Personal Struggles

Everyone struggles with something whether it be something big or small. Everyone has that one thing that they struggle with and no matter how hard they try to stop they never can seem to. Some people are addicted to their cell phones, some people are alcoholics or drug addicts maybe you cuss and don't how to stop whatever your personal struggle maybe you can always turn to God for help. You don't know what someone else might struggle with so watch what you do and say around everyone you could cuss on accident and get that person to cuss again. You never know how your actions can affect someone else.

Standing Out

As a teenager it is not likely you want to stand out! If you do want to stand out it's not by the things it should be it's things like what you wear, who you hang out with, and how cool you are. As Christians we need to be focused on how we appear to others. Instead of wearing clothes that are so revealing making you look like you should be on a R rated movie dress with class you can stand out with what you wear by covering up. You don't have to dress like you have no sense. When being a Christian it matters who you surround your self by if you surround your self with people who cuss, do drugs, etc. then it will eventually rub off on you. It doesn't matter how "cool" you are or people think you are you will be better off with being yourself and surrounding yourself with people that will lift you up as a Christian. As Christians we are supposed to be the light of the world a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. Use your light for good don't lead people astray!

Abortions

Abortions started in the 19th century. Since then 56,405,766 innocent lives have been taken! These babies have done nothing wrong! If the women didn't want to have kids then they shouldn't have put themselves in that situation! It makes me sick thinking that some one could be so self centered they would do something that's in humane. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL? IF YOU DON'T WANT KIDS DON'T GET PREGNANT! If you get pregnant then just put the child or children up for adoption! If you can kill a child then walk away like you did nothing wrong you are sick! These babies have souls! They deserve to live! How do you think you would have felt if your own mother killed you!!!!!?? I don't care if you got pregnant as a teenager, out of wedlock, you slept with someone who wasn't your husband you better have that child if you didn't want to get pregnant you shouldn't have taken the chance by having sex! That is NO ONE'S FAULT BUT YOURS! IF YOU GET RAPED YOU CAN STILL HAVE THE BABY IF YOU DON'T WANT IT THEN PUT IT UP FOR ADOPTION BECAUSE THE INCIDENT ISN'T THEIR FAULT ITS THE IDIOT WHO RAPED YOU! There is plenty of families who would love to adopt so don't kill the child! Killing is a sin! That baby is a baby as soon as it is conceived it is a human life! STOP TAKING INNOCENT BABIES LIVES! WE AS A NATION NEED TO FIGHT BACK AND MAKE ABORTION ILLEGAL AGAIN! ABORTION IS SICKENING AND WRONG!! LET'S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY CHANGE THE LAW AND PROTECT THESE INNOCENT BABIES! LETS HELP AND KEEP THEM SAFE! LETS GIVE THEM A CHANCE WHEN THEIR OWN MOTHERS DON'T WANT TO!

Standing Alone

Have you ever felt like you were all alone? Like everyone in the whole entire World is against you ? Like you have no one you can turn to? Being a teenager and starting my senior year of high school I feel like this a lot. People I thought were my best friends acting different, get looked at strange for not going along with the crowd, get made fun of and looked at strange when I sing out in a church setting, get talked about when all I try do is help someone because I'm older then them and I know how hard things can get, and feel like have no one to talk to. There is a song that we often sing at our church called Where No One Stands Alone. This song always reminds me that yes I get to where all I want to do is cry at times but I am not alone and neither are you. We truly have a friend in Jesus. No matter how bad things get and how much you feel like you have no one to turn to you always have God.

