May 30, 2008

My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do!

I found these verses this morning and thought they were a good reminder as to Who is the source behind the victories in our lives. Psalms 60:11-12- "Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies." Remember how weak we are and how strong our God is! Praying for you all!

Chrystal D.

May 29, 2008

Fallen Man

"Fallen man is not an imperfect creature who needs improvement. He is a rebel who must lay down his arms" - C.S. Lewis. Sometimes we think we just need to improve, we do need to improve but we have to learn to cast all our cares upon christ. We are to week to try to improve by ourselves, we need Christ's help!

10:34

"Faith is the key to being free from the love of things that makes you a self-centered person striving for security instead of taking the risks of love"
"Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the will of the Lord." ~ John Paton

May 28, 2008

Rejoicing no matter what

OK for all you wondering “Wait I thought she was gone...” yes I am still in Europe, but we are a train right now and I have something that I want to post… and this will get Chrystal off my back for not posting recently. Lol
A couple days ago, we were in Rome and saw the Caesar Shuffle as my mom likes to call it (Coliseum, Forum ruins, and Pantheon) and while all of these were awesome and wonderful something else sticks out in my mind. My mom had heard that there was a prison near the Coliseum that supposedly Paul and Peter had been kept in, and she really wanted to see it. To be honest, I wasn’t that excited about seeing a prison but we all figured why not?! Well this was not just any prison… she was right it was where Peter and Paul had been kept at one point. Now I am not sure when or what the story is there because I can’t find the story in my New Testament (I hate it when I wanna find something and cant!!! It is MOST annoying when I can’t find something just because I don’t have the right materials lol) But I am going to try my best to describe the prison to you, my reason for doing so I will explain at the end.
The entire prison is underground; basically it’s a very large hole in the ground. In the time of the Romans prisoners were lowered into it on a rope through a hole in the top that is probably only wide enough for my mom or I to get through. (now a door has been dug in from the side so you can walk in) It is about 30 feet from the top of the (for lack of a better word) cave to the floor. So imagine being lowered into this pitch black hole and you cant see the bottom. Once you reach the floor there is a set of stairs carved in so you can reach the bottom level. This bottom room is maybe 18 ft wide and not tall enough for my dad and Erik to stand. Here tons of prisoners would be kept (its not sure how many but lets just say it wouldn’t meet the Geneva Conventions standards) and chained to a pole. It was in a prison like this that Peter and Paul sang and praised God.
While we were actually in the prison I didn’t think too much about it, but as the day went on and I looked back at pictures it struck me how completely depressing it must have been to be imprisoned there. There is literally NO way out! Unless someone pulls you out. Yet… Peter and Paul REJOICED! They were chained to a stone pole in literally a hole in the ground after being beaten with no light, food, or way of escape and they rejoiced!!!
I say all this to point out that no matter how bad we think things are we will probably NEVER have to suffer like that… so how can I possibly ever complain or not trust God to take care of me when he took care of Paul and Peter in such HORRIBLE conditions?
I will stop writing my book now… Hope ya’ll are doing well!
Kristin Hanson

P.S. Chrystal or Rachel if i made any grammatical or spellings errors please fix them for me I dont have time now... thank you dears

May 27, 2008

Your goodness is as a morning cloud...

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. I found this really neat verse in Hosea 6:4 the other day, and was thinking about how that can be related to the way we have seem to have set a pattern in our lives (though it's not a very good one). It can be related literally: We have our devotions in the morning (hopefully), and start off on a great day. But then, by noon, just like the morning cloud and the early dew, our goodness has seemed to have disappeared, and were off bickering and doing whatever else we like to do. Ouch! And then it can be related in a more spiritual way: Again, we have our devotions in the morning, and by the heat of the day (noon), or when the temptations and trials come, the same thing happens. Where did our goodness go? Perhaps out the back door.

Even just the name of this blog, "This Is Just The Start", has a lot to do with this verse. It is just the start right now, when we are in this great Youth Group trying to serve God, but when you are out of Y.G. and soon after out of the house, and on your own (some of you pretty soon), where will you stand?

Mark D

Who is benefitting from my salvation, me or God?

