us vs. the world

::For some reason, it didn't post the whole thing the first time...so, if you've already read it...skip to the bottom :)::

Last night at Youth Group we split the girls and guys up and talked about, yep you guessed it...sex. Kevin said some really awesome things to the guys and I really enjoyed the time spent with the girls and talking about our value in God's eyes!

Afterwords one of the girls and I talked about how her friends bug her because she has never had a boyfriend or kissed a guy. I told her that its a great thing! That she hasn't given in to their words and that they notice!

So, I have been going through 1 John on my own and this is what I read today, I thought it was awesome and ties so perfectly into the conversation I had last night!

1 John 2:15-17 (New Living) 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.



Now, The Message version...



1 John 2: 15-17 (Message) Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

How often do we choose to give in to our wanting, wanting, wanting? Wanting the thing that will satisfy the moment, or make us happy for a second? The cool thing is...we DO have a choice, a choice to say, "NO." whenever we need to.
When I talked to the girls last night, we talked about the difference between, "NO" and "hehehe...noooooo" (imagine and smile, giggle and tilt of the head :). When we "play" or "flirt" with the world and our wants, it is not saying "NO."

One more really cool verse:

James 4:7-10(Message) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

So, I choose to say a firm, "NO.".

Do you?

quotes...

My new favorite quote:

"Dont not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired."

Mother Teresa

my strength and comfort...

I am not going to go into details, but this has been one of the hardest weeks of my life...here is how I'm getting through it and why I choose joy.

Maybe you need this as much as I did...I really feel like I needed to share it.

Psalm 18:30 God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield to all who look to him for protection.


Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Did you put your armor on!?

more on Bud soon-but for now...

We will soon be going over this in Jr. High Sunday School and I wanted to share it with you, because the word of God always has the best timing.

Ephesians 6:10-18

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Lesson's from Bud #1

Ok, I'm gonna warn you...it's a little long!

Yes, it's true...after 5 different Starbucks in 4 different states, I am saying goodbye.

I have LOVED working at Starbucks. I love the people, the fast pace, the coffee :), Howard Shultz, the multi-tasking, the fact that i was able to transfer so many times, and the people!

Have I mentioned the people? I am so incredibly thankful for the people, both partners and customers, that I have been able to meet and spend time with. Each Starbucks has been SO different, but SO great in their own ways. We have had customers that know us so well that they bring us cookies, Christmas and Birthday cards and even sit and have coffee with us when they are coming through on our break.

One of my favorite people, is Bud. I think that I have said things about him before , but I don't remember what...so just act like this is the first time :). Bud is 75 years old and it has only been 1 year and 2 months since he lost his wife to cancer. He comes to Starbucks every morning for hours, just sitting and drinking his coffee. Most of the time his friend Dave joins him. WE all know him and even celebrated his birthday with him, most of the customers walk in to say hello to us AND Bud. :)

Today, Kevin and I stopped by the store and there sat Bud. I sat down next to him and he gave me a hug and made a comment about how I had eye make-up on and no hat! haha and told me his daughter was making him go to Florida so he wouldn't be here in a week. He wanted to make sure that if I came to the store he would be there.

Starbucks is his family (and the people at Kings, where he goes for lunch...everyday!). Tears are beginning to come to my eyes as I think about him. I want so badly for him to know Jesus. Yes, we have talked about it...way more than once. He is just so lonely, the only thing I can do now is pray. Pray that the things I have said, he will remember and that there is someone else God is putting in his life to start where I left off.

That's the thing...God put people in our lives for a reason and we have THAT time to be Jesus to them. We never know how long that time may be. When those people leave our lives, it can be REALLY hard, REALLY hard. But PRAYER is such a POWERFUL weapon and if we pray, lives WILL be changed. I can't put myself down for the fact that Bud does not YET believe, I can PRAY...and I will. LOTS. Not only for him, but for all the others I know that don't YET know God and when I spend time with them...I will love them and be Jesus as best as I can.

If you've stuck with me the whole time to read this...thank you :) There is more I have learned from Bud, that will come soon!

love you!
Happy Thursday!

Fruits of the Spirit in a new light.

Yesterday on my way to work I was praying and I began asking God to help me live out the Fruits of the Spirit. It really changed my day and I wanted to share it with you. It went a little something like this;

God, please help me to:
LOVE you first and others before myself,
choose JOY no matter what happens,
keep PEACE in my attitude and actions,
be PATIENT with everyone and everything, even when it's extra hard,
treat others with KINDNESS first,
be GOOD with my thoughts and actions,
be FAITHFUL to YOU, my husband, friends, parents and siblings,
let my words be GENTLE toward everyone,
and help me have the SELF-CONTROL I need to make the right choices that please YOU.

The Fruits of the Spirit are such great and practical ways to bring us closer to Jesus! I want them to be more evident in my life everyday!

Happy Saturday!
Love you!


Just for fun, here is a picture of my family on Christmas day :). We took many pictures with all of our cameras, so this is just one of the funny ones for those of you who don't have facebook :). I LOVE this picture! :)

iamsecond.

I don't know how he does it, but my husband always finds really cool things online. One of the things he found recently is iamsecond.org . It's a website with a bunch of people, some famous, just telling their testimonies and how Jesus Christ become 1st in their lives. It's super cool and you should check it out when you get the chance! It's always great to hear the amazing stories of how Jesus changed peoples lives!

Love You!
Happy 2009!!!