Gifts

We all love the anticipation of opening a big shiny box on our birthday or Christmas. Although we enjoy the decorated beauty of the outside of the surprise, we cannot wait to break through this beauty to behold what is on the inside. The longing for newness drives us to rip through the beauty of the wrapping paper and bow to discover the treasure that will bring delight even if just for a moment.

Sometimes the treasure on the inside is not a treasure at all. We find the pretty wrapping paper and bow deceived us and we wished we had never opened the so-called gift. For it would have looked much prettier and served a better purpose staying on a desk or table. For on a desk or table, we could just look and imagine the treasure that existed on the inside without tainting the outside layers of beauty on the outside.
Other times, we don’t receive a pretty wrapped box and bow at all. We are left wanting something to look at. Something to admire. Something to bring color to our dark world. We tell ourselves, we won’t unwrap the beauty of the outside paper, we will stand afar and appreciate it’s greatness. We beg and plead just for someone to bring hope in the form of intricate wrapping paper put together carefully and flawlessly with a shiny bow.
We all have received gifts. Some of us have received gifts that we long waited for. Some of us have received gifts without even knowing it. Some of us have received gifts that were viewed as curses. Some of us have received gifts that we didn’t want. Some of us are so envious of the gifts that others have received, that we are blind to the gifts that we have received. No matter who you are, you have received gifts in life. Your choice to use them in your relationship with God and His people is in your hands.

Doors by Amanda Smith

The Doors

Amanda Smith

I am running up and down a long hallway, where at first I see two doors- one at each end. Both doors have windows, but both also have padlocks. I keep looking through the windows at what each door could hold for me. Behind one door I see one choice. With this choice, my life is decided one way- no looking back. When I look through this door, I wonder what is behind this pretty picture. Is there certainty without confusion? Is this where God wants me? Is there doubt hidden behind all this? So I run down the long hallway to the other door, and peer through the window. Behind this door, I see another life. Here there is a little more pain and fear. I am making more mistakes behind this door but maybe I am learning from them too? Can I handle it? So I run back to the other door. As I run- In my hand, I hold a key...

So I keep running back and forth between these two doors, looking in each window, thinking about what I should do. Which door will my key unlock- what is the right choice for my life? Because I know with this choice, my life will change. The running will stop, yes. But once I choose a door, that is it. I will have to accept the good and the bad behind whichever door I choose, and I am not sure I am ready for that. So I keep running, and crying, and I am so tired.... tired of running and tired of wondering. I am almost ready to just give up and "Eeny meeny miney mo" my way out of this choice.

I keep running back and forth and back and forth, when suddenly I notice a door in the middle of the hallway.... I never noticed this door before. It has no lock, but no window either. I see light shining out from the crack at the bottom, under the door. Beside the door it says: " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus.... For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

I stop and stare at this door. I have no idea what is behind it- none. And not knowing is scary too. I run back to the other two doors, and peer through those windows once more. Then I come back to the door in the middle. Asking myself, “Can I give up the key, can I walk through this door and walk away from controlling this choice?” I don't want to run anymore. I am tired of fighting with myself for answers. I don't want to worry anymore. I don't know where this door leads, but I know that it has to be better than the pain of running to exhaustion and crying until I can no longer breathe.

I say a prayer of gratitude to my Savior for taking the burden off my shoulders yet again and offering peace in the confusion. My hand is on the knob, and I slowly open the door and light floods over me. I don't have to run anymore, I can rest in the love of a God so beautiful and patient. He has been waiting for me to see his door for so long, just offering his arms to take away the hurt and confusion. I have been so caught up in my struggles that I didn't see him there... Just kept running right past trying to find my own answers.

I pray: Please, my Jesus, let me rest with you. Take this key from my hand... I can't do this anymore. I know it won't be easy. I will still cry, but I am also still learning from the wonderful experiences you have given me. I know you will offer the wisdom I so desperately need. But when the pain comes again- as I know it will- please continue to wrap me in your arms and protect me from myself. I love you, my Jesus. I am yours, my life is not my own.

"Whatever (I thought) was to my profit I now consider lost for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what 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." Phil 3:7-14

You are amazing, so perfect, so delightful. You are the thirst quencher, the one who makes all things meaningful and purposeful. You are the one who makes the light shine upon our soul, our heart and our mind. You bring hope when rejection curses us, you bring joy when pain pounds upon us, you bring strength when we are weak and tired of pressing on, you bring peace when our hearts are troubled, you bring endurance when our feet are tired of running. You bring love to us who are so unworthy, who don't even deserve to merely stoop in your presence. You bring us, the most selfish and evil creatures, a gift that we don't deserve to even hear the mention of. You bring us the gift of salvation which brings us the hope of a love that won't be shattered, the promise of a bright plentiful future and the clean slate that erases all our yesterdays. You give us your paintings in the sky, and your sculptures in the forest. Your peace and glory radiates ever beaming from your eternal sun that never changes. Why, merciful God, have you chosen us to love? Why have you chosen to give us your son and all the beauty of the earth? Forgive us for putting you aside and not choosing you. Forgive us for our repetitive sin that always strikes our weak hearts that need to be strong in you. May we seek you Lord and may we choose you everyday!

Steven Curtis Chapman
Fingerprints of God



I can see the tears filling your eyes
And I know where they're coming from
They're coming from a heart that's broken in two
By what you don't see
The person in the mirror
Doesn't look like a magazine
Oh but when I look at you
It's clear to me

That I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with
The fingerprints of God

Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God's hand and perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He's been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living, breathing
Priceless work of art

And I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with
The fingerprints of God

Just look at you
You're a wonder in the making
And God's not through
In fact, He's just getting started!

Healer

Just wanted to share the lyrics of a song that have been on my heart lately.

Healer

Verse:

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease



I trust in You
I trust in You

Chorus:

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need



Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

No matter where you have been in life, no matter where you are, no matter what you have done, no matter what has been done to you... YOU can find a healer in Jesus Christ! YOU can find ALL that you need in Jesus Christ! Nothing is impossible for HIM, who did for us on the cross what we could NEVER do for ourselves! Stop looking for healing in worldy things and look to our perfect almighty creator for true healing that is eternal!

THAT GIRL THING 2010

NOVEMBER 12-14

REGISTER NOW!!!

Being alone the rest of the story

This is a continuation of what I talked about at camp on Saturday night. I talked about being alone at school and in my faith.

At school I didn't help my situation. I looked at myself as the other people did. I told myself that no one wanted to be my friend or talk to me becasue of the way I dressed and looked and acted. One reason I looked at myself as others did is I didn't see myself fitting in with anyone at school so I stayed away. Another reason I looked at myself as others did is that a lot of people did try to tell me that I needed to change and tried to get me to do things that I knew were wrong. If I stayed away from them they couldn't tell me that. Still I could have done more to not feel so left out. There were some people who would have been nice to me and at least sat with me at lunch but I stayed away most of the time. That left me feeling alone almost all of the time.

I didn't really read my bible a whole lot but there were Christian things that got me through high school. Aside from camp there were things I heard on the radio. I heard someone say one day that girl's are God's princesses so I told myself that I was special to Him and that I was His princess. As silly as it sounds that helped. Another thing that helped was songs on the radio. I listened to Christian radio a lot. One song that I haven't heard in a long while but it came on occasionally when I was in high school was the song I'm not Cool by Scott Kirppayne. I loved that song becasue I could identify with it and it reminded me that God doesn't care if I fit into a certain crowd, how I dress, how I look or things like that, He just cares about me.

Most girls want friends, they want to fit in, and a lot of girls will do what it takes to fit in with the popular crowd. My advice to everyone is be yourself and don't try to do things to fit in. At the same time though don't look down on yourself, if you do you will find it hard to make friends. There is always someone out there who you can get along with even if you are a little different than them. Look for other Christians to encourage you, and encourage other Christiasn. Most of all remember God loves you no matter how you dress, look, or act and you belong to Him.

Ronda Putnam
Staff at TGT