Dinosaurs!!!

Hey all!!

I haven't written in a few weeks and so I thought I would share with you what we did as a class on Friday. 

Last week we didn't celebrate Labor Day on Sep. 1st. We waited until Friday so that we could go to a place called Dinosaur Valley. It was so much fun to see all of the different kinds of Dino Foot Prints in the hard rock. I thought I would show y'all some pictures.

The First place we went to was the Creation Museum. It was so amazing to see all of the evidence that God really did create the world in six days and then rested on the seventh. Here are some of the things I took pictures of.

This is a fossilized water creature. 

This is a small portion of an Ark Replica that explains how Noah and his family were able to retrieve fresh water from the outside. 

These are Bibles that have been collected from different time periods. Some of them are bound with goat skin and others a simply paper. I wanted so badly to touch them. It's a good thing they were covered with glass.

This is a complete book of Isaiah written on Sheep Skin. It is from the 1800's and was written in Russian.

This a the Complete Torah written on deer skin. It was written in Iraq and is from the 1800's as well.

And while being at the museum was really fun, it was even more awesome when I got to see the dino tracks in the rocks.

I have to tell you that I felt prehistoric while looking at all of these amazing foot prints. It is so amazing to think that God created these amazing creatures and that it wasn't that long ago that they roamed the earth.  :)

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 - And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 - And God said, let there be light:  and there was light.

God is the creator of the world and of our very selves. He is the one who made us and formed us. He loves us and that is why He sent His Son to be a perfect sacrifice for us.

John 3;16 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

Brianna

You Call Yourself A Christian?!

I heard a story today that literally made me sick to my stomach.

A church in the town over from Bowie lost their pastor the other day. He was jogging by the local lake when he had a heart attack and died. 

Now, that is a very sad story, and I am grieved for the family of this pastor. But what makes me angry is that the church is personally evicting the pastor's wife from the parsonage in less that three weeks because her position as "Pastor's Wife" is void and she has no way of paying them rent.

What kind of church would do that?!

We love the name Christian. Christian means to be identified with Christ. It means to be Christ like. 

CHRIST like.

Would Christ evict this woman simply because her husband is dead? 

NO! That wasn't a rhetorical question. The answer is absolutely NO.

 

Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

 

James 4 :17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

 

Galatians 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ

 

Ok. So just from these simple verses I can see that God would wish us to love and sacrifice and do right for a person in need. Or any other time. What kind of Christian are you if you don't LOVE? What kind of Christian are you if you show no MERCY? What kind of Christian are you if you haven't any GRACE?

Especially to your own?!

What did Christ do for you on the cross of Calvary? He showed LOVE, MERCY, and the most amazing GRACE this world has ever seen. I am nothing without Christ and I assure you that you are in the same boat I am in. Do you call yourself a Christian? Do you?

How do you portray Christ to others? 

That isn't a rhetorical question either. 

You need to be honest with yourself and choose what kind of Christian you will be.

Love God. Love People. 

LOVE.

MERCY

GRACE

Those are the words of my love story with Christ. And I am not doing Him any favors by hiding that love from the world when they need it the most.

.....Choose you this day whom ye will serve......

As for me? I will serve the Lord.

Brianna

I MADE IT!!!

I made it!! 

Ok. So I have actually been here in Bowie Texas for about nine days. I have been settling in  and visiting churches in the surrounding areas. I have even managed to locate some thrift stores.  :) shhhhh......don't tell my mom.  ;)

I am so excited to be here at the BBTI this year. I have an awesome room mate and some pretty cool class mates. There are four families attending along with four single girls. Yes, we are a small class. The BBTI is not a college. It is a nine month school that focuses on teaching linguistics and bible translation skills. It's purpose is to teach the missionary how to go into another country and learn their language, culture, and life style effectively and efficiently so that they can spread the gospel correctly. 

There are so many cases in which a missionary goes to a foreign land and has no clue how to reach the people. Or he does it the wrong way. As Christians our goal should be to not only spread the gospel, but to make it clear so that there isn't confusion. 

