I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, deduced, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me…my banner will be clear!
~abigail

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. They eventually touched on the subject of God.

Barber: I don't believe that God exists.

Customer: Why do you say that?

Barber: Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things. :
------- :
The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again.

Customer: You know what? Barbers don't exist.

Barber: How can you say that? I am here. I am a barber, and I just worked on you!

Customer: No! Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.

Barber: Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.

Customer: Exactly! That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.

There is a poem by Robert Frost entitled “The road not Taken.” The poem talks about the choice a man must make on which road to take. The poem starts with this man walking through the woods in the season of autumn. He comes to a fork in the road, one path is overgrown with brush and has many hills, and the man can tell that not many walk this road. The the other is grassy and pleasant, it is an easy path to follow and many travel by it. He has to choose which path he will walk down, the seemingly easy path or the difficult path. The end of the poem states, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” To me this poem can be applied to the Christian walk.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14.

The two roads mentioned in the poem can be the narrow gate and the wide gate. The wide gate is a pleasant and easy place that many travel by. And the narrow gate is the rough and overgrown path that not many travel by. The Christian walk is a hard walk. Like it said in Matthew, we need to choose the narrow gate that not many travel by because it leads to life. It is the path of righteousness. The wide gate is the path of sin and many can fall into sin. It is an easy path to follow, but many people do not realize where it leads.

It took longer than most for me to choose a path. I was headed down the "easy" path, the path that many took. I struggled growing up with thinking I was in Christ one day and the next not being sure of anything. I grew up in the Church in a Christian home, I had it too easy. I said a prayer, got baptized went to Church, but my foundation was made of sand. One bump in the road and I would fall. I would try to use my own strength to get up again. I was living in a mentality of “I can fix myself.” Fourteen years of my life were spent on falling time and time again. Depression was my crutch, I was content on being miserable. I was dangerous to myself, spiritually and physically. I had never tasted true contentment. I knew something was missing in my life, but the devil had his hold on me telling me over and over that this is all there is. I would go to Church, but it might as well have been an empty seat. I did not want to hear what anyone had to say. I was tired of fighting to stay alive, so I gave in to the devils plan for my life. I was tired of living on the fence, so I chose a side. Then there came a point where I was sick of living a life that was destructive not only to my physical body but also to my spiritual body. I had come to a point in my life where I could not go any further covering up the mess I was in. By Gods grace He got a hold of my heart. I realized that the price was high, but I knew God would carry me through. I didn't have to "pick myself back up." I came to Jesus, with all my sin and shame and He took me as I was and changed my life forever. The ultimate price that Jesus paid for me covered all my past and gave me a new life. I dedicated my whole life to God my savior on June 12th 2010.

I chose the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference<3

Jimmy Needham ( Dearly Loved)

Please lay down your arrows
For they’re sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you’ve acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It’s worth it brothers
It’s worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it’s a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you’re not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It’s worth it brothers
It’s worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

Leeland Carried To The Table

Wounded and forsaken
I was shattered by the fall
Broken and forgotten
Feeling lost and all alone
Summoned by the King
Into the Master’s courts
Lifted by the Savior
And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table
Seated where I don’t belong
Carried to the table
Swept away by His love
And I don’t see my brokenness anymore
When I’m seated at the table of the Lord
I’m carried to the table
The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear
And wondering why He called my name
Am I good enough to share this cup
This world has left me lame
Even in my weakness
The Savior called my name
In His Holy presence
I’m healed and unashamed

You carried me, my God
You carried me

We as teens are at a very critical age in our life. Over the years ahead of us we will be, Taught, Mentored, Challenged, Tested, Trusted, and Rewarded. God, our Parents, our pastors, our leaders and even our friends will be a part of this process.

Taught/ Mentored: Psalms 71:17-- Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.

Proverbs 22:6-- Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Our parents teach us and mentor us to where we are able to grow up to declare God and all he has done.

Challenged: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Challenges will come, some will be easy some will be hard. we need to take them by storm with God at our side.

Psalms 91: 7--A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.


Tested: Psalms 66: 8-10-- Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

To me, this verse is saying that our lives have been preserved, and we have been refined by silver, because God tested us. we need to praise his name because through the testing he has kept out feet from slipping.

In the King James version of the Bible instead of using the word tested it uses proved and tried.
(Oh bless our God, Ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard. Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.)
Here when it says the word tried, it means to smelt, refine, or test.
When it says the word proved, it means to make trial, test try, or prove.

Trusted: After you have been taught and tested you have finally earned the right to be trusted.

Rewarded: If you prove trustworthy you will be rewarded.

2 Samuel 22:25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.


Hebrews 10:35-36 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Easter Sunday is coming!
I am so proud to celebrate the resurrection of my Lord Jesus. When I go back and think of all he did over his time on earth it just astounds me. That a king as holy as he could humble himself to be a carpenter. He knew why he came. He knew what he had to do.
The King of all came and gave his life so that me, a sinner could live with him forever. I remember my pastor talking on Sunday about how if we have committed just one sin we have committed them all. So if I have ever lied then I am a lying, thieving, murderer. God humbled himself to save a lying, thieving, murderer.
I remember when I first watched the passion of the Christ. I was about 9 or 10. Visually seeing what my savior went through to save sinners broke my heart and filled me with a gratitude that I had never had before. Realizing that I put him on the cross I drove the nails in. The one who was sacrificed knew no sin, but he became sin for us.
Some of his last words were "Forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." Even as he was being beaten and mocked he still was crying out for his children. His last words were "It is finished." To me that is the three most powerful words ever spoken. After that the sky turned dark, the ground shook, and the curtain in the temple tore in two.
The day he died he was put in the grave. His disciples and followers were afraid to go out into the streets. They stayed inside praying and grieving. Three days later Mary and Mary Magdalene went to go to Jesus's grave. On their way there there was an earth quake and an angel of the Lord appeared and told them that JESUS HAS RISEN! It said to go and tell his disciples the good news. Later on after Mary and Mary Magdalene tried to convince the disciples that Jesus had risen, Jesus appeared to them. Some of them did not believe it was him, they thought is was a ghost. Then they felt his scars and saw his bruised body. They believed as do I to this day.
I believe he is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father. I know that i will be joined with him when i die to eternally worship him. I further know that his grave is EMPTY and MY LORD JESUS CHRIST LIVES FOREVER!