Miracles

"There can be miracles when you believe..." --this is a line from one of my favorite songs, When You Believe. There are many reasons why this song has become so special to me. This past year, God has truly opened my eyes to see His miracles in my life.  He has shown me how powerful belief is.

There is evidence of God using man's belief all over scripture--the faith of Moses as he followed God's call to free the Israelites from slavery, the faith of the sick woman as she reached out to touch the cloak of Jesus, the faith of Peter as he commanded the lame man to rise and walk. They trusted that God was who He said He was and that He could do anything.

How many of us believe that today? In our own lives? In our own families? In our own society? In our own generation?

Belief in God is trusting in Him. It's having faith in His promises, His power, and His goodness. Moses did not trust in his own ability to speak and persuade, but rather in God's ability to soften the hearts of those who would hear his words. The sick woman who believed for her healing by touching the edge of Jesus's cloak did not trust in the physical power of Jesus's cloak, but rather in the unseen power of Jesus, of God, Himself. Peter did not trust in his own words or own will when commanding the lame man to stand, but rather in God's ability to fully mend what was hopelessly broken.

These people trusted in a God higher than themselves. They trusted in a God that was above their circumstances. They trusted in a God that had the ability and the power to work miracles. This is the same God we believe in. He is still working miracles today! Recently I have been asking God to open my eyes to see the miracles He is performing all around me. And I've discovered that many of the miracles He has shown me are things that I would have previously overlooked.

Something as small and special as my little brother running up to me and hugging me is a miracle to me. Having the opportunity to love my family and laugh with my friends on a daily basis is a miracle to me. Watching a bird soar freely across the sky is a miracle to me. (I know it's weird, but I just love watching birds fly...I don't know about you, but it's definitely a God-sighting for me!) Why are these little things, like sharing a joke with one of my siblings or having a fun night at dance class, suddenly seeming so meaningful now? They are significant because through faith, I am able to see God's hand behind all of them. I am able to see Him working in big and small ways in my life and in the lives of those around me.

He is the God of miracles. Whether you're waiting for a big miracle, like a loved one coming to know and accept Christ or trusting God in something as small as getting through a math class, He will always be there for you, working behind the scenes in ways you may never realize. He is mighty and He is moving in your life in countless ways. He is moving your mountains, parting your seas, and healing your hurts. Trust that He is making miracles out of every area of your life.

I encourage you to look for all the small miracles in your life. There are many, many special things God wants to show us that we miss daily because we forget about Him and His unfailing involvement in our lives. I also encourage you to trust God for your big miracles, the situations where you desperately need His guidance and power. Trust that He is God and that He sees you, loves you, and promises to deliver you.

As you continually renew your trust in God and in His power, goodness, and loving involvement in your life, He will give you the eyes to see His miracles and the faith to believe in Him no matter what your circumstances are.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."

Ephesians 3:20-21

~Hannah

All You Need is LOVE!!!

...And that’s something God was really working with me on over the summer, and is STILL working with me on!

I don’t know about you, but I had a really busy summer. It seems to have flown by so fast! But looking back on it now, I realize that I was so blessed to be able to do a LOT of different things this past summer that really grew me as a person and even more so as a believer.

First of all, I think I read over TEN BOOKS this past summer, which is totally a record for me (Shout out to Ted Dekker! If you haven’t heard of Him, you should definitely check him out! His series “The Circle” will change you life!!!), and almost every book I read somehow brought me back to the idea of God’s immense love for me- for His Church, for His Bride, for His people- and the desperate measures He took in order to ensure that I would have an eternal spot in heaven with Him.

Then on top of all that reading, I went to Ballet Magnificat’s summer dance intensive in Jackson, Mississippi in July for four weeks! And boy did God do a lot of things in me during that month! But like I said, everything I’ve learned has kept coming back to that one idea of Love. GOD’S Love. 

We studied the book of Ephesians while I was at Ballet Mag, and one of the big parts we focused on was God’s Love, and how HUGE it is yet how close and real it is at the same time. We, as human beings, cannot even comprehend how great the Love of our Father is!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5

God saved us not because of anything we did or could EVER do, but solely because He loves us THAT much and cared about us enough to give Himself up for us!

