Risk It

 This video was sent to me through email from Focus on the Family.  It is entitled "Do Something Risky With Your Life" by John Piper.  I recommend you watch this two minute video.  Listen especially to the ending.  He says, "You've got to have a flavor about your life that is risky and radical.  Different."

This last quote reminded me of a friend of mine.  He recently read the book "Radical".  I talked to him a couple days ago and he said, "I'm thinking radical right now."  Let's all think radical! Imagine what this world would look like if we all woke up from our slumbers in our perfect houses with our perfect lives and actually risked our perfect reputations for God's glory?! Hmm. I don't think you are imagining it.  I bet you just kept on reading after I said that. Well stop reading. Right now. And TRULY imagine.

What did you see?

What are some reasons that you don't take risks?

Some reasons I can think of are:

1. Fear
2. Reputation, wanting to withhold it.
3. We get too comfortable.  A friend once told me, "Life is just too short to get comfortable." Let's live like we believe that.

I would say that those are some of the biggest reasons that we as Christians don't take risks by looking for opportunities to share our faith, go over seas for missions, doing ministry in our own communities, inviting friends to church, sticking up for the kid being picked on... There are endless possibilities and opportunities where we can make a difference in someone's life.  Risk it! I mean, what have you got to lose? You've got the God of the Universe on your side, man! What else do you need?

I'm as guilty as anyone for being too comfortable.  Using "shyness" as an excuse for not talking to someone who needs it...  For example. You know when there are some days that you have to wake up early for work, school, or whatever reason, and you just lay in your bed because you're "too comfortable" to get up?  I think we get like that in our lives as well. 

 ^{Acts 15:25-27 says this:
25} So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

They risked their lives people! Their LIVES!  That is a scary thought to think about.  These men were out dedicating their lives to Christ, sharing the gospel to everyone they met. Even put in prison! And here we are living the American Dream...Yikes.

I love these verses from 2 Corinthians 4.
⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

Isn't that so comforting? I find it so.  I will end with one last verse that I'm sure many of you know.
Psalms 23:4


⁴ Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.

So don't be afraid to take risks.  God will be with you. And it will be so incredibly worth it in the end. :)

Think. Radical.



- Mallory

What I have learned...

 So this is the first time that I have blogged all summer.  So much has been going on and I just have a hundred things that I want to write all at once... First of all, I want to share this video with you.  At camp a couple of friends and I went to the retreaters' chapel while we were doing t3.  The speaker showed us this video. It was the first time I had ever seen it.  And I was touched to the core.  It made me feel like I have been wasting my whole life doing things that won't even matter in a couple years... This video is called "A Letter from Hell".  If you watch it I guarantee you will be convicted.

Another thing that I've learned this summer is to perform for God's glory. No matter what you are doing.  This summer in softball when I wouldn't get the compliments I wanted from my coaches I talked to my mom about it.  And she said, "Well you are playing for God's glory right? Not for the praise of the coaches."

And her saying that woke me up.

I wasn't giving God glory.  I just wanted to hear the praise from my coaches... But, once my mom opened my eyes, I tried to put every game into God's hands and knew I couldn't compete without Him, and that went a lot better after that.  I felt better about myself, knowing that no matter if my coaches don't compliment me, God was getting the glory, and that's what matters.  So yeah,  I want to be careful with my other sports this year and that God gets the glory. Not me. I need to have an all-glory-for-Him mentality.

Plus, I have seen a lot of answered prayers this summer concerning some friends. And that's been awesome to see.

Another cool thing I learned this summer is an analogy a counselor told me.  God's plan is like a quilt, and we are one of the patches.  All we can see are the loose strings and stitching on the underside, while God sees the masterpiece that the quilt is becoming.  I thought that was pretty neat :) :).

Another cool analogy I learned concerns the law and how some people think that following it saves you.  The purpose of the law is like a mirror, to show us our sin. But no matter how much you look into the mirror, you won't be made clean.  That is what Jesus is for.

