How Many Kings

Last year I heard the song, "How Many Kings," for the first time. It was such a moving song that really talks about Jesus' humility. Jesus is the King above ALL kings. If any of "us humans" had that title, we'd expect people to serve us...afterall, we would feel like we deserve it. However, this was not Jesus' attitude at all. He came in the form of a baby...a person that needs so much care and time and attention, a person that can do very little by himself, a person who has to be fed and bathed and changed and clothed, a person who can't even talk when he is first born...this is the form that the Ruler of all things came in. What humility to show everyone that the person who can do anything and everything (Jesus) came as someone who can't really do anything at all. What humility Jesus showed to everyone when He deserved to be born in a palace made of gold but instead was born in a stable. What humility to give up His place as King and Lord and become the least for you and me. What humility God showed the world when He gave up His Son for all of us...for a world that's broken and torn and imperfect. All in all, Jesus showed humility to the world. And if Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was humble, how then do we act when we're nothing, when we sin all the time, when we should be the ones serving God?

Here's the song with lyrics of "How Many Kings..."

Christmas Goodies

Ever wonder what to get your friends for Christmas? Of course it needs to be something that they will get a lot of use out of that's affordable for you. Well, here's an idea: Christmas goodies, homemade munchies, some yummies for the tummy...or whatever else you want to call them. I did this last year and decided to do it again this year. My mom and I make goodies every Christmas for us to have at home and for her to give to some of her friends and Sunday School teachers and such, so it isn't too much trouble to make a few extras. Everyone always loves a good treat and they get a lot of use out of them. Sure, it doesn't last for years and years, but the recipient thoroughly enjoys it for the time he/she has it. ☺ To make it look really cute, you can also put it in a decorative bag. For guys, do a masculine print on a bag that can be thrown away (because afterall, they don't care about the bag). For girls, you could try to find a tin or a cloth bag to put their goodies in. I tried that this year and my friends loved them and thought they were the cutest thing. So this year, don't stress yourself out trying to find that perfect gift for someone when it's right in front of you.

♥Annie

Awake Tonight

So this post is more for fun than anything else, and it is also an update on this year's Winter Wonder Slam...

On Friday night, I had the opportunity to go to the annual Winter Wonder Slam concert (also called the "Awake Tonight Tour" this year) with my youth group. This is a concert Toby Mac does annually with other artists, and this year it happened to be Shonlock and Skillet.

Shonlock started out our evening and was magnificent. He had some really great songs that got everyone pumped and also did some fantastic dance moves that I can't even begin to attempt. (I think it would give everyone a good laugh if I did try to do them, though.) ☺

Then came Skillet. They have never been my favorite band, but they did a fantastic job Friday night. I even sang some of the songs with them. I also have to tell you how talented they are...the drummer is a girl and one of the best drummers I've ever heard. I just watched her in amazement playing the drums AND singing, which is such a hard thing to do. Then the violinist and cellist also outdid anything I could've imagined..."WOW" is all I can say. And the bass player and electric guitarist were also phenomenally stunning. I especially loved hearing some of the stories behind the songs...they were very touching. All in all, Skillet did a WONDERFUL job!

And of course for the grand finale and main attraction of the evening....

TOBY MAC!!! He was awesome (as usual). He and his Diverse City Crew promised their all and gave us beyond that. They performed for about an hour and a half straight. I still don't know how this forty-something year old dad has the energy to jump around and sing for that long. I have to tell you that I was so excited to be with other "Jesus Freaks" playing some "Funky Jesus Music" and being a "City on Our Knees." I was definitely doing some fist pumping and lots of singing, probably embarassing myself to death. ☺ I'm sure the people two rows back from us who were obviously bigger fans of Skillet thought I was nuts. During the concert we were also reminded that we are "Made to Love" in this "Diverse City." We had a great time of worship...it's really cool when you're surrounded by other Christians and people who love Jesus and can just worship Him together.

All in all, it was a night of fun with some wonderful friends in my youth group who acted crazy with me. ☺

-Annie ♥

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's that time of year again! The leaves have changed, people are traveling to Grandma's house, trees are being decorated, and over-eating has started. Not to mention the fact that Christmas music is being played on every radio station and some type of Christmas movie is always showing on TV. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

However, for some, it is also one of the hardest times of the year. Sometimes all people experience is the stress of trying to please everyone with the gifts they want, making sure they see every single family member, decorating, and...well, you get the picture. It's also a time of year when loved ones that have passed away are remembered and missed a little more than usual, which also brings more stress and sadness.

What most people, including myself, forget a lot of times is that this time of year is a time to experience joy, peace, hope, love, selflessness, thankfulness, and so many other things. So this year, I'm going to try to concentrate on experiencing all of those wonderful gifts that God has given me, instead of any of the other feelings people have around this time of year. Maybe you can be that little light of Jesus to the world as a reminder of who He is and what this time of year is all about. And after that, hopefully you and I will continue to be a reminder of Jesus and who He is instead of simply during this time of year, because after all...It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Mulligans for Everyone!

