So bare with me as i begin to write this...i'm still trying to gather my thoughts from what God has done in the past hour.
God has been doing incredible things not only in the youth group but in the childrens ministries, adults ministries, family ministries and senior adult ministries hes being seen in the Pregnancy Care Center, God's Mission House and ALL of Gods ministries. Hes definitly in them! So this past sunday night when student leaders met we felt led that we needed to have an invitation instead of going to small groups directly after. WOW guys. i would never have guessed what would come out of it! One of the leaders told me that she had been praying for a revival tonight. WOW! God DOES DOES DOES answer prayer...as i stood a circle of my brothers and sisters in Christ and prayed with those weeping around me, i couldn't help but cry. But my tears were tears of joy to a God sitting in heaven who is living! Hes not a god but hes my GOD, my Savior, He is LIVING and alive.
Some of you may be wandering why a revival...this all sparked from our message serise "One Month to Live" we talked the past 5 weeks about the if we had one month to live...how would our motives change? how would we respond to family? friend? classmates? would we be different or would we stay the same? The past two weeks we talked about our legacy. Would our legacy be left that we had begun a journey with Christ and was living our fullest for Him or would our legacy be that we got drunk or partied on the weekends? Our legacy is what we choose it. God chooses to give us freedom of choice but we must choose to choose Him to be our Savior...to live for HIM...to fulfill our legacy that he has chosen for us!
Tonight is a turning point for me at least. I've begun my legacy of Christ but i've got to be more consistant in my daily quiet time with Him...I want people to look at me when i die and KNOW that i walked with Christ. I want them to see it at school, home, in that club & at church. Wherever i go whatever i do may it all be for the glory of God, My Savior, My King!
To my church friends: Thank you. Thank you for allowing God to use us! Thank you for crying with me as we thank the Lord for answered prayers. He IS in control. He is alive and He is WORKING!
To my God: thank you for listening, Thank you for hearing our hearts cry & thank you for my salvation for sending your Son for me! I love you.
Ok guys thats all i have. Please share your stories of what God did in your life tonight!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My Life in Pictures
Easter Sunday 2009. Assisted in Baptizing a girl whom we led tot he Lord.
Becoming the Crown Jewel 2008
Middle School Girls Banquet 2008
Me, Mrs. Molly & Ella (Down Syndrome Walk)
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk. (Effingham County for a CURE)
My VBS Group (5&6 grade girls) 2008
Missions (Alaska, July 2008)
These are my little sisters at heart. Saturday, January 24, 2009
Small Group
Heres the Story of how The Middle School Girls Small Group came to be:
During the Summer of 2007 I participated on a mission trip to Helen, GA with my youth group. We partnered with Georgia Mountain Resort ministries for one week. While in Helen we held day camps for kids in the mornings, service learning projects in the afternoons and dramas in the evenings. My best friend and I by the worlds standards shouldn’t be best friends but God has much different plans. We are best friends. We arrived in Helen very late on a Sunday and we had to be up and ready bright and early the next day to begin our week long day camps. We were split up by teams. Before we left the ‘main’ house we were told by the youth minister intern to make sure that we took care of our differences with each other before we began ministry tomorrow because if we did not we wouldn’t be an effective witness for Christ until the differences were settled between us. Upon jumping in the van to head to our house one of the girls immediately said we all needed to talk. We arrived at our house around 11:30 and settled into our rooms. My best friend and I roomed in the basement of our house with two girls who had just completed 7th grade at the time. We had no clue what God would do that week. Every night we went to bed late and woke up early. We talked and talked about everything life was handing us, we talked about the struggles and the triumphs. Little did we know what God was doing in our hearts. We felt a calling that week, my best friend and I, to do something. Upon arriving back in Springfield, GA we immediately talked with our senior pastor. We told him of what God was calling us to do and be apart of. We were supported and a few short weeks later on August 27, 2007 we began one of the dearest things to my heart, The Middle School Girls Small Group. This group was begun out of a heartfelt desire to teach girls younger than us to stand strong in a world where it is so difficult to stand. We wanted these girls to be taught the truth from Gods word. We were fully supported and on our first night we had 13 girls in attendance! We were blown away at how God was using us. We were only juniors in high school…How could he use us??? Over the next few months we learned more and more about how mighty and wondrous our God really is. On September 11, 2007 we met at Veterans Park in Springfield, GA we talked about family that night. We took rocks and wrote our sins against our family on them and then tossed them into the lake. One girl got saved that night. One more sister in Christ. One