Swim Suits in the Summer

     It's summer. Some of you are already on summer vacation, some of you are just about to be off, but I'm sure that there are some things that you're really looking forward to. I am very much looking forward to Bible camp next month! :) And I'm sure a lot of you have swimming pools, or you'll go to a lake or the ocean, but I'm sure that swimming is involved somewhere, as a lot of people enjoy it! I was flying over Texas once, and I looked out my window, and you would be so surprised at how many swimming pools there are in the state of Texas. There's a LOT! And there's nothing wrong with swimming! I love swimming. I used to go to my friend's house once a week and we'd go swimming. It was so much fun. But really, do we need to wear a bikini when we're swimming? I know I already wrote a couple articles on this last year, but I figured I'd give a recap since it's summer again.

     Once I was in Wal-Mart, and this was a few years ago, and I saw this person walk in wearing microscopic short-shorts and a bikini top. To Wal-Mart. Now, most people would go, "Why are you wearing that to Wal-Mart?! It's a public place so you should be covered up a bit more." Well, why wear that to the beach?! It's also a public place. You wouldn't go to the store just wearing your underwear would you? Why wear it to the beach? What's the difference? You get wet and all of a sudden it's fine? I'm not saying that it's wrong to go swimming, I mean there are plenty of modest swim suits (I'll be having pictures of mine on here when my laptop starts working again). I once saw a picture on Pinterest on how to convert your bra into a bikini top. Basically, all you have to do is put cuter material on it and woo! You have a bikini! There's no difference. So before you go and buy an extra bikini, or a one-piece that's super tight and doesn't cover your legs one bit, look for a more modest one. In fact, a few friends of mine just got tennis outfits and it worked just as well. There are options. So if you're looking for a swim suit and you just can't find one, remember that there is a way to find a modest swim suit (you may have to search, but it'll be worth it). :)

Forgiveness

     In the Bible, we are told all the time to forgive. There are some parables, like in Matthew 18:21-35 that give instances of people forgiving or not forgiving. In Matthew 6:14-15 it says, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Most people, when speaking about forgiveness use Matthew 18:21-22 which says, "Then Peter came to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" Or, some other translations say "seventy times seven". This passage is great for the topic of forgiveness. It tells us that we always need to be forgiving. But that's not all we have to remember. We also have to remember Matthew 6:14-15, which says that we need to forgive, or we won't be forgiven. Isn't that an awful thought, not being forgiven?

     Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we can accomplish.But when you've done something really hard, I don't know about you, but I always feel better after. And God will never give us anything we can't handle.

A Good Read

     Just about everyone likes to read. I like to read adventure books. I like Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, stuff like that. I used to read like, 6 books at a time because I couldn't figure out which ones I wanted to read first. But how often do we pick up our Bibles, and just read? I recently fell out of the habit of reading daily, but picked it back up a couple days ago. And you know what? I really enjoy it! A lot of times we can see the Bible as just a big book of rules that we have to follow. It is that, but it's also one big story book. If you read through, you'll learn so much, because the Bible wasn't written as just, "thou shall not do this" and, "thou shall not do that" all the way through. The Bible is full of stories that we can use so we can put ourselves inside that situation. It's written so we understand why things are wrong, or right. So we can sympathies with the characters, and see what a world of sin leads to. Or so that we can see how happy you can be when you have Christ in your life, even if you are being persecuted. Paul showed us that. He said that he was content with everything he had even though he was in prison. Philippians 4:11-12, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."

    So, next time you wake up, or if you're like me and are more awake at night, but can't hold your eyes open in the morning, or maybe if you prefer to read at lunch time, I encourage you to pick up your Bible, and just read sometime every day. You will soon learn that it is the highlight of your day. :)

Chameleons

When we dress, it can be easy to want to fit in with the world around us. We don't want to stick out, or to dress and look differently than others. It can be easy to want to become chameleons, and dress and act like everyone around us. James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend with the world makes himself an enemy of God." I know that it can be a bit difficult to go to a store, see a really cute dress, but have to walk away from it because it's too short, or low in the back, or completely see-through, or whatever. I have seen several dresses that I really wanted, but they just didn't fit like they should. And you know what, I died a little on the inside, because they were REALLY cute. But, when we are made Christians, we are set apart from the world. We are to be lights in the darkness, a light set on a hill. Lights kinda stand out. But you know, I'd much rather be light than darkness. Even if the light may stick out, that's a good thing! Because we weren't told to be like the world. We were made to be set apart from it.

Who We Serve

God has blessed us with so much. He has given us our physical, as well as our spiritual needs. He has given us a passage to heaven, and all we have to do is read the instructions that He has given us. He has given us His only son, to die for us. He has given us a way to communicate with Him though that sacrifice that He made. But sometimes, it gets easy to forget who God is. We can get so overwhelmed, and may I say spoiled sometimes, by the blessings that He has given us, and we get used to it. Now, there's nothing wrong with acknowledging our blessings. In Colossians 2:7 it says that we need to be overflowing with gratitude. But sometimes, it can be easy to forget just who God is. Matthew 16:16 says, “Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'” God isn't just some person who made a sacrifice. He's not just someone who you can ask for things that you want all the time, and He be your servant and give you anything you ask for. No. God is the creator of all things. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” and in Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” God, is God. He is the Creator. He made us. He made everything. Everything that happens in this life, happens because God put that there. And we need to remember that we aren't serving just some random guy who has power over us. God created us. God gave us a choice of how we live. I love the song, I think it's called the “The Whipperwill Song”. The chorus says, “I own the cattle of a thousand hills, I write the music for the whipperwills, Control the planets with their rocks and rills, but give you freedom to do your own wills.” So, not only dis He create everything, and not only does He control everything, even the sun and the moon as we can read in Joshuah 10:13, when God stopped the movement of the sun and the moon to help the Israelites win a battle, and not only did He send His only Son to save us all from our own wrong doings, but He also gives us free will to do whatever we want. We can choose our own paths. We can make our own decisions. And He forgives us. But He is our Creator, He is the God of all things. He is the only one that can create, but He was not created. He has shown us mercy, compassion, love, and forgiveness. But He is our God. He is everyone's God. He can control everything. One day, He could just turn the whole world upside-down, and there would be nothing we could do about it. He's not, but He very well could. Sometimes, we need to take a step back, and remember Who God really is. And every time you do, every time you read about Him, it will ASTOUND you.