I was reading from Job recently and came upon several verses that caught my attention. Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? This is describing how the wicked feel about God. Have you ever been witnessing and someone asks you why they should serve God. They want to know what he is going to do for them. It made me wonder; in what ways do I benefit from my relationship with the Lord. I know that isn't the right attitude to have towards the Lord, but thinking realistically, I have greatly benefitted from the relationship.
He has come to save us from death and the tormentor. He has come to give us joy. I love it when I am experiencing the full joy of the lord! Even when things are hard, there is joy if we are continually letting our minds dwell on his goodness. James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations-why?- knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that me may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. We know that even when we are in hard trials or temptations, he is doing it for our good.
He brings hope in sorrow. I loved hearing people talk about Ida after her death. They weren't in despair. Why? because they knew that even though Ida meant so much to them, she meant even more to God, and he had taken her home. Home to a place where there will be no more crying, no more dying, no more aches and pains, and no more sin. Only the presence of her all-powerful savior.
He takes away the burden of life.....if we let him. He told us to take his yoke for it is light. I just recently got finished with school which means I needed to be evaluated. I hate being evaluated. I got so busy and so caught up in getting things ready that I felt like life was a burden that was meant for a man with much bigger shoulders... It was, the God man. I once again needed to change my focus. God tells us not to worry about the clothes that we will wear or the food we will eat. I can imagine God standing there looking at me struggling to carry this impossible weight. “Will you let me carry that for you? It was meant for me not you.” But no I keep on carrying it for a while until I am so tired I fall upon my knees. “Please take this burden off my shoulders Lord, I can't carry it.” Without ever scolding or saying “I told you so” He reaches down and takes it off my back and places it on his own. He helps me up and starts to lead me in his perfect way. You all can pray for me that I would remember to let God lead my life. I didn't get this on the prayer list so I will put it on here. Please pray that I would remember why I am serving at camp this summer. It is so easy for me to get caught up thinking about the fun time I will have that I forget why I am going there, to serve.
Greg

The love and payment of God

While I was cutting grass the other day, I thought of the time that Josh broke his arm in a tree! Since then my Dad doesn't like us climbing trees :/ When I was younger I remember thinking, Why does my Dad care? Its not his arm. Now I know he cares for at least two reasons.


  1. He loves us and doesn't want us to get hurt
  2. He has to pay for the hospital bill.
Its the same way with our spiritual lives. Why does God care when we sin?


  1. He loves us, and doesn't want it to hurt us, as it will if we keep doing it.
  2. He had to pay the hospital bill with blood so we can go to heaven. (since we cant have a imperfect body in heaven.)

