All That YOU Command.

In Matthew 7:24-27, we read the parable of the wise and foolish men who built their homes. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the the winds blew and beat on the houses.” The wise man's house, as we all know, stood firm, but what happened to the foolish man's house?...SPLAT!

A carpenter builds a home using blueprints. Blueprints are the plans needed to build a solid home. The plans include a drawing to go by with specific details and a listing of every single item needed to build the home-down to the last nail. If seven builders use the same set of blueprints in seven different states, the final house will be exactly the same. If the builders follow the plan properly, the house will be solid and long-lasting. But what happens if the carpenter decides to cut a few corners? What if he substitutes a weaker material for the required one? What if he uses only half as many nails as the plan requires? Would you want to buy that home? We, in this example, are the carpenters and our blueprint is the Bible. God's word tells us clearly how to build and live our Christian lives. If seven Christians in seven countries follow God's word, the actions in their lives and the ways they worship will be exactly the same. But what happens when we, as Christians, decide to alter God's master plan? What if we make little changes, like adding musical instruments to our worship “just once a month”? Or add women leading prayers in a room where Christian men are present? Or sprinkling instead of baptizing? Do we really want to stand before God on judgment day and say, “but God, I thought my plan was better than yours.” If we want to go to Heaven, we must follow God's blueprint exactly!

--COURTNEY--

Masterpiece

I love to paint. Crosses are my favorite! This is one of my best paintings. When I am designing a cross, there are certain things I have to decide. I have to choose what I what it to match, what colors it needs to be, what style I want to paint, and what size the canvas should be. These things are all up to me and they can be changed whenever I choose. God is our painter, He has created each of us in the same image but we all have different outcomes. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." God made you who you are. We are all part of the same collection yet we each have our own characteristics. If you are short, then god wanted you to be short. Your personality, your looks, your metabolism, and even your attitude were all hand-painted by the best artist, God. God has put His name on us and we want to make him proud of His work. A painting gets its value from who it was painted by. We shouldn't be priced by our 'looks'. God is our creator and we are each one of His masterpieces!

--COURTNEY--

always someone there

Be yourself. God made you just the way you are and He loves you that way . God will always be there to listen when you need to talk to someone. He will always listen, no matter how long you need to talk.

Growth

This is a picture taken at the zoo of me and a little girl named Kaylin. I babysit her on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I first met her and her parents when Kaylin was only 3 months old. She is now 2 years old and loves to talk. She has grown so much in the last two years! This brings to mind our Christian growth. Kaylin grows taller each and every day. Likewise, we should be growing in our faith at this same rate. Kaylin needs milk and food to grow just like we need Bible study and worship. Children depend on the adults around them to help them get what they need to thrive. We should thrive on God's Word and the encouragement around us. Kaylin learns from those older than her what is right and what is wrong everyday. As Christians, we follow the guidelines given to us in the Bible. The more she grows, the more she is able to understand and do things on her own. As we grow, we should be able to learn more about the Bible on our own without relying solely on input from others. 

--COURTNEY--

Someone always cares

                                                  M.N.M 
We are a family and a family can break but we always in up together. I am telling you if you feel like no cares I know one person who does no matter what God. He loves you 
 Feel to comment -vatican-

Faith

This past January, our youth group went to a youth rally in gulf Shores, AL. Our youth minister put all of his faith in his new GPS. He plugged in our destination and away we went. He never questioned the voice that said 'turn here' or 'exit here.' 7 hours into what was supposed to be a 6 hour trip, my mom looks out the window and says, "Why are we in Pensacola, FL?" We had taken a 2 hour detour somehow along the way. If we had bothered to look at a map before we left out, and checked it occasionally as we had traveled, we wouldn't have gotten so lost. We, as Christians, are the drivers, and our map is the Bible. 2Timothy 2:15 reads, "make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately." We must read and study our map, the Bible, to be sure we know where we are going. We can't trust the voices around us saying 'do this' or 'its OK to do that.' We must study the Bible so that we know for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. If we follow God's map correctly, we will get to our final destination of Heaven. If not, Hell will be our final stop.

--Courtney--

The Importance of Practice

Hey everyone! I auditioned for a play in October and I now have practices from 6-8:30 on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. These pictures are of me and some of my closest theater friends! In a play, you have different people who each have their own part. Each person has to study and work hard to memorize their dance or lines. We can't play someone else's part for them. Committing to the play means that I have to put a lot of time and effort into learning my parts and attending the practices. This means that sometimes I have to say no to other fun activities because I have promised to do my part. I have to learn how the director wants me to walk, talk, dress, and interact with others. We as a christian have our own role as well, we can't be a Christian for someone else. God's Word is our script. It tells us how to walk, talk, dress, and how to interact with others. When it comes to the play, I don't just look at my songs and lines at practice, I have to spend time each day reviewing them at home. As a Christian, I don't just read my Bible when I'm at church or in class, I have to read it each day at home as well. The more I read my script, the better I know it. Likewise, the more I read and study my Bible, the better I will be able to teach others about it. In the play, I have a costume. This means that I have make-up, clothes, and characteristics of another person. A good actor can fool others into thinking they are someone they aren't. We can't fool God. We may act one way around our church friends and have them fooled into thinking that we are a good Christian, but God knows who we really are and how we really act. In my Christian life, some of my friends may plan things on Sunday or Wednesday nights and I have to say no because I have committed to going to church when I was baptized. When I audition, I always put on my conflict sheet that I am not available on Sundays or Wednesdays. This shows that I will not consider any other activity above God. Plays will always take up a lot of my time, but I will not let them take God's place!!(:

--COURTNEY--