Child of God

Nobody is perfect. So many times we try to make our lives look that way, but in reality all of our lives have flaws and weaknesses. We try to make up this image of who we are or strive to be and feel the need to always live up to that image. We try to make everyone happy and like us and that's not a possible feat. There will always be someone who will disapprove of your flaws, there will always be that one insecurity that just pushes you to limits you never thought you'd go, and then there's just the simple thought of not being good enough. We all feel this way and that's okay. Sometimes it's stronger than others, BUT there is hope. There is someone  that can help and his name is Jesus. He is the perfect one, but because of his vast love for us, he died. He died a death he didn't deserve, a death criminals would die, he was spat on, and cursed at. Think about what his reputation was at that moment. He didn't care. He was then martyred with our sins on his shoulders all for one reason… LOVE. He didn't think twice about his reputation or what it looked like. He freely gave his life so we could live through him. He rose 3 days later, conquering death. When we put our trust in Christ we become set free. We now don't have to worry about the perfect image, the flaws, the weaknesses, the insecurities we hide because Jesus faced that and conquered it for us, so that we can be free. So why not embrace your messy hair, room, and life because we have one reputation and that is A Set Free Child Of God. We still have our flaws and insecurities, but they are beautiful in Gods eyes because we are his Child set free by his perfect love. 

Romania Or BUST!

I get to share a message with the teenage girls in Romania and I wanted to share it with everyone. 

Hi I am Adeline and I have something to tell you that is so much more than myself. 

God, who created the dirt on the ground, the birds in the sky, and these beautiful mountains, created you and me. He made us with extraordinary detail. He thought through every detail of each of us before we were born. We all have features that are unique to ourselves. Some of you may have blue eyes, some green, and some brown. He knows more about us than we do ourselves, he knows how many hairs are on your head, how many times you heart beats per minute, and he knows what you will do tomorrow. The Bible says in Luke 12:6-7 “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” God loves these birds, but God loves you more than you could ever imagine.  In the Bible in the book of John it says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his son to condemn the world, but to save it.” As humans we are separated from God due to sin, but God loves us so much that he sent his only son to come to this imperfect world and live a perfect life. He then died on a cross, one of the worst deaths at the time, a death criminals would be given as punishment, and rescued us so that we do not have to be separated from God any longer. God was in no way sending Jesus to make us feel bad about our sins, but to rescue us from the condemnation of sin. Think about that for a second, the God who created the universe loves each one of us so much he sent his only son to die for all of the world, to be able to live eternally in heaven with Christ  and all you have to do is accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and ask for forgiveness from your sins. God has a big plan in store for each of us that accept him. In the Bible, God’s word, it says, “10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God made us all unique in our own ways, we all have things unique to ourselves that no one else has. Some of you may be a good singer, some an artist, and some may be good at something that people don’t even know about. He took time planning out your life, making every feature about you special. If you have a talent or special gift, let God use you in amazing ways to advance his kingdom. God made you unique and did not stop when he got to making you special. God made all of our stories and experiences unique to be used in special circumstances only fully capable by our individual story and experiences. In April of this year I had an experience that changed my perspective on life. I play soccer for my school and at a practice I fell and hit my head. I got a concussion. When I tried to walk, I was wobbly and my vision was very blurred. I had no idea why this was happening to me. I went to the doctor and I was laying on the medical table alone waiting on the doctor. I thought I would never me the same again, I thought I would not be able to be Adeline anymore. Then I just started crying. Then I started praying Why God? Why me?  But things were going so well? I just laid there and I felt a small voice telling me “It’ll be alright, “ I knew in that moment I was not alone, but God was right there by my side. I then just felt at peace knowing it’ll be okay. I had a mild concussion and recovered in record time, I knew God had something to do with that because I hit the ground pretty hard. In this time of recovery I learned that God has a plan and purpose for my life and yours. I learned how sometimes even if we are overwhelmed in our circumstances, if we just take a moment and be still and listen, God will bring peace and comfort that surpasses all understanding. God has a plan for every moment of your life, we may never know the reason, but we should rest in the fact His plan is perfect. God always has a reason, and though it may seem like you will never get out of a circumstance, I promise you God’s plan is always better than our own. You will never be forgotten by God, he loves you more than sparrows and provides for your every need. If you ever feel alone, God is always listening. God created us all with a special purpose each unique to our features and abilities. Sometimes I may feel inadequate and not worth having a purpose given to me by the God of the universe, but I always go back to the fact the God of the universe, the one who created the world, made me in his own image, and loves me, so he surely made me with a purpose that I should pursue daily. He is the perfect planner which is something I admire because I am a big planner and like to have control. God made you with a purpose that may not seem like much, but in God’s eyes we are all priceless.

Beautiful Mission Unfolds

Beautiful Mission:
The passion of God’s people is something worth exploring.
 God has a beautiful mission for us all to follow.
 His love for us shines through our journey.
 More Jesus, less of me.
 The people of this world are struggling not only spiritually but with providing basic needs for themselves and their families. Many countries have the majority of their people receiving below a dollar a day to live. These countries are war torn or filled with corrupt leaders who will not or do not know how to help these people. Within these struggles, many countries have less than 1% of their people claiming Christianity. ⅓ of the world is Christian and yet there are still 6,847 people groups unreached. Many Christians can reach at least one person in their workplace but choose not to. 13 of the world’s countries have less than 1 Christian. The countries that the US send many missionaries to are the countries that have over 80% of people claiming Christianity and are the top 10 senders of missionaries. The CSGC said, “The 10 countries that sent the most missionaries in 2010 were home to 32% of the world’s church members but sent almost 72% of all missionaries.”

We are called as Christians to GO. Jesus told his disciples just before he ascended back into heaven to go and make disciples of all nations, but are we really doing ALL we can? This may not mean packing your bags just yet, but it does mean living your life to the standards Christ called us to be. Paul writes in Philippians 3 and in many other letters he wrote about being people who are willing to suffer for Christ’s glory. He says in verses 7 and 8, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Maybe we can make a few sacrifices to share the gospel with some people even if it’s out of our comfort zone because it’s the least we could do to give Christ some glory because he sacrificed so much for us. We all cannot pack our bags and move across the world to be full-time missionaries, but we can use our place to make disciples and who knows, maybe some of those people will become missionaries in Asia. Let’s be missionaries in our place God has put us and he will truly show you his beautiful mission and take you on the greatest adventure of your life. http://www.abcnewspoint.com/top-10-most-poorest-countries-in-the-world-2015/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_by_country http://www.aboutmissions.org/statistics.html