So in my previous post I said that I was going to make some sort of apple treat. WELL that turned into something peachy, peach cobbler to be exact! I never knew how easy it was to create such a delicious dessert, I think I'll have to make it more often! I'll have to find the recipe I used later and post it on here for you guys if you want it.
Anyways! Today is the third Thursday of the month and that means YOUNGLIVES! My very favorite day of each and every month! I get to spend time with beautiful teen moms and their precious bundles of joy (and energy). There is nothing I'd rather do on a Thursday than serve teenagers that need love and support. What made tonight even more special than usual was that I led my first ever YoungLives club talk! I have always admired youth group leaders, worship leaders and pastors for their abilities to deliver a strong, resonating message to their audience. It was a challenge for me to write this talk because I have never given a "speech" that had scripture present in it. I mulled over a few different topics that I could cover, but in the end I wanted to keep it simple, for some of the girls that go to YoungLives haven't called Jesus into their hearts yet. I finally chose a topic when I was on my way home from school last night blasting Miranda Lambert as usual. The song "Heart Like Mine" was playing and Miranda sings "He could calm a storm and heal the blind and I bet he'd understand a heart like mine." Wow, Miranda I love you for speaking that truth! That's when I knew I wanted to talk to our teen moms about Jesus calming the storm. I guess I can post for you guys exactly what I presented tonight! Here it goes:
The earliest memory I have of crying over math is in sixth
grade. Sixth grade math should be easy, right? Apparently wrong in my case. I
would start off with confidence and energy. That led into blank stares at my
homework page. And finally, I would just eventually break down crying. The one
thing I could count on throughout all of my turmoil was my dad. My mom was
always encouraging but it was my dad that really calmed me down and set my mind
at ease. In seventh grade I suffered through pre-algebra, but don’t worry I got
better at it because I had to take it again in eighth grade! Freshman year of
high school rolled around and still, I found myself crying and agonizing over
every single math test I attempted. I’ve literally taken every math class
twice, and you would think by now that I would have all of the answers figured
out. Each and every time I cried, my dad was a rock for me to cling to and get
me through the toughest times. Math created a storm swirling around me,
throwing lightning bolts my way and drowning me in problems I didn’t understand
(and still don’t). Like my dad, Jesus also has the ability to calm storms.
In the Bible there is a story so profound about Jesus calming
a terrible storm that it appears in two different books; Matthew and Mark. I’m
going to read you the story out of Mark chapter 4 verses 35 through 41. Here it
reads:
“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let
us go over to the other side.’ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along,
just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious
squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly
swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him
and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the
wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it
was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you
still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this?
Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”
In this story in the Bible, everyone aboard the ship was
terrified of what damage the storm could cause. Jesus was peacefully sleeping
without a care in the world. How could he be sleeping during a huge, scary
storm? What we all face in our daily lives is hard sometimes. Some storms are
too much for us to bear on our own. For me, math was terrifying and wrecked my
ship countless times. My dad, like Jesus, calmed my storm time and time again.
If when we are in turmoil we take a moment to pray or just talk to Jesus and
ask him to calm our fears, our storm, he will do just that. No matter what we
face in life, we don’t have to be scared if we believe in Jesus and that he
will always be there for us. Like those disciples on the boat, we will come to
Jesus thinking that we are going to drown. Jesus says, “Why are you so afraid?”
All you have to do is have faith and ask him to come into your heart and calm
your fears. Not every day is going to be easy and we will face plenty of storms
in our lifetimes, big, small, and everything in between. Even if you feel
alone, lost and helpless, don’t worry! The storm will pass and Jesus will get
you through it.
In college, I haven’t always had my dad around to hold my
hand while I cry. As I’ve grown and read the Bible and attended church, I’ve
realized that my dad in Heaven is always there for me when my birth dad can’t
be. So, remember, no matter where you go and what storms you face, your father
in Heaven is waiting for you to call for him and ask for help!
I know that it is pretty elementary, but I've never given a talk like this! I hope I'm able to have more practice in the future. :)
On a different note, I just downloaded Adobe Creative Cloud via my university's website. The best part about it? ONLY $40! I know, ridiculous! I've officially begun my Lightroom 5 tutorial training until I can have someone teach me in person. This is the beginning of a long journey, but I am determined to be a pro at Photoshop and Lightroom. I'm one step closer to reaching my goals!
Looooove!
No comments:
Post a Comment