our God is an awesome God :]

hey y'all.
its been awhile again. i know. things are busy. family was down for Christmas. which was good :] Happy Birthay Jesus :]]! so i wanted to tell y'all something. its pretty cool. i prayed this morning about how i want God to use me, and give e a chance to witness to a lost person. well my friend Zach is an atheist, and he decided to tell me about that today, and i got the chance to witness to him! it was soo amazing because i JUST prayed to God about how i wanted him to use me, and to give me the chance to witness to someone about how great he is, and he spoke through me to Zach today. im not sure how Zach is feeling, hes not ready yet, but the seed is planted, and if Jesus needs to speak through me more, im more than happy :] weston also got the chance to witness to Zach, and that was pretty cool. because weston used to be an atheist. so hes got a pretty good perspective on that sort of stuff.
so i just thought i'd share with y'all how God used me today :] it was pretty great.
i love y'all!
pray for Zach.
& pray for me.
God Bless!
- crystal jade

wednesdayy

hey y'all!
today...lets see. i got up, went to school...got made fun of by chadley, as usual. came home, went and gave evan [my 6 year old boogerman] his Christmas present & then it was off to church, where mitchell decided it would be amusing to hit me with a large ball multiple times and push the table into my head. gosh hes such a dork. but im glad hes feeling better. anyways, we finished watching the nativity story, which was really great. it makes me admire Joseph and Mary for what they had to endure. and to see our savior being born. even on a movie, it just made me think about how he was born, marked for death, born to die for us, for our sins. and how big of a sacrifice that really was. its pretty much amazing what he did for us. and so we really need to remember the real reason for Christmas. sure the giving and getting is great. but we have to remember Christmas is really all about celebrating the birth of our wonderful savior, Jesus Christ. who gave everything, including his own life, so that we might be saved. so just remember...Jesus is the real reason for the Christmas season!!
i love y'all
God Bless!
- crystal jade

tonightt

hey y'all.

i only have 5 minutes.

so i'll try to write more on this tomorrow.

but as for today, my teachers are trying to kill me. i had my portfolio due today, a DBQ in that same class due today, a speech due today AND a test on the great divorce by C.S. lewis. school is extremely stressful. haha. thank God for my wonderful friends like chadley & christopher who are helpin me get through it. haha. lemme tell y'all, prayer is powerful. and God is amazingg. just rem that :]

dakoda is telling me about mixin some weird candy with meat? this story ought to be quite interesting...

love y'all!

God Bless!

- crystal jade

long time no postt.

hey y'all!
i know. its been a LONGG time. i've been extremely stressed lately. and also extremely busy. i wasnt home one night this past week. i've got so much to get done for Christmas and then theres chruch & dance & mr walls huge project tied in with that...im so busy. today was the best day i've had in awhile. things have been really really difficult with mitchell and everything, so please, pray for me. but today church was good this morning, Eric preached, and did a GREAT job might i add. and then we went Christmas carrolling tonight, it was really fun. we saw mrs freya, it was great to see her. megan came over inbetween church and i hung out with her for awhile, shes like my sisterr. the first payment of meltdown as been made, so we have a good idea of whos going. its a pretty large group i think we've got 23 people? maybe 24. something like that. it should be fun. i stayed for the 11:00 service today too to listen to the Cantata, Randy did a greatt job. hes a great music director, you can really see the Lord working for him. and also speaking through Eric. and i wanna thank Steve & Boomer for doing sunday school and sunday nights, they're doing a great job. && Becca & Terry for helping out with youth band, they're doing a great job.
so anyways, whats been goin on with me lately?
well im stressed. but Jesus is right here helpin me through it all and i can feel him. and everythings going to be alright.
we get out wednesday. exams are right after Christmas
wall's portfolio is due tuesday, AHH.
i've been working on it for he last two weekends. and Chadley has half of mine at his house. goodness. haha. ill be happy when its over.
band is going good, dance is twice a week our first competition is less than two months away. again, AHH!
i am still reading my bible EVERY night. i just havent felt up to much writing lately. but you could totally feel Jesus all over the place today. it was amazing.
Eric talked about how we should act like its Christmas all the time, just not get into the giving and serving spirit at Christmas, but be like that everyday of our lives. and i thought that was a GREAT sermon. it was definently different than any other Christmas sermon im used to hearing and it was great to hear something new and exciting.
well i will try to post tomorrow.
im going to go watch the notebook, i think.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade.

oh && pray for mitch. hes sick.

its been awhile

hey y'all!
i know, its been FOREVER. but things have been really difficult lately. still are. God is here though, and i can feel him. and i have faith. i just need y'all to pray for me. Eric preached a great sermon sunday night. and the praiseband did greatt tonight. 3 guitars, keyboard, & drums + the singers= yay we have a full band. im excited for sunday. i'll try to type a devotion tomorrow. yes i am still doing my devotions, i just havent really felt up to writing lately. but hopefully ill start back tomorrow. i would tonight, but i have a headache.
but ima talk about faith.
bad things happen. its inevitable. but they test our faith. i've had alot of trials lately, and i've been super depressed, but i realize that everything with be okay, b.c i have Jesus and he wants whats best. and if its meant to happen, Jesus will make it happen. so you just have to realize you HAVE to have faith.
Hebrews 11:1 says, "now faith is the substance of all things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"
it really is. i cant physically see Jesus, but hes here. and without faith, i have no hope. so faith, is what keeps me goin. faith in Jesus Christ. so i ask you...do you have faith in Jesus?
i love y'all
God Bless!
-crystal jade

blessings

hey y'all!
today was alright. thursdays arent ever that great. it was b-day, but it wasnt too awful. except for i totally FAILED my spanish quiz. and dance was alright, i learned this really cool new kick. now right now ima just write this then read my bible & then hopefully talk to mitchell. and maybe candace. i havent really got to talk to her today. this old lady whos SOOO sweet at lunch gave me&ash&candace a brownie today. shes so sweet. i just love her. we call her our grandma. haha.
so i did my devotion on blessings. God gives us many blessings, how should we respond to them? with honor and praise to God of course!
Exekiel 34:28 says, "I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessings." if we do Gods will and we follow his commandments, he will bless us greatly. here on earth, and in heaven. all we have to do is follow him.
Genesis 12:2-3 says, "I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (NKJV) God tells Abram [Abraham] that he will bless his family and make a great nation out of them and without knowing everything Abraham just leaves and trusts God to bless him, we should all be like that. when God tells us he is going to bless us we shouldnt question it. we should just believe him. he will never break a promise. he always means what he says.
Psalm 145:8-9, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." the Lord blesses everyone who accepts him. he is gracious, and he is compassionate towards everyone. he LOVES us. all we have to do is trust in him, and ask him to forgive us of our sins.
so count your blessings! because God has blessed you in many ways. and dont make it a secret! tell others!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

bitterness

hey y'all!
wednesdays are always good. JESUS. church. friends. mitchell. :] haha
well anyway my devotion was on bitterness. bitterness can most def. get in the way of your relationship with God big time. theres no reason to just sit there and contemplate things that upset you. just let it go.
James 3:14-16 says, "But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For wehre you have envy and selfishs ambition, there you find disorder and evil practice." biterness and grudges are NOT healthy things. and more importantly, they arent Godly things. we shouldnt envy others, or be selfish, and certainly shouldnt hold bitterness against others because those things are of the devil and they can put a rift between our relationship with God.
Proverbs 14:10 says, "The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy." (NKJV) nobody wants to be around a person with a bitter heart. bitter people are generally pessimistic and nobody wants to be around someone who has such a dreary outlook on life. holding grudges can not only put a rift between you and God but it can also put a rift between you and other people. so dont hold grudges. Remeber, holding a grdge is like letting someone live rent free in your brain...why would you want to continue to think about something that just makes you angry?? so dont!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

belief

hey y'all!
i havent been home for long. 30 minutes maybe. after school i had to work until it was time to go to band practice, where i couldnt lock the door so mitchell had to lock it fore me, haha. & then i went ot band practice & we're singing pretty awesome songs and then i got home, ate, and here i am. tuesdays are busy. just like every other day of the week.
so my devotion was on your beliefs. they're extremely important to who you are, and who you become.
2 Timothy 1:12 says, "That is why i am suffering as i am. Yet i am not ashamed, because i know who i have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what i have entrusted to him for that day." its important to be able to believe in people. just remember...no matter what you can ALWAYS believe in Jesus.
John 20:27 says, "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." God has never ever given us a reason to doubt him, and he never will. we just need to trust him, and believe him. he will always do what he says, he will always be with us. we just have to believe that hes there.
Matthew 8:13 says, "Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! it will be done just as you believed it would.' and his servant was healed at that very hour." if we just believe what God says, and believe that he will answer our prayers when we pray for things, God will answer us. we will witness his amazing power, and how wonderful things can be if we just believe in Him!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

hey y'all!

hey y'all!
i know im slackin' its just i've been SOOO busy lately. with church and school and dance & everything. i have been doing my devotions nightly, of course. i just havent really had time to write about them much and for that, im terribly sorry. i just got home from dance not too long ago. yesterday was greatt. i LOVE sundays. i went to church in the a.m. got to sing some awesome songs, heard a great message by rev. ponder then i went out to eat with the gilberts & then mitchell came over & then we went to his house and went fourwheelin' then we went back to chruch & went to mcdonalds with the youth. today was the normal monday at school, then i came home, made a smoothie for me & ricky & candace & then i talked to mitchell for awhile, went to dance, called mitch back, and now im waitin on him ta call me back b/c he was busy when i called and somewhere in there i've got to fit a shower. haha. tomorrow i've got to work until band practice. new job. its kind of exciting. i'll have money! haha
mk so i did a few good devotions.
since its pretty late
ima write about the one on the bible tonight, & do beliefs tomorrow or thursday.
The bible is a powerful tool that God gave us.
Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." we need to hunger and thirst for Gods word. be in it every single day, studying. it will help us grow in our walk with God.
Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (KJV) it is powerful, and can help better than any weapon or anything. it can convict you, and it also will lead you down the path of righteousness. it helps you know right from wrong, and if your thoughts and intents are in Gods best intrest. so stay in Gods Word, its need to keep your thoughts and intents pure and to lead you down the path God has laid out for you.
John 14:23 says, "Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." if we love Jesus, and have truly accepted him to come into our hearts, we will hunger for his word. if we truly love Jesus Christ, we will want to read in his word to learn about him, and his wonderful works.
so stay in Gods word!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

long time no write!

hey y'all!
im terribly sorry. i know its been awhile
but i've been super busy. and wed night i just didnt feel like writing b/c i was kind of having a really bad day. but right now i am in an AWESOME mood. b/c Jesus is amazing. haha. and i had a really good time last night, megan came with us to the hhs vs. mauldin football game to watch ricky & the marchin band & then we took her home and i got to spend some time with mitchell, after waking him up. haha.
so tonight i wanna talk about asking God. you should NEVER be afraid to ask God anythinggg.
Luke 11:9-10 says, "So i say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (NKJV) if you ask God he will give you what you ask for, if your looking for something and you involve God you will find it. God is always there. and all you have to do is ask him and he WILL answer your prayer.
Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious aobut anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God." if you want something, pray about it. ask God. and NEVER forget to thank him. he will always answer your prayer. always.
James 4:2 says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." which is a GREAT verse. if you dont have something, the most logical reason to why is because you have not asked God for it. you should NEVER be afraid to ask God for anything, thats what he wants you to do. if your not asking God, your taking it into your own will. and nothing ever turns out good because God can always do it better.
God is listening, and hes ready to hear from you right now. so ask!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

angels

hey y'all!
today was alright. for a monday. haha. it was b-day. blah. but oh well. i worked on my english project a little bit & read & then finished ash&rachels birthday presents and then i went to dance & then came home & got on here.
i did my devotion on angels. they are Gods helpers to do his work here on earth, watching over us, and helping us.
Psalm 103:20 says, "Praise the Lord, you his angels, you might ones who do his bidding, who obey his word." God has angels to do his bidding. to praise & worship him, and to watch over us as we go through our lives everyday. angels are always there lookin' out for us and doing whatever God asks of them.
Matthew 13:39 says, "and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." just like the last verse says, angels are here to do Gods work on earth.
Matthew 16:27 says, "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." when Jesus comes back, he will have his angels with him. they're Jesus's workers, and they're guarding over us.
you have one watching over you :]] my devotion book says: Angels do God's work here on earth...and so should you.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

thats what i love about sunday...

hey y'all
today was sunday. i love sundays. for the most part, today was great. went to church, rev. ponder preached a great sermon, then i went around simpsonville with mitchell and he came back to my house & hung out till about 2 then left me to go fourwheelin. hes still in one peice, so we're good. haha. then we came back to church tonight. but recieved some bad news. our youth pastor, allen davis, is leaving us. now im going to be absolutely honest, its difficult because of everything we went through with pastor chad and david and robbie leaving. we all felt abandoned, but i know they've set out with a call from God to do great things. and now allen is leaving. its hard, when everyone who made an impact on your life, everyone you looked up too and got close to as leaders in your church just picks up and leaves. especially all at one time. we still have amazing people that im soo glad to still have at new hope, like most def the gilberts & the runyans & becca & steve & boomer & mrs gale & everyone. but i will not lie, it is hard. i honestly dont really know what else to say right now.
my new devotion book is pretty cool. i'll pick back up on the devotions tomorrow.
i recommend readint Matthew 28. pretty cool chapter. its what allen talked about in sunday school today. how if we're Jesus's deciples we are also called to be his missionaries and learn & teach others the word of God!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

addiction

hey y'all!
today was good. it was a-day. i went to the football game, for about twenty minutes, and then went home with candace and we spent our usual friday night doing absolutely nothing. i talked to mitchell last night. hes feeling a bit better. his fevers down. so i thank God for that. though i still think he should take cough medicine, he wont listen to me. haha.
i did my devotion on addicition. addicition is a horrible thing. my uncle jimmy & grandfather were addicted to alcohol, it killed them both. and now im watching it waste away my uncle don. its tragic, and really scary. addicition is not something you want to get wrapped up in. your ONLY addicition should be Jesus Christ.
James 1:22 says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so decive yourselves. Do what it says." so, dont just listen to what the word says, DO IT. you can sit here and read the bible all day, but unless you use what it says, its not doing you any good. addiction to things other than God is absolutely not doing what the bible says.
Hebrews 4:15-16 says, "For we do not have a High Preist who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come bodly to the throne of grace, taht we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (NKJV) every Christian is tempted, but those who stay strong and go to God, will not sin. God is always there to help us when we need him. and certianly to help keep us from addiction, or bring us out of an addiction. so just trust in him!!
John 8:34 says, "Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.'" this ones pretty self-explanitory. if you sin, your a slave to sin. and if you sin repeatedly, your a slave to an addicting sin.
so dont be a slave to addcition unless its for Jesus Christ!!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

action!

