New Blog Playlist!!

In preparation of Valentines' Day, I've gotten an early jump on the upcoming holiday (along with most of the local franchises)!  LOL!! I hope you enjoy the new music available on my page!!

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! :)

The Greatest Comfort

Sometimes, the greatest comfort in life, when you're down, and crying, is not a perky friend who says, "It'll be okay, eventually," to try to comfort you... but it's the friend who comes to you, with tears in his/her eyes, and says, "Let me cry with you.  We'll get through this together," that truly soothes a person's breaking soul.  It's not always about strong, protective arms to run to, but it's about an understanding soul to grow with in strength, faith, hope, and love.


I find comfort in the arms of one who I can cry with... I hope you find that someone too. :)


Happy New Year!! :D

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.

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

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

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! :)

And in these Trials... We are Not Alone

I had the opportunity to speak at my local community's Christian youth group gathering, Boerne Live, and once again, I am in awe of Him.  As of this morning, I was not planning on attending the concert benefit, and then, around 12pm, I received an email from my youth director, wondering if I would consider sharing my testimony at the benefit.  It was like God calling me out to this place tonight, and finding a way to get me there.  You see, no matter what we think we decide, if we stray from the path, God will find a way to call us back.  Being able to get up there, and look across rows, and rows of high school teens like me, was beyond special... it was AWESOME!  They were alive with HIM tonight!  Alive with His LOVE, and alive with His innocent BEAUTY!  It makes you feel like you are not in this alone, and that you do belong somewhere... with the people of God. :)


If you are out there tonight, wondering if you are the last man standing... I challenge you to go out and LIVE LIFE with risks of failure, risks of frustration, risks of rejection, and risks of success!  If you live your life, hidden away, how can God's awesomeness ever shine?  You are His light, His torch, His clay!  Let the Potter mold you, by loosening up, and giving yourself to Him.  There will you find peace in this Storm. :)  May God bless you, hold you, hug you, love you, and guide you... wherever you are tonight. :)


Peace-Love-Christ


Clay

"Mr. Right"

Q- If you waste your whole life waiting for the guy you think is “Mr. Right” to ask you out, yet all the while totally deny yourself the chance to possibly find happiness with a guy who is not what you ever imagined you would grow to like as more than a friend, is that subjecting yourself to a life alone?  One, who seems to be “Mr. Right” only looks the part.  The other, “Mr. Idk”, loves you for you, has told you so, and continues to try to be ‘something’ for you. He doesn’t seem to fit the image you imagined of the guy you are meant to be with someday, but what if that imaginary guy is also unrealistic?  One who loved you at your worst, or the other, who left before you got to the worst?  Is going for "Mr. Idk" settling?  Or finally realizing what is important in life/love? 

I keep telling myself, “This dude better be amazing if you give your heart/life to him... He better appreciate all you are, and be totally deserving of that.”... But what if he does appreciate me, and I’ve just been to “Goody Two Shoes” to appreciate him, for all that he is?  What if the perfect guy is actually disguised as someone the world tells us to not get involved with, for a reason.  Just like me.  The person that finally recognizes me as something special, should be something special, because God gave him eyes to see the beauty in who I am.  The world tells me that, by dating ‘that guy’, I’m cutting myself short, or settling... but the world’s way isn’t always the right way.  What if the guy I’m meant to be isn’t Prince Charming, but instead, Prince Integrity?  I just SO want to do things right, and I’m scared to do anything, because it could lead to failure.  As a young Christian woman, I believe I owe it to myself, and to God, to focus less on the later, and more on the now.  Why worry about something that is not meant for me in this moment?  When I could be concentrating on what is!  

As far as love, and "Mr. Right" goes, I can only pray that God give me the the insight to see him for all that he is, and the grace to appreciate him, the way I want him to appreciate me. :)

Peace-Love-Christ,

Clay

Testify!

"I am a Christian martyr. Chosen before I was conceived, to alter history. Given a chance at life to use my Voice for Him! I will sing His name to the reverberant hills, and cry out with truth and ecstasy because of His great love and forgiveness.  Holy and righteous is His name!"

♥ When I meet a man who truly loves Christ more than me, I'll know he's the one. :) ♥

Control Freak?

LOL! So, I'm back!  If you are like me, you probably prefer a situation to be predictable, promising, and controlled by... wait for it... you!  Ha, ha!  If so, no worries!  Lately, the challenge of wanting to control EVERYTHING has lingered long and weighed heavily on the doorstep of my heart.  So much of me knows that I am not ultimately in control of what happens, but sometimes, I still find myself trying to make life 'okay' or 'perfect'.  Ha, ha!  What was I thinking?

