Thanksgiving This Year

Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning for me this year. 2013 has been full of many new experiences, adventures, and certainly a seemingly unfair amount of loss. This year, I'm genuinely thankful that God has blessed me with not only my immediate family, but my extended family. My family is very special because all my grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles, and my immediate family are all very close knit. This year as I have watched families mourn over loved ones that passed,  I have realized how blessed I am to still have all of my family with me this holiday season. I can not imagine the pain that the Mctier and Henson family has felt. I realize that one day, hopefully not soon, I will experience the same tragic loss. But today, I got to sit at the table with all of my family.  I am most thankful for family because I believe without them I would be nothing. My parents have provided shelter and food for me, an amazing school,  and most importantly an opportunity to grow in Christ. I also had the privilege and opportunity to go on a mission trip to Honduras this past March. The people that I met in Honduras truly  have nothing. My eyes were opened to the many blessings I have, that I often take for granted. Today as we sat at the table, we shared what were thankful for. For me, my list was tremendously different this year.

Getting Uncomfortable

Tonight in Student Leadership, (a small group of leaders at Fusion) we talked about what it means to truly follow Jesus. There are many factors in fully following Christ, but the one that stuck out to me was the need to step out of our comfort zone. God calls us as Christians to be fishers of men. A lot of times, however, we are ministering to people, but not the people that need it the most. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but what about the people that really need Jesus? For example,In my own life, I love on and share Jesus with people that I'm close too, and most of the time, they already have atleast a little faith in God. Meanwhile, I'm aware of people around me that most likely really need a friend, and for someone to tell them about Jesus. This poses a challenge for me. I personally am not very comfortable with talking to people that I'm not close too. And to be honest, I have a hard time talking to people that aren't like me or that don't seem to fit in to the social category of 'normal'. Tonight, God revealed this to me. One girl in the group talked about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and picking up our cross. You see, when Jesus carried the cross on his back, he was not comfortable. But he kept going because he loves us that much. Every day, we need to pick up our cross, and seek those who need Jesus. It's uncomfortable, yes. But it's part of truly following Jesus, and it's what he calls us to do. So, God has challenged me to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and to reach out.

[Enter Creative Blog Post Title Here]

        As you can see, my creativity is at a new low. I almost don't even know what to write about in this post, but for some reason I still want to write. I haven't blogged in a while, partly because my time has been consumed in softball and, well mostly softball. This post is about to just be a huge mess of me ranting, so if you aren't interested in what I have to say about my life thus far, then I recommend you stop reading now. I'll just start with softball because it happens to be what my life revolves around. I was playing for Ga Academy Power but for personal reasons, in June I decided to step away. You'd think that I'd have more down time after that.. Ha jokes. Not having a travel ball team meant I needed to work extra hard. I found other travel teams to pick up with, and in between that I've had Landmark softball all summer. My goals for softball have drastically shifted since this time last year. I still pitch, but for now my primary position in travel ball is 1st base. I am now certain that I want to play softball in college, so I am currently trying to find the path that will get me there. On another note, I am very excited for this season with Landmark. Its gonna be a great one. I struggle with putting my softball career in God's hands, probably more than anything else, because I love it so much, but it also causes a lot of stress. So here goes, a new year of softball, I hope its a good one all around, but who knows. Oh wait, God does. Above all I pray that he will use me to further His kingdom no matter what I'm doing.

         Enough about softball. What else am I spending my time on? Well, a few things actually. I still play guitar, and I am hoping to lead worship someday. This summer I've kind of been working on rebuilding a few relationships. My best friend Gaby and I are back to how we used to be. I can't explain how happy that makes me. I've found friends at Church, and I really love them because they seem to help keep me in line. Aside from that, I have been elected president of the Youth Advisory Board for Family Patterns Matter, Inc.. That alone comes with many responsibilities. I've officially let go of all of the brokenness that I was involved in. Not that I have forgotten, just that I've come to terms with myself and God that I have done what I can. Now its all in God's hands. I find so much peace in that. Well, I guess thats all I have to write about for now. If you read it all, and find it pointless, just know it wasn't pointless to me. Writing helps me get my thoughts together. Just by writing this, I feel a lot better.

