Students need Jesus..

Every day in America..
*1,440 teenage girls become mothers
*1,106 teenage girls get abortions
* 4,216 teens contact a sexual transmitted disease
*500 adolescents begin using drugs
*1,000 begin drinking alcohol
* 135,000 children bring guns or other weapons to school
* 180 children are arrested for violent crimes
* 3,610 teens are assaulted
* 80 teenagers are raped
* 6 teens commit suicide

Teenagers are experiencing so much hurt and pain in their life, it is unbelievable. Those statistics are crazy, but they are true, and I know that because I see it every day at school. Teenagers have experienced so much crap in their life. It absolutely breaks my heart. And as teachers, what are we doing about this…??

Well, here is the Iowa Based Learner Profile that we are basing our curriculum around..

Students will be:

-communicators
-risk-takers
-reflective
-knowledgeable
-thinkers
-inquirers
-open-minded
-principled
-balanced
-caring

Okay, so let’s say that we achieve this goal, that these become the characteristics of our students in their behavior. Well, what are we going to do about all the pain and the hurt? How about all the brokenness and the sin that these students have been grown up in?
The only thing that can heal them of their hurt, the only thing that can actually help them is being forced out of the schools. These students need Jesus Christ.

Encouraging Story:
So we started Youth for Christ at Merrill last Thursday. It was great! We had well over 50 students there, and a lot of students that I didn’t expect to be there. Anyway, there is this girl, who has been on my heart since the very beginning of school. She is in my first period class. I very rarely see her smile; she just looks so sad and hurt all the time. During our team meetings, the teachers have discussed what we can do to motivate her because she never turns in any assignments, participates, or cares about anything. I’ve tried to make it a point to talk with her and ask her how she’s doing, but I never get much of a response. Well, the Lord brought her to YFC on Thursday, and I knew that when we split up into small groups that God would put her in mine and sure enough, he did. I had about ten of my students in my group and I got the opportunity to clearly go through the gospel with them. It was awesome to see the students actually get it and ask lots of great questions, including Mishayla, who usually doesn’t say anything.
So the next day, as I’m greeting my students, she comes up to me, taps me on the shoulder and smiles!! I couldn’t believe it. And then, I went back to sit at my desk, and she comes up and turns in a few of her assignments that she has never turned in, and says that she completed them for me, and that she wants to be on my team for Upwards Basketball, and gave me a high five. It was crazy to see how much different she was. Even in class, we had a work day and she was really working on her assignment and asking questions, which usually she just has her head down. I was so encouraged by her. And it got me thinking how these students need Jesus, they need to know they are loved and cared for, and how much of an impact a teacher can have in a students life if they really cared about them as a person instead of a test-taker.

**

"The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. For I have accepted God's idea of me, and my whole life is an offering back to Him of all that I am and all that HE wants me to be."
-Elisabeth Elliot

to know the love of Christ..

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is breadth and length and the height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Eph 3:17-19

Strength to comprehend? Surpasses knowledge? That is so true and is also why non-Christians see our lives and think we are absolutely ridiculous. To get my mind around the love that God has for me is impossible. But with everything in me, I desire that Christ dwells in my heart and that I would be filled with the fullness of God. So what does that even mean? What does that look like?

Johnny Mac (John MacArther) comments on this passage “To be so strong spiritually, so compelled by divine love, that one is totally dominated by the Lord with nothing left of self. Human comprehension of the fullness of God is impossible, because even the most spiritual and wise believer cannot completely grasp the full extent of God’s attributes and characteristics- His power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, patience, kindness, and everything He is and does. But believers can experience the greatness of God in their lives as a result of total devotion to Him.”

What I do know is that when I can come to grip with the love of God and I am totally filled with His spirit and walking in it, then I can do Eph 3:20 ESV

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”

The NIV says “immeasurably more”. That’s crazy! If we could understand how to live according to the power within us.. then we can do things we couldn’t of even imagine.

“Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your day that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5

Why Me?

Once again, I am blown away by the graciousness of God and how unbelievably blessed I am. I have been really thinking about the fact that God chose me, he predestined me, he called me, and I just don’t get it.. I don’t know why. Why me? I was at this girl’s house this weekend and she started opening up to me and letting me into her life. She explained everything that happened to her and the crap that she has been involved in. She has had a lot of awful stuff happen, most of which is the consequence of her sin. As I continued to hang out with her and a few of her friends, my heart just broke because of their need for Jesus. It was so apparent that they were looking for love in all the wrong places. She was trying to find it in these guys who just abuse her. She is trying to find it in her friends who turn their back on her and at parties, alcohol and every other form of sin. Because of this, she is left hurt, broken, abused, and empty. But the world continues to lie to her and tell her that this is all she deserves and this is where she will eventually find happiness.

So I tell her about Jesus. I tell her that He is the only person that she is going to find true love and fulfillment. I share with her the gospel and the love story of Jesus Christ coming down to reconcile her back to him. I tell her that the life he has promised is true life and a life of fulfillment. I told her about how he has changed my life and the joy that I have from him. Jesus is offering this abundant life and what does she do? She says she doesn’t want it. It’s just not for her and she wants to continue to live the life she is living. What the heck? Why would she continue to desire the life that she is living, all the hurt and pain? It makes me so mad and angry at Satan and all his lies that he is telling people and how deceived people are.