hey y'all!
today was pretty good. for a b-day. we went to judgement house, it was amazing. pleasant grove put SOO much work into it. and the story line was really good. and the funnest part was going to heaven, everyone was so nice. it was greatt. it was kindah creepy when Jesus called my name when he was at the judgement seat, haha. i must admit. ashley got called too. mitchells getting better, for all of y'all that are wondering.
well my devotion was on taking action. we know what to do, but sometimes taking action is hard.
James 3:13 says, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humilty that comes from wisdom." as Christians we shouldnt just be telling people we're a Christian. we need to show the world through our actions. they need to be done humbly and with the wisdom of God. we need to show the world through our actions, what God can accomplish!
Proverbs 27:12, "The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and stuff from it." we need to keep an eye out, and be careful. in the face of danger, we need to realize it, and take refuge in God because he can save us. we need to make sure every single action we take, involves God.
We need to take action. Theres a saying that goes there are three kinds of people: people who make things happen, people who wait for things to happen, and people who scratch their heads and ask, 'what happened?'" though i usually live in the world of "what happened?" when it comes to God, i want to take action! and show the entire world how absolutely amazing he is!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

chruch day!

hey y'all.
todays wednesday. which, as most of you know, me & candace have nicknamed, church day. today was good. like wednesdays usually are. i got 5 more slides almost done on my AP english presentation, i rode home w/ candace & we hung out then went to church [ima talk to you about what we watched at church tonight] but anyway, i talked to megan & mrs rhonda & mr mark, mitchells still sick. poor mitch=(. and i found out something really cool tonight. im totally going to sound like the biggest nerd you've ever met, but, im excited b/c JR Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings, was a Christian, && The Lord of the Rings is based off of the bible!! i think thats pretty much amazing. so mr allen challenged us to watch LOTR [or chronicles of narnia] from the biblical stand point. so im gunna do that in the next few days, maybe weeks, haha, whenever i have time, and i'll post about the stuff i see in the movies.
for right now i want to tell y'all about the video we watched at bible study tonight. i think it was pretty awesome. it was called "Epic" and it was about how the Bible is an Epic story and it was linking it with other epic stories such as, LOTR. the Bible really is an amazing Epic story about the wonderful things God has done, and the villian that is against him-satan. The guy on the video said something to me that REALLY stuck out, he said, "We've heard a lot about orignial sin, but not enough about original glory." which is true. generally in church when we talk about Genisis, we talk about the sin Adam & Eve commited and the effect it had on mankind. but think, we should also focus on the original glory, how God created all the wonderful things such as the earth and its plants & animals. It shows his gentle kindness, and also his amazing power. so tonight...think about Gods orignial glory!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

acceptance

hey y'all!
today was pretty good, tuesdays usually are. all except for its a b-day. but today b-day wasnt too bad. and then i had band practice tonight, i loveee singing. mitchells still sick. y'all pray for him, b/c i know hes gotta be feelin' pretty awful.
so i did my devotion on acceptance.
1 Timothy 4:4 says, "For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is recieved with thanksgiving." God didnt create anything bad, or harmful to us. and we should not reject the things he has given us, we should give thanks for them, and accept them.
Job 2:10 says, "...Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" which means we have to accept the bad, with the good. we go through trials & temptations to show our loyalty to God. James tells us that we should have joy in troublesome times, because we get the chance to go to God, show him our loyalty, and witness his power when we pray and he helps us through our trials. so if somethings not going so great in your life...accept it...infact...praise God for it. because your faith will grow. and Jesus is with you.
Job 22:21 says, "Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way your prosperity will come to you." in other words, accept whatevers thrown at you, and submit to God, dont try to solve things yourself, realize that God is always going to do it much better than you can. if you trust in God, and give your problems over to him, you will prosper. but all of this starts with acceptance.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

ability

hey y'all!
today...i pretty much did absolutely nothing. i lazed around the house, watched a movie, read a book, talked to candace for a little while. called mitchell a few times to see how hes doin' but he must be away from his phone or sleepin' cause i havent talked to him, so idk if hes still real sick or not. hopefully hes better. and then i went to dance. and came home. and now im writin on here.
so i did my devotion on the abilities God has given you to use for him.
1 Corinthians 7:7 says, "Each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that." (NKJV) God has given each & everyone of us a special gift, or talent, to use for his glory. so think about the things you do well, are you using them?
1 Timothy 4:14 says, "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you..." so this goes back to my last question. say you know what your gift is. are you using it? we shouldnt neglect the wonderful gifts God has given us. we also should not use them to go against God, we need to use our gifts wisely and to glorify God. like me, i sing. God gave me this talent to glorify him. so if i went and sang songs with bad lyrics, that God would not approve of, would i be using my gift to glorify him? no. i'd be doing the exact opposite. so use your gift to show others how wonderful your Creator is.
1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has recieved to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." so. adding on to what i just was saying. dont just use your gift, use it for God. use it to serve others. use it to show the world God is great. humble yourself and use your gift for other people, not for personal gain.
so the question here is...God gave you a gift. are you using it? and more importantly, are you using it for God's glory?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

long time no post

hey y'all!
for all of y'all that read my blog dilligently, i am terribly sorry. i have been in a devotion book transition and havent had much to post about, but ontop of that its been a 4 day weekend and i've been REALLY busy. lately i've been reading in revelation im on chapter 8, ill talk more about that later, when i understand it better. as for tonight im just gunna tell y'all whats been goin on in my life lately & ill start back up on my devotions tomorrow b/c i got a new devotion book...thank you mister allen! so thursday night i was with candace for awhile, and then i had dance. and friday i was with candace, me & her went all around simpsonville lookin' for things for our costumes for the fall festival. we found 'em. we're gunna be faires. our costumes are really cute. and then i went back to candaces until about 11 that night. i talked to mitchell around 9, his poor fourwheeler. haha. saturday i went over to candaces & watched a movie with mitchell & kody & her...and then we went to wompus woods, my goodness was it SCARY! haha mitchell had to drag me to it. and today, i was at church this morning, & then i came home & took a nap & stuff, & then back to church tonight. and tomorrow, i think im hanging out with candace again. haha
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

hello!

hey y'all!
wednesdays are usually great, but tonight, eh not so much. more drama with certain girls...no fun. i really dont like drama. pray for me, please.
so ima talk about what we talked about with mrs. rhonda tonight at church, b/c you wouldnt believe how many people who are Christians dont know why Jesus had to shed his blood for us. so i figured i'd share that with y'all. the reason Jesus couldnt have just...drank poision or something to be our Savior goes back all the way to the story of Adam and Eve. whenever satan persuaded Eve to sin & eat from the tree of knoweldge, God had to kill an innocent animal and shed its blood to cover Adam and Eve. that is why when God sent Jesus to die for our sins he had to shed his blood for us, because hes the ultimate sacrifice. thats something i didnt know until i talked to rhonda, awhile ago she told me that, and i think it explains alot! ohh && y'all pray for mrs frea & her family please!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

tomorroww

im not sure what to write tonight. haha
but ill write it in the morning
i've got to find a new devotion thing. haha
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

hey!

hey y'all!
today was good. it was A day. and i went to watch candace & ash & rach play powderpuff. then i come home & talked to mitch for a little while. i dont really know what to write tonight. i finished my devotion book, and i just read a few verses last night. im gunna look tonight for something to read so i have something to write to y'all about. i did get the oppourtunity to show somebody where it says not to cuss in the bible today though. that was pretty neat. its always nice whenever God shows you where to look so that you can back up what you say. ima keep talkin' ab out Jesus to them and see if i can lead them to Christ. it would be amazing to see yet another person get saved at hillcrest. yepp. i do have to say, hillcrest high school, change is a'commin. so great job tonight candace ash & rach!!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

open up your heart!