Jordan D

May 24, 2008

True Love

I have been doing a study in Ecclesiastes recently, along with my Psalms study, and I will admit that at first it was a bit difficult to get into. But I stuck with it and am beginning to find a lot of pretty basic and simple reminders of who our God is, what He expects of us and how that, in turn, should affect the way we live. The first few chapters deal a lot with the vanity of life and the limitation of human wisdom. Both good things to be reminded of daily! The next few chapters, (which is what I am working in right now,) deal with Gods timing for things, learning to be content through disappointments and how to enjoy good hard work. However, the verses I want to share with you have nothing to do with all that. These are verses you all probably know and have heard a million times, but here they are anyways. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.” These verses are pretty much self explanatory. Basically, we NEED godly friends who can encourage and strengthen us and who, most importantly, can keep us accountable when we mess up. God cares enough for us to have placed friends in our lives so they can help us to get our focus back where it needs to be and encourage us to keep going. Psalms 54:4b “The Lord is with them that uphold my soul” I guess, my next question should be, “Am I that kind of friend?” I have been hit with this question several times recently through different things, including the recent study in “Changed into His Image”. Jim Berg pretty much nails us about how we should be encouraging and helping our friends “God has called every believer to a ministry of discipleship with those around him. He said that we are to be teaching others to observe all things whatsoever He has commanded us. Mathew 28:20. Discipleship is helping another believer make biblical changes toward Christlikeness. Since discipleship means helping someone make biblical changes toward Christlikeness, it ought to be our primary concern in the relationships of our life.” When I am with other people is my main concern their spiritual health, how to be able to pray for them, or how we can grow closer to God? Or do I simply get together with them to have a good time? Don’t get me wrong… I, of all people, think it’s very important to be able to get together with friends and just be able to goof off together and have some clean fun. ;) And yet at the same time, I can’t help but think that sometimes the emphasis on “having a good time” is too great. How come, in the majority of conversations, even in ones after church, the name of our God is hardly even mentioned? We say we love God, but do we really? I have seen older siblings of mine who are engaged and in love. They have a hard time talking about anything other than that special person. No matter how many times I change the topic to something different, it always comes back to talking about their fiancĂ©/fiancĂ©e. They will talk about their last date together, how that other person perfectly completes them, and how they are looking forward to getting to spend the rest of their life with that person, etc. (Honestly, it can almost get annoying! Especially when it’s late at night and they won’t stop! ;) But my point remains…our love for God should be the same way, if not even more so. Is my love for God so shallow that I have a hard time even talking about Him with others? Or do I find myself constantly wanting to bring God, somehow, someway, into all my conversations? Am I willing to tell others about the last time God and I had a really neat experience together? Do I get excited when I think about spending an eternity with Him? It’s easy to say right off, “Yes, of course I am/do!” but if you sit back and really think about it, you will realize how earthly focused we really are. The main reason that God gave us earthly companionship was so that we could seek Him together. Psalms 55:13-14 “But it was thou, a man, mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company.” God should be the first thing on our minds in the morning, He should be the first One we run to tell about any new news or problem, and He should be the One that we just can’t stop talking about!

Chrystal D.

May 23, 2008

"Our greatest problems are never around us...they are in us" - Jim Berg

May 22, 2008

Enoch and his testimony

i know this is kinda a bit late from sunday... but the message that pastor gave sunday night really convicted me.

it was from Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony: that he pleased God"

I got to thinking and the thought struck me, if God still took people to heaven would he see me as holy and righteous as Enoch, take me and give me the testimony that i pleased Him? and i would have to say that i DO NOT think that God would take me home before i died because my walk with the Lord isn't where it should be... so i would greatly appreciate prayer in this area because i can't do it on my own.

Erik
The love of God is like the ocean...you can see its beginning, but not its end!

May 21, 2008

Who's Stronger?

Do you push the standards as far as you can or do you let your standards + God show others the difference between a Christion and an unbeliever. Do you let your standards lead you down the wrong path, or do you set higher standards then maybe even your parents, and I assure you that over time more than likely your standards will falter a bit, thats why we should set the higher standard now. Then when you have kids, the standards will not have changed from the previous generation. Are you pushing with the world or pushing against the world? Just for encouragement... the Lord is on our side what is there to fear? Judgement day is coming and its a whole lot better to sacrifice now than to sacrifice on judgement day. Don't be willing to sacrifice the joy of the permanent for the joy of the immediate.

Jordan D
Jesus, My Father, Savior, Friend,
The One who sustains me to the end,
I've failed again and gone my way
but now I'm sick of self and play
Draw me back unto Your side
And let me always there abide!
Help me to see Who You are, what you are.
And then to see who I am, what I am.
A worthless worm, made a prince
through and by the Precious Lamb

May 19, 2008

A lesson from David

I was reading in Psalms recently and was struck again with the wide range of emotions David went through. He goes from being ecstatic to being depressed to being miserable with himself to being awed by God's greatness. Sometimes he's even downright mad and impatient, asking God to strike his enemies and avenge him. However, through all these changing feelings, one theme remains constant: David's faith in God. No matter what David was feeling at the time, all his psalms reflect his faith that God would take care of him no matter what. Personally, I was glad to see this. It was encouraging to be reminded that even David, a man who was so close to God that he was called a man after God's own heart, did not always feel like God was close. However, even when he didn't FEEL like trusting God, he always KNEW that God was trustworthy. It was not what he felt that was important, after all feelings are fickle, but it was what he knew that got him through the tough times. He knew that God took care of him in the past, and he had the faith to believe that God would do the same in the future. After pastor's sermon on Heb. 11 about faith, it reminded me that faith doesn't have much to do with what I feel but what I know. How many times does God have to prove Himself before we will trust Him? Looking back on God's record, I know that He has never let me or anybody else down, so why should He start now? Be careful about feelings. Feelings are wonderful things and God uses them, but they are not a firm foundation for faith.