My Refuge

"Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. He makes the nations submit to me." (Psalms 144:1, 2 NLT) It doesn't matter where you are in life, or which battle you're fighting, Gods always right there with you. He has been preparing you to stand firm in him since the day you accepted his gift of Salvation. The Lord is with us in every storm or battle. You may be struck down, but he will never let you be destroyed. He's always fighting in our battles, so we should fight for Him to. Fulfilling the plan he has for you may have some bumps in the road, but in the end it's going to be so rewarding.

Honduras Mission Trip 2013

I just got back from a mission trip with Landmark and Frontline Missions to Honduras. I can't even begin to tell you how blessed I feel to have been given an opportunity like this. People have asked me what my favorite part is, but I didn't have a favorite part. I can't pin point just one moment that I enjoyed the most. God gave me so many amazing experiences and opportunities while I was there. I can tell you the biggest take away I had though. The Tolepan and Honduran people have close to nothing. They are lucky if they have shoes on their feet and more than 1 pair of clothes. These people are really the least of them. “And the King will say, "‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:40 NLT) Before I went to Honduras I struggled with the idea of loving on people who are so dirty and unclean. But as soon as I got there, The Lord lifted that burden from me. Christ's love for me put a love in me for the unclean and helpless. Seeing their precious smiles as we embraced them was priceless. It's amazing to me how the Tolepan people have nothing, but are still so grateful and happy. I realized while I was there that we don't need all the extra stuff. Why waste our time with things we don't need, when we could be using that time and money to help people who have nothing? It's what we were called to do anyways. Before the trip, I knew about the poverty and suffering, but it was a distant knowledge. It became real to me as soon as we arrived in La Ceibeta. Being surrounded by starving people while you eat dinner is so disturbing. You hurt for them, and it is hard to eat. Every night we have our left overs to them. They were so grateful for anything they got. My eyes were opened in so many ways. I really feel like God is calling me to mission work. I also got play guitar and teach songs while I was there. I loved gearing the children's voices singing together. I miss it so much already. Going on this trip greatly strengthened my trust in God. So many things could have gone wrong, but because everyone on the team really depended on God, he delivered us from everything that could have gone wrong. Honduras is home to me. I can't wait to go back. I am determined to do everything I can to help the people while I'm not there too. If you would like to donate money, we are trying to get money to buy shoes and tooth brushes for the people. Also, please keep the Tolepan people in your prayers!

From the Dark Shadows to the Light

"So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead." (Isaiah 59:9, 10 NLT) God knows when we are covered in sin and darkness. He sees us suffering. It even says in that verse that we will search for light and freedom but we will have yet to find it. Is that you? Are you searching for something more? Something to take your guilt and shame? Do you feel trapped in darkness and alone in the shadows? God sees you. He knows your pain, and he wants it to end. He is waiting to embrace you with outstretched loving, merciful arms that can reach however far away you may think you are. You can change who you are at the foot of the cross. Run into God's loving arms and find the light. It's worth whatever it takes.

Its the Little Things

I've started to see how the little things work out for the better even when I think its nothing. That might not make sense, but its kind of amazing once you start being able to see how God works through little things in our lives. I've learned to look for the blessing in what seems to be a negative situation. So next time something that looks bad happens to you, wait a while and see if any good comes from it.

Give Your Worries Away

I've struggled with anxiety for about 6 years now, probably more. I used to become very upset and make myself sick over small things. I was put on medicine, and now I have learned to cope with anxiety a lot better. Now, as a ninth grader, I have a lot more things to worry about, because I am faced with many more choices. I don't become ill over little things anymore, but sometimes I still have small anxiety attacks. The attacks aren't near as severe.

Lately, I've been under some stress, and I've been thinking a lot. I have a lot of things going on with Honduras, softball, my music, school, and most importantly, my relationship with God. I am realizing that my priorities are not in order, meaning I'm worrying way too much over things that I shouldn't. Then I started to think back to what I learned in January. God wants us to live an abundant life filled with joy. In that statement alone, I think we should all be able to find peace, knowing that he will take our worries. I have also found peace in knowing that if we let God be in control of everything, he will take care of us. Whatever happens, his will will be done. Remember the song, "Whom Shall I Fear". The lyrics are so encouraging. God goes before us, and stands beside us. He is always by our side. When I am stressed, and filled with anxiety and worries, I give it all to God.

