Stay Connected - written February 15th 2011

Aaaah yes, the quintessential don't-stray-from-the-church devo, right??

Wrong.

Well, kind of.

As pretty much everyone in the whole world knows, I moved to Canada last week, and let me tell you, it's been a little strange.

I mean, yes, it's exciting and fantastic and cold, but it was literally the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life.

I left my family, my dogs, my home, my church, and my town, the place where I grew up for almost 8 years. The weirdest part was the thought that when I go back, it won't be mine anymore.

And I kind of freaked out a little bit when I realized that. I felt like I was losing a huge part of me, that I was losing part of my identity.

I'm no longer Kenzie, the girl who lives in Mexico, the girl who is in charge of 20 properties, the girl who is a novelty.

I felt that I was just Kenzie: Canadian.

But then I realized that, no, that's not true. Just because I'm no longer immersed in it, it's still a HUGE part of me. It's still so firmly ingrained in my being that it would be very difficult for me to separate myself from that Kenzie, because she is me.

The same goes for Faith.

When I first left, putting my relationship with Jesus on the back burner was something that I was worried about doing.

I've seen SO many cases of people moving away from their safety blanket and going pretty much insane, renouncing their Faith and just making bad choice after bad choice.

Or, if they don't go wild, they just stay lukewarm.

They're like "Oh yeah, that Jesus guy's pretty alright. I used to know him pretty well, but just like my other childhood friends, I've kind of lost contact. Whatever."

And to be honest, I think that scared me more.

I know that sounds bad, but it's true. People are much more likely to go back to Christ when they've had a crazy experience with Him, like what I like to call Spectrum Sliding. Going from one extreme to the other. From NOT believing to having a radical encounter with their long-lost love.

But those lukewarm ones? They never really let go, and they never really jump back in.

So when I said Stay Connected, I didn't mean that you should use Jesus like we use cell phone chargers.

Once or twice a week you have to plug in, get recharged, and go on your merry way for the next few days not really thinking about it. Then you're like "Hm, it's getting a little weak, I should plug it back in." And that's just how it goes.

Or use Jesus as WiFi, always having Him there but only using Him when you want something.

No.

When I say Stay Connected, I mean become the broken tree branch.

Have you ever seen a tree with a huge, gaping scar where a branch was ripped off? The tree looks kind of sad, but that open scar will always be there.

As Christians, we've an amazing invitation from Jesus to be part of that tree, be part of Him.

Have you ever tried grafting a tree branch back on to a tree? It takes work. It’s something that needs to be constantly checked on and worked on, making sure the branch is in the right place so it’s not crooked and keeping the break watered and propped up with sticks. And while I’m not saying that we need to be tied up with sticks (that would just be weird) I AM saying that we need to constantly work at grafting ourselves back into the Tree. It’s not something that you can just put there and walk away from and thing that it’s all going to be perfect.

It requires work and dedication, just like building up any relationship.

So Stay Connected with your past and stay connected with the Lord.

Yes, going to church is important, but if you can’t get to church on Sundays, it doesn’t mean that you can’t study the Word.

You have a Bible, and you have the internet on which you can find COUNTLESS devotionals and lessons, and all of the tools you’ll need to work on becoming part of that tree again.

Love you guys, and I miss you.

Stay in touch, ok?

First Things First: How to Shave Properly - Written January 18th 2011

Good morning fellow youthgroupers!!

You may be surprised to see me posting this early - heck, I'm surprised too!! - because I don't have the most amazingtrack record when it comes to doing things on time, or even prioritizing my life. And that's bad.

You see, as my title says, doing First Things First is going to help you. Not only with your personal hygiene, but with all aspects of you life.

Time management was never something that I was overly fond of, or good at. I hate the feeling of having to wait, or of being all dressed up and having no where to go (for at least 20 minutes). SO, I USUALLY leave things for the very last minute - resulting in me usually being just a little bit (or sometimes a lot) late.

So, let's take a look at how to shave properly:

1) you run the warm water, then get yourself all nice and soggy.

2) you apply the shaving cream.

3) you use your razor and shave away!!!

This is how things are supposed to be, right? That's the way things are supposed to go, because it works.

But what if you were to, say, switch it up? What if you were like "pfft, forget this, I'm a freaking rebel. You can't tell me what to do with my life! WATCH ME SUCCEED!!!!!"

So you go:

1) razor it up!!!

2)add the shaving cream after (it would burn because of the CUTS)

3) Run the warm water and wash away the nasty, probably bloody shaving cream.

Sounds appealing, right?

Wrