Comparisons

Have you ever looked at another girl and thought, "Wow! I wish I looked like her"? Or "Man! I wish I could sing like her!" Well, I have thought that many, many times. I have laid awake at night planning a diet that I could go on just so I could come somewhat close to looking like another girl. But ya know what? It never works. I always end up eating too much chocolate or having one coke too many. I always fail. But you know what? God did not fail when He made us. Ecclesiastes 3:11a says that God has made everything beautiful in HIS time! He made us just the way we are and for a specific purpose. Even if we think we aren't as pretty or as talented as someone else, we are absolutely gorgeous in God's sight. He also does not want us to compare ourselves to other people. Don't look at someone else and wish that you could be like them. Look at Christ and wish to be like Him. He is our ultimate example of what a person should want to be. Never compare yourself to other people. Compare yourself to Christ!

First

I just got home from an amazing week at camp. Now I know what you are thinking. Trust me. I thought that it would be another year at teen camp and everyone would "make decisions" like they do every year. But this year was different. I went alone. I went without my close friends and I didn't really understand why at first. Now I do. The Lord did an amazing work in my life this week at camp. I made many decisions and I would like to tell you about one in particular.

While I have been "serving the Lord" I always seemed to get frustrated and tired of all that I did. I would get "weary in well doing". And I never knew why. Well this week I figured out why. While I was "serving the Lord" I wasn't really "serving the Lord". I was really just serving myself. But this week I made the decision to legitimately serve the Lord and not do it for myself. I can't do it alone! I can't do it alone!! I CAN'T DO IT ALONE! How can I serve the Lord when he isn't first in my life!! I can't!!! And that is what my problem was from the beginning. Doing it for myself because he wasn't on top of my priority list. But now HE is and I want to serve Him with my whole heart! I also decided to take time and blog more often. I am very sorry for neglecting to do that! But I ask for you prayers and I start my life over with the Lord as #1 in my life!!

But just remember as you read this: you can't do it alone either. Just as I can't do it alone! But the Lord is always there! Put Him first and you will see what amazing things He will do in your life!

Through the Pain

Have you ever been through a situation where you felt like you could not go on even if you tried? Have you ever just wanted to quit because it feels as if everything is crashing down around you? I know there has been many situations in my life where I felt as if there was no way to move forward. But Paul tells us that he went through many sufferings for Christ. He was beaten, shipwrecked, and robbed. At times he was hungry, cold and unclothed. (2 Cor. 11:24-28) But in all these things, he never once questioned God. He knew that all he did was for Christ and HIS glory! I know that sometimes we might not want to do something because the motivation is not right. If we have the right motivation, we can work through the pain. We can serve Christ through the hard times. We can love him through all the difficulties that life brings our way. Through the pain, Christ is always there right there with us. No matter what happens Christ will never leave us nor forsake us! (Heb. 13:5) A reward awaits for those who endured through the pain. Will you press on, even through the pain?

Hope

Today I attended what most people think would be a very sad thing. I went to a funeral today. The lady that passed away was 93 years old! Now to me, being a 17 year old, that sounds like a long happy life to live and it was. God blessed this amazing lady with a long happy life and a huge family that serves God! What more could one ask for? But back to the main topic. Sometimes death can be a very tragic thing to have to cope with. If you have ever lost a loved one you know what I mean by this. I have lost several close family members and I can say from experience that it is a very difficult to thing to have to go through. But I know for a fact that the family members that I have lost are now with Christ in heaven. They aren't in pain anymore! And I can have hope knowing that their life after death is with Christ! If I didn't have Christ I wouldn't have that hope. If you do not have this hope of Christ Jesus, please respond to this blog. I would love to share this hope of Christ with you!

SImple Joy

OK, so while I was writing my last blog about silence, I thought of a cool idea. So many times when we feel like God isn't listening to us, or He is distant, we forget the many things that He has given us that bring us simple joy. I decided that I am going to do several things in order to remind myself that God DOES listen to me, and DOES love me.

1) Write things I am thankful for on a piece of paper and put them in a "Thankful" jar, then when I am feeling lonely and sad, I will pick one out and pray and thank God for it!

2) Look at pictures of times I felt extremely blessed by God.

3) Listen to a song that always reminds me of God's presence and greatness.

So these are only a few things that can help remind me of God's love. Do you have any other ideas? Or anything that YOU do to help you remember God's goodness?




This is Brooke and me. She is in K4 and I get to teach her almost every day! She is always so eager to say hi to me and loves helping me choose what color to paint my nails :)


This is Natalie. She is in K5. Natalie is so sweet and thoughtful. Her smile is such an encouragement, and she aways tells me "I love my Mommy." She's so precious.


And of course, Kristin and me. Kristin always makes me laugh and smile! She is awesometastical and I couldn't ask for a more amazing friend!

