I want you guys to all be a part of the National Life Chain happening this Sunday, October 5th in Midland. We will be standing and holding signs that support the unborn's right to life. I will share more with you about this event and my feelings about the cause in the coming days. Just put it on your calendars now and be prepared to leave straight from church and have lunch, then head to Midland. We will be carpooling and I want to make sure that everyone has a ride. More to come on this subject... 

This Friday night is going to be big. Real Big. Friday night is about more than football. Its about tailgating. And I hate to brag, but there are few things that our church does better than eat. I wouldn't miss this one if I were you. Friday @ 6:00 p.m. we will be at the OHS/PHS game to tailgate. We have many important people to support at this event - OHS showgirl Tiffany, OHS cheerleader Debby, and PHS majorette Allison. We will be chowing down on White House Meat Market burgers and some yet to hit the market Girl Scout Cookies. You do need to RSVP for this event...otherwise, there will be no burgers for you. Let me know. You can RSVP via comment or you can call me.

And no, our tailgating will not look like the pic above...but in my dreams, that's what it would look like.

400 Nuggets. I just don't think I can wrap my head around that figure. 400 Nuggets. And every single one was eaten. In addition, there was cookie cake. Over half of that was eaten. And I can't even begin to count the number of waters, Kool-Aid jammers, and Cokes that were consumed. There was eating, there was Bible study, there was sand volleyball. Pictures forthcoming.

Wednesday, September 24^th

Read: Psalm 112

“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments…

The generation of the upright will be blessed.”

Psalm 112:1-2

 

This is it - SYATP is here! This morning, get up, go to your flagpole and pray. God wants to change the world with your generation. The question is, will you let Him? Be known as teenagers who fear the LORD & who delight in His commands (His Word) and then you will experience the fullness of His blessings.

Last night was the kick-off of my Roots group and boy, was it action packed. Mondays are always rough, but yesterday proved even rougher than normal. My 16 yr. old sister Anna was carted to the ER because she was having chest pains. Now, after being diagnosed by myself and my mom (who is a graduate of the med school of the University of Phoenix online…J) with a case of acute esophageal spasms, we consulted with Nurse Mandie who recommended that we seek actual medical attention. Hence, the ER. Six hours, three visitors, and 14,825 texts later, Anna was home. After hours of pain, the “magical medicine” that cured the pain was…Mylanta. Next time, I think we’re going with the University of Phoenix diagnosis. I would also like to add that this little excursion resulted in a wave of paranoia across the state of Texas. Anna apparently has more people concerned about her big toe than most people have concerned about their lives, but still, she conceded later that it was good to know “how many people cared.” Surely there are less expensive ways of discovering that!

Let’s jump to the heart of the story – Roots. On our way to pick up Murph, we encountered a turtle. A turtle crossing Nabors Lane – not a good idea. We decided to intervene and rescue him and then transport him to the Turtle Sanctuary at my grandparents’ house. We drove by slowly. My sister Allie hopped out (albeit barefoot) and ran around to save Jim Bob (the turtle). Jim Bob had quite a mind of his own, however, and ran at breakneck speed away from Allie. I opened my door, yelling at Allie that traffic was coming, “grab Jim Bob and get in the car!!!,” and while my door was opened, Jim Bob scuttled straight for me. There was something in those reptilian eyes that I didn’t like. Allie hops back in, no Jim Bob. What to do? Abort mission? Never. We made a turn and waited in a driveway until traffic cleared – one car, two car, three car, four passes…and each time we held our breath, hoping that Jim Bob would escape death. We watched the cars pass over him and shrieked every time another one rumbled near him. Then, a car stopped. A kid ran behind the car, almost getting hit by another vehicle in the process, and went back to grab Jim Bob. We all watched as he came back to his car, empty-handed. Bad sign. We made one more pass at the scene…and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. Small children should stop reading. I’m going to be slightly graphic in describing what I saw – Jim Bob, on his back, DECAPITATED. There was blood, turtle guts, and yes, body parts scattered everywhere. It was horrific. And making it even tougher to take, we were the last people to see him alive. The last to attempt a rescue. Oh how close Jim Bob was to freedom!

Anyway, Allie, Emily, Murph & I moved past the grief, had a fabulous time studying the first 8 verses of Ephesians, and then did what any group of people in mourning does – eat. Brownie sundaes- in honor of Jim Bob. We only knew him a short time, but we knew this about him: he lived on the edge. How else can you explain a turtle crossing Nabors Lane? And what is edgier than chocolate on a Monday? I can think of nothing.