Today was the first day in orientation. I will attend another day of orientation and then class starts on Monday. I have a feeling that I will like the classes. One of them is all about writing reports on other Missionaries, Countries, and People Groups. :) I am very excited!

So please keep all of the students in your prayers as this year will stretch them in many ways. Each on of us is stepping out in faith. The life of a Christian is built on faith. We are all depending on God to provide our food, rent, clothing, and vehicles. There is no time for a job so we truly are relying on the Lord. 

I have already begun to see different things that God has provided and I know He will keep doing so.  :)

If you are interested in learning more about BBTI please visit the link below.  :)

http://www.baptisttranslators.com/

Brianna

STORY TIME!!!! :)

The other night at church my pastor told me a story that I want to share with you.

My pastor was talking about the purity of Christ. Of course we all know that Christ is pure. 

He is Christ. What else would He be?
Matthew 28:3 - His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

Revelation 1:14 - His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; 

 "White", of course, is a symbol for purity.

There is no arguing that Christ is the pure lamb of God and is the ultimate Savior of our sins. He is perfect and true in every way. 

Well, in thinking about something as white as snow, my pastor mentioned how a few years ago he had washed his white van. He talked about how many hours he had spent really getting it clean. He made sure every nook and cranny was free from dirt. He thought he hadn't missed a thing. But then it snowed. IT SNOWED! We all know how frustrating it is to clean your car and then it snows or rains. It just really messes everything up doesn't it? 

Well, he was looking outside at his white van and all of the beautiful fresh white snow surrounding it.  

Suddenly his van didn't look as clean as he thought it was. He started noticing spots that he had missed. He didn't even know those spots existed! Where did they come from?

I thought this little story was amazing. It reminded me about the comparison between us a Christ.

No matter how hard we try, we can never really be cleansed from sin. And that is the point. Christ is the only one who can cleanse us from sin.

Sin is anything we do, say or think that displeases God.

Lying, fornication, pride, disrespect towards parents, selfishness, taking the Lord's name in vain, worshiping false gods, killing, adultery, theft, coveting........just to name a few. 

And no matter what you say, you know you are guilty of at least one of these.
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
 Don't worry, I am too. 

Even a little "white lie" is sin. Which is kind of ironic considering the fact that we are talking about the color white symbolizing purity. 

The fact is that we are all sinners and no matter what we do we cannot be pure enough to enter into heaven. That is why Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the cross. 
John 3:16
  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
We are not perfect. But I serve a God who IS. And no matter the transgression, no matter the crime, no matter the wrong, my God can save you from it. 
1 John 1:9
 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

I'm so glad I serve a God who can save me from my wretched past and lead me into a beautiful future.  :)

Brianna  

 

 

Challenge Accepted

So I went on a trip to Tennessee. Of course I already told you that in my last post. But, I wanted to share something with you that had been given to me while I was there. 

It was a challenge.

Actually it was more of a confrontation. :) You see, the Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church is not afraid to tell it like it is. He is very straight forward and abrupt. Some people may find it very offensive, but I find it refreshing. There are too many pastors these days who sugar coat everything. And let me tell you, Pastor Ron Ralph of Cornerstone Baptist Church does no such thing. :)

He didn't confront me personally. But he did confront something that I had been...... sorta struggling with. 

PINTEREST. 

Yes I said it. Pinterest. Although his exact words were not, "get rid of  pinterest", he still challenged me to give it up. Now let me tell you about myself. 

I love Pinterest. I can spend hours upon hours scrolling through the endless pages of DIY projects and gluten free recipes. In fact, my life got so revolved around the silly website that I couldn't hardly talk of anything else. Sad, I know.

But believe it or not, my addiction is not what challenged me to deactivate my account.

Bro. Ron was actually talking about raising children. I know, how did I come to the conclusion of deactivating my pinterest account while listening to a sermon on child training? Good question.

Well, let me ask YOU a question. How often has an inappropriate picture popped up on the screen when you least expect it? If you are honest with me then the truth would be staggering.

Bro. Ron's statement was that we should be careful about what we allow our children to see. No parent should be willing to put filth in front of their child's eyes. It is a parent's responsibility to guard the eyes and the hearts of their young ones so that they can grow in Godliness. So that they won't have to struggle with things like lust and pornography. Those are some blunt words, but they are true. 

