Therefore Encourage One Another!

For all the True Northers that are reading this, imagine this: You open up your email one day and see THE email. The 'your comment on churchforhighschoolers.com has a new reply.' I love getting that email! The words that people say can be so uplifting it brightens your whole day! It can be just a simple 'nice comment!' It can be 'I really loved what you said about ___ it was awesome!' Either way, it encourages us so much!

But have you ever gotten someone to say that they were encouraged like no other by your comment and it made them cry just by something that happend in your day that you wrote about??

Its those comments that really make you encouraged and wanting to seek the truth and encourage others! Obviously the other comments are awesome too, but the real heart-pouring-out-ish comments are the best! I did have this happen to me recently, but not on SOTD. I made me so happy to know that someone was reading what I had to say and having it actually help them a lot.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

It was awesome, but it made me wonder, is everyone that knows Im a christian watching everything I say? Even when I barely even know the person? I have no idea who could be watching everything I say and do, purely because I speak at the Christian club on some wednesdays. I need to think before I speak at school, on facebook, and even when Im around my close friends! So many things can be taken the wrong way, and there is no taking back the words we say!

The words of this person made me want to blog about it, and I hope that I can encourage other through my words everyday. Not only through blogging or facebook or any other internet world. But everyday just by talking to people, or sending them quick uplifting messages. I hope to increase my encouragement, because God calls us to be building up the body of Christ!

Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Epesians 4:29

Just thought Id share that. God is awesome. MARANATHA.!

His Glory Appears

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Today I forced beyond my will to go back to school. I thought it was going to be horrible and that my life was over. That wasnt the case.

I thought it was a boring day and by the end of 6th period all I wanted was to be home and NOT have to go run 2487923482 million miles in cross country, that was what I had been dreading all day long. We had a road run, and as everyone knows, it rained today. As were half way through the run I look up and I see a rainbow, and it was absolutly amazing! I didnt want to admit to its beauty because I was so cold and so miserable and everything ached like no other. But I came to a realization that it reminded me of how big our God is and how He created all things. But that wasnt just it.

As we go onto this asphalt trail behind some neighborhoods, all of a sudden the sun shines so insanely bright through the clouds and reflects off the puddles around me. It was so bright I couldnt see anything. The girls around my just looked down in disgust and annoyance. But I couldnt help but smile so ever brightly and look up into the sky and pray to my amazing God! I dont think that had ever happened to me or had I ever just wanted to praise God so instantaneously! All I could do was start thanking God for reminding me that no matter what is going on in my life, no matter how miserable it may seem, He will always shine through so powerfully I wont even be able to see. He will never fail me or leave me hangin in the dust. Through my darkest hour, he is always there. He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in Heaven is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted head over all. 1 Chronicles 29:11

This whole experience didnt make my day seem so horrible after all. If anything it made it awesome! It also reminded me of how down here on earth we may seem some beautifull things. But heavens where its all at! Heaven is where we can experience true content and true praise to God for everything He has given us, when we didnt deserve it! Our God is truely amazing, and He will always shine through, even though we may doubt His comfort!

His Glory appears like the light from the sun. Age to age he shines. Look to the sky, hear the angels cry, singing Holy is the Lord.