more won for His kingdom and saved forever from the pits of Hell. Over the course of the next few months many girls came because someone had simply told them about small groups. One night the girl that got saved on September 11, 2007 asked a girl in her Literature class if she was coming to small group. She didn’t know what small group was and after a little explanation she showed up that night at small group! She also gave her life to Christ and turned her life around and began coming to church. Exactly one week later her best friend came to small group (without the girl) and towards the end of our lesson looked to us and said I want what my best friend received last night! We called every pastor at our church that night! We were too excited that these girls were getting it and that we were being used in such ways we had never dreamed of! In 2008 as our first year of small group drew to a close we decided to have a special ceremony for them. We had recently been through the True Love Waits study and had 12 girls make professions to remain pure , in all ways –1 Timothy 4:12 Do not let anyone look down on your because you are young, but set an example to the believers in life, love, speech, faith and purity --- til marriage. So we decided to give them all TLW rings. On banquet night we stood back in awe of what God did the past year. We had 5 girls come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, got to see 5 girls baptized and on Easter Sunday 2008 assisted our youth pastor in the baptism of two girls we led to Christ! God was so good…he did many incredible things the past year...As the summer of 2008 quickly came to a close we had a decision to make. Do we continue this ministry? Or do we give it up? We decided that God was calling us to continue this ministry. So year 2 of The Middle School Girls Small Group began in September of 2008. We are very excited to see these girls growing, asking questions and inviting their friends! We are in the process of praying for two girls to step up and overtake the small group when we head to college in the fall. God willing this ministry will continue for many years to come and will be led and guided by high school girls who have a calling to reach those a few years younger than them! But the ministry never ends as Christ has prepared us to love others we are impacting and preparing others to also love. A couple weeks ago Lauren and I had the opportunity to host a ‘Welcome back 9th grade sleepover’ we just wanted to let our 9th graders know we still love them and wanted to know how they were doing. So we had 6 girls show up and had a blast. Complete with a ‘slew of mystery guest’ (of course they were other youth who wanted to be in on our fun!). We had so much fun with them and miss them since they are now at the high school with us. So to Brandy, Kyndle, Holly, Nicole, Felicia and Kiersten. We care about you and are so glad that God has allowed us to help each of you grow and become our sisters in Christ who are actively reaching out to your friends in the name of Christ! Our prayer is that you always remember where you’ve been and how Amazing the Grace is that God has blessed us with. We love you guys!
During the Summer of 2007 I participated on a mission trip to Helen, GA with my youth group. We partnered with Georgia Mountain Resort ministries for one week. While in Helen we held day camps for kids in the mornings, service learning projects in the afternoons and dramas in the evenings. My best friend and I by the worlds standards shouldn’t be best friends but God has much different plans. We are best friends. We arrived in Helen very late on a Sunday and we had to be up and ready bright and early the next day to begin our week long day camps. We were split up by teams. Before we left the ‘main’ house we were told by the youth minister intern to make sure that we took care of our differences with each other before we began ministry tomorrow because if we did not we wouldn’t be an effective witness for Christ until the differences were settled between us. Upon jumping in the van to head to our house one of the girls immediately said we all needed to talk. We arrived at our house around 11:30 and settled into our rooms. My best friend and I roomed in the basement of our house with two girls who had just completed 7th grade at the time. We had no clue what God would do that week. Every night we went to bed late and woke up early. We talked and talked about everything life was handing us, we talked about the struggles and the triumphs. Little did we know what God was doing in our hearts. We felt a calling that week, my best friend and I, to do something. Upon arriving back in Springfield, GA we immediately talked with our senior pastor. We told him of what God was calling us to do and be apart of. We were supported and a few short weeks later on August 27, 2007 we began one of the dearest things to my heart, The Middle School Girls Small Group. This group was begun out of a heartfelt desire to teach girls younger than us to stand strong in a world where it is so difficult to stand. We wanted these girls to be taught the truth from Gods word. We were fully supported and on our first night we had 13 girls in attendance! We were blown away at how God was using us. We were only juniors in high school…How could he use us??? Over the next few months we learned more and more about how mighty and wondrous our God really is. On September 11, 2007 we met at Veterans Park in Springfield, GA we talked about family that night. We