Pink Lemons

Ok, so hey I’m back…again…haha.

I seem to have a really big problem with keeping up with this site, there’s a lot else going on. But, anyways school started Monday; the first school day of 2008! …Terrific

I spent the whole of my Christmas break dreading it, that my dear friends is how much I just looove my high school. And speaking of high school, if yours is anything like mine, talking about God is really tough to do! I guess this town is real church oriented if you want to look at it like that. But a lot of the “Christians” here aren’t. They tend to get all squirmy if the words Jesus, Salvation, or Prayer come up in a conversation. And it not only makes them uncomfortable but whenever I talk to people like that it makes me extremely uncomfortable because you’re not exactly sure what to say to them.

The biggest part is that you can not ( make them believe). There’s a guy I know that I talk to every once in a while and he told me that he doesn’t really believe in God anymore. So, I spent the next half hour of my time trying to convince him that he was wrong, that the big bang is a bunch of kaplooey, obviously it didn’t work. Having a personal relationship with Jesus is something that someone has to decide to do on their own; on their own terms and in their own time.

I know this from personal experience and if you ask around I’m sure that someone will tell they’ve had the door slammed in their face once or twice. It’s very discouraging, but don’t give up. Keep trying to get through to them, but don’t try to shove your belief’s down their throat. That, is the quickest way to push someone away. Just be a friend to them, invite them to bible study, pray for them, be there for them when he/she needs you. And when they start to ask their own questions about God, that’s even better.

So, until next time…

Hey!

So, wow it’s been quite awhile since my last post! So, to ease back into blogging, I’ll start off with something light, how about a joke?

So, a pastor was preparing to do a “kiddie sermon” and so he called all of the youngsters up to the front. Now there were several newcomers, so the pastor decided to start off with an easy question hoping to lighten the mood a little bit. So he started out “Yesterday I was sitting out in my backyard and I saw something red and furry run up a tree, can anyone tell me what it is?” The kids just sat there, in dead silence. The pastor tried again. “Kids, come on, its red an furry and it has a big bushy tail. What is it?” Once again, the children all just sat there, in dead silence. Now at this point the pastor was starting to get nervous, he had thought this would’ve been easy! He tried once more. “Come on guys! It’s red and furry, and it has a big bushy tail and it eats nuts. Can anyone tell me what I saw??” And slowly one little had went up in the back and the pastor said, “Yes! Johnny, what is it?!” And Johnny, said, “Well, Mr. Pastor Sir, it sounds like a squirrel but I know the answer must be Jesus.”

Haha, heard that one in Sunday School today and just thought I’d share it with you all.

Have a great week, and Jesus loves you!

This is the title of a song I recently discovered. I don’t know how old or new it is, but it’s by Kelly Clarkson. No, she’s not a Christian artist, but the lyrics to this song, especially the chorus, could very well be taken from a Christian perspective.

You found me
When no one else was lookin’
How did you know just where I would be?
Yeah, you broke through
All of my confusion
The ups and the downs
And you still didn’t leave
I guess that you saw what nobody could see
You found me
You found me

God finds us, at the most crucial moments.  But thats because he never leaves us, before, after, or during those moments.   He finds us when maybe no one else wanted us, when they didn’t want to be seen with us, or be with us.  He knows where we’re at in life.  (I mean, he knew exactly where Jonah was when he decided to hide from God.  Which by the way is impossible.  He sees, knows, and hears everything.)  He wants us, He loves us, and He will NEVER leave us on our own.  Sometimes it may seem like it, but it’s not God drawing away from us, it’s us drawing away from God.  I’ve been there, done that.  But I’m closer to God now than I have been in a long while.

He sees what nobody else can see.

He found me.

My new favorite verse is:

“I am not worthy of all the faithfulness and unfailing love you have shown to me, your servant.” Genesis 33:10 NLT

Because I’m not worthy of all the “faithfulness and unfailing love” that Christ has shown me. I mean, yes, I have messed up. We all have. Nobody’s perfect. We’ve all said or done that one thing we shouldn’t have, no matter how big or small it was. But there is forgiveness! Christ Jesus can take away your sins. He can wipe your slate clean. You won’t have to worry about those things you said or did, because they’re gone! They virtually don’t exist anymore! I mean, God has forgotten about them, so why should you remember them?

Jesus can make you a new person. You can be born again!

Read John 3:1-21 to fully or at least partially understand what I’m talking about.
The point is, that Jesus can take you, as a sinner, and make you brand new! I’d take the opportunity, its the choice of a lifetime, so don’t miss out.

It’s so easy to get sidetracked from God. To, be drawn away into the world. Isn’t it?

Even a strong Christian can be drawn away from the Lord. The devil has many tricks. But we have to stay strong in Christ!! Don’t give up!

I found this video online, it’s a skit. It’s very powerful, and I encourage you to watch it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

What if your dog has just died, and your parents say to you: “Be happy in your suffering!”

You would probably look at them like they were crazy! Right? You’d probably be thinking come on mom! my dog just died, and you want me to be happy about it!?

