Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Where do you sit?
Where you choose to sit in a room can sometimes say a lot about you. Back row? Maybe it means, “I’d rather not be here” or “I slipped in late.” Front row? Maybe, “I’m so excited to learn” or “I can’t see unless I’m up close.” Even your postures sends silent messages about your attitude that day.
Sometimes, in a small way, where you choose to sit indicates who you choose to be.
A woman named Mary of Bethany taught us some important truths about where we sit and who we choose to be:
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)
Can you picture it with me? A crowded room of people (perhaps mostly men), with Jesus at the center of it all. One woman sits on the floor at His feet, with a steady, adoring gaze directed at His face. She seems unaware of anything or anyone but Him, and hangs on His every word. She has found the Lover of her soul. God, her Maker, sits in front of her as the only perfect man (Jesus) and she isn’t going to miss a moment with Him.
Where do you sit? Choose to reject all the lesser things that call your name. Choose to sit and gaze often at Jesus. He is your Life. If you neglect to sit at His feet, and gaze, and believe, and receive from Him....you miss life.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Losing Your Appetite
A lot of our media intake probably affects us spiritually like filling up on junk food affects us physically...like eating and eating and eating chocolate covered Hostess donuts or those cheap, off-brand Oreos to the point that you turn down the “Death by Chocolate” dessert or a Lindor truffle....like eating so many Cheetos that you can only moan and shake your head when your parents say, "Let's go to Olive Garden!" What you filled up on wasn’t nearly as good or rich or tantalizing-to-your-tastebuds as what you missed out on.
Other music/books/movies have a more toxic effect on you spiritually, like downing a glass of rotten egg-nog would have on you physically. You get food poisoning, and find yourself gagging into the toilet or spending the night at the E.R. Sometimes the effect of a movie or book are immediately obvious like that. Other times, the affects are slow and subtle… like a life-time of ingesting cancer-causing substances in your food. It seems harmless for years, until the fatal consequences become obvious too late.
Are you losing your appetite for the only One who can satisfy and overwhelm and amaze you, by filling up over and over again on other things? Whether or not you realize it, by doing this you are missing out….big time. You were made to be fascinated by and obsessed with and passionate about Jesus. Skip the junk that makes you lose your appetite for Him.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
“Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” Psalm 119:37
Other music/books/movies have a more toxic effect on you spiritually, like downing a glass of rotten egg-nog would have on you physically. You get food poisoning, and find yourself gagging into the toilet or spending the night at the E.R. Sometimes the effect of a movie or book are immediately obvious like that. Other times, the affects are slow and subtle… like a life-time of ingesting cancer-causing substances in your food. It seems harmless for years, until the fatal consequences become obvious too late.
“...in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Tim. 25-26
Are you losing your appetite for the only One who can satisfy and overwhelm and amaze you, by filling up over and over again on other things? Whether or not you realize it, by doing this you are missing out….big time. You were made to be fascinated by and obsessed with and passionate about Jesus. Skip the junk that makes you lose your appetite for Him.
“...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” Hebrews 12:1-2
Friday, October 16, 2009
Don't Settle for Shallow
Hey, girls-that-I-love!
.
It REALLY annoys me when girls are sent the message that they're supposed to be shallow. You've probably noticed the expectation underlying all of teenage-girl-dom: "Just be cute and have fun!"
.
There's nothing wrong with being cute or with having fun, but you were made for so much MORE than this, girls. I want more than this for you and, more importantly, your Maker designed you for more than this. You were made for the depths! You were made to be fascinated by greatness and glory and beauty and brilliance beyond your greatest imagination, and then to be transformed to reflect it. You were made, girls, to be amazed. You were made for God!! The fact that glitz and glamor attract us, the truth that sunsets take our breath away, the reality that we long for romance, all point to something very important about why you were created. You were made, as the psalmist expresses in Psalm 27 :4, to "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord all the days of your life."
.
