Mark 4:1-20 (The Message)

He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.
"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people—

Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don't understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."

He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
"The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.
"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."

More Beautiful You - Jonny Diaz

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

Rice For The Hungry

1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat.
25,000 people die every day from hunger and related causes.
Every six seconds a child dies because of hunger and related causes.

WE are so blessed here in America. WE live in a culture where most of us never have to face a serious hunger problem on a daily basis.

When I first think about how I can help those who are dying from hunger, in a totally different country thousands of miles away, I feel overwhelmed. I start to think that there is nothing I can do to help these people.

Yet, WE as the Body of Christ are called to be helping these people. Jesus says “…whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

If WE choose to not help these people we are choosing to blatantly disobey what God has called us to do, “love the least”

So I present to you a way WE can help those who are starving.

It’s called Freerice.com

All WE have to do is play this vocabulary game that Freerice.com provides. For each question you answer correctly 10 grains of rice will be donated to those who are “the least”.


Now it is your choice! Will you help those who are starving for a simple grain of rice?

Go To http://www.freerice.com/





Stats are from the World Food Program

Ups and Downs in Life

Do you ever have days where you are on such a "high" of life and then hours later you find yourself feeling like crap??

Well, you're not alone if you do, because that's how my days have been lately.

I can start the day feeling on top of the world, and then moments later I get caught up thinking about how I've failed in my life. I know that the devil is trying to bring me down, but to be honest, it's working.

It's not like I'm on this depression mode or anything, but I do have times where I feel like there's no end to my pain. I can feel like such a failure, but you know what? I don't have to believe it. Because with God I have victory. Victory over death. Sin. Depression. Lies. And the Devil himself.

I hope that none of you ever feel alone in your life.

You have victory in your life that's worth celebrating!!! :)

Loving Others

Romans 13:8

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Family Force 5 - D-I-E 4 Y-O-u

I'd take a bullet for you
Bleed all my blood out for you
Be taken hostage, under the knife's edge
Pay all the ransom for you

Do the hard time for you
On the front lines for you
Bring on the pain, the ball and chain
Be executed for you

I'll cover for you, take a hit
I'm your alibi
I got your back
I'm living every day just to die

Every day I die for you
Throw me in the fire, I'd walk right through
I made a promise, it's an I-O-U
I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U

I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U
I'd D-I-E for Y-O-U
I'd die for you, die, D-I-E for you
I'd D-I-E, I'd die for you


I came across this verse last semester in school and fell in love with it immediately.
Then this song by FF5 really captures what love is I feel. I mean Jesus said "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."


I hope that we don't forger what this true love really is.

One Year Ago

I woke up this morning thinking about one year ago today. Where I was. Who my close friends were. What I thought about myself. What I looked like. Where I stood spiritually. Tons of different scenarios were running through my mind.

I remember at this time last year I was getting ready for college, and not knowing what to expect from that experience. I was working at a Dairy Queen and working as much as I possibly could. As I was thinking about all of there year ago memories I pondered how much I worried about the things back then that didn't even last until now.

How true that is in our lives. We get caught up worrying about the things of today and how we have to do this or that. We worry about how we'll pay for this or how we'll make this relationship or that relationship work.

Looking back at all of those things that I once worried about I feel so foolish.

I hope you and I will do better at worrying about the things that God is concerned about, instead of worrying about our own goals and pleasures.

Matthew 6:25-34(NIV)

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.