See You At The Pole

Good Morning!

And what a lovely morning it is! Even though PK and I couldn't be at the pole with y'all this morning, we were praying with you just the same. It's so awesome to know that we live in a country where kids can pray whenever and where ever they want to and it's completely cool! I hope all of you went, and I hope that this was just a stepping stone for you to stand up for God in your world like never before. We love you, and we will see you tonight at 6:15!!

***Jess

Being the Church

Good Morning everyone! PK asked me the other day to share what I personally had encountered being the Church in my world. Since I didn't get to share on Wednesday, here are my notes for you to check out:

Being the Church isn’t always the most popular thing. When I was in school, it meant keeping my friends in line (in love), speaking up when people were being stupid, and walking a fine line because I was, and still am an example. But it also meant praying for people when they needed it (in public), being the encourager to my friends when they were upset from things ranging all the way from boyfriend/girlfriend drama to a death in their family, and since a lot of my friends didn’t have any Spiritual influence in their lives, it mean being a counselor to them to give them sound, Godly advice. All of my friends knew where I stood/stand with God, and consequently they came to me for answers to a lot of different things.

I was known as the girl who knew God, but I still had friends and influence in my world. I think a lot of times we think in order to be an “On fire” Christian we have to go live out in the woods, not bathe, and eat bugs like John the Baptist. Not true. Jesus lived among the people. He hung with prostitutes, adulterers, flat-out sinners, and people that many religious people would be freaked out by. Not that I’m saying that you should go out and find a prostitute to hang around with, but you should be willing to hang with the smelly kid, the annoying kid, the loaner kid, the depressed kid, the ones that most Christians would turn their noses up at.

Remember at camp, when they played the video of the people on the street telling their opinions of Christians? There was one guy in particular who had nothing but weird and horrible things to say about Christians and a lot of the campers booed him. They MISSED THE POINT. I felt sorry for him. He’s LOST and he’s going to hell (currently). And if every Christian who comes across him dismisses him as a weirdo, or someone who can’t be saved because of his views, he will go to hell. God LOVES that guy just as much as He loves you and just as much as He loves me. One of my best friends in High School was an Atheist. We DEFINITELY DID NOT agree, but we were still friends. He said I was the most real Christian he had ever met. He watched my life and I believe he saw something in me that he needed. Now, I didn’t lead him to the Lord in some “glorious” Church service or anything, in fact, I never personally prayed with him to receive Salvation, but I just simply walked out my faith everyday and Jason knew exactly what I stood for. Every once in a while, he would ask me questions, or want me to debate with him about stuff, and I would answer his questions, but he always remained my friend.

Sometimes being the Church in your world doesn’t mean that you will personally lead a school revival. Can God do that? OF COURSE, but a lot of times, when you choose to be a light and to put others first you will be picked on, taken advantage of, persecuted, made fun of, etc. BUT ALSO, people will be drawn to you like moths to a flame. You have what they need.

We HAVE to see people as more than just their beliefs. When I was in Bible college, they said on average, it takes as many as seven separate personal contacts/presentations of the Gospel before a person will accept Jesus. What if you’re contact #7? A heavy thought, but, if we turn our back on everyone who disagrees with us, we might deny some people of the last chance they have to know Christ. We have to allow God to show us how He sees people. Only when we begin to see ALL people like He sees them can we fully be the Church.


***Jess

Singing in the rain...

No "deep thoughts" today.

Since it's raining this morning, I thought I would post something that reflects that in the XS blog:

This is too hilarious! This is two of our youth girls (who will remain nameless) singing in the shower while we were at the Quest retreat. (There's nothing inappropriate, you just hear them singing) Gotta love modern technology! Enjoy.

***Jess

Quest

"Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty." Zachariah 1:3

First off, I want to say that the Quest retreat was amazing. We have the best group of kids on the planet and it is such an honor to serve them. The first night, we spent four hours in the Presence of God. Two of the hours was spent in worship, and two was spent in the Word. Those kids did not even move or fidget. Don't tell me kids can't pay attention for very long. Ours can. I believe this weekend was a turning point. XS is at a turning point right now. We have to cultivate and protect our relationship with God. We have to make sure we use this weekend as fuel to keep us always moving forward and never backward. Now that we've seen what God can do, there's no turning back. God is more real to our kids now than ever before in their lives. I can't wait to see what comes out of this. God is so cool!

