Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Ukraine, look out here come some crazy Americans!!!
Tomorrow me, Cassie Ransleben, my Daddy, Wayne Ransleben, my best friend Molly Dwinell, Sarah Cunningham, and Mark and Amy Krejchi are headed to Bila Tserkva, Ukraine to help serve our sister church. We are flying out of Houston at 4:45pm, connecting in London to fly to Kiev (the capital of Ukraine)at around 10 something am. You can tell I'm not the team leader because of my terrible sense of where we're going and when we're going there. We were originally going to help out at a youth camp, playing with the little kids and chilling with the high schoolers but, we found out earlier this week that the camp is not ready yet. So, we're camping by the river for 5 days!!! Yay roughing it! It's gonna be so much fun! I can't wait! We will be gone from July 3rd to July 14th. Please pray for us as a team, that we would be able to bond and be unified in the body of Christ. Also pray that their hearts be receptive to us and to the love from God that we will be showing. Safety for travel isn't really a concern of mine. If God has already decided when we will finish serving Him then there's nothing we can to but comply! (insert laughter here) Thanks for all the support we've gotten! I'll be taking lots of pictures and journaling so I can blog when we return. I love you all!! In Him, Cassie
Friday, June 27, 2008
Impact Part two: An answer to prayer
Let me give a little back ground information...
Summer 2007. Time to get into the new school year and to make sure our youth group was semi-plugged in to g-groups (growth groups or little bible studies led by upper class men). Me and a bunch of other upper class men had already gone through some training on how to lead a g-group. We were even handed the material we were supposed to cover along with a list of potential people who we could call to see if they were interested in joining one. I was given a list of upcoming freshman girls. Honestly my favorite group. Me and Julia Montany another girl who was going to lead it with me called some girls up...specifically one's that went to Temple High School. As we went down the list we noticed that there weren't very many girls that met those requirements. Lorna Davis was the only freshman girl who attended Temple High and Temple Bible Church and was also interested in being in a g-group. Yes! We had one! I soon found out she had a really close friend, Amber Armstrong who was a cheerleader along with Lorna. I asked her if she wanted to join and she said sure! Now we had two. That was enough for us! I began praying for them that July!
We began g-groups at the beginning of the school year. We met every Tuesday morning at 7:20 at the Starbucks by Temple High. Except on the days they were either grounded, had tutoring, or forgot! Haha! Typical freshman year! It was interesting for both me and Julia because before g-groups we didn't even know these precious girls even existed! So the first few weeks were spent getting to know one another and building relationships. It was harder than it sounded!
Once we started actually following the material i began to notice that the girls brought their stuff but didn't really seem that interested in it. They were more interested in stories and gossiping. It began to seem discouraging because i wasn't seeing any immediate fruit from it like i had in the g-group i was a part of when i was a freshman. I had begun to change my prayer for them from growing closer to God to actually understanding what God had done for them. I realized that God had given me two very spiritually lost girls. I began to wonder if either of them were Christians. Finally all the texting during g-groups made sense!!! By now it's the second semester of school!
Gosh, now i knew what God was doing! He wanted me to love these girls! Let them know that someone in this world didn't have standards for them to meet in order to earn love. My heart began to melt for them! I stopped pushing the bible study as much and just offered good Christian guidance for a lot of the stories the told. I made sure they knew where i stood on issues and why i stood there. By not getting what i had expected it seemed that i learned more from g-groups than they did! It was different but needed as well.
By the end of the school year my girls, as i fondly call them considered me more of a big sister than a friend or g-group leader. It was awesome. We texted each other and hung out aside from g-groups! I even helped Amber study for her end of year finals! (I had to dust off that section of my brain and bring it out of the dark!)
I was super excited to learn that both my girls would be doing Impact with Temple Bible Church this summer! It was awesome to see them step out and do something with the youth group. I can honestly say though that their motives for joining the team were the other people who were doing it. Amber was on my team and Bobby Weber had Lorna. He immediately showed concern for her and her lack of spirituality which i quickly explained was due to the fact that she wasn't a Christian. I told him it would be a challenge. Both Amber and Lorna did an excellent job learning their materials and even shocked everyone by presenting! They were both very timid when it came to speaking in front of the group, but did it anyway! I was so proud of their improvements!
