Great Book

     This is a great book just in case anyone was wondering. I think everyone should read it. I have added it to my daily devotional reading. It is not just for the leaders of tomorrow, but also for the leaders of today. I personally am not one to like to read books, but this one is very well written and I am enjoying it immensely.

Next Generation Leaders

by Andy Stanley

Remembering Scriptures

     John 16:33; In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have over come the world.

     Jesus conquered all, so whom shall I fear?

     Jesus let us know that trouble will come because he is an honest gentleman. He also gave us hope and peace by saying those words. If only I could remember this scripture and quote it to myself in my times of need, then all my fear would melt away and I would feel comforted. I would have faith again that I can leave everything in Jesus's hand because he has the ultimate power. I think when I grow up and get my own house, I will cover my bedroom walls with scriptures written in really cool different fonts. Then I would be surrounded by the word as I sleep. I would see those scriptures every day and remember them when I am in need.

     Dear Jesus,
           Please help me to remember your words so that I can have peace; and so that I can cast all my anxiety on you, because I know you care for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

Amen         

~Daughter of the Light~

He Was Thinking Of Me

     H. John 13:1; It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

     E. Jesus was going to die on the cross to save all of humanity.

     A. As I read this scripture this morning, I couldn't help but wonder, was Jesus thinking about me when he died? I wonder if, as he was being whipped and carrying his cross if he was thinking, "This will all be worth it because I know in the future, Kelsey will believe in me. She is worth it." I wonder if Jesus was thinking of every little boy and girl who would put their faith in him, and that comforted him a bit. But then, as he held that cross and walked up that hill, he thought of all those little boys and girls would would turn away and follow their own, worldly path. With this thought, he fell to the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. The soldiers around him thought he was physically weak, so they called a man from the crowd to carry the cross for him. Little did they know that the one on the ground was God's son. If it had been God's will, he could have had all the strength in the world.

     As Jesus was down in the dust, he opened his mouth to plead with his heavenly father, but then he remembered. He remembered that in the future, those boys and girls who grew up and turned away from him would come back. They would be scared from the bad choices they had made, but they would come back. Jesus knew that in order for him to later wash all those scared hearts clean and give those boys and girls his perfect peace, he would have to die for them. He rose up and began walking again though the soldiers teased and kicked him. Jesus thought of every night that would take place when a child of God would feel rejected and alone. As a nail went through his hand, he held on with the joy he knew would come when he would be able to comfort that child and say, "Believe in me, and you will have everlasting life."

     The cross was heaved up on that hill, and as his body hung from it, he knew that this was not the end, but the beginning. He had to do this for those he loved. He had to show everyone, that when the beginning of your life is rough, just hold on because you will have an even more beautiful ending. Or, if the beginning of your life is great, and kings are bowing down to you, trouble still comes; BUT...

Take Heart, For I Have Overcome the World!

~Daughter of the Light~

Purpose

     H. John 10:40-43; Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” And in that place many believed in Jesus.

     E. You don't have to perform miraculous signs in order to speak the truth. John changed many people's lives just by talking and telling about Jesus.

     A. I may never heal someone or have the power to walk on water, but I can tell others about Jesus. I can pray for them too. If John had not gone ahead of Jesus, less people would have accepted and believed in Jesus. I have a purpose. It is a purpose that is not better but not less than any other purpose. It is different than most others. I do not have to do miracles to make a difference or fulfill my purpose in this world. I have to listen to what I am being called to do, and do it without complaint.

     R. Dear God,

                   Please help me to pray more and not try to take everything on myself. Remind me that it is you who initiates people's hears. I am here to make a difference the way you want me to make a difference, because in myself, I can do nothing, but with you, I can do anything. Thank you.

Amen

~Daughter of the Light~

Being Blind is not always a Bad Thing

    Highlight-  John 9:1-3; As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

     Explain-  When bad things happen to you, remember that God can shine when you are humble. Through your weakness, he can show himself to others.

     Apply-  It can be so hard to understand why things happen the way they do, but even when I am confused, I am going to trust God to take care of it. This man who was blind had not done anything wrong, yet he was unable to see. He did not question Jesus and say, "Why did this happen to me? It's not fair." I know I have said those words on many occasions. He praised Jesus when he was healed. I should praise God every day because I am not blind, but I have taken so much for granted. Whenever something terrible happens to me, I am going to trust God. Though my weakness, he is strong.

