As a teen, or young person in general, you probably know that many people factor our age into our ability to think, feel, and XPRESS ourselves. My message to you today is this: If you are being persecuted for your age, if you are being demeaned, and not taken seriously, but you KNOW you have a stand, or opinion, on something... XPRESS yourself! Don't be afraid to use your voice, to speak out, to be different, to rebel, and to take risks!! If you have already done this, then I say "TAKE IT TO THE MOST HIGH IN HEAVEN! SHOUT IT FROM THE DEPTHS OF YOUR HEART! CALL OUT TO HIM TO BE YOUR VOICE, TO GIVE YOU VOLUME, AND TO CHANGE HEARTS THAT NEED CHANGING!"
Today I ask you to pray for our legal system, our courts, our leaders, and children who are suffering around our great nation due to the apathy, and liberal views, of those in authority. I ask you to pray that God give these children, and all involved with their cases, a VOICE, and strength to make it through. I also ask that you pray that He soften the hard hearts of many of our judges, and that He open the minds (and not the pocket books) of those working in representation of these children. Also, that He reward those who's hearts are truly in this for the safety of our nation's next generation.
If you are a young person, who's life is currently in the hands of an adult who does not have your best interest in mind, PLEASE reach out to your friends, or your local pastor (or youth director), and ask them to become your voice. I know that, for some of you, there may be no way out, but you are strong, and you are loved by your Heavenly Father, and by people like me, who know what you have(are) been going through. DON'T lose hope! You will become great for His name someday. :) God bless you, precious child of God.
God bless you.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
A Breaking Heart...
If you think your heart is breaking, run to the great Craftsman for protection and healing...
If you think your heart is breaking, don't think you have to be strong, because tears aren't a sign of weakness, they're a sign of healing....
If you think your heart is breaking, don't think that your best friend will be able to comfort you past, "Things will get better," because, as much as they may care, they haven't been in your shoes...
If you think your heart is breaking, don't try to ignore it, because that will just kill you. Embrace the heartache...
If you think your heart is breaking, go do something for someone who is hurting greater than yourself...
If your heart is broken, buckle up for a bumpy ride, but never ask to get off the ride! :) <3
If you think your heart is breaking, don't think you have to be strong, because tears aren't a sign of weakness, they're a sign of healing....
If you think your heart is breaking, don't think that your best friend will be able to comfort you past, "Things will get better," because, as much as they may care, they haven't been in your shoes...
If you think your heart is breaking, don't try to ignore it, because that will just kill you. Embrace the heartache...
If you think your heart is breaking, go do something for someone who is hurting greater than yourself...
If your heart is broken, buckle up for a bumpy ride, but never ask to get off the ride! :) <3
Friday, December 16, 2011
So There's This Guy.... :)
What is love, to you? Is it a feeling? Something that you fall into... or grow into? Is it soft and subtle, or overbearing and clingy? What is your love language? Touch, words, gifts...? How do you begin to know when your 'kiddy crush' is something more? Do you have to be in a relationship before that 'crush' is allowed to grow into something else?.... What is love?
As Christian young women (or young men... if you're a guy who's reading), we have hopefully already begun to set goal/standards in our life for that future significant other, but where can we truly turn to for advice on love? "Love Quotes & Sayings" on Facebook can be cute/comforting... but are those quotes really shaping our expectations into something realistic/valuable/pure? Hopefully you too have learned by now that media is NOT your go-to place for advice on what a pure Christian relationship should be like, but seriously, WHERE can we find a role model for love/relationships??!!
As a Christian young women, I find myself constantly battling with right/wrong influences/advice. Asking myself, "Who do I trust?"... "What if they're wrong?" There's no way to know for sure if your source is true, unless that source is the purest human ever to live, Jesus. The more I search through the Bible for answers, the more I realize how creative, special, and romantic God, and His great book, are! Lets look at some examples:
1) Jesus was one of the greatest lovers of all time! Not only did He lay down His life for those He loved(s), but He also loved with NO STRINGS ATTACHED!! Lol! There was certainly nothing we could give Him, that He did not already possess, so WHY DIE FOR US?? That's how awesome our God is. So awesome that He would try to come to earth, and show our poor race how to love purely! Pretty sweet, if you ask me. :)
2) Ruth was one of the most loyal lovers in the Bible, and she is a great example for young women today. She submitted to her elders; stayed beside her mother in-law when things got tough; remained faithful to God (even though He wasn't of her 'people'); served for her mother in-law humbly/diligently, so that they could live; and ultimately met the man of her dreams, by remaining faithful to her Lord! Ruth is an awesome, and faithful, young woman, who should fill thousands of young, Christian women with hope and inspiration. :)
3) Solomon was another GREAT lover!! I mean, Songs of Solomon is an ENTIRE book in the Bible based off of his love life!! How cool is that!!? For the rest of forever, his love/enchantment/pure desires for his lover will be shared with Christians all over the world! The two lovers speak of waiting for marriage happily; of temptations that preceded their marriage/nuptials; and their free verse to one another is as if you were a friend (or a servant/maid) in the room, as they dreamily speak of him/her!! It's like a peek into their diaries! What an awesome book!! Did you know the Bible has its own love chapter!? Now, if only we could wait, as they waited, and hold marriage as sacredly as they did.