Impact training camp was awesome. Amber came to me for the first time on her own and talked to me! It was amazing to see that she trusted me enough to do that! Man i prayed for those girls night after night that something someone said would click and they would "get it". But it was all in the Lord's timing. See Amber i found out is one of those girls who's gone to church all her life and pictured herself a Christian. I also found out that she actually was...she just didn't identify with it and because of that portrayed herself as a non believer. That's why she understood everything. She just had a hard time applying it. I knew God was asking me to step out and show her that this life is not for us but for Him. That identifying with God is the only identity we have! She grew so much! It was a miracle to witness and an answer to part of my prayers.
Lorna on the other hand, i knew wasn't a Christian, for real. She had no idea who God could be to her besides someone to tell kids stories about. Then came the last day of clubs.
We were all sitting in the big room at the Outback (our youth building) debriefing from our last day of clubs. We were telling stories of how kids game to Christ. It was so touching! Most people were crying, including Lorna. Someone came up and said something to the affect of "we have to live for the gospel everyday in everything we do". Meaning that it's either God or not God, no in between. Live life on purpose, sharing the gospel and showing people Jesus in everything we do. Lorna started sobbing and Katie Potts went out to talk to her. I began to pray so hard for her. I wanted something to click. She was gone for a while. I could only sit there and wonder if God's timing had finally come. She and Katie came out and sat back down on the couch right in front of me. Katie turned around, looked at me with tears in her eyes and nodded her head. I immediately knew what that meant. Lorna had come to Christ! It was the most overwhelming, relieving, exciting, touching feeling that came over me! My prayers had been answered! Only our God could have known the precise timing that would give him the most glory that only He deserves!!!
Lorna went up and basically explained what had happened. She mentioned that Katie had said that either she had to pick to live like she lives at school or how she lives at church, not both. She said that her friends have influenced her a lot and that they have been a huge part of her life. I learned later from her that she was talking about me. That was so very encouraging to hear! I only wanted her to see Jesus in me and i know i didn't portray Him all the time! I'm glad she caught a glimpse of Him! and i know that it wasn't by anything i did but the Holy Spirit inside of me. With out Him i am nothing!
After she was done she sat down. She was smiling...so much differently than any smile i'd ever see her give! She couldn't stop! It was so cool to see! I love my girls and know that God now has both of them and that they both have Him! That was all i had asked for! I couldn't stop crying from the moment she started crying until we left! Every time i saw her i started up again!
God is so good to us! I can't explain how wonderful it was to see both my girls grow over the past year! I know next year's g-groups are going to be a little different than last year's! I haven't stopped praying for them and ask that you join me in lifting them up to our Savior, Lorna especially as she is new to this whole thing! And please pray for me as i am a role model, sister, and mentor to these precious girls! Pray that i would be able to be patient with their growth and show them the love of God! Praise be to our Heavenly Father from whom all Blessings Flow!!!
This is only part of why Impact is so important! Not only do we get to plant seeds in the hearts and minds of little kids, but also in any one around us. These two posts explain why i've been doing Impact for the past six years. I pray that God uses what's been done to draw more people to be involved in Impact in the years to come. If not for Hannah or Lorna then for any of the other people who were touched by what God did through us this summer! God's worth it! For Real!!
Summer 2007. Time to get into the new school year and to make sure our youth group was semi-plugged in to g-groups (growth groups or little bible studies led by upper class men). Me and a bunch of other upper class men had already gone through some training on how to lead a g-group. We were even handed the material we were supposed to cover along with a list of potential people who we could call to see if they were interested in joining one. I was given a list of upcoming freshman girls. Honestly my favorite group. Me and Julia Montany another girl who was going to lead it with me called some girls up...specifically one's that went to Temple High School. As we went down the list we noticed that there weren't very many girls that met those requirements. Lorna Davis was the only freshman girl who attended Temple High and Temple Bible Church and was also interested in being in a g-group. Yes! We had one! I soon found out she had a really close friend, Amber Armstrong who was a cheerleader along with Lorna. I asked her if she wanted to join and she said sure! Now we had two. That was enough for us! I began praying for them that July!
We began g-groups at the beginning of the school year. We met every Tuesday morning at 7:20 at the Starbucks by Temple High. Except on the days they were either grounded, had tutoring, or forgot! Haha! Typical freshman year! It was interesting for both me and Julia because before g-groups we didn't even know these precious girls even existed! So the first few weeks were spent getting to know one another and building relationships. It was harder than it sounded!