Psalm 77:7-11. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

Mike

Living Simply—Yet Focused

I was reading from Matthew 6 this morning and The end of chapter is talking about taking no thought of your raiment, your food, etc. Because God, who cares about even the little things, would He not care for us? If we will place all of our trust in Him and simply Him, He will supply our needs, and His glory will shine through us.
For Christ to shine through us, we must look to Him, and without even realizing it, He will shine through us, without any conscious "help" from us.
There is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God.
John 7:38 -Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water”
We will not find the source of this light through common sense or reasoning, but through focusing directly on the light itself. - Christ! This is how we will grow.

If you want to be of use to God, you have to maintain the proper relationship with Him by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every min. of your life—yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.
Praying that Christ will be evident through all of our lives!
Rachel

May 18, 2008

Happy Birthday Erik- aka:"Dan"


Happy 16th Birthday Erik Hanson!!!!!! Thanks for your part in Sigma. Thanks also for using your abilities, such as singing, playing the violin, etc. to serve God and others. We'll be praying for you in this next year.

p.s. Good luck with the permit! =)

May 15, 2008

All we have been learning......

I was getting on the blog today,and i was looking at all the posts we have on this thing.269 well.....270 after I'm done writing this one out=)We have come a long way since we started the blog.We started this thing in what... July 2007 i think.We all have learned soooo much since then.I'm so thankful for our Y.G. I'm so happy of what we've learned.... and will keep learning in the years to come. Have a GREAT DAY everybody!
Zach

May 14, 2008

“God is Bigger than the Boogie Man” ;)

John 10:4 – And when He putteth forth His sheep, He goeth before them and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.

The part that really stood out to me in this verse is “He goeth before them and the sheep follow Him”. This made me think of the times when my brothers and I were little and we were afraid of the dark. And then would come the dreaded assignment of taking the trash out! The barrel that we burned our trash in was quite a distance from our house, near the field, and when it was dark out, it seemed a mile away! So, if my mom would tell one of us to take the trash out, at night, we would always go get a sibling to go with us first. In a way it almost became an adventure. We’d grab our flashlights to help us see and the butcher knives to help protect us from any “bad guys”. =) Then we’d go outside and stand on the porch and stare out into the darkness, deciding whether or not we were brave enough to go the whole way down to the burn barrel. (yes… we were “scaredy-cats” ;) And that is when an older sibling would come out of the house, grab our hands, laugh at our uncertainty and proceed to lead us down to the burn barrel. Suddenly being out in the dark didn’t seem quite so scary with the reassurance that somebody, that was bigger than us, was leading the way and would take care of any problems that would arise. God is certainly bigger and more powerful than any uncertainties or problems that may come up in our lives that we tend to think of as so major. Including the temptations in our lives, the unknowns, the frustrations of failing over and over, weakness in witnessing, going through the death of loved ones, experiencing some kind of change, etc. And I am learning that those are the times when God simply grabs our hand, laughs at our fears and proceeds to lead the way. Psalm 27:1- “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 59:8-9 “But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense”

Chrystal

May 8, 2008

Psalm 47:9- "for the shields of the earth belong unto God"- Nothing can happen to us that God has not allowed to come through to us.-

May 7, 2008

to God be the glory great things he hath done

hi this is jake i hope you all know me. This is the the first time using a blog so bear with me. God has been at work alot in my life in the last few weeks. It has been a awesome to see how God is using our youth group. You have all been so exsepting of me. I've been having a lot of trouble with finding Christian friends.
And God suplied all my needs. Oh yeah i just wanted to say that quizing was awesome.
Now im not really very good with words. So i wont be on here much but i wanted to let all of you know that God has used you in my life. So i'll see you at youth group



