1-9

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Recently, some friends and I were passing out flyers for a church event. We were going through an apartment complex, and since one of the friends lived in an apartment there, we took a quick break. When a car pulled up to one of the doors, we watched to see what they would do with the flyer. They got out, pulled the flyer out of the door, crumpled it up, and tossed it aside.

Now this is so discouraging, and trust me, I’ve learned from experience. We are trying so hard to please our Lord; put people don’t give us, or God, the slightest thought. They just brush us aside, and laugh at us for being zealots.

But Jesus said this would happen. In Matthew 13:1-9, He tells us about a farmer who sows some seed. Some falls on the wayside and birds eat it up. Some falls in the stony ground, and it springs up, but it withers, because the dirt is too shallow. Some falls in the thorns, and gets choked.

All that good seed on the stony, shallow, thorny, crow infested ground. I’m sure the farmer was feeling discouraged, and thinking it was a waste of his time.

But some seed fell on good, fertile, rich ground, and brought forth a whole crop! Now had the farmer gotten discouraged, and not gone out to sow seed, would he have all that food? Of course not. You won’t get anything if you don’t try.

So don’t give up sisters in Christ! Keep planting the seed, even if it doesn’t seem to bring forth a whole crop at once. God will use your faithful hearts!

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

Mountain Movers

Mountain Movers

By Caitlyn S.

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth."
When I was younger I used to think this verse meant that the Lord was in the hills. That we would literally look up and see Him.
Instead of that, I think we actually look around and we see these mountains of life- fear, insecurities, death of a loved one, or grades at school. And we ask God with a genuine doubt "Where is my help?!" That's when He whispers, "right here".
How amazing is that?! That we can question and doubt our God when the mountains seem to be closing in around us, but our God still comes to our side- A God that is shrinking and moving mountains RIGHT NOW.
Matthew 7:20 takes on this same concept with a little twist when it says "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain 'move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
So not only do we have the Lord that created the heavens and the earth on our side, we also have His power living inside of us!
I don't know about you, but I don't want to stand in front of a mountain with my knees shaking, frozen with fear, when in reality, all I have to do is say "move". I don't want to forget that the Holy Spirit that lives inside of me is stronger and more powerful than ANY force or person.
So no matter what you face today or what you find your eyes looking at in front of you. Remember His love for you can literally conquer it all.

Seek Christ

Seek Christ

Joy W.

If the duty of Christ was to come and liberate me from oppression, sorrow, fear and from the shackles of sin (Romans 5: 9): (and what is the shackle of sin? Anything that comes between God and me) and rather makes me stand upright with God, why will he instigate suffering on us in our Christian walk as we are made to believe? 

If all good things around us is sent from heaven above as the psalmist sing, what makes you think he will send the bad ones to you his child. The bible does speak of God in relation to these but not with you. He says “I know the plans I have for you…” you can continue that.   

Yes the Christian walk is not rosy, it has thorns, slippery path; we must submit ourselves to learning from these (Romans 5: 3 & 4) and that’s what God want from us, so that we become better people, to encourage others in this Life. 

Many times when we are afflicted, in trouble, hardships, oppression, when things seem crumpling down on us we tend to look for solutions to them. Crying on God and the questions we tend to ask “why me? What do I do? I want to tell you something today. When all hope is lost, you don’t know what to do, in your misery don’t find solutions, look for the man himself Look for Christ. 

If you have him, you have everything.

Using Etiquette When Arguing

Using Etiquette When Arguing

By Keturah L.

One of my great weaknesses is arguing. Sometimes I can hold my tongue. But a lot of the time...

It's just that when people say such "stupid, false" things or when people or ideas are "unfairly mistreated" I MUST stand up for them.

And sometimes I just look for something to argue/discuss about. :D It's just so fun. :)

So, yeah.

It has gotten me in trouble, but I've learned for the most part that I feel better if I speak my mind and what I believe is the truth and I can even have fun if I do it right :D

I have done a lot of arguing with friends ;) Everyone knows that. And normally it's more of a sport than a fight. Like anything, stuff CAN get nasty.

Thinking about it recently, I realized that when I do argue, my friends and I follow certain unspoken rules.

I'm calling these the "Etiquette Rules of Arguing."

1. It's ok to argue :D Get excited, get into it!

2. Speak your mind.

3. Never use insults in the place of logic. Never call names.

4. Listen to what the other has to say.

5. Be prepared to stand up for what you believe in and be ready to defend it.

6. Be ready to give in if you are wrong.

7. Dignity is ok, but don't be stuck-up or prideful.

8. Compliment the other person if they say something clever.

9. Laugh, but don't do it in a condescending way. Sarcasm is ok as long as you aren't making fun of the person.

10. Remember, you are arguing ideas, not each other. Don't take offense and don't offend.

11. Follow the Golden rule :) What comes around DOES go around when arguing.

One thing that does not help when arguing is pride.

Everyone has it to a degree, but sometimes I think no-one has as much of it as my family does. I mean with a last name like Lamb, who wouldn't?

It's like we think we are the chosen people, Yahweh's lambs, so we are right in everything.

But something my brother said the other day was really good. "As Lambs we aren't supposed to all be the 

Shepherd, but followers of Yahweh."

Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."

Arguing can become a very tricky art. If you aren't careful you will make enemies. It is always important that you give in sometimes and make the other person feel good.

Let go of your pride if its standing in the way - of course we should have just enough pride to hold on to what is TRULY right, but never allow ourselves to become self-righteous by it.

Arguing IS NOT about putting yourself above others.

It's about getting to know others in a fun way.