So what are we going to do about it? We know that God is the Creator of all things. We know that He sent His only Son to die for us. We know that He is perfect, and without mistake, but what are we going to do about it? Well, first we need to follow His commandments. Acts 2:38, “Peter said to them, 'Repent, each and every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” That verse isn't a suggestion. It's not. Some people try so hard to get around that verse, but the Bible was written for us to understand. Not to try to get around for our own sakes, but to follow it for God's. Then, once we've obeyed God's command, we need to remember all that he's done for us. And we need to take a step back and remember just Who He is, and just what He's done for us. And we need to remember the Who we serve, is the most incredible being that has always lived. And we need to be thankful, and appreciate just how much He has done for us. 

Who do we Glorify?

     1 Corinthians 619-20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, (20)for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." I'll be talking about the last part of verse 20. We need to glorify God in our bodies. How can we glorify God, if we're trying to glorify ourselves? If we're dressing to impress others, and to show off our bodies, then is that glorifying God? If you went to the beach, and you saw two girls, one dressed in a bikini, and the other dressed in knee-length shorts and a t-shirt, who would you think would be the Christian? Probably not the one showing off as much skin as possible without being completely naked. We need to remember that we weren't put on this Earth to bring attention to ourselves, but to bring attention to God. Matthew 5:16, "In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." We need to remember to give glory to God in what we wear, and not give the glory to ourselves.

As many of you know, two weeks ago there was a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas that killed around 20 people, injured over four times that number, and destroyed several blocks of homes, including an apartment complex and a middle school. My family and I were in Missouri when it happened, and we were left worrying about this adorable town with a heavy Czech heritage from far away. My dad's former co-worker used to have his cows butchered at the Nemeck Brothers butchershop that used to operate there, and since he would sell our family half of a cow every year, my dad and I would make a trip down there every year to pick up boxes and boxes of beef, and I always enjoyed getting to see the town. 

When we got back home from Missouri on Monday, my mom asked the West Church of Christ if there was anything we could do to help, and they said "yes!" So, early Tuesday morning, my mom, my two sisters and I drove down to West. We stayed at a hotel 20 minutes away, and stayed until Thursday. As soon as we entered the church building that morning, we were put to work making food to hand out, putting stamps on envelopes, and organizing the donation table. on, a cold front rolled through with an absolutely biting wind. It dropped about 15 degrees in five minutes, and we were dressed for spring. Several people were kind enough to lend me some clothes. Everyone was absolutely freezing, especially those (like me) who were stuck sitting at and watching the donation table, which didn't have a lot of traffic that day. Other people were sorting through the mountain of clothes, shoes, blankets and pillows that were donated over on the field next to the church building. There was a giant trailer which was filled with clothing, and another tent across from it for baby items and toiletries. There really weren't a lot of people who came asking for donated items the first two days, because there were funerals and a memorial service (attended by President Obama) going on those days.

On Wednesday, there were so many donations! Bag after bag after bag of clothing was brought to the church there to sort and hand out. Just when the volunteers thought they had a grip on sorting the clothing, two pickup trucks full of garbage bags STUFFED with clothes would drive up. It's now to the point where the church has stopped asking for clothing - there's too much for the workers to really handle. We worshiped with the congregation there that night. The preacher and his family were homeless at the time, because the officials weren't allowing them into their badly destroyed home. I was amazed when he said during Bible class that night that he was glad his home was destroyed, because that meant he could share the gospel through these events. True faith like that never ceases to inspire me, and many others, I'm sure.

After we went back home on Thursday, mom convinced my dad and several other people to go back on Saturday. As of Saturday, there were three giant tents set up, all jam packed with furniture, clothes, food, diapers, dishes, shoes, books, toiletries, bedding sets, blankets, pillows, and pet food. The generosity of people is astonishing. They want to help, they want to donate, they want to make sure that everyone who had a loved one lost, a job lost, or a home lost has everything they need to be as comfortable as they can.

If you want to help West in anyway, please contact the West church of Christ. They have a Facebook page, which is updated very frequently about what's going on. If you want to help West in anyway, please contact West church of Christ. They have a Facebook page, which is updated very frequently about the happenings there with the relief efforts. Last I checked, they needed items like: dog food, jam, dog treats, and dry milk. If you can't donate time, money, or items, donate your prayers (I Thessalonians 5:17) because they are the most precious resource available to humanity. Click here to go to the page.

~Sarah

Photo of the week

 

 

Alright, so this style of clothing has gotten pretty popular. Colored or patterned jeans, and looser shirts. So I figured I'd combine them in today's photo of the day! With the colored jeans, it took me forever to find a pair that wasn't super tight. Ant that seems to be the style as well. Super tight pants. Which, if you think about it, if they're too tight, then it's not like you're really covering anything. So, when I have that one pair of jeans that's a bit too tight, just wear a longer shirt. This one I thought was kinda cute, these are all things that you can get at Macy's (including the shirt underneath). This is a simple fix for if your pants are just a tad bit too tight.