“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19

“...and to KNOW this love that surpasses knowledge...” I love that part! That’s exactly what God’s been working with me on: KNOWING His Love. It’s so easy, for us as people, to get all caught up in our emotions and wanting to feel God’s Love. And for me personally, when I’m not really feeling God’s Love, I start to get kinda panicky on the inside and I freak out and feel like I’m doing something wrong and begin to worry that I’m not pursuing God hard enough, etc, etc... But in reality, I’m just getting all caught up in my feelings, and that’s just human nature. However, God is ABOVE all of our feelings, and although He does allow us to sometimes feel his love, “He doesn’t always choose to work in fireworks.” :) He doesn’t always reveal Himself to us in the way that we hope He will. He doesn’t always come to us in this big, dramatic way, where our lives are being wrecked by Him and we’re feeling His love wrap around us for the first time and we’re bawling our eyes out all over the place- No. Sometimes, He simply asks us to step out and choose Him, even though we don’t feel Him at all. And That’s where faith comes in. We’ve experienced God’s Love and seen evidence of it all around us time and time again, so even in those times when we don’t feel His Love at all, we can still fully trust that it is there and it is just as present as always.

It’s like a piece of cake. 

 If you see someone holding a big plate of chocolate cake, you can just look at that piece of cake and know that it’s good. Of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably stare at that piece of chocolate cake and drool over it and want so badly to devour it, that you beg and beg for that person to give you just the smallest, little bite... but the fact of the matter is, you don’t have to taste the cake to know that it’s going to be good. The Bible says to “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Taste AND see. Sometimes God allows us to taste that cake- to taste His Love and to experience it afresh all over again- but other times He just wants us to see the cake and to see His Love at work all around us and remember that He IS still good no matter what we're feeling.

Then, whether we're "tasting" or "seeing", all we have to do is simply live in His Love and enjoy every moment He gives us, big and small.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:1-2

We just have to stay in an attitude of Love towards Him and towards others, and always remain in awe of the greatness of His Love- His perfect Love that drowns out all fear (1 John 4:18)- because all things fade away in comparison to the Love of God, and all we really do need in this life is His LOVE. :)

Here’s a quote one of my friends shared with me that I’d like to end with-

“It’s really cool you want to be passionately in love with Jesus as much as you can, but please don’t beat yourself up about this. Be prepared for the seasons when you’ll barely hang on to God with an intellectual thread, and other seasons where you’ll be so head-over-heels for Jesus that you’re getting tattoos of him on your rib cage. Be ready to be honest in your dry valleys, and be ready to rejoice on the mountaintop. Enjoy both seasons, because both help you grow and both have significance in our lives. The winter and fall teach you to grow deep roots into God even when you don’t feel Him, and the summer and spring are those powerful weeks of blooming fruits and plentiful harvest that will have you laughing and weeping at the same time. Soon you’ll also see: loving Jesus is not even really up to you, because he’s the one who woos, who draws, who beckons, who calls. Loving Him is the easy part; God loving you cost His Son. The more you know that it’s less about you, the more free you will be to love God all the more.” J. S. Park

 

~McKenna 


 

Embrace Change

Change. It’s one of the things that people fear most. Why? Change puts us in a place where we might feel anxious, alone, and unsafe. When we move on from something that we are comfortable with and find ourselves in circumstances that are unfamiliar, we tend to entertain worried or fretful thoughts.

With the upcoming school year quickly approaching, a lot of people, especially teenagers, are going through a lot of change. Maybe you’re approaching a huge school year, like your freshman year of high school or your senior year of high school and you know that your classes will be a lot harder than last year. Or maybe you’re worried about this next school year because you’re changing schools and have to make new friends and get used to a new environment.

Whatever it is you’re worried about, I guarantee you it probably has a lot to do with change. After all, you wouldn’t be worried if your classes and friends were all the same as they were last year because you’re already comfortable with them and you know what to expect of them.

But now, you have NO CLUE what to expect for the upcoming year! I know that sounds scary, but when change comes, whether you’re moving to a different school or moving to a different state, DON’T PANIC! I want to share a little bit about what I’ve learned about change this past year.

1.     Change initially feels uncomfortable. When you’re faced with change and you find yourself in an unfamiliar environment, it’s natural to feel unsafe. But just because you FEEL unsafe, doesn’t mean that you ARE unsafe. You have to believe that God knows exactly what He’s doing in your life and you couldn’t be safer with anyone but Him! So even though you might initially feel uncomfortable when transitioning into a new environment, you have to trust that you are safe with God.

2.     Change is an opportunity to reach out to others. When you feel uncomfortable, you’ll tend to focus more on yourself than anyone else. Do these thoughts sound familiar when meeting new people or walking into a new environment? What are they thinking of me? Do they like me? Am I enough? See how we tend to focus on selfish thoughts rather than selfless ones? I’m guilty of it as much as anyone! But God has shown me that focusing on myself accomplishes nothing but cultivating insecurity and anxious thoughts. God always has a purpose in change. But how will you find that purpose if you are focused on yourself? Maybe God has placed you in a certain situation so that you can reach the people around you! As you intentionally look for ways to put aside your insecurity and look for ways to bless and encourage others, you’ll find that you feel much less insecure and anxious yourself! God has given you so many opportunities to reach out to people right where you are! Ask Him to open your eyes to see the people around you the way He sees them!

3.     Change is always best for you. This is sometimes the hardest to believe, especially if you’re in a new, uncomfortable, unfamiliar environment. When you’re facing the unknown or when you’re battling insecurity in meeting new people, believing that God knows what’s best for you can be very, very hard. But even though your circumstances may change, God’s promises never change. “For we know that God works out all things for the good of those who love Him…” (Romans 8:28) “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) When you don’t understand “why”, trust that God knows. Trust that He has a perfect plan for every moment of your life. Remember that change is an opportunity to trust Him. He is faithful to walk with you through change and He never leads you somewhere that’s not best for you.

Change is inevitable for most of us. It’s easy to feel unsafe, insecure, or unsure when it comes to change. But there is a way for us to overcome these feelings! Though change may come, you can put your trust in Him who is unchangeable. God never changes. God’s promises do not change. You can trust in Him at all times and in all circumstances.

~Hannah~

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to our real life heroes!!! We love you!

Thank you daddy for not only being an amazing father, but also being one of my closest friends. You have taught me so much about the love of God and how to succeed in life. I thank God for giving me a dad that is truly interested in what I like, what I don't like, and that loves to have conversations about absolutely anything. I look up to you so much and hope to marry a man that is like you. You are my favorite superhero! Happy Father's Day! ~Maddie

Happy Father's Day Daddy! I love you SO much- to the moon and BACK!- and I am so thankful to have such an amazing, hard-working and encouraging dad as you! God surely made no mistakes when He put our family together. :) Thank you for always making me laugh, leading me through example, and loving on me no matter what. I'm so blessed to have you as a dad, and I can't wait to see how God continues to grow our relationship with each new year that passes!
Love you TONS!

Love, Kenna

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I hope you never forget how much I love you, appreciate you, and look up to you. You are one of the most God-fearing, selfless, inspiring people I know! Whether we're cheering on our favorite sports team (Go UNC Tarheels!), or racing each other to see who can finish reading a gripping novel first, I treasure every single moment I spend with you. You never cease to amaze me! I love you to infinity and beyond, Daddy!! ~Hannah

He Cares

So, some interesting things happened in my life over this past weekend and as a result, I have big news to share...
   
I FINALLY GOT MY DRIVER’S LICENSE!!! Only after two full years of having my permit... LOL! No big deal! 

As you can imagine, I was extremely nervous all throughout the long nights leading up to that Friday morning on June 9th when I knew I would be forced to go to the DNV and take my driver’s test...

What if I run into someone else’s car in the middle of the test while I’m trying to park? What if I can’t control my foot on the gas pedal and end up speeding the entire time? What if embarrass myself trying to unlock the car or something while the tester guy’s trying to get in? What if I FAIL!?! What if I fail like FOUR TIMES before I finally pass and get my license!?!

...These were all some of the “freak-out” thoughts going through my head as I counted down the days leading up to that dreaded June 9th morning. I was so nervous for it and I just wanted to get it over with already! I literally spent my whole shower time the night before just talking to God about it, because I KNEW I had a selfish mindset about it and I needed to give it to Him. 

So I prayed practically the whole time I was in the shower that night (I love to talk to God while I shower! It’s just one of the most quiet, alone times I have during my day, to just think and talk to Him... Maybe some of you reading this can relate!).
I prayed that he would help me have faith that was bigger than my fear.
I prayed that I would stop only focusing on myself and my insecurity in the situation and instead give up my control and surrender this driving test over to God.
I prayed that He would give me favor when I went in to take that test- that He would “anoint my head with oil” so that “my cup would overflow” onto all those I came in contact with at the DNV...
And I thanked God that “the joy of the Lord would be my strength”. 

He was going to give me confidence and His will was going to be done in my life. And boy! I cannot tell you how much better I felt after simply surrendering my anxiety I had about my driver’s test over to God! I got to the point that night, where I didn’t even care what happened that next day, I just wanted God to be glorified, even through me taking my driver’s test.

And the whole time I was thinking and praying and thanking God, I was just reminded of how much He cares about me- How much He cares about even the most mundane thing as a teen who’s about to take her driving test! I mean, every teen on the planet has to do it at one point or another, but God still cares. And since it’s a big deal to me, it’s a big deal to Him, too. :)

I woke up early Friday morning with butterflies starting to flutter around in my stomach already as the nerves began to kick in again. But God only reminded me in my quiet time, once more, how much He cares and how much “He’s got this”, even though it may only be a driving test. He spoke to me through my “Jesus Always” devotional, saying-

“Apart from me you can do nothing. On days when the tasks before you seem overwhelming, remember this: I am with you, ready to help you. I designed you to need Me and depend on Me. So come to Me just as you are. Talk with Me about the challenges you face and the inadequacy you feel. Don’t worry about being successful in the eyes of the world.”