I cannot tell you how many times I simply tried to look up a recipe, project or even holiday idea and there would be the most horrible pictures on the screen.

Now, once again I am not a child and I don't have any children of my own. BUT. I am still a child of God. I am still responsible for what I put in front of my own eyes. I am still responsible to guard my own heart. 

Philippians 4 :8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Even though I was not purposely looking for the wrong things I was still subject to them. 

Now, most people would tell me that it's not my fault and I can't help it. 

But I can.

By choosing to use a website that will allow such things I was choosing to look at them. It WAS my fault. 

So I gave it to God. After I got home from my trip I deactivated my pinterest account and I don't plan on going back. I want to put pure things before me and someday ,when I have children, I will make sure to put pure things before them as well.

 
Titus 2:12 - Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

And the way to do all of the is to get OFF of pinterest and INTO God's word.

Brianna 

Life as I know it, is about to become........interesting

Ok, so #1 - I just got back from the BEST trip ever! My sister and I were invited to a Music School in Carthage Tennessee. It was amazing! I learned so much and met some pretty wonderful people. We were only gone for about twelve days, but I feel like I lost a month of my life. Here are some pictures to take a gander at.  :)

But that is not where it ends. I CAME HOME SICK!! I have been home for about a week now and I have had a terrible cold ALL week. God is good though and I am getting better. Praise the Lord it is just a cold and not the flu. There is always something to be thankful for and I am thankful for that.

But........my life is about to get even crazier. Next weekend my Aunt, her four young boys and my Nana are coming for a visit. we haven't seen them in many years and so this will be a glad reunion. They are going to be here for a week. Wow. Including my brother, Titus, there will be FIVE little boys running around the house. We are going to need some serious therapy after it's all said and done.  :)

And....To top it off, I only have three weeks before I pack myself up and move to Texas.  :( I have so many people that I want to see before I go and I just don't have the time. Not to mention I am going to miss my mommy very much. I am very excited about what the Lord is doing in my life and where He is taking me. It's amazing to know that He has everything under control. I know that the Lord will provide and that He will take care of me. 

Anyways.................Here are a few more pictures from my trip to Tennessee. I absolutely loved it there and if you are ever in CARTHAGE TENNESSEE on a Sunday or a Wednesday, please stop by Cornerstone Baptist Church for services. Sunday worship is at 10:00 am in the morning and 6:00 pm in the evening. Wednesday night worship is a 6:00 pm. 

The Prayer For Miriam

Yesterday was a very happy day for me. I could not help but verbally praise God for His tender mercy and grace. Yesterday, we all got news that a Sudanese wife and mother of two, will be released from prison. She stood firm in her faith and refused to renounce the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. She is truly an inspiration to me. What must it have been like to sit in a prison cell each day holding her two babies? I have no children of my own but I doubt that any mother would enjoy watching her two year old beg her to let him go play outside, and feel the sun on his skin. I am also not an expert on prison life, but I know that she did not have the luxury of which many of our  prisoners do in this country. But she has kept her faith and God has blessed her.

But there is one thought that goes across my mind this morning. I have received many emails from different people about the release of Miriam. Each one of them call for celebration!  :) Everyone is so excited that the Sudanese Government did the right thing in letting Miriam go. But NO ONE is bothering to give the glory to GOD. Everyone keeps saying that it is because of individuals signing petitions ( I did sign the petition). They keep saying that it was our voices that moved the heart of Sudan. But they are very wrong. Miriam believes in a righteous God, and so do I. If the Sudanese Government had chosen to keep Miriam and her children, Miriam still would have praised God. I still would have praised God. The Bible is very clear that we as Christians  WILL suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3 :12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

But God was the one who turned the hearts of the Sudanese Government. He may have used a petition to do it, but it was Him who brought Miriam and her children through this dark time. He orders the steps of this Universe. So please, give the glory to God. I know Miriam is.  :)

Brianna

The picture used is from Bing Images and is not my own.  