hey y'all!
today was good. sunday is always the bets day. got up went to church praised Jesus & hung with mitch. then went to candaces and hung with her until night church were we praised Jesus some more :] and then i talked to mitchell more :] haha. lovee sundays.
so i did my devotion last night on opening up your heart. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes." if you want to know God better, open up your heart and let him in!! C.S. Lewis observed taht "a persons spritual health is directly proportional to his love for God." if you want to recieve all of Gods spritual blessings you have to invite him in and let him rule over your heart! when you honor God he'll fill your heart & bless your life. and tell everyone this. tell others how great it is to have him filling up your heart!
i know this is short, but heres my question for tonight...Gods knocking at your heart...are you going to let him in??!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

getting to know Him

hey y'all!
today was good. mitchell called and got me up at 8 am. haha. gotta love him. & then i went to mrs jennys work at 11 with rachel & katie and we worked on our AP US history portfolio project until 7 at night. it took us EIGHT hours. it was horrible. haha. but atleast we got it finished, & we def. dont have to worry about it tomorrow. which is great. haha. then i came home & ate & then talked to candace for awhile. tigers didnt play today. and i def. have to agree with pastor chad whenever he said hes glad b/c they cant lose if they dont play. haha.
well anyway i did my devotion on getting to know God. Jonah 2:8-9 says, "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But i, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What i have vowed i will make good. salvation comes from the Lord." how much time do you spend getting ot know God? your spiritual growth is determined by how much time you spend with God. and most def. the more time & energy you put into getting to know God, the better you'll come to know him, and the better off you'll be. as Christians, we should all make time every single day to praise God and to study his Holy Word. we will then experience firsthand the blessings that God offers to those who worship him consistently. if you let the busyness of the world get in the way of your time with God, SLOW DOWN! so remember...God is always with you. you cant get away from him, and why would you want too?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

trust the future to God

hey y'all.
today was bleh. wednesdays are usually good. but tonight wasnt so great. oh well. i'll pray about it & things will get better...b/c Jesus is here.
well anyway. i did my devotion on trustin the future to God. Jerimiah 29:11 says, "'For i know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" i love this verse. how can we know God of we're unwilling to trust him? we cant. we need to trust God in every single thing i nour lives. i honestly struggle with this a lot. because i worry a ton. and being a Christian i shouldnt have to worry. i should just trust in God and know that his plan for me is best, and that everything will turn out okay. and i have to keep reminding myself of that when life gets really difficult. with God, we can face every challenge with optimisim and hope. God created us for a reason. he has a plan for every one of us, and we just need to trust him so we can follow it. we need not fear the future, b/c God knows it, and he has an amazing plan for us. the only way we can follow it is to trust him absolutely. and remember...when times get hard, just trust in God. he will lift you up. no doubt about it.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

give God the glory!

hey y'all!
today was good. tuesdays usually are. band practice went great. & i talked to mitchell for awhile, so that was good :]
i did my devotion on giving God the glory. Proverbs 15:33, "the fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom and humility comes before honor." who are the greatest that walk among us?? they're not the proud & the powerful, but the humble servants. they care less for their own glory, and do everything for God's glory. if you want to be great in Gods eyes, you must be humble, & praise him by giving him the glory for his good works. not yours. do not overestimate your own accomplishments. remember, when you accomplish something, you could have never accomplished it without God's help anyway, so give him the glory for it. after all, he did help you. every single one of us was made by God...and we need to give him the glory he deserves for it. we all need to praise & thank God for everything he is doing for us. and we also need to tell the world!
so are you going to give God the glory...or take it for yourself?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

read the Bible everyday.

hey y'all!
today was alright. mondays are never all that great. haha. and im super sore from ridin the fourwheeler w/ mitchell yesterday, but thats okay, it was a blast. i am excited that i made a 98 on my english test. i was shocked! haha
well i did my devotion on reading your Bible everyday. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." if you really want ot get to know God better, the best place to find out about him is in His Word. The Bible is wayy diff than any other book. its a gift and tool that God gave us to use for every single aspect of our lives. it contains promises that us as Christians can depend on. D.L. Moody said, "The Bible was not give to increas our knowledge, but to change our lives." and that is VERY true. the bible isnt just for us to read and know. its for us to read and live. the Bible is a one of a kind gift and we need to use it each and every single day. if you have a difficulte choice to make, dont do it alone, let Jesus help you! through his Holy Word. the bible has the answer. so i ask you...are you going to just know the bible...or are you going to live it?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

make Christ your focus!

hey y'all!
today was amazing. sundays always are. i had no drama today. church was good this morning. Allen made me think, like usual. haha. and then i left & spent the day fourwheelin with mitchell :]
so i did my devotion on making Christ your focus. Philippians 3:13-14 says, "I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing i do: forgetting waht is behind and straining toward what is ahead, i press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." as Christians Christ needs to be the focus of our lives we need to be fired up with enthusiasm for him!! we need to let Jesus reign over our days and that is exactly what God wants from us. he gave us the gift of eternal life throug hJesus and in response we are instructed to follow him and focus our thoughts, prayers, and energies upon him & his only begotten son. we have to resist the temptation to put God last, or even second. he should be first. Jesus made an AMAZING sacrifice for us...so i ask you...what kind of scarifice are you willing to make for him?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

make God the cornerstone

hey y'all.
mk so ima just get right to my devotion.
i did it on making God the cornerstone of your life. 1 Peter 3:12 says, "For the eys of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the Lordi s against those who do evil." as Christians we need to let god reign over every aspect of our lives. God loves us. and in times of trouble, he'll be there to comfort us. and when were sad, he'll be here to dry our tears. he stands at the door of our heart, and he just waits. hes always there. always waiting for us to cry out to him. we need to open the door, let him in, and let him rule our lives. he will give us a wonderful peace and strength that none of us can accomplish without him. God can do everything we need. he needs to be first in our life, and the complete ruler of our hearts. whatever rules our hearts, is what we will worship. and we need to worship God. so i ask you...have you given God your heart...or are you attempting to confine him to a tiny compartment of it?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

when you just dont understand

hey y'all
today was really boring. i sat at home all day. i was supposed to hangout with candace, but she never called back. i am really struggling with some things right now and i just really need y'all to pray for me. a lot of drama and worries and stuff.
so i did my devotion on when you just dont understand things. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now i know in part; then i shall know fully, even as i am fully known" as humans, we can never fully understand the hand of God. but as believers, we have to have trust in what God is doing in our lives. we are going to face trials in our life that make us sad, fearful, worried but we have to seek Gods will. not our own. and we have to pray and realize that he is here. and that his will is best for us. when we turn our lives over to him complete he will give us the strength to get through whatever trial we are going too. and even though sometimes we may not understand his plan for us, we must trust it. and follow it. Paul Tournier said, "When tehre is no longer any opportunity for doubt, theres no longer any opportunity for faith, either." if things are so certain that they cannot be doubted, we do not have to have faith in them. in uncertain situations is where we must have faith that God will see us through it and that we will come out stronger, and his plan is the one we need. so i ask you...do you have the faith to trust in your Father's plan??
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

open up!