The NERD

May 6, 2008

An up-date on Danny

Hey everyone, Well I have some very good news.Danny's tumor has shrunk a little bit and he's going to stay off kemo (i think thats how you spell it)for two weeks.Isn't awesome how God answers our prayers.It's not always right away but He still answers them in His own time.So just please keep praying for him.I know Danny appreciates it. Also pray for him and his family to get saved.Have a great day everyone!
Zach

David Livingstone Quotes

"I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything will advance the interests of that kingdom, it shall be given away or kept only as by giving or keeping of it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity. May grace and strength sufficient, to enable me to adhere faithfully to this resolution, be imparted to me, so that in truth, not in name only, all my interests and those of my children may be identified with His cause ... I will try and remember always to approach God in secret with as much reverence in speech, posture, and behavior as in public. Help me, Thou who knowest my frame and pitiest as a father his children."

"Remember us in your prayers that we grow not weary in well doing. It is hard to work for years with pure motives, and all the time be looked upon by most of those to whom our lives are devoted as having some sinister object in view. Disinterested labor — benevolence — is so out of their line of thought, that many look upon us as having some ulterior object in view; but He who died for us, and Whom we ought to copy, did more for us than we can do for any one else. He endured the contradiction of sinners. We should have grace to follow in His steps."

May 4, 2008


Happy Birthday Katie Hackman! Thanks for your cheerful spirit and smile! We're praying for you in this coming year as you continue to grow. 2 Timothy 2:15

May 2, 2008

Lessons from the Minor Prophets

The last couple weeks have actually been very good ones for me. I guess God thought I had had enough weeks of struggling and floundering, without feeling like I was getting anywhere, and decided it was time for me to see some fruit. Now, trust me, I am very aware that right after times of victory come the hardest attacks, (Katie Hefflefinger and I have had some very interesting talks about that recently. Often after a time of great blessing, we are going to be tried with a great testing. And yet on the flip side of that coin we can remember that after every hard testing comes a great blessing! ;) but for now I am content to rest in the strength of my God. I have been doing some studies in the minor prophets recently and have just completed Zephaniah. At first it seemed to me that this book was the one that was sort of boring and didn't really seem to apply to me. But then I hit chapter 3! And wow! It hit too close to home for comfort! The first two verses alone were enough to send me to my corner in shame. Zephaniah 3:1-2 "Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God." Basically Zephaniah is saying that the reason that the city is filthy and polluted is because 1. they would not obey the voice of the Lord when He tried to lead them. 2. They wouldn't even listen to correction when God convicted them of something 3. They didn't trust in God to take care of their needs etc. and finally 4. (and the most convicting for me) they didn't draw near to God. Most of the time when I am struggling in my relationship to God, I cry out to Him with that song "Draw me Nearer!" Thats great, because we need to be trusting in God to do a work in us, but at the same time we have a responsibilty to draw near too! If we aren't spending the time we need in Gods Word, aren't bringing our concerns before Him, aren't willing to take a step of faith and aren't willing to truly trust Him, why are we even surprised when we fall and feel utterly defeated? I gave myself a checklist on the four things that that verse mentions and I didn't do so great. So if you think about it, pray for me concerning each of those areas. Anyways, there was a lot more in this chapter that was helpful, but since I have a tendency to get going, and not want to stop, when I start sharing what God has done, I will just show you one more verse that really encouraged me. Zephaniah 3:17- "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." For one thing, I liked how this verse started off by simply stating that God is mighty and He will save us from every trouble, fear, worry, heartache, etc. Secondly, two parts of this verse sort of caught me off guard when I read them. "He will rejoice over thee with joy....He will joy over thee with singing"...Usually after hearing a statement like "God is mighty" it causes me to think of the joy and peace "I" have because of my relationship with Him. But Zephaniah says that God is rejoicing and singing over us! He takes delight in us! I'm not sure what he finds in me that causes Him to sing and rejoice, but just hearing that He does is enough to send goosebumps down my arm! Ok...now for my favorite part of this verse. "He will rest in His love" I didn't understand what that was saying when I first read it because it just didn't sound right. So I sort of studied it out and when I read it in my study Bible, it said it like this "He will rest (quiet) you with His love" I don't know about you, but reading that made me feel completely calm. Gods love is enveloping us and no matter what is going on in this world and no matter how much it seems like the Devil is getting the victory, in everything going on around us, we can find rest in the love of God and it is there that we can find true rest, peace and quiet.