My Country Tis of Thee

"My country tis of thee sweet land of liberty of thee I sing. Land where my Fathers died land of the Pilgrims pride from every mountain side let freedom ring." "Our father's God to thee author of liberty to thee we sing. Long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light protect us by thy might Great God our King." The Bible says in Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Our nation has taken for granted the freedom we did have and changed to being just like everyone else! What is the world coming to when you can't even stand up for what's right and you get in serious trouble for not going along with the new law that allows same sex marriage!? GOD IS REAL! I'M SORRY ATHEISTS  BUT WHEN HE COMES BACK YOU WONT GET A SECOND CHANCE! GOD MADE MARRIAGE TO BE BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN NOT A MAN AND A MAN OR A WOMAN AND A WOMAN OR MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN ONE MARRIAGE! Genesis 2:22-24 says Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. That was in the beginning with Adam and Eve! God didn't make marriage for you to have sex with everyone you want to God didn't make marriage for same sexes! God will come back one day and when he does he's not going to hold back his rage ! And for ever one out there punishing Christians for standing up for their believes oh just wait on it because when you have to face God on judgement day you will feel his wrath ! For those of you out there reading this feeling the persecution for standing up for your beliefs I encourage you to keep pushing through look at what God pushed through ending with being crucified on the cross ! Stay strong and keep the faith ! Great is your reward in Heaven! I suggest everyone get their life right today that includes each and every leader of the country whose doing nothing but changing the way the country has been run for so long and concerned with themselves! Get a life and stop ruining everyone else's! Get your life right with God as soon as possible stand up for what's right and all of you Christians out there CONTINUE TO FIGHT BACK FOR WHATS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD AND OBAMA AND THE REST OF YOU OUT THERE SUPPORTING ALL OF THIS NONSENSE OPEN UP A BIBLE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE ! Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals you were NOT BORN THAT WAY ITS JUST SIN YOU ARE GIVING INTO! Get your life together people!

Being A Leader

This year I am in several different leadership positions at school. I am a senior, I am senior class secretary, and I am a section leader in the band. When you become a leader you are taking on great responsibility. You have to be on your best behavior at all times. You constantly have people watching you. You can NEVER make excuses if you do everyone else will follow you. Not everyone can be a leader in school or sports or even in your group of friends but you can lead for God. There is several different examples in the Bible showing us great leaders for God. You don't have to be the best but you always have to be on your best behavior because there is always someone watching you especially non-Christians. Do you honestly think that if you are going out and getting drunk at parties or going to work or school and cussing or doing some other sin that it will influence someone for the better. NO it won't! The Bible tells us how we are supposed to act and yes we will slip up sometimes we can still aim to be the best leader we can be. I would hate to know someone went to hell because they thought it was okay to participate in a certain sin because they saw me doing it as well. Could you honestly live with yourself ? Could you honestly live with the fact knowing someone had a question but were to afraid to ask you because of how you presented yourself? Could you live with yourself knowing that someone was uncomfortable when they visited the Church because of how you treated them? Be a leader and lead for God! So think to yourself what kind of leader are you? Are you a leader for God?

Commitments

Have you ever committed to something? Now I mean really committed to something. Now days people can't even commit to what color they want to wear. They go out get married and get divorced the next day. God set up marriage for until death do y'all part not until Sue makes Steve mad. If you don't go into a marriage thinking about the rest of your lives then you shouldn't be married at all. If you can't commit yourself to something small how can you expect to commit yourself to God. "For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son." God sent his son for us and people have the audacity to doubt him and challenge his existence. Like really? Come on now. God committed his son to die on the cross but people struggle to even decide to give their life over to him. Don't wait around until it's too late commit to him ASAP! He will be here soon and when he comes what are you going to do say I'm sorry God I had/have commitment issues? I think not! It won't matter to God if you have commitment issues or not it all comes down to did you live your life in a way pleasing to God! 

Strength

Many people depend on other people for their strength. Teenagers often think that a person they are in a relationship with gives them their strength. People don't get their strength from anything on this Earth. We get our strength from God. Like the song goes " You are my strength when I am weak your the treasure that I seek you are my all in all. God has been here for us ever since we were in our mothers womb. He never left our side when we made a mistake. God is our strength!!!!

Staying True to Yourself

I am about to be a senior in high school. That is a big accomplishment for me considering some people haven't even made it this far. Most people my age have lost themselves a long time ago. People tend to lose themselves when things get hard. You could be one of the best Christians in the world but get addicted to pain pills after being in the hospital. Some one could be a great person but get caught up with the wrong people and start going out and killing people. Just because bad things happen don't mean you have to let them over take you. YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON! NOBODY controls you but YOU! God don't put more on you then you can handle. If I didn't have God on my side I would have lost myself a long time. Everyone has been through a lot I've lost loved ones, had an anxiety attack, been bullied but I'm stronger than ever maybe not physically but I am mentally and spiritually. You got to learn to grow from experiences not shrink from them because God is by our side through it all!