took rocks and wrote our sins against our family on them and then tossed them into the lake. One girl got saved that night. One more sister in Christ. One more won for His kingdom and saved forever from the pits of Hell. Over the course of the next few months many girls came because someone had simply told them about small groups. One night the girl that got saved on September 11, 2007 asked a girl in her Literature class if she was coming to small group. She didn’t know what small group was and after a little explanation she showed up that night at small group! She also gave her life to Christ and turned her life around and began coming to church. Exactly one week later her best friend came to small group (without the girl) and towards the end of our lesson looked to us and said I want what my best friend received last night! We called every pastor at our church that night! We were too excited that these girls were getting it and that we were being used in such ways we had never dreamed of! In 2008 as our first year of small group drew to a close we decided to have a special ceremony for them. We had recently been through the True Love Waits study and had 12 girls make professions to remain pure , in all ways –1 Timothy 4:12 Do not let anyone look down on your because you are young, but set an example to the believers in life, love, speech, faith and purity --- til marriage. So we decided to give them all TLW rings. On banquet night we stood back in awe of what God did the past year. We had 5 girls come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, got to see 5 girls baptized and on Easter Sunday 2008 assisted our youth pastor in the baptism of two girls we led to Christ! God was so good…he did many incredible things the past year...As the summer of 2008 quickly came to a close we had a decision to make. Do we continue this ministry? Or do we give it up? We decided that God was calling us to continue this ministry. So year 2 of The Middle School Girls Small Group began in September of 2008. We are very excited to see these girls growing, asking questions and inviting their friends! We are in the process of praying for two girls to step up and overtake the small group when we head to college in the fall. God willing this ministry will continue for many years to come and will be led and guided by high school girls who have a calling to reach those a few years younger than them! But the ministry never ends as Christ has prepared us to love others we are impacting and preparing others to also love. A couple weeks ago Lauren and I had the opportunity to host a ‘Welcome back 9th grade sleepover’ we just wanted to let our 9th graders know we still love them and wanted to know how they were doing. So we had 6 girls show up and had a blast. Complete with a ‘slew of mystery guest’ (of course they were other youth who wanted to be in on our fun!). We had so much fun with them and miss them since they are now at the high school with us. So to Brandy, Kyndle, Holly, Nicole, Felicia and Kiersten. We care about you and are so glad that God has allowed us to help each of you grow and become our sisters in Christ who are actively reaching out to your friends in the name of Christ! Our prayer is that you always remember where you’ve been and how Amazing the Grace is that God has blessed us with. We love you guys!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
2008 is coming to an end
2008 is coming to an end. Here is my year in pictures...
Me and Sanctus Real at the Battle of the Bands 2008
Ella, me and Katie...My girls:)
Me, Mrs. Molly and Ella at the Buddy Walk 2008
Alaska Summer Mission Trip
Me and Jennifer Hooks (my cousin) we both traveled to Alaska to meet each other. lol.
Light the Night group. Walking for Jordan Jackson
Top 25
me and britt modelingSaturday, July 26, 2008
Believing...
So recently I’ve been thinking about this coming school year…about how I can make a difference and how I can make this year count. I want this year to count. I want to make a difference and I know and believe with my whole heart that God is going to do some amazing things this year. This time next year I believe I will be sitting here saying…God, WOW! Look at all you’ve done and their won’t be a doubt in this world that God didn’t do it…b/c their will be no other explainable way! So in June I went to Student Life a conference for teenagers in Myrtle Beach, SC the last night the speaker spoke about how we needed to live our lives for Christ. I was really broken about sharing with others about Christ. My best friend and I were both crying and she got up to pray with our youth pastor and she came back and I sat down to give her a hug and she looked and me and said, “are you ready?” and I was like “yea, I’m ready” It was an amazing moment…I’ve realized recently how blessed I truly am I normally say that I’m blessed but to have a family that supports me, a church family who supports me, a God who says just say Yes to my calling and I’ll do the rest, I’ll provide, keep you safe and give you a testimony so when people here it they say hey that was God! He gave me the best friend a girl could ask for. Not only do we get along and have shared many many many years of friendship together but we have grown spiritually together! We have had many tears shared through this journey we have both survived mission trips from home & supported each other through it all. God is good. When we just believe things begin to happen that are unexplainable to man but explainable to the people of God!