Chrystal

May 1, 2008

Watching God's Hand

Alright I just wanna say, that for all the horrible and frustrating days I have had since beginning the visa process, this one made up for all of them! Today was a amazing day of watching God's hand working evidently through everything.
and oh yeah... MY VISA GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My mom and I got to D.C. at about lunch time, and if you have ever been around Embassy row you'll know that there is generally NO food ANYWHERE!!! Seriously, I dont know what they have against the concept of food but whatever! lol Well we were hungry and had some time to kill so we decided to try to find some food. Didn't expect to find any, but figured we had might as well try. Like two streets over we found a cute little cafe with PARKING! (thats another thing D.C. has a issue with... you can generally NEVER find parking) So my mom and I had a wonderful little lunch, then headed back to the Embassy.
When we got back it was raining and there was no parking anywhere (like i said they have something against the idea of parking). So we drove up the street once, then we stopped and prayed that God would provide a parking space. Just as we said amen a parking space opened up! And it was a large space!!! (almost all parking that is there is parallel parking)
We got there a hour early, because people will line up way in advance in order to make sure they get their visa. We were the first ones there, but right as we reached the spot where we were going to wait, a man gets out of his car walks up to us and says "I was here first. I am waiting in my car (which was parked RIGHT in front of the Embassy),it is stupid for both of us to stand out here and get wet, go back to your car and I will hold your place in line" Well my mom and I were a little dumbfounded, but since he was obviously there first and was honestly a lil scary looking we said thank you and walked back to our car.
We waited in the car for about 40 minutes then saw that there was a line outside of the Embassy about 25 people deep. As we were walking up i commented to my mom that i hoped the guy would keep his word and hold our place.
Just as i said that the guy (who sure enough was in the front of the line) saw me, waved and said "come". So we walked in front everyone there, right behind him. Apparently, he had told everyone that had come up after us that we were behind him and coming. By this time my mom and I were in awe!!!!
We got in the Embassy, went to the window, and they told me i had the wrong form. The form I had was for the NYC office and I needed a D.C. form (even though there was NO difference between the two.. but oh well!) I thought to myself "oh great now i am going to have to wait till the end of the line b/c of this!" as i am thinking this to myself the man doing the forms takes my ticket stamps it and says "finish your form then come right back up". (funny how right when i think there is going to be a problem God answers it!)
As i am filling out the new form i hear other people being "helped" in reality they are being turned away for one reason or another. In some cases i didnt even hear a reason. Luckily my mother is deaf so she didnt hear this but i am thinking "oh great they arent going to accept mine!" Once again God fixes what i think to be a problem right when i think it will be. I walk up hand them my form, she looked a few things over, writes me a ticket and tells me to come back Wed to pick it up!!!!
Mom and I walk out and were shaking!!!! God had worked through each and every one of our problems and had provided for us in ways we hadnt even asked!!!!!!! We could evidently see God's hand working through out the whole day!!!

Anyways, I wanted to share with ya'll the events of the day. It was very evident that people were praying, so thank you so much!!! This was a HUGE answer to prayer for me!!!! thank you thank you thank you!!!!! After all this hassle this was a awesomely (yes i know thats not a word but now it is) encouraging day!!!!
Love in Christ,
Kristin

Amazing verses!!!

Ok, so I did just post yesterday… but… I read that part yesterday morning, and then yesterday afternoon I had some free time, and I just opened my bible to psalms 78…. I was reading through it and thinking “these are some good verses..” then I got down to verses 31-39.. and went wow! I have got to share this with someone! So, here I am again… =]

Psalms 78:31-39
31The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel. 32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
34 When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.
38 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh;
a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Isn’t that amazing?!?!?! We go back and forth with God... one min. we are seeking His will, and the next we are off doing our own thing. God has the perfect right to turn his back on us and say what many of us christians say... "fine I tried to help you, but you would not listen... you're on your own" .... Yet, God in His love, turns away from His anger and forgives us, because He remembers that we are flesh! It’s the perfect picture of God’s Amazing Grace!
in Christ,
Rachel