Guilty Feeling

Sorry for not posting in so long! I think that everyone here has been busy! :) With school and all that. I hope you understand. CHECK BACK LATER!!

-Elizabeth

My Favorite Bible Verse

"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."


I think this is just the best Bible verse. =) It gives me great comfort.

In His Love,
eLiZaBeTh

proverbs 8

Proverbs 8

Wisdom's Call

1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?

2 On the heights along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrances, she cries aloud:

4 "To you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.

5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, gain understanding.

6 Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.

7 My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.

8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.

9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are faultless to those who have knowledge.

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,

11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.

13 To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have understanding and power.

15 By me kings reign
and rulers make laws that are just;

16 by me princes govern,
and all nobles who rule on earth. ^[a]

17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.

18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.

19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.

20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,

21 bestowing wealth on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.

22 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, ^[b] , ^[c]
before his deeds of old;

23 I was appointed ^[d] from eternity,
from the beginning, before the world began.

24 When there were no oceans, I was given birth,
when there were no springs abounding with water;

25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,

26 before he made the earth or its fields
or any of the dust of the world.

27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,

28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,

29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.

30 Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,

31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.

32 "Now then, my sons, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not ignore it.

34 Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.

35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the LORD.

36 But whoever fails to find me harms himself;
all who hate me love death."

Katie

He Will Carry Me

He Will Carry Me -- Mark Schultz

I call, You hear me
I’ve lost it all
And it’s more than I can bear
I feel so empty

You’re strong
I’m weary
I’m holdin’ on
But I feel like givin’ in
But still You’re with me

chorus:
And even though I’m walkin’ through
The valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I’ve been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will
Ever need
And He will carry me

I know I’m broken
But You alone
Can mend this heart of mine
You’re always with me

chorus

And even though I feel so lonely
Like I’ve never been before
You never said it would be easy
But You said you’d see me through
The storm

chorus

---

I really like this song especially when I am going through a hard time. It is good to know that God is always there for us and that he will never leave us. He can and will carry us through the storm.

Proverbs 31:10-31

The Wife of Noble Character

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:10-31

The Divine Dance

The Divine Dance. Let me just say that this book (by Shannon Kubiak Primicerio) is amazing. Period. I got it from my parents yesterday. I've only read one chapter but, by the end of the first page, I was in tears. It wasn't because the book was written because somebody who spent their life looking at studies and finding out what trends there were in teenage girls. It's because a 20 year old girl, who, might I add, had no experience writing books, felt like God was telling her something profound, so she wrote it down. God is totally working in and through this book. Isn't it funny how He knows exactly what we need and how we should get it? I totally recommend this book to any girl, but especially those who are ages 14-early 20's+. I give this book *****+ (If that's possible!) READ IT!

~Livie

Twilight...

Lately, a lot of teenage girls have been reading the Twilight Series. After spending some time reading different reviews and articles (I haven't read the book), I have come to believe that this series is definitely not something that I will be reading.

First off, the main focus in the book Twilight and the other books in the series, is an inappropriate romantic relationship. I believe the relationship is inappropriate because of the intense way of their passion with one another. With each book in the series, the author intrigues you to continue reading, which makes them very hard to put down.

Their relationship together grows throughout the series, which makes both of them want to have sex, even though they are not married (yet).

Brio Magazine said this in their article "Twilight: Blood-soaked Romance":

"And what's dangerous about Stephanie's series, is that the reader, too, enters into Bella's obsession with Edward."

-Melanie Cogdill

You can buy the above life-size, stand-up poster of Edward for $40.00. I think it's pretty ridiculous that he's the role model that is set in the minds of teenage girls.

The second reason the book is not on my reading list is because the author is deceiving the reader to believe that evil is good. The whole idea of killing and violence being made to seem okay is wrong.

Scripture is clear about both of these things.

"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." 2 Timothy 2:22

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17: 16

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. " 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

If we are true Christians, we would live like Christ and not be polluted by the world with all of the tempting books, entertainment, etc. that the world offers. Instead, we should live like Christ, so that others may come to know Him too!

The good Somaritan.