     Respond-  Dear God,

                            Thank you that I can see. Help me to trust you even when I can't see. When I don't understand, when I'm blind, help me not to be stressed or angry, but know that you will take care of me, just like you always do.

Amen

~Daughter of the Light

Keep Pressing On

      Highlight-

                     2 Timothy 4:2-5; Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

     Explain-

                 Others in this world will fall away from God but stand your ground. Keep on doing what you know God has called you to do.

     Apply-

                This was encouraging for me to hear. Yesterday I spent more than an hour in tears, for I was grieving for my friends. Most all of my closest friends are straying away from God. They are making choices that are destroying their lives, and they are rejecting me in the process. They tell me they love me, and then bash me in the face. I know we are not all called to do the same thing, but they are going taking paths that are not healthy at all. That surely is not their calling. I feel so helpless. All I can do is pray and trust God to take care of it. I'm not the kind of girl that likes to do that. I like to be in the action. I like to feel the power of accomplishing things myself. But here I am, forced to be humble and beg God to save my friends' lives.

     Respond- 

                    Dear Jesus,

                                     Please guide my friends. They are falling away from you and they need you back. They still want to have relationships with you; but frankly, they do not know how nor do they wish to put in any effort. Help them. Help me be a kind, loving friend. Encouraging. Give me wisdom to know how to talk to them, what to say. Give them mentors in their lives who will speak truth and life into them. Give them more friends than just me to lift them up and encourage them to move back onto the right path. I cannot do this alone, God. I need your help. Please help me.

~Daughter of the Light

Prayers

Well Blog Readers,
     My mom is in the hospital for the second time this week. She has something that is blocking her gallbladder which means she cannot digest food properly. Her gallbladder has been having spasms (causing her to vomit and not be able to stop vomiting all last evening) and the gallbladder needs to be removed; but there is such a line for surgery that she has had a hard time getting in. My dad was looking in to everything he could, so they are at a Hospital hoping that she can get her surgery done and not be in any more pain. Please pray for her.
I ask that you also pray for my siblings. They were both in tears last night when my parents left for the hospital. They seem really scared. For some reason, I'm not. It is a strange feeling. I haven't cried for my mother at all, which is so unlike me. My brother told my pastor that I was probably taking this all the hardest because I'm so compassionate, but I don't feel anything except certain that God is going to take care of my mom. I have for sure seen how valuable my mom is and how thankful I am to have such a mom, but I haven't been in tears like I was the last time she was hurt.
I am sort of mad at myself for not being in tears. Am I being insensitive? I have asked if there was anything I could do to help her and have always been told, 'no'. I have prayed and prayed for her. That is all I can think of doing to help her. I have no fear of her dying. I know everything is going to be all right. I seriously have no doubt in my mind. But am I being insensitive by not crying? I don't really want to cry because it makes me sad. But how can I be happy when my mom is in such serious pain? It seems so wrong.
Last night, I prayed with two of my siblings as they were in tears. I thanked God for all the people who were praying for my mom. I thanked him because I knew he was going to heal my mom. I wasn't sure what else I should have said. I trust him to take care of my mom just like he has done her whole life.

~Daughter of the Light

Psalm 139:1-10

 You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

    you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue

    you, Lord, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before,

    and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast.

My Life Scripture

Psalm 94:17-19

Psalm 94:17:19;

 Unless the Lord had given me help,

    I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”

    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

19 When anxiety was great within me,

    your consolation brought me joy.

     Trust in the Lord. Call on him when you are in need and he will help you.

     There is no need to worry. God is just as much in control of the world now as he has ever been.There is no need to fear. Focus on the Lord and he will make your path straight. He will take care of you because he is a compassionate, faithful God. His love is so big. He wants to spoil you, but you have to humble yourself first. You have to ask for help first. Otherwise he will keep standing at the door and knocking.

Challenge

Dear Friends,
    I challenge you to do the same thing I am challenging myself to do. Despite the difficulty, I stuck pictures in to the challenge so perhaps it will look more inviting. I feel like if I could get really good at these traits, I would be a much better friend.



Be Reliable

Try not to be the kind of friend that is too busy to spend time with her friends. Make sure you are there for her when she needs you. When she is with you, try to make her feel safe. No matter what happens, she'll know you are the friend she can rely on.