Silence

"Can anybody hear me? The silence is deafening." These two sentences set a light bulb off over my head. For the past two days, I've just felt distant from God for some reason. Almost like He wasn't with me, but when I heard these two sentences in a song by Meredith Andrews, I knew exactly what it was. Because I was so focused on feeling like God wasn't there, I missed His quiet presence. The silence was so "deafening" that I was too focused on it! Even when I cried out to God, I couldn't hear His reply. So many times, I know I have experienced this, the feeling of being unheard by God. Almost like He doesn't want to listen to me anymore. But, my friend, this is so untrue! My Heavenly Father hears me at all times, and never leaves my side. And nothing I do can separate me from His unending love. No amount of wrong I do will turn Him away. He will forgive me over and over. His love is unconditional and His mercy is new every morning. If I do something that seems worthy of His wrath, He will forgive me, and go right back to loving me. As I write this, I have to smile. That is just so amazing. His love is truly a comfort at all times. Even when I'm lonely, and I feel like He is a thousand miles away, He is right by our side, and ready to reveal Himself to us!

Check out Meredith Andrew's newest single "Can Anybody Hear Me?"

The Remodel!

The remodel of our kitchen and dining room has officially begun! As I speak, my boyfriend, dad and uncle are hard at work tearing the place apart! I must say it is quite loud here! Jacob is sawing, my uncle is hammering, and my dad is tearing up boards!! As I sit here listening to the noise, I am reminded of how this remodel can relate to life. Sometimes the noise drowns out what Christ has to say to us. We get so caught up with all that is happening around us and we forget that Christ is right there waiting to whisper in our ear. But life gets too loud and we sometimes can't hear what He has to say to us. We just need to concentrate and focus on what the Savior has to say and trust in Him! Forget about all the chaos of life and focus on the One who gave it all for a relationship with you!

How Long?

How long? So many times I find myself asking this question. How much longer can I stand? How much longer can I wait for an answer? Through certain situations, I've learned that I shouldn't be asking myself this question. Rather, I should be asking God to give me guidance to help me get through my problem, and help me learn something in the process. Seems like I should have figured this out years ago right? I agree. But sometimes it takes longest to figure out the simple things in our Christian life. And once we grasp the concept, it is something we will never let go.
I have found that God has been showing me just how important this concept is. While I know I'm not facing huge problems, to me they are extremely important. And because they are important to me, I know that they are important to God too, because I'm His child! That is so exciting isn't it? It definitely is to me! No matter what I'm going through, I know that God will take care of me and hold my heart.
I found the song "Hold my Heart" by Tenth Avenue North extremely encouraging. Not only does it talk about God holding our hearts when we can barely stand, but it makes a good point. So many times we have questions for God, and we want answers immediately. But our Heavenly Father has perfect timing, and He will provide the answers for us when He knows we can handle them. Even though the answers won't always be what we want to hear, God has a far bigger plan, and everything will work out in His time! Just as my favorite verse says, "He hath made everything beautiful in His time...", Ecclesiastes 3:11a. Will you ask God to hold your heart and allow yourself to rely on His promises?


If you want to learn a little about "Hold My Heart" and hear it check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh4IGvMzOzw

Prayer

Ok, so let's all be honest. How often do we pray? I know the question is more often phrased, "How long do you pray?" but to me (Riley), I think it's more about just praying. When we are talking to God, the time doesn't matter to us. Speaking from personal experience, I can say that once I start praying, it is easy to keep talking to God. Talking is a word that is important to God. So many times we think that a prayer has to be some outstanding speech we recite to God, but this could be no further from the truth. When we pray, all we have to do is talk to God. Just like we would talk to a friend, because Jesus is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and He wants us to tell Him everything. Even if you're just sitting in class worried about a test, tell Him how you feel, and how you need Him to help you. There is nothing God enjoys more than talking to His children! I challenge you to start talking to God more each day and see just how loved you feel. When you talk to God, He will reveal Himself to you in ways you couldn't imagine!


Tip: If you have trouble focusing while you are trying to pray...pray out loud! It helps you concentrate and keep on track! Praying with a close friend is also a blessing. It will help you keep each other reliable and focused on God together.

Welcome 2010!

Well readers, we made it through one more year. The Lord given us one more year to serve Him and to give Him glory. We could not have done it without our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This post might seem kind of unusual. But I would like everyone who views this blog to leave just one thing in the comment box that the Lord has done for you in 2009. What a better way to welcome in 2010 than to give God the glory for 2009!?! If you would like you can definitely stay anonymous. But please leave at least one thing that the Lord has done for you in 2009. It can be a small thing or a big thing, but the only thing that matters is if God gets the glory! And to all of our readers, we thank you so much for your support! :)

Intimidation....