Amazing Grace

You've probably sang or heard the song "Amazing Grace" before, but have you ever really put thought into what it means? I never did until recently. 

God loves us more than we can ever imagine. Just like many of us, he has a "love language". We may be lost in a storm that seems like it will never pass, or we may be in the midst of just slightly difficult times. No matter where we are, God is ready to intervene. His "love language" is his Amazing Grace. His grace leads us to intimacy with Him.

His grace is extended to us at all times. We don't ever have to go looking for it, because it is looking for us. In fact, grace will find you whenever God sees fit. You may not be ready to embrace it, but it will always be there, waiting for you. But what does -Grace- really mean? Grace is an unmerited, divine, gift given to us by God to renew our lives. We can do nothing to earn his grace, and since we can't earn it, we can't do anything to not deserve his grace. Some may think that they can become unworthy of God's love and grace, But when were we ever worthy? We weren't. We could never be worthy of all the blessings God gives to us. But that's what is amazing about God. He loves us unconditionally. He knows what we have done in our past and he knows what's to come. He loved us then, he loves us now, and he will love us in the future. 

Embracing God's grace is the key to transforming ourselves to become like minded with Christ, and becoming who God wants us to be. To embrace it, we have to experience it, much like Paul, who experienced God's grace as he was on his way to persecute Christians, when God appeared to him and changed his life. The story of Paul, to me, is the greatest example of God's grace in the Bible. Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament in the Bible, wasn't always the great man of God that he came to be. He was once known as Saul, a man who persecuted Christians. If Paul was able to be transformed and saved by God's amazing grace, then so can we. We must always remember that we must be willing to repent before we receive grace. 

UpStream

Life is a river. A river with rocks that get in the way, and we are all swimming in the same river. The river has a current. The current travels down stream. Wouldn't it be easier to just ride the current downstream? Yes. But as Christians, we are called to swim UpStream. Against the current.

The world is swimming downstream. Where does that lead to? *Destruction.  Focus on            Philippians 3:17-19 "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those living according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I often told you before and now say again, even with tears, many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. *Their destiny is Destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." In this verse, Christ is telling us to follow the example of other Christians. Follow them UpStream. He says the world, (the lost), are headed for destruction. God promises many times in the Bible that if we press on, and stay on the path He has for us, there is a goal at the end. The goal or prize is above all greater than anything, Everlasting life with Him.

This is where you make the choice. Are you willing to be willing to lose everything by swimming UpStream towards the goal? Or are you just gonna sit back and ride the easy way downstream to destruction?

Humility

Learning humility may be one of the most important keys to our relationship with God. In EVERYTHING we do, we need to be humble, and make sure we are doing it for the right reasons. Humble yourself before the Lord and let all the glory go to Him. Thats hard. 

Thats just something I've been thinking about a lot lately, along with leading by example. I think that leading by example also takes humility. 

Saying Goodbye

I was just listening to Sleeping With Siren's "Don't You Ever Forget About me". The first part of the song says "The hardest thing I'll ever do, is say goodbye and walk slowly away from you" And a few minutes later I was on the phone with a girl from my old team that was my bestfriend. We were inseparable, then high school started. We go to different schools, and we both started to change. It never really hit me until tonight that me and her will probably never be as close as we were. I mean, I knew that relationship wasn't exactly good for me since I want to be sold out for God. But, I guess it just didn't click that we weren't going to be the same. Things are kind of awkward now. To tell the truth, I'm having a really hard time letting go of our relationship. I didn't think it would be this hard. This is a part of the path God has for me. I just have to lean on Him.

5 Areas of Wellness

This was part of an assignment in health class, but I wanted to share. Without God, no one is truly "Well" in any aspect.