4) The story of Jacob and Rachel is another favorite of mine, and one of the main reasons for that is that this guy works 14 YEARS for this woman! Tricked after 7 years, and married to the wrong girl, he slaves ANOTHER 7 YEARS for the woman he truly loves. :') How cute is that!? How many guys even truly work too hard to impress a girl these days?? It's like we're expected to like them, or "whatev!" Lol!!... For guys it may be, how many girls truly are in it for you, versus their FB relationship status, or social standings? Do they just expect you to fall for them, work for them, or do they work to remain an equal partner/teammate in your relationship? Is she waiting for you?... Jacob has a different take on things. He lays eyes on Rachel for the first time, and knows in his heart he wants to marry her. Then, he has to convince Rachel's father to CONSIDER him! After that, he has to agree to a ridiculous proposal of working 7 YEARS for a woman he probably has not even been able to hold a private convo with! In their story, it even says that those years seemed like days, because Jacob loved Rachel SO much!! How cool is that!? After the 7 years, Pops pulls a fast one on Jacob, and marries him to Rachel's older sister, Leah! Seriously?? Rude! Despite that, Jacob STILL doesn't give up, and agrees to ANOTHER 7 YEARS!! So 14 years later (and who knows how old this dude is by now) Jacob FINALLY gets to marry the love of his life, Rachel, who's waited for him all those 14 years! Wow! Now that's true love! :D
Although the Bible doesn't give you flat out advice on what to do for your current crisis, it does give you plenty Godly examples to live by, strive for, and surround yourself with. :) So next time there's a new guy (girl) in your life, who has you daydreaming, and running into stuff, go to God with something like this...." So, God, there's this guy (girl)...." ;)
Peace-Love-Christ,
Clay
As Christian young women (or young men... if you're a guy who's reading), we have hopefully already begun to set goal/standards in our life for that future significant other, but where can we truly turn to for advice on love? "Love Quotes & Sayings" on Facebook can be cute/comforting... but are those quotes really shaping our expectations into something realistic/valuable/pure? Hopefully you too have learned by now that media is NOT your go-to place for advice on what a pure Christian relationship should be like, but seriously, WHERE can we find a role model for love/relationships??!!
As a Christian young women, I find myself constantly battling with right/wrong influences/advice. Asking myself, "Who do I trust?"... "What if they're wrong?" There's no way to know for sure if your source is true, unless that source is the purest human ever to live, Jesus. The more I search through the Bible for answers, the more I realize how creative, special, and romantic God, and His great book, are! Lets look at some examples:
1) Jesus was one of the greatest lovers of all time! Not only did He lay down His life for those He loved(s), but He also loved with NO STRINGS ATTACHED!! Lol! There was certainly nothing we could give Him, that He did not already possess, so WHY DIE FOR US?? That's how awesome our God is. So awesome that He would try to come to earth, and show our poor race how to love purely! Pretty sweet, if you ask me. :)
2) Ruth was one of the most loyal lovers in the Bible, and she is a great example for young women today. She submitted to her elders; stayed beside her mother in-law when things got tough; remained faithful to God (even though He wasn't of her 'people'); served for her mother in-law humbly/diligently, so that they could live; and ultimately met the man of her dreams, by remaining faithful to her Lord! Ruth is an awesome, and faithful, young woman, who should fill thousands of young, Christian women with hope and inspiration. :)
3) Solomon was another GREAT lover!! I mean, Songs of Solomon is an ENTIRE book in the Bible based off of his love life!! How cool is that!!? For the rest of forever, his love/enchantment/pure desires for his lover will be shared with Christians all over the world! The two lovers speak of waiting for marriage happily; of temptations that preceded their marriage/nuptials; and their free verse to one another is as if you were a friend (or a servant/maid) in the room, as they dreamily speak of him/her!! It's like a peek into their diaries! What an awesome book!! Did you know the Bible has its own love chapter!? Now, if only we could wait, as they waited, and hold marriage as sacredly as they did.
4) The story of Jacob and Rachel is another favorite of mine, and one of the main reasons for that is that this guy works 14 YEARS for this woman! Tricked after 7 years, and married to the wrong girl, he slaves ANOTHER 7 YEARS for the woman he truly loves. :') How cute is that!? How many guys even truly work too hard to impress a girl these days?? It's like we're expected to like them, or "whatev!" Lol!!... For guys it may be, how many girls truly are in it for you, versus their FB relationship status, or social standings? Do they just expect you to fall for them, work for them, or do they work to remain an equal partner/teammate in your relationship? Is she waiting for you?... Jacob has a different take on things. He lays eyes on Rachel for the first time, and knows in his heart he wants to marry her. Then, he has to convince Rachel's father to CONSIDER him! After that, he has to agree to a ridiculous proposal of working 7 YEARS for a woman he probably has not even been able to hold a private convo with! In their story, it even says that those years seemed like days, because Jacob loved Rachel SO much!! How cool is that!? After the 7 years, Pops pulls a fast one on Jacob, and marries him to Rachel's older sister, Leah! Seriously?? Rude! Despite that, Jacob STILL doesn't give up, and agrees to ANOTHER 7 YEARS!! So 14 years later (and who knows how old this dude is by now) Jacob FINALLY gets to marry the love of his life, Rachel, who's waited for him all those 14 years! Wow! Now that's true love! :D
Although the Bible doesn't give you flat out advice on what to do for your current crisis, it does give you plenty Godly examples to live by, strive for, and surround yourself with. :) So next time there's a new guy (girl) in your life, who has you daydreaming, and running into stuff, go to God with something like this...." So, God, there's this guy (girl)...." ;)
Peace-Love-Christ,
Clay
Monday, December 5, 2011
Growing-Up??
Just realized something... When people say they've stopped 'believing' in something, or 'dreaming' for something, because they've 'grown-up', it's not actually because they've 'grown-up'... it's because they took a leap, with all their heart, failed, and never want to be hurt like that again.... Growing-up isn't always getting older, it's realizing that you really aren't invincible. Is this a reason to give up on all those crazy-mad dreams??... I-DON'T-THINK-SO! Keep dreaming, y'all! You are guaranteed to fail at least two thousand times between now and your last breath, but don't let that stop you from living a hopeful life! :)
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