Once we started actually following the material i began to notice that the girls brought their stuff but didn't really seem that interested in it. They were more interested in stories and gossiping. It began to seem discouraging because i wasn't seeing any immediate fruit from it like i had in the g-group i was a part of when i was a freshman. I had begun to change my prayer for them from growing closer to God to actually understanding what God had done for them. I realized that God had given me two very spiritually lost girls. I began to wonder if either of them were Christians. Finally all the texting during g-groups made sense!!! By now it's the second semester of school!
Gosh, now i knew what God was doing! He wanted me to love these girls! Let them know that someone in this world didn't have standards for them to meet in order to earn love. My heart began to melt for them! I stopped pushing the bible study as much and just offered good Christian guidance for a lot of the stories the told. I made sure they knew where i stood on issues and why i stood there. By not getting what i had expected it seemed that i learned more from g-groups than they did! It was different but needed as well.
By the end of the school year my girls, as i fondly call them considered me more of a big sister than a friend or g-group leader. It was awesome. We texted each other and hung out aside from g-groups! I even helped Amber study for her end of year finals! (I had to dust off that section of my brain and bring it out of the dark!)
I was super excited to learn that both my girls would be doing Impact with Temple Bible Church this summer! It was awesome to see them step out and do something with the youth group. I can honestly say though that their motives for joining the team were the other people who were doing it. Amber was on my team and Bobby Weber had Lorna. He immediately showed concern for her and her lack of spirituality which i quickly explained was due to the fact that she wasn't a Christian. I told him it would be a challenge. Both Amber and Lorna did an excellent job learning their materials and even shocked everyone by presenting! They were both very timid when it came to speaking in front of the group, but did it anyway! I was so proud of their improvements!
Impact training camp was awesome. Amber came to me for the first time on her own and talked to me! It was amazing to see that she trusted me enough to do that! Man i prayed for those girls night after night that something someone said would click and they would "get it". But it was all in the Lord's timing. See Amber i found out is one of those girls who's gone to church all her life and pictured herself a Christian. I also found out that she actually was...she just didn't identify with it and because of that portrayed herself as a non believer. That's why she understood everything. She just had a hard time applying it. I knew God was asking me to step out and show her that this life is not for us but for Him. That identifying with God is the only identity we have! She grew so much! It was a miracle to witness and an answer to part of my prayers.
Lorna on the other hand, i knew wasn't a Christian, for real. She had no idea who God could be to her besides someone to tell kids stories about. Then came the last day of clubs.
We were all sitting in the big room at the Outback (our youth building) debriefing from our last day of clubs. We were telling stories of how kids game to Christ. It was so touching! Most people were crying, including Lorna. Someone came up and said something to the affect of "we have to live for the gospel everyday in everything we do". Meaning that it's either God or not God, no in between. Live life on purpose, sharing the gospel and showing people Jesus in everything we do. Lorna started sobbing and Katie Potts went out to talk to her. I began to pray so hard for her. I wanted something to click. She was gone for a while. I could only sit there and wonder if God's timing had finally come. She and Katie came out and sat back down on the couch right in front of me. Katie turned around, looked at me with tears in her eyes and nodded her head. I immediately knew what that meant. Lorna had come to Christ! It was the most overwhelming, relieving, exciting, touching feeling that came over me! My prayers had been answered! Only our God could have known the precise timing that would give him the most glory that only He deserves!!!
Lorna went up and basically explained what had happened. She mentioned that Katie had said that either she had to pick to live like she lives at school or how she lives at church, not both. She said that her friends have influenced her a lot and that they have been a huge part of her life. I learned later from her that she was talking about me. That was so very encouraging to hear! I only wanted her to see Jesus in me and i know i didn't portray Him all the time! I'm glad she caught a glimpse of Him! and i know that it wasn't by anything i did but the Holy Spirit inside of me. With out Him i am nothing!
After she was done she sat down. She was smiling...so much differently than any smile i'd ever see her give! She couldn't stop! It was so cool to see! I love my girls and know that God now has both of them and that they both have Him! That was all i had asked for! I couldn't stop crying from the moment she started crying until we left! Every time i saw her i started up again!