5 Areas of Wellness 

Social

John 15:12-15 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

Proverbs 12:26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

My Thoughts: 

As Christians, if we are truly living for Christ, it is necessary that we surround ourselves with other Christians. If we are hanging around the wrong crowd, they will bring us down. Our closest friends need to be those with the same morals as us. That doesn’t mean to push away our friends that do not believe the same as us. We are called to be a minister to them. 

Spiritual

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Proverbs 3: 5-8
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones.

Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

My Thoughts: 

When we accept God’s gift of salvation and eternal life with Him, we aren’t just getting a free, easy ride. We are committing ourselves to God and His plan for us. By making this commitment, we should get rid of all the fleeting sins in our lives, because we do not need distractions as we are carrying out God’s plan. God wants us to spread His Word to others. He promises us in Scripture that the journey of spreading His love will not be easy. There will be suffering, and it is a sacrifice. But, God also promises that He will never leave us, and there is a great reward for us at the end. Also, we need to remember that God sent His Son to spread His unconditional love and then die for us, He was the ultimate sacrifice. We are created in God’s image, and He sacrificed Himself for us. So, as we travel the path, remember what God did for us, and be willing to endure any suffering that may come our way.

Emotional

John 14:27 I'm leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So, don't be troubled or afraid. 

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted. 

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 

My Thoughts: 

As we travel the path God has set before us, we will experience hardships, which will bring emotions. We will have sadness, joy, anger, depression, and others. We are meant to have emotions, but we need to control them. If we become overcome by depression and sadness, we will not be able to carry out Gods plan. By being overcome by these things we are being selfish. We are focusing on ourselves and dwelling on the bad things, and in the end, in comparison to everything else, these are only small things. Lean on God, and lay your struggles at the foot of the Cross. 

Physical

1 Corinthians 3:17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

My Thoughts: 

When we accept Jesus into our lives, He dwells in us. We are His temple. We need to respect our bodies, and make good choices. We need to choose only good things to put into our bodies. Alcohol and drugs are not respectful of Gods temple. Even just small things like fattening foods aren’t respectful to our bodies. We need to make healthy choices.

Intellectual

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Job 28:28 "And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'"

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

My Thoughts: 

We are to fear the Lord. By fearing Him we will gain knowledge and understanding. We need knowledge for everything. Wisdom is key to everything in our lives. We need knowledge to make the right choices. God gives us wisdom to help carry us through out the journey of preaching his word. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding basically ties together and sums up everything. It is only given to us by God. Without it, we cannot have good Physical, Emotional, Social, or Spiritual health.

Moving On and Making a Difference

Moving on is so difficult and has taught me so many things. I decided to move from my travel team to a new one. I left for many reasons such as different goals, and some of the choices the girls were making were dragging me down. This was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. Leaving these girls is very difficult for me. I spent all my time with them for the past 2 years. We were like family, but as we entered high school, everyone started to change, and I was being drug down into a dark place. When I chose to rededicate my life to Christ, I knew I needed to get away from that. Even if it meant distancing myself from my best friends, not permanently, but at least until I become strong enough in my Faith  to deny the temptations.

As the team was finding out that I was moving on, I got a phone call. I answered it, and it was one of my old team mates. She was crying, and begging me to come back. She was telling me that she doesn't think that the team made it clear that they looked up to me in a spiritual aspect. That blew my mind. Another girl told me I was the closest thing to Jesus in her life.. I mean look at me. I'm just AnnaLisa. I mess up ALOT. But, I guess there was just something different about me that they had never seen. I realized that I really do make a difference in someones life. Good or bad, I leave a footprint wherever I go. I am so thankful that I was able to make an impact on these girls lives. That means the world to me. Even though I made bad choices along the way, they still respected and looked up to me. Although, I do wish I would have made better choices then to be a better example. But at least I made a difference in their lives. 

Moving on is very hard. I know that I will still have relationships with them, but it won't be the same. I know that it is ultimately going to be better for me to be in a better environment though. I encourage you to pay attention to who is watching you, and to make good choices. You do make a difference. 

