An AMAZING Experience

I'm at a loss for words for once in my life.The concert was AMAZING, there is no other word for it.It was so cool to see all those Christians worshipping together, singing along with Mark Hall from Casting Crowns!
All the peeps we sang with:Casting CrownsMichael EnglishpureNRGAvalonNatalie GrantDenver and the Mile High Orchestra
I mean, could you ask for anything more? Everyone did a great job, but I have to say Casting Crowns was just...WOW. I mean, the Holy Spirit was definetly there that night. I had never been a part of something like that. I got a dose of it when I went to the TobyMac concert, but the Jonas Brothers concert had absolutely no...what's the word?...hmmm...you know what I mean. We were all dying from the heat at the JB concert (seriously, some people were fainting), even though it was fun.
So, not only did they sing Christmas songs at this concert, but they also did some not-so-Christmassy praise songs that were beautiful. Casting Crowns did an amazing one called "Christmas Bells" based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It was in a war time, and Henry just lost his wife and daughter, and he wrote this about despair and finding hope and peace in the Lord.
World Vision partnered with this concert lineup and my family is now sponsering a 7-year-old girl from China! This is so cool, let me tell you. We get to write letters to her and stuff and get a pic of her and a translator tells her (and us) what the letters say. Get this -- if YOU sponser a child through World Vision, here's what happens. World Vision goes to one needy village at a time in various countries and gets pictures and information about all the needy children there. Then they bring them to the USA. Now, here's what's cool. Nobody else is sponsering the child you'll be sponsering. That is the only picture of that girl or boy from World Vision -- YOU are their hope. Mark Hall (Casting Crowns lead singer) informed everyone in the audience that you can't preach the gospel to an empty stomach -- you need to fill it first, and then offer Jesus' love. That's what World Vision does. First we help them take care of the child, then, as we continue to care for them, World Vision tells them about God. It's so cool, I really hope you decide to sponser a child. Please talk with your parents about this!! I hope to have more info for you later.

Concert Time!

At 5:30 my mom, dad, and I, along with my friend Hannah and her parents, are going to a concert featuring Natalie Grant, Casting Crowns, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, and PureNRG! I'm really excited and I promise to tell you guys all about it!

This would be my 3rd concert. I've gone to TobyMac/Barlow Girl/Thousand Foot Krutch concert, Jonas Brothers concert, and now this. The best part: it'll last late into the night, which is super cool. What a great lineup!

What concerts have you gone to?

Home for Christmas

My whole family (except for Dalton, he's with Nana) is watching Elf right now. So funny! This is my second time to see it. Did ya know that when Alyssa, Becca, and Lauren of Barlow Girl were making their new Christmas album, Home for Christmas, they only allowed themselves to watch Christmas movies like Elf and It's a Wonderful Life? It's true.

Home for Christmas has no instruments and, unlike what you'd expect from BarlowGirl, it doesn't have the slightest hint of rock in it. Barlow Girl wanted to focus on their vocals, and it has really shown. I have one of the songs from this album, What Child is This, and their voices are sooo pretty together, I seriously recommend buying the whole album. I might buy it myself.

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving!
I'm sure everyone of us pigged out on turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and, of course, a slice of pumpkin pie a'la CoolWhip.
I've started making lists. Yeah, lists. I used to make a lot of lists when I was little, but I threw them away. One of my lists are things I'm grateful for. I want you guys to make a list, too. The list doesn't have to be just for Thanksgiving -- you'll find great new things to thank God for throughout your entire life. Why not show your gratitude and thank God for them? I thank him for a few things I'm thankful for that day every night. God loved you so much he wanted to give you these things.
I also encourage you to read This Thanksgiving from The Christian's Journey and the King we Follow.