At t3 we went through the book of Galatians.  The first chapter was the most powerful to me because of Galatians 1:10
"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."


Am I trying to please God?

Are you? 


- Mallory

Awing Wonder

Your love envelops us, just as light from a sun beam floods a dark room through a window.
The Joy that you give me should be like trying to stifle a laugh while looking at your best friend.
It can't be done!
I can't stifle or hide this joy. 
You remain constant as the tide.
So much wonder. . .
I look at your creation like a child.
Thrilled at the mystery of it all.
If we knew why You created everything the way You did, it wouldn't be near as wonderful, would it?
All the questions I want to ask You.
I feel like running.
Running forever without growing weary or tired.
Looking forward to my Heavenly home.
What do you suppose it would feel like to stand in a field of grass, as it whips and rolls around your bare feet in the wind?
How would the world be different if questions didn't exist?
How the dew comes up in the morning.
Do all the drops form at once, or does moisture slowly come together?
How far do dandelion seeds travel?
Oh, the wonder and excitement of it all!!
Lord, your creativity never ceases to amaze me!
The beautiful sound of a rippling brook.
The beauty of a rainbow that stretches across the horizon after a storm.
The way that the sun shines through a break in the clouds.
How you can feel a breeze brush against you, but can't see it.
And oh, the sunrises and sunsets!
I can't even begin to describe how exquisite they are!
It's official.
Our God's creativity can not be topped!


- Mallory

Time

The other day, I saw this poem called The Meaning of Time, and it really made me think.



The Meaning of Time

To understand the meaning of one year Ask a student who was failed his exam

To understand the meaning of one month Ask a mother who was given birth to a pre-mature baby

To understand the meaning of one week Ask an editor of weekly magazine

To understand the meaning of one day Ask a daily wage labor

To understand the meaning of one hour Ask a girl who was waiting for her boy

To understand the meaning of one minute Ask a person who has missed the train

To understand the meaning of one second Ask a person who has survived an accident

To understand the meaning of one milli-second Ask a sprinter who has won a silver medal in the Olympics


Guys, our lives are so short. And something else to think about, is that no one is promised tomorrow. Jesus could come back tonight. I want to live like today is my last day on this earth. When Jesus returns, I want Him to say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." Matthew 24:44 says "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." It's kind of like if your parents go out for the night, and they give you a list of instructions of things to do before they return home, but they don't tell you when they will come back. I would probably be one of those that gets distracted and ends up watching TV instead doing their chores. And how utterly humiliating would it be if Jesus came back, and found you like that?



I like the song "Sleeping In" by Nevertheless
The chorus goes like:

And its got me sleeping in

Everyday God, its the same thing

Yeah, you caught me sleeping in

I'm still hiding, I'm still waiting

I need you here with me to face the world outside

'Cause I'm tired of sleeping in


I don't want God to catch me "sleeping in". I don't want to hide away my whole life, too scared to go out of my comfort zone.

I also like this line from the song "Activate" by Stellar Kart. "You'll never start a revolution in your sleep." That is so true. I don't want to say that I want to change, to grow in my faith, and do nothing about it. I don't want to be all talk.


Lord,

Help me to follow through. Help me apply what I learn to my life. I don't want to waste any more time. I want to live for You NOW, not when I'm on my deathbed, or wait until You come back. Help me to not get stuck in the worldly routine. Give me the desire to follow you whole-heartedly.


Amen



-Mallory

Starving Souls

I see dead people everywhere.


I see their starving souls, continually trying to quench their thirst for satisfaction.

Emotional satisfaction.

Love.

Hope.

The scary thing?

They don't know they're dead.



I was dead once too.

Then I was revived.

Revived spiritually.

Saved.



These people, they look just like you and me.

But inside their souls cry out.

In agony.

They think to themselves.

"There must be something more than this."



The gift.

Jesus.

He saved me.

He saved you.

On the cross He died.

Pain.

Suffering.

Blood.

