Warriors for Jesus Ruth 1:16-17

..."Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you will go, I will go; wherever you will live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you will die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us."

Ruth 1:16-17


Do you see how much Ruth truly cared about Naomi? She didn't want to leave her, and seek a new life and husband. Instead she chose to leave the only home she had ever known and travel with her widowed mother-in-law. How awesome is that?

That's the kind of relationship we all should have with each other, but most importantly with God. We should care about Him enough to never want to let Him go. We should care about our current relationships with others to never want to let them go.

But,sadly, there's always going to be something that separates us from the Lord. Statan will be there, whispering in our ears, encouraging us to sin. And at times, we will give in because we were born with a sin nature. It a given that from birth we will sin. And sin is what separates us from a relationship and life with the Most High.


You have to fight. Fight Satan! Fight Sin! Don't let them win and damage your relationship with God. Don't let them win and cast you from His sight forever. Would you rather see the golden gates oh Heaven, or the fiery pits of Hell? I'm sorry if that's blunt and harsh but it's the truth. We're sitting on a fence here, and we have to make a choice, cause in the end there ain't gonna be no fence.

Love God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind. Take Jesus as your savior and cast away sin. Follow God for all the rest of your life wherever He takes you, and don't be afraid of anything. Go where he goes, live where He lives. His people are your people, and he is your God. Keep the faith, keep the fight against the devil going on strong. And love your God.


Song of the Day: I Will Follow You by Chris Tomlin

Prayer:

Lord God, I pray for your mercy, for your forgiveness. I screwed up again, and I want to make it right with you. I've done things that I shouldn't have, and for that I'm sorry. I want to follow you wherever you go, and I know that I don't deserve it so thank you for sending Your Son to take my place on the Cross. I know I'm gonna see you when I reach those pearly gates, and I can't wait. Love you Jesus.

Warriors for Jesus John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and that whoever believes in him will not die but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

I memorized that verse at my very first VBS in my hometown. We had a dance class and that verse was put to music and we had to sing it. It got stuck in my head pretty quickly, it was just that kind of tune. But, as I got older, I learned not just the verse, but the true meaning of the words behind the verse. God loved us so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to be born of the Virgin Mary, live the life of a human, suffer under his persecutors, be nailed to the cross, stabbed in the side, and have a crown of thorns placed on his head while being mocked. He went through extreme pain and humiliation all so that we could get a chance to go to heaven.

DO you realize how amazing that is? He left paradise and got himself killed all so that we could be with him for eternity. There is one sentence that even though I've heard it my entire life I never get tired of hearing it. God loves you.

We're all going to hear that at least a million times throughout our Christian lives, and you know what I never will get tired of hearing it. God, The Almighty, The Creator of the universe, The King of all Kings, loves me, a worthless sinner who has no place in heaven because of what I've done.

You know, Buddhists believe in karma, and that only by doing good and following that Eight-Fold path can you reach Nirvana (Heaven). They don't get it, in fact a lot of people don't get it, even some of those who say that they are Christian. You can't earn your way into heaven, because you've done nothing to deserve to go. From the moment you were born your life was clouded in sin. You don't get to go to heaven based on the good deeds you've done throughout your life. If we did than we'd all be in trouble.

I've said it before, I'm gonna say it again. God loves us. God loves you. God loves me. Do you get that? God made a paradise for us, but because of the fall of man sin entered the world and man became tainted. We were no longer perfect like God created us to be. And we continued to sin and disobey Him, until He sent Jesus. Jesus blood and the faith in Him is the only chance you have at seeing His face. And even once you give yourself love to Him, you still going to slip up, you'll still be human. Things are going to change but not all things.

Once you commit to the Lord, it's up to you to keep that commitment. You need to make changes in your Life so that God stays in it, because if you gab hold of him but lose faith, my friends, your about to make that biggest mistake of your lives.