Be blessed
***Jess

Norvel Hayes

Everyone who missed last Thursday's AMAZING meeting with Norvel Hayes, you've got another chance! He will be coming back to our Church this Wednesday night, April 14th!! I've already heard from some of you guys that Thursday's meeting changed your life. I agree. God showed up big time! Make every effort to be there, this is such an awesome opportunity to learn from a great man of God, and you never want to miss the chance to sit in God's presence!

***Jess

Apologies...

So sorry for the lack of blogging lately! I promise to get some stuff posted next week! I love you all!
***Jess

The REAL St. Patrick...what a guy!

So...St. Patrick's Day is TODAY.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED!

This is a recent love for a Holiday that I have acquired in the last 3 years or so. My friend Sharon (Sharonius) always used to go out and celebrate St. Patty's like crazy which got me to thinking...what the heck is St. Patty's all about? So, I began to research St. Patrick and found out he was totally an awesome dude. On fire for God like crazy. Here's some interesting "St. Patrick facts":


1. St. Patrick was actually not Irish. He was born in Britain, and he died in Ireland March 17, 461AD.

2. At the age of 14 he was kidnapped by Pirates, sold into slavery, & imprisoned for six years. During this time, he had a dream, given to him by God that he was to be in the ministry.

3. He escaped to France, and joined a monastery.

4. There were 33 documented people raised from the dead by St. Patrick (through the Lord of course), and this is an excerpt from records about the miracles of St. Patrick: "For the blind and the lame, the deaf and the dumb, the palsied, the lunatic, the leprous, the epileptic, all who labored under any disease, did he in the Name of the Holy Trinity restore unto the power of their limbs and unto entire health; and in these good deeds was he daily practiced. Thirty and three dead men, some of whom had been many years buried, did this great reviver raise from the dead, as above we have more fully recorded."

5. Not only was he totally on fire for the Lord, St. Patrick was a great missionary bishop who converted a whole land from paganism, overturning the religion of the druids. He consecrated 350 bishops, erected 700 churches, and ordained 5,000 priests. In less than 30 years the greater part of Ireland was Catholic; St. Patrick so consolidated it in the Christian faith that during the Protestant Revolt Ireland was almost unique in its preservation of the Faith.

See what I mean? It's such an exciting Holiday for me! I love hearing about the great men of God throughout time. Even though its been commercialized and alot of people use the Holiday as an excuse to go out and get sloshed, I like to look at it as an awesome time to see what God did through a man who as completely in love with Him and willing to do whatever it took to tell people about God!

Kiss me I'm Irish!
Jess

Fly like an eagle

"But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."
-Isaiah 40:31 AMP

Man I was tired this morning! I didn't want to get out of the bed! I hit snooze a few times, and groaned because I had to get up. Now I'm at work, and I'm still tired. This verse is for me today. God promises that if we "expect, look for, and hope in Him" He has all the strength we need. So much strength that we can fly!

Remember Misty, my weenie dog? She was definitely EXPECTING, WAITING, and HOPING. Even if she was tired, she was giving it her all until she saw Kev's return. Even if we're tired, we should be giving it our all for Him. When we do this, He gives us strength to do great things, but here's the kicker, He gives us HIS strength. Not just more of our own, but HIS supernatural God strength is in us, and because of this we can do mightier things than we ever dreamed of. We have been given so much strength that no only can we do what we've been called to do, but we won't even get tired doing it. Let me say that again: WE WON'T EVEN GET TIRED. God is so good! Spend time in his presence today. Hope in Him, wait on Him, expect Him, and you will soar with eagles!

