You can buy sandals and support a worthy cause! Konjo Shoes work to bring hope to the people of Africa. The sandal itself is made of local leather, recycled tire tread, and a hand-beaded emblem. Go check out these cool shoes and this awesome organization at http://konjo.is/ !
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Life isn't always put together but for some reason we think we have to be. Christians especially seem to think this. As if we have to pretend that we're always happy when we're not. You don't have to be happy all the time (DiMarco). You're gonna have moments that aren't easy. Sometimes you'll be angry and hurt and confused. Other times you might feel stressed and annoyed. You're not a robot and not every part of life is planned out. Sometimes you're going to have to handle things that are hard. And it's in these situations, in these valleys of life, that we're truly tested in our faith. There is nothing wrong with having emotions and feelings. If you're hurting, it's ok to talk to somebody about it. It's ok to cry. If you're confused and don't understand, it's ok to ask for help. You don't have to do this on you're own and you don't have to pretend that you're happy when you're not. God knows everyone's heart. He knows what you're feeling. It says in Hebrews 2:18 that "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted". So don't be afraid to cry out to God. He's not fooled, he knows you're not happy when you pretend to be. You can be real and honest with Him. He's there for you. Life's not picture perfect and you don't have to pretend that it is. It's time we allow ourselves to open up with not only God but with one another. So my challenge for you and myself this week is to be honest. No more pretending, we've all done that long enough.
Sources: DiMarco, Hayley. God Girl: Becoming the Woman You're Meant to Be. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell/Hungry Planet, 2009. Print. Lately God has been teaching me what it means to be content. The need for me to be content came up when I was scrolling through my instagram feed. As I was scrolling through I began to feel dissatisfied. In comparison to other people's much more interesting profiles I was pretty boring. My life compared to theirs was pretty low key. And it was in that moment as I began to feel jealousy whelm up in me that I knew I was in the wrong. I was comparing the wonderful life that God has blessed me with to somebody else. God didn't make me them; He made me me. He chose me to be Leah. Sometimes my life may not always be perfect, but that's ok. My life maybe filled with struggles and fears and insecurities and opsticals and tears, but it's also filled with triumph and courage and confidence and victory and laughter and smiles and most importantly God. Philippians 4:12-13 says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength". All I have is Jesus. Without him I wouldn't have even made this blog. My life would look completely different without him. The only good things about me came from him. So I can't be content, not on my own. I need Jesus to take the jealousy that I have and replace it with gratitude and contentment. So instead of pouting about what I don't have, I'm going to be celebrating about what I do. It's not going to be easy, but I know that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. So the challenge this week for you (and myself) is to be content.
4:12 Challenge is all about challenging others in their faith while we're being challenged in our own. If you're interested in being apart of what we do email us at [email protected]!
Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't posted anything on the blog the last few months. I've been overwhelmed with lots to do. However it's finally summer and I'm going to try to keep up to date with everything:) You can follow me on twitter @412Challenge or email at [email protected]. Thanks for your support!
I love shopping. Especially with my friends. I'm pretty good at it too.I love finding a good deal or a perfect outfit and buying it. I'm also pretty good at spending money. But why do I shop? Technically, I have everything I need. I don't really need another dress or pair of shoes so why buy more? Because I want more. "More", it's one of the first words we learn as a kid because we naturally crave more. Living in America I'm very familiar with the battle against materialism. According to Webster-dictionary.com materialism is "a way of thinking that gives too much importance to material possessions rather than to spiritual or intellectual things". I can only speak for myself personally but I think we can all agree that we to have bought into this kind of thinking. Just yesterday I was scrolling through my clothes board on Pinterest when I thought to myself that I would be so much happier if I had all the adorable outfits I had pinned. I had bought into materialism. I had given a significant amount of importance to whether or not I did or did not have something. Something so trivial. But it goes deeper. My happiness had become dependent on what I was wearing and what I looked like. You see happiness is based upon your circumstances. If your circumstances are bad you're not happy. If your circumstances are good you're happy, at least for a little while. Until we want more. Joy, true long lasting joy comes from only one thing and that is Jesus Christ. You see joy is based not on circumstances but on the over all out come of a situation. That's why we as Christians can have joy all the time. We have already won. When we die, we get to spend eternity with Christ. We've beaten death and that is why we can have joy.
