My First Day...

Yes, today was the very first day of my Senior year. And I'll be honest with you...it was not the best day of my life. I was looking forward to good classes where I could learn a lot but be surrounded by friends and enjoy my last year of high school. However, my day didn't quite turn out like that...

For this year I chose to take two dual enrollment classes, one honors class, and all the rest electives. However, my friends decided to take lots of AP classes to get ahead on some college credit (a different path from my dual enrollment decision). Now I knew I wouldn't have all of my friends in my classes, but I will admit that I was expecting one very good friend to be in one or two of my classes. That didn't happen. Now don't get me wrong, there are people I can talk to in each of my classes but it still wasn't the same as having a BFF with me. Not only that, but some of my classes and teachers weren't exactly my first pick. But you know what? IT WILL BE ALRIGHT! (And I might be telling myself that more than anyone else.) I know that God has a plan in all of this. I know that this is what He wants for me, because I prayed that He would just put me in the classes I need with the teachers and peers I need who might possibly need me too. I know that God is able to do something great in all of this if I simply remain attentive to what He's telling me to do and I obey what He's telling me to do immediately without any hesitation.

(And by the way...today God was good enough to have already shown me some ways in which He might be able to use me. It's not always going to be easy, but His ways are always best.)

Annie ♥

P.S. I would also like to ask you to just pray for me whenever you think about it, because I'm going to need a lot of it this year. Please pray that I will be obedient to the Lord, that I will be willing, that I will be an example of who Jesus is, that I will keep persevering, and that I will love others. Thanks so much! :)

Centrifuge 2011 (Part 3)

Last week at camp I got to experience something pretty cool (well, pretty cool to me...). I got to see high school guys step up and lead. I know that might not seem like a huge deal to you, but that isn't something I get to see every day (although I must say that I have some friends who are wonderful godly leaders). It was so encouraging to see them lead team cheers, recreation, Bible Study, etc. I am so thankful that there are young Christian guys all over the country who are being wonderful leaders for Jesus!

On that same topic of leadership, God also reminded me of something I need to be better about...

For those of you who know me well, I tend to lead a little more than I follow (however, even though I like to lead, there are many times I need to follow other people's leadership). But last week I was reminded that I will officially be a Senior on August 1 (that's right...I start school on Monday). I will be among the oldest kids in my youth group and I need to make sure I am being the best leader that I can be. I remember being in middle school and even early high school and looking up to kids older than me. I watched everything they did, and I wanted to be just like them. So I need to remember that no matter what, younger kids are always watching me no matter what I'm doing.

Annie ♥

P.S. Sorry this post was kind of scatter-brained.

Centrifuge 2011 (Part 1)

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend Centrifuge at Union University with my youth group. For those of you not familiar with Centrifuge, it is a camp that Lifeway does at different locations throughout each summer. Hundreds of students go each week to learn more about God, connect with others, and just have fun. The whole theme for this year was "connect." We learned about connecting with the lost (people who do not know God in a personal wa and who do not have a relationship with Him), connecting with authority, connecting with family and friends, connecting with those that hurt us, and connecting with fellow believers.
I learned a lot while I was there so instead of one super duper long post, I'm going to do three over the next few days...

One of the days that really stood out to me was the first full day of camp. We learned about connecting to the lost. There were two passages of scripture that really meant something to me. One was from John 1:40-42...

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

The other one was from Matthew 4:18-22...

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.


In the first passage, we see that the very first thing Andrew did was tell his brother about Jesus and bring him to Him. How often do I have that urgency, the urgency to tell everyone (but especially my close family and friends) about Jesus and what He has done in my life? Sadly, it is not often enough and God convicted me about that last week.

In the second passage, Jesus calls Andrew and Peter and James and John to come follow Him. Each of them dropped everything they were doing and IMMEDIATELY follwed Jesus. Growing up I heard the phrase, "Delayed obedience is disobedience." Not only can we apply it to when those in authority here on Earth tell us to do something, but we can also use it in our spiritual walk with the Lord. How many times do I do exactly what God is telling me to do at the exact moment He is telling me to do it? A lot of times we make excuses and try to talk ourselves out of doing whatever God says the moment He is telling us to do it. But that isn't obedience because it's delayed. Also, they were all willing to give so much up for Jesus. They gave up jobs and an income, friends, family, and comfort in general. But they gave all of those things up because they knew following Jesus was worth it. I need to have that same attitude every day of my life. I need to be willing to give up anything and everything as well as drop whatever I am doing to immediatley obey what God is telling me to do.

Annie ♥

New Hour, New Day, New Year...

