Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!! I'm experiencing a new phenomena this Christmas. Here in Huntsville, AL, we rarely get snow, and when we do it's just a light dusting, maybe half an inch. Today is the first White Christmas my family has ever seen, with about three inches so far and more coming.

Some very heavy laden bushes...


Early morning. First picture with new camera!



Pretty big snowman for us!


We had great times launching snowballs around.

The Reason for the Season

Wow. Well, my whole "post my favorite Christmas carols" thing kind of failed due to exams and the business of the Christmas season. Today I'm going to share a song with you, not a "Christmas carol" but a song about the reason we celebrate Christmas. It's "I Celebrate the Day," by Christian band Relient K. It focuses on the mystery of Jesus born fully God and fully man. A mystery we may never know the answer to. When Jesus was born, did He know that He had come to save Lauren Murphree? It boggles my mind and shows me how much God loves me. "And I, I celebrate the day that You were born to die so I could one day pray for You to save my life" is the last stanza. How thought provoking is that? How often do we forget? "Yay! Jesus is born! Time to open presents!" seems to be our normal line of thought on Christmas morning. We celebrate that Christ was born, but forget the reason He was born. Jesus Christ was born to die. Born to bear the full wrath of God and pay the price for our sins. THAT is reason for celebration.
Merry Christmas!!

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let you know
How much you've touched my life because
Here is where you're finding me
In the exact same place as New Years Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare
The things I've felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That you have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That you give
That you were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me

And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that you opened your eyes
Did you realize that you would be my Savior
And the first breath that left your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever

And I
I celebrate the day
That you were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life
Pray for you to save my life

Once In Royal David's City

"Once In Royal David's City," by Cecil Frances Alexander, is the next Christmas Carol I would like to share about. Mrs. Alexander was an Anglican bishop's wife, and as she accompanied him throughout Ireland, she worked with many young children. For these children she wrote a number of poems and hymns, including "All Things Bright and Beautiful." In 1848 her most famous collection, Hymns For Little Children, was published, and there "Once In Royal David's City" first appeared. Beginning in 1918, King's College in Cambridge has used this hymn for the processional in their Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve. Traditionally it is begun with a boy soprano soloist singing the first verse to be followed by the rest of the choir. At my church, we also have a lessons and carols service on Christmas Eve, and a young boy standing at the back of the sanctuary singing into a mic normally starts off this song. Until today, I did not know that it was a tradition begun at King's College. Here are the words and a video of the King's College Choir singing this beautiful hymn. I encourage you to read the words of this carol and think about the amazing fact that Christ was God and Man, and how wondrous a mystery that is.

Once in royal Davids city,
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby,
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ, her little Child.

He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall:
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour holy.

For He is our childhood's pattern;
Day by day, like us, He grew;
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles, like us He knew;
And He cares when we are sad,
And he shares when we are glad.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle,
Is our Lord in heaven above:
And He leads His children on,
To the place where He is gone.

Advent Carols #1

Happy first Sunday of Advent!! As often as I can throughout this Christmas season, I will be posting some of my favorite Christmas Carols. The first carol is O Come O Come Emmanuel. I love this hymn. To me, it is a very appropriate song to begin advent, for it is speaking of the future coming of the Christ, asking him to come and free Israel. It can be interpreted as speaking of either the first or the second coming of Christ, but for now we shall interpret it as the first coming of Christ. "O Come, O come, Emmanuel/And ransom captive Israel/That mourns in lonely exile here/Until the Son of God appear/Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel/Shall come to thee, O Israel." Rejoice! For the Son of God has come, and will come again. Here is the song along with its beautiful lyrics.

Change

In 2009, while at the Do Hard Things Conference in Gadsden, AL, I heard Brett Harris say something that I'll never forget. He said "I know it's hard to believe, but in order to change something in your life, you actually have to change something in your life." Of course, we all laughed, because it sounds rather rhetorical. But think about it. How many times do we say we are going to change something, but never actually make the needed change? We say, "I'm going to be better to my brothers and sisters," but do we actually change our heart attitude toward them and love them more than we did before? So often we talk about the changes we are going to make in our life, but we are too lazy and too uncertain or motivated about them to actually change anything. This is something that lately has been very challenging for me. I've been realizing how many things I've said I would change, but never got around to. So I challenge you. In order to change something in your life, you really do actually have to CHANGE SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE. So change.