Over & Over Again

Have you ever wondered what God is doing in your life? I mean, I've made the commitment, I understand His love, I'm trying to better myself, but God keeps showing me this one thing over and over again. In every Bible Study, Bible Class, Church Sermon, anything, God keeps saying the same thing. -- Stay Strong, Its going to be hard, Glorify Me, Walk worthy, be joyful -- What is God trying to show me? If you are reading this, and you think you might have an idea, feel free to comment. It gets confusing, but I know that I just have to trust God with everything.

Overwhelming Love

Once again, God has amazed me and opened my eyes through Passion 2013. I can honestly say that tonight during John Piper's message, I finally started to understand God's love for us. I haven't been able to really grasp it before.

For me, I've been in Church since I can remember. I was raised to "believe" that God loves us. When I say "believe", I mean its something I learned or memorized, but never taken it in and fully understood it. Piper took a different approach at the concept of God's love than I have ever heard. He explained that we are to bring glory to God. He talked about liberation, freedom from anything evil. God sent his Son Jesus to free us from eternal death and separation from Him. Jesus took the path of love for liberation. <------ Think about that.

We are created in God's own image. What did he to? He sacrificed Himself, he paid the ULTIMATE price, to give us liberation from death! So since we are created in His image, we are called to do the same thing for others. That means that we have the choice to take the path of love for liberation, or take the path that seems safer. The path of love for liberation means there will be many struggles along the journey we are to spread Gods word and free others from sinful things. Its a real sacrifice, but we can learn to endure and embrace the sufferings that are thrown at us. If we choose to take this path, God promises he will NEVER leave us and He is on our side. He also promises a reward for us to look forward to when the journey is over, eternal life with Him. Does that not amaze you?

There is another choice though. We could choose to take the path that would be easy along the way, but in the end it results in a worse punishment than we could ever imagine, death. If Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, why not be obedient and sacrifice ourselves to save others, to bring glory to Him? There will be struggles and suffering, but we can endure, embrace, and joyfully look forward to what God has in store for us. I am still amazed at this. The fact that He loves us and promises to never leave us just amazes me. Its the best feeling ever to finally grasp this.

His Love Never Fails

God is awesome. That seems like a cliche thing to say, but really. I watched all 3 of the Main Sessions of Passion 2013 today. Each one was amazing, but the last one hit me hard. Francis Chan was the speaker. He started speaking about trust, and how its somewhat of a rare thing now. We have all been lied to. Its hard to trust anyone after you've been lied too. It might even become hard to trust God. We might even start to question God's own Word.

 In scripture it says that God is faithful. Even when we lose faith, He remains faithful to us. Chan then tied in the topic of suicide. Suicide is a common tragedy in the lives of many young people. When he started speaking about this, it really shook me. He mentioned things like how when you self harm the pain is almost addicting, and how you feel like your in such a low, dark place that nothing can save you. It amazed me how accurate he was about this. He said that it is so selfish for us to start thinking about ourselves so much that we become depressed. We should not dwell on the bad. The thing that stuck out to me the most out of all of this was that God clearly says in the Bible, that we will have hard times, but we have to push through. Chan repeated, "Endure what you need to endure, because we will reign with him!" After all this, we will be reigning in heaven with God!

So when you are in that dark place, and you feel like you are too far gone, know that God will never leave you. He wants to rescue you. He is a faithful God.

God Can Do More

I just finished watching the Live Streaming of the first main session of Passion 2013. All I can say is WOW. I am sitting in my room with my laptop, earphones, notebook and Bible watching this. You definitely don't have to actually be at the dome to feel the power of God. The worship was amazing. Louie Giglio spoke on God's ability to do Immeasurably More. I feel like God keeps pointing out to me, that it doesn't matter where you are, what you've done, who you are, what the circumstance is, He can heal you, He can help you, He can rescue you.  He can so much more than we know.

 Louie used scripture from Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel, a prophet, is led into a dry valley by God. The valley is filled with dry bones. God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live, and Ezekiel replied, "Oh Sovereign Lord only You know". God can do anything. At some point in our life, we are the dry bones. God wants to breathe life into us. He wants to take our stone heart and replace it with His. Cry out to God. No matter where you are. He wants to rescue you.

I can't wait to see what else God has in store for Passion 2013. The next Live Streaming is at 10:45 am tomorrow.  Check it out! http://www.live.268generation.com/