The cover for book #2 - Race Against Time! Isn't it beautiful?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Cover for RACE AGAINST TIME!!
Here it is peeps:
The cover for book #2 - Race Against Time! Isn't it beautiful?
The cover for book #2 - Race Against Time! Isn't it beautiful?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Prince Charming: Part #1
As we journey together, this new blog will have stories and devotions, writer's helps, and stuff for other teens.
Today, I want to talk to teen girls :)
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” -2 Cor. 11: 6-7 (NASB)
What does this verse say to you?
I’ve kind of adopted this as my “favorite verse in the Bible.” Although God is constantly changing my heart, I think this is one of the verses that always says something to me.
In this “part one” of “Prince Charming” I’d like to point out a small, yet important, part of this verse:
We see the shirts, hear the talk, and feel the pressure of “someday my prince will come” (not always in the same words, but they’re there none-the-less). It’s a classic motto.
It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong!
But “someday my prince will come” is more than just a motto. It’s a feeling. A hope. Which isn’t bad, not at all! Love has been around since the beginning of time!
But girls dwell so much (too much) on love, on marriage, on having a boy be attracted to her, that we’ve lost sight of what true love really is.
And as teen girls, the heat is on.
There’s the cute guy sitting in the back seat of the bus, or the hot waiter serving at your table, or the shy guy sitting in the back pew at church. And the devil knows this. So he wants to distract you from God’s love.
It’s not that relationships are bad… but feeling a sense of awe every time you see a guy? Losing your sense of modesty because you're trying to get his attention? Let’s just say this is really messed up. Either way, girls are always trying to look their best and act their best when a guy is around. Not bad. Just a little dumb.
Why?
Because think about it…
Aren’t we the bride of Christ?
When you say “someday my prince will come” that means that your prince hasn’t come yet. Or he simply isn’t there with you. (Hmm… “for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”)
Are you with me?
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get married, it doesn’t mean that we’re not supposed to fall in love. But when it comes to looking for love, Jesus should come first. We find our ultimate love in Him. He loves us so much that He DIED for us. The ultimate sacrifice!
He gave His LIFE for us!!!
As Christians, we know that He loves us, each and every one. And He wants us to be happy.
But He also wants us to be willing to do HIS will. He wants us to be able to sacrifice our dreams. Willingly. If not, we only try to take control and end up hurting ourselves.
Jesus offers us true love, everlasting love. It’s not that He wants us to give up marriage and love, “God made them man and woman… for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” He just wants us to remember that He is the center of love. That His love comes first. That without His love, we’d be lost. (“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”)
I love Rebecca St. James’s book Pure. It has really inspired me in many ways. Rebecca doesn’t say that we shouldn’t fall in love, (no way! In truth, most teen girls dream about eventually getting married) but she does say to wait.
To let God say who, what, where, when, why and how.
I love this. I’ve decided to give my all to God. To let Him control my future. Honestly, It’s a HUGE relief! I know what I can do to my life--pretty much mess it up--and I also know what God can do--make it the best it can be. What about you? Who controls your life?
It’s an ongoing battle. Each and every day we have to sacrifice our own wills for His will.
And sometimes I don’t. Like I said, an ongoing battle!
So, I’m not saying to give up your dreams of Prince Charming.
What I am saying is this: Jesus is your true love and should always be your first love.
And we’re only teens. “It is better for a man (or girl!) to bear the yoke when he is young.” I’ve taken this as if Jesus is saying, “Yes, that kind of love is for when you’re an adult. But you can learn, dwell, and grow in My love anytime. Young or old. And it’s better to start loving Me when you are young. That makes it easier for you to love others as well.”
God has a plan.
THE plan.
HIS plan.
God is directing the current… So just go with His flow.
I hope this was helpful to you. Remember, in the words of Bob and Larry, “God made you special, and He loves you very much!”
God Bless,
Kayla
Today, I want to talk to teen girls :)
“For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” -2 Cor. 11: 6-7 (NASB)
What does this verse say to you?
