Relationships

re·la·tion·ship
noun

/rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp/ Sho~ a connection, association, or involvement.

~an emotional or other connection between people (dictionary.com)

On my fifteenth birthday, my dad gave me this ring. When he gave it to me, he said "I'm giving you this to represent the fact that I'm going to be here to help you in your search for a husband. As you begin to date, I want to be there to help you make decisions on what guys to date and, in the future, which one to marry." One of the most difficult problems that teens face today is relationships. Girls become consumed with a guy, fall in 'love', then drop him for the next one a week later. Lately, I have been reading the book, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. On page 19, he says...

"The Bible teaches us that if we truly trust in Jesus Christ, we die to our old way of living. And we can no longer live for ourselves-- we now live for God and for the good of others.
Because of that, relationships with the opposite sex can no longer be about "having a good time" or "learning what I want in a relationship." They're not to be about getting, but giving. Every relationship for a Christian is an opportunity to love another person like God has loved us. To lay down our desires and to do what's in his or her best interest. To care for him or her even when there's nothing in it for us. To want that person's purity and holiness because it pleases God and protects him or her."

I have read and reread these paragraphs many times in the last few months, as I have begun to develop and strengthen relationships with others in my life. I want to make sure that the relationships I am forming are founded upon God's will and Word, and that they all bring glory to Him. I also make sure that the people who I'm forming these relationships with are going to help me grow in my relationship with God, not hinder it.  I have chosen to love these people as Christ loves us.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:10-11

                                                                                      ~*Madds :)*~

How are you?

Happy day after Christmas! Jess here. Hope your holidays were a blessing. So much has happened since my last post. A new school year began, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so much more! Did I mention my bracelet count is up to 12? But enough about me... Madds has been doing well also. We are both very busy with school, sports, and church activities. When handling all this craziness, a passage I've recently read just makes me feel at peace. Turn with me to Psalm 37. I recommend reading all 40 verses, but that can seem like a lot. A part of the passage that really speaks to me as a teen is verses 3-5, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act." (ESV) When ending a time in your life (like a calendar year, or a school semester) it tends to fell overwhelming to think about the future. But if you give your dreams, and heart to the Lord, he will help you. If it's in his will, he will then give you what you ask. We just have to say faithful to him. :) Hope this helps you and comforts you the way or did me! There is soooo much more in this passage to discover. I am limited on time and space, but if I could sum it all up for you I would! But trust me, God says it a lot better! Have a blessed day!

Passions and Obligations!

Hey! Jess here.
 I updated the verse at the top and the weekly message box to the right, as you can see. A Chaplain at our church did an acceptional job this week. He had some good points. There is one though, that I cannot stop thinking about. I kept thinking on it until I realized, I totally changed the subject of the message, which is why I am writing this post. The message was about the nutrients of a good ministry. The passage he used was Romans 1:8-17. Number three on the list of nutrients was purpose. (Please check out all four in the box to the right, when you get a chance.) Romans 1:14-15 say, "I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome." Paul feels obligated to them. Obligated. Some people have a passion to spread the Good News, but passions can die down. Paul feels obligated! He's made it a priority. Where would he get an idea like that? Try The Great Commission, see Matthew 28:16-20. Verse 19 reads, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." I learned from a previous youth minister that if you trace "Therefore go," back to the original Greek, it more closely translates to, "As you are going..." Do y'all get that? We should already be going! We are obligated, just like Paul! Yeah, he was like the first missionary, right? I heard that that is one of this nicknames. People, we have obligations right where we are, and thats why we are where we are! Spreading the Good News cannot be just a passion that lights up when we want, and dies when we do not. It is an obligation that must be filled!

I hope and pray that this was an encouragement to you, to keep your ministry in mind and to pray for God to reveal opprotunities, and not a rude awakening about where you have been slacking. We all fall short of this at times, but it's getting back up that shows the world who you are and who your heart beats for! Stay strong! I want to leave you with this verse, to show that God can and will help us come through with our obligations, even though we fall short.

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 :)

-Jess(:

Don't do this, do this!

Jess here!
Well, this is father's day, but that's not what I wanna talk about. I want to talk about what Jesus tells us, compared to what adults tell us (teens, young adults). Adults tend to tell us what we shouldn't do. And that's all fine and dandy. If you look in the Bible, though, most of the commands of Christ are what we should do, not what we shouldn't. He does tell us what we shouldn't do, also. My point, if we kept our attention on doing the things we should do, we wouldn't have the time or want to to do those bad things that we shouldn't do. Just saying. Thanks, to my new youth minister, I am able to understand this and share it! :) Later!

God is good :)

Jess here!! I tend to post when on road trips!!! Hahaha. Well I just wanted to share a verse that just made my day today :)
"Lord, Your love reaches to the heavens, Your loyalty to the skies. Your goodness is as high as the mountains. Your justice is as deep as the great ocean." Psalm 36:5-6 NCV
This verse just lifts me up and helps me to remember that God is just all around amazing!! And that He doesn't leave us hanging! Just keep that in mind today, okay? Troubles big and small may come today, as well as blessings! Remember that God is with you through it all! :) have a blessed day !

Jess's bracelets

Yep! That's a grand total of nine! Some look rough, but that's what happens when you rarely take them off! Some look really messy because when the come untied I have to re tie them! - Jess:)

A challenge for the day

Jess here! I am currently riding in my dad's new Tahoe with my dad and step mom to pick up my step brother from the air port. As cars pass us, and we pass them, I always enjoy looking at the back of the car to see if there are any bumper stickers, magnets, etc. I also check to see if there are any of those metal looking Jesus fish. I love them. It's a way to express and show your faith. It also makes it easier to spot a Christian. Every time I see one, I wanna say to the driver, "Way to be!" or, "Right on!" or something. It connects us in a weird way. Me and the driver with the fish. Like my bracelets. Out of nine, seven are faith related. People can see them and read them, and know what and who I stand for. It connects me to people. That's my point for today. Connecting with other Christians. Ones we know, and ones we don't. How can you connect with other Christians? How can you be a person who is connectable? See Isaiah 52:7. Are those feet yours? Could they be? Later dudes! :)

Just so you know.... ;)

I thought you might wanna hear a song that is one of our favorites :) No worries, it's a Christian song!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqqdA8LHN7I&ob=av3e



- Jess :)

Praise God in the storms. Legit.

Its Jess.

     Okay so, let me start out by saying I am TERRIFIED of storms and tornados. Like for real.
So, today is Thursday. On Tuesday of this week, there were two tornado warnings at school. The first was at like the very beginning of lunch. We got into what I call the death position. You know it well, crouched down, head down, and hands over your head. I call it the death position because it really hurts, and if the storm kills us, then thats what position we're in when we die. Fun. But I digress.... So yeah, eventually the storm tornado kinda passed and we could put our heads up. We stayed seated though. The girl next to me, we'll call her Amy for privacy reasons, had been singing a hymn or some form of praise music during the storm. The girl next to "Amy" asked her why she had been singing. "Amy"'s response,"well, we're not going to praise God any other time, might as well praise Him in a storm." This got me thinking. I do try to thank and praise God often, but not as often as we should. "Amy" went on to say how she knows where she's going and is somewhat content if God had took her. She said she hoped we had the same peace. Wow. "Amy" is freshman, and I am a sophomore, but we do have on class together, but other than that, I never see her. So, obviously it's harder to be close. But after that day, I talk to her alot. She's so amazing. Thank God for a blessing like her.


    This story has a point, promise. I mean, I did just wanna share, but I want y'all to think. You could have gotten many points from this. I know I did. Here's what I got, and feel free to comment your thoughts. Not just here, but any posts.
*God is in control. 100% He will take care of us according to His PERFECT will.
*We need to praise God more than when we need Him. Don't get me wrong, we should praise Him when we need Him. But we should want to. Constantly.
*Even in a storm God can bless us. He showed me another real Christian in my school that can help me, and vise versa. Yay! :)

   So, I hope this got you thinking! But I have a warning! Don't be selfish and just look for "Amy" at your school, look to see how you can be an "Amy" to someone else!

Until Madds or myself blog again!
-Jess! :)

Good news!!!

Jess here!

Soooooo check it. God is amazing and has a plan for everyone. It says so Jeremiah 29:11! What does He have planned for me? No, I have no clue what college I'm going to, or what I'll major in, or who I'll mary. But, never the less, He has someting big for me. On March 13th I will be departing with a few people from my school to.... Paris, France! And I'll get back March 18th. I'll be going for a leadership conference with Global Next!! The emphasis is communications! Needless to say, I'm stoked! Please pray that my group and I will be a light, and that we will learn alot. And for our safety, of course! :) Thats all for now! Until we meet again, God bless! (No, I can't say that in French :P)