Dare to be Bold
Be willing to stand alone.Do what is right even when no one else will.









But Don't be Stupid
God gave you a brain. Use it. Don't get so caught up in yourself that you think you are invincible. Remember, other people will be looking at you and mimicking what you do.










Be Compassionate
Even when your friend doesn't make sense. Even when she has made stupid decisions that you warned her not to do, still be compassionate. Don't be prideful and think of yourself as better. We all make mistakes. We all go through hard times. Comfort your friend and let her not get overcome with depressing thoughts. Remind her to focus her eyes on God.







Be Encouraging
When your friend is successful, tell her what a great job she did. We all could use more people who compliment and encourage.

God will Judge, so we don't need to

Proverb 28:18;

He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

1. A Godly man prospers, but the wicked will suddenly meet their end.
2. I really like how it said suddenly will fall. It will happen when you least expect it. Some beg God to kill the evil men in this world would die soon, but God will take care of them in his perfect timing. Everyone will receive judgment one day, so it is best to just make sure that you are doing what is right. Like it says in the Bible, worry about the log in your own eye instead of the speck in your neighbor's eye.
3. Dear Jesus,

                 Please forgive me for thinking myself better than others. People help me to take care of my own sins before I judge others. You are the one, honest judge. I will leave that job for you. Help me to be able to encourage others to trust you to take care of the corrupt people around us too.
In Jesus name,
Amen

~Daughter of the Light

His Plans For Me

Proverb 19:21;

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

     This is hard for me to hear sometimes. I know that the Lord has greater plans for me than I could ever dream of, but I have some pretty good plans for me too. I know the plans I have for me and I know they are safe and totally what I love doing. Sometimes I tell myself that those have to be God's plans for me because they are so good, but I have a feeling he has something else for me. It scares me a little which is terrible. Why should I be scared of something amazing that is going to happen to me. I guess it is because I am afraid of the unknown. I am a control freak. I need to work on trusting God and being okay when he tells me to stop what I am doing because it is not his plan.

Jeremiah 29:11;

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~Daughter of the Light

Forgiveness

     I have some friends who has been bullied. They have been forced in to some very negative situations, and because of that they say they will never forgive these people. As a friend, that concerns me. It says in the Bible that if you don't forgive your enemies, the Lord will not forgive you. I am not really sure what to tell my friends, but if anyone reading this needs a bit of encouragement to forgive their neighbor, I find this verse very helpful:
    Romans 12:20;

If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.  

~Daughter of the Light

Proverb 13:3; 

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,

    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.

     Words have power. If you don't watch what you say, you will get yourself in trouble. I have done this numerous times because I like talking. I go on and on and then realize I have said way too much.

Proverb 14:31;

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,

    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

     We should take care of the poor like we are taking care of Jesus.

Proverb 15:10;

The one who hates correction will die.

     Well, that seems a little harsh, but it gets straight to the point. If you listen and obey when you are warned, you are better off than being rebellious and doing things your won way.

Proverb 15:30;

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.

     It is the little things that count. Smiling makes a person actually feel happier and when you smile at someone else, sometimes it can turn their whole day around from being bad to good. Nothing evil can come out of a smile.

Proverb

Proverb 11:4+17;

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

Observe- The Almighty Dollar. It can bring so much joy and happiness for the moment, but when it all boils down, it is just a piece of paper. Why work yourself to death for something that can not bring you lasting pleasure? Why hold on? Why make yourself enslaved to it if it cannot save you?

Those who are kind benefit themselves,

    but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.

Observe- It is true. By being greedy, you are not helping yourself.With kindness, others respect you and will show you kindness.

Proverb 12:9+16;

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant

    than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

Observe- It is best to be who God wants made you to be. He made you that person for a reason whether that reason is clear to you or not.

Apply- In my acting class we say, there are no small parts, just small actors. In real life, people get depressed because they think they are not special , but you make yourself special. It is up to you.

Fools show their annoyance at once,

    but the prudent overlook an insult.

Observe- People make mistakes and words come out without being meant. It is best to not to take offence to them.

Proverbs of Solomon

Proverb 10;

A wise son brings joy to his father,

    but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,

    but righteousness delivers from death.

      Observe- When you disobey the rules and steal or cheat, it is not worth it. All the treasure you earn is not worth fighting for.

