The Heart of Worship is more than a song

As I was listening to the song "Heart of Worship" it got me thinking in a way I never did before. God wants waaaay more than just a song sung to him. He wants our service!! he wants our love. He doesnt just want a song!

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

When we leave the musical worship part of the service, he wants us to just simply come and just do something that is going to glorify him. When we aren't singing worship lyriced songs he wants us to be serving others or doing something that is going to glorify Him! We must long to bring him all of us. We must long to bring more than a song to glorify him! We must share him with others!

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

He wants more than a song. he wants us to share him with others. he wants us to share our lessons with others, he wants us to share our testimony with others. He wants us to save one more for Jesus! He knows our hearts. So he will know if our worship is not authentic. He will know if our worship is strictly for recognition!

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

The heart of worship I believe is all about Jesus. We need to know that our lives are all about Jesus! That the reason we are alive and breathing is because of Jesus dying on the cross! Our lives should be ALL ABOUT serving people for Him! I am sorry Lord if all i have done is just sing and not serve! I am sorry Lord that i pinned worship as only music. As i read the Bible and finish reading the Purpose Driven Life my eyes are now opened! Worship is not just music! Its our EVERYDAY lives!

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

No worship that i bring will be everything that He deserves! But all i have i will give to Him as my offering! ALL i have is His! My life is his!

I'll bring You more than just a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

Its all about you
Jesus

Lord, i pray that this song will be planted in people's hearts and that people will know that worship is not all about music. its our everyday lives. Everything we do can be worship. Everything we do should bring glory to Your name! I pray that people's eyes will be open to serving others, because when they serve others, they serve you!

Matthew 25:24- 46 "Then the King will say to those on his right, "Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'

"Then those "sheep' are going to say, "Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'

"Then he will turn to the "goats,' the ones on his left, and say, "Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because-- I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'

"Then those "goats' are going to say, "Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' "He will answer them, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me--you failed to do it to me.'

"Then those "goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the "sheep' to their eternal reward."

Purpose Driven Life chapter 37

Chapter 37: Sharing your Life Message

Something to remember: God has given you a Life Message to share!

Verses to remember: "[God] does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives"2 Peter 3:9

Something that was impactful: This chapter is very impactful on me as i said in the other chapter, i am trying to reach my friend Crystal. She needs Jesus, i am still trying to work up the ambition to actually TELL her about how my life has changed. But i think she would think that i am weird. I am trying to get her to come to church tho! Then I can show her why i beleive what i believe.

I need to share my testimony with people. I need to tell people HOW i began my relationship with Jesus!

I need to share my life lessons. I need to show what GOd has taught me.

I need to share my godly passions. I need to tell people the things that i am passionate about because of God.

I need to share the Good News! I need to share the message of salvation!!!

I am going to write my testimony and try to post it later. I have never written my testimony. When i became a soldier i didnt have to read or write my testimony cuz i was too shy to speak. But now i think i could probably do it. My life has changed dramatically. I am a much more confident person.

If you know even ONE person who doesnt know Christ. Continue to pray for them. serve them in love and share the good news with them. I must keep reaching out. I must save one more for Jesus.

The pot luck lunch is a great opportunity to reach out to people. My friend's dad is coming to church because there is a lunch afterwords. I have talked to my friend and she might come too. I must use every opportunity that God gives me to reach out to non believers. Ask yourself this:

Is anyone going to be in heaven because of me?

I want to be member of God's family, a model of his character, a magnifier of his glory, a minister of his grace. I am still learning these things.

We only have a short time to share the Good News, so use every opportunity that you can to fulfill your mission.

Blessings...

My Longing

I was in the prayer room on friday night and i was just totally reading my bible and soaking in everything i was reading. I ended up writing a poem:

My Longing:

Father I long for you
In this dry and barren land
Lead me through this desert place
Lord take me by the hand

Take me by the hand, dear Lord
and show me all your ways
Show me the way to your kingdom Father
I long for it everyday

I long to be loved by you, my God
I long for it so much I cry
I will forever praise your name, oh Lord
Because I am yours and you are mine!

Its not a great poem. But MJ wanted me to post it. So here it is. :)

Blessings...

Purpose Driven Life chapter 36

Chapter 36: Made for a mission

Something to remember: You were made for a mission.

Verse to remember: "God has given us the privelege of urging everyone to come into his favor and be reconciled to him" 2 Corinthians 5:18

Something that was impactful: This morning was very impactful! I was called to Evangelize to my friends. I kept seeing a picture of my friend Crystal all throughout today. Still am. When i was called to evangelize, she kept popping up in my head. i need to evangelize to her. It is very hard! I got frustrated when God kept showing me her picture. And i cried because it is very hard for me to try to get her out to church and youth group because she said its not for her. I want her to come out to church. i love her and it is frustrating me very much that i want to help her so much, but its hard. Its really difficult. I am praying through it but its just really hard. This is my weakness, i get frustrated easily. But i am not giving up. I am not saying i am giving up but its just really hard.

My mission is a contunuation of Jesus' mission on earth. Show people how great God is!!!!!!!!!! He is such a great God and if you have him in your life you would be a much happier person! I definitly am a happier person because i have him. I have my moments of feeling far from him but i always come running back to his arms. He always pulls me out of the pit! ALWAYS! We need NEED to tell others! if we dont we are basically telling the world to go to hell. That is so powerful! If we dont tell the world, they wont know, and they wont think we care because we are basically telling them to go to hell.

My mission is a wonderful privilege. I feel that it is an honor to be used by God! I feel it an honor that God is calling me to evangelize to my friends!

Telling others how they can have eternal life is the greatest thing you can do for them. Again, if you dont you are telling them to go to hell.

Your mission has eternal significance. It will affect others' eternal destiny! Nothing that i do ever will be as important as saving one more for Jesus! What i dont understand, there is a church down the street from us that is an "Evangelical Free' church. tahts what its called. I dont udnerstand how that works.

Your mission gives your life meaning. I love that. I have a meaning! I need to live a purpose drive life!

God's timetable for history's conclusion is connected to the completion of our comission. when we have done our part, thats when Jesus will come back i beleive. When our mission is complete he will come back!

it will cost a lot to fulfill my mission. It may cost us a lot, but God will pay us back A HUNDRED TIMES more! !! !

I HAVE TO SAVE ONE MORE FOR JESUS!!!!! We must care about what God cares about! I have to save one more for Jesus!!!!!!!!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 35

Chapter 35: God's Power in Your Weakness

Something to remember: God loves to use weak people.

Verse to remember: "God purposely chose..what the world considers weak in order to shame the powerful" 1 Corinthians 1:27

Something that was impactful: Karyn said this morning that if you think yuou are perfect, you have a flaw. or something like that. But she was basically saying that if you think you are perfect, you are flawed for thinking that because we all know that NOBODY is perfect on this earth. The only person who is perfect is God! Everyone has their weaknesses. Think about it, everyone has something food wise that they shouldnt have but always want, mine is popcorn. For some people it is chocolate. I dont think anyone can say that they dont have a weakness for a certain food. So nobody can say that they dont have a weakness anywhere in their lives. EVERYONE has something that we dont like about ourselves whether its physical, emotional intelectual or spiritual. But God can use our weaknesses. But we need to admit that we have weaknesses before God can use them to help others. And you need to be content that u have that weakness. It is hard, i know. but we need to.