***Jess

A light in dark places

"Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." -Isaiah 60:1 (NKJV)

This verse has recently been brought to my attention. At first, it's easy to take it at face value and think, "Yay! get up early in the morning, worship God, He's shining on me!" And there's nothing wrong with that thought, but as I have recently been made aware, that's only half of it. Let's look at it from a different version:

"ARISE [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you--rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!" (AMP)

Let's dissect this. The first part of this verse: ARISE. That means, get up, dust yourself off. It doesn't matter what life or people have thrown at you or onto you. Get up from your beaten down position and MOVE. If you lay in the same spot, your circumstances will NEVER change.

The second part of this verse: SHINE. Not only is God shining on you, but He shines His light on you, so you can turn around and shine for Him! Think of it like a mirror. When you shine a flashlight into a mirror, you get an exact replica of the flashlight's light shining back onto the flashlight. But what's more, you can direct that mirror to shine light in other areas of the room to illuminate that area. That's awesome! God (the flashlight) is shining on us (the mirror) so we not only can show forth His light to others, but be an EXACT reflection of His light and glorify Him with it!!

Choose today to be "radiant with the glory of the Lord". Get up, move, make something happen. Don't let life beat you down, keep you there, and make you useless because of guilt, lethargy, depression, or anger. That's just what Satan wants, is to make you of no effect in your world. There are people out there in the dark who need to have God's light in their life. Be that beacon in the darkness and show them what you've been made of!

***Jess

02/11/2010 - True beauty

"For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation." -Psalm 149:4

It's easy to read this verse and think it's an automatic "beauty recipe". You might say to yourself, "Hmmmm... if I get saved God's gonna make me fiiiine. I can have any chick or dude I want!" Ahem, No. However, think about it this way: Those that are humble and seek God out become more attractive to people that are searching for the Truth. When you immerse yourself in God and His ways, you become more like Him, which in turn makes you a people magnet. People that need the love of God will come out of the woodwork to be around you and ask you questions. The more brightly you burn for Him, the more you shed light on things that people know they need to change in their lives and therefore they will seek you out to find out how to make those changes. Not to mention, when you focus on God, He makes you totally attractive in all the right ways for the one he has for you. When we were younger, even when we were just friends, I always loved the fact that Kevin was so passionate about God and worshipping Him. That was totally hot to me. The reason is because Kev immersed himself in God. He wanted to be more like Jesus all the time, and since I was the one for him, it drew me to him.

God wants to make you beautiful (or handsome, guys) from the inside out. But the key is, you've got to press into the Presence of God. Just reading a daily devotion isn't enough. Just listening to Christian music isn't enough. Just praying over your meals isn't enough. Those are good starting places, but there must be a progression. I'm talking about getting on your face and sucking some rug. I'm talking about worshipping Him more passionately and more desperately that you ever have before. I'm talking about applying the Word in your life. :) You've got to pray and seek out God and all His ways. It's a commitment, but He deserves nothing less!

Be made beautiful!

***Jess

02/08/2010 - Snow, beautiful snow!

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."
-Psalm 139:14

God is so amazing! Did you wake up this morning and see the beautiful snow? I LOVE IT! One of my favorite things about snow is going outside when it's still snowing and looking at the snowflakes that land on my coat. Have you ever done that? If you haven't, try it sometime. It's mind blowing. Each tiny snowflake is so beautiful and intricately made, and each and EVERY snowflake is different. Think about how many billions of snowflakes it takes to make just an inch or two of snow, and each one is unique! God cares enough to put that kind of detail into a snowflake that is here one minute and gone the next.

How much more special are you to Him than a snowflake?

Food for thought. Enjoy your snow day!!

***Jess

02/06/2010 - Weenie dogs and expectant hearts

"Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."
-Luke 12:37

This verse makes me think of our weenie dog, Misty. When Kevin leaves, she never stops moving. She paces the floor, she goes to the front door and aggressively sniffs at it, she whimpers, she whines, she scratches the door, she does tricks. She would rip the door off it's hinges to follow him if she was physically capable. Her whole world is wrapped up in waiting for him. Her expectation is completely focused on his return and being excited and pleasing to him when he walks in the door.

Why the heck do we let a weenie dog outdo us?