     Apply- Righteousness delivers from death. Righteousness has so much power that it can concur death. If a whole bunch of righteous people got together to fight against evil, they would be invincible. Why then do we not stand for what is right, but are passive to the ways of our corrupt world?

3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,

    but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

     Observe- God will take care of his people.

      Apply- We know God will thwart the plans of he wicked, but sometimes we get impatient. We need to remember that he is God and we are not. He will do what is best in the perfect timing.

4 Lazy hands make for poverty,

    but diligent hands bring wealth.

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,

    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

     Observe- This sounds almost like one of Jesus' parables. The wise son is awake a working hard waiting for the end of the world while the foolish son is the man who is asleep when Jesus comes back. The wise son will go to heaven and the foolish will not.

6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,

    but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,

    but the name of the wicked will rot.

8 The wise in heart accept commands,

    but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

     Observe- Talking is not always bad, but when it is causing you to stop listening to the wisdom from the people around you, it is a bad thing.

      Apply- Bummer. Chattering is something I struggle with. I do it too much.

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

    but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,

    and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

12 Hatred stirs up conflict,

    but love covers over all wrongs.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

    but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

14 The wise store up knowledge,

    but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,

    but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

16 The wages of the righteous is life,

    but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

     Observe- Probably because it comes from ill-gotten gain.

17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,

    but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips

    and spreads slander is a fool.

     Observe- There is a line between keeping it to yourself and becoming angry about it or then blabbing the gossip around to everyone you know.

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,

    but the prudent hold their tongues.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,

    but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,

    but fools die for lack of sense.

22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,

    without painful toil for it.

23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,

    but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;

    what the righteous desire will be granted.

25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,

    but the righteous stand firm forever.

     Observe- God protects the righteous.

      Apply- Some people fall away from God in the storm but I think that is when a person (especially me) draws closest to him. The wicked say in their heart there is not God so they have no one to go to; therefore, they do not survive.

26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

    so are sluggards to those who send them.

27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,

    but the years of the wicked are cut short.

28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,

    but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,

    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

30 The righteous will never be uprooted,

    but the wicked will not remain in the land.

31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,

    but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,

    but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Romans 9:20; Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?"

The Holy Spirit in Us

     Romans 8:26-28; In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

     28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

     I've been in those positions before when you are flat on your face praying out the most beautiful things you have ever heard said before. I have also been those positions when you look up to God and are just like, 'I don't know how to pray.' 'I don't know what to say.' Every time I have been in the latter position, I find something to say. Something pops into my head as to how to start my conversation with God though and I believe that is the Holy Spirit. It is wonderful when you have those moments of realizations of how the Holy Spirit has been working in your life.

     Romans 8:38-39; For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

~Daughter of the Light

Proverb 6:2-3;

 if you have been trapped by what you said,

 ensnared by the words of your mouth, 

then do this, my son, to free yourself, 

since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands: 

Go and humble yourself.

     Romans 5:3-5;  We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. 4 The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. 5 And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.

    Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone...

~Daughter of the Light

Live Like Christ

     1 Thessalonians 4:11-12; Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

     I often tell myself that I am not good enough because I am not out changing the world. I'm not helping starving, abused children, I'm not inventing things that make will make a person's life easier. But here Paul says that we should just live a quiet life to the glory of God. God will open the doors for me to do something incredible, but right now is not his timing. And he does have the perfect timing. 

~Daughter of the Light

LOL

     Sometimes the Bible makes me laugh out loud. Some people say it is a serious, boring book, but I don't understand that. It is full of action and great lessons to learn.

     Please don't feel ofdened by this, because I do not mean to make fun of the Bible or be disrespectful in anyway, but this made me smile, so I thought I would share it with you.

    2 Samuel 17:15-16 + 21-22;  Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, “Ahithophel has advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do such and such, but I have advised them to do so and so. 16 Now send a message at once and tell David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords in the wilderness; cross over without fail, or the king and all the people with him will be swallowed up...