In the first few verses of Ecclesiastes it says "Everything is meaningless". The passage continues to talk about how wealth and knowledge ultimately amounts to nothing. The only thing that matters in the end is our relationship with God. Relationship is the only eternal thing we have in life. All of our possessions are meaningless. They are a "chasing after the wind". So my challenge for you is to invest in the things that matter. Invest in God and the people around you. People's souls are eternal (clothes on the other hand is not). Share Christ with others and let them know how much you care about them. Chose to make a difference starting with the relationships that matter. I struggle with feeling guilty and letting go of my past mistakes; even though I know I’ve been forgiven. Just ask anyone who lives with me. I’m an “I’m sorry” person; I say it so many times my family and friends literary tell me to stop. I don’t forgive myself very easily. I hold on to it, all of it. All of my guilt and shame, it held me back and it until I read Psalm 32:5…
“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin”. I am forgiven. It’s done; past tense. I am not to be bound by my guilt. I am free. God has forgiven me, even the guilt of my sin. I felt passionate about writing about this because of as of four days ago I didn’t realize this truth. I live, eat, sleep, and breath Jesus (read previous articles, Growing Up Christian, for further detail) and I had no idea that I wasn’t supposed to feel guilty anymore. I knew I was supposed to hand over all my struggles but I thought it was my job to hold onto all my guilt. The thing is, I don’t have to feel guilty anymore. You don’t have to feel guilty anymore. If you have given your life to Christ and confessed your sins; you are forgiven. There is no need to feel guilty anymore. So this week I’m challenging you to start living a guilt free life. I started four days ago and I’m telling you now I’m never going back. So what ever it is that’s holding you back, let it go. You are forgiven and you don’t need to feel guilty anymore. This is a foreign concept in society today. We always love to see the person whose caused everybody so much pain get hurt. We think "Finally! They got a taste of their own medicine. They got what was coming to them". I would be lying if I told you I had never felt this way. It took me a long time to figure out how to "love my enemies". It wasn't easy and it was definitely a process. Read what the scriptures say about enemies.
Matthew 5:38-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Yeah you read that right. It says LOVE your enemies and PRAY for those who persecute you. When I first read this I really didn't fully understand what this looked like. I figured just tolerating that particular person, who made my skin crawl, was good enough. I wasn't technically hating them. But that wasn't what God was calling me to do. He didn't say tolerate your enemies and be polite to those who persecute you. It says love and pray for them. The thing is I can't love them, not without Jesus. God is the only one who can give me the love, that I don't have, and put it in my heart to share with them. Someone told me if I don't have love for my enemies that I should ask God to put that love in my heart for that person; so I did. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that if you are truly willing to forgive and love you will, with God's help learn to love them. I remember how empowered I felt when I let everything that person had said and done to me go. I had chosen to love them no matter what. I had decided I was going to pray for them. I felt relieved. I didn't have to tolerate them any more. God had put the love in my heart that I didn't have and gave me the strength to choose love. I had decided that I was going to love my enemy. Now I'm not saying its easy. It's hard, really hard. But with God its not impossible. So today I'm challenging you to love your enemy and pray for them. You know who they are. There name came to mind as soon as read the title. No matter what they've done to you know its not impossible because with God all things are possible, even loving your enemies. Hey everybody! I'm so happy you stopped by to check out my blog. If you want to connect and find out what 4:12 challenge is all about email me at [email protected] or follow me on twitter @412challenge! Thanks so much for all your support! God bless!
Last time I wrote a post for the blog I talked about having a relationship with Christ and how it continues to grow overtime. Today I wanted to talk about human relationships, specifically boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. Just so were clear I am not at all an expert when it comes to this area and that is exactly why I wanted to write about this. Yesterday was Valentines Day and I was reminded once again that I am single. I was reminded by relatives that it was about time I get a boyfriend and start dating. To be frankly honest with you…it hurt. It wasn’t like I hadn’t noticed I was single, but it was just a reminder that I was. I feel like even in Christian circles that a girl or boy’s worth is based upon whether or not they have a significant other or not in their friends and family’s eyes and also in their own eyes. It’s sad. Our worth should be found in God alone and no one else. I’m not saying that having a boyfriend/girlfriend is wrong. I am saying that if having one or not having one becomes what validates you then your are very much confused. God validates us. He sent his only son to die on the cross for us because there was nothing we could do to save ourselves. There was nothing on this earth that could validate us or make us worthy enough other than Christ. So don’t get your sense of value based on your relationships or lack of relationship standing. You are validated through Christ and his grace.
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AuthorHi! My name is Leah. I'm seventeen years old and a senior in high school. Archives
August 2015
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