Posted by Posted in 100 Hard Things Challenge, Books to Read, challenges, character, do hard things, Family, Living for God, me, myth of adolescence, teens, teens doing big things, the rebelution, words

#22- Began An Auto Upkeep Book

So if you hang out at the Bower’s, you may see that our schooling takes initiative and self control. Our parents philosophy is “teach them to learn, and let em’ learn!” If there is a certain subject we want to study, we find books and study on that topic. We have oodles of books in our house and sometimes browsing our shelves can start the pursuit of a new project or skill or subject to learn about. Our parents have also really wanted us to know about auto upkeep and how to be able to do basic auto work. I am good with my hands and after finding a book in our shelves I started working on it. This was hard because the first chapter (vehicle identification and the history of cars) seemed boring and the book sat on my school shelf for a while before I picked it up and started doing it. It turned out to be great. There’s a reason God gave you a brain. To learn about Him, the things He has made and enjoy it! Once you grasp the idea that any kind of learning is learning about God (math, science, history etc.) you are on the right track and you have true brain power!

Priscilla

Posted by Posted in 100 Hard Things Challenge, abortion, challenges, do hard things, faith, gospel and outreach, Living for God, myth of adolescence, teens, teens doing big things, the rebelution, words

#18- Spoke on Microphone at Abortion Clinic

So..at the abortion clinic last week I spoke on the microphone for the first time. The mamas inside can hear whatever is said on the microphone. Recently, my sister and I wrote letters to the unborn, my mom encouraged us to share them at the clinic the next time we went. I will admit that I was a bit nervous to get on that microphone. But after asking the Lord for boldness and thinking about how what I was sharing could impact those inside, my fear left me. I was so blessed to be able to share God’s love to the mothers inside. Lord, let your will and not mine be done. Thank you.

Priscilla

Posted by Posted in Bible, faith, Home, Living for God, the cross, words

Take Up Thy Cross… and Follow Me

The cross. What does it mean to you? Lets take a look at what the cross is for us today:

The Cross is Hope

The Cross is a symbol of the hope that we have in Jesus. For years the Jews waited and hoped for a Messiah. Jesus was the promise that they had hoped for. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned the only hope we could cling to was that someone would come deliver us from the slavery and bondage of sin. When Jesus died for our sins on the cross he fulfilled that hope and came to deliver us.

The Cross is Redemption

When we see a picture of the cross, we can see it as a picture of redemption. It holds the impossible truth and idea that someone higher than us would come and put down their perfect life for us. Not only did he redeem us, he brought us up with him and gave us the chance to be sons and heirs of him. (Galatians 4:4-7)

The Cross is Love

The Cross is also a symbol of love. Not only did Christ redeem us (see above), but he did it in love. (John 15:13) Why should he die for us? Because he loves us. These lyrics from David Crowder Band’s song “How He Loves” says it all.

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us, oh,
Oh, how He loves us,
How He loves us all

The Cross is Blood, Sweat and Tears

As Christians we do not just glory in the Cross, we take it up. We walk with it. (Matthew 10:38, Mark 8:34) We share the glory of it with others by bringing our cross to them. When you take up your cross and follow Jesus you lose your old self too. (“Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34b) Holding a cross is no easy thing as we see in Luke 23:26. When Jesus was being crucified and he was carrying his cross up the hill, Simon of Cyrene was forced to come help him! But as Christ-followers we follow Jesus everywhere, even up on to a cross. Following Christ is not always easy, but it is worth it.

The Cross is Beautiful

To the Romans, a picture of the cross was horrid. It symbolized the most horrific sort of death. They looked at it the way we look at pictures of torture machines, guillotines, gallows, etc. But why do Christians today have pictures of crosses in their houses, bumper stickers of crosses and t-shirts all proudly displaying a cross? Why do we not look at the cross the way we look at other torture machines in history? Because of one man who died on one. Because Jesus, God’s perfect holy son came down from heaven and forever made the cross a picture of hope and beauty.

The Cross Makes us Free

In Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan, Christian, a man fleeing the City of Destruction has a burden on his back. When he reaches the cross the burden (of sin) falls off. He is free of the burden which he has carried on his back for years. (Matthew 11:28) The promise of the cross can free us from all past sin and give us salvation in Christ.

Now how about some lyrics for a good end.. 😉

Hillsong United- Lead Me to the Cross

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption’s hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

[Chorus:]
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

Chris Tomlin- At the Cross

There’s a place where mercy reigns and never dies,
There’s a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide.
Where all the love I’ve ever found,
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

[Chorus:]
At the cross
At the cross
I surrender my life.
I’m in awe of You
I’m in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
and my sin washed white.
I owe all to You
I owe all to You Jesus.

There’s a place where sin and shame are powerless.
Where my heart has peace with God and forgiveness.
Where all the love I’ve ever found.
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

[Chorus]

Here my hope is found
Here on holy ground
Here I bow down
Here arms open wide
Here You save my life
Here I bow down
Here I bow down

O Lord, thank you for sending your son down to die on the lovely, beautiful cross that redeems, gives hope, freedom, blood, sweat and tears. Thank you for the cross!

Priscilla

Posted by Posted in 100 Hard Things Challenge, Bible, challenges, do hard things, faith, Home, Living for God, myth of adolescence, teens, teens doing big things, the rebelution, words

#13- Started Taking Sermon Notes

For the longest time I didn’t take notes. It was too much of a hassle getting a notebook and a pen that actually worked! Much easier to just sit and listen and take home a phrase that stuck out to me. No. That’s not good. How about actually writing the information down and reviewing it later in the week. Taking notes, a rather simple thing can be quite helpful in your Christian walk. It helps you glean from others wisdom and be able to take home their wisdom and live it out in your daily life. Sermon notes are not just for old people or little children who are bored, so they color in the service. When we were young, our parents would have us sit in the service with them and also draw a picture about what we were hearing. If the sermon was on Abraham then we would draw a picture of Abraham. When we are older we can start taking notes about what we were learning. My hard thing was starting back up on this habit of taking notes in Sunday service. Oh how much we can learn by doing simple things like this!

Priscilla

“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teachings, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

Proverbs 1:8-9

Posted by Posted in 100 Hard Things Challenge, Bible, Bible attributes, Bible characteristics, challenges, do hard things, faith, Home, I was thinking..., Living for God, me, myth of adolescence, stuff to do, teens, teens doing big things, the rebelution, time, words

#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