It's Okay...to do what's best for your spiritual joy.

Life comes with its challenges. Some are easy, some...not so much. Regardless, they will stretch you. They will pull you out of your comfort zone. They will definitely change you.

What makes this process difficult...is experiencing it alone. Strive to include people in your life so that you can continue to build, move forward, grow, and evolve into that which God created you to be.

Yes, do the hard stuff, but don't do it alone.

"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

-Genesis 22: 1-2

Such a tricky situation to be in, right? How many of us are willing to follow through with obedience, not knowing what's going to happen? On the other side of our obedience is God's promise which never fails, never faults. It's difficult to recall this in the moment of uncertainty, but we must practice on relying on His truth, not our logic.

I had to go back and improve a statement from the latest episode of TGOS (this is a spirit thing).

When it's time to pick, pick wisely. 

It's just me...catching up. 

Whether it's rocking...or not, God is present. He's aware of the storm. He's aware of its effects on you and those around you. He not only has the solution, He IS the solution. Trust in His presence, for if His words alone can cease the chaos, His presence is just as powerful.

You are not alone. You're already loved. You're already chosen. You know who you are because you know what He's spoken.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own capabilities that we assume things can get accomplished ONLY through us.

That is so far from the truth.

It is through Christ that all things are possible.

So, when you find yourself feeling helpless, remember that it's not up to you, but Him, for you can do all things through Him who strengthens you. 

Don't take Jesus being asleep in the boat as a bad thing. Look at it as something assuring, for if Jesus can sleep through your storm, surely He has things under control, for all He has to do is awake and say " Peace, be still." 

So I gave my 9th Grade Journalism students (6th period) the opportunity to answer a couple of questions about being a teenager...

My 9th grade journalism class (4th period) was given the opportunity to answer a few questions about being a teenager...