Hymn of the Week

This week's Hymn of the Week is O Worship the King. It was written by William Kethe in 1561, and the tune is an arrangement of Johann M. Haydn's tune, arranged by William Gardiner in 1815. When I was younger, it was my favorite hymn. Number 2 in the Trinity Hymnal! I remember requesting it one night in Congregational Singing. When the music director asked me which verses were my favorite and I wanted to sing, I just said all of them, causing some of the members of the church orchestra to chuckle and grimace. (I think I described that right?) I didn't understand until I joined the orchestra. It sure is in a hard key, but it is worth it for the words. A call to PRAISE and WORSHIP our KING! Answer it! Read the words, then sing them. Understand what you are singing to the Almighty King, our Shield and Defender.

O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

CONGRATS WESTMINSTER!

WOW. Sorry it's been so long! Can you believe it's already October? I can't. It's crazy. Well, I'm here to say CONGRATULATIONS to Westminster Christian Academy's Varsity Football Team! Way to go! Off to the playoffs for the first time in our school's history! 5-1 keep it up Wildcats!

Hymn of the Week

This week's hymn of the week is "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" by John Newton. It was written in 1779 and based on the verse "Your name is like perfume poured out;" Songs of Solomon 1:3. "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear." With lyrics like that and like the last verse, "Till then I would they love proclaim with every fleeting breath; and may the music of thy name refresh my soul in death," you want to sing along and never stop singing to the praise of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It brings to mind again the wondrous grace from God our Father that we receive through Christ. How amazing that we can hear the name of Jesus! How incredible that God would love us and shine His mercy towards us! Words cannot describe, my mind cannot fathom what God has done for me or why He would do it. Why me? Indeed, how sweet the name of Jesus sounds. Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, my Prophet, Priest, and King, my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring. Everlasting praise and glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole, and calms the troubled breast;
'tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary rest.

Dear name! the rock on which I build, my shield and hiding place,
my never failing treasr'y filled with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, my Prophet, Priest, and King,
my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart, and cold my warmest thought;
but when I see thee as thou art, I'll praise thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclaim with every fleeting breath;
and may the music of thy name refresh my soul in death.

Discovery of the Week: Picnik

Picnik. Is. Amazing. A photo editing site that is completely free and open to everyone, Picnik is so much easier to use than Photoshop! I love it! I know exactly what I'm doing, am able to have large amounts of control over what goes on, and can easily undo a mistake. There are so many neat features and effects to use. I strongly encourage you to check it out. Here's an original photo, and then what I did with it on Picnik.

9/11/01

2,819 killed. 289 intact bodies found. 1,717 families never received remains. 1,609 lost a partner or spouse. 3,051 children lost a parent. 115 nations whose citizens were killed in the attacks. 26 days after 9/11 the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan. 1.4 million Americans changed their holiday-travel plans from plane to train or car. 35-39 - age of the greatest number that died. 99 number of days the fires continued to burn.
I was 7 years old on September 11, 2001. All I remember is being downtown in Huntsville and scared because all I knew was that planes were hitting tall buildings. And for a couple of years after that, until I really understood what had happened, I was still scared whenever planes flew over our house. Now I can't stand it when I look at a digital clock that's at 9:11. Always Remember. Never Forget. 9/11/01.

Hymn of the Week

I know I haven't done this in a while, but I'm going to try to start and pick back up on it. This week's hymn is a new one, written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. It was introduced this summer into our youth group worship music. We all loved it, and try to sing it every chance we get. With beautiful words and music filled with hope in the saving death of Jesus Christ and His coming return, this "modern" hymn is a masterpiece. Death is dead, love had won, Christ has conquered! For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead! Praise be to God.

See, what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce, "Christ is risen!"
See God's salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow'r and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

War of Words

In this past Sunday's War of Words video, Paul Tripp made a point that I found incredibly convicting. Words come from the heart. Have you ever thought about that? Everything we say comes from our heart. There is no "I didn't mean that" or many times no "just kidding." Words we say were in our heart before they left our tongue. Tripp used an illustration of something his mother told him when he was young. "A drunk never says or does anything that wasn't already inside him." Or something along those lines, I can't remember the exact wording. But it's so true. Words do come from the heart. They are incredibly powerful. And we need to remember that and watch what we say and think before we speak. Nothing we say wasn't already in our hearts. Honestly, it's kind of scary.

Discovery of the Week

So recently I started listening to 50s music because I have XM radio and there's a 50s channel. And I love 40s and 50s music. They also have a channel that is completely Elvis, and my sister and I were listening to that this morning when we heard a song that I...really liked. So here it is, Discovery of the Week!