God is so good to us! I can't explain how wonderful it was to see both my girls grow over the past year! I know next year's g-groups are going to be a little different than last year's! I haven't stopped praying for them and ask that you join me in lifting them up to our Savior, Lorna especially as she is new to this whole thing! And please pray for me as i am a role model, sister, and mentor to these precious girls! Pray that i would be able to be patient with their growth and show them the love of God! Praise be to our Heavenly Father from whom all Blessings Flow!!!
This is only part of why Impact is so important! Not only do we get to plant seeds in the hearts and minds of little kids, but also in any one around us. These two posts explain why i've been doing Impact for the past six years. I pray that God uses what's been done to draw more people to be involved in Impact in the years to come. If not for Hannah or Lorna then for any of the other people who were touched by what God did through us this summer! God's worth it! For Real!!
Impact Part one: Hannah
Wow! It's been a long time! Back Yard Bible Clubs were awesome this year! Yes, i have to admit...it was very tiring and exhausting...but all well worth it...we all enjoyed it so much...especially getting the opportunity to hang out with each other (the people who lead the clubs) all the time! After Impact was over we didn't know what to do since we weren't with our friends every waking moment! One of the highlights of my clubs was that a girl named Hannah came to Christ!
Hannah came to our last club at the Burke's house. She is from a broken home and her parents recently got a divorce...which she thought was her fault...she was one of the most attentive and mature second graders there...so grown up for her age...she's the same age as Kenna Burke. It broke my heart when she started explaining her family situation and i immediately began to pray for her and that God would draw her to Himself.
The theme this year for Impact was Pirates and Treasure. The "Treasure" we were offering to the kids was God Himself. I had the opportunity on the last day of clubs to sorta explain why we teenagers were coming over to the Burke's house this week...it wasn't for the games, fun, food (yeah one of the only clubs where there was a meal already provided!! => )or kids...it was because each one of the people who came (Me, Tim Hagen, Amber Armstrong, Katie Potts, and John Ermis) have already acquired this treasure and it's so important to us that we can't help but come out here and share it with them...we wanted the kids to most importantly feel loved, for real, and we did that best by sharing our treasure with them...the treasure that God's offering each and every one of them...i noticed while i was up in front talking Hannah's eyes were locked on me. The way she was looking at me was like something inside of her clicked...it was so cool to see...i prayed after and the kids went and did what they do best...ran off in a loud bunch to jump on the trampoline!
I went off as well...then turned around and noticed Katie Potts talking to Hannah. I sat nearby enough to hear but not close enough to interrupt. Katie was just getting to know her better since she'd never met her before. She asked her which day was her favorite and she said "Water day!"...surprise right? It's always a hit. Then Katie asked her what her favorite part of today was...she said "the treasure, the treasure inside of y'all"...Katie said that she began to pray and God said "GO."...so she did...she began to ask Hannah if she knew who Jesus was and what He did for her...she listened eagerly...Hannah spilled over what she had gone through in her home life and Katie knew what to say...she began to tell Hannah how God is the Perfect Father...Hannah shed a tear...Katie continued explaining how God will never leave her, never abandon her, never hurt her...Hannah just sat there...listening, but thinking oh so much...too much for a 7 year old girl...Katie explained how sometimes she feels lonely and just wants a hug...then she said she prays to God and lets Him know that she needs one...and she feels this warmth and comfort come over her...Hannah says she feels like that sometimes...Katie reminded her that she didn't have to feel that ever again...Hannah showed so much interest in God and wanting to know Him more that praying for Him to be her Savior was the only thing left to do...after she prayed with Katie she had the most genuine smile on her face...i hadn't seen her smile like that the whole week at clubs...it was overwhelming...
Katie and i told her mom about our exciting news and the Burke's...we know that Hannah is going to be encouraged to grow since she's in Kenna Burke's class at school...
Having God be so gracious and willing to allow us one sister in our "harvest" after planting many seeds and watering them as well was more than enough to make all the blood, sweat, and tears Impact brings about, worth every single part of it. He's an awesome God!!
Pray for Hannah and the other kids at all the clubs (in all there were about 15 kids who came to Christ!!!) that God would show Himself to them and that they would begin to grow closer to Him!
Hannah came to our last club at the Burke's house. She is from a broken home and her parents recently got a divorce...which she thought was her fault...she was one of the most attentive and mature second graders there...so grown up for her age...she's the same age as Kenna Burke. It broke my heart when she started explaining her family situation and i immediately began to pray for her and that God would draw her to Himself.