There are several ways that Paul says that we should be content with out weakness. It helps us to depend on God. That is so important. When we feel weak thats when we need to depend on God. when you are feeling physically weak or faint and you are going to fall, there is hopefully a friend to catch you when you fall. thats what God wants to do, when we feel faint or weak God wants to lift us back up!

Our weakness prevents arrogance! It helps us to stay humble.

Our weakness also encourages fellowship between believers. Things that we cant do help us realize how much we need each other. I love this quote that says " Christians, like snowflakes, are frail, but when they stick together they can stop traffic" wow!

Our weaknesses will also increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry. He used so many people like Gideon, Moses, Habbikuk to help people even tho they said they have a weakness

We need to honestly share our weakness. Share it with a friend! leave yourself vulnerable to different problems that might come our way.

Glory in our weakness. God turns our strengths into a weakness to make us more effective to help others.

Purpose Driven Life chapter 33/34

Chapter 33/34: How Real Servants Act and think

Something to Remember: We serve God by serving others and Service starts in your mind.

Verse to Remember: "Whenever we have the opportunity, we have to do what is good for everyone, especially for the family of believers" Galatians 6:10

"Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand" Philipains 2:4

Something that was impactful: God shaped you for service not self-centeredness. Rick says that "your shape reveals your ministry, but your servant's heart will reveal your maturity" (258) I like that.

Real servants make themselves AVAILABLE to serve. They dont fill up their schedule with other things that will stop them from serving. They will be able to make time to serve. Real servants do whatever is needed whether its convenient for them or not.

Real servants pay attention to needs. They are always on the lookout for people in need. THats self explanitory i think.

Real servants do their best with what they have. It doesnt matter who you are, God can use you. Many people fear that they are not good enough to serve. EVERYONE is good enough to serve. Everyone has something to offer!

Real servants do every task with equal dedication. They use Colissians 3:16(?) that says whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. I like what Rick said that "small tasks often show a big heart". I think that is totally true. In my church, there are people who do things behind the scenes, such as make the bullitens, lead sunday school etc. THey have teh biggest hearts because they dont get noticed for what they are doing but they still do it.

Real servants are faithful to their ministry. They dont give up. They continue their task until its fulfilled. Its a rare quality, and in very few people. They can always be counted on by other people.

Real servants maintain a low profile. That goes with what i wrote before about the small tasks. They dont WANT to be noticed or recognized for what they do.BE HUMBLE!

Servants think more about others than themselves. They focus on the comfort of others before their own. I know many people like that and those people are the people i love most. They are not self-centered. When we stop focusing on ourselves and our own needs, we become more aware of others needs around us. I love that!

Servants think like stewards, not owners. God owns everything not you. All your time belongs to God. Your time should be used to make him happy. Servanst are Kingdom Builders not Wealth Builders.

Servants think about their work, not what others are doign. Dont focus on what other people are doing. Don't criticize what others are doing. Its not a competition!!!!!!

Servants base their identity in Christ. We dont have to prove our worth because we know what we are worth in God's eyes.

Servants think of ministry as an opportunity, not an obligation. They think of it as a good thing that they WANT to do, not somethign they have to do.

I am willing to be one of those Christians who gets serious about my role as a servant. Lord help me to be more a servant and less selfcentered! Help me to be able to serve out of opportunity not out of obligation. Help me be happy to serve. Help me KNOW that it doesnt matter how old i am. I can do anything through YOU who gives me strength. Help me Lord to know that anyone can serve. Everyone has something they can offer. Thank you for revealing this to me at a time where i was feeling like i had nothing to offer to my church! Thank you Lord! Amen!

Prayers

I am not going to school tonight, as i am sick. The drugs that they gave me i guess gave me a reaction, because i am very sick. I am so nauseous, the whole lovely bit. anyways. So i am sitting here writing prayers. Here they are... they arent that great. but God doesnt care right?

A Prayer for the Plans for my Life
I see that you know the plan for my life
And with every problem has a purpose
To shape me, to mold me
To guide my every step
To help me help others with their needs or struggles
To bring you glory, not to lift me up.
You deserve my best, oh Lord
And my best you will definitely get.
I will praise you for every circumstance
Praise you, Praise you Father
Amen

A Prayer for My Purpose
I was planned for Gods pleasure
I was formed for his family
Help me Lord to bring you glory
In all I do, in every single way

I was created to be like Christ
I was shaped to serve Him and others
I realize that I will serve my God
By giving service to my sisters and brothers

I was made for a mission.
In my life there is a plan
Every problem in my life has a purpose
I will forever lift my hand to you, you’re THE MAN

A Prayer of Praise
I will praise you through the good times and bad
No matter what may come
I will love you through every circumstance
To your arms, Lord I will run,

For you are a faithful and loving God
Who never leaves us ever
Though we may run away from you
Lord, you are always there!

I am sorry Lord for the days that I don’t hear you
I now realize that it’s not you who doesn’t speak
It’s me who does not listen,
Lord forgive me for I am very weak!

I now know that you speak all the time
Whether I listen or not is another story
I need to open my ears more frequently
So I can hear what you have to say

Im done, i think tomorrow i will write in my blog about the 40 days of purpose because i am nauceous and ineed to rest, even tho i should be doing homework.. nah im gonna do homework, it needs to be done. and just because i am sick and having stomach problems (cramping) doesnt mean that i shoudlnt get work done!

Blessings everyone...

Purpose Driven Life chapter 32

Chapter 32: Using what God gave you!

Something to remember: God deserves your BEST

Verse to Remember: "Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you wont need to compare yourself to anyone else." Galatians 6:4

Something impactful: how to discover my shape: I need to assess my gifts and abilities. I need to look at what i am good at and what i am not good at. I need to ask other people for their opinion.

I need to consider my heart and my personality. Where is my passion? Where does that passion lie? I just did a philosophy paper on this!!

I need to examine my experiencse and extract the lessons that i learned from those experiences. How have these experiences shaped the person that i am today? When we are going through something bad we dont see the good in it until after its over. Hindsight is always 20/20!

I like this extended metaphor: Don't be envious of the runner in the lane next to you; just focus on finishing YOUR race!

Blessings...

Purpose Driven Life chapter 31

Chapter 31: Understanding Your Shape

Something to Remember: Only YOU can be you.

Verse to Remember: "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. when others are troubled, we will be able to give tem the same comfort God has given us" 2nd Corinthians 1:4

Something that was impactful: Nobody has the same spiritual gifts.

All of our abilities come from God. Every ability was given to you from God, some are just being abused and misused. Everyone has an ability in some way to help serve! Whether its preaching or stacking chairs! NO job is too small.

Every ability can be used for God's glory. God has a place for everyone in the church you just have to find your place.

What I 'm able to do God wants me to do. God wants us to use the abilities that he gave us. Dont just leave the abilities lying around unused. God WANTS you to use your abilities.

God gave you different experiences to shape your life. you need to share those experiences with others. If god gave you a painful experience, you must share it with people so they can learn from that. It will be your most effective ministry because if someone comes to you saying..i duno.. maybe you were abused and someone who was abused comes to you and says they need help, what better person to help than someone who has been there. He will use that to help someone in need. Cool eh?