       21 After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, “Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.” 22 So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

~Daughter of the Light

God Answers Prayers

  Dear Readers,
     I know I promised you I would tell you about the pageant training session I went to. It went very well. My brother walked me in and made sure I checked in okay. Then he left and I went and found a girl who was sitting by herself. She was really sweet and shy. I was afraid that I was making her feel uncomfortable because I was a very open stranger, but when all the contestants were called to sit in the front seats, she found me and sat by me again. That made me feel really good.
     The lady that spoke to us was very encouraging and showed us and graded us on how to do things. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself greatly. I got to meet a couple other girls who were there, and they were all very nice. I am so glad I went.
    When I came home... okay, not exactly when I came home, because it was 8:30 and I was too tired to worry so I just watched Return to Snowy River. It was more like the next morning that I got nervous again. I felt like raising all the money for this would be too hard. I received a letter from my dad's boss -who I had gone to and given my little speech hoping maybe the company would be one of my sponsors. She told me that she would give me almost all the rest of the money I needed. I am so excited! It was not that I doubted that God could provide, but I wasn't sure if this was his will. Now I believe it is.
     Thank you all for supporting me with your prayers. Please pray that I have confidence and am loving and encouraging to everyone I meet.

~Daughter of the Light

Realizations

Hello Blog Readers,
     A lot has been happening to me lately. I see now that I have been putting tasks above people. I have worked so hard on my homework or other little things that are important, but I have put them first  instead of my family and friends. I have been in a play call Fiddler on the Roof and that has taken up much of my time, but I am connecting with people there at the theatre which has been really good. I was talking to my little brother on the phone the other day and after I hung up, I realized I had not said "I love you, good bye." When I was little, I would always say that before I hung up. I called him again later that day and made sure that I said, I love you. My little brother have not had a very good relationship the last several years, but you know what? That can change and it is in my power. I cannot just wait for him to suddenly become and angel and then we love each other. I need to make an effort too. So, I am going to try to be extra loving to him this week.
     I am a contestant in the National American Miss Pageant. I was worried about it because of the money I have to raise to be a part of it, but I felt like God was telling me this was something I needed to pursue. On Sunday, there was a special speaker, and he spoke about have faith and trusting God. I felt like he was telling me to trust God, so I did and am. I will update you later and tell you how it is going. I will tell you this that I know now, God has totally been providing. Every little thing that I need has not necessarily come in the way I asked, but it has come. Thank you God.
    Please pray for me. Tonight I have to go to the NAM training session. I am really scared because my parents cannot go with me. It will just be me. My older brother will be taking me, but he doesn't want to stay, so it will just be me and God. I know it will all be okay, but that doesn't keep me from being nervous. Thank you all so much.

~Daughter of the Light

Kisses from Katie

       I was reading the Forward by Beth Clark in the book Kisses from Katie and the beginning couple paragraphs really stood out to me.

       People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it, in one way or another. And I've noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren't determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they're satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes they even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.
     People who want to make a difference get frustrated along the way. But if they have a particularly stressful day, they don't quite. They keep going. Given their accomplishments, most of them are shockingly normal and the way they spend each day can be quite mundane. They don't teach grand lessons that can bring incremental improvement to one man or woman, boy or girl. They don't do anything to call attention to themselves, they simply pay attention to the everyday needs of others, even if it's only one person. They bring change in ways these world-changers are wired, they wouldn't think of living their lives any other way.

~Daughter of the Light

Tithe

     2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

     I like that he says not under compulsion. When I would bring my tithe to church, I would give a quarter to each of my friends so they could get that great feeling of sticking it in the offering plate. I don't remember it ever being under compulsion because I remember being so happy to make my friends happy like that. If I had been forced to do it, I would have grown up wanting to be rebellious and never put anything in the offering.

     The funny thing is that now I don't like people seeing me put money in the offering. I sneak it in the bags in between services or I give it to my parents to put it in themselves. Funny how that all worked out, but I do love the idea of giving a little bit of money for a good cause when no one knows that I did anything. Something about that secretiveness makes be happy.

~Daughter of the Light

The Holy Spirit

     Matthew 10:8; Freely you have received; freely give.

     Matthew 10:19-20; But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

     I love how Jesus says, when they arrest you. He is telling his disciples that they will endure difficulties. He is not sneaking it into his discussion, but he tells them straight out. He also comforts them and say not to worry, because in their time of need, the Holy Spirit will be with them.

~Daughter of the Light

Matthew 7:7-12

     I felt like these couple scriptures summed up everything we are suppose to do. It's all in one little bunch. Matthew was really good at doing that.

Matthew 7:7-12; “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

~Daughter of the Light

Psalm 31:10-15

10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,

    and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,

    I am the utter contempt of my neighbors

and an object of dread to my closest friends—

    those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;

    I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear many whispering,

    “Terror on every side!”