 

Tuesday, September 23^rd

Read: Psalm 45:10-17

 

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”

Proverbs 31:30

 

 

 

Being a girl is hard, a lot harder than it looks. A couple of weeks ago, a guy in my Spanish class described girls as “sure of themselves” (he said it in Spanish, though). When all the girls in the class told him that he couldn’t be more wrong, he said, “Well, they sure put on a good act.” We’re good at that, aren’t we? Pretending that we’re okay, we’re secure, we’re confident, we’re strong. But still, its hard being a girl. You all are some of the most beautiful, talented, wonderful girls that I have ever met and its hard for me to imagine that each of you doesn’t know how special you are. The truth is, it doesn’t matter how great I think you are, what matters is what God thinks about you. And if you’re not sure, He thinks you’re even more special than I do! My prayer for you is that you would understand your worth in Christ, a worth that is not determined by the size of your jeans or the number of boys that ask you out. It is worth grounded in His love.

Pray that God will set you free with the understanding of who you are in Him.

Guys, pray that the girls would be women after His own heart and would understand His love.

Monday, September 22^nd

Read: Proverbs 2

 “My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding…then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:1-2, 5

 

 

You don’t have to be Chuck Norris to make a difference. I am so thankful for the guys of our youth group. You are all truly a blessing to me. I have prayed for this part of my ministry at MDBC more than any other. There are immense pressures facing you today and I am not unaware of how difficult it is for you guys to take a stand for Christ. My prayer is that you will love the Word of God and will make it a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. I pray that you will learn to fear the LORD. I can’t imagine what an impact it would have on our youth group & on our church if you guys totally surrendered to Him. Guys, I’m praying for you today.

Guys, pray that God would make you the leader that He’s called and equipped you to be.

Girls, join with me in praying that our guys will be men of God and will be able to stand firm against the pressures of the world.

We have two new groups for you to join on Facebook. Get with the program, you MySpacers...Facebook is the way to go!!! :)

Sunday, September 21^st

Read: Psalm 103:1-5

“Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits…”

Psalm 103:2

 

These five verses lay out some of the benefits that belong to those who have surrendered their lives to Him. What are they?

 

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Select one of those and spend your prayer time this morning thanking Him for the gift of salvation and the blessings it brings. If you share one of these points in Sunday School this morning, you will receive a giftcard to a location of your choice!

 

Saturday, September 20^th

Read: Psalm 34:1-14

“I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth…

I sought the LORD and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:1, 4

Its easy to love God when things are going good. But what happens when things get tough? No one knew more about tough times than David, the shepherd boy who became king. His life makes Jerry Springer look like a Disney movie. The boy knew about drama and heartache and questioning God. But how does he open this psalm? I will bless the LORD at _______ times. Think of something in your life right now that you wish were different, something you wish you could change. What is it? Can you praise God for it? Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

The reality is this – bad things happen, but God is still in control. Even the worst of times, I can praise Him because He never changes! (Heb.13:8). Rather than focusing on your situation, focus on Who God is and what He has promised you. Go to Hebrews 13:5-6.

Pray that God will help you to see His purpose in the midst of your pain and praise Him for Who He is!

 

Friday, September 19^th

Read: Philippians 2:1-11

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

 

When is the last time you did something nice for someone…and chores don’t count! I mean just a spontaneous, out-of-the-goodness-of-your-heart, random act of kindness? If you have to go back years to think of something, then I dare say its time for another one! There are opportunities all around you, every single day to do something nice for someone else. Nice people are on the endangered species list. Someone once said that the best use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlive it. Investing your life in someone else’s is one way to do just that. Be known as a person who doesn’t look out just for themselves, but who takes every opportunity to serve others.

 Pray that God would help you be humble (think opposite of proud/full of yourself) and would give you a chance to serve someone else today.

Thursday, September 18^th

Read: Philippians 8

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever has a good reputation, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,

dwell on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

 

 

This is a loaded verse. Paul is laying out for Philippians what kind of things they should be filling their minds with. The criteria? Pretty tough. They should be thinking about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, have a good reputation, have excellence or are worthy of praise. Go through a mental check-list of the last 5 shows that you watched on tv, the last 5 songs you listened to, the last websites you looked at and count how many of those met that criteria. Ouch! Not many on my own check-list made the cut. Its amazing how aware of what we put intoour bodies (calories & fat intake) and yet are blissfully unaware of the junk that we put into our minds. Its time to clean out the crap!

Are there things that you realize need to be cut out of your daily media diet? What are they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a pretty simple test that you can use the next time you sit down at the tv or computer – if Jesus were hanging out with me for an hour, would I watch this with Him? Would I show Him this site? Would I listen to this song? Guess what? He is hanging out with you – every hour of every day!

 Pray today that our minds would be filled with things that would pass the Philippians 4:8 test.

 

 

Wednesday, September 17^th

Read: Hebrews 12:1-11

“We had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.”