I pray that God can use my experiences in the past to help someone in need now! Amen

Purpose Driven Life chapter 30

Chapter 30: Shaped for serving God

Something to remember: You were shaped to serve God.

Verse to Remember: "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which he prepared in advance for us to do" Ephesians 2:10

Something that was impactful:
S.H.A.P.E
Spiritual Gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience

Spiritual gifts were not given to you for your benifit. God gave them to you for everyone elses' benefit!

Your Heart reveals the REAL you, not what others think of you. This is what our PASSION is..well Its another word for Heart. Whatever experiences bring you to tears or situations that make you cry. In my situation, it makes me cry when i think of all the animals that get abandoned, abused, neglected and are homeless. it makes me so sad to know that there are 44 cats in our company (some in foster homes) there is around 20 in the small shelter. They need homes and it makes me very sad to know that some are just not ready for forever homes because they were treated so badly. It makse me sad to know that people would neglect their cats and treat them so badly. Some come in cuz people develop allergies but some come in with like their RIBS showing, and malnutritioned and starving pretty much and some like Suzie, is fat so she wasnt neglected that way, but people just didnt like her cuz of her attitude problem at that time, shes better now but ya. It makes me sad when people treat other people/animals horribly! Everyone's heart is different.

God wants us to serve him passionatly not dutifully. Which means we need to serve him with the feeling of delight not duty.

So whatever you enjoy doing, do it for the glory of God.

Blessings....

God works through different men [and women] in different ways, but it is the same God who achieves his purposes through them all. ~1 Corinthians 12:6

Purpose Driven Life chapter 29

Chapter 29: Accepting your Assignment

Something to remember: You were put on earth to make a contribution

Verse to remember: "Because of Gods great mercy.. offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service" Romans 12:1

Something that was impactful: This chapter title sounds like something off a charlies angel movie haha. God gives us a mission. He created us to serve him, we were saved to serve, we are called to serve and we are commanded to serve God. Wow Rick quotes something pretty powerful "If i have no love for others, no desire to serve others, I should question whether Christ is really in my life." There is NO small act of service to God. God even loves the chair stackers!!! It says here that the small or hidden ministries (bulliten making etc) often make the biggest difference. The last sentence in this chapter is HUGE

"[God] will use you too if you just stop making excuses" OUCH!!!

There was ministry sunday today at church after service and I signed up for something that wasnt on any list. birthday card making. I feel that is a strong ministry. People are very happy wjen people remember their birthdays. So if we get a list of everyone's birthdays, i can make cards and give them to them on their birthdays! Or put it in their box! WOO!!!

I gotta go now, im gonna go to bed soon.. BYEE

Purpose Driven Life chapter 28

Chapter 28: It takes time

Something to Remember: There is no shortcuts to maturity.

Verse to Remember: "Everything on earth has its own time and its own season" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Statement that was most impactful: You will not become spiritually mature in a day. that just will not happen. It takes time. The reason it takes so long to be fully spiritually mature is because we are slow learners. God throws something at us and we have to go through it so many times to actually GET it.... to LEARN FROM IT!. We have a lot to unlearn. The world has got so much bad stuff in our heads and it takes a whle to get them out of your head. its like my new Christian friends. They listened to Eminem. they knew every single lyric and its taking a while to get them out of their head. We are afraid to humbly face the truth about ourselves. Growth is often painful and scary.. AMEN! Habits take time to develop. That goes with the Unlearning one. it takes a while to learn them and even longer to unlearn.

Rick says that while you are maturing there are several ways to cooperate with God in the process. You need to believe God is working in your life even when you dont feel it. Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned. I do that..sorta... i will do it more tho! And be patient with God and with yourself. Dont get mad at yourself for nnot being mature. We need to realize that it takes time. and finally dont get discouraged that you are not mature yet. Rick said something very impactful " Remember how far you have come, not just how far you have to go" Wow...that is so impactful i have tears in my eyes. I was so bad when i was younger. I didnt take Christianity seriously, i let people have a bad influence on me. I stole... I swore SO much. I was a bad kid. I have come SO far from that bad kid. Mind you i do still have A LOT of growing to do, but I have come a long way from that horrible kid. AMEN! Thank you Jesus for coming in my life. I would have been dead long ago if i didnt have you! PRAISE YOU!!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 26/ 27

Chapter 26/27: Growing Through/Defeating Temptation

These two i thought i would tie in together.

Something to Remember: Every temptation is an opportunity to do good. and There is always a way out

Verse to Remember: "God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will recieve the crown of life that God had promised to those who love him" James 1:12

Statement that was most impactful:Fruits of the spirit... God has ALL, so to be like Christ, we need to have these in our lives and in order to do that, we are tempted. We always have a CHOICE to do good or to give into temptation. we must choose NOT to give in and we will become more like Christ. And TRUST ME, if you ask for patience, God will send stuff to test your patience. At camp last week... the first night, i get settled in and then people start snoring (not in my room) and THEN the fire alarm battery was low so it beeped all night. i didnt lose my temper, i must admit i was getting a little frustrated that i couldnt sleep. But i didnt lose my cool!

How do you overcome temptation: Refuse to be intimidated by temptation! It will look SO intimidating! You will beat yourself up for thinking about it, but dont! Satan wont tempt people who are doing his evil will. He will tempt people who are doing God's will. For instance, when we go to a God filled weekend such as youth Councils, satan usually takes me down from that awesome weekend. but nope not this time. He has sent stuff that has discouraged me (monday afternoon, and these dreams lately that just wont stop) but i am not letting them get to me. When you get tempted, dont think that u are weak!! Its SATAN, he HATES your GUTS!! He HATES YOU SO MUCH!

Recognize your pattern of temptation and be prepared for it. When are you most tempted? recognize those times!

Request God's help! He is up 24 hours, so you dont need to be. If u are having a rough time, give them ALL to God, he will be up all night anyways. He wants you to give your worries to him so you can get a good night sleep and not having to worry about your problems.

God will NEVER give us too much to handle.. He wont give us something that he doesnt know that we can get through. He said in 1st Corinthians 10:13 "Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you cant stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it."

This reminds me of when my best friend did a bible study on temptation. She siad that "we tend to move towards what we focus on" hehe there i go using that again. In this book it says that whatever gets your attention will get you. but the ways to defeat temptation are to refocus your attention, Reveal your stuggle to a godly friend or support group, resist the devil, Realize ur vulnerability.

Temptation makes us more dependant on God. So i say, SATAN BRING IT ON!!!!!!!

Blessings to you all!!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 25

Chapter 25: Transformed by Trouble

Something to Remember: God has a purpose behind every problem.

Verse to Remember: "Don't be bewildered or surprising when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you."1 Peter 4:12

Statement that was most impactful: Its like the song "Blessed be your name" he gives and takes away from us but we need to still praise his name, whether we are going through a tough time or a great time (such as i am now) To become like Christ, we need to go through what he went through. its the only way we will become like him. God uses problems to draw us closer to him. Its so true. Think about it, when you are going through a rough time, u tend to talk to him more, and ask him to take away the problem (hopefully you have the faith to believe that he CAN take the problems away) Rick Warren says that "Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days." Its so true. I find that too, in fact when i am going through a rough time, i cry. when i am happy, i sometimes cry too.. like when i came to the revelation that i was being so stupid for not relying on him more, i cried. In fact i am thinking that i am pretty stupid for not doing that MORE STILL!!