We have such a better Master than a human one like Kevin. Jesus specifcally told us to be found watching for His return. Like Misty, we should be watching, waiting, expecting, and excited about our Master's return and be focused on Him and His Kingdom more than anything else. Our hearts should be so desperate to see Him again that we let it consume our lives and our thoughts. If we focus on the Father our attitudes and our hearts will begin to reflect His. We will begin to put His desires in front of our own and long to please Him with our lives. Seek the Master, watch for His return. Focus on His heart and pleasing Him above anyone else. Don't be outdone in devotion by a 8 lb. weenie dog! :-)

***Jess

02/05/2010 - With hands lifted high

“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your Name be joyful in You.”
-Psalm 5:11

God is so good! Isn’t that awesome that He defends us?! Think about that: NO ONE can defeat God. That’s why He’s God, He’s the ultimate winner of everything! The only thing He asks for in return is our love and devotion. Such a lop-sided trade! We have the best Daddy ever. When you think about His goodness and everything that He has done for you, how can you NOT praise? Even on your funkiest day, you are SO BLESSED. Lift up your voice, sing to Him. Lift up your hands, give praise to his Name. Lift up your eyes, focus completely on Him. He is great and greatly to be praised!

***Jess

02/04/2010 - This heart, it beats, beats for only You.

"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts."
-Proverbs 4:23-26 (The Message)

Let's look at this scientifically. Your heart is such an important organ. Not only does it pump blood to every little nook and cranny of your body, but it works harder than you might think. Check this out:

*Your heart beats 100,000 times per day, 35 million times per year, & will beat over 2.5 billion times in your life!
*Your heart is so strong, that when it is AT REST (that means in between beats), it's muscles work twice as hard as someone's leg muscles in mid sprint!
*The Aorta which is the largest artery in your body is about the same diameter as a garden hose.
*The heart pumps about 1 million BARRELS of blood in an average lifetime. That's enough blood to fill 3 super tankers!

No wonder the Bible says, "that's where life starts"! Your heart is literally a machine, pumping blood throughout your body to keep you alive day in, day out, while you're sleeping, ALL the time. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! But even more than that, your heart is what drives you. Your heart is where your passion lies. Your heart is what tells you to keep going even when you don't feel like it. It's a VERY important part of you.

So why give it away to every schmo that walks down the pike? Why let every guy or girl you meet and think is cute, take your heart and abuse it however they want? Why do we let ourselves get so desperate that we give our heart away to whomever, wherever, whenever, for no real reason at all? GUARD YOUR HEART. The best One to watch over it for you is Jesus. He's got your heart's best interest in mind, and He will NEVER break your heart. Only He can hold it and not damage it. Only He can carry it through things that it could never live through on its own. Only He can keep it forever, and only HE can protect it from anyone who would try to break it. Above all else, guard your heart. Bury your heart so deeply in the heart of the Lord that the man or woman of God who is the right one for you will have to search the Lord's heart to find it. It's an important thing. GUARD YOUR HEART.


***Jess

02/01/2010 - Ah...correction...such a lovely word...

"To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding. To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgement, and equity."
-Proverbs 1:2-3

Ah learning, correction, & wisdom. I know, as a teenager, that is one of your most favorite things, yes?

Don't look at me that way. It is natural and "fleshy" to not want to learn when someone older than you is having a teaching moment with you. It's easy to pout, and think you've got life all figured out and you don't need any help. I know adults would like you to think that that's only a "teenager thing", but truth be told, adults don't always like to be told when their missing it either. It's human to not want to change or be told your faults. But that's the key: it's HUMAN. Don't you want to be more like Jesus every day? Isn't the supernatural fascinating? That's because you've been called to be more than you are naturally. God wants you to succeed, and do supernatural things so you can be a light for His Kingdom. But, in order to grow, you have to listen when wisdom is crying out in your life. And that means, being told how to do things by people older and wiser than you.