As young people, we are often intimidated by somethings in our lives. But of course being the tough teens as we are, we aren't going to admit to it. Sometimes we get intimidated by a teacher or someone in authority, but we aren't going to admit it, we are just going to disrespect them to make us look tougher than they are. Come on now...just admit to it. We have all done it. In order to say that people don't scare us, we are willing to make fun of them and be disrespectful to them. But that is definitely not the right thing to do. Instead we should allow God to use the authority figures in our lives to mold us and make us into who HE wants us to be. Now I'm not saying to let them run all over you and they make all the decisions for you. But still look to them for guidance and leadership. They are who GOD has placed there for you. So don't be intimidated by them. Respect them in a way that would give honor and glory to GOD!

Countdown!

Three more days until the big 2010! For me it is a very big year. It is the year that I (Kristin) graduate and the year that I head off to college. SCARY!! 2010 might be a scary year for you too. You might be graduating as well or facing some other obstacle in this new year. But the only thing we can do is put this new year in the hands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the one who spun the whole universe into motion and has control over all aspects of our everyday lives. He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him and realize that we cannot face this new year on our own. So as the new year swiftly approaches, make sure that you place this new year in the hands of our Savior that were nailed to a old rugged tree for you and me.

Post-Season

Now Christmas is over. What are we going to do?!? We are going to go back to our everyday lives and continue on just like we do every year. We will go back to work and school the same as we do every year after our Christmas break. But as we dive back into life once again, we must never forget the reason for every season. The reason we wake up every morning and take a new breath and the reason we can lay our head on our pillows in peace every night. Jesus Christ is the only reason we do what we do every day! Let's not forget that as we jump back into life once again!!

Keeping Christ in Christmas

Merry Christmas! Today is a very special day..not only because we get to spend time with our families, and open presents, but because we get to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world! As I think about what it must have been like for Jesus', God's only Son to hear His Father say, "It's time.", I can only stand in awe. If it would have been me, I would have protested. "Not me. No Father, You can't send me to that terrible, terrible earth. Everyone is so evil and cruel, they will hate me, and eventually kill me!!!" But not Jesus! He willingly came to earth to live a life of humility and sacrifice. On Christmas, I think about Jesus' humble birth, and also the reason He came to earth, to die on the cross so He we could live in Heaven with HIm forever if we accept Him into our hearts. Merry Christmas! :)

EXAMS!!!

As we are nearing the Christmas break, we all have the dreaded exams. For myself, the week ahead is packed full of tests. Our teachers give us test to see how much we have learned throughout the course of the year. If we do good on the test, we get a good grade, and pass the class. In our lives, the Lord gives us test to see if we remember what He has taught us. Unlike our teachers He gives us mercy every time we fail. Over and over again, He gives us another chance to do better. In the end, the Lord will reward those who pass His test. The next time you face a trial remember that the Lord is there and doing this for a reason. One day you will look back and see how the tests made you a stronger Christian.

Thanks to Him!!

With the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season swiftly approaching, many times we often lose sight of the real reason we celebrate. Maybe you are caught up with plays at school or shopping for family and friends or maybe spending time with those you love. None of those things are bad things at all! But sometime we get lost in the hustle and the bustle of the season and forget the true reason. Thanksgiving is a day set aside to give thanks specifically to God for all the things He has done for us. Here's a challenge: sit down and make a list of all the things you are thankful to God for. I bet that you will not be able to stop yourself from writing!! The list will keep going and going!! Just remember that in this life we do will have so much to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He has given us the very breath that we breath, a way to Heaven, and an eternal life to spend with him! This Thanksgiving season, stop and say a quick thanks to the ONE who gave you so much more than you could ever dream!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

"People Get Ready"

Do you ever look up into heaven, wondering when Jesus will return? Honestly, sometimes I try to avoid thinking about heaven, and I believe it's because I love the world way too much! The more I think about it, the crazier I think I am; because why wouldn't I want to go to the only place that is completely perfect? And most importantly, where my Savior lives?!

After I thought about heaven for a while, I remembered a song I had heard a few weeks ago called, "People Get Ready." It's a song talking about the eminance of the Lord's return, and we all need to get ready by telling others and being a witness for Christ. So, as I listen to it as I write, I can't help but get extremely excited! Not just because I will be with my Jesus soon, but I can be a part of helping get others ready for Jesus' return! What an honor. God has chosen me, Riley Morgan, and every one of His children to share His love with the world!

So, will you help "get people ready" for the return of our wonderful, loving Savior?