Tears.

All so we can have life.

Life with Him.



This news is so good.

So extremely good.

We should be ready to burst with excitement to tell about our Lord.

Why do we keep it to ourselves?

Why don't we tell these suffering people about this gift?

This free gift.

Because we are selfish.

We have reputations, that we don't want to give up.

We care about our "status" so much that we pay no attention to other people's spiritual welfare.

And in the end, what will matter more?

What will you put on the top of your list?

The choice is up to you.

And me.



What choice will you make?



- Mallory

A Runner's Prayer

So, this is a little silly poem that I wrote today, to express my feelings about my first track meet tomorrow. ;P




A Runner's Prayer

Lord, we have a meet today, and I know I've only just woke up.

But my nerves have already started, even as I pray.

Only You can get me through this day.

Lord, now I'm on the bus, on the way to the meet.

Listening to people sing about you on my ipod comforts me.

Only Your name gives me peace.

Lord, now the race is coming up, but all I can hear is my pounding heart.

Help me to trust in You.

Only You can calm my heart.

Lord, as I'm walking to the starting line, my legs begin to shake.

My blocks are set, and so are my feet.

Only You can get me through this meet.

Lord, I know the race is starting soon, for I see the guy with the gun.

I listen closely for him to say " runners on your marks."

Only You can help me as I start.

Lord, by this time I am set, and I'm waiting for the "go."

The suspense is dreadful, but I know that I can do all things because you strengthen me.

Only You can help me finish, even if I don't finish wonderfully.



- Mallory

The Line

This is another short story that I wrote today :).

The Line

For years there has been this line dividing the land. 

Fear.  We are in fear of crossing.  Crossing the line.  Crossing not just with our legs, but

with our hearts, minds, and souls.  Fear of being different.  Fear of not being like

everyone else.  Fear of standing out.  Fear of losing normality. 

What is normal?  Is normal doing what everyone else does? Is what everyone else does

normal?  Is there even such a thing as normal? Why do we all want to be alike, when

we all were made so differently?

The fear is greater still.  The fear of getting laughed at is so great, that we go out of our

way to be "normal." Who decides what normal is?  Why are we so afraid?  Do we care

what people think about us so much, that we will destroy our uniqueness?

The World.  It is full of sin, hatred, and people who strive their whole lives only to earn

what will not last.  Being normal.  Is it worth the work?  It's like working your whole life

for an ice cream cone that will melt as soon as the clouds go away, and the Son returns.

One day, everyone stood at the line.  Kids were making it a joke, saying, "Hey, who

wants to cross the line? I sure don't.  We have much more fun over here.  Anyone who

crosses the line is a loser.  Everyone knows that."

The kids laughed at the joke.  I laughed, not because it was funny, but because

everyone else laughed at it.  I was caught up in the normality as well.  My best friend

was sitting beside me.  I immediately stopped laughing when I saw his face.  He had a

unusually determined look.  I heard him whisper, "Lord, give me the strength," under his

breath.  He then took his arms, and began to pulI himself across the ground. All the

joking and talking ceased as everyone watched him drag his limp body across that line.

No one could believe that he crossed it.  Not one person had crossed that line in years.  

You could hardly tell that the line was there anymore, for it had been overgrown with

weeds, thorn bushes, and trash.

I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions of all kinds.  I didn't know what to think.  I

was so proud to be the friend of someone who had the guts to cross that line.  But at the

same time, I was humbled to my knees.  Why hadn't I crossed the line with him? Why is

it that all of us healthy people were to afraid to cross, and someone who couldn't even

walk, had more strength?

While I was kneeling on the ground, in tears, everyone else had burst out in laughter,

thinking that this was some kind of joke.  I was infuriated.  How could they do this? 

It was at that point that I looked across the line.  I saw my friend on the other side flash

me one of his famous smiles.  I closed my eyes, took one step, and before I knew it, I

had crossed that line as well.  The word normal no longer existed in my vocabulary.