I’ve kind of adopted this as my “favorite verse in the Bible.” Although God is constantly changing my heart, I think this is one of the verses that always says something to me.
In this “part one” of “Prince Charming” I’d like to point out a small, yet important, part of this verse:
We see the shirts, hear the talk, and feel the pressure of “someday my prince will come” (not always in the same words, but they’re there none-the-less). It’s a classic motto.
It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong!
But “someday my prince will come” is more than just a motto. It’s a feeling. A hope. Which isn’t bad, not at all! Love has been around since the beginning of time!
But girls dwell so much (too much) on love, on marriage, on having a boy be attracted to her, that we’ve lost sight of what true love really is.
And as teen girls, the heat is on.
There’s the cute guy sitting in the back seat of the bus, or the hot waiter serving at your table, or the shy guy sitting in the back pew at church. And the devil knows this. So he wants to distract you from God’s love.
It’s not that relationships are bad… but feeling a sense of awe every time you see a guy? Losing your sense of modesty because you're trying to get his attention? Let’s just say this is really messed up. Either way, girls are always trying to look their best and act their best when a guy is around. Not bad. Just a little dumb.
Why?
Because think about it…
Aren’t we the bride of Christ?
When you say “someday my prince will come” that means that your prince hasn’t come yet. Or he simply isn’t there with you. (Hmm… “for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”)
Are you with me?
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get married, it doesn’t mean that we’re not supposed to fall in love. But when it comes to looking for love, Jesus should come first. We find our ultimate love in Him. He loves us so much that He DIED for us. The ultimate sacrifice!
He gave His LIFE for us!!!
As Christians, we know that He loves us, each and every one. And He wants us to be happy.
But He also wants us to be willing to do HIS will. He wants us to be able to sacrifice our dreams. Willingly. If not, we only try to take control and end up hurting ourselves.
Jesus offers us true love, everlasting love. It’s not that He wants us to give up marriage and love, “God made them man and woman… for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.” He just wants us to remember that He is the center of love. That His love comes first. That without His love, we’d be lost. (“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”)
I love Rebecca St. James’s book Pure. It has really inspired me in many ways. Rebecca doesn’t say that we shouldn’t fall in love, (no way! In truth, most teen girls dream about eventually getting married) but she does say to wait.
To let God say who, what, where, when, why and how.
I love this. I’ve decided to give my all to God. To let Him control my future. Honestly, It’s a HUGE relief! I know what I can do to my life--pretty much mess it up--and I also know what God can do--make it the best it can be. What about you? Who controls your life?
It’s an ongoing battle. Each and every day we have to sacrifice our own wills for His will.
And sometimes I don’t. Like I said, an ongoing battle!
So, I’m not saying to give up your dreams of Prince Charming.
What I am saying is this: Jesus is your true love and should always be your first love.
And we’re only teens. “It is better for a man (or girl!) to bear the yoke when he is young.” I’ve taken this as if Jesus is saying, “Yes, that kind of love is for when you’re an adult. But you can learn, dwell, and grow in My love anytime. Young or old. And it’s better to start loving Me when you are young. That makes it easier for you to love others as well.”
God has a plan.
THE plan.
HIS plan.
God is directing the current… So just go with His flow.
I hope this was helpful to you. Remember, in the words of Bob and Larry, “God made you special, and He loves you very much!”
God Bless,
Kayla
Changin' it Up
Be watching because we're changing things up here at my adventure blog.
Mistake number one was probably trying to fit a "schedule" into our crazy lives for all this. Because it all seemed to go downhill from there...
Mistake number two was not eating enough chocolate...
Mistake number three was continuing to attempt to keep the blog running when we didn't know the full extent of what was happening with some nasty little things called computer viruses...
Mistake number four was not eating enough chocolate...
Mistake number one was probably trying to fit a "schedule" into our crazy lives for all this. Because it all seemed to go downhill from there...
Mistake number two was not eating enough chocolate...
Mistake number three was continuing to attempt to keep the blog running when we didn't know the full extent of what was happening with some nasty little things called computer viruses...
Mistake number four was not eating enough chocolate...
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