Hebrews 12:9-10

 

 

Growing up, spankings were a normal part of my daily life – this is primarily because I was a very, VERY headstrong child. However, I never looked forward to that standing appointment with my mom and that blasted leather belt. Why not? It hurt! But of course, my mom always said that it hurt her more than it did me – anybody else ever hear that one? If it hurt my mom so much, why did she keep spanking me? Well, because my actions revealed that I hadn’t learned my lesson. And because she didn’t want one of those bratty kids that you see in Wal-Mart. When was the last time that you were disciplined by God? What did He do to get your attention? Why do you think He was trying to teach you?

 

 

 

 

The promise in Hebrews is that God disciplines us for our good. Why does He do it? Look in the last part of the verse printed above.

His discipline = my holiness. I truly believe that it does hurt God when He has to get our attention, because He often does it through painful ways. But He does it because He knows that in the end, we will benefit from it. God doesn’t want bratty kids either!

Pray that when God disciplines you, you will receive it with a willing (even if not happy) heart.

 

I am human. Anyone surprised by that admission? I hardly think so.

I am also a procrastinator. And not your run-of-the-mill procrastinator - a serious, hard-core, wait until the last minute, stress to the point of death kind of gal.

In my writing fervor, feverishly writing away under the looming deadline, I missed something. My dates got off. I wrote Monday, September 15th's entry, copied and pasted the date for the next one (so my fonts & sizes would be the same) and then neglected to change the date.

Oops. This is why there are two entries for September 15th...maybe God knew that you would need just a little bit more time with Him! :) This incident should motivate me to abandon my procrastinating ways. I'll think about it. Tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 16^th

Read: James 2:1-13

“YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF…

If you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as transgressors.”

James 2:8b-9

 

 

 “Love your neighbor.” That sounds simple, right? We all know the command, but how many of us actually follow it? There are some people that are easy to love – the funny ones, the pretty ones, the athletic ones, the popular ones. But what about the less lovable ones – the loners, the EMO kids, the stoners – do you love them? James issues a strong reprimand to believers in his book. He says partiality (which is a favorable bias or prejudice), any kind of partiality dishonors God. Its easy to love the rich, but what about the poor? Where did God send His Son when He came to earth? It certainly wasn’t to royalty, it was to the common man. Who were among the first to accept the message of hope that Christ brought? It wasn’t the upper class, it was the fishermen. Take another look around your classes. Look for those who are in the background. They are waiting for someone to show them something besides hate and scorn. Let it be you that shows them that something different.

Pray that God will give you eyes to see those who are in need of Him today, regardless of their looks, background, or popularity.

 

Monday, September 15^th Part II

Read: James 3:1-12

“So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!”

James 3:5

 

If all a person knew about you & your character was what you had said in the past 30 minutes, what would they conclude about you? The Bible teaches that our mouths reveal what’s in our hearts (Matthew 15:18). If that is true, what do your words reveal about you? What would your teammates say? What about your family? What about your friends? Would they all paint a different picture of who you are? As someone who says they belong to the King of the Universe, your speech should be different. Your speech should reflect the One to whom you belong. Are there areas of your speech that need to change? What are they?

 

 

 

 

Pray today that your speech would honor God.

 

Monday, September 15^th

Read: James 1:22-25

 

“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”

James 1:25

 

When is the last time that you looked at yourself in a mirror? I’m gonna bet that it wasn’t too long ago…I’m sure all of you checked yourself before going to school this morning, some of you probably checked yourself multiple times! Why did you do it? We want to look our best – no one plans to have a piece of food stuck between their front teeth, no one likes it when there is something hanging out their nose, no one aims to look like a total loser, right?

When’s the last time you looked at yourself in a spiritual mirror? This means looking beyond the “church kid” face and into the heart of who you really are. What is our mirror? According to the passage in James, it is God’s Word. When you see something that is out of place in the mirror, you need to do something about it. Blow your nose, comb your hair, and live out the sermons that you hear and the Sunday School lessons you sit through!

Pray that you will be a doer of the Word.

Sunday, September 14^th

Read: Psalm 111

“Praise the LORD!

 I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.

 Great are the works of the LORD; they are studied by all who delight in them.”

Psalm 111:1-2

 

I remember once, when I was around 15 years old, I saw something that reminded me of a friend. It wasn’t anything big, but I spent what little money I had and mailed it to her. She never said anything about the gift. She never wrote a thank-you note. She never mentioned it. I was so hurt! More than the gift, it felt like she didn’t appreciate me. Think about all that God has done in your life. Think about all He did just this past week. When is the last time you “studied” His works? List three things that happened this week that you can praise Him for:

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Stop and take time to praise Him for His blessings.

 

Saturday, September 13^th

Read: Joshua 1:8-9

“Be strong and courageous!”