Sound boring? :) Then you haven't glimpsed Him yet. You haven't had your heart melted by His majesty yet. You haven't fallen head-over-heels in love with Him yet. There are greater depths for you to explore and enjoy in God than you have ever guessed. And girls.....NOW is the time to be fascinated by Him. Now is the time to chase after your Maker. Now is the time to fall deeply, passionately in love with your Savior. DON'T - PLEASE don't - waste your teenage years on other things. Yes, guys are cute. Yes, facebook quizzes are addicting. Yes, novels can keep you up all night. Yes, movies are entertaining. Yes, keeping the trendiest clothes in your closet can be a full-time hobby. Yes, sports and extra-curriculars can keep you crazy-busy. But don't settle for a life of ONLY, or even MOSTLY these things. The stereotype is that you will be shallow; that your thoughts and goals will be wrapped around being cute (and "cute" is an impossibly difficult standard to attain) and having fun (ooooh, we entertain ourselves so much...but is that what we were MADE for???). Reject the stereotype!! You were made for more than this. You were made to be amazed by God, and to be so in love with and fascinated by Him that it spills over in crazy, not-at-all-shallow ways in your life.
.
Ok, so here's the assignment. In light of what I posted above, and in light of the cool quotes and verses below, tell me what you're thinking. In what ways, specifically, is it REALLY tempting to be shallow? What are the biggest life-wasters that teenage girls struggle with? What can be the most distracting for Christian girls? Why is it, do you think, that so few teenage girls recognize that only God can satisfy their hearts? And what will YOU do to begin chasing after this fascinating Maker/Savior/Warrior God that you were MADE to be amazed by? (Hint...start reading His Word and asking Him to amaze you. He will.) Email me at ashley.wollam@babfc.org with your 200-300 word response, and I'm going to schplice it all together and post your heartbeats. Y'all are awesome. :) Don't miss life.
.
.
Quotes to get your mind whirring:
“The preoccupations of seventeen year old girls - their looks, their clothes, their social life - do not change very much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy was one of the few.” (Elizabeth Elliot in her book A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael)
.
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.” C.S. Lewis
.
"You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
.
"Once we had no delight in God, and Christ was just a vague historical figure. What we enjoyed was food and friendships and productivity and investments and vacations and hobbies and games and reading and shopping and sex and sports and art and TV and travel...but not God. He was an idea - even a good one - and a topic for discussion; but He was not a treasure of delight. Then something miraculous happened. It was like the opening of the eye of the blind during the golden dawn. First the stunned silence before the unspeakable beauty of holiness. Then a shock and terror that we had actually loved the darkness. Then the settling stillness of joy that this is the soul's end (purpose). The quest is over. We would give anything if we might be granted to live in the presence of this glory forever and ever. And then, faith - the confidence that Christ has made a way for me, a sinner, to live in his glorious fellowship forever, the confidence that if I come to God through Christ, he will give me the desire of my heart to share his holiness and behold his glory." John Piper in Desiring God
.
Nuggets of Truth:
.
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4
.
.
"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1-8
.
.
"You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Psalm 16:11
.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3
.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3
.
These are just a few truths to draw you into the search for the Treasure (Jesus!), a search that will mean the not-shallow life that you were made to live NOW....now, as a teenage girl. Dive in. He will never bore you.
.
It REALLY annoys me when girls are sent the message that they're supposed to be shallow. You've probably noticed the expectation underlying all of teenage-girl-dom: "Just be cute and have fun!"
.
There's nothing wrong with being cute or with having fun, but you were made for so much MORE than this, girls. I want more than this for you and, more importantly, your Maker designed you for more than this. You were made for the depths! You were made to be fascinated by greatness and glory and beauty and brilliance beyond your greatest imagination, and then to be transformed to reflect it. You were made, girls, to be amazed. You were made for God!! The fact that glitz and glamor attract us, the truth that sunsets take our breath away, the reality that we long for romance, all point to something very important about why you were created. You were made, as the psalmist expresses in Psalm 27 :4, to "gaze upon the beauty of the Lord all the days of your life."
.
Sound boring? :) Then you haven't glimpsed Him yet. You haven't had your heart melted by His majesty yet. You haven't fallen head-over-heels in love with Him yet. There are greater depths for you to explore and enjoy in God than you have ever guessed. And girls.....NOW is the time to be fascinated by Him. Now is the time to chase after your Maker. Now is the time to fall deeply, passionately in love with your Savior. DON'T - PLEASE don't - waste your teenage years on other things. Yes, guys are cute. Yes, facebook quizzes are addicting. Yes, novels can keep you up all night. Yes, movies are entertaining. Yes, keeping the trendiest clothes in your closet can be a full-time hobby. Yes, sports and extra-curriculars can keep you crazy-busy. But don't settle for a life of ONLY, or even MOSTLY these things. The stereotype is that you will be shallow; that your thoughts and goals will be wrapped around being cute (and "cute" is an impossibly difficult standard to attain) and having fun (ooooh, we entertain ourselves so much...but is that what we were MADE for???). Reject the stereotype!! You were made for more than this. You were made to be amazed by God, and to be so in love with and fascinated by Him that it spills over in crazy, not-at-all-shallow ways in your life.
.
Ok, so here's the assignment. In light of what I posted above, and in light of the cool quotes and verses below, tell me what you're thinking. In what ways, specifically, is it REALLY tempting to be shallow? What are the biggest life-wasters that teenage girls struggle with? What can be the most distracting for Christian girls? Why is it, do you think, that so few teenage girls recognize that only God can satisfy their hearts? And what will YOU do to begin chasing after this fascinating Maker/Savior/Warrior God that you were MADE to be amazed by? (Hint...start reading His Word and asking Him to amaze you. He will.) Email me at ashley.wollam@babfc.org with your 200-300 word response, and I'm going to schplice it all together and post your heartbeats. Y'all are awesome. :) Don't miss life.
.
.
Quotes to get your mind whirring:
“The preoccupations of seventeen year old girls - their looks, their clothes, their social life - do not change very much from generation to generation. But in every generation there seem to be a few who make other choices. Amy was one of the few.” (Elizabeth Elliot in her book A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael)
.
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea.” C.S. Lewis
.
"You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
.
"Once we had no delight in God, and Christ was just a vague historical figure. What we enjoyed was food and friendships and productivity and investments and vacations and hobbies and games and reading and shopping and sex and sports and art and TV and travel...but not God. He was an idea - even a good one - and a topic for discussion; but He was not a treasure of delight. Then something miraculous happened. It was like the opening of the eye of the blind during the golden dawn. First the stunned silence before the unspeakable beauty of holiness. Then a shock and terror that we had actually loved the darkness. Then the settling stillness of joy that this is the soul's end (purpose). The quest is over. We would give anything if we might be granted to live in the presence of this glory forever and ever. And then, faith - the confidence that Christ has made a way for me, a sinner, to live in his glorious fellowship forever, the confidence that if I come to God through Christ, he will give me the desire of my heart to share his holiness and behold his glory." John Piper in Desiring God
.
Nuggets of Truth:
.
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm 27:4
.
.
"O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:1-8
.
.
"You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Psalm 16:11
.
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3
.
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3
.
These are just a few truths to draw you into the search for the Treasure (Jesus!), a search that will mean the not-shallow life that you were made to live NOW....now, as a teenage girl. Dive in. He will never bore you.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Father-Daughter Banquet!!
6th-12th grade girls and their fathers or father-figures are invited to attend this memorable event! Tickets can be purchased Wednesday night in the Student Center (just ask a staff member) or Sunday morning, October 4, between services.
Also, if you or your daughter are planning to attend, submit an early childhood picture of father and daughter together to be part of an "aawww!"-evoking slideshow! Pictures should be sent to ashley.wollam@bafbc.org or delivered to the main office.
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