My Story from this summer.
In January my best friend and I began praying about what summer missions trip we should take. I thought I had found what I was going to do this summer…s o I began praying and my parents were praying and this was something I wanted to do, not something necessarily that He wanted me to do. So after some stubbornness on my part I decided that I wasn’t listening to God so I looked at Brio’s mission trip but most of the dates had passed by and the money was due soon…things didn’t fall into place but still I felt as though God was calling me somewhere then I heard about the annual mission trip to Kotzebue, Alaska with some local churches so I e-mailed the missionary in Kotzebue and he got me in contact with the pastor at home that was heading it up…things began falling into place…this was where HE wanted me to go! I’m a planner by heart but…I never worried about where the money would come from or what my parents would say somehow I had a peace that He was taking care of it all. July 1st I boarded my first plane to guess where?? Kotzebue, Alaska I was on my way…God provided and still provides!
Do we have that childlike faith that He will provide when we say Lord hear I am send me….Do we really give it all to him and BELIEVE with our hearts that it will happen…I do…I’m proof that when we believe and give it all up…its so much better!
God,
“Here I am, Send me.” Send me this year to where you want me to go. I believe that this year you will change me, you will change our school & our community. Lord, help me to believe and follow your will. We can do all things through you. Give us the strength this year and use us…but Lord next summer let it be all about you … help everyone to realize and see that this past year wasn’t about us but that You did it all!
My Story from this summer.
In January my best friend and I began praying about what summer missions trip we should take. I thought I had found what I was going to do this summer…s o I began praying and my parents were praying and this was something I wanted to do, not something necessarily that He wanted me to do. So after some stubbornness on my part I decided that I wasn’t listening to God so I looked at Brio’s mission trip but most of the dates had passed by and the money was due soon…things didn’t fall into place but still I felt as though God was calling me somewhere then I heard about the annual mission trip to Kotzebue, Alaska with some local churches so I e-mailed the missionary in Kotzebue and he got me in contact with the pastor at home that was heading it up…things began falling into place…this was where HE wanted me to go! I’m a planner by heart but…I never worried about where the money would come from or what my parents would say somehow I had a peace that He was taking care of it all. July 1st I boarded my first plane to guess where?? Kotzebue, Alaska I was on my way…God provided and still provides!
Do we have that childlike faith that He will provide when we say Lord hear I am send me….Do we really give it all to him and BELIEVE with our hearts that it will happen…I do…I’m proof that when we believe and give it all up…its so much better!
God,
“Here I am, Send me.” Send me this year to where you want me to go. I believe that this year you will change me, you will change our school & our community. Lord, help me to believe and follow your will. We can do all things through you. Give us the strength this year and use us…but Lord next summer let it be all about you … help everyone to realize and see that this past year wasn’t about us but that You did it all!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Helen Mission Trip
So i'm back! This past week (Wednesday through monday) we were in Helen, Georgia on a mission trip. We held Day Camps for Kids, did service projects such as: cleaning the river in Helen & washing windows in Downtown Helen, praying for the store owners and then paricipating in drama and music at the Georgia State Fair, Mountain Lakes evening program & a local church in Cleveland. We had a blast! 50 students and adults went to serve the Lord...My prayer is that we change! We have the ability to change the heart to change and a GOD who wants to change us and make us HIS! So my prayer is that we allow Him to do so...pictures coming soon!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Alaska Missions..What a week!