Well Happy New Year everyone!!! It's the start of a new year, as well as some new resolutions for some people. Have you ever wondered why we wait until a new year to change? Sure, I understand the tradition of it and all, but why not change NOW? We live in a society full of procrastinators (and yes I am one of them). We put everything off and say, "Oh, I'll do that later. I have time tomorrow." Do we ever get to the things when we say we will (well, besides my mother who gets most everything done when she says she will)? Most of the time we don't. A lot of times we do this same thing in our relationship with Christ. We say, "Oh, I'll do that later, God. I have time to speak to that person tomorrow. Maybe I'll change what You're telling me to change tomorrow...or next year." However, we aren't guaranteed a next year, or a tomorrow, or a next hour. We aren't even guaranteed our next breath.

13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” -James 4:13-15

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. -Proverbs 27:1

We really don't know what tomorrow holds. Therefore, we shouldn't act as is we are guaranteed tomorrow. Now we still need to live our daily lives to the fullest all for the glory of God, but we shouldn't think that we will see tomorrow. We should stop procrastinating because we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. We should stop waiting around to change until tomorrow or to read our Bible or to spend more time with God in prayer. We should start doing these things today...not wait until the next New Year's Day. Afterall, we have no clue when Jesus is coming back, and that could be before we get around to all of the changing we've been planning on doing.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. -2 Peter 3:10

In my Sunday School class at church we recently talked a lot about the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We talked about how wonderful it will be when He does come, but we also discussed how we should be prepared for that day. As the verse above says, we have no clue when Jesus will come back. When we think about a thief, we never expect his coming (now we can expect Jesus' return, we just don't know WHEN that is). And when the thief comes, he is here and gone before we even know what happened. However, we can be prepared for him (the thief). We can lock our doors and make sure we have an alarm set and a phone by our bed so we can call the police if it should ever happen. In the same way we can be preparing for Christ's return. We need to consistently read our Bible so we can guard our hearts against the enemy and so we can learn how God would like us to live. We need to be praying throughout our days so we can maintain a relationship with God...afterall, really the only way to have a relationship with someone is to talk to them, and the more you talk to that person the more you get to know that person. It's the same way in our relationship with God. We also need to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you [we] have (1 Peter 3:16). Afterall, for those of us who have accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and who have chosen to follow Him for the rest of our lives, we know the goodness and love and grace and mercy and compassion of God. So why aren't we always looking for ways to share it through our words and actions (and I'm talking to myself a lot on this one). I know it is a constant struggle to show God's love to everyone, especially to the cashier who's scanning everyone's items as slow as molasses and to the car that cut in front of us and to the girl or boy that is constantly putting people down. However, do you really want them to go to hell? And yes, I believe with all of my heart that hell is a real place, a place I don't want any of my friends to be. So are we preparing for Jesus' return in that way too...by telling and showing (because actions speak louder than words) who Jesus really is to the world?

So don't wait until the last minute (or the New Year) and be a procrastinator...start changing today, loving people the way God wants you to love them, and anything else He's been convicting you of lately.

Annie ♥

Freedoms

"Why don't we use our freedoms and liberties that so many people fought and died for?"


This quote came to me from a man who came to speak to my church family and me one Sunday at the end of May. The thought of it is so fascinating and, at times, earth-shattering. When you think about it, it gets you to analyze how we, as Americans and Christians, use our American freedoms in our daily life to live out our Faith. We have to ask ourselves, "What am I doing in my daily life to make sure I don't let those freedoms go to waste?" Part of using our freedoms consists of being conscious of our actions. Be intentional of how you live. And continue to use the freedoms our country was built upon and the freedoms men and women fought and died for in order to give us a better life. If we don't, we might wake up one day and find ourselves without the freedoms and justices that are so important to us.

Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV

P.S. I know it is past the Fourth of July, but I believe anytime is a good time to talk about our freedoms, especially before the start of a new school year filled with opportunities to use them.

Two Weeks and Four Days...

There are only two weeks and four days left until school starts again for me. And other schools are not far behind. This is only about half a month to eat, sleep, and finish summer reading. All we have left is two and a half weeks to travel with family and friends. School will be here before you know it. Life is too short in which to waste these two weeks and four days. We should all be preparing for this next school year, this next phase of life. For me, I will be a junior and have to seriously start looking at colleges. I have the ACT and SAT to take. I have one more year with my friends who will be seniors. But more importantly, I look forward to another year to be an example of who God is. I have another year where I can grow spiritually, pray, and be a leader for Christ. Am I guaranteed this next year? No. I, along with everyone else on Earth, am not even guaranteed my next breath. But I will try my best to live for God and not loose sight of Him for every moment He allows me.