How do i respond to problems then??

Remember that God's plan is good. Always remember that God's plan is good no matter if you think it is or not.

Rejoice and give thanks!! Thank you Lord for you provide! I believe YOU gave my mom that credit card! I believe that u sent it to her in order for her to help us to be healthy again (by getting groceries) I believe that U sent that credit card to help us get out of debt! We are out of debt and I thank you Lord, we were in debt for FAR TO LONG. And you provided a way out! You are TRULY TRULY AWESOME FATHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Refuse to give up! That is so important. Hard times come in your life you shouldnt crawl in a hole and not come out. get out of that hole and LIVE LIFE!!!!!! Dont give up! Keep striving for a happy God filled life. BE PATIENT AND PERSISTANT!!! my mom was VERY persistant. She prayed for 6 months straight for this certain amount!! She was persistant, she never gave up!!!! She said she was a little impatient, but she did not give up!

Thanks God!!!!!!!! YAY!!! I am so happy right now!!!!!!

God is working!!

My mom just got a mastercard yesterday that she didnt realize she applied for. SHe had been praying for 6 months for an exact amount (i wont say how much..but its a lot) and she got that EXACT amount credit limit on her credit card!! cool eh? God provides. so now we can get up to date with bills etc etc! yay God

another dream

K.... i had another disturbing dream last night...

I was at NW church for refuge and i give my youth pastor an encouragement card and she asks me why i do these. I said cuz i like to make people happy. and she told me that i should stop donig them because they cost way too much money and nobody likes them anyways. Now i know this was Satan talking and not my youth pastor because my youth pastor would never say such a thing. So i started crying very very badly and my best friend came over and thats when i woke up....

Purpose Driven Life chapter 24

Chapter 24: Transformed by Truth

Something to Remember: The Truth transforms us

Verse to Remember: "In humble spirit, recieve and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls." James 1:21b

Statement that was most impactful: To be transformed by truth you must accept his authority, assimilate its truth (God's word), and Apply its principles. Those are all pretty straightforward. If u say you want to be like Christ, you need to live according to the bible! Rick says that "many who claim to believe the bible from cover to cover have never read it from cover to cover" because if u did, you would have many questions and you might not believe everything... I will admit i havent read the Bible from cover to cover, and i know that when i do, there will be things that i dont beleve in there and will wnat to question God about.

To abide in the truth you need to recieve the word, read the word, research, remember it and reflect on it. So important... all of those are very important. We must be DOERS on the word not just readers of the word.

Try to think of something that God already told you in his word that you havent started doing yet?

now i have to say something very very creepy weird. I was writinfg my blogs in my notebook (i blogged them before deciding to write them down) andi was refering to October 7th's blog and i had finished writing the paragraph about "blessed be your name" and then RIGHT after and i mean RIGHT after i finished writing the last word from that paragraph, the song came on the radio! Thank you Lord for conformation! WOOO!!! My day was pretty hectic today, but that just made it so much better remembering! WOO :D

I gotta go do homework now. oh did u guys hear that the busses will be rallying on friday so no transit!!!! POO POO!!!! I Thank God for my mom, or else i wouldnt be able to get to work! or to the mall after to buy groceries that we desperatly need!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 23

Chapter 23: How we grow

Something to remember: God wants us to grow up! AMEN!

Verse to remember: "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." Romans 12:2b

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: God wants us to be spiritually mature! You must WANT to be spiritually mature tho. You need to be committed to becoming spiritually mature.

God's part and your part. being Christlike is making Christlike choices!! SO important. If someone is mean to you, dont be mean back. Think like Christ! What would Jesus do? TURN THE OTHER CHEEK! God's spirit works WITH us not just in us.

Changing your autopilot. Change the way you think! again, if someone is mean to you and you used to lash back at them, DONT. Change the way you think! Rick quotes that the way we think determines the way we feel and the way we feel influences the way we act! WOW it is SO true! If i think that i am sick, i will feel sick and then if i feel sick i will just be lazy! but if i THINK i am not sick, i will not feel sick anymore and i wont let anything get in my way of getting stuff accomplished in the day!

Remember this one thing:

Christianity is not a religion or philosophy, but a relationship and a lifestyle! <--- we need to remember that its not something to be taken lightly! Christianity is SERIOUS BUSINESS PEOPLE :D
blessings...

Purpose Driven Life chapter 22

Chapter 22: Created to become like Christ

Something to remember: You were created to become like Christ. Cool!!

Verse to remember: "Take on an entirely new way of life- a God- fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accuratly reproduces his character in you"Ephesians 4:24

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: He created us in his own image! but dont get it wrong. We were NOT created to BE God nor A god, but we were created to be LIKE God! Thank God for that! I dont want his job! Rick quotes that "God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development" Everything God does in our life develops our character. We face problems, it builds character, we face good things it builds our character.

We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit's work. God waits for us to act first. He doesnt want us to wait to feel powerful or confident. He wants us to move ahead in our weakness, doing the right thing in spite of your fears and feelings!! WOW.

God uses his Word, people, and circumstances to mold us. As i said before God does things in our lives to develop our character. Its all about love.

Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. We cant just become like Christ in a day! Its a drawn out process that takes time. We need to have patience in this! If you need patience to deal with this, pray! He will give you situations that build your patience. I learned that this weekend. Friday night i could not sleep. people were snoring, people were knocking on our window and running, and THEN the fire alarm started beeping cuz i guess the battery was dying. but then it was "fixed" but it still beeped the night after too!! that definitly tested my patience. i was getting mad cuz i couldnt sleep cuz of this thing but then i prayed for patience and i got to sleep...eventually...., 4 am..!!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 21

Chapter 21: Protecting your Church

Something to remember: It is your job to protect the unity of your church. Its a big job but i believe i can do it!

Verse to remember: "Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony" Colossians 3:14

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: In the church focus no what we have in common not what we dont have in common. We all love God, we all love to worship him. It doesnt matter if we are different from each other, what is most important is what we have in common.

Be realistic in your expectations. Rick quotes that we must passionatly love the church in spite of its imperfections.

Choose to encourage not criticize. Thats pretty clear to me. Encourage people not criticize what they are doing wrong.

Refuse to listen to gossip. Theres that word again!!!!! I like this definition " Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution." Gossip splits the church and it needs to be stopped and its going to start with me!

Practice God's method for conflict resolution. Refer to Chapter 20 on restoring relationships. Support your pastor and leaders. That is so important. Build your leaders up not bring them down! Rick quotse that "we protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us by leading." And how fitting, this month is pastor appreciation month!!! Thank your pastors for doing what they do!

Karyn Baker- Thank you for directing us toward God! Thank you for being you!! NEVER change! I love you!

Dave and Lisa Macpherson- You guys are awesome pastor team! I love you guys! I love working where i work so thank you Lisa for phoning my mom and asking if she knew of anyone who wanted a casual job. i love my job! Dave- you are so funny :)

Blessings...

Purpose Driven Life chapter 20

Chapter 20: Restoring broken fellowship

Something to remember: Relationships are always worth restoring.