hey y'all.
today was good. i love church day. but im struggling a little bit with something at the moment at church. some people causing drama, so please pray for me.
so i did my devotion on opening yourself up to the amazing plans God has for you. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "However, as it is written: 'no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'" i think thats a pretty awesome verse. God has wonderful plans for our lives. but he will never force these plans upon us. he has given us free will, so we must chose to follow the amazing path that God has layed before us. if we want to live in accordance with God's will for our lives then we will live in accordance with his commandments. we need to study his word, watch for his signs, and associate with fellow Christians that encourage us to grow in God. we need to listen to the inner voice that speaks to us in the quietest of moments.
Marianne Williamson said, "Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are." and i totally agree. i love that. b/c how can we be truly joyful until we really know how wonderful something is?
God intends to use everyone one of us in a wonderful and unexpected way. all we have to do is let him. the decision to do this is ours alone. its up to us to look for the plan, and once we find it, live it. and remember. discovering Gods plan beings with prayer. Warren Wiersbe said, "God surrounds you with opportunity. You and I are free in Jesus Christ, not to do whatever we want, but to be all that God wants us to be."
so i ask you...are you ready to be everything God wants you to be?!?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

share your testimony!

hey y'all!
today was good. i love tuesdays. i just got back from band practice, love the songs. & i talked to mitch for awhile, & then lyle. well i've got to go get in the shower...so ima go straight to my devotion...
i did my devotion on sharing your testimony. 1 Timothy 2:7 says, "And for this prpose i was appointed a herald and an apostle-i am telling the truth, i am not lying-and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles." a great way to build your faith is to talk about it-to everyone! that is EXACTLY what God wants you to do. we live in a world that really needs to hear the message of Jesus. and what better way to do that than tell people what God personally did for you. he gives you your testimony to share with others so they can relate to you, and see that if God can do that for you, maybe he can do those things for them too. we, as Christians, of course know that he can, and will. but it makes lost people think. "if God did that for her/him, then maybe he will fix me" we need to find ways to share our beliefs with the world around us. there are many ways to do this, through actions, and through just straight up telling people. God gave us our testimony to share with the world, so that others might come to him as well. we're put here to plant the seed, and Gods gunna do the rest. our responsiblibty as Christians is to tell everyone we come in contact with what he can do. so what are you waiting for?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be a servant!

hey ya'll!
today was pretty good. good for a monday. i like tuesdays & wednesdays much better though. i didnt end up going to school but for 4th period today, because i had a dentist appt. this morning but it was over at like 10:30, but i didnt want to go to 3rd period b/c all i do is sit there so i just went back to school for AP US history b/c i couldnt miss it. haha. then i came home and watched tv and then talked to candace & then went to dance. & now im here. haha.
well i did my devotion last night on how Jesus was a servant, and we should be servants too. 1 Chronicles 28:20 says, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God-my God-will be with you. He will ont leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord." (NKJV) as Christians, we need to do our best to try & imitate His Son. one thing Jesus did, that we need to do too, is to be a humble servant. the world glorifies power, prestige, fame & money. but thats not what Jesus teaches, or what will glorify Jesus. the best men are the ones who are humble, and help and serve others. Max Lucado said, "There are times when we are called to love, expecting nothing in return. There are times when we are called to give money to people who will never say thanks, to forgive those who won't forgive us, to come early and stay late when no one else notices." and its true. God will call us to do many things. but we have to realize that what others wont notice, God always notices. and gives praise to those who do great things by being servents to him. we need to honor God my imitating Jesus and serving others. so...will you serve the world, or will you serve God?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

random thoughts!

heyy y'all!
today was good. its sunday. i love sunday. church was good this morning. tonight bleh, not so much. the singing was wonderful but theres a few girls that are kind of causing some drama and its just making me super upset. but i had fun with mitchell & everyone afterwards. oh && eric is back till wednesday! i was excited. i missed him. haha. it seems like everyone left, so it was really nice to see a farmliar face.
well anwyay, my devotion last night was really redundent from the one from the night before, so im not gunna write about it today so this is one of my random thoughts bullitens.
first of all, people really shouldnt judge. the bible says its up to God to judge people, not people. and i really dont like it whenever people judge me and they dont know me, recently i've been called ditzy, dingey, self-absorbed, that i think im better than everyone else and that they hate me. and i havent even ever hardly talked to these girls, and when i have, i've always been nice. and they're saying that they want to beat me up, and its kind of really affecting me. i just dont like it whenever people dont like me for no reason. i dont understand what i did. bleh. pray for me.
i have amazing friends. and i thank God everyday for everyone that was there for me today. i lovee my friends. :]
well sorry its a short post tonight
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

follow him!

hey y'all!
today was alright. i went to rickys band competition, they did really good, & then came home & watched the tigers lose. my goodness. i mean c'mon Georgia Tech is horrible. absolutely horrible. and the tigers STILL lost. wanna know why? b/c CULLEN HARPER CANT THROW A FOOTBALL! Clemson has two of the best running backs in the NATION and they would not give James Davis the ball. i mean c'mon. James Davis is a BEAST. and our recievers are pretty amazing too. Jacoby Ford & Aaron Kelly. plus my dads 'white boy' Tyler Grisham. grr. sorry as you can see, i am not excited my tigers lost. but if they'd have just run the football, we could have won!! i am def saying...PUT WILLY KORN IN.
mk sorry. enough ranting about the football loss. haha. & then my dad cooked dinner, which was really good.
mk so i did my devotion following God. John 12:26 says, "Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant must also be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." As Christians we need to be walking with Jesus every day. we need to stray from the ways of the world, and pick up our cross, and follow God. Jesus has called us to follow in his footsteps and spread & study God's wonderful, living, word. we need not be worried about the day ahead, we just need to let Jesus lead us and follow in his mighty footsteps. we have to realize that he will NEVER desert us, and he will NEVER lead us astray. when we're in times of trouble, we need to call upon God. when your not sure about your future, call upon God. he will reveal his plan to you if you just listen for us powerful, quiet voice. if we talk with God, and we listen to him...we will be following in his path, and that is exactly where we need to be-following Gods son. our Savior. its a matter of obedience. we have to obey Gods word, and when we do that, we will be walking with him. so i ask you...Jesus is walking with you...who will you walk with?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

thankful?

hey y'all!!
today was okay. school, bleh. b/c it was b-day. but its friday night & i dont have school tomorrow. i went and watched the marching band b.c they had this thing tonight & ricky wanted me to go, they did good. & i talked to mitchell for awhile :]. im extremely bored right now. i didnt make plans tonight, & i dont think i have any tomorrow, haha. but idk.
so i did my devotion on being thankful, James 5:13 says, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise." Gods word tells us a wise heart is a thankful heart. and the bible stresses being wise. think of all the wonderful things God has blessed us with that we dont even deserve, we owe him everything, & we should thank him every single day for everything he has given us. God is ALWAYS listening so, are you willing to tell him thank you for everything he has done for you? God has given us everything. he sent his only son to die for us so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven, he blesses our lives with wonderful opportunites to serve him and with wonderful things. hes always there for us to ask him to help us & to give us whatever, hes always listening. he has given us much much more than we could ever repay him, so he def. deserves our thanks. true & heartfelt thanks. God is ready to hear from you. so what are you waiting for?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be a cheerful Christian!

