Our Mission for Serving Jesus by Serving Others

Friday, August 29, 2008

Paint-By-Number

Hey guys! Even though I'm the one writing this, Lauren and I conversed about it before posting, so this post actually comes from the both of us.
Do you remember when you were little the color-by-number pictures your parents would give you to keep you busy? My parents gave me a lot of those. It kept me quiet, and I was always fascinated by them. I mean, at the beginning, it didn't look like anything, but when you were done, it was some cool picture! Who wouldn't find that fun at five-years-old?
I once heard a story about a boy whose father made them his hobby, except he worked on the huge, intricate paint-by-number canvases. The boy would sit on the basement steps and quietly watch his father labor over these pictures for hours, filling in each space with its specific color. Sometimes, it would take him several days to finish just one of these elaborate paint-by-numbers. But, when the father would finish with one of the pictures, he would look at it with pride, place it in a frame, and hang it in a place of honor. Then, he would begin another. The boy would look at his father's finished paintings in awe. At first glance, they didn't always seem perfect, but the boy knew they were masterpieces. Each was a masterpiece, not because of how elaborate or beautiful it was, but because his father had put so much time, effort, patience, and love into making each one the way it was supposed to be made.
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Our Father has created us all as masterpieces, His masterpieces. We may not always seem perfect, but God put a lot of time, effort, patience, and love into making us the way He wanted us. We are all very special masterpieces in God's eyes and in His Son's eyes, as well.

Shining for Jesus,
Sarah

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Busy = Me

Busy = me, Lauren. I'm sure I'm not the only one who looks at their plans for the next month and thinks WOW how am I ever going to get this done! As much as I hate to say it I think being busy has controlled my life. Where did time go? Something very simple happened last weekend that made me really stop and think, our power went out. Yes, I know something so simple, but without power there were so many things I couldn't do. Anything that I had had planned on doing was canceled because no one had power. So there I was with what I thought was boring. Then I realized when was the last time I really sat down and talked with my family, when was the last time I really bonded with God. My life had been so hectic that I had taken the most important things in my life for granted! So it wound up that I spent some amazing time with God and my family! I was able to enjoy the simple pleasures God gives me everyday. These pleasures I've always had, but I have never taken time to really look into them. I know I'm not the best at getting points across; I always tend to ramble and people just don't understand what I'm trying to say, but if you get something from this don't take what you have for granted. Just stop and think about how amazing God truly is! Worship Him; let your heart be bound to Him!

Your friend in Christ,
Lauren

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Timothy

Hey guys. We apologize for not having posted in over a week. We've been crazy busy with things, but hopefully, we'll stay on a somewhat regular posting schedule. I'm gonna wrap this short little series up with a post about Timothy.
If you know your books of the Bible, you know that Timothy has two books in the New Testament. In 1 Timothy, there's a verse that really inspired this series in the first place. You'll find that verse over on the side of the page with a few other memory verses, but I'll also write it in here. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Do not let others look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity." This one verse is telling all the kids, teens, and young adults out there that just because you're not as old as some other Christians, doesn't mean you can't make a difference. Timothy was a sort of apprentice to Paul, one of the greatest missionaries to ever live. If you read Timothy's story, you'll find out ever since Timothy was a boy, he studied the Scriptures and was very knowledgeable. He accompanied Paul to several places to help spread the Gospel.
God used a young man to spread His Word. And guess what! God is still using young people to spread His Word. That's what we're doing here. That's what is being done through student mission trips all over the world. Our generation is making a big impact. Let's make sure that the world knows that this generation of Christians is ready to go out and make a difference for Christ.

In Christ's love,
Sarah

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Daniel

Hi! I hope all of you are doing well! We're continuing our series about young people in the Bible with a post about Daniel. I'm sure a lot of you have heard the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. Some of you may be thinking, wasn't Daniel an older person then? You would be correct. But did you know that when Daniel was younger, he was still being a leader for God?
The book of Daniel starts off by telling about how the king of Babylon, King Necuchadnezzar (say that five times fast!), had taken over Judah. He sent out people to gather the fittest, most handsome, all around best young men and teenage boys from Jerusalem. Among the boys captured were Daniel and some of his friends. They were brought to the palace for training to be new additions to the king's officials. While they were there, they were served ribs and wine and other foods that had been offered to idols. Daniel knew that God did not want his friends and him to eat these things. Daniel asked to be served fresh vegetables and water instead. This seems like an easy task, but it could have gotten Daniel and his friends into a LOT of trouble! But Daniel obeyed the laws God had given him.
Do you know how the story ends? After ten days, Daniel and his friends were tested against those who had eaten the king's food. The ones who had eaten vegetables looked and performed much better than the others. This caused the officials to give everyone vegetables and water! God blessed Daniel and his friends with special gifts, too, because of their obedience.
When it was tough, Daniel spoke up for his faith in God. It could have ended badly for Daniel, but God blessed him in the end. We can do this, too! Don't be afraid to stand up for what you know is right when you're faced with these tough situations. And always eat your vegetables (just kidding). :)

In Service to the King,
Sarah

Monday, August 4, 2008

David

The story of David and Goliath is amazing to me! This story is so encouraging; it shows us a great example of how teens can really stand up for God in terrifying times! You can find the story in 1 Samuel 17. I will give you a summary, but I really recommend reading it if you can. There is nothing like reading our love letter from God. The story starts with the Philistine army gathered for war against Israel. A champion named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. Goliath was over NINE feet tall, now that's big!! His armour was very big and extremely heavy! Goliath came out each day for forty days mocking and challenging the Israelites to fight and kill him. Everyone was terrified of Goliath. Wouldn't you be? One day young David was sent to the battle lines to get news of his brothers. While he was there, David heard Goliath shouting off his usual nonsense. David shouted to Goliath, "Who is this who should defy the armies of the living God?" David challenged Goliath. Keep in mind that David was our size. When the fight began, Goliath shouted horrible words at him and unbelievable threats. David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied...this day, I will strike you down...the world will know there is a God." When the giant moved closer to him, David took out a stone and threw it at the giant. The stone hit him in the head. Without a sword, David killed this big giant.
We all have giants in our lives. With school starting for many of us, never forget that God is on your side. You can face these giants because He is with you. David was just an ordinary boy who did extraordinary things. Let's allow God to use us as ordinary people to do extraordinary things!!!


with love through the LIVING king,
Lauren