Verse to remember: "I'll put it as urgently as i can: you must get along with each other" 1st Corinthians 1:10

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Currently i am writing a philosophy paper...well not eright now..but for school and we need to write 3 values and how they link to leisure, but surprisingly i didnt put relationships. I put God, friendship and community. but i guess friendship is a relationship and in a way so is community ad come to think of it..so is God. If you want to be known as a child of god, you must learn to be a peacemaker..aha i almost wrote peachmaker aha.

How do i restore a relationship?

Talk to God before talking to the person. Pray about it. Tell him your frustrations, cry out to hi,. He will never be surprised or upset by your anger, hurt, insecurity, or any other emotions.

Always take the initiative. God expects you to make the first move. Dont procrastinate, just talk to them.

Sympathize with their feelings. use your ears. focus on hteir feelings, not the fact. begin with sympathy not solutions.

Confess your part of the conflicts. if you are serious about restoring a relationship, you should begin with admitting your own mistakes or sin.

Attack the problem not the person. In resolving conflict, how you say it is as important as what you say. When you are talking to the person you are having issues with, dont use harmful words.

Cooperate as much as possible. Live at peace with everyone

Emphasize reconcilitation, not resolution. You dont need to agree about everything. you need to "agree to disagree" Rick quotes that Reconciliation focuses on the relationship while resolution focuses on the problem.

Purpose Driven Life chapter 19

Chapter 19: Cultivating Community

Something to remember: Community requires commitment.

Verses: "An honest answer is a sign of true friendship" Proverbs 24:26

Something that was impactful:

Cultivating community takes honesty. You need to love each other enough to be honest with them. I am learning in class that you cant say what the clints want to hear, you need to tell them what they need to hear. You may worry that they may not like you, but would you rather not tell someone the truth and they go and do something stupid or would you rather save them from stupidity by being honest. Remember though, when you confront someone, do it in love, use thoughtFUL words instead of thoughtLESS words. Rick quotes that "when conflict is handled correctly, we grow closer to each other" I agree.

Cultivating community takes humility. Rick says that "pride builds walls; humility builds bridges" wow this statement got me --> we recieve God's grace by humbly admitting that we need it. WOW!!! When we live a prideful live, we are living opposite to what God wants. God wants us to live humble lives.

Ways to develop humility: admit your weakness, be patient with other's weaknesses, be open to correction, ad most important: point the spotlight on others.

Rick quotes that "humility is not thinking less of yourself; its thinking of yourself less."

Cultivating community takes courtesy! Our others needs/comfort before yours. I've been learning more about that lately (thanks Karyn) You need to be courteous to those EGR people (Extra Grace Required) The Bible says " be devoted to each other like a loving family. Excel in showing respect for each other"Romans 12:10 We ALL have things that others find annoying, but that doesnt matter. We dont have to be compatible with each other. we all are a family of God;s and thats the most important thing.

Cultivating community takes confidentiality. This is something we have been talking about lately too: gossip. Gossip causes so many problems. They cause people to be hurt, friendships to be ruined. All because someone wouldnt keep a closer reign on their tongue. As i keep reading, it says that we sometimes disguise gossip as a prayer request! OUCH!

Cultivating community takes frequency. We NEED to not stop meeting with the members of the church community.

dream

k im trying to interprete this dream, it made no sense:

I am at the elementry school i went to, but i am out of high school but my old best friend from elementary school is there cuz she is in grade 5 now, even tho she stopped school at grade 10. THEN we hugged cuz we reunited, but then we went to wait for the bus, her bus came picked her up. Then i was sitting with someone i didnt know and i was waiting for the opposite bus. it came but didnt stop to pick us up. it went by. then 5 minutes later another came by didnt stop. then 5 minutes later ANOTHER one came by and it didnt stop either. I dont know whether this dream has meaning or whether it was meaningless..i duno..

I would update the purpose driven life stuff, btu i havent finished the readings up to today, so i need to work on my paper for school instead and i have to arrange a ride to and from school too cuz apparently the transit might be on strike...

bye

Purpose Driven Life chapter 17 and 18

Chapter 18: Experiencing Life together

Something to remember: Life is meant to be shared!

Verse to remember: "As holy people be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle and patient" Colossians 3:12

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Life is meant to be shared! I agree with that because in order to have great relationships with people, we need to go through tough times together to get close. Just the other day, my friend was very upset, she was crying and that made me cry. She was telling me all these things taht are going on in her life right now and it made me cry just seeing her so sad. This is one of my best friends, and i think the reason why she is my best friend isnt just because we have lots in common but because we have been through some rough times. We have had many fights...MANY fights and we have got through them. I still believe in that quote "What doesnt kill you only makes you stronger" and since we didnt call off teh friendship, these little fights in the past have brought us closer together in a sense. And she is my BEST friend! Besides God, she is my BEST friend and seeing your best friend upset and them telling you these problems they are having, means they are sharing with you!

Fellowshipping should be in a small group, not a big one, but not just one person. Its easier to get to know one another in a small group.

In real fellowship people experience authenticity. Its so true, when i am in a big group, i dont want to show the "real me" because i am afraid of what people will say. And when you are with a group you tend to just "chit-chat" as Rick puts it. But authentic fellowship is so much more than that. Its getting to know each other and having heart-to-heart talks and sharing stuff! "Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives."(page 140)

In real fellowship people experience mutuality. When you are in a small group you tend to give more.

In real fellowship people experience sympathy. Sympathy is so important. If all you do is give advice, thats not really gonna help. YOu need to be sympathetic to what is going on in hte persons life. You need to validate their feelings and understand what they are going through.

In real fellowship people experience mercy. You need to be forgiving. When you are hurt by someone, choose to show mercy and forgive them instead of just making the situation worse. and TALK TO THE PERSON. If you are hurt by someone TALK TO THEM, dont go to anyone else to do it! Hey Im LEARNING :)

One final thing to remember: We were created for community!!

Chapter 17: A Place to Belong

Something to remember: You are called to belong, not just believe. That is so important, because ok you go to church, but you dont feel really welcome there or you dont 'fit in' with the crowd at church, thats not right. We need to make everyone in the church feel that they belong.

Verse to remember: "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." 1 John 3:16

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: The church is a body not a building and not an organization. As a good friend of mine always says "when the service is over, the church has left the building" Its true, we are the church, not the building we worship in.

A church identifies you as a genuine believer: When we are together, we are the body of Christ, not when we are seperated.

A church family moves you out of self-centred isolation: "Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. God expects us to give our lives for each other."(page 133)

A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle: If you just come to service and just spectate the service, you will never spiritually mature. YOu need to PARTICIPATE to grow! Its like when you are a little baby learning to crawl. If you just WATCH other kids crawl, you will never start crawling yourself unless you participate in the learning process.

The Body of Christ needs you: You may think "man i dont have anything to offer to the church" you are wrong. EVERYONE has something to offer. If your gift is stacking chairs, then stack chairs. If it is greeting people at the door, then greet people at the door! USE YOUR GIFTS!

You will share in Christ's mission in the world: We arent called to just love other believers, we are called to love THE WORLD just as Christ did!