Encouraging vs. Decouraging

Do you understand the meaning of encouragement? I mean really understand it. When you are a part of a church you are supposed to encourage and build up your brothers and sisters in Christ not criticize everything they do. According to google the definition of encouragement is to give someone support or confidence. Decouraging someone on the other hand means to bring some one down. Words hurt more then you think. What you say to someone might determine whether they come back to the church or not. People fail to remember at times that nobody is perfect on this world. You can encourage someone without being mean and rude about it, and before you start telling other people what they should and shouldn't be doing you need to clean out your own door step. We have been taught our whole lives to treat people how you want to be treated but people seem to forget that. You go out to places and people are rude and hateful. There's no need for someone to be rude to someone because they lack knowledge of what's going on. Worry about what you need to work on first then try to criticize others. Just because someone is younger than you don't mean they are any worse off then you are. They might surprise you one day. Be slower to be hateful and criticize and quicker to listen. You never know what someone is going through the last thing you said to them could be what pushes them over the edge.

Convention 2015

Well the Lads to Leaders convention for 2015 is officially over. I had so much fun at the convention in Nashville this weekend. I've seen so many people I haven't seen in what feels like forever and made new friends I will never forget. This year my congregation even participated in puppets for the first time! Never thought I would we are the Sylvan Springs Church of Christ puppet team! This year I got second on my blog, first on my painting, 2nd on PowerPoint, 3rd on article editorial, a trophy for learning 100 memory verses, second place in song of praise, top 10 highest score for the pearls test, Johnathon Bourland platinum for good samritans, a medal for read the word, beads for keepers, and I even carried the banner! Lads to Leaders is a great experience for any and everyone! You don't have to be a child or teenager to help or participate in some kind of way! I am so appreciative of everything I recevied this weekend and I  have learned so much this weekend! I would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped me, encouraged me, and has been there for me no matter what!

Getting Ready to Go

As of right now we are all packed for convention and after church we will be loading the car. There is so many details that go into the preparation for Lads to Leaders. Shirts are made, papers are filled out, events are taken care of, practices are held, packing is done. It takes a lot of effort to make Lads to Leaders happen. So many times we put more effort in things that are going on throughout the day then we do towards what should be our major goal...Going to Heaven. People go through life doing the least amount of what's require as possible just to make sure they get by. People go throughout life cussing, lying, stealing, lusting, etc. but still think they will go to Heaven. Just like you have to prepare to go on a trip or go to a competition you have to prepare for the day that He will return. The day that we will have to account for our sins is going to be the most important day of our lives. We have to prepare. You can't expect to go through life doing whatever in the World we want to and expect to go to Heaven when the day of judgement comes we need a serious reality check. 

Carrying The Banner

This year me and Addi are carrying the banner at convention! This is so exciting and I really CAN'T wait! With next year being my last year carrying the banner this year is really important to me! I really appreciate being chosen this year!

Counting Down

We are just four days away and we will be on our way to convention! I'm so excited. I've gotten everything done now just to practice practice practice! Convention is the best thing of any year! I hope everyone has a safe trip to convention! Can't wait to see you there!

No Such Thing As Can't

The actual definition of can't is cannot.v
 People always say that they can't do something. I CAN'T do my work because I'm to dumb. I CAN'T put the bowl up because I'm too short. I CAN'T sing in church because I have a bad voice. These are all excuses people use. There is example after example where someone was given a hard task but guess what they still did them! Even Jonah did what he was told. Yes it took him to be swallowed by a whale but he still got the job done. What will it take for you to get the job done?? Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." People always use can't when they think about spreading the Gospel. Where I go to school and how I've been taught there IS NO SUCH THING AS CAN'T! 

When Was The Last Time You Paid Attention In Church?

When was the last time you paid attention in church? Was it during the last worship service? Two weeks ago? A month ago? A year ago? You should be entirely focused on the lesson EVERY  worship service! You might not think the lesson at that time has something to do with you but it probably does. Sorry to tell you this but the only person that was ever perfect died and rose from his grave. You go to church for a reason. That reason isn't to text, or play games, or think about what's going to happen tomorrow. Why worry about tomorrow when you can barely pay attention to what's going on today? Christ never lost sight of the bigger picture! He died on the cross for us! So we could have forgiveness for our sins but we have problems focusing in church. You never know what affect the sermon preached or a lesson taught will have on you. Stop saying you can't and just do I promise it won't kill you to help spread the Gospel!