Fathers Day

Fathers Day. A day to celebrate all the great DADS out there in the world. I would have uploaded a picture of MY dad, but he is very camera shy and would probably grounded me until I was 40 for such an act. No. Instead I chose a beautiful sunset.  :) 

I love my Dad. We may not get along all the time, and we function veeeeeeery differently. But I still love him.

There are the little things that he does that makes me appreciate him. Although I may not show it all the time I am very great-full. 

He taught me how to fish. And in his opinion, EVERYONE needs to know how to fish.  :)

One year, when I was turning eleven, he decorated the ENTIRE house in pink and white balloons and streamers. He went all out. He told me how great the birthday party was going to be and that everyone was going to love it. When no one showed up for my birthday party ( and I mean no one) he simply donned a pink party hat and handed me my first gift. He told me that I didn't need a ton of friends to have a good time with family. 
He also brings me the cutest post cards for my seemingly childish collection. I love post cards and when he goes on the road he usually brings me one. This time it was Pennsylvania. :)
But isn't that kinda how God is? I know that my heavenly Father is always giving me little blessings to brighten my day. He is there to teach me how to fish for the right opportunity to witness. He is there to don the bright pink party hat of joy and show me that I can still be happy even when no one wants to join me. And he is always bringing me those cute little moments that just send me soaring. Oh sure, dad's can be gruff and seemingly hard sometimes. But God put them in our lives to teach us and to train us. I don't always see it, but I know my dad loves me and I know that God loves me. So in my opinion I have the two greatest DAD'S in the world.

Brianna

Graduation Season. :)

Last weekend my family went to Bowie Texas to watch my sister Courtney and her classmates graduate from the Baptist Bible Translators Institute ( BBTI ).

All of these wonderful people have felt the call of God to be a missionary. I cannot give their names because most of them are headed for hostile territory around the world. But I was given permission to post this picture.

Each one of these students studied and worked hard all year long to be able to complete the tasks before them. And now they are each going their separate ways, following the calling that God has placed on their hearts. 

I was so privileged to meet each one of them.

The BBTI is an amazing school. It focuses on teaching missionaries or mission minded individual how to go anywhere in the world and learn the language effectively and efficiently, how to analyze that countries culture, how to translate a Bible into their original language, and how to reach them with the Gospel on their level.

This is an amazing school and is very effective in what they teach. I strongly recommend that you look into this school.

If you are interested just click the link below and it will take you to the website. :)

http://www.baptisttranslators.com/ 

Thanks so much for reading. And please don't forget to comment.  :)

Brianna

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

 

 This is my Mom.

My Mom is a great mom. There is no other mom like her in the world. She is the one who knows me best.

When I was unsaved she prayed for me. She never gave up and always believed that I would grow up and know God. Even when I got angry with her, she loved me anyways. 

 My mom loves to have fun. :) As you can see we had a lot of fun taking these pictures.  I look ridiculous in the picture above. What is it that I am doing? A bad fish face?

Anyways......... I can always have fun with my mom. As I have gotten older, she has become my friend. I am very thankful for that.

 My mom is a great encourager. Whenever something happens to me she always tells me to be strong. Even when I don't want to be encouraged, and I just want to pout like a baby on my bed, and eat chocolate, and listen to sad music. yeeesh! She never lets me get away with anything. :)

And my Mom loves God. She tries her best each day to live her life according to His word. She tries her hardest to teach me and my siblings to follow the Lord where ever He leads. Sometimes she wants to give up, but by the grace of God she hasn't. I am very thankful for my mom.

Tell me about your mom! I would love to hear how she has blessed your life. Just post a comment below. :) :)

Brianna

The Example Of Job

In my last post I told everyone about the exciting jobs I would be starting. I have been very excited about these jobs and I just couldn't wait to start. But then life threw me a curve ball.

 A spit covered one. 

For reasons that I cannot explain, I will not be taking either of the jobs. 

I was very disappointed when I had to call both bosses and let them know that I would not be working for them. They were equally disappointed, but understood.

I though to myself, "God what are you doing? Why would you allow me to get the jobs and then take them away? It just doesn't make sense." 