Review #1: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

If you love Greek mythology, you're gonna love this series by Rick Riordian. These books are an easy read, and so much fun. They are just incredible. I love Greek myths, and so when I saw one of my friends reading the first book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I became interested and started reading them too. It's hard to explain what Riordian does in these books. He takes Greek myths and puts them into our current world. And it works. Really well. I learned more about Greek mythology just by reading these books. And they're funny! Written in first person from the point of Percy Jackson, a lot of laughs erupt while reading. Percy is just like a few of my friends and myself - very sarcastic. I love it. With chapter titles like "I Go Cruising With Explosives," "I Took The Worst Bath Ever," "I Battle the Cheerleading Squad," "Nico Buys Happy Meals for the Dead," "I Learn How to Grow Zombies," "Thalia Torches New England," "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher," "Three Old Ladies Knit Socks of Death," "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom," and many others, these books are absolutely hilarious. Trust me, and read these great books.

I Love Reading!

Reading is one of the greatest things in the world. My mom taught me to read when I was about 3 or 4 years old. (Thank you so much Mom! You're the best!) And I haven't stopped since. At least until I got into high school. Then things got a bit crazy, and I lost time to read. But I still love it. And as I watched my little sister, who is 5 years old and recently learned how to read, sitting on the couch just contentedly reading to herself for what seemed like hours, it brought me back to my childhood days. *sniff* I was a pretty crazy reader. I'm a speed reader (at least that's what I call it) meaning that I can just basically look at a paragraph and get just about everything out of it. I attempted The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien when I was 5 or 6, but got scared off by Gollum. I read the first Harry Potter book in 20 minutes, the second one in 35, the third in 45, and the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, took me about a day each. Of course, when I went back and read them again, I caught little things that my eyes and brain had skipped over. Nowadays, it often takes me longer to read books like that because I force myself to concentrate on every sentence or every word instead of speeding through and not getting everything out of it. Unfortunately, I can be a very stubborn person. When I was young, (and now) instead of asking what a word meant, I'd try to figure it out from context. I still do that. I hardly ever look up words, which is a bad thing, cause in many of the books I have to read for school, I really can't figure it out, but I just keep going. Don't be like me. Don't do that. I regret that habit and am trying to fix it.
Coming tomorrow will the first in a series of reviews of books or book series that I highly recommend. They aren't in any particular order. Just what comes to mind when I sit down to write. See ya later!

War of Words

My dad is teaching a Sunday School class on the video series "War of Words" by Dr. Paul Tripp based on the book War of Words by Dr. Paul Tripp. So, on Sunday afternoons, our family is watching the series and having small discussion. I was really struck by some things that he said in the first session and wanted to share them with you.

1) Words belong to the Lord

I had never heard it put that way before. Our words belong to God. They are His words. Ouch. Thinking back on some things I've said and the way I still talk...that's a sharp sword in the side.

2) Words are rooted in His glory

Out of all of creation, we are the only beings that God gave the gift of words. They are for His glory. How often do we think about that? How much of what we say really glorifies God?

3) Words are from the beginning - have never belonged to us to use as we will or for our own purpose

Have never belonged to us. Are from the beginning. I really need to read the book because since it's been a week since I saw the video, I've rather forgotten what this meant.

4) We must always ask "What does God want for my words in this situation?"

How many times do we stop and think about what we are going to say? I know I rarely do. But even rarer is the occasion when I stop and think what God wants for my words in the situation. How convicting is that!

He closed out the session with four quick points that also caught my attention.

a) God has a plan for our words

b) sin has altered our world talk

c) in Jesus we find everything we need to restore it

d) the Bible teaches us how to get from where we are to where we need to be

How true is that? God has a plan for our words. Sin certainly has come in an changed our words into weapons. Surely in Jesus we find what we need to help us fight sin. And the Bible teaches us how to get from where we are to where we need to be. In the coming weeks I will continue to post my thoughts and things that jumped out at me from each session. I hope you enjoy!

Ukraine

This summer has been the most challenging of my life, but it has also been the most amazing. I've grown in my abilities has a violist, I've grown closer with my siblings despite being apart so much, and I've experienced something that has given me a better picture of this world and what God might be calling me to do in it.

