There is nothing out there more upsetting than when people are judged by the way they look or act. We have no right to act that way towards anyone else because the truth is that we never know what this person may be dealing with in their life at this point in time. Is it possible that someone might not have confidence because people are always bringing them down, saying things that are most likely untrue? Is it possible that someone might feel insignificant because he or she rarely ever feels like she is heard? Is it possible that someone might act defensive and say mean things because of their home life? I learned today that you really can't listen to the people who say these things even though it really is easier said than done. The people that say these harsh words are only trying to bring you down because they are jealous and do not want to see you happy or succeeding. You are WORTHY. You are BEAUTIFUL. You are SUFFICIENT. You are SIGNIFICANT. You are YOU, and nobody can ever take that away from you. You are only allowing the enemy to win by letting the things they say to try and defeat you bother you or get you down. God gave you a purpose in this world whether you have figured that out yet or not, HE HAS. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper and succeed, plans for a hope and future." God never intended for us to hurt because when we hurt, HE hurts. I believe that because God made you, you are BEAUTIFUL. BELIEVE IT. <3
I could possibly be the worst person ever when it comes to writing blogs. I can never keep up with them! I have been so busy with my schooling and job that I rarely get on except to post new pictures, haha. There is one thing that is new and definitely significant to my life now though. The Army. I am happily in a relationship with a man who is currently stationed in Arlington, VA. I have my days that are very tough and some weeks I wonder if it could get any worse BUT overall it has totally been worth it. I have watched this boy change within just the few months that he has been there and it has been so incredible to watch this transformation. People often like to say that we won't work out, that it isn't worth it, but I have chosen to not listen to it anymore or to not let it bother me because to let them get to me isn't worth it. But you know who is? Him. God put this man in my life for a reason, and I can't wait to see where HE takes us. No, our relationship isn't perfect, but we love eachother and that't what counts right? Not what people say, not the distance between us or the sometimes pointless disagreements we have or even when we get annoyed with eachother, but who we are when we are together. I know that I sometimes get wrapped up when it comes to being in a relationship but thats just me. It always has been me. I have learned that no one can make you completely happy, or fill that void that you often have when it comes to being loved except for God Himself, but when you LOVE God, it makes you loving someone and someone loving you SO much easier. Yes, I have my moments of fears, doubts, disappointments, happiness, love, joy, and etc., etc., but thats just the girl in me and to think My God AND My Man loves me flaws and all? Amazing. :]
It's really sweet hearing about how God has used a person to reach out and touch other people's lives through their faith in Jesus Christ. Whats even sweeter is being the person that has touched those lives. I remember reading stories about how God used and how he used people for His Glory and how I longed for a faith like they had. I wanted God to use me in a unique way. Man it's been a long journey, but I have finally made it. I tell you, there is no greater feeling than knowing that you helped to better someone else's life through your faith in Jesus especially when they become saved. You may think "well I cant do that," or "what will they say about me?" or even that you wouldnt know what to say, but you know what I have to say to that? Dont put God in a box. You can do everything through Christ who gives you strength and when you trust in God with everything you've got, you will amazed with the results. It doesn't matter what people say or think about you because people are always going yo talk, and don't get frustrated when people don't become saved right away, because God only calls us to share our faith. God's timing is not our timing, nor are his ways our ways. Whether they get saved or not is ultimately between them and God. don't let what I say, or what you think their fate is scare you off. THe timidness, being scared of what they think or not knowing what to say will all fade away once you trust God, and I mean fully trust God to get out of your comfort zone and share your faith with someone. Which that is only something God can do.