They conspire against me

    and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, "You are my God."

15 My times are in your hands;

    deliver me from the hands of my enemies,

    from those who pursue me.

     I love how in this - and in fact all  through the Psalms - David cries out to the Lord and tell Him his problem, but then says, 'I trust in you Lord.' He speaks in hope, in wisdom, and in faith.

~Daughter of the Light

Matthew 6:25-34

     “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

    28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Honor your father and mother

     Matthew 19:19; 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' 
     Just like I tried every week to practice doing one of the fruits of the spirit, I am going to challenge myself again and feel free to join in the challenge.
    This week I am just going to focus specifically on honoring my mother and father because recently I have been being very disrespectful to my mom particularly. My dad and I get along pretty well normally. The issue with my mom and I is: When we argue, I am normally right, but I'm a brat about it. So naturally, she doesn't want to admit that I'm right because I'm demanding that my idea is right and hers is wrong. I am a very black and white person, which is not necessarily a good thing. In my mind, everything is so obvious. This is obviously right and that is obviously wrong, so I have the tendency to get frustrated when other people don't agree with me. For some reason though, I don't argue as much with anyone else. It is just my mom.
     So, this week I am going to make an extra large effort to be kind and loving to my mom and honor her above me.

~Daughter of the Light

Jonathan Loved David as Himself

      1 Samuel 18:1-3; After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.  I find it interesting that Jonathan loves David 'as himself'. There seem to be the majority of two kinds of people. Those who love only themselves and those who don't love themselves. Some are greedy and the others and not content or have been bullied so much that they begin to hate themselves.

     I'm certainly not saying that everyone falls into one of those two categories. I don't really think I go into either of those, but I don't think I could say that the people I love most in life I love as myself.

     I reason why it is so good to love yourself is because God made you, just like he made everyone else in the world. Yet everyone is special. We should love ourselves because God loves us, and we should love others because God loves them.
     1 Corinthians 3:16-17;  Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

~Daughter of the Light

Totally

     This is not a very spiritual post, I just had to share something that made me laugh as I was reading my Bible today. 1 Samuel 15:15; Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”   'But we totally destroyed the rest.' He sounds like a cocky high school boy. Of course at this point Saul was not humble at all, but it still made me laugh. I could totally picture him saying that. Moments like these when I am reminded that the Bible is about real people that actually lived are nice.

~Daughter of the Light

 

Boasting in Our Weakness

     2 Corinthians 12:9-10; But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  

     When my mom was in Beauty Collage, she had some people in the salon that would tease her and mock her for being a Christian. Only one of them would do it to her face, but still, many others would be in the back of the room and say nasty things about how she needed to just go to bed with a guy already and have some fun instead of being a little Christian girl. One girl (I'll just call her Sally because I don't actually remember her name.) would come up to her and tease her. "Oh, you just need to get laid." She'd say, and my mom would tease her back. "Oh, you just need to get saved." Soon Sally actually started to like my mom and so she felt it was only right of her to tell my mom about all the nasty things the other people were saying about my mom. She was sure my mom would be in tears and really hurt, but instead, my mom said, "Praise the Lord!" Sally was confused and so my mom explained. "Isn't it a great thing when the only thing people can tease you for is that you love God? It's true. I do love God and I'm not going to sleep around, so all that they are saying is true. Why should I be offended?" Sally admitted she had never looked at it that way, and she began to really admire my mom. 

    Just like Paul was saying, my mom praised God when people were making fun of her and through that, Sally could see that my mom was special and she really did believe in God and maybe that meant that there was a God after all.  I hope that some time in my life I will get the chance to boast in my weakness so that Christ can be seen.

~Daughter of the Light

Our Provider

     Even when the people of Israel disobeyed God, God still provided for them. It is a good thing I am not God because by now I would be so fed up with those people constantly turning away from me after all I had done for them, but no. God still provided for them. Samuel tried to tell the people that they were wrong to ask for a king because God was there king, but the people would not listen to him. 1 Samuel 12:12-13; But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king.13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.  The Lord put the Holy Spirit inside of Paul so that he would rule wisely -at least as long as the Holy Spirit was in him. Our God is a great, big God. He is always with us and looking out for us even when we don't deserve it. What's not to be thankful for?