But then I thought of Job. Job lost everything. Land, cattle, riches, and most of all his children. Children. 

Not getting to work a job seems like a petty reason to be upset, when I think of how Job felt burying all of his children.  

What I learned from Job is that nothing in this life in permanent. God uses whatever is in our lives to teach us something. God knows what He is doing and nothing is an accident. 

For whatever reason God allowed these two jobs to come into my life. He used them how He saw fit and then, when they were no longer needed, He took them out of the picture.

I am not saying that God takes things from us to be cruel.

Everything on this planet has a time limit. God simply uses those things and the time they are with us to teach us something. And sometimes He uses a lack of those things to teach us something. God is teaching me to have faith. I don't know what His plans are for my life right now. But just like Job did, I know God is in control. And I am willing to trust Him.

Brianna

An Update On My Crazy Life

Well, a lot has been going on. God has taken our family in every direction and it has been crazy.  :)

Shelby, the youngest of us all, is three and a half months and right on schedule.  :) She is smiling a lot and it is a joy to see her everyday. Although, for the longest time I thought that she didn't like me very much. Turns out, it's just because I'm not her mother.  :)

My youngest and most adorable brother, Titus, just turned two on April 3rd. He is getting so big!!  And with the age came the crazy life that all two year old's lead. He keeps us on our toes.  :) If it's not Veggie Tales, it's Baby Einstein. If it's not apple juice, it's chocolate milk. And if it's not nap time, it's time to run all over the place until we crash.  YAY!

I wake up to an adventure every day. Although sometimes I think I need a sedative. LOL! Just kidding.  :)

My next youngest brother,  Kainan, is about to seventeen in July. He just received his General Education Diploma today. For the past week and a half I have taken him back and forth to classes. I have been waking up before dawn to get ready in time to leave. Now that he is done with classes he is working on joining the Army. We have all tried to talk him out of it. But his mind in made up.

 Courtney, my lovely twenty year old sister, is about to graduate from college. She attends the BBTI ( Baptist Bible Translators Institute). Graduation day in May 17th and the whole family ( minus Dad) will be traveling to Bowie Texas to watch her walk across a..........well, I'm not sure what she will walk across. Either way, I am very proud of her. She has worked very hard all year. If you would like more information about the BBTI please just click on the link below. Even if you are not interested in attending please check it out. You will be blessed by it. 

 

http://www.baptisttranslators.com/

 

Myself? Well, there has been a lot going on. Earlier in the year I started planning a trip to Colorado. I was to travel by bus and attend two very wonderful Bible camps. I was also going to get to spend time with family. However, God has a different idea. After much prayer and counseling I learned that God wanted me to put my road trip plans aside and focus on something else. I didn't know what that something else was at first. But if I know God, I know He won't leave me hanging for long.  :)Long story short, I have accepted two jobs. One of them is a job that I have had before and left for different reasons. It's called Mother's Day Out. It is a ministry held by a local church in town. We offer child care from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. I will have the wonderful task of caring for about thirteen one year old's.  :) I will get to work with another lady ( whom I have not met yet).

I am very excited about the job at Mother's Day Out. I love working with the kids and teaching them different things. It is truly a wonderful ministry.

The second job is folding laundry for a Bible camp thirty minutes away.  :) Some of you may say "YUCK!", but I would rather fold laundry than do the dishes. This job is a night job and is only three nights a week. But I am thankful for it. I am thankful that I get to work in two different Christian environments with people that I know and trust. God is good.  :)

 

And last but absolutely NOT least. Mom and Dad.

Mom spends her days doing the usual. Baby duty, dishes, laundry, gardening, candy crush... LOL. Actually that is a rare occurrence these days. I think it's been a while since she actually got to sit down. She keeps us all together. And of course her life is changing with the changing lives of her children. :)

 And Dad. Well, Dad is just truckin' along. Literally. He drives an eight-teen wheeler. :)  He is gone most of the week and is home on weekends. Sometimes he is late and sometimes her is early. But we usually try to spend time together as a family when he is home.