hey y'all!
today was alright. b-day and dance class, bleh. but otherwise it was good. i have no homework, so im excited about that. haha. im talkin to candace right now, b/c we're bored & yeah. haha. shes a cool kid. haha :]
well i did my devotion on being a cheerful Christian! Proverbs 15:15 says, The cheerful heart has a continual feast." the weirdest thing ever is a grumpy Christian. Christ promises us lives of abundance and & joy but he doesnt force this on us. we have to claim his joy ourselves when we do Jesus will fill our spirts with his power & his love. to recieve Christs joy we need to give him our hearts & our souls. when we commit ourselves to Jesus & place him in the center of our lives & turst him he will transform us so that we can share his joy with the entire world!! do you need cheering up? well make someone else happy! b/c that will brighten your day too. next time your sad, just remember, Jesus is there! and he died for you! to give you an eternal life in heaven with him. when you know that, you have absolutely NOTHING to be sad about!! so my question tonight is...are you going to give Jesus your heart and experience the joy only He can bring?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

memior

hey y'all!
today was good...after school. haha. at school it was, of course, b-day. bleh. but after school i came home & got ready & stuff & then went to band practice that went really well, our new music director is cool. and i LOVE the songs we're singing. and after that i sat out in the parkin lot & talked to mitchell for awhile wihle our moms talked. :]
well i want to tell y'all about my memior. we had to write about a time in our life where we changed alot, and why. i wrote about when i first came to New Hope because it changed me a TON! i became a much stronger Christian and got a lot closer to God and a lot more into my bible & stuff. and about the leaders there that i look up too and stuff. i also wrote about how it changed my friends. i got alot closer to candace & ashley & rachel and of course, mitchell. and i just met some amazing people. so yeah, i am really happy God lead me to new hope :]
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be patient and trust God

hey y'all!
today was pretty good. it was a-day. and i had dance and did a little hiphop with london, it was pretty cool. and i felt like a retard b/c that "you are my world" song we sang at church sunday morning [i love that song] but i'd never heard it before, and i found out i had the cd sitting on my computer desk. hahaha. oh boy am i sore from ridin on the fourwheeler yesterday.
so i did my devotion on being patient and trusting God. Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge" awesome verse. and something that really helps me. we have to be patient because sometimes we're faced with challenges. Psalm 37:7 says, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him" but thats really hard for a lot of people. the human race is a very impatient people. i, of course, included. i am a verryy impatient person, and im trying to work on that. we want to manage are lives in our own time, not Gods. but what we have to realize, is that Gods time is always going to be better than our time. instead of being impatient, we should trust God, and know that when the time comes, he will answer us, and that it will be at the best time, because God always knows best. his timing is always perfect. waiting will strengthen us, and strengthen our relationship with God. we need to depend on him, give him our lives. and realize that he will always answer our prayers, we just have to pray fervently, trust him, study his word and wait for his answer. the most important thing to remember is that the only person that will NEVER let you down is Jesus Christ. and that his timing is perfect timing. so heres my question for tonight...will you put your trust in an imperfect human...or are you going to put your trust in almighty God?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be a practical Christian

hey y'all!
today was greattt. got up, went to church, praiseband sang great songs, after church me & mitchell went to kodys w/ candace & watched a movie & then i went to mitchells and hung out there, then we went back to church at night, and attempted to play music but had serious vocal problems. haha. but thats okay.
so i did my devotion on being a practical Christian. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." As Christians, we have to live our faith out loud. we have to show what we believe through not just our words, but our actions ans well. we have to be practical believers, and act quickly when we see an oppourtunity to serve God! God wants believers who will work for him, and do whatever he asks. we can tell people what we believe all day, but the best way to show others what we believe, and how God has changed us, is to act it. not just on sunday, we need to live out loud everyday, showing others what God can do. Christians are supposed to be kind & compassionate toward other people, and forgive everyone.
so...are you willing to work for Gods glory?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be humble!!

hey y'all!
today was good. lazy day. haha. i pretty much layed around and did nothing until 4 where i went to band practice & met our interim music minister! he was pretty awesome i must say! he picked great songs, & i am happy to say we will be singing songs that I, and y'all, actually know tomorrow morning! and im really excited!
so i did my devotion last night on being humble. 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." as Christians, we have to realize that pride is a major blockage between you & God. its harder to know God when your prideful. whenever we experiance success we need not to take the praise for ourselves, but give it to God. because he is the only reason we do well in antying. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements." they're not our achievements, they're Gods achievements & thats what makes it important. whenever we achieve something we dont need to take pride in it for ourselves, we need to give the glory to God! Humilty pleases God. pride does not. so heres my question...are you gunna be humble, and please God? or prideful, & dissapoint him??
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

seek strength from God

hey y'all!!
so of course im doing this for yesterday, so yesterday was great. i love a day fridays! then i went & hung out with candace & we went to the mauldin game...yeah i know we're traitors. and i talked to mitch for a little while :] and omgoodness i have a story to tell y'all. mk at the mauldin game they played gaffney. well they have those flags that spell out g-a-f-f-n-e-y and well they were kind of backwards, or atleast they were to me & candace & we soo thought it said yenffag. it was soo funny b/c we're like "yenffag? whats a yenffag??" haha and then we're like "ohhh it says gaffney!" i felt like a loser. haha. but it was really funny.
well anyway my devotion was on seeking strength from God. Exodus 15:2 says, "the Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and i will praise him, my fathers God, and i will exalt him." where do you go to find strength? i'd most def say the best place to go find strength is in God. b/c he can help you through anything. if you turn your life & heart over to God, you will have his strength and you will be abled to make it through anything and you can do absolutely anything God asks you to do. God is most def. the ultimate source of strength and in anything you need to be strong in, hes there. let his strength shine through you!! turn all of your troubles over to God, you have to realize, we dont need to be strong, we just need to let God take over and we will 'tap in' as my devotion book says, to his strength. so...are you ready to show everyone God's strength?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

forgive!

hey y'all!
so yesterday was bleh. b-day. i dislike thursdays alot. haha.
well anyway
i did my devotion on forgiving everybody! Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." sometimes its difficult to forgive & forget things, but its not impossible. wouldnt life be much simpler if you could forgive everyone? you wouldnt have to worry about what happened and you could just forget it. you can say you forgive someone, and not mean it. forgivness requires time, perserverance, and most of all, prayer. people do bad things. and its not in human nature to want to forgive them for it, but if you have Jesus Christ in your heart & you sincerely pray to God about it, you can forgive anybody for anything they've done. because that is what Jesus would do. if theres even one person you havent forgiven you need to forgive them. grudges and bitterness only put up a wall between you & God. regret and grudges arent part of Gods plan for your life. Forgiveness, however, is. look at the example Jesus set. he forgave us of our sins and died for us just so that we can spend eternity with him in heaven. remember...Jesus forgave you...so you need to forgive others!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

walking in the light!

hey y'all!
today was greatt. it was church day. a-day. and church was neat. we talked about why we believe what is in the bible, and i already knew everything in the bible was true, but it def. helped me with what to tell a lost person if they asked me how i know the bible is true. i accidently poked mitchell in the eye, and kneed him in the mouth =( haha i feel bad for that. poor mitch. me & candace so broke a chair today. and danced around her room while singing marvelous light. haha we're dorks. but thats okay.
so i did my devotion last night on walking in the light. John 8:12 says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have to light of life." an farmiliar song to everyone, "one way Jesus" tells us that Jesus is "the way the truth & the life" [this comes from John 14:6-7] without Christ, we have no salvation, and we are stuck in the dark. without him, we never know the real truth, Gods truth. if we seek to feel Gods presence, and expriance his peace...we must walk in his light. the only way to do this, is to accept his son. we need to walk in Jesus's light and let everyone around us know it! show the world the light that shines on us through Jesus Christ and let everyone see it! so i ask y'all this...are you walking in Jesus light?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

worry less.