~Daughter of the Light

Humble Hannah

    So I have been reading in 1 Samuel. Hannah was a very humble woman who prayed to God for a child. She promised God that if he gave her a child she would give the child back to serve him, and she did. Samuel grew up in the temple and God would speak to him. Israel benefited greatly because of Samuel. In fact, there was one time (I read this today in 1 Samuel 7) when the Philistines were coming against the Israelites, and if Samuel had not made a sacrifice to God and pleaded with God to be with the Israelites, those Israelites would have died. I say this all  because I was really thinking this morning about Hannah, Samuel's birth-mother. She was humble and asked God for a child. If she had not been humble, Samuel never would have been born. Because she was humble before God, Israel was saved.
     That is difficult for me to understand because I always feel like I have to do something physical and huge that I can see affects everyone else for the better before I actually think I have done anything worth doing. But no, God asks us to do small things. The small things make a big difference. Hannah asked for a child. She wanted a child so badly, but what did she do? She promised that she would give the child back to God. She did too. She kept her promise.
     I know that when I was little I would ask God for something and then be like, "If you grant me this one request, I'll never ask for anything else ever again." That didn't really work, but here Hannah made a wise promise and kept it. She gave her child to God because she was so thankful that he had heard her prayer.
      I admire that. When she did that, I'm pretty sure that she was not thinking her son would make a big difference in the world; so much so that thousands of years later, people still read about him.

~Daughter of the Light

God is Worth Being Crazy For

  2 Corinthians 5:13-15; If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  I love knowing that there is a chance that I am crazy because it would mean that I am crazy for God. I should be crazy about him, after all he has done for me. I love him and would do anything for him.

~Daughter of the Light

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

     Here is a word of encouragement from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18;

     Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

~Daughter of the Light

Comparing Yourself to Others

     1 Corinthians 3:18-19; Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”

     This totally applies to me. I make the mistake of comparing myself to other people and thinking I am better than them, so I must be amazing. How rude is that though? I shouldn't judge others like that and I shouldn't be that prideful, however, I am getting a little bit better at not taking credit for everything I do. While I took my permit test, once every problem appeared, before I read it I said, "Jesus please help me. I can't do this without you. If it is not your will for me to pass this test than I don't want to, but if it is your will for me to pass, give me wisdom to do so." I prayed that before reading every problem and when I got a problem right, praised God.
     It is hard when your friends start to do things they shouldn't not to say, "Well I am so much better than them." But the only person we should be comparing ourselves to is God. Or, actually I do compare myself to another person as well, but she is my hero. She is leading a Godly life and is a fabulous role model. Sometimes it is easier to ask what would Jessica do instead of what would Jesus do because I don't always know what Jesus would have done. It is really helpful to have a role model like her.
     I don't know about you, but I don't like to be called a fool. I don't want to have to fall flat on my face because I elevated myself to much. I need to give the glory of everything to God and compare myself to his standards and not those of other people. It will take a lot of self-control, but God will help me be successful. Thank you Jesus.

~Daughter of the Light

Max Lucado

      I was reading in my book, Redefining Beautiful by Jenna Lucado, about how Jesus went to the garden to pray.  He knew he was going to be arrested there and then was going to die.  This is a message by Max Lucado that was on the side of my page, and I thought he made a really good point so I should share it with you.
     I know it stinks to go to detention on a Saturday morning, knowing that three hours of cleaning campus await.  I know it's a pain to go home after school with a bad report card knowing that Mam is going to ask about it.  And I know it's an eye-roller to spend half of the summer at Grandma's house watching returns of Jeopardy all day.  But to go somewhere knowing that you are going to die there?  Now that is a whole other ballgame.  
     I'm pretty sure that if I were living it up in Heaven at the right side of God, there's no way I'd volunteer to live thirty-three years on earth, where I'd experience sickness, cruelty, hunger, misunderstanding, rejection, betrayal, loneliness... but Jesus came not only to go through all of that, but also separation from his Father.  He hung on that cross, bleeding, probably getting splinters in his back, in pain.
     Just think about the different ways we can sacrifice something for someone else.  We can give up our weekend and volunteer at a food bank.  We can miss our favorite TV show to help our siblings with their homework.  We can give our allowance to help a homeless man on the streets.  Maybe one thing is easier than another, but they are all important way to show that we are real Christians.

~Daughter of the Light