The most momentous part of the summer was obviously my time in Kiev, Ukraine. That was an incredible experience. Getting to see a different part of the world, a different country, encounter a different culture, and serve my God and His Kingdom. I was in Kiev with a team from my church for two weeks, working with Jim and Marianna Peipon, who are medical missionaries. We worked in two separate three day camps. The first camp was with children in the community, some of whom may have HIV or have lost a parent or parents to the virus. Even though at times it was stressful, it was great to get to work with these children and tell them things that they might not get to hear otherwise. The second camp was at Kiev's main children's hospital. Several of them were HIV+ and others had other diseases. It was heartbreaking to see them and how skinny and sick-looking they were, but the response to the Bible lessons was great. One very sick child answered the question "What did Jesus do for us?" by saying "He died on the cross for us." It warmed my heart to hear him say that and to see his mother sitting beside him smiling and nodding along with the lesson. As I look back on that time, I wish I could have asked the children what they thought about the idea of heaven, a place with no sickness or pain. Do we, in America, healthy, very few major health problems, have a grasp on the concept of a place with no sickness, pain, or suffering? Healthy and happy forever? Surely we do not understand it or react to it as these children might.

Pray for Ukraine. Pray for these children. Pray that the Word of God might work in their hearts, that they might believe. Pray that all the Earth might sing to the glory of our Maker.

Post from Ukraine!

Hello from Kiev everyone! Things are going very well. We just finished our first camp today, and everything went fairly smoothly. I am falling in love with a few Ukrainian foods that I will most certainly attempt to make in the United States. Second camp next week at the Hospital and then home. I'm having a great time, learning Ukrainian, learning the culture, and adoring the kids. More news as soon as possible. Goodbye!

Discovery of the Week

The Discovery of the Week this week is a fact. Or several facts, actually. In my reading 1776, I was very intrigued by the description of King George the Third's coach. Boring, right? Sorry.
The King's "colossal golden chariot" was huge. It weighed nearly four tons, being twenty-four feet in length and thirteen feet high, "enough to make the ground tremble when under way." Eight Hanoverian Cream horses were required to pull this royal coach. Over each of the heavy wheels were four gilded sea gods, a reminder that Britannia ruled the seas. On top of the carriage were three gilded cherubs holding high a gilded crown, symbols of England, Scotland, and Ireland. I find it interesting that there was not a fourth cherub representing England's colonies around the seas. Any thoughts as to why? Food for thought!

Caleb's Birthday Surprise

Thought I'd share this. Today my brother turned 12. Hooray Caleb! Well, my mom was sneaky with his cake. She put "Magic Candles" on it, which are impossible to blow out. Once you have lit them and let them sit for 60 seconds, they will continue to burst in flame again after being blown out. It gave Caleb quite the surprise and a hilarious moment to be archived.

"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS, MOM?!?"

Book

I'm starting a new book today! I've been meaning to read this book for a while, but never got around to it. It's 1776 by David McCullough. I love history, especially the history of our nation's beginning. I'm looking forward to learning from it, and will give you a review when I have finished!

Hymn of the Week

Starting now, each week I will post a hymn and talk some about it. It helps me to rediscover the hymns that forgot all about, such as this one, What Wondrous Love Is This. There is no information on the author of these beautiful lyrics but that it is an American folk hymn. The tune is incredibly beautiful and fits the theme of the words perfectly. Surely what wondrous love is this, that my King would bear the curse of death and the wrath of God for my soul?

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing, to God and to the Lamb, I will sing; to God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM, while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, while millions join the theme, I will sing!

And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on, and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on; and when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be, and through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on, and through eternity I'll sing on!

Discovery of the Week

Here's my first "Discovery of the Week" post! Discovery of the Week may be a song, a book, a fact, a Bible verse or anything new that I learn or find. This week, it's a song by Sanctus Real called "Lead Me." I heard it on the radio the other day and was struck by how real it is. How much that really is what we think and need, and how much we need our Father to help us.

Lead Me lyrics Sanctus Real - “Lead Me” I look around and see my wonderful life Almost perfect from the outside In picture frames I see my beautiful wife Always smiling But on the inside, I can hear her saying... “Lead me with strong hands Stand up when I can't Don't leave me hungry for love Chasing dreams, what about us? Show me you're willing to fight That I'm still the love of your life I know we call this our home But I still feel alone” I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes They're just children from the outside I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine They're in independent But on the inside, I can hear them saying... “Lead me with strong hands Stand up when I can't Don't leave me hungry for love Chasing dreams, but what about us? Show me you're willing to fight That I'm still the love of your life I know we call this our home But I still feel alone” So Father, give me the strength To be everything I'm called to be Oh, Father, show me the way To lead them Won't You lead me? To lead them with strong hands To stand up when they can't Don't want to leave them hungry for love, Chasing things that I could give up I'll show them I'm willing to fight And give them the best of my life So we can call this our home Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Why I Love Hymns