hey y'all!
today was good. b-day. bleh. but it was alright. im just excited about tomorrow. wednesday. church day. a-day. i lovee me some wednesdays. youth band is tryin' but i've got no promises for awhile y'all. just pray for what God wants us to do.
so i did my devotion on worrying less. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." when your worried. first take your concerns to God and also to those who care about you and that you know you can trust. it helps to talk your problems out, because bottling them up is never a good soloution. we also need to talk to God about it through prayer, because he can help us through anything. Gods always here, always listening, waiting for us to come to him. we need to talk about our problems and our worries openly to the people who care for us and that we trust and we need to give our worries over to God, because hes always here for us. we need to learn to walk by faith. and worry less because God is here. and through is son, Jesus Christ, everything is going to be okay. we have no reason to worry because if we turn our troubles to God...EVERYTHING will turn out okay in the end :]
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

when the path is dark

hey y'all!
today was good. A-day. A-day is always good. haha. i had dance tonight but i didnt do much dancin' b/c they mostly didn hip-hop tonight. im excited, i made a good grade on my english paper :].
so anyway, my devotion last night was on when the path gets dark. Micah 7:8 says, "Do not gload over me, my enemy! Though i have fallen, i will rise, Though i sit in the darkness, the Lord will be my light" people have doubts all the time and about all different kinds of things. but we have to remember, God never everr leaves our side. hes always with us, and always here to help us through things. hes always prepared to reach our hearts, calm our fears and doubts and restore confidence. we dont have to doubt things if we remember that God is in control. he will take care of us, and pull us off of whatever dark path we may have stumbled down. Sheila Walsh observed, "To wrestle with God does not mean that we have lost faith, but that we are fighting for it." when doubts creep in we just have to let God stay in control of our lives and fight for us. remember, he always wants what is best for us, even if we dont think its best for ourselves, God knows best. Joni Eareckson Tada said, "In heaven, we will see that nothing, absolutely nothing, was wasted, and that every tear counted, and that every cry was heard." and if we seek God, he will always be there. always protecting us from the dark. so my question for y'all tonight...are you willing to let God be the light of your life??
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

be silent

hey y'all!!
today was great. got up & went to church in the morning & the interim pastor did a good job preaching. after church i just kinda lazed around the house until i went to get candace & went up to the church around 4:30 and met the youth band up there [btw we're working on getting things together so maybe we'll have some music again soon in the youth service!] & then after church i went to zaxbys with mitchell & megan & ricky & mrs rhonda & lyle. it was fun :]]
well anyway my devotion was on being silent so you can hear God speak. Psalm 37:7 says, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." sometimes God speaks loudly and clearly, but a lot of times his voice is going to be very soft and your going to have to stop all the commotion thats going on around you and spend some time with God so that you can hear his wonderful voice. we must set aside quiet times to spend with God in His Word. when we pray sincerely for something, God WILL answer. but we have to be quiet enough and willing enough to hear his answer. and remember its not going to be on our time, its going to be on his. and remember...you dont listen to God with your ears...you listen to him with your heart.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

contagious Christianity!

hey y'all!
today was good. i went to the mall with chelsea and on the way home we saw mitchell pullin out of his works road haha it was cool. and then i went to candaces & we walked for 4 miles to cvs it was cool & then we went to aldi and wal*mart at like 9 at nightt!
so if we live our faith out loud, it can sure be contagious! Matthew 10:32 says, " Whoever acknowledges me before men, i will also acknoweldge him before my father in heaven." if your a genuine Christian & you live your faith out loud, others will def. notice and it can impact them in great ways. we should be really excited about our relationships with Christ and show it to the otehrs around us. God wants us to tell the entire world everything he has done for us. Christianity is really contagious because everyone wants to be a part of something bigger, and those that see how much fun we have fellowshiping together as Christians and worshiping our Lord and going to church, they'll want to be part of it too. and the amazing things we get to see God do!! its pretty much really amazing. we shouldnt be ashamed of God, and we should want to show everyone. i know im excited to talk about him, and i know it annoys some people, but if even a little peice of it gets through to them and grows it was all worth it. we shouldnt be afraid that our friends will 'get mad' at us, because you can always make new friends. but they may only have one chance to hear God's amazing grace, and thats through you. not sharing could be giving them a one-way ticket to hell...and you shouldnt want that for anyone, no matter how mad they get at you!
so my question for y'all is...are you living your loud enough for the whole world to hear?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

Mark part 2 :]

hey y'all!
today was good, b/c it was friday. but it was still icky b-day. goodness. thank goodness monday is a-day. but i am just happy it is the WEEKEND! haha. i did nothing tonight. big surprise. haha. fridays are usually boring. tomorrow ill probably hang out with candace. b/c thats what i do on saturdays. haha. and its fun. haha. i've been listening to barlowgirl, i love love them. haha.
well ima finish talkin' to y'all about Mark tonight :] and my blog tomorrow will be on 'contagious Christianity' which is something im excited about.
anywho, back to Mark.
Mark 12:29-31, "The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: Hear, O Isreal, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and wit all your idn and with all of your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." so. 2 things we need to know as Christians: 1. we need to love God with everything we have. and we should nave NO other Gods. we need to give our lives to God. and 2. we need to loves others as we love ourselves. it is not our place to judge people and we should not hate anyone. we need to love, and to forgive & forget.
Mark 12:43-44, "Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on." i love this story. all the rich people may have put in tons of money, but they still have tons left over, the widow gave God what we should all give God, absolutey everything we have.
Mark 14:38, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." we need to pray to God to keep us out of temptation. as Christians, our spirits long to serve God but our bodies are weak and easily persuaded into all types of temptation by desires and other things.
Mark 16:15-16, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but wheoever does not believe will be condemned." this ones pretty much self-explanitory. we need to tell people about Gods word! and if other sincerly and truly believe in God, they will be saved :]

so my question to y'all tonight is, what are you willing to do for God?
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

Mark!

hey y'all!
today was alright. b-day. bleh. i dont like b-day. and chorus had a-lunch. so i didnt really have anyone to eat lunch with. haha. b/c candace & ashley both are in chours 3rd on b-day. y'all pray for my grades. b/c im a little scared about my progress report grades. haha im not doin so hott in ap pshyc and ap us history. mk so i just got home from dance. it was fun. i like our dance.
okay so for the past week or so i've been readin in Mark like mister allen said too. and so i figured i'd share some of the verses in Mark that stood out to me with y'all tonight!
Mark 2:17 says, "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but its the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" which is something most churches need to understand, Chad talked about this a good bit, and allen does too. that Jesus didnt come here to save the righteous, but the sinners, churches are here to spread Gods word as well as for Christians to learn. but each church can only grow if it invites unsaved people into its house. isnt that our mission? to reach the unchurched, and lost people? so when somebody walks in to church and they're not exactly 'the best' type of person, dont judge. just pray. they're in church, with Jesus. and hes ready to speak to them. all we gotta do is accept them, and get 'em there.
next verse, Mark 4:30-32, "Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when paltned, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." which means we only need to plant Gods word and it only takes a little bit but once you do that its in Gods hands and it will grow to an enormus size!
Mark 7:14-15, "Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this, Nothing oustide a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man taht makes him 'unclean' which is totally true. its not the things that go into us, such as foods, that make us unclean. what makes us dirty is the things that come out. such as bad words, and derogatory statements.
Mark 8:34, "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." love this verse. im sure you've heard it before. but to follow Jesus we must deny ourselves and give our lifes to him. in other words we need to die in our sin and be reborn again in a new life, forgiven by Jesus Christ. and then we can live for him.
Mark 10:27, i love this verse, "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." this verse means exactly what it says. through man, and trying to do things yourself, tasks may seem impossible. but no task is to difficult or large for God to handle. everything is impossible with God. so when he asks you to do some impossible thing, just know that he'll be right there with you, helping you the whole time.
Mark 10:43-45, "Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be salve of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to sevre, and to give his life as a ransom for many." which is true. if we want to be great for God, we have to humble ourselves and serve others. we must be kind and help others. because even Jesus, our Lord, Creator, the Son of God, came to earth not for us to serve him, but so that he might die for us and save us.
Mark 11:22-25, "Have faith in God. Jesus answered. 'I tell you the truth, if anyone says to the mountain Go throw yourself into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but belives that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore i tell you, what ever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have recieved it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying if you hold anything against anyone forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" this verse says two things. 1. if we have complete faith that God will answer what we have prayed for, he will. we just must believe him. and 2. to have a good relationship with God and be close to him, we must always forgive others and not hold grudges so that God can forgive us.
well this devotion is pretty much a novel.
i will write the other few vereses in my blog tomorrow.
that way y'all dont have to read for hours. haha.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

continue to grow!