If you are still following, you probably know that the next step in the average control freak's world is FAILURE!!  Have you ever wondered why?  Maybe God allows us to fail, so that we can grow in the realization that He, and NOT WE, is in control!  We are human, and obviously flawed, so how can anything that we determine to be right by our book, actually be right?  It is when we are listening to our own desires and wants that we fall into the devil's trap, because we are no longer listening to our heavenly Father.  While His lifestyle offers us persecution, trials and challenges, would you not rather that over an easy going life full of sin?  I know that, when I stop to take a breath, I realize that the moments I was challenged in my walk the most, are the moments I treasure the deepest.

So why do we want to control ALL- THE- TIME??  Well, for me, my control issues are representations of my lack of faith and trust in God.  You see, I am a girl who has been hurt (multiple times) and does not want to go back to that feeling of desperation again.  When your heart breaks, and you realize that this human being you put so much trust into is actually a fraud... well, your heart breaks.  I think I may have gotten tired of feeling my heart break, so I just decided to control everything.  No relationships, no depending on anyone else, no risks... just me.  When I took that leap, there was no going back.  Suddenly, everything I did... I did.  Sure, God was there beside me the whole time, but I did not acknowledge Him.  This mindset of, "I can do anything you can do better", came into play.  Although my few successes were all God, it was not until about two years later that I realized it.  Everything I tried to control, tried to force, and even tried to create, just fell through.  Something was there to catch me when I fell... but what?  All my heartaches had occurred because I was putting faith in a human or materialistic object, and not in the everlasting Father figure of Christ.

That's what I love most about our heavenly Father.  He is the greatest being, yet He is the quietest.  With Him, it is not about boasting, flaunting or teasing... everything is simple, silent and sweet.  Acts of love, true love.  Love is not boastful, it does not flaunt or taunt... and when you think about it, that is God through and through.  Silently loving and protecting us all.  Never asking for acknowledgement or thank you's, just there for you when you need Him most.

So, to all my fellow control freaks... "Let go, and let God".  Life will happen, and with life, pain and suffering... but what of the joys?  Are we to cherish them or cast them aside?  In the midst of your pain, when you just want to rely on yourself, imagine the outcome if you did... tell yourself, "Only He is big enough for this," and them give it all up to God.  He is silent, but He is loving and protecting.  When you are at your low, it is He that keeps your feet from dragging.  Depend on Him, not on you.  It's time to kiss those control freak days goodbye and become a Jesus Freak!!

Peace-Love-Christ,

Clay

Are You Really Single?

     It's been awhile since I've been able to post, but I'll take the time to XPress my feelings after speaking to a youth group this afternoon.
    So much of who we determine ourselves to be is based on status, who we are and what we do, but what of who's we are??  Have we ever stopped to think that that might be what really counts?  It is a pleasure to be able to speak with other kids etc., but the thing I'm most grateful for, is Him using me to speak.  Little of what I say are my words, but even my words are His!  It is so comforting to hear Him speak through me, so funny to hear my own words lecture myself!  Ha, ha!  To think that such a thing is possible!!  The joy I have found in belonging to Him is one I will never be able to XPress!  He is Love, He is Life, He is everything that lasts in eternity!!  No man (or woman) can compete with that!  There's no greater gift than this, "that He lay down His life for a friend".  Christ's life is the greatest XPression of love!  What a gift!  I am so in love with Him!  It's a comfort to know that I am 'taken', that I am 'in a relationship', and that I am 'in love'!  Not in the world's view of love, but I Christ's view of love!  There can be no greater gift than this satisfaction of being loved eternally and unconditionally!
     If you are a teen reading this, know that I'm in the same boat as you are.  Millions of teens all over the world are facing trials and temptations at this moment, but it is how we react to those situations that makes us different.  You can set goals, make a plan, stick to that plan, but keep Him by your side through it all and you will not fail. You will prevail, and we will walk together in His presence in the end.  Love your life, find the joy of your "Now", look to your "Tomorrow" as a gift from God, but look to your "Today" as your gift to God!  You are His beloved... don't forget it!