On Tuesday July 1, 2008 I left for a 9 day mission trip to Kotzebue, Alaska. I could have never prepared myself for what I would see, hear or do while I was there. I had the most amazing team ever and we got along great, I learned about everyone and how many of us had the same stories of how we got to go on the mission trip. God wanted us each there, thats for sure. I have no doubt looking back that He planned it all out. From 7 of us missing our flight in Ancourage to being without power for nearly 8 hours and the wind on the 4th of July. God had it all planned out. We filled 576 buckets with new bibles, cds, toothrbrushes, toothpaste, chapstick and lotion & nearly 340 kids bags full of toothbrushes, chapstick, lotion, coloring books & crayons and toys. We had so much fun giving these things for FREE (These things that the First Baptist Church of Kotzebue sponsors are the only things given out for free), We painted hundreds of faces & gave out nearly 1,000 sno-cones and only stopped when we ran out of ice...yes we were very disappointed. I got tosee God's beauty everyday and lived for each morning that I got up to see the ocean and the mountains! God is so good. Our first day of crafts and games for kids we had 15 kids (which was a great turnout) But God couldn't have prepared me for what happened next. The next day (sunday) i went upstairs to help Matt & Tammy Hoke (the associate pastor and his wife) do Kids Club for K-5th graders and we had 29 kids and then Monday we did our second day of Crafts and games and had 33 kids at the church and 4 walk up when we were playing games making a total of 37kids!!! Wow! Isn't God simply amazing. But what is more amazing is what i learned this past week. God is great for one thing. One night I sat down in John Forresters living room just listening to him tell story after story of how he baptized a lady in September in the Arctic Ocean and how they were reaching out to certain people in the community. When a grown man cries when telling stories of how $50,000 that it took them to get there...its all worth it to him and he will tell you Hes exactly where God wants him to be. You know God is there amongst the people...amongst the friendships that the missionaries are making and the many stories of how God has done some amazing things. It gives us hope! While I was there I was listening to my MP3 and heard this song by: Audio Adrenaline
Hands & Feet
An image flashed across my TV screenAnother broken heart comes into viewI saw the pain, and I turned my backWhy can't I do the things I want to?I am willing yet I'm so afraidYou give me strengthWhen I say{chorus}:I wanna be Your handsI wanna be Your feetI'll go where You send meI'll go where You send meI'll be Your handsI'll be Your feetI'll go where You send meI'll go where You send meAnd I try, yeah I tryTo touch the world like You touched my lifeAn I'll find my wayTo be Your handsI've abandoned every selfish thoughtI've surrender everything I've gotYou can have everything I amAnd perfect everything I'm notI am willing, I'm not afraidYou give me strengthWhen I say...This is the last timeI turn my back on YouFrom now on I'll go outSend me where You want me toI finally have a missionI promise I'll completeI don't need excusesWhen I am Your hands and feetI am Your hands and feet
This song made me realize what a urgency it is for us to work in mission and do missions. But missions aren't all about traveling to Alaska or Mississippi or going and building someones home but missions can be in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and churches too.
So this year I've committed to being the Hands and Feet of Christ. Who will join me on this journey? I'm not sure but if you will commit to being the Hands and Feet of Christ please leave comments.
God is good & Holy & Deserves all of our Honor, Glory & Praise!
Lets be His HANDS & FEET!
**ALASKA PICTURES BELOW~~CHECK THEM OUT & LEAVE COMMENTS**
Hands & Feet
An image flashed across my TV screenAnother broken heart comes into viewI saw the pain, and I turned my backWhy can't I do the things I want to?I am willing yet I'm so afraidYou give me strengthWhen I say{chorus}:I wanna be Your handsI wanna be Your feetI'll go where You send meI'll go where You send meI'll be Your handsI'll be Your feetI'll go where You send meI'll go where You send meAnd I try, yeah I tryTo touch the world like You touched my lifeAn I'll find my wayTo be Your handsI've abandoned every selfish thoughtI've surrender everything I've gotYou can have everything I amAnd perfect everything I'm notI am willing, I'm not afraidYou give me strengthWhen I say...This is the last timeI turn my back on YouFrom now on I'll go outSend me where You want me toI finally have a missionI promise I'll completeI don't need excusesWhen I am Your hands and feetI am Your hands and feet
This song made me realize what a urgency it is for us to work in mission and do missions. But missions aren't all about traveling to Alaska or Mississippi or going and building someones home but missions can be in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and churches too.
So this year I've committed to being the Hands and Feet of Christ. Who will join me on this journey? I'm not sure but if you will commit to being the Hands and Feet of Christ please leave comments.
God is good & Holy & Deserves all of our Honor, Glory & Praise!
Lets be His HANDS & FEET!
**ALASKA PICTURES BELOW~~CHECK THEM OUT & LEAVE COMMENTS**
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