Human Trafficking Awareness Month!!

Did you know that slavery today is worse than it has ever been in the history of our world?  Over 27 million of the world's population has fallen victim to trafficking.  Of those 27 million, 1.5 million are caught in sex trafficking, and 50% of those trafficked are children!!  Surely our Lord is crying out in anguish for these children who have fallen innocently victim to these harsh, and inhuman, crimes.  Today, Jan. 11th, 2012, is Human Trafficking Awareness Month kicks off.  Join thousands of Christians around the world in prayer for these poor, forgotten, abused, and neglected men, women, and children!  Although we are blessed to not personally experience/know these ordeals, we must also feel their hopeless, and scared, souls crying out, and send them comfort, and salvation, through our prayers.  Find a way to use your VOICE, and stand up for those, who are not able to stand up for themselves!!


Visit: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org or http://www.thea21campaign.org/home.php to find out how you can get involved with two of the leading organizations in fighting human trafficking!!


God bless and protect you all!


Clay

My Hope for Your New Year :)

At some point you have to realize the people in your life who do matter; who would be there for you in a split second, and who live by a two-way friendship lane, and not one... & the people who will probably disappear from your life, the second they don't need your friendly, one-way friendship lane services anymore. This 2012, treasure those two-way friends/family like priceless jewels. Have a blessed year! :)

When No One Wants to Hear You...

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.

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! :)

This Christmas Time

  As Christmas time approaches, do you catch yourself wondering where time is going?  It's another Christmas, we're a year older, and what does this past year have to say for itself?  Have you changed?  Has your priorities changed?  Did something crazy happen to you this year that changed your life forever?

     As this Christmas approaches, I see a different girl when I look into the mirror.  So many things have happened this year that has changed my life forever.  I've begun to realize how special family, and the time we have with them is.  How everything, no matter how well planned and thought out, is still in His hands.  I've realized how little control I have over my life, and how I really just need to lay it all at His feet.  This Christmas, I really don't want anything... but I want to know that life's going to be okay, I wanna know my foster brother is ours forever, I wanna know my soon-to-be siblings in Haiti are coming home, I wanna know that we're going to have a more certain coming year.  So many things that I used to wish for, like the iPhone and the newest whatever, have completely lost their sparkle to me.  I wanna know that, someday, there will be no orphans crying from loneliness and hunger, that all our tears and sin will be washed away, that life, as we know it, will no longer have fear and hate.  For the first time in all my life, that's all I want.  In so many ways, He's given me that hope of eternal life, but my human self still feels empty at times.  I read of His promise, His love and His faithfulness... but this Christmas, I want to celebrate all of that for what it is!  I don't want to be excited about good food, or presents, I want to be excited about the gift of Christ's birth, promise and plan!  Why not rejoice because of the Father's faithfulness?  Isn't that what this is all about?  He's the 'reason for the season', so why don't we recognize that?!?  Forget the gifts, forget the pies, and rejoice in all that He has given you... life, family, friends, faith, hope in tomorrow, salvation and peace in knowing it's all in His hands!  That is what I am bursting with this season, so pardon me if I don't get too jacked about presents this year.  There is so much more to life than stuff!  So why do we measure our family's love by the type of present they get us, or how much they put into hosting us?!?  Why don't we rejoice in having a family to love, and spend Christmas getting to know the people we have, in many ways, grown apart from?  Family was God's gift to Jesus, so let us rejoice in receiving such a gift as the Messiah received!  Give thanks for He is good and His mercy endures forever!  Find a way this Christmas to concentrate on the little blessings... you may find the thing you've been searching for since the beginning.  It won't be wrapped, it won't have mouth watering smells drifting from it, but it will fill you up!

Much love and a merry Christmas!

~Clay~