Song for the day: How He Loves Us by Me in Motion

Pray for the Day:

Lord, thank you so much for the sacrifices you made for me when I don't deserve them. Thank you so much for loving me and the world enough that you let yourself die on the cross just so that we could be with you. I'm undeserving of this gift that you have given me. I know that I've done wrong, please help me to do right. And forgive me for every time that I've gone against your will. I love you Lord.

Warriors for Jesus Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

I was raised in a Christian home, and I've been going to church for as long as I can remember. I became a member of our local Methodist church shortly after moving to my hometown. I've been going to said church for over a decade now. I'm an active member of the Senior High youth group, and I went through conformation several years ago. I've been a reborn Christian for several years now, as well.

To all my fellow Christians, teen and otherwise, out there reading this, at any point in your spiritual lives, have you just watched, read, seen, or experienced something so powerful it just changed your whole Christian viewpoint? I experienced such a thing a few months ago when I watched the new movie, Soul Surfer. AnnaSophia Robb's real-life character, Bethany Hamilton is attacked by a shark and loses her left arm. She's a surfer looking to make the pro circuit, and after the attack it doesn't seem likely that she'll ever surf the same level she used to again.

But while faced with the hardship, the paparazzi, and the loss of her dream her faith stays strong. Not many non-Christians would understand something like this. If something really bad happens to a Christian family, or even a non-Christian family they would be like, "Why should I believe in a God who would let something like this happen. He's supposed to help people, He's supposed to protect his people. Why should I believe in a God who is so uncaring?"

But that is where they are wrong. God cares so much about you and me that he came down to Earth as the Son of a Virgin and went through the pain and humiliation of being crucified on the cross just so we could have a chance to go be with him in heaven. Everything happens according to God's plan, even the terrible stuff, and you can choose to embrace and lean on God, or you can choose to be bitter and place the blame on Him.

Bethany, both in real life and the movie stayed true to the Lord. She never lost her faith, in fact it grew stronger. That's what I wish we all could do. Take the situations that God places us in, and use them for His glory. It's all about choice. You make the choice to come to the Lord, you make the choice to lean on Him. God is not going to force you into believing anything, He just wants you to know that He loves you so much and he will love you to the end of time.

If something bad has happened to you, or to someone you know, pray about it. Give it up to God. He's always there to listen whatever the situation, and even if the answer isn't always the one you want He won't leave you hanging.

God has a plan for all of us, and even if at a bad time it seems like He's abandoned you, He's there. And better times will come if you keep the faith and trust in Him. I saw Bethany (Both AnnaSophia and the real Bethany) stay strong in her beliefs and give even more to the Lord then she ever had. Even in the hospital right after the attack, she said, "I don't know what plans God has for me but I trust Him." The wording might not be exact, but it was something along those lines.

God might not always be clear, but if there is anything that I have ever learned, in church, at camp, youth group, or any other Christian function it's that God will never stop loving me, loving you. He knows everything. He knows what I feel, what I think. And he knows what you feel and think. He knows us, He loves us. And He's never gonna stop. So give yourself to Him today, or reaffirm your faith, and join the ranks of warriors for Jesus.


Song of the Day: Blessed be the name of the Lord

Prayer:

Hey God, I love you. I know I've messed up, and I know I'll mess up even more soon, and I just want to say I'm sorry. Thank you so much for giving me a chance for enternal life, because I know I don't deserve it. And I know that sometimes life is hard, but even when it is hard I will trust in you. You give and take away, blessed be Your name.

God's there. And He's waiting.

My Birthday Recipes

First of all I'd like to say that today is my birthday. All the credit of course goes to my mother for going through thirty-three hours of grueling labor to have me (all of my younger brothers and sisters took anywhere from 2-6 hours, guess what they say about the first being the hardest is true!). Anyway, a tradition in our household is that on someones birthday, they get to choose the meal and what kind of cake they get that evening. Our grandparents usually come up the weekend before or after to distribute their gifts and we go out to lunch with them, but on the actual day our wonderful mother cooks for us.