Philemon 1:6 says I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. I will never forget the time that I first helped to lead a couple to Christ. It was right in my very own church, middle second row pew to be exact. I was on my first mission troip ever, with our youth group and it was the greatest feeling in the world. It was a God-feeling, knowng that I obeyed God and led those people to Christ, was such an indescribable feeling that, that it almost felt like a spiritual high, only 1000 times more powerful. And believe me, if God can use ME to lead someone to Christ, he can certainly use YOU. This verse helped me to realize that God doesnt just ask us if we want to share our faith or say that sharing our faith is optional, He COMMANDS us to share our faith, So many of us take for granted the fact that we live in a country where we won't be killed for even believing in Christm much less reaching out to people about Him. "While we are still alive, our work here is not yet done." Wow, it has been such a long time since I have blogged on my page. I guess I have just gotten so caught up with everything else that I have somewhat forgotten about my site. lol. This past week FBC Dade City's youth group went to Rigdecrest, North Carolina for Church Camp. It's called Centrifuge and it was an absolutely incredible experience. We arrived there on June 27th for opening day ceremonies and from then until July 2nd, we were going non-stop from 7am until 11pm that night. I, along with 94 others that attended this years camp were absolutely exhausted but we all agreed that going on this trip was worth it and it was where we were meant to be. This weeks focus was on Relationships and relating to everyone we come in contact with whether it be a stranger, best friend, or someone who has hurt us. I had a chance to go and talk to a lady who attended the camp with us as an adult leader and it was just so awesome to listen to her story and get to pray with her. It was a result of listening to God. I knew that for a fact because you can't get that enlightened feeling from anything or anyone else. The thing that had kind of shocked/surprised me and also made me cry was that she told me that she started to cry when someone asked her to pray because she didn't know how to pray. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and no one had certainly ever told me that before. It was just an awesome and crazy amazing feeling and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to go on this trip.
I learned so much from going to this camp and it is a camp that I would recommend to everyone! :)) http://www2.lifeway.com/fuge/index.php/2011 You tell me what you think is better.
Some people say that Contemporary Christian music has nothing to do with Christianity and the people who are singing these songs are just trying to appeal to the secular world and that it isn't "true music," while others completely back up contemporary christian music. They find it more interesting, and some could even say they feel more moved by this genre as opposed to an old hymnal. Is it a difference in ages? Or is it just a difference in the ways that people were raised as children? Others think that Hymnals are great. These hyms are simply what we were made to sing. Then how come the younger generation tends to enjoy christian contemporary music better? Has this world really changed THAT much? The Lord says to go out unto all the world and make deciples. Music is internationally known. Everyone listens to some sort of music and is normally deeply cultivated by it. SO shouldn't we make christian music that can reach out to all different cultures and types of people? Think about it. So I was reading an online post, or book by Douglas S. Winnail.... It had to do with whether the content of the bible was fact, or if it were only fiction. You may be thinking, why are you talking about this? We all know that you belive the Bible is true. Which is true, I am a firm believer, and I know the content of the bible to be true... but if there are people out there, that KNOW the content in the Bible is TRUE, then why do they choose to not believe it??? You see, people have been so severely misinformed about the Bible that they think it is complete fiction, or so made up by people who were "crazy" and claimed to be under the influence or God when writing it. But its NOT! It's not fiction, and the people were NOT crazy. They were under the influence of God and could foresee what is making headlines today. They know what the meaning of Life is, which is said all throughout the bible. Everyone has a purpose, Everyone was given life through only ONE God, EVERYONE. People have been so misinformed about God, the Bible and its teaching, that everything they think is based off of false words. Science, History, and the Bible go hand-in-hand, everything that happened in the Bible, researchers found EVIDENCE that there indeed was once something that happened. So WHY do people still not believe?! It just baffles me to no end that someone could just "choose" to not believe in such an Awesome, Loving, and All-Powerful God who created US. There IS a God, and these so-called stories from the Bible, were not just stories. It was a REAL life, with REAL people. Science and History are proof of that much. Despite what modern Scientist, historians, etc. say.