A church family will help keep you from backsliding: We have the church body to encourage us. If we are happier, we feel closer to God for some reason. Thats just the way it happens, things are going great in your life so you are happy with God, but if things aren't going so great you are mad with God.

We need to be attached to one church family. I am having trouble with this one because I have been going to CHT for 10 years, and I have just felt these last few years that I dont feel a part of the corps anymore. I dont feel really welcome at the church, i think people have noticed that too because I have been going to NW lately. even before the purpose driven life weeks. I am planning on making NW my church family! I have been praying about this to see if it is God's will.

mmm something smells very yummy haha.. well lunch time, bye!!

YOUTH COUNCILS 2 DAYS!!!!!! WE LEAVE FRIDAY!! AHH YEAH~~

Purpose Driven Life chapter 16

Chapter 16 : What matters most

Something to remember: Life is all about love

Verse to remember: "Love means living the way God commanded us to live. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: live a life of love." 2nd John 1:6

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Life without love is worthless! Love will last forever. Love God and love his people! Lets NOT be too busy to help out our friends in need. I have a bracelet that i bought at the Run for the Cure says "Faith, Hope, Love" my good friend Karyn told me that there is a verse that goes with that. 1 Corinthians 13:13. :) The greatest gift u can give is time. a friend once told me that they loved hand made gifts more than ones bought cuz more thought was put into it. I agree, there is more heart put into smething you take time to make something. The most desired gift of love is not material things its FOCUSED ATTENTION! If someone is upset, they will know that you love them because you focus on them and u listen to what they are telling you! you arent like 'oh a butterfly'

k it took me an hour almost to write this, YIKES. welll back to talkin to Robyn on msn! literally TALKING to her hehe..yay webcams! and YAY candy! and YAY random robyn!

Fear update

Remember September 12th's blog about fear? well, i couldnt walk down the block for a long time (almost a month) and i decided that i am not going to let fear run my life, so i walked down the block after church!!!!!

Thank you God for giving me the courage to walk down that block, yes i was a little afraid, but i didnt let fear run my life! Thank you for giving me the strength to walk down the block AMEN

now all i gotta do is walk down there in the evenings (i wont be doing that on the way home from school tho cuz the bus i take there takes me a block away from my house) :D

I gotta go now, leavin soon to go to grandmas and then goin to church!

BYEEEEE

Purpose Driven Life chapters 14 and 15

Chapter 15: Formed for God's family

Something to remember: We were formed for God's family

Verse to remember: "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for he allows us to be called his children, and we really are" 1 John 3:1

The statement(s) that was the most impactful:Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. What are the benefits of being in God's family? you get an inheritance. What is the inheritance? Eternity with the everlasting Father, We will be completely changed to be like Christ, We will be freed from all pain, death and suffering, we will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service, we will get to share in Christ's glory!!! Cool eh?

Im having a hard time grasping the baptism part. I was dedicated when i was a baby. That SHOWED that i was going to become a child of God by my family and then a couple years later i gave my life to Christ and became a child. but that was an ACT wasnt it? becoming a christian. Why do i need to SHOW my commitment by getting baptized? I dont get it? I wasnt baptised so does that mean that i dont declare my faith? No, i declare it often. so what? I dont understand it...... and he says "If you havent been baptized as an expression of your faith in Christ, do so as soon as possible, as Jesus commanded" I am so confused.

Ill leave you with this one thought before i move on to other things: God is proud of us. and being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privelege you will ever recieve.

Chapter 14: When God seems so distant

Something to remember: God is real, no matter how you feel. That is so true, no matter what you feel about God, he will always be THERE he wont just go away. He is real no matter if you dont think he is.

Verse to remember: For God has said "I will neever leave you, i will never abandon you" Hebrews 13:5

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Its so easy to worship God when things are going right in our lives but when we are going through rough times its very hard to. Why is that? Because if things are going good, we are happy and we praise God cuz he made those things happen. If we are going through a rough time, we are mad and dont praise God cuz of what has happened.

To mature our friendship with God he will test us with "seeming" seperation. Like if we go through a hard time, he will SEEM far but he is right there. The most common mistake Christians make in worship is seeking an experience rather than seeking God.

Tell God how you feel: that is very important, in every friendship there needs to be communication. If there is no communication there is not a friendship, its empty. So pour your heart out to God.

Focus on who God is- his unchanging nature. Regardless of how you feel, cling to God because he is unchanging. V.Raymond Edman said it well that we should "never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light" in other words, when you are going through rough times, dont think that God isnt there or that you will never get over this because God tels us that he will never leave us or forsake us and he says in James that the testing of our faith develops perserverance. but when we are going through a rough time, we usually forget all that he has told us and we focus on the bad things that are going on in our lives.

Trust God to keep his promises. If it is in his word and if he says he will do it, HE WILL. We must NEVER forget that. Rick says to "not be troubled by trouble" My continuation of that quote would be "do not be troubled by trouble, trust in God"

Remember what God has already done for you. that is so important. When we are going through the rough times we think that God has never done anything good for us. that is SO not true.

Ill leave you with one final thought from chapter 14:
When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 13

Chapter 13: Worship that pleases God

Something to remember: God wants ALL of you! That is so important, when you are worshipping God you cant just give part of yourself to him in worship, he wants ALL of you! Your WHOLE self. One time during worship we were singing a song with the lyrics "what can i give what can i bring what can i give as an offering" and it was clear as day, God said "yourself" Thats all he said, as i go in depth in this book i am now realizing, he wants ALL of myself. Not just 'ok Lord, here i am, i dont want to be here but i am' type thing, you cant just do that. When you are singing worship to God you have to WANT to be there or else you will just sing for the sake of singing instead of singing with your whole heart to God.

Verse to remember: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" Mark 12:30

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: God is pleased when our worship is accurate. When i first read that i was like, what?? But as i read further, it makes sense. Our worship needs to be based on the truth of scripture, not our opinions about God. The bible says that "True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks"John 4:23. Rick says in this book that to "worship in truth' means to worship God as he is truly revealed in the Bible. I like that

God is pleased when our worship is authentic. So many times we are just singing and dancing just to impress our friends, and not God. When you sing the words you sing, MEAN THEM. If you dont then its just empty words. It doesnt matter HOW you worship him either because it says here that "the best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God" This book is SO cool! Worship happens when "your spirit responds to God, not to some musical tone" I LIKE IT! For me so many times i am like "man this song is SOOOOOO old! and overused!" but thats because God loves it and maybe wants to speak to us through that song. for instance: Blessed be your name. That song is used so much but it never gets old. i love it! I had an experience not to long ago wth my kitty. She was very sick and so we had to give her back to the place where we adopted her( Royal City Humane Society) so they can propely care for her, we didnt have the energy nor the money. So that was on August 8th and she was put down on the 23rd cuz she was getting worse, the doctor says it was cancer.so on the 9th(of august) i went to youth group very emotional, nothing had to be said to me to get me crying. we started singing Blessed be your name. The lines that got me were "you give and take away you give and take away my heart will choose to say blessed be your name" i was alright, i wasnt crying i was on hte verge of it. Then Karyn started speaking about this (she knew the situation, i feel that it was partially directed toward me) and i just started crying. that song has touched my life so much.