Peace-Love-Christ,

Clay

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~

Target Practice

Have you ever felt that, the moment you try to do things right, you become this huge target for strife and failure?  Do you know why?  The devil is fine as long as your roots are shallow and you say you're a Christian, but don't really walk the talk.  When you start to grow, spread your roots and think for yourself, he has a problem!  You become bombarded with all sorts of setbacks, failures and discouragements, but what can you do?  Keep pushing on, keep keeping on, and NEVER give up!  Jesus said that 'for the sake of my name you will be persecuted, ridiculed and even killed... but your treasure is in Heaven."  So where does that leave us?  When we're down, discouraged and ready to throw in the towel, remember what Christ said and persevere.  For His sake, you will live forever in paradise.  As hard as that is to wrap your mind around when you are 'in the moment', it is true and encouraging.  I'm facing a few of those speed bumps right now.  I know the devil wants me to cave, and I know that that would be the easy way out, but because of prayer, supportive friends and a plan, I'm trying to fight that fight Jesus talked about.  So much of my materialistic life has been sacrificed for Him... but there's something else that I can't lay my finger on.  You see, although I've given all this up for Him, it feels like I'm still holding on to one last thing... what that is I haven't discovered, but I pray I do soon.  Imagine this... You have the keys of your life in your hand.  You're griping them tight and you don't want to let go.  All of a sudden, this hand, bigger than yours, reaches out and gestures for the keys.  You resist, not wanting to lose control, but the hand persists.  Finally, you dump some keys into its hand, yet the hand remains.  You look down into the palm of your hand and there, to your surprise, lies one last key.  Not all the keys were willingly given to the hand because you felt you still needed to control this one last key... the Father asks that you give ALL of your life's keys to him, but sometimes, we don't.  That's me.  Although I've given so many life keys to Him, there are still a few I'm griping in my hand.  Why I have no idea!  What they are is somewhat a mystery as well, but I pray that He open my heart and eyes to realize what that last key is.  If you're in the same boat, you can pray this as well.  He wants to help, but He is not a forceful Father.  He will always be there, waiting until we're ready to place that last key in His hand. :)  "Let go, let God."

Peace-<3-Let Go

-Clay-

True Friendship!

A friend of mine sent this verse to me a couple of days ago, & I would like to share it with you all as well.  At the time, I was contemplating my friendships with different peers.  When it comes to friendship or commitment, I am cautious and careful.  I don't want to let myself slip into a friendship that may not be good for me.  Both sides deserve the best, so I have this thing about rushing into any type of relationships.  The true friend, or spouse, that is meant for me someday will have that same strategy.  She/he will not be turned off or discouraged by my cautiousness, but instead, treasure the fact that I am keeping the two of us in mind when I take things slow.  Ever jump into a friendship & find out later you should of looked into the person you were hanging out with before the 'big jump'??  Me too!  However, we are all learning and there is never a too late... at least... not in God's book! ;) Peace, <3, Watchful

Sirach 6:5-17

⁵ Pleasant speech multiplies friends,
   and a gracious tongue multiplies courtesies.
⁶ Let those who are friendly with you be many,
   but let your advisers be one in a thousand.
⁷ When you gain friends, gain them through testing,
   and do not trust them hastily.
⁸ For there are friends who are such when it suits them,
   but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
⁹ And there are friends who change into enemies,
   and tell of the quarrel to your disgrace.
¹⁰ And there are friends who sit at your table,
   but they will not stand by you in time of trouble.
¹¹ When you are prosperous, they become your second self,
   and lord it over your servants;
¹² but if you are brought low, they turn against you,
   and hide themselves from you.
¹³ Keep away from your enemies,
   and be on guard with your friends. 

¹⁴ Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter:
   whoever finds one has found a treasure.
¹⁵ Faithful friends are beyond price;
   no amount can balance their worth.
¹⁶ Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;
   and those who fear the Lord will find them.
¹⁷ Those who fear the Lord direct their friendship aright,
   for as they are, so are their neighbours also. 

Thankful?

     As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, what are you thankful for this year?  Family, food, friends, indoor plumbing, toys...?   How do our lists compare to those from other countries?
     I visited an orphanage just outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti last May, and as this holiday season approaches, I can't help but think of them.  These kids that sleep three or four to a bed, trade clothes constantly just to try to find something that fits them, who have no mom or dad there to hold and protect them, who have had to grow up WAY too fast because of their circumstances... What are they thankful for this season?  For many of the children who have been placed with a family, they're thankful that there's a hope for tomorrow!  They're thankful for the chance to one day go home to the safe and loving arms of a family that can't wait to hold them.  So many are thankful for the love and protection of Jesus Christ.  They sing their joy and praises for Him every day... "Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump for Jesus!"  Their voices carry through the thin walls of their three story orphanage and they are thankful!  Thankful to be alive when so many of their families were killed; Thankful to have friends so close to them; Thankful for their jump ropes and marbles; Thankful to have each other.  Funny how the things that we pass up as we go through our thankful lists are some of the first things that appear on theirs.  This Thanksgiving, don't forget the simple things, but rejoice and be glad for all that you have!  Try to look a little deeper, to the silent blessings... family, love, hope, forgiveness, sacrifice... and discover something you haven't given much thought to in awhile.  What would our world be like without hope and opportunity?  Without freedom and the ability to speak our minds?  Without the freedom to ask "Why?"?  Without the love and compassion we have for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?  Where would we be?  Or more importantly... WHO would we be without these simple things?  They are our foundation, and they are all gifts from our Heavenly Father.  So... what are you thankful for?