I love hymns mainly because of their words. Hymns have such beautiful words! It's sad how often people either ignore the words or just don't go to a church that uses hymns. I read an article by one man supporting contemporary worship music, saying that it had "singable lyrics." What is not singable about hymn lyrics? What makes them so unacceptable in so many churches today? Forget the often slow music that (I admit) sometimes threatens to put you to sleep, and focus on the words! "Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me save that thou art---thou my best thought by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light", "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my King shouldst die for me," "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we've first begun." Just read through the hymnbook! There are so many beautiful, unknown hymns with amazing lyrics in there. I don't see how people today can just throw it all away. Or say that "I wish we wouldn't sing songs in church that I don't know." Really? Are you being serious? Learn! Go home, look it up, learn it! Read it through, look up the passage it is based on if there is one. Its always good to keep learning, and there is no reason not to sing a hymn just because you don't know it.

I don't just love the "old" hymns that are in the Trinity Hymnbook. There are new, modern hymns that are just as good. "In Christ Alone," "See What a Morning," and "The Power of the Cross" are just a few new and amazing hymns. We should add them to our list of those we sing in church.

I also love the hymns that are old and traditional. They have stood the test of time. They have been sung for centuries in the church, so why not now? Why all of a sudden do we have to change? I don't buy the whole "contemporary music to reach out to teens" thing. Teens are perfectly capable of singing hymns and understanding them. Do Hard Things! Sing some thee's and thou's and thy's and ye's!

I love hymns because of the many occasions where you can look at the history of the person writing the hymn and see why they wrote it. Horatio G. Spafford wrote "It is Well with My Soul" after he lost his wife and children to a shipwreck overseas. "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'" What great faith and trust in God to be able to write such words when going through such pain! I am sure I could not do it.

So you see why I love hymns, their words, their endurance, and their history. What great songs to sing in worship to God! Praise be to Him alone.

A Treasure

There's a song by Sanctus Real called "Forgiven." In it is one line that put in my head an amazing, unforgettable, and encouraging image. The line goes like this: "While I don't measure up to much in this life, I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ." I Corinthians 3:23 (NKJV, thats the only one I had available when I wrote this) says that "you are Christ's and Christ is God's."

A treasure. We are Christ's. We are a treasure in His arms! How is that even possible? I'm so amazed by this. That Christ would regard us, sinners, filthy and wretched, as a treasure in His arms. Why? How? We are FORGIVEN! Praise be to God Almighty! Praise be to Christ His Son and His Holy Spirit that now resides in us! "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God shouldst die for me?" A treasure? His love and mercy are indescribable.

Now about that image. When I heard this song for the second or third time, those words jumped out at me. I had this image of walking (or running, rather) toward the gates of heaven, with my Savior Jesus Christ waiting, bending down with outstretched arms and a smiling face, excited to see me, His treasure, coming home at last. That image still fills me with inexplicable joy. That thought and idea encourages me when I feel so sinful and filthy. I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ. A treasure.

The Rebelution

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris is without a doubt one of the best books ever written. I will never forget when my mom handed me this book to read during the 7-hour trip to Gulf Shores. It completely changed my outlook on life. I had never questioned the low expectations of teenagers in our society. Now, I struggle against those low expectations. When teachers or adults say "Well I'm not going to expect you to understand...I don't expect you to be able to write at that level yet...I don't expect you to not get in a car wreck...I don't expect you to go ahead and sort that out...I don't expect...don't expect..." WHY NOT? Back in the day, "teens" were not teens. That word did not exist. They were adults. And other, older adults expected much of them. And guess what? They did it. They did things like lead troops, survey thousands of acres alone, captain ships, provide for households, and many other things. Without all the help we have today. So why can't we? Teenagers today are trapped in the low expectations of our consumeristic society. Especially as Christians, we need to rise up against them. That's what the Rebelution is. Rebelution is a made up word, and it means "a teenage rebellion against low expectations." We are called to "Do Hard Things." About once a week I will post more about this book, posting things that Alex and Brett said and what I thought about them, diving deeper in to what it means to "Do Hard Things."

This past August the Do Hard Things conference came to Gadsden, and a few members of my youth group and I attended. It was a great experience. This August, they are coming to Nashville, and I can't wait to go! Here are some photographs of when Ashley and I were able to meet Alex and Brett.

Hey! So, Ashley inspired me to start a blog. I know, I'm crazy. Well, mostly I suppose I will be posting about my favorite book and inspiring teenage movement, Do Hard Things and the Rebelution. Also....just random stuff. I'll stop trying to think of things to say now. Enjoy!