For those of you who aren't big golfers out there, a mulligan in golf is (according to dictionary.com) a shot not counted against the score, permitted in unofficial play to a player whose previous shot was poor. In other words, a little bit of grace shown to the other player.

A couple months ago my family and I visited some very dear friends in Florida over our fall break. We had the opportunity to see where they live, shop, eat, swim (they live about 10-20 minutes from the beach), and attend church. Now the weekend we were there just happened to be the Sunday when their pastor was out of town and they had a guest pastor speak. He spoke on grace and talked about the mulligan in his message. (Yes, I am repeating lots of what he said because I thought it was a wonderful life lesson.)

I know I keep talking about grace, and some of you might not even know what that is. Basically, it is something freely given that no one can ever earn. God extends grace to us when we sin and He did this when He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus did nothing wrong and lived a perfect life, but the gift of salvation was given to us when He sacrificed His life for everyone in the world. Because He paid the ultimate price for our sins on the cross, God can look at us as holy and blameless and pure. However, you have to accept the gift of forgiveness that God gave us for Him to view us in this way.

Anyway, back to the story...

The speaker kept talking about how God has given us grace and how we need to do the same for others. We need to show people God's grace. Because God has extended grace to us, we need to follow His example and do the same for others. We need to be carrying mulligans around in our pockets and have some ready to give to others.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm sharing all of this with you. You see, grace is something that is very hard for me to give out. I tend to view things in a more just manner. My thought a lot of times is, "Well, you really deserved that." But how dare I think like that. There are so many times people have extended grace to me when I don't deserve it, and I am so grateful they have. Not only that, but God has extended an abundance of grace to me. I am a wretched person who deserves death and to be separated from God for all of eternity. But God has extended grace to me that I have accepted, and I now get to spend a lifetime with Him. I don't deserve to, but He gave me that wonderful gift. (Now, are there times when you will still receive consequences and punishments? Yes. This is because God is not only a God of grace, but He is also a God of Justice. And I know all of that can be confusing, but that's another story for another day.)

God has been making it very clear to me these last couple of months that I need to extend more grace to people. The other day I found this verse on my iGoogle home page...You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:5 (New Living Translation). Then, on facebook, I found this post on a friend's status...Grace will be my song. These were both reminders to me to show grace to people. The verse got me thinking about how God would act and what He would do. His whole attitude would be that of grace and love. That's exactly the attitude I need to have.

These are just some thoughts on where I am on my journey learning more about extending grace and love to people. So I hope we can all remember to carry around some mulligans in our pockets to give out to people. :)

♥ Annie ♥

The Feast

The Feast. It sounds like a Thanksgiving feast filled with turkey and corn casserole and rolls and the other traditional Thanksgiving day foods, right? Well, not exactly. The Feast is an event at my church that we have been holding for four years now. And what it is is a school-on-school competition to see who can eat the most hamburgers. I know this sounds crazy or insane or weird or gross or any of the above, but it is an event that many students at the local high schools have come to know.

I love the Feast. It is a time for worship and a message, as well as a time for stuffing your face with tons of hamburgers. However, it's a little more than just that. It's a time for a seed to be planted. These kids may come for some free food that they can actually eat, but they are also being able to intake some free spiritual food. It gives them an opportunity to experience God's love and what He has to say to them. And I am someone who is all about the seed being planted...because it only takes one. After it's planted, it's our job to leave it up to God to grow it. Now that may include God nudging us to invite them to church again or it might include just loving them and showing them who God is. But one thing I do know is that every single kid there last night was there for a reason and I can't wait to see God's plan unfold in their lives. :)

Role Model

Have you ever had someone in your life who you consider to be a role model? Hopefully you do have that person that you can look up to and learn from. Well, I was recently assigned to write a memoir for an English class I am taking. It is to be based off of the book, "Tuesdays with Morrie." (If you haven't read it, it is a very touching book, one in which I cried through at the end.) We could choose any person we wanted to and after a few days of praying about it, I chose mine. As I am writing my memoir (or really a memoir mostly about her life and my relationship with her), I have to examine how she has impacted my life. I can't simply say, "Oh yeah. She was really helpful. However, I have no idea what role she played in my life." I have to truly examine the things she's taught me, who she is, etc. This project has also gotten me to think about all of the other people in my life who are role models. I have been able to see that there are many people in my life who have impacted me in some way, whether big or small. And they have all touched me in different ways. For some, it is that they stand up for what they believe in no matter what the cost. For others, it is the obedience and trust they have put in the Lord. And for others, they are teachers that have taught me and gone beyond their job of teaching. We all have role models and mentors that are all around us....the questions is, "Who are they, and what are they teaching us?"