 

  Well, that is that. Please continue to pray for my family. We are constantly in need of God's direction and guidance.  :)

 

Brianna

 

P.S. - The picture that I have featured is one that I took after church. I loved the way it turned out.  :)

Spring Is Coming

I am so excited about Spring. All around me flowers are blooming and trees are starting to put on tin bright green buds.

It seems as if it has been Winter for so long that I forgot how good it felt to be in the midst of Spring.  :) 

But I guess that is how we feel spiritually sometimes. 

It seems like when Winter strikes in our spiritual lives it is hard to get out of it. 

I would be dishonest if I said that it never happened to me. It happens quite a bit and it is so hard to wait for the Winter to stop. It seems as if I am dead inside and I can't seem to wake up. 

But then God brings Spring into my life and new beginning. 

He can do it in the form of a kind word from someone. He can do it just be showing you the answer in the Bible. He can use many ways to reach us and bring us out of the pit. But when He does we suddenly remember who we are and what God has for us. And it seems like we are even stronger than before. 

It's waiting that gets to us. Waiting is the hard part for any human being. It doesn't matter how patient a person is, no one likes waiting.

We all have to wait for something. It could be children. It could be a job. It could be the cinnamon rolls baking in my oven right now.

Or you could be waiting for the end of whatever Winter you are going through. 

But never fear God's word is near.  :)

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; PATIENT in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

There is a simple answer right in Scripture. Prayer. Talking with God is always a good thing to do. It brings you closer to Him and it helps you rest in His timing. 

It's like waiting for Spring. It seems so hard while you are waiting. But when you simply rest in God's timing and when Spring finally comes, it's so much sweeter.  :)

Brianna  

A Romantic Dinner For Five :)

Early Saturday afternoon our power went out.

We were told that over 700 people were affected by the outage and that the power wouldn't be back on for several hours.

This threw a big damper in most everyone's plans. My dad wanted to work on the refrigerator. My mom wanted to make fried chicken. My brother wanted to EAT the fried chicken. But low and behold,  fried chicken was not in the near future.  :)

Instead, we sat at the house with absolutely nothing to do.

Well, night was falling upon us and we needed nourishment. And when a body needs nourishment there is only one thing to do.........get pizza.  :)

So, mom broke out the candles and placed them around the house and all over the table.

Each family member grabbed a plate and a few slices of pizza and we enjoyed a great dinner together. I took this picture during our romantic dinner for five.  :) I happen to think that it was the best dinner I have had with my family in a long time. And I guess the message I am trying convey here is that you can have good quality fun with your family even without electricity. Turn off the T.V, radio, computer, and just spend some good time with your family.

God instituted the family first and it is very important to Him.

Brianna

A Sweet Sight

My last article was about an act of hate and hurtfulness. 

I was really upset that a gathering of the KKK was being held in the very town that I live in.

But when I went to town last Saturday I saw a very sweet sight.

On the Square there was a group on about 15 teenagers. They were holding up handmade signs. The signs had things written on them such as ; Honk If You Are Against Racism, and Love Each Other.

I was so happy to see these teens taking some sort of stand. 

I know that it doesn't seem like much to some, but I was happy to see someone fighting for Love and not hate.

I thought I would share that you.  :) :)

 

Brianna

Love Covers

On Saturday March 15, 2014 the local K.K.K ( Klu Klux Klan) will be holding an "Anti-Black" rally in the town that I live in.  Yes, they still exist. And yes, they are very active in my town. In fact, I used to live on the same county road as the K.K.K leader. 

When I learned about this I was deeply saddened. 

Why on earth would someone want to show such hate? 

Why would someone want to hurt another person just because of the color of their skin? 

How could such an organization exist in such a nation and America? A country that is striving to teach tolerance and acceptance of everything and everyone.

All people are created by God with love.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. PSALM 139 : 14

 How can we say that a person is not one of God's creatures simply because of their skin? What right have we just because they are different then us. And that goes for anyone. Just because a person is different, it doesn't mean they are not loved and treasured by God. 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

JOHN 3 :16

Christ died for ALL. He loves us All. Whether you are White, Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian. GOD LOVES YOU. Whether you have a learning disability, or a physical disability. Whether you are shy, or loud. Whether you are male or female. You were made by God for a beautiful purpose. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

PLEASE PRAY!!! Pray with me that the rally, this weekend, is not successful. Please pray that someone's heart is touched and that the Lord has His way.