Whew! Don’t worry about being successful in the eyes of the world. What a relief it was to hear that! I don’t have to worry about pleasing the world, because I already have a Father in Heaven who takes great delight in me, and is already more proud of me than I could ever know! :)

And in the end, as you of course already know, I PASSED!!! I PASSED MY DRIVER’S TEST AND I GOT MY LICENSE!!! It was nowhere near as bad as I had worked it out to be in my head! I even had the sweetest, little old man I got to drive around, named Mr. Howard, who told me all about his 4 cats and let me help  put his seat belt on for him. :) He was such a treasure! And even after the fact, I remembered that I had seen him two years earlier, when I had gone to the DNV to get my permit, and how I had thought to myself then, “I hope I get THAT guy when I have to take MY driver’s test!”

See how good God is!?! He even took notice of THAT smallest detail, that little thought of mine, and made it a reality for me. How cool! He really does care, so much! And I am so thankful for his listening ears that are always tuned-in to me, and his outstretched hands, always ready to help me with whatever I need. :)

"Cast all you anxiety on him because he cares for you." 

1 Peter 5:7

- McKenna Brooks

Happy Mother's Day!!

Today is one of the most special days of the year! It’s the day when we are reminded of how amazing our mothers are!!! We get to celebrate them and show our love for them! We hope that you will take the time to extend your personal gratitude and love to your mother this weekend! Remind her of how special she is to you--whether that's by writing her a note, getting a gift for her, or simply giving her a hug and telling her that you love her.

Mothers, we pray that you will always feel as special and loved as you are. We love you and appreciate you so much!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

                                                             Thank you mom for being my best friend!! You will always be the person I turn to for guidance or just for a laugh. Thank you for everything you have done for me all these years!! You'll always be my closest friend. Love you! ~Maddie

Happy Mother’s Day Mommy! You are AMAZING and I don’t know how you do what you do everyday and yet manage to still have a smile on your face! Thank you for always leading me not only through your constant encouragement and love as my mom, but also through the example you set for me as you live in a way that puts God first in all things! I love you so SO much- to the moon and back!- and I am so thankful to have you for my mom! :) xoxo, Kenna 

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!! If there's anyone I look up to for guidance and advice as I walk through life, it's you. Thank you for always being there for me. Whenever I need to talk, you're there to listen. Whenever I need to laugh, you're there to make me smile. Whenever I need to be reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness, you're always there to remind me of the truth. I don't know what I would do without you! I love you past the sky!! ~Hannah

Phobia

This week, I passed my Driving Test and finally received my license. A year late, since I am now 17 years old and probably should have gotten it last year at 16... but better late than never!

It's super exciting and I'm so happy that all the work and practice I put into driving finally paid off. However, it wasn't always like that. Not too long ago, I had a fear of driving and would refuse to take the driver's seat when I was asked to drive anywhere. Two years ago, my parents forced me to study and get my learner's permit even though I was afraid and though I was happy when I passed the test and we celebrated... I still didn't want to drive around.

Let's just be honest, driving is scary! People are crazy! They speed, they don't check their mirrors, they won't turn their blinker on, they honk at you.. etc etc. To sum it all up, it stresses me out and being only five foot one, barely being able to see out the car window, doesn't help.

Finally, last month, my parents enrolled me in driving school. Yes, I drove around in one of those really obnoxious "Student Driver" cars with the signs on top and everything. It was nerve-wracking, but in the long run, my instructor helped me gain confidence in my driving and taught me how to be safe on the road so I wouldn't have to be afraid!

I had to realize, this was a step in me becoming an adult. I had to get my license. I would never be able to drive anywhere myself if I didn't. Most importantly, I had to understand that God will protect me. He's always watching my every step and if I remember to drive safely and pray for God's protection, I have no need to be afraid of the road.

Last week, in my new confidence, I walked up to my dad and said, "Can I drive to youth group tonight?" He was so happy that I finally wanted to drive. It was the first time I had ever asked.

This relates to situations in our lives. Something will come up that you know you have to do and it's scary. For example, going to a new school, speaking in front of people, going to college, trying out for a sport. These are all events that shape our lives and personality. God puts hard things in our lives so that we may learn to trust in him alone and build our faith. I would have never overcome my fear of driving if I wouldn't have begun praying for His guidance and for Him to give me strength and courage.

Because of that, I now have my license (with a cheesy picture of me on it) and I can now get in the car with absolutely no fear, but instead, enjoyment.

Difficult situations in the long run give us more courage than we had before and we know that God gives us the bravery we need to walk through a hard situation. And he gives us this bravery for free. All we need to do is ask Him.

-Madison Terwilliger