Joshua 1:9a

 

Why do you think this command is attached to the instructions that we looked at yesterday, you remember right? Why would strength and courage be necessary components for keeping God’s Word on our minds and in our mouths? Well, if doing those things really does lead to action – me walking what I talk – then I will be called upon to do some hard things. Maybe its standing up for Creation in a Science class. Maybe its talking to that really “un-cool”, even “semi-scary” person. Maybe its telling your teammate why you don’t party on the weekend.

 Whatever you are called to do today, pray that God will give you the courage to stand strong for Him.

 

 

 

Friday, September 12^th

Read: Joshua 1:6-9

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to so according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous,

and then you will have success…Be strong and courageous!”

Joshua 1:8-9a

 

According to the verses above, what two things am I do with God’s Word?

 

 

 

Joshua instructs the people to speak the Word of God and then to think on it day and night. How much time do you spend pondering/thinking about God’s Word? I don’t think any of us are living up to the “day and night” requirement that Joshua gave the people. Does this seem a little radical, a little demanding to anyone else? What will the natural result be of soaking up God’s Word that much? Our lives will be different! Success is promised. What kind of success do you think Joshua is talking about?

 

 

We’ll continue looking at this passage tomorrow. But for now, pray that you will make it a priority to spend time daily in God’s Word. This prayer guide is a good way to start!

 

Thursday, September 11^th

Read: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

 

Have you loved anything or anyone like God commands you to love Him? If so, who or what was it? Why did you love it so much? When my aunt was a little girl, she had a little fur wrap that she wore everywhere. She loved it so much that she wore it to bed! You couldn’t coax her to take it off for anything! One day, while wearing it in the backseat of the car, her younger brother (my uncle) threw up all over it. And just like that, the fur wrap was history. Although the fur was a cheap piece of dress-up clothes, my aunt was devastated. There are so many things that steal our attention and affection away from the One who rightly deserves it. What cheap things am I holding on to?

Pray that God will help you love Him as passionately as He deserves.

Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be uploading our daily prayer guides/SYATP devos leading up to 9/24, See You at the Pole. I have put together 14 Scripture readings and prayer suggestions that I hope will help prepare your heart for the day when you gather around your school flagpole. Prayer isn't an event; it is a lifestyle.

Wednesday, September 10^th

Read: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

“Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’

And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening.’ ”

 

We live in a world full of noise – music (Lil Wayne, holla!), television, friends, parents – its hard to escape the constant blare. But have you ever thought about what that noise causes you to miss? Just as Samuel was unable to clearly discern Who was calling him, sometimes we might find it difficult to hear when God is calling us.

Pray today that when God calls, you will hear and respond.

 

Have you heard from Him today? What did He say?

 

 

Well, I'm back...not by popular demand, but still back. My readership is up to 2 people - myself and my sister Millie in Lubbock, but still I am undeterred. I WILL keep blogging, whether you like it or not.

We have lots of exciting things happening in the next couple of weeks and I want to make sure that you all have these dates on your calendars.

Sept. 10th - Relevant is happening and our Music Series continues on...which mainstream music artist will we be examining? You have to be here to find out. Also, your See You at the Pole (SYATP) devotionals will be passed out. These contain 2 weeks of Scriptures and prayer guides to help gear you up for SYATP.

Sept. 15th - Girl's Discipleship Kick-off. You will be notified of your leader and meeting place very soon, so check your mailbox and also look on the blog for more details.

Sept. 18th - Kali Kirk's birthday...Par-tay!

Sept. 24th - SYATP @ 7:00 a.m. You guys will be at your schools at 7 a.m. to pray around your flagpole. We are currently working out how to break up the campuses so that a leader is at every school. Some of you have mentioned not being sure if your school has a SYATP...this is a student-led event, let us know and we will help you organize something!

Sept. 24th - SYATP Celebration @ 6:30 p.m. We try to do something special to commemorate this day...Chick-fil-A will be involved. I think that is more than enough to pique your interest.

Where did the summer go? Just yesterday it was May...and now it is September!!! They say that when you get older, time goes by faster. Remember when you were a kid and Christmas never came? Well, now it seems like Christmas comes every single month. And its not so exciting when it happens so often...I have also noted that Christmas gets more expensive every single year, also subtracting from the fun quotient.

Anyway, back to summer - it's over. OVER. El fin. Terminado. Done. Kaput. My only question is, "Where did it go?" It's just not fair. Not fair at all. I am starting a campaign to bring summer back, at least for a couple more weeks. All those in favor need to leave me a comment telling me your favorite part of summer & why we should have a summer extension.

P.S. More than just words, I take action too...Summer=Sand Volleyball and in the quest to extend summer, MDBC Student Ministry is getting our very own sand volleyball court!!! Holla!