My heart is so sad for those whom the K.K.K is attacking. Christ wants us to show HIS LOVE. 

I challenge you to stand up and show it.

Brianna

The Importance Of God's Word

I was reading in my Bible not too long ago, and I noticed that Psalm 119 is completely saturated with the different forms of God's word.

There are 176 verses in Psalm 119 and 176 times, the writer mentions the Word of God.

I thought to myself,

" This is the largest chapter in the entire Bible. If God chose to use the largest chapter in the Bible to tell us about His word, it must be pretty important."

This chapter tells us, in so many ways, to trust in God's word. 

THAT SHOULDN'T BE IGNORED!!!

Why wouldn't we want to trust in something that is;

Good vs 39

Righteous vs 62

Better than Gold or Silver vs 72

Sweeter than honey vs 103

A lamp and a light vs 105

Wonderful vs 129

Pure vs 140

Truthful vs 151

And Endures Forever vs 160

Why wouldn't we want those things in our lives? 

God wants those things for us and tells us what will happen if we apply His words to our lives.

We will be Blessed vs' 1, 2, 12

We will walk in Liberty vs 45

We will be Comforted vs 52

We will be Glad vs 74

We will be Wiser vs 98

We will have more Understanding vs 99

We will have Great Peace vs 165

(notice it is GREAT peace)

Our lips will utter praise vs 171

.....................So, what I gather from this is that we should take God's word very seriously.

It has all the answers we need. Just think of all the heartache we could skip, just by listening and following the Holy, Righteous, Living Word of God.

Brianna

A Matter Of Influence

Today I was watching a really neat show called, "How The States Got Their Shapes". Heard of it? If you have, then you would know that it is all about The United States of America and how they were formed. It is a neat show and I really like it. 

Well, I learned two things from this show today, and I thought I would share them with you.

The first thing I learned was that J.F.K is, indeed,  NOT the youngest president. In fact, it is Theodore Roosevelt. Like you, I was shocked to hear this. "They must be wrong," I told myself. But no! After my Mom did a little bit of searching we found out that Roosevelt is the youngest President yet. Mr. John F. Kennedy was the youngest President ever elected. He was 43 when he was pronounced the winner of the election. However, Roosevelt was 42 when he took office. He was Vice President to President William McKinley. Unfortunately, President McKinley's life was cut short and President Roosevelt was sworn in. BUT! This article is not about that. This article is about something else that I learned from this show.

The second thing I learned is that the city of Washington D.C. is NOT actually apart of the United States of America. WHAT?!!! First you tell me that J.F.K isn't the youngest President ever, and then you tell me that Washington D.C isn't even apart of the US? I was pretty confused. However, it is true. 

The reason why D.C isn't technically apart of the US is because of Congress. When America seceded from Great Brittan they wanted to have a place where they could be completely uninfluenced by those around them. They wanted a place where they could make crucial decisions without everyone elses opinions. A Place where they wouldn't feel unnecessary pressure.  And that is why D.C isn't actually apart of the USA. It is supposed to be an unbiased place where every State Rep, Senator, and Congressman can meat together. This struck me in a funny way. It seemed to ring with a bit of Biblical principal.

The Bible tells us to be careful of who is influencing us and our decisions. When we allow the world to control us and what we do, we start to make decisions that aren't pleasing to God. 

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   1 John 2 :15

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.  

1 Corinthians 15:33

Clearly God doesn't want us to let the world in. Clearly He wants us the shut the world out and make our decisions according to His word. 

There is just one problem.

WE WON'T STOP LETTING THE WORLD IN!!!

When we watch movies, listen to music, and hang out with friends; we let all kinds of things into our lives and homes. Our homes need to be a place that is free from worldly influence. Our homes need to be the first place that we experience God's love and what He expects from us. What bad influences are you letting in your life?

I know that I can think of some that I need to get rid of.

Brianna