My favourite Bible story is the Good Somaritan. I love it because back then Somaritans and Jews were enemies but three Jewish men came along and refused to help the injured Jew and then a Somaritan came and he helped the Jew. I think that this is a wonderful view of the Commandment "Love your Neighbour as Yourself." I don't read the Bible very much but I do hear stories from the Bible every week at church and this one has definitely been my favourite ever since I first heard it. It says to me,
"See what good you can do in the world? See what evil can be done?"
Who in the story would you be like? The Hurt Jew who wants help? The mean Jews who won't help the Hurt one? Or the Somaritan? I would want to be like the Somaritan.

Bye,
Dreamer

Hands to Trust

UPDATE: I forgot to tell you I wrote that! Sorry!!!


The pinecones were falling,
The weather had turned cold,
The leaves were turning colors of
red, brown and gold.

Thanksgiving was nearing,
and the family was due
to come feast with us,
like they always do.

Little cousins and Uncles,
and Grandmothers too,
Aunts and Grandads,
we had quite a few

Grandma was in the kitchen
baking some bread,
I was watching Kay play.
missing the hair on her head.

You see, Kay had leukemia,
and she wasn't getting well.
She had seen many docters,
but very little they could tell.

They said it was bad,
she wouldn't live very long,
we said she'd get through it,
though they said we were wrong.

How could God allow it?
Did He even care at all,
how could He sit there and
watch His little girl fall.

I thought this a lot,
and in my mind I would say
'If God cared at all,
He would heal my little Kay.'

Then the little angel,
who was only nine,
came and sat down beside me
and put her hand into mine.

She looked up at me,
I dried up my tears,
I looked into her eyes,
in them was no fear.

She said to me,
with her very soft voice
'God has a home for me,
it is only His choice.'

'Don't be upset Stace, it's ok
to cry. It's not all
God's fault,
I'm ready to fly.

'It is all His fault,
It angers me so,
no Kay, you can't die,
I'm not ready to let go.'

'How can you say that?
You know He loves you,
you cannot hate Him
for the things that He'll do.'

'How can you be angry with him
for the things that he does,
He does it for you,
the one that He loves.'

'I know it is hard to think
He loves you even when,
He takes something from
you against your whim'

'It's His choice alone, and His
it shall be, whether
He let's me live or gives
me my wings.'

'You have to trust Him,
it's for your own good,
He'll do what's right,
trust Him you should.'

I stared at the little girl
with my mouth open wide,
I looked at her and knew
that she didn't lie.

It had to be true, He
was doing what's best,
I'd do what I could, and let
Him handle the rest.

I told God I was sorry,
for not trusting Him,
for being angry and thinking
bad things about Him.

The family sat around the
table, and we began to pray.
We thanked God for the the sunshine,
and for the beautiful day.

After we ate,
we exchanged funny tales
then the kids went and played
with hay bales.

I rembered that day,
as we sat on my bed,
13 years later with Kay
as we read.

My sister, little Kay,
is now 22 years of age,
she finally escaped
from her cancerous cage.

God chose His way,
and I thank Him each day,
for working the way He does,
in His mysterious way.


"Trust in the Lord your God and lean not on your own understanding."
Proverbs 3:5


Kait

God Knows

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after killing the body,has the power to throw you in hell. Yes, I tell you to fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." ~Luke 12:4-7

On this election day, it sometimes seems like God isn't taking care of us. I think that this passage tells us clearly that no matter what happens, God is in control and this is all part of His great plan!

~Livie

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; - Psalms 30:11

Psalm 30 (King James Version)

1I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

2O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

3O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

4Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

6And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

7LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

8I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.

9What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

10Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

12To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Psalm 37 (King James Version)

4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

In the Valley
Words and music by Bob Kauflin

Lyrics

When You lead me to the valley of vision
I can see You in the heights
And though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision
It’s here Your glory shines so bright
So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown
To be low is to be high
That the valley’s where You make me more like Christ

Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You’re near with every breath
In the valley

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley’s where Your power is revealed


http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums/category/sovereign_grace_music/valley_of_vision

Experiencing God [Youth Edition]

For Bible time during the day, I have been doing a Bible study called "Experiencing God Youth Edition" by Henry T. Blackaby. It teaches you all about how to experience God more.

I thought that I might not like it, but it turns out that I love it :)

It has you flipping through your Bible sometimes looking for verses and then answering questions to the verses. For example, they have a 'review time' at the end of the day one of the questions are:
"What does God want you to do today in response to today's study?"