This year I chose chicken alfredo (my mom makes the best) for my birthday dinner and chocolate-chip-cookie-cake for my, well, cake. these are the recipes that we used:

CHOCLOATE-CHIP-COOKIE-CAKE

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat over to 350*

Mix first five ingredients (see cinnamon) until lightly blended. Add in butter and mix on low speed (of you're using a mixer) until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add egg and vanilla and mix until dough begins to form. Add chips & nuts (see above) and mix on medium. Spread in cake pan. As gross as it sounds, I found that it was easiest to use my hands to get it as even as possible. The tricky thing is actually baking the cake. All ovens and cakes are different, so what I do is I put it in for 20 minutes, and then decide if it needs to left in a little more. Now this is a recipe that i found online, but you can use your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe instead, you just really nee to watch the time. My mom says that cookie cake is like brownies, one minute to little and they're mush, one minute to long and they're hard as rocks.


CHICKEN ALFREDO

1 box uncooked fettuccine
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
4 oz cream cheese cubed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 2/3 cups milk

Cook pasta according to directions adding in broccoli in the last 2 minutes of boiling. In the meantime add Italian Dressing and chicken to a nonstick skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink (5 minutes or so) stirring occasionally. Add in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes until sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Drain pasta/broccoli add sauce and toss pasta. Serve.

Eye of the Sword

Where angels walk the ground and the future is told in song, does a man of low rank have a chance at love with a princess?

In Camrithia, a land of shadows and mystical secrets, Trevin lives to serve King Laetham. But his heart belongs to the princess, Melaia. When the King sends Trevin on on a dangerous quest to find the missing comains—captains in the king’s army—he must leave Melaia to the advances of a swaggering Dregmoorian prince.

Challenged to prove his worth, Trevin throws himself into his quest. Striving to prove his love, Trevin undertakes a second mission—find the harps Melaia seeks in order to restore the stairway to heaven. Through fire caves, rogue winds, and murderous threats, Trevin remains steadfastly dedicated to his quest—even when he is falsely accused of a heinous crime. As Trevin’s time runs out, he realizes he must face the shame and horror of his own past and the nightmare that has come to life. Will he have the courage to finish what he has started?

Taken from the back of Eye of the Sword.


I had the privilege to review the first book in the Angelaeon Circle series, and so I was very happy to discover that the second was also available for review.


The novel picks up several months after the first one ended, but this time instead of Melaia being the main character, a person we saw for only a short period of time in Breath of Angel, Trevin, takes the stage so to speak.

He has just been appointed comain, which is a captain in the Kings army. Several days before his ceremony, however, he finds his drunken brother in a tavern surrounded by three strangers. Several unfortunate things happen to Trevin, and by the time he returns to the castle he smells like a pile of dung. Also, upon returning he discovers that his tormentors are in the castle on official business, for one of the three is the Prince of the Dregmoors.

Not only does the Dregmorian prince seek an aliance with Camrithia, he seeks the hand of the Nephili (half-human, half-angel) Melaia, whose father is the King of Camrithia. Trevin, who is in love with Melaia does everything he can to stop the wedding, until he is forced to flee do to being accused of a murder one of the Prince's henchmen committed. His flee for his life turns into a quest to find himself and save his love. Will Trevin succeed, clear his name, and get to be with Melaia?


I liked the sequel better then the firs. For one thing, the flow of the book is slower, and doesn't seem as rushed. And in Eye of the Sword, you are shown and taken to more locations in this world then in Breath of Angel. Also, you get a better look at Trevin the you did in the prequel, and also a better understanding of his character.

While the book was a bit slower than the last one, it still was a little fast and that disappointed me because it could've had more content. Also, it could have had more of the original characters included in the text. All in all, however, I enjoyed it as much as I usually do.

It was well written, and an excellent sequel, that had a good ending that left me wanting more.

Eye of the Sword will be available on March 13, 2012.

I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.