Learning to be teachable is often a painful journey. You get told things you sometimes don't want to hear, but you need to hear them nonetheless. I like to compare it to pouring alcohol into a cut. Man, does it sting when you first pour it on there! But, in the long run, it kills the bad stuff and cleans that cut out so it can heal alot more quickly and that part of your body can be effective again. However, if you just left the cut alone and didn't put anything on it, it would get infected, oozy, and if not treated, you could have to have surgery to remove that part of your body! UGH! Ok, that was a gross analogy, but I like to help you picture things. Now compare that gross analogy to being teachable. Say you've got an attitude toward certain people, or about certain topics. People that love you would confront you about it and tell you that your attitude needs to change and why it needs to change. However, if no one ever confronted you or corrected your attitude, or they did, and you didn't listen, and you went on through life with a crappy attitude towards people, then the day would come when your boss, or your friends, or even your spouse would get tired of this attitude and you could end up losing your job, your friends, or your spouse over it. All because you wouldn't let someone teach you when you were younger and thought you knew everything. It sounds quite dramatic, but it happens every day.

The bottom line is this: be open to being taught. You don't hafta have your whole life perfect and in order, but if you keep your heart teachable, and take on the attitude that you're going to listen to instruction, God can use you to do unlimited things.

***Jess

01/28/2010 - Open your eyes to SEE.

"He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses." -Proverbs 28:27

Have you ever seen those people on the side of the road holding the little cardboard sign that says, "will work for food"? Have you ever thought, "Lazy people. Why don't they go get a job and quit begging all the time?!?" I'll admit, I've thought the same thing on occasion, but the Holy Spirit corrects me. I don't know the heart of those people. I don't know what their true condition is. It's not my place to judge what they're doing and if I think it's right or not. God is the only one that knows their true intentions. Pastor Pat says it all the time, and I think it's an awesome concept: I would rather error on the side of mercy than withhold help from anyone. If I get burned, I get burned. Who cares? It's not me their scamming. I'm just being obedient to give what God has blessed me with at all times. God knows my heart, as well as He knows that person's heart and I'll still be blessed because I chose to give.

If I choose to judge, or intentionally overlook those who need help, I'm setting myself up to not be blessed when I'm in need. It's the law of sewing and reaping in its purest form. Now this isn't to say that you have to give to everyone to your own detriment, or even when you don't have the money, God knows if you don't have it to give. But it's when you pass over people that need help and keep it all for yourself to spend on yourself that He's not so keen on. We have been so blessed, and there are those among us who are suffering, hurting, and depressed. We must stop just looking around and start SEEING.

"Let the world see You through us, let the hurt find hope and the lost find home."

***Jess

01/26/2010 - Fighting rottweilers

"He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears." Proverbs 26:17

There is nothing more tasty and appealing than getting the latest gossip of who's mad at who, or taking up the offense of your best friend. Gossip is just so juicy isn't it? And of course, your friend needs someone to take up their cause, right?

Wrong.

Think about that analogy the Proverb describes for a minute. Picture in your mind a snarling, mean, slobbering, ugly rottweiler growling, baring his teeth, and snapping at your face and the only thing you can hold onto to hold him back from ripping you to shreds are his ears. No thank you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize your hands are going to get tired long before that dog does and when they slip, you're toast. When you put yourself in the big, fat middle of a fight that doesn't belong to you, you're just waiting for the big dog to bite you.

Of course it's tempting to want to help your friend, and of course it's tempting to let your ears wander and listen in on someone else's conversation. We've all done it. But if you will humor me for a second, and think back to the last time you got in the middle of an argument or a fight, it wasn't long before you had so much drama going on in your world that you could scream, or someone said something to you or about you that still hurts to think about even now. God's best is not for you to be stressed or hurting. When you're so consumed with someone else's drama or issues, you cease to be effective for the Kingdom and you cease to see those around you who need His love in their lives. Our job as a Christian is simple: love God, and love people. If you're constantly having to be angry at every other person at school, because you're taking up all your friend's offenses, how are you ever going to be seen as a caring, loving, Godly person?

Decide this day that you're going to focus on God and what He is working on in you and stop the constant parade of offenses that have you forever fighting that rottweiler. Choose to love and reach out to those around you and see them the way God sees them: as lost, alone, and in need of the One True Love of the Father that you have been given freely.

***Jess