Robert Orillion Britton III. Born July 23, 1999. He was the smallest one out of all us siblings to be born, but I knew that ever since he was born that he would be such a blessing to my life, and to many other lives as well. For being seven years older than him, it didn’t seem like that big of an age difference. We were best friends and I could come to him for anything for many things that I couldn’t even go to my parents for and he was only seven. He could always come to me about things as well, which weren’t always the very biggest problems, but to him they were. He was a very attractive young boy. Blonde hair, blue eyes with a beautiful smile, sweet, caring and was quite the ladies man(possibly because he lived in a household full of girls). He had such a huge heart and a passion for God that it astounded me. Robert loved his dad, looked up to him and just thought he was greatest thing since sliced bread. They did everything they could together. They watched races on television, played baseball, worked on my dads car, and even rode dirt bikes, in which I occasionally joined in on. There was one question he would ask my dad and that was “What’s the most important thing daddy?’ Even though by the hundredth time he asked him that and our dad already knew the answer, he would smile and go along with it anyways and ask “What, son?” My brothers reply never ceased to change and he would say with the same tone of voice, “God is the most important thing daddy.”
Wednesday March 14, 2007. It was a normal day. Everyone came home from school, and did homework as usual. We were in a bit of a hurry, because my brother had a baseball game. Before his game, Robert wanted to practice riding his dirt bike a few minutes before we had to leave. So he did his homework in a hurry, and was on his way to practice riding. It was not even 20 minutes and a few laps later that the throttle on his practice bike locked up, he lost control, and hit a tree. My mom came out crying explaining it to me in the best way she could. I rushed up to where he was, and he was laying in his daddy’s arms, all bloody, and not moving or breathing. We were in the Emergency Room for what seemed like hours, when it was probably only an hour. The Paramedics couldn’t revive him. They said he died instantly. MY best friend, and brother was gone, forever. My family and I no longer laugh at the same things we thought were funny before because coming from a different perspective, it’s really not. We have our ups and our downs just like everyone else, and as time goes by, the pain gets less and less, but it will never go away and some days, the pain feels like the highest mountain on this earth, and it’s something I know we must climb over because it will make us much stronger in the end. Robert was such an inspiration to our family and anyone that ever laid eyes on him and sometimes life, feels hectic, confusing and an eternity with out him. My life, amongst many other lives, have been forever changed. Everyday I live with the grief of losing my brother, no matter how much I may try and run from it. They say that you never know what you got until its gone and lately, I find that very true. Some days, I feel like I took him for granted, figuring that he would always be there. I cant even begin to tell you guys enough the pain I have been through these past [almost] three years. I've turned to everything and everyone to look for some sort of love and/or comfort. But what I failed to realize was that the one I really needed to turn to and someone who was waiting for me to come back, was God. God, has a plan. Going through this, and other things has made me a stronger believer in God and it kills me when I see someone being mean to their little brother or little sister, making me WANT to tell them to be nice because i would give anything in this world to even just see my brother again, let alone talk to him. But as much as I miss him, i would never want to bring him back because i know for a fact, he is much happier where he is at now. What i am lastly going to say, is that i pray you never take for granted that someone you love is always going to be there, because tomorrow is never promised. The last thing my brother said to me... was "I love you soooo much," and i never got a chance to say it back. Don't let your last words be hurtful. So today I went to church, as usual. I spoke about the missions trip in the Williams bible study, but that's not the point that I am getting to. ^.^ After their bible study, I went up to my youth group like I usually do. I met this new kid there today. His name was Logan. he's going into the ninth grade, and will be attending school in Bartow for their IB Program. He's super smart but totally cool to talk to. His mom plays the piano for our church. He's been a few times before to church, but it made me realize just HOW much we miss out on the new kids that come into our youth group. We get so caught up in our little "cliques" that we totally overlook any newcomer that there might be, especially me. I'm not the greatest at introducing myself to new people, I am shy, but I'm working on it. It's sad to think about it, you know? How many times have we overlooked someone new coming into church...and you never know what may happen to them. That could have been a last stitch effort to see if they were really wanted. That could have been a way of proving to others that Christians really are a bunch of hypocrites. The point is, you never know. Once Logan and I got past the awkwardness of just meeting each other, he was actually really cool. I also realized, that had I not went up and talked to him, he would have been totally and utterly alone, and that he really wasn't new, he'd come a few times before and I had never noticed him. NO ONE had ever noticed him. That is not how it should be. People shouldn't feel like that when they first walk into a church. I wanted Logan to know that he was welcomed in the youth ministry. Yeah, it was hard for me to start the conversation at first and whatnot, but what's even worse is I didn't want him feeling unwelcome, or alone. The feeling after, was a rewarding, and happy feeling that you can't just get from anything. It was a feeling you get from God.