God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful. When you say things to God, think about original things to say. Like dont just say "praise the Lord" its kinda overused. Its like 'praise him for what??" give a reason why you praise him! and tell him the reason why you praise him!

God is pleased when our worship is practical. things that cost us when we worship is our selfcentredness, its focusing on God, not ourselves. It takes energy and effort to worship too, but its not always convenient for us. but that shouldnt matter, what should matter is that our worship is convenient for God (and HELLO, its ALWAYS convenient for God)

Man i love this book! not as much as the Bible, but this is second on my list!

I cant wait til the listening prayer tomorrow, its life changing. I never realized how much God speaks to me. there was this list of 8 ways God speaks to me and i think i raised my hand every time. Once Brad asked us to ask God to convict us of sin and tell us what we have done right this week. My neighbors were being very loud lol so he asked them what God told them, they didnt say anything so i shared what God told me. God told me that something i did write TODAY was give a gift to a friend [Karyn :)] and Brad asked what the reasons that God was happy about that. And i said that God told me it was because "She is His daughter and He loves her" SO TRUE KARYN BAKER!!! :D I felt my face go red when i spoke, but i stepped out of my comfort zone, i spoke! YAY LOL....

Anyways, its SOOOOOO late, and I have to be up by 730 cuz i am leaving to be at the church for 830...ahh LOL!! tylenol 3's here i come LOL..... no thats for my pain... my tooth is bothering me, I am goin to keep my prescriptions in my backpack so I don't forget.

Blessings.....

and Michelle, i am very sda that u werent online when i was :( I missed my laugh 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW :( LOL Love ya!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 11 & 12

Chapter 12: Developing your friendship with God.

Something to remember: You are as close to God as you CHOOSE to be!

Verse to remember: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you" James 4:8

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: I am as close to God as I CHOOSE to be! That is an awesome impactful statement! I must choose to be HONEST with God (God doesnt expect you to be perject but he does insist on complete honesty, Bitterness is the greatest barrier to friendship with God) I must choose to OBEY God in faith (If we love him we must obey his commands) I must desire friendship with God more than ANYTHING else, and I must choose to value what God values( The more you become God's friend, the more you will care about the things he cares about). These are ALL very important. We must desire friendship with God over desiring to have a husband.

Chapter 11: Becoming Best friends with God

Something to remember: God wants to be your best friend.

Verse to remember: "Now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God- all becuse of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God" Romans 5:11

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.

How to become a best friend of God:

Be in constant convorsation. The more you have a convorsation with someone the more you get to know them and the more you get to like them even more. If there is no communication, there is no friendship really cuz its just empty. To spend time with God you dont have to be ALONE with him, its in your daily routine that you will feel his presence. Everything we do can be spending time with God if he is INVITED to be a part of it and we stay aware of his presence.

Be continually meditating. Now, i was wasnt sure about this, my teacher talks about her meditating, but she actually sits on the floor and just thinks. I think this kind of meditating that Rick Warren is explaining is reading the word and thinking about what God has done and what he has said in the scriptures. Rick says in this chapter that "Meditation is often misunderstood as some difficult, mysterious ritual practiced by isolated monks and mystics. but meditation is simply focused thinking- a skill anyone can learn and use anywhere." Ok so that just taught me something about my teacher. cool. OH this is cool... you know how friends share their secrets withy ou? well God will share his secrets with you if you develop the habit of thinking about him throughout the day. COOL!! And when you listen to a sermon, dont walk away and forget what was said, THINK about it, REMEMBER it. I keep a sermon journal and i take it everywhere with me and i write down important sermon notes to remember. If i feel God is telling ME something, i write it down. Like when someone is preaching and there is something that sticks out. thats totally God!

Very cool! I love this book. Its changing my life! Now i must go shower and get ready for school

Chao

Blessings...
Christine aka Sneeze Lady (haha Michelle is sneeze lady too)

God's direction

Have you ever sat at the VERY front seat of the new Millenium skytrains at night time? There is only a few feet of light ahead of you and the rest is darkness..... ever feel uneasy about not knowing what lies ahead? I sure have. Much like being in the front seat, there is darkness ahead of you, you are sure of what is coming soon (the skytrain station) you know where you are going( the skytrain station) but you dont know what is going to happen between the time of getting on the skytrain and getting off at the skytrain destination. but i just need to trust that nothing is going to happen between that time.

Its much like my christian walk. I am not always sure of what lies ahead, its pretty much darkness. But if i trust God, then i wont be so uneasy about my journey. I know that i am going to Heaven at the end, but i am unsure of issues that arise on the ride to the end destination. that is when i need to trust God more and more and then i wont be so uneasy about not knowing what lies ahead!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Heart of Worship

Something to remember: The heart of worship is SURRENDER. We must give ourselves in surrender to Him not out of duty or fear, but out of love.

Verse to remember: "So then my friends, because of God's great mercy to us, offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer" Romans 12:1

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: There are three things that keep us from giving our all in worship (surrendering) :

Can I trust God? Of course you wont surrender fully to God if you dont trust Him. The more you realize how MUCH God loves you, the easier it will be to surrender. There are many things in this book that let us know how they know that God loves us: because he says he loves us. we are never out of his sight, he cares about every detail of our life, he gave us the capacity to enjoy all kinds of pleasure, he has good plans for us, he forgives you, and he is lovingly patient with you. God loves us more than we can EVER imagine.

Admitting our limitations: Our pride definitly gets in our way of surrendering. We need to accept how God made us.

What it means to surrender: Some of us don't know what it TRULY means to surrender. Surrender is best demonstrated in obedience and trust. Surrender means to sacrifice our life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. You know when you have surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out! You let go and let God. You will also know when you're surrendered when you dont react to criticism or defend yourself when someone says something bad about you. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships.

The blessing of surrender: You will experience peace, freedom and you will experiences God's power in your life. Cool eh?

The best way to live: If you don't surrender to God you surrender to chaos. Surrender is not the BEST way to live; its the ONLY way to live.

"Nothing under his control can ever be out of control" i like that!

Blessings to you all! I must go study

Mark 8:34 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Purpose Driven Life chapter 9

Chapter 9: What Makes God Smile?

Something to remember: The smile of God is the goal of your life.

Verse to remember: "Figure out what will please Christ, and then DO IT" Ephesians 5:10

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: God smiles when...

We love him supremely. We need to love HIM above EVERYONE and EVERYTHING else.

We trust him completely. Trusting God completely means having faith that he knows what is best for you. That is SO key! Trusting God is an act of worship.

We obey him wholeheartedly. If God tells us to do something we are not supposed to do PART of it, we need to obey his commands COMPLETELY and EXACTLY. Something that is very important is we need to NOT question what God wants us to do. If God asks you to do something, DO IT, dont be like "well why do you wnat me to do that"

We praise him and thank him continually. God smiles when we express our adoration and gratitude to him! When we give God enjoyment, our own hearts are filled with joy. I love that!

We use our abilities. God enjoys watching EVERY detail of your life. You dont bring glory or pleasure to God when you hide what you are good at.

Purpose Driven Life chapter 8

Chapter 8: Planning for God's Pleasure

Something to remember: I was planned for God's pleasure. God did not NEED to create you, but he CHOSE to create you for his own enjoyment. We exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose and his delight.