hey y'all!
today was good. its church day. i love church day. haha. i think i beasted my english test this morning, but i didnt too hott on my history tests. bleh. thats okay though. just need to study better next time. so today, went to school, was the usual school day, then rode home with candace & we lazed around & goofed off at her house until 6:30 & then we went up to the church. candace proceeded to draw all over my foot haha, it was so green & said "Jesus loves yew!" haha. and mitchell well he stuck his nastay foot on my forehead. goodness gracious. y'all know i dont like feet. haha. so there is a lot of sick people at hillcrest right now, rachel candace & myself included, so please pray that everyone gets well soon because we all feel icky. and pray i stay relatively healthy like i am, im not near a sick as poor rachel. pray for herrr. oh & pray for my gpa whos in WV & my nana who most of you know, is in Germany.
so my devotion was on continuing to grow in your faith. 1 Peter 2:2 says, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spritiual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" God doesnt want 'stagnant' believers. as we continue in our spiritual walk with God we need to grow in him through prayer, bible study, fellowship, church and other things as well. we must obey his commandments and stay in the center of his will. and thats what Gods plan for us is, not for us to become saved & stay the same, but for us to become saved & never stop growing in our faith from that point on. Leighton Ford said, "God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way." & i really like that quote. yeah he loves us how we are, but he wants to watch us grow in Him and help others grow in Him. as you become a stronger believer you'll be able to tell people more about things when they ask you questions. like mister allen always asks us these really hard i'd call them 'critical thinking' questions that really get you thinkin about what you actually know and what you'd say if a lost person asked you this question, would you know how to respond? like his tonight, have you seen God? well, this is what i believe: physically? no. none of us have seen God. not in this day & age. but we can see God in the things he does. the wonderful planet he made for us to live on with mountains & oceans and such. and then the miracles & other tasks he performs. like healing, saving, and just being there when we go through difficult times. i've seen God many times. when i pray to him for something, & he answers me, thats seeing him. seeing him through what he does. so my question for you tonight is the same as mister allens...have you seen God? and if not...are you looking for Him?? because sometimes we can miss things that are right infront of our eyes.
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

hes waiting at the door!

hey y'all!
sorry i didnt post yesterday. i had dance till late & then i had to take a shower & get ready for bed & such. i just got home from band practice. y'all pray for rachel b/c she really doesnt feel good. and bleh i dont feel great right now either, but i think its my sinuses. they're always actin up. yesterday was a really good day. it was A day. and i love A day. today- B-day. bleh. b-day. haha. but band practice was alright. i dont really know the songs that well but i think i'll do okay, ima just trust in Jesus.
so i have two things i want to talk about tonight.
first i'll talk about school, & then ill talk about my devotion.
so i just have been noticing lately the huge number of unsaved people at hillcrest. i never thought it was this bad, but it really is. but i have seen two people get saved in the last two weeks. and thats really exciting. hillcrest is going to change. God can do it! some guy told me he was going to call me "ms. Christian" and when i said "okay!" with an excited attitude he looked at me, shocked. he said he wanted to call me something i wouldnt like. and i told him i liked being labled, as long as it was for Jesus. so newsflash hillcrest high school...i AM a Jesus Freak.
so my devotion was on God waiting at the door for us. Matthew 7:7-8 says, "Ask and it will be gien to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves; he who seeks finds; and him who knocks, the door will be opened" God is never too far away to hear our requests. hes always right here, right now. if we're in need we need to ask God to fufill us. if we're troubled, ask him to take away our troubles. we always need to take our worries to him because we cant handle them ourselves. we need not our strength, but the strength of our wonderful Lord! if we need to know what our future holds, we can ask God about it. in everything, we need to seek God. in wisdom & will. he will always hear us, & always answer us. D.L. Moody observed, "Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant asking. But, the way to trouble God is not to come at all." if we have a true & sincere relationship with God we should be able to talk to him about anything. if we're not going to Him with our troubles, where are we taking them? we're taking them into our own hands. and remember, your plan is NEVER better than Gods plan. we need to just keep on asking and waiting for him to answer us. hes always here. always waiting. so my question to you is...God is ready to hear from you...are you ready to talk to him?!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

your thoughts

hey y'all!!
sorry i didnt do this yesterday, i had to rush on a history paper. but anyway i had such a good time. church was good in the morning & then me & candace whent fourwheelin with mitchell & kody. we got really muddy, and really wet from the creek water. but thats okay. haha it was super fun. and then we went to church that night & listened to lyle preach [great job lyle] and then we went out to subway & then to hang at heritage park. that was really fun too. i went to pull candace up a slide & she ended up pulling me down and i went flying off the slide into the mulch. i have a nasty i guess it would be, dirt burn, on my elbow now. & im super sore from that fourwheeler haha.
well i did my devotion on being careful how you direct your thoughts. the passage used for this, of course, was Philippians 4:8 which i've written about more than once before, and it says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is ture, whatever is nobel, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admiriable-if anything is execellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." if we really wanna be close to God, we have to take control of our thoughts. we need not think on worldy things because once the world gets control of our things, we really need to repent. things the world deem acceptable and things that God deems acceptable are two totally different things. we need to keep our thoughts pure and optimistic and not let them get "'hijacked' by negativity" as my devotion book says. we need to be enthusiastic and have great hope & faith and show the world that us Christians have something that they dont. Gods not going to force us to do this though, we have to choose to live & think like this ourselves. we need to think on the blessings God has given us, and think about things that would please him! remember...Godly thoughts lead to Godly deeds. bad thoughts...well you can guess the rest!
i love y'all!
God Bless!
- crystal jade

hang out with wise people!

hey y'all!
TGIF!! HILLCREST WON! GO RAMS!! i cant believe we won! again! YAY! 20-14 against Wade Hampton! i just got off the phone with mitchell, he is soooo one-track minded. hes worried about his drivers test and he interrogated me about it for an hour and a half. haha. but thats okay, im happy to help :] please pray for his driving test, i have faith that he'll pass. and pray for weston, hes new in his faith but hes really gettin it. i cant wait to see God work through him. i see the changes in him already!
i did my devotion on hanging out with wise people. Proverbs 13:20 says, "He who walks with the wise grows wise..." which is true. if we're hanging around unwise people, it isnt going to benefit us in our walk with God. we need to strive to help eachother become wiser everyday. all of us want to be wise, but to do that we all have to be willing to do the work it requires to become wise. it takes time && effort. we have to learn the lessons of the Christian life & also live by them. what good is learning something if you dont put it to use?? if we sincerly desire to become wise and share it with others our actions must parallel our words. the best way to share our wisdom is not by words, but by our actions. the secret to success with wisdom is consistency. we need to seek wisdom and we need to seek it everyday, and in the right place. which is Gods word. we need to seek friends that consistently encourage us to become better people. also, today at solid rock AJ said some things i wanted to share w/ y'all.
first of all, when God gives us an opportunity he will use is & he will speak through us so we dont have to be afraid to take the opportunity. so tonight, i want y'all to think about this...does your faith & actions impact others???
i love y'all!
God Bless!
-crystal jade