Even though we did not go very far, we were still able to reach out and touch the lives of many people. At first, I was a little bit uncomfortable, but as the week progressed, reaching out to people became a lot easier. Let's just say, I broke down a few barriers.
Our first night, Pastor David asked if anyone would like to share their testimony at a church in Lacoochee, Florida. Uneasily, I said yes. Boy, was that a barrier that God helped me to overcome! I was really nervous about speaking to complete strangers, but I prayed for confidence and found Proverbs 3:26; which says “For the Lord is your security, he will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.” As I began to share my testimony, the nervousness went away and I couldn't believe how easy it was. I realized I only could have done it through God's strength. Many shared with me how deeply they were touched by my testimony and how it encouraged them. I met people who had lost a sibling just like me, and even the parents of Robert's best friend in preschool. The next day, we went to a trailer park and picked up trash, picked weeds, and mowed lawns. I met a lady, Bernice. Oh wow, could she talk. I think we talked for at least an hour or two at the park. It was a blessing in itself because of her persistence in going out and telling people about the love of Christ, and everything that the Lord had healed her from. The remaining days of our trip, we visited “Cornerstone Center for Women”, a Christian pregnancy care center and “Florida Baptist Children's Home”, an orphanage, where I again shared my testimony. Sharing my testimony at the pregnancy center was harder for some reason, maybe because it was small group and many couldn't speak English. But I learned that it's not the size of the group, but rather the impact that was made there. Three people came to know Christ that day, and thats really what matters the most. The Children's Home was not at all what I had expected. It was really nice there, and at one point I thought “ well I wouldn't mind living here”. Then I remembered that these kids had many things, except for two very important things; a mom and a dad. Trying to imagine what they were going through was impossible, and heartbreaking. There wasn't a big turnout of kids because many of them were away at Camp, or vacations, but I am really glad I was able to experience going there. My most memorable experience was the awesome opportunity I had to pray with two people and help lead them to Christ! This was a first for me and I did it on my OWN (without the help of a human being)! Also, It was at my very own church. Words can't describe the great feeling that comes with sharing Christs' love, and especially being able to lead them to Christ. Everyone kept asking me why I was so happy and glowing, my excitement just couldn't be contained! Although Satan really kept attacking us throughout the week, with the death of two very beloved friends of all of ours, and almost getting kicked out of the hotel for being possibly a tad bit to loud, we were able to stick together and pull through. The Pasco Mission Trip was a life-changing experience and something I will never forget. I can't wait for next year! You know, I try to live a Godly life. I try to do whats right, so if im trying, thats all that should matter right? Then how come when I do my best, be who God wants me to be, etc, etc. I get persecuted and much flack for it. I know in the bible it says I will get persecuted and whatnot... but sometimes its tiring. I don't understand why sometimes I get punished or made fun of for what I believe or what I am trying to do..... I don't mean to sound depressing or anything, It's just what I think.
And how do I remain living a Godly life, and getting a Christ-Cnetered mind.. when all I hear constantly is "sex, drugs, alcohol, etc" Everything thats of this world, is constantly filled into my head, and brains are like sponges, they don't just let things go like that. But I know that I must sta yi n the word... it's the only way to fight off Satan and his stupid tactics to bring me down and separated from God. |