#8- Decided to stop reading the ‘Peeved section’

Our town newspaper, the Mooresville tribune is delivered to us every Friday. I don’t usually read much of it, I skim the contents, read the ‘Peeved’ section and put it down. The ‘Peeved’ section is basically where people in Mooresville can enter complaints to the newspaper and they get published. Yeah. At first it was funny to read people’s rants, then it got ridiculous and then today I read the ‘Peeved’ section for the last time. Literally. My hard thing today was a personal decision to stop reading the ‘Peeved’ section. I used to do it just for fun but reading material like that isn’t uplifting. Doesn’t it say in Phillipians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!” Or “Whatever is true and honorable, think on these things.” Is it truly honorable to be reading complaints? I can use that time to read the Bible. Which is the second part of my hard thing. When I see the newspaper sitting around and I am tempted to go read it, instead I will go get my Bible and find a good chapter to read instead. Think about what things you read, watch and listen to that is not honorable and then change.

Priscilla

#7- Took Initiative in the Kitchen

So my hard thing today was to take 30 minutes of my time and take some initiative. Taking the garbage and recycling out, snapping the green beans and going to pick all the garden produce. Simple acts like this can make a big difference to some people like our parents. Ephesians 6:2 says “Honor your mother and father…” We can do this by doing little things like helping out where we can. I think about it and I go… “hmm my Mom makes me three meals a day, has home schooled me since preschool, taxis me around everywhere, loves me, supports me and teaches me to be a godly young woman. And my Dad, he goes to work to provide for my meals, our home and everything else, he leads our family, he gives me books to read and projects to do, he loves me, supports me, and teaches me how to be a godly young woman. They both embrace my crazy ideas and are dedicated to help me learn and grow. They love each other, me and my siblings. They do so much for me, why don’t I do something for them? Something as simple as kitchen chores… When you see something that needs to be done, do it, you don’t know who you will bless. 🙂

Priscilla

Faith is…???

What is faith? Recently in school I have been doing a word study on the word. I studied the word in the book of Galatians and a Bible dictionary. Here is what I found:

(the book of Galatians)

Faith is…

-how we are justified (Gal. 2:16a,3:11)
-how we live in Christ (Gal. 2:20, 3:11)
-how we are the sons of Abraham (Gal. 3:7)
-a gift (Gal. 3:25-26)
-how we are sons of God (Gal. 3:25-26)

I want to encourage you to look up the verses too. 🙂

(the Bible dictionary)

Faith is…

-a confident will toward God
-genuine saving faith is a personal attachment to Christ
-reliance on Christ and commitment to him
-saving faith involves personally depending on the finished work of Christ
-personal commitment of one’s life to follow ghrist
-teachings of the Bible
-true faith is confidence in God or Christ, not in oneself

Let us rejoice at these great truths!

Priscilla

#6-Made a list of 15 “christian” books I would like to read

I decided to make a list of books I wouldn’t normally read but I should read, and read them! So I went around the what seems like hundreds of book shelves in our house and found 15 books I would like to read. (There are a couple other books my Dad gave me to read that are not included in the initial 15…) Here they are!!!

1. The Passion of Jesus Christ by John Piper
2. Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
3. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
4. Questioning Evangelism by Randy Newman
5. The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
6. Cleared for Takeoff by Bob Griffin
7. Radical by David Platt
8. Enjoy Your Bible by Irving L. Jensen
9. Bloodwork by Anthony J. Carter
10. War of Words by Paul David Tripp
11. Worldliness by C.J. Mahaney
12. Created for Work by Bob Shultz (this book was geared toward boys but I remember reading it as a family a long time ago and wanted to reread it…)
13. A Little Book for New Theologians by Kelly M. Kapis
14. 52 Ways to Know Your Bible Better (unknown author)
15. The Serving Leader by Jennings and Stahl-wert

The books my Dad gave me to read are:

1. Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper (almost finished with it now!)
2. Concise Theology by J.I. Packer
3. Whats in the Bible by R.C. Sproul and Robert Wolgemuth

There are lots of good books out there! And no, theology and “christian” books are not just for grownups and pastors. Us teens can learn a lot from these sort of books. (Max Lucado does have some great “christian” books written just for teens. I have read “Wild Grace” and “Facing Your Giants” Both are really good and I would totally recommend them)

Thanks for taking some time to read this post! Now maybe you can go read some other good things too! 🙂

Priscilla

You are precious- Isaiah 43:1-7

Have you ever doubted that God loved you? Let this verse encourage you…

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel : “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, you Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom , Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you. I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will breing your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say the the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, who I formed and made.”

Isaiah 43:1-7

These verses are an amazing account of God’s love for us! Yeah!!!

Priscilla