No reading today. But please, enjoy a Scripture Snack courtesy of Beckah Shae!! Watch it all for the entire song!
***Jess
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
03/29/11: THE FLINTSTONES?
"The Almighty Lord helps me. That is why I will not be ashamed. I have set my face like a flint. I know that I will not be put to shame." - Isaiah 50:7 (The Message)
Talk about being hard-headed! This Scripture literally talks about not only making our head hard, but our face. The difference between being hard-headed and setting your face like flint is that one is out of selfish motives, and one is out of thinking of others. When we are hard-headed about something, we are saying our way or our opinion is the only right one. On the other hand, setting our face like flint is choosing to trust God and do what He wants no matter what anyone does or says. Jesus set His face like flint when He went to the Cross. He chose to do the right thing that would benefit us all more than choosing to do what would benefit Him personally, and NOTHING was going to stop him from accomplishing that goal for the good of us all.
We need to set our faces like flint in our own lives. Become so determined that you are going to live for God that nothing is going to stop you and no one is going to convince you otherwise. One of the cool things about flint is that if you strike it against another rock or against metal it will produce a spark. Back in the day it was used in starting fires. Think about that... if you set your face like flint, you are literally making yourself a fire-starter! I don't mean in the negative sense that you go around starting drama and setting fires between people. You're a fire-starter in the sense that you go around setting those ablaze with the passion and the love of God! You get to be the thing that sparks others into their walk with the Lord. What an opportunity we have!
So I want to encourage you, SET YOUR FACE LIKE FLINT. Be so determined to be exactly who God's created you to be that you set those around you on fire for Him. Today, be a fire-starter. :)
***Jess
Sunday, March 27, 2011
03/28/2011: GUARD YOUR HEART (REPRISE)
I posted this one a little over a year ago and I felt like it bears repeating. Have a great day, and welcome back to the XS blog!:
"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts."
-Proverbs 4:23-26 (The Message)
To start, 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
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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
Friday, September 17, 2010
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
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
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
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
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
