Day 7

"Your Name is a strong and mighty tower
Your Name is a shelter like no other
Your Name, let the nations sing it louder
'Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your Name"
Your Name by Paul Baloche and Glenn Packiam

I was at Church and Sunday School today, and we talked about what joy really is. The topic made me smile because I know that I have never been so happy in my life, nor loved my life as much as I have since I reaccepted God into my life. We also touched on how you'll come to know Jesus and God the most when you are in your darkest hours. When you're leaning on them for complete strength, because everyone else you've turned to has been unable to help you. I, along with many others I am sure, can say now, in the happy times can say that we would never turn away from Jesus, but when push comes to shove, we have to have faith, because he will lead us through. Jesus is not looking down upon us watching, he is walking through the darkness with us, and I would pray that we all take it upon ourselves to remember this in the future so that when tough times come, it will be easier for us, knowing the we are not alone in our struggles.

Mel

Day 6

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."
Corinthians 10:12-13

This verse has lingered on my mind since Thursday because of something that was brought to the front of my mind again. My freshman year was a bit traumatic, I won't lie. It definitely helped me find my core beliefs. Despite the fact that I may not have believed in God at the time, I do think that he still believed in me, and he tested me. On Thursday, our youth pastor asked us what bothered us about our non-christian friends, and I was reminded of people who I was no longer friends with because they had drifted into the party scene, with drinking and drugs. We didn't drift apart because they partied, but rather because they placed the partying before our friendship and my morals. I would try to hang out with them, but they'd always have one party or another to go to, though they frequently invited me. I tried explaining that I didn't want to drink or do drugs, or be in at a party where it was going on, but it didn't change anything. They didn't understand that while it didn't bother me that they drank (not to say I supported it), it did to be around it happening. So after a while, we just drifted apart from each other. I can't say for sure if God was testing me, but I know that either way, it was not easy to say no to those parties, because eventually I knew that saying no to those parties was saying goodbye to those friends, but even in times since I know that he as tested me, and I can't say it any better than my Coach does during a hard practice 'You will walk out of here, the sun will rise, , you'll wake up tomorrow, and life will go on.' You just have to trust in the Lord and he will pull you through.

Mel

Day 5

On the mountain height of Israel will i plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that i am the Lord; bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.
Ezekiel 17:23-24


God is so amazing, he can build you up higher than the mountains. He is all knowing and fair, if you don't follow his rules, he will forgive you, but you will reap your punishment. I love his eternal equality, it's so refreshing in such a biased world. He loves you so much, and he only wants the best for us, he gives us these rules because he knows that we can do so much more than that!

Mel

Day 4

"There is a God who loves me
Who wraps me in His arms
And that is the place where I'm changed
And that's where I belong

Take me to that place Lord
To that secret place where
I can be with You
You can make me like You"
Wrap Me In Your Arms by Martha Munizzi

This is sort of a continuation from yesterday, but we sang this song tonight at my youth group, and I love it. We've sang it before, and I liked it then of course, but I kept thinking about how I felt about From the Inside Out by Hillsong United, and this song is the perfect definition of that feeling. It's safe and wonderful and the best place in the world. God, and I love it when you hold me close because I know that I am home. I would ask that you make me more like you God so that I can spread your light to those who are still in the darkness.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

Mel

Day 3

"A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace"
From the Inside Out by Hillsong United

About a year ago I went with a few of my friends to their youth group (the one I go to now, and love dearly). I didn't go with any intentions of reconnecting with God, or making new friends, or any of that, I went because I wanted to spend time with my friends, and this group played floor hockey. Really, that was it. A game and some friends got me to start going. The first night I went, From the Inside Out was played during our worship time. The third and fourth lines in the verse above hit me like a freight train. See, whenever I would mess up, people were always criticizing, ignoring, mocking, or yelling at me and it made me resent them so much, even my own family. But the thought that someone loved me unconditionally despite my frequent misgivings was daunting to say the least. A year later, this song is still very important to me, it's like a hug on a bad day. Whenever I feel myself slipping or I'm unsure of things, I just turn it on, and I know that I am at home in God's arms. No judgment or criticism, just love.

Mel

Day 2

"We must be swift as the coursing river,
With all the force of a great typhoon,
With all the strength of a raging fire,
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon."
I'll Make A Man Out Of You From Disney's Mulan

Mulan was on Disney channel yesterday when I was home, and seeing as it is my favorite Disney movie, I of course dropped everything I was doing and settled in to watch it. I had forgotten about the song above being in the movie, but started singing along once I recognized it. In listening to the song, I was thinking 'Wow, they have such high expectations for their soldiers, to be told that you must be as strong as a raging fire is an intimidating thought!' Obviously it's a fictional movie, but it got me thinking, and when I start thinking, I usually don't stop. So then I thought about what our society today expects of us. It's not a hard image to conjure up, at least not for a teenage girl. Tall, thin, long hair, tan skin, and pretty, with expensive clothes. You should be stellar at something, be it sports or academics. And then I thought wow, I'm none of those things, but it didn't bother me so much because I know that God doesn't have those kind of standards. He doesn't care if you're thick or thin, tall or short, tan or albino! He made you as you are for some reason, whether it be known or not, and he loves you that way! Isn't our God wonderful?!

Mel

Day 1

"Like the appearance of a bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." Ezekiel 1:28

Since I was home sick today, I thought I'd get a jump start on a few things that are on a to do list for a youth conference that I'm going to this summer. One of the assignments is to read either Jeremiah, Isaiah, or Ezekiel, and just make little notes, or underline things that strike us in our Bibles. I settled in to take a good chunk of it out today, and found the book to be quite a page turner! I selected this verse today because I love the description, it's such a beautiful vision in my head. God is a wonderful rainbow in the skies, watching over us, I would pray that we all think of him as so.

Mel

Today, I am starting a project, in hopes that it will draw me closer to God. Just a bit over a month ago, I re-accepted him into my life after 5 years of fighting against the truth. I abandoned him in efforts to find something that I could control in my life, I felt that no one could make me believe something if I didn't want to believe it. Thankfully, I had new friends who came into my life, and tried patiently to bring me back to him, and after many, many, many tries, finally they succeeded. I am so excited about having God back in my life, the burden on my shoulders seems lighter, my life is a brighter, happier place to be, and I feel that I once again have a purpose here. If you are struggling or going through hard times, just leave me a comment, and I will keep you in my prayers.

Mel