Long time, no update :)

We have been reading Live Like a Jesus Freak by DC Talk. We are only on the second chapter but you guys seem to like it. This week, we are going to be discussing the following questions instead of Chapter 2 of Live Like a Jesus Freak.

So our question to you is this:
· Who are you? What do you feel is your calling/purpose?
· What does your beautiful ending look like? What will people say about your life once you are gone?
· In what ways have you fought to keep your eyes on that finish line (beautiful ending)?
· How would you encourage others to see and live out their own beautiful ending?
· What are some of the distractions we face that keep us from having a beautiful ending?
· What does it mean to you to have a beautiful ending?

PS- I will also be taking pictures for my posters for my talk so be sure to come :)

It's been a while.

I haven't updated in a while. Lately we have been reading The Battlefield of the Mind for Teens. Last week we started a Jesus Freak book.

Do Hard Things!

Tonight we decided to read the book Do Hard Things by Brett and Alex Harris. We will be reading a chapter and discussing it every Wenesday. Notes from the discussions will be posted here after every week. Remember to bring your Bible (or you could use one of ours). Try to bring a friends so we can grow :) I'm excited about the upcoming "Bible study year"! If anyone wants to check out the book here's a website: DO HARD THINGS ;)

- Madison

Week 4- Judas

Hi people this time we talked about Judas and if he went to Heaven or Hell.

John 13:18-27

"I'm not speaking about all of you; I know those i have chosen.  But the Scripture must be fulfilled: The one who eats My bread has raised his heel against Me.  I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.  I assure you: The one who receives whomever I send receives Me, and the one who receives me receives Him who sent Me."  When Jesus had said this, He was troubled in His spirit and testified, "I assure you: One of you will betray Me!"  The disciples started looking at one another uncertain which one He was speaking about.  One of His disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining close beside Jesus.  Simon Peter motioned to him to find out it was He was talking about.  So he leaned back against Jesus and asked Him, "Lord, who is it?"  Jesus replied, "He's the one I give the piece of bread to after I have dipped it."  When He had dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas, Simon Iscariot's son.  After Judas ate the piece of bread, Satan entered him.  Therefore Jesus told him, "What you're doing, do quickly."

THE JUDUS KISS (Luke 22:47-53; Matthew 26: 48-56)

this is basically the same in both books so I'm just posting the Matthew one.

While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the 12, suddenly arrived.  A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people.  His betrayer had given them a sign:"The One I kiss; arrest Him!"  So he went right up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  "Friend," Jesus asked him,"why have you come?"  Then they came up, took hold of Jesus, and arrested Him.  At that moment one of those with jesus reached out his hand and drew his sword.  He struck the high priest's slave and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus told him, "Put your sword back in place because all who take up a sword will parish by a sword.  Or do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?  How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?"  At that time Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture Me?  Every day I used to sit, teaching in the temple and you didn't arrest Me.  But all this has happened so that the prophetic Scriptures would be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples deserted Him and ran away.

Matthew 27:3-5

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief of priests and elders,"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood," he said.  "What's that to us?" they said, "See to it yourself!"  So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed.  Then he went and hanged himself. 

Heaven or Hell

I say Heaven because before Judas hung himself he was "full of remorse" and he returned the money to the priests.  So he recognized that what he had done was wrong and he repented by returning the money and then he hung himself.  No one knows what he said before he actually hung himself.  It seems to me that he did ask for forgiveness.  Besides the main reason he actually did it was to fulfill the prophecy (which it repeated quite a lot actually in the pastures that we read).

Also we sin all the time and yet we still expect to go to heaven after we have admitted that we've done wrong and ask for forgiveness.  It doesn't matter how big a sin it is whether its helping kill Jesus or lying to your mom, if you ask for forgiveness from God then you are gonna get it.  And after we ask for forgiveness we expect to go to heaven because that is what the bible has told us.  So why wouldn't Judas expect the same thing?  love you guys! I'm praying for you! :D 

- Skyler

Week 3- Romans 8

Hola my homies! sorry i posted this like a week late but I hadn't really gotten on lately so I didn't feel like it but anyways here it is.

We read Romans chapter 8...all of chapter 8 (i would type it but that would take way to much space so you guys can look it up if you would like :)

• Romans 8:5 says "for those whose lives are according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those whose lives are according to the spirit think about things of the spirit."
• When you accept Jesus but you don't change your life , you are still sinning.
• When you accept Jesus and change your life for the better then you are trying to not be a sinner.

• If you don't listen to God then you aren't being Christ-like.
• If you trust in God and do what He wants to do, getting to your goal will be easy and you will actually succeed.

God loves you for you, it doesn't matter what you do. :)  love you guys praying for you!

-Skyler

Week 2-Prayer

Hi! peoples. In this meeting we talked about the importance of prayer and talking to God, and having a relationship with God.
THE VERSES:

Matthew 6:5-13
"When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him. "

Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point our anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (giving your life to God and letting him no everything about you.)

Mark 7:24-30
"Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre. He didn't want anyone to know which house he was staying in, but he couldn't keep it a secret. Right away a woman who had heard about him came and fell at his feet. Her little girl was possessed by an evil spirit, and she begged him to cast out eh demon from her daughter. Since she was a gentile, born in Syrian Phoneicia, Jesus told her, "first I should feed the children my own family, the jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied,"That's true, Lord, but even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat scraps from the children's plates." "Good answer!" he said. "Now go home for the demon has left your daughter." And when she arrived home, she found her little girl lying quietly in bed, and the demon was gone."

Philippians 4:6-7
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Jesus Christ."

Effective Prayer:
Genuine prayer gets God's attention. It comes from the heart. It doesn't matter how long it is. It is not a show.
We should talk to God because he is God. He wants to know you. Plus when you have a relationship with him you can experience God's peace.
"A christian who doesn't pray is like Lois Lang trying to stop Lex Luther without Superman when he has been in the building the whole time."
You confess to God even though He already knows what you did so that He knows that you know what you did wrong.
Give everything to God cause he's already in control. :D

-Skyler

Bible Study-Week One- Appreance

Hi guys we had our first bible study meeting at my house and the consensus was that it went okay and that everyone liked it.
I'm going to be posting what we talked about for each meeting from now on in case someone couldn't show up or in case you can't come to the bible study but would still like to voice your opinions on the matters we discuss.

1) Psalms 34:17-18
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the broken-hearted; he saves those crushed in spirit."

Discussion
~God is listening for anyone that is crying out for Him. He delivers them from all their troubles.

~Come to God for all of your troubles.
~If your sad come to God and he will help you find happiness or you will find happiness through him.
~When your dealing with depression and other disorders God is there with you to help you through what you are struggling with.

2) Isaiah 62:4-5
"You will no longer be called Deserted, and your land will not be called Desolate; instead you will be called My delight is in her or the City of God's Delight, and your land married for your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you."

Discussion
~God will never turn away from you, He will never desert you.
~God will accept you for who you are.
~God is pleased with you and all others.
~The bridegroom part could be that God rejoices when we accept Jesus into our lives.

3) Romans 8:6
"For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the spirit is life and peace."

Discussion
~Mind-set is still set on sin it is not set on Jesus Christ.
~Like dealing with an eating disorder your mind is set on being skinny and not that Jesus would accept you for who you are.

You can also refer to Madison's blog about eating disorders and Barlowgirl's Mirror song talks about Becca's struggle and overcoming of her eating disorder.

*God has made you in his image so don't let the world define you!*

-Skyler