Here I am, sitting at her house, watching the life that she is living. I am witnessing her roommate get in this huge argument with the father of her children who was come to get the kids because it’s “his weekend”. I’m looking at her kids who are watching their parents yelling and cuss at each other, the four year boy who asks his mom, “Do I have to go with him?” and then the three year old girl who is desperate for her fathers attention. All I want to do is take those kids and run from the whole situation.

The resonating question that was going through my mind was “Why me?” Why did God chose me? It could have been very easily turned around and I could be the one in their shoes. I could be the one completely deceived from the world and the reality of Jesus love. Not only that but why at the age of 22? I could of come to know him at the age of 40 after I married some jerk guy who didn’t love the Lord and have kids who have no idea who Jesus is. My life would look completely different. Once again, it’s completely over my head of the love that Jesus has for us and his desire to bless our life! I hate this world, I hate all the lies and people so badly need Jesus Christ!

Over my head...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly place, even as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpse of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our tresspasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for us the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." Eph 1:3-10

This passage absolutly blows me away! God has had this whole thing mapped out before the beginning of time. Before he even begin to create the universe, he had us in mind. That's crazy! Think about his thought process through this whole ordeal. God thought one day that he was going to create the universe, all the stars and the galaxies, just so he could create us, even as small and insignificant as we are. And then he had to figure out a plan because he knew, before he did anything, that his prized possession, his creation, would rebel against him, we would turn our backs on our creator and spit in his face. He knew that we would think that our ways were better than his ways and we would live however we wanted. Yet for some reason, he still did it, he still created us. And then because of his character, he had to figure out some way to reconcile us back to him, to "unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth". So he decided that he was going to become one of us, he was going to live among us and die for his creation. He had us in mind, so that we would be able to stand in front of him, blameless, pure, holy. He must of known how much hurt, pain, grief and jealousy that it would cause him. Yet he still did it, he still went through with his entire plan. He began to create the world... All because he loved us and wanted us to experience his love, his mercy, his grace and be fully satisfied in him. I just don't get it, I have a hard time getting that type of love.

So after I'd been thinking about this passage this morning, I started listening to this song that Stepha told me to listen to on my way to school. It is called "Over My Head" by Starfield. In the words of Stephanie Albright, "Holy Buckets!" This song is unbelievable, I literally pulled over my car so I could listen more closely to the words. Here are the lyrics..

Over My Head by Starfield

After the words have all been said
After the songs are sung
I realize I've only but just begun
Trying to wrap my mind around
Extravagant love come down
Leaves me undone
Finds me with nothing to say

The reach of Your fame
The power in Your name
Your glory surrounds me
It's over my head
It's over my head
The shame of the cross
For all that it cost
This friendship astounds me
It's over my head
It's over my head

Unquenchable songs and endless praise
A million tongues poised to sing
Could still not convey
The worth that Your name deserves
Beauty for ashes
Joy for pain
Mercy instead of my blame
Ruins me for more
I'm lost in Your presence, Lord

Hallelujah...

Lost for the words to say
I'm left here in disarray
Waiting for You, waiting on truth
I've thrown reason overboard
Knowing that there's still more
I don't yet believe, I can't even perceive
I can't seem to understand
Can't seem to find my way
It's over my head, it's over my head
Learning this mystery
Trust what I cannot see
It's over my head, it's over my head
The wonder of all You've made
Foundations Your hands have laid
Bringing me back to my knees, to my knees
I'm lost for the words to say
Lost for another way
Bringing me back to my knees, to my knees
I'm lost for the words to say
Lost for another way
Ruined for anything other than Your love
I'm desperate to know You, Lord
Desperate for what's in store
Finding my hope in only You, in only You
Take me beyond this door
Lead me to something more
Open my heart up for more of You, more of You

So good!! That song totally encompasses all that I've been thinking about. I am over my head and I just don't understand that kind of love!

Here is a link to the song.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgGbxvAEqVM

Christ in me..

"So we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us." 1 John 4:16

Lately, I have been feeling a little bit discouraged and worn out. I've been praying this past year for God to lead me to people with soft hearts. He has answered that prayer by opening my eyes to people that he has been working on. It's been awesome and really exciting but I have found myself in a place where I have been trying to love people by my own strength, which is why I have been feeling overwhelmed. So I have been going back to the love of God and clinging to that truth. I've been thinking about this verse and how if we really knew and really believed that God loved us in more ways than we could imagine..that we are chosen, accepted, pursued, reconciled, saved, forgiven, pure, rejoiced over, loved, approved and appointed, how would that change our lives? How much freedom would that give us?

How can we experience this love? In 1 John 4:12 it says, "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."
Gods love is perfected in us when we love one another. But the thing is, he never intended us to do it alone. In fact, we can't love anyone alone because without God it is impossible to love. God is love. His love is perfected when he abides in us and through him, we can love one another.

Another great verse from this chapter that I've been thinking about is 1 John 4:9-10. It says "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Yes, one of the reasons that Christ came to this earth is to save us from our sins, so that we may have eternal life. But another reason according to this verse is so that "we might live through him". If we are constantly living by the spirit, we can do "immeasureable more than we can ask or imagine according to the power that is at work within us." Eph 3:20