The theme this year for Impact was Pirates and Treasure. The "Treasure" we were offering to the kids was God Himself. I had the opportunity on the last day of clubs to sorta explain why we teenagers were coming over to the Burke's house this week...it wasn't for the games, fun, food (yeah one of the only clubs where there was a meal already provided!! => )or kids...it was because each one of the people who came (Me, Tim Hagen, Amber Armstrong, Katie Potts, and John Ermis) have already acquired this treasure and it's so important to us that we can't help but come out here and share it with them...we wanted the kids to most importantly feel loved, for real, and we did that best by sharing our treasure with them...the treasure that God's offering each and every one of them...i noticed while i was up in front talking Hannah's eyes were locked on me. The way she was looking at me was like something inside of her clicked...it was so cool to see...i prayed after and the kids went and did what they do best...ran off in a loud bunch to jump on the trampoline!
I went off as well...then turned around and noticed Katie Potts talking to Hannah. I sat nearby enough to hear but not close enough to interrupt. Katie was just getting to know her better since she'd never met her before. She asked her which day was her favorite and she said "Water day!"...surprise right? It's always a hit. Then Katie asked her what her favorite part of today was...she said "the treasure, the treasure inside of y'all"...Katie said that she began to pray and God said "GO."...so she did...she began to ask Hannah if she knew who Jesus was and what He did for her...she listened eagerly...Hannah spilled over what she had gone through in her home life and Katie knew what to say...she began to tell Hannah how God is the Perfect Father...Hannah shed a tear...Katie continued explaining how God will never leave her, never abandon her, never hurt her...Hannah just sat there...listening, but thinking oh so much...too much for a 7 year old girl...Katie explained how sometimes she feels lonely and just wants a hug...then she said she prays to God and lets Him know that she needs one...and she feels this warmth and comfort come over her...Hannah says she feels like that sometimes...Katie reminded her that she didn't have to feel that ever again...Hannah showed so much interest in God and wanting to know Him more that praying for Him to be her Savior was the only thing left to do...after she prayed with Katie she had the most genuine smile on her face...i hadn't seen her smile like that the whole week at clubs...it was overwhelming...
Katie and i told her mom about our exciting news and the Burke's...we know that Hannah is going to be encouraged to grow since she's in Kenna Burke's class at school...
Having God be so gracious and willing to allow us one sister in our "harvest" after planting many seeds and watering them as well was more than enough to make all the blood, sweat, and tears Impact brings about, worth every single part of it. He's an awesome God!!
Pray for Hannah and the other kids at all the clubs (in all there were about 15 kids who came to Christ!!!) that God would show Himself to them and that they would begin to grow closer to Him!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
In my English III class at school we were told to write a college essay and turn it in the next day. It's the last week of school and my teachers are still assigning us homework! I pessimistically sauntered over to a computer and began to look at the plethora of prompts i could choose from. One stuck out to me the most. "Describe a significant person, experience or achievement that has meaning for you." I can find something to write about this for sure. Everything else is like politics and find a solution for the world...this should be a breeze. Which it was...but God had a different plan for my essay. He wanted it to be about Him. How selfish! Just kidding! He's allowed to be selfish...He's God! So, I began to think about what i could talk about. One topic that obviously came up under the "significant person" category was my mother. She's more than significant to me...BUT, it's a college essay and the things i'd have to say might be seen as sappy (although true) and made up (because they seem so fictional). So, then i began to think about other people, experiences and achievements that could come a close second to my mom and God said "ME...talk about ME." So i said "O.K"...and this is what i wrote:
Discuss a significant person, experience or achievement that has meaning for you.
"Most people might have a certain mentor, life altering experience or unheard of achievements on which they could write a college essay. I'm not saying that I lack any of those, but the one I'm going to write about is the most important person, experience and achievement that has meaning to me all wrapped up in one. My life was saved, changed, and renewed. It began when I was just a little girl. I would dress up in my prettiest dress, or the dress that twirled the most, and trot off Bible in one hand, my Mom's hand in the other. Dad would proceed to drive us to church. This was a weekly event in which my parents and two younger sisters would greet people as I twirled down the hallway eagerly admiring the smiling faces I received and giggling with the joy of knowing here I was accepted. This tradition, so called has continued for all of my life and for the rest of it I'm sure. I had heard every Bible story imaginable from Moses and the Ten Commandments to the birth of Christ through His death on the cross. To me they were just like the fairy tales I grew up on or superhero cartoons on Saturday mornings. Nothing more, nothing less. Easily forgettable during the week, but boy was I a professional when it came to memory verses in Sunday school! As I grew older I began to question some of the things I had heard in church. Why would a God so great send His one and only Son to die? Wasn't there another way? Things like this irked me and I grew restless. I wanted to know the answers, but I was uncertain of where to find them."