Well take a look at these verses:

“God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.” (Matthew 5:10-12)

What that means is: When you are teased because you live for God, and follow his laws you’re supposed to be happy about it! Deciding to follow Jesus doesn’t guarantee an easy life. Far from it! As a believer in Christ you will be made fun of, and laughed at, and lied about. It’s almost certain! But, don’t let that turn you from him. Because you are ridiculed you should be happy about it. Don’t think about the here and now, think about the rewards you’ll have in heaven! I’ve been teased a fair bit about my beliefs, and all the while I just have to think…”Well, this may be bad now…but I can’t WAIT until I get to heaven!”

It’s definitely an encouraging thought! So, stand up for Jesus and take the ridicule, ’cause it’s all for him!

Hey!  So, I just got back from a missions trip on Saturday.  It was amazing, and so uplifting.  =]
I had a fantabulous time.
I was down in Gulfport, Mississippi (near Biloxi) helping out with Katrina Relief.
You, know, it was so amazing to see all the devastation.  Where we were staying was the foundation of an old mall, that was completely gone!  Can you believe that??!  As we drove everyday on the way to our worksite, we saw so many buildings that were gone.  There was a McDonalds, Texas Roadhouse, and Hotels that were absolutely and completely gone.  To think that that is what happened to peoples homes, is truly awful. 
When they told me I was going down to help with Katrina Relief Efforts I expected to be building homes or painting or something like that, but instead, I helped tear a house down!!  The water damage was awful.  =[
The group before us had already completely gutted the house, so all we did was tear it down, but the wood was so rotten, you could just fall through if you weren’t careful.  = |

Besides learning how NOT to tear a house down (hahaha….) I grew a LOT closer to God.
Some of you are probably rolling your eyes at this right now, but go ahead, it’s not going to change what I have to say.
Before I left for the trip I felt like God had left me, that He didn’t care anymore, that He just tossed me aside.  When I prayed, I was like: “Well, He’s not listening anyways, so what’s the point?”  It was awful, it’s one of the worst feelings in the world.
I put on a smile for everyone else and acted like nothing was wrong.  Like I was perfectly happy, that I was really close to God.
It was hard.  I won’t deny it, and I’m not bragging, because it’s nothing to brag about.
But, on Thursday, it changed.  I talked with one of the guys on our missions team.  Him and I were doing a devotion for that night, and needless to say, I felt like I didn’t qualify for it at all!  I told him this, and we got into a deep discussion about God.  He looked up a verse for me, the last half of Matthew 28:20 “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
I almost broke down and started crying, but I immediatly felt as if God was with me.  It was awesome, and suddenly I knew that He had never left me in the first place.
Now, I’m so much closer to God than I was at the beginning of it all.  Just know that God will NEVER leave you.
I’m so grateful to anyone who was praying for me while I was away, and I thank you. 
I’ll end this now, I just felt drawn to write it down I guess.
let me know what you think

Well, as y’all already know, I was in Mississippi this past week. Let me tell you, it was amazing! We tore down a house! When they told me I was going down to Mississippi for Katrina Relief Efforts, I thought I’d be building a house, not tearing one down!! haha

We woke up at 3 a.m. on Sunday and left at 4 a.m. and got there at around…5-ish? The rest of the day we organized our stuff, and made our beds, and looked around.

But on Monday, the first day we did something, we actually made it come down. The group before ours had completely gutted the house, so there was a huge pile of junk to throw into the dumpster, and we filled it up on the first day! Then we tied one of those thin little plastic ropes to some beams and attached the other end to our big purple van and drove off, and BOOM!!! The house came down, part of the way, it got caught on a tree, so it only came down on one side. But, it was still awesome. I swam in the ocean too! It was so warm, and there were several jellyfish up by the shore, and I put my hands on several hermit crabs under the water, let me tell ya, it’s a bit painful.

So, that was our first day there, and I have much more to tell.

Hey guys!  I’m back from my trip, and let me tell you…it was absolutely amazing!!  Helping with Katrina Relief was so uplifting.  I got so much closer to God.

All week, I tore down a house!  I thought I’d be building one, not tearing one down!  This was the first time in my life I have ever used a sledge-hammer…I love those things!  But, I am sooo sore!  I have about a gazillion bug bites too.  haha.

The last night that we were there we had worship on the beach.  It was so amazing.  We all sat in the sand and sang songs along with the guitarist.  The moon was so bright and shining on the ocean, it was beautiful.  I have so many stories to tell…   =D

All, I have to say is…”here I am to worship, here I am to bow down.  Here I am to say that you’re my God.  You’re all together lovely all together worthy all together wonderful to me…..”

Hey guys!

I’m not going to be writing for a few days…a week to be exact. But, believe me, I’ll have a LOT to write about when I get back! I left for a missions trip this morning. I’m really excited about this opportunity and am hoping to be able to reach a lot of people for Christ.

Please keep the team in your thoughts and prayers!

~God Bless~