Order in the Court! [part1]

Last night I had someone abuse my trust. I didn’t suspect a thing. I didn’t know that someone would do that to me. I had never had someone abuse my trust, so I’ve always given it freely. Money was stolen from me, but I’ll get it back. I might be mad at her now, but I won’t always be angry. I forgive her. I don’t trust her anymore, but maybe someday she’ll earn my trust again, and when she does, I’m hoping she’ll keep it.
Today, at my AWANA Trek meeting (bible study for teens), we talked about justice. When you first think of justice, you probably picture a courtroom with a guy in a powdered wig raising a wooden stick (I forgot what they are called), booming, "GUILTY!" (Yes, I do love the show Shark, if that’s what you’re thinking.) Justice is found in another place: right here at home. What is justice outside the courtroom?

Justice is:
- doing the right thing
- making wrong things right – fixing problems
- being fair
- helping others be fair

Micah 3:8 says, "He [God] has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." This was one of my memory verses today. Being the procrastinator that I am, I memorized them lickety-split in the car on the way to church.

What are we to do?
- be good (like God has shown you)
- be just (act justly)
- be merciful (love mercy)
- walk humbly (with God)

God is a just God. God is totally fair. As my youth leader put it, "He doesn’t say, ‘Oh, it’s ok that Hannah did this, because she’s my favorite, but Melissa, well, she’s gotta go.’"

How can God be just?
- He does not have favorites
- He loves everyone, including you
- He is perfect
- He is fair
- He knows what is in your heart, so he knows your motives
- He knows what you’ll do in the future

The Bible mentions several times the justness of God. In Numbers 16, God showed justice to Korah, who didn’t like Moses’ leadership. Korah wanted to be first and in control. By rebelling against Moses, Korah was rebelling against God, because Moses was a man of God who did what God told him to do. God punished Korah by opening the ground and swallowing up Korah and everything that belonged to him. It was like he had never even existed!
Now, listen to this. Korah came up with his buds to Moses and Aaron and said, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?" (Numbers 16:3) What did Moses do? He fell flat on his face and asked the Lord for help. He then stood up and said, "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to Him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near Him." (verse 5) Moses didn’t do what you and I would have probably done. Moses didn’t defend himself. He didn’t even talk about how long he had led all the Israelites in the desert and how he and God provided for them. He didn’t mention what God had already done through his leadership. As my Trek book puts it, "He simply left it in the Lord’s hands." And bad-guy Korah was punished.

If you did something really wrong, God would punish you. He would even punish you if you did a little thing wrong. Bad things may happen to us simply because we were born, because we’re all born with sin.
This is just. Sin must be punished. Justice shown to you is a gift. When you sneak out to go to a party, being grounded from sports, TV, and the phone may seem harsh and definitely not fun, but it’s really a gift. We can learn from our mistakes if we take the time to think about them. Now you know that there are consequences for your actions, and that doing wrong things doesn’t pay. Now, hopefully you won’t sneak out again.

Hopefully the person who wronged me will never do it again – to anyone. Hopefully she has learned a lesson. Hopefully she is sorry for what she has done (I’m pretty sure she is). Meanwhile, I can show her love and mercy and justice by giving her friendship and boundaries. Maybe something good will come out of this.
I hope to continue discussing justice and mercy with you in the next part of Order in the Court, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, please pray for the person I have mentioned. I will not abuse her trust by releasing her name here, but I will ask you to pray that she will learn from this mistake.

Sincerely,
Melissa

PB&J

God and me go together like peanut butter and jelly. I’m learning more about him and what he likes. He never changes, never goes through "fazes". He’s always there for me, and I don’t have to even use up my cell minutes to call him in the middle of the night. Some people I know don’t like him, but that’s just because they don’t know him – they don’t even want to get to know him. But I know him and I know that he’s not what they think. Why is God so special to me? Why do we go together so well?

• We’re made for each other. Really. I was made for God. In fact, he made me! He decided what I would look like and who I would marry, what my passion would be and what vegetable I would loathe most. He made me just for him, just so I could be his best friend forever – and yes, literally, forever!


• He’s let me read his diary. Diaries are usually a private thing, but God, being the awesome friend that he is, actually lets me read his diary – whenever I want! What’s more, he lets EVERYONE read it. His diary is the coolest ever – it’s all about kings and queens, princes, soldiers, heroic battles, me, and himself. No wonder it’s the world’s best-selling book.