I hope you enjoy my review :) And maybe sometime you can read the study for yourself.

-Elizabeth

How Can God Be Jealous And Love?

This has always been a hard one for me. Look at the following verses and you can see why.

Exodus 20:5
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous ; love does not brag and is not arrogant.




It is very hard to understand. I have been trying to figure it out for a long time now. After a lot of thinking, I realized that you can't just name God one thing. It doesn't say God is just love, or God is just jealous, he is all. He made the universe, he can't be just one thing. He is all put together in one. In the Bible it is clearly stated that God can be angry, but it also states that God loves all. God is all things put together in One Great Being. You can't put him in a box a label it Love. It's impossible. God can what he wants whenever he wants to be it. God is perfect.

What the Bible Says About Witchcraft....

This verse says it plain and clear what God thinks of witchcraft.

Deuteronomy 18:10-13
“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices *divination or tells fortunes or interprets *omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.”

*divination= the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.

*omens= A phenomenon supposed to portend good or evil; a prophetic sign.

The scripture is clearly saying that if you are a wizard, a medium, a sorcerer, and so on, then you are an abomination to God. God is disgusted with these sort of people. He hates it and it is dishonoring Him.

My workbook for the book A Wrinkle in Time, asks the following question.

Q: Should Christians consult psychics? Or in other words should Christians seek out fortune tellers?

A: My answer is no. Of course not! Not only are they Christians and their purpose is to glorify and honor God but it is a sin no matter who does it! The bible says God hates it and he is disgusted with it. If He doesn’t like it, Christians shouldn’t either.

~Hannah

This is my favorite Bible verse. It reminds me what Jesus when threw for me. Here it is -

Isaiah 53:5
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Bible Verse of the Week

I have started a new Bible study for the year, and each week we have to memorize a Bible verse, so this week it is...

1 John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Katie

Global or Not?

Ellen Smith

9/8/08

Research Essay Unit 1

The Flood: Global or Not?

Some people believe that the flood did not cover the whole earth, but only covered the Caspian Sea and some surrounding areas in the Middle East. How could they believe this and still say they also believe in the Bible? They say that you have to consider the author’s view point, and that the author only knew of the Middle East, so yes it was global to them. The only problem with this theory is that the Bible is true no matter what. No matter who actually wrote the words down, they were God’s words that were told to the writer and God did not know only Middle East.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

2 Peter 1:20-21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

People also ask, “Did the all the kangaroos hop over the sea from Australia?” It is not definite how the kangaroos got to the Middle East, but God said that the animals came to Noah.

Genesis 6:20 “Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.”

God brought every kind of animal to Noah to keep them from dying. If God did not somehow bring the animals from all over the world to Noah, there would be a lot of animals that we would not have today.

Genesis 7:21-20 “Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:”

Some believe that the flood covered the whole earth as God said in his word.

Genesis 7:10 “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. “

The verse does not say that the waters were upon part of the earth, it says the earth. The Bible also says that water covered the all the mountains.

Genesis 7:20 “Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.” There are mountains spread out all over the earth so how could the flood be on only part of the globe?

Genesis 7:23 says that all flesh that was upon the earth died. If the flood was not global, how would all animals die as said in the Bible?

From all the evidence shown, it is obvious that the flood had to be global as God said. God’s word is true and will always be true. That is why I choose to believe that the flood was global. I choose to believe Psalm 119:160 which states, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

Sources:

http://www.answersincreation.org/

http://www.christiananswers.net/

http://www.biblegateway.com/

The Holy Bible, KJV

Bible vs. Cell Phone

I received this email today. I just wanted to share it here:


CELL PHONE vs. BIBLE

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go....
'Hmm...where is my Bible?'
Oh, and one more thing.
Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry
about our Bible being disconnected because
Jesus already paid the bill.

Makes you stop and think
'where are my priorities'?

And no dropped calls!

I loved it! Didn't you? It just shows us that we need to read our Bible!!!
-Elizabeth

Deuteronomy 6:5

Deuteronomy 6:5 says:

5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

All this verse is telling us to do is...Love the Lord!!! Love HIM with all of your soul and strength! Just love Jesus!!!
-Elizabeth =)