Verse to remember: "The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love." Psalm 147:11

The statement(s) that was the most impactful:
WORSHIP IS FAR MORE THAN MUSIC. So many people get this wrong. Some people consider worship to be singing, music. But worship is EVERYTHING in a church service is an act of worship. This is so commonly misused, people say they like Christian MUSIC (i am guilty of that) but its not the MUSIC that is Christian, its the LYRICS. So from now on if people aks what kind of music i like i will say "music with Christian lyrics" it takes longer to say. but its the right way to say it.

ANYTHING we do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.

WORSHIP IS NOT FOR YOUR BENEFIT! That is so KEY! We shouldnt say to ourselves "Wow i loved worship tonight, i loved the songs and i got a lot out of that." we should be saying "wow I loved worship tonight, i really feel that we gave God glory tonight!" And when we worship it shouldnt be for our friends to see who can dance better or whatever, our soul focus should be on God getting all the glory he deserves, that thats ALL glory!

Worship is not PART of your life, it IS your life. I love that. Worship isnt just for church services. It is our whole lives. Our whole lives should be devoted to worshipping the Lord and seeing him have pleasure out of our worship! "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" Colossians 3:23

So remember, whatever you do, do it for the GLORY OF GOD! Do it for the smile on HIS face not on your friends!

CIBC Run for the Cure

That was literally the BEST day!!!!!!!

It started off very tiring cuz I got up at 6:30 AM ON A SUNDAY! Ruth picked me up and we went to Scott road station and parked there and skytrained to Stadium. We got off and we got to stadium to sign in and there were A LOT of people there. We walked around, got some free stuff..there is A LOT of free stuff there. There was free food after the run too..but ill get there....

then there was the opening ceremonies, not so exciting cuz we just wanted to get running haha. but then there was a GOSPEL CHOIR singing! Thats how the run started, we were starting and they were singing us through i cant remember all the words but heres some "he lifts me higher and higher" so that was motivating right there. If i get tired throughout the walk, i just think who i am doing the run for: Janis Waller, Karyn's mom, and Angels grandma, and who gives me strength to do things like this and that gave me more motivation to keep going. I didnt get tired at all tho suprisingly. I have a HUGE bad blister on the bottom of my foot from wearing my semi-new shoes...but meh.. WELL worth it. We walked and there was a little boy with one of those rubber bracelet thingies and it said "be strong" and he was holding it up to us as we are walking by. that was cool. then the BEST part, we were walking over the granville street bridge...no wait..cambie street bridge? the one closest to BC place stadium/...anyways....we looked down and there were literally THOUSANDS behind us still walking along... and there were THOUSANDS ahead of us. I looked ahead of me and everyone has those 'im running for' bibs on the back but i saw 2 and they were from CHSS (team cariboo hill secondary school) they were running for Janis... now we were walking up this bridge and we were nearing the end so i was getting a lil tired, but not too much, but seeing that just gave me more motivation to run. I just had to think of who i was doing this for and i just kept trudging on. It was an AMAZING experience that i will NEVER NEVER forget.. EVER! I had prayed for no rain and it didnt rain (until like 2 when i was home already THANK YOU LORD) but it was windy. but i love the wind. The wind reminds me of the Holy Spirit. You cant SEE it but you can FEEL it. I totally felt God's presence today.

I felt kinda bad that i missed this morning and then this evening, but i was just toooo tired. I came home, showered, got into pajamas (that Janis helped me make) and had a 3 hour nap with my kitty Miss Midnight. It was nice. I will probably write the purpose driven life blog tomorrow tho, i am very tired, im gonna go veg... i will read the book...eh, i might just blog it. YA Im gonna blog it!

Blessings to you all...

<3 Christine

Janis- that run was for you! I miss you! R.I.P!!

Purpose Driven Life chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Reason for Everything

Something to remember: It's ALL for Him! Jesus will give you everything you need to live for him!

Verse to remember: "God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. then God will be given glory" ~1 Peter 4:10-11

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: "Living for God's glory is the greatest achievement we can accomplish with our lives."

"When anything in creation fulfills its purpose, its brings glory to God."

Other thoughts:

The ways that we can bring glory to God:
Worship him: He absolutly loves it when we worship him! He gets great pleasure out of that! It's our first responsibility to God. We worship God by enjoying him. For example: when we are worshipping through music, we are enjoying being in God's presence right? So therefore we are worshipping God through enjoying being in his presence! Something important to remember is that God wants our worship to be motivated by love not by obligation.

Loving other believers: We need to learn how to love others as God does.

Become like Christ: He wants us to be spiritually mature in ways like how we think, feel and act.The more that we develop Christlike characteristics, the more we will bring glory to God.

Serve others with your gifts: Thats quite simple. Serving God's people will make him happy. Now, dont say " well i dont have a gift" because EVERYONE has a gift.

Tell others about him: I was on the bus and skytrain today going to pick up my kit for the run i am doing tomorrow (CIBC Run for the Cure) and i was wearing a shirt my mom gave me that is the salvation army shirt that has on the sleeves "Heart to God, Hand to Man" and on the back "Jesus is Lord" I had 2 people come up to me today and one said "where did u get that shirt" i said that i got it from my church and she said "I like it" and the other lady talked to me on my way home. She tapped my shoulder and said 'Amen' and then we had a nice discussion on the skytrain ride home.

In order to live for God's purpose I need to belive in him and recieve him. I need to believe that God loves me and that i was made to last forever and that God wants me to have a relationship with Jesus! I need to recieve his forgiveness and his Spirit.

Jesus I believe in you and I recieve you! AMEN

"Today I choose to follow you. Today I choose to give my 'yes' to you. Today I choose to hear your voice and live. Today I choose to follow you. As for me in my house, we will serve you. As for me in my house we will spend our lives on you" Today- by Kathryn Scott

Now that the biggest priority of today is finished, i need to do the not so important one: cleaning... oh joy :P haha

Blessings...

<3 Christine

Purpose Driven Life chapters 5 and 6

Hey guys, sorry its taken so long for me to write blogs 5 and 6.sorry. but here they are:

Chapter 5: Seeing Life from God's View

Something to remember: The way we SEE ourselves is the way we SHAPE our lives. The way we view our lives will influence how we spend our time, our money and our talents and how we value each relationship that we have.

Verse to remember: " Do not conform yourselves to the standards of the world, but let god transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God" ~Romans 12:2

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: Life on earth is a test, a trust and a TEMPERARY ASSIGNMENT

THE MORE GOD GIVES YOU, THE MORE RESPONSIBLE HE EXPECTS YOU TO BE!!!

Other thoughts: God gives us many tests in our lives. Every little thing we do, he watches

Chapter 6: Life is a Temporary Assignment

Something to remember: We are just visiting earth. Our identity is in eternity and our homeland is heaven.

Verse to remember: "Your cheating on God. If all you want is your way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his ways" James 4:4

"We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" ~2nd Corinthians 4:18

The statement(s) that was the most impactful: In order to keep us from becoming too attached to the things of the world, god allows us to feel pain and problems.

"When life gets tough, when you're overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you wont leave home you'll GO home" <<<<<<<<<<< I LOOOOOVE that! I am homesick!! read MJ's blog about that!!

gotta go to bed now!! SSOOOOO exhausted