• He can read my thoughts. It’s really cool when you can read your friend’s thoughts and they can read yours. God always knows what I’m thinking, whether it’s good or bad.


• He’s a great listener. God is willing to listen to all my ramblings, all my requests, all my dreams and thoughts and hopes and fears. He listens whenever I’m ready to talk, without getting mad at me for being so self-centered.


• He forgives me. I do plenty of things wrong, to him and to other people. Here’s the cool part: when I ask for forgiveness, he forgives me! God is so not into holding grudges when you apologize.


• He gives me stuff. Yeah, I know this sounds pretty self-centered, but God gives me stuff, and it’s great. He gives me a house, a warm bed, animals, big dreams, food, clothes, a family, and an allowance (thank goodness!).


• He helped someone invent Cheez-Its. Seriously, how could you not love him for that?


• He’s a great artist and shows me his work. Actually, God is the BEST artist ever, I’m not joking. He’s made a whole world just for me, filled with beautiful sunsets and sunrises, rainbows and trees and blue skies.
  
• He protects me. God is brave and truly cares about me. He’ll protect me from criminals, bullies, goats, anything.


• He loves me. If you don’t think that’s a good reason, then you’re crazy.
  

God is perfect, but he does have a pet peeve: sin. God CANNOT STAND IT. When his son was dying and all the sins of the world were cast onto him, God turned his face away from his own son! He hates it when I sin, but God doesn’t hate me. He loves me, and he’s willing to forgive me if I ask.

Want to meet my friend? You can talk to him, free of charge, anywhere and everywhere, as long as you want. Now that I’ve introduced you, it’s up to you to get to know him. (PSST! I’ll let you read his diary!)

Draw a Line and Live Above it

This has been on my mind for a while. Do you have standards? Are there certain goals you have, big or small, that you know you must push yourself to accomplish? Is there something in your life where you’re not saying, I hope I’ll do this – but I know I can do this, and I WILL do it.
Sometimes you just have to make yourself do something, because it’s necessary for your short-term happiness, your relationship with your brother, your college, and maybe your teeth. (I WILL brush my teeth today. I WILL.)
What are some of those places where you have drawn a line and wanted to not go anywhere below that? Have you made yourself study so you won’t get a B in Spanish, and accepted nothing less? Have you made yourself do a chore and do it well, not stopping until it’s done and done correctly?
How do you feel when you’ve finished that task? Tired, probably – maybe hankering for a bag of chips. But what else do you feel? A sense of satisfaction? Happiness? Are you proud of yourself for accomplishing this and pushing yourself to do it?
But what happens after that? Once you’ve accomplished that, is there no place to move on to? Of course there is!
Kate and Josh, brother and sister, both were determined to not fail science class. They made a promise to themselves not to accept an F, but to push themselves until they got a grade that would help them pass the class. When their teacher handed them each their research report, with a bright red C on each one, both smiled. A C is a passing grade, so they wouldn’t fail the class. What happened next? Kate, satisfied that she wouldn’t fail, let herself relax now. She continued her passing grade at a steady rate – C, C, C – and passed the class. Her brother, however, chose a different route. After feeling the satisfaction of getting a passing grade, Josh wanted to go beyond that and move forward. Yes, he would have to push himself, but he worked hard studying that month, and when he received his report card, he got an A in science class.
What did Kate do? She drew a line and kept to it. She didn’t fail, but she didn’t move forward. Josh drew a line – and lived above it. He continued to strive for more. He continued to do well and work hard, and he was well rewarded.
You have the choice to draw a line, and you have the choice to either stick with it or be great. It’s up to you. You have the ability, even if you aren’t great in science or math, or friends, or whatever you’re struggling with.
So, yes, strive for the A. Make yourself study. Work on your skateboarding and master a flip. Practice jumping your horse, raise the poles higher – and clear it!