Sunrise

Last night I (Riley) had the opportunity to talk to my pastor's wife. We talked about lots, but one thing in particular stood out in my mind. We were talking about how God lets us go through things that may lead us to believe that He is no longer concerned with our lives, but down the road it is so very clear that He put us through that for a purpose!
During the summer, I went through a very trivial time in my life. I won't elaborate, but let's just say that I was making very foolish decisions, and not heeding God's will for my life. During this time, I was trying desperately to escape something, but rather than relying on God, I took matters into my own hands. And needless to say, things got kind of scary! For example, I no longer had a desire to pay attention in church, or get involved in the ministry at my church. Although I had to go through alot before I realized I was headed down the wrong road, God finally intervened and brought me back into His loving arms!
His way of capturing my attention still sticks out in my head today, and gives me chills, and brings tears to my eyes! I was in Ohio with my parents visiting my grandparents, and we were at their church on a Sunday morning. The service started out normal enough, singing, and a special. Little did I know that God had that special picked out just for me! A girl named Hailey sang with her dad. Before they started singing, her dad explained that Hailey had a disorder and she couldn't stop moving around, and she had some mental problems. But he shared that Hailey loved singing to Jesus more than anything else! They sang her favorite song, a song about praising God even during difficult times. As I was sitting there, I watched Hailey beaming, and clapping her hands as she sang about God's goodness. It made me cry, and made me think that if Hailey could praise God through all of her problems, I could surely begin thanking Him for my life!
Apparently, I wasn't the only one touched by Hailey's song, the whole church began praising God! People began testifying to God's goodness, and telling the many things God had done for them in just the last week. The pastor saw how open people were being about praising God, and he decided to let the service turn into a full blown testimony service. I have never received such a blessing from a service in my life! It truly turned my life around.
From that point on, I began seeking God and praying like I never had. I begged God for a second chance, and for His forgiveness. Looking back, I can see how amazing God was, He indeed gave me a second chance and brought me to the exact place in life He wanted me to be at. I am convinced that had I not gone through that rough summer, I would not be writing this blog today. God is truly a compassionate God who works in mysterious ways!
After I got home last night, I was still thinking about what I had talked about to my pastor's wife as I got ready for bed. I don't know about you, but while I'm brushing my teeth I like to listen to music! So, I was listening to my iPod, and a song I hadn't heard in a while came on, called "Sunrise" by Nichole Nordeman. It was like God's way of saying, "This is exactly what you need to write about!" The lyrics explain perfectly what I wanted to express!

"Sunrise" ~Nichole Nordeman

If I had the chance
To go back again
Take a different road, bear a lighter load
Tell an easy story
I would walk away
With my yesterdays
And I would not trade what is broken for beauty only
Every valley
Every bitter chill
Made me ready to climb back up the hill
And find that . . .


You are sunrise
You are blue skies
How would I know the morning
If I knew not midnight?
You're my horizon
You're the light of a new dawn
So thank You, thank You
That after the long night, You are sunrise


There's a moment when
Faith caves in
There's a time when every soul is certain God is gone
But every shadow is evidence of sun
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
And every tomorrow holds out hope for us
For every one of us

You are sunrise
You are blue skies
How would I know the morning
If I knew not midnight?
You're my horizon
You're the light of a new dawn
So thank You, thank You
That after the long night, You are sunrise


You alone will shine
You alone can resurrect this heart of mine


You are sunrise
You are blue skies
How would I know the morning
If I knew not midnight?
You're my horizon
You're the light of a new dawn
So thank You, thank You
That after the long night, You are sunrise
You are sunrise


That first verse just reminds me that even though I may have made many mistakes, they brought me to where I am and I should never want to go back and change them because I might not be where I am today! And the chorus paints such a beautiful picture, of what it's like when we get to the top of our "mountain". When we "see" God for the first time after we have been running from Him, it's like seeing a gorgeous sunrise. It also makes an astonishing point, if we didn't go through hard times, how would we know God's goodness? The second verse really spoke to me. It says that for every Christian there is a moment when faith disappears. It might be because of a lack of faith, or because we think God has left us, or in my case rebelling. But even during those time, we can see evidences of Christ in our lives, and He is revealing Himself to us, trying to bring us back to Him!
Although I had heard this song a dozen times before, this time it's like it finally "clicked," and God was saying, "See I had you go through that to bring you even closer to Me!" How marvelous our God is!
So the next time you think you can't go on, and your faith is on the brink of disappearing, look for the "Sunrise!"

If you want to hear the song "Sunrise" by Nichole Nordeman click on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev9LRiTxgfA&feature=related

Family

I (Kristin) have the most amazing family in the entire world. If I did not have my family, I would not be who I am today. My dad is a preacher and my mom is the most Godly woman I know. I thank God everyday for family like mine. Both of my parents are involved in church and set Godly examples for me to follow. God has blessed me with so much. I have a brother and a sister-in-law who are awesome examples for me!! I have a two nieces and a nephew who I love with my whole heart. God has blessed me so much and I could not ask for anything more! This blog is kinda out of the ordinary, but I just feel completely overwhelmed and decided to express it through the blog! Thanks for listening! And if you ever feel discouraged with your family, just remember that God gave you your family for a reason! Do not ever forget it!