"I had had a certain revelation when I was seven years old when I suddenly felt guilty for doing something wrong. That had certainly never happened before. It struck me as odd because I couldn't understand why I continued to do bad things even though I wanted to stop. That's when God revealed Himself to me. Not physically, but spiritually. I learned that day that nothing I could do could help me not to sin, but with the help of Jesus Christ "...all things are possible." From that day on I took that and ran with it. My life was not about me anymore. It was about living for Christ and putting others before myself. Yes, I realize that I was only seven, but this wasn't an overnight heart change. It took years. Four years to be exact, and I'm still growing. When I entered the public school system at the beginning of my sixth grade year, after being home schooled for three years it became apparent to me that I was different than the rest of the kids there. Not only was I socially awkward, which is just a nice way of saying weird, but I stood up for the other little people around me and didn't let them get pushed around. I knew what I wanted in my life and what I didn't and I wasn't afraid to let people know. This was, as I found out quite uncommon. I wrestled with what my friends were doing (sometimes joining in) and what I knew was right. For all my life my parents had to lay down rules and tell me what to do and what not to do. However, during my seventh grade year that began to change. I began to see things and decide for myself whether they were what God wanted me to do or not do. My reason for not going to a certain movie changed from: "Mom said no." to "I don't think I should be watching that." "
"My faith had finally become my own. Now, four years after that I still struggle with understanding God's will for my life. But one thing I am certain about is that if it weren't for Jesus Christ and His remarkable mercy and grace I would not be the person I am today. I'm not perfect. In fact, I'm far from it. Due to my experience when I was seven and having love and mercy revealed to me I was able to strive to achieve what many people look for everyday: my purpose. My purpose in life is to glorify God in everything I do. Not just the "churchy" things but the minute and everyday things like eating and drinking. God has not left me alone in this world. He has given me tools in which to master specific tasks He has planned for me. College is my way of sharpening those tools to better equip myself for what lies ahead. It's a journey that will take a lot of faith, trust, and perseverance, but knowing that the God of the universe is by my side is the most comforting stronghold I have."
I like it the way it is...grammatical errors and all...it's how i write when i don't give mom my papers and have her edit them! haha! let me know what you think! I love y'all!
Discuss a significant person, experience or achievement that has meaning for you.
"Most people might have a certain mentor, life altering experience or unheard of achievements on which they could write a college essay. I'm not saying that I lack any of those, but the one I'm going to write about is the most important person, experience and achievement that has meaning to me all wrapped up in one. My life was saved, changed, and renewed. It began when I was just a little girl. I would dress up in my prettiest dress, or the dress that twirled the most, and trot off Bible in one hand, my Mom's hand in the other. Dad would proceed to drive us to church. This was a weekly event in which my parents and two younger sisters would greet people as I twirled down the hallway eagerly admiring the smiling faces I received and giggling with the joy of knowing here I was accepted. This tradition, so called has continued for all of my life and for the rest of it I'm sure. I had heard every Bible story imaginable from Moses and the Ten Commandments to the birth of Christ through His death on the cross. To me they were just like the fairy tales I grew up on or superhero cartoons on Saturday mornings. Nothing more, nothing less. Easily forgettable during the week, but boy was I a professional when it came to memory verses in Sunday school! As I grew older I began to question some of the things I had heard in church. Why would a God so great send His one and only Son to die? Wasn't there another way? Things like this irked me and I grew restless. I wanted to know the answers, but I was uncertain of where to find them."
"I had had a certain revelation when I was seven years old when I suddenly felt guilty for doing something wrong. That had certainly never happened before. It struck me as odd because I couldn't understand why I continued to do bad things even though I wanted to stop. That's when God revealed Himself to me. Not physically, but spiritually. I learned that day that nothing I could do could help me not to sin, but with the help of Jesus Christ "...all things are possible." From that day on I took that and ran with it. My life was not about me anymore. It was about living for Christ and putting others before myself. Yes, I realize that I was only seven, but this wasn't an overnight heart change. It took years. Four years to be exact, and I'm still growing. When I entered the public school system at the beginning of my sixth grade year, after being home schooled for three years it became apparent to me that I was different than the rest of the kids there. Not only was I socially awkward, which is just a nice way of saying weird, but I stood up for the other little people around me and didn't let them get pushed around. I knew what I wanted in my life and what I didn't and I wasn't afraid to let people know. This was, as I found out quite uncommon. I wrestled with what my friends were doing (sometimes joining in) and what I knew was right. For all my life my parents had to lay down rules and tell me what to do and what not to do. However, during my seventh grade year that began to change. I began to see things and decide for myself whether they were what God wanted me to do or not do. My reason for not going to a certain movie changed from: "Mom said no." to "I don't think I should be watching that." "
"My faith had finally become my own. Now, four years after that I still struggle with understanding God's will for my life. But one thing I am certain about is that if it weren't for Jesus Christ and His remarkable mercy and grace I would not be the person I am today. I'm not perfect. In fact, I'm far from it. Due to my experience when I was seven and having love and mercy revealed to me I was able to strive to achieve what many people look for everyday: my purpose. My purpose in life is to glorify God in everything I do. Not just the "churchy" things but the minute and everyday things like eating and drinking. God has not left me alone in this world. He has given me tools in which to master specific tasks He has planned for me. College is my way of sharpening those tools to better equip myself for what lies ahead. It's a journey that will take a lot of faith, trust, and perseverance, but knowing that the God of the universe is by my side is the most comforting stronghold I have."
I like it the way it is...grammatical errors and all...it's how i write when i don't give mom my papers and have her edit them! haha! let me know what you think! I love y'all!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Hedge of Protection
So this is a video of a guy named Tim Hawkins...he makes me laugh out loud! His other videos are on youtube!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Another cool picture
So i still am not feeling that great...still have that lingering cough...so that means i don't have a voice. BOO! My AP tests have gone relatively good...i mean as good as any hard test can go....i saw this picture and thought it was another great example of how we as Christians tend to "stick out" in this world...i pray that we would not see this as hindering or something to be looked down on, but rather as something to be grateful for...we need to stick out to the rest of the world...to show them that what we have that is different from everyone else is well worth representing...Jesus!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
So it's been a whille!
Hey there! SOOO sorry i haven't been keeping up with my blog. We had TAKS testing last week and that basically wiped my brain out. This week i have 3 of 5 AP tests: Spanish, Calculus, and English Literature. Please pray that i would be able to focus (we all know that would be a miracle!) and do my best on these tests as they can get me some college credit (yes Mom this i do care about college). I also have not been feeling particularly great today...cough, sore throat, sinus pressure...this always happens when i have something important coming up in choir. This time it's state solo and ensemble. I got a one on my solo so i get to go on to sing at state in Austin on May 24th. It's gonna be awesome! I also have polyfonics tryouts on May 23rd. I'm really excited about them this year...the directors seem to have noticed me a little more this year than last year, so we'll have to wait and see what they think! Please keep me in your prayers. Love to all...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cacti? Really?
Yeah, really! I was trying to find a picture that showed the stark contrast between genuine love and what the world can sometimes offer. The flower symbolizes not only love but a genuine, sincere, true, honest, and unmannered love. Something that seems out of place in the world we live in. This love is most definitely shown to us by what Christ did for us on the cross! He was God's perfect example of genuine love. A love that no one can understand or fully wrap their minds around. It just doesn't make sense! So much of the love in this world is merit-based and can sometimes feel like a cactus! Prickly and yucky...not something you would want to hug! (Unless you like hugging cacti i guess?) I pray that we would be people, God following people that only show love that is genuine, not fake, to everyone we see....
Whoa! Where did this come from!
All I can say is that my Mom (hey there!) has one and I feel a little lame not having one, me being the technologically savvy member of the family! So, I started a blog! Through this blog I hope to bounce ideas off people, share my thoughts and hopefully, through all this to highlight "God's Passion for His Glory." Oh yeah! BAM! I pulled out Piper! He's amazing! (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/)I guess I get my love of his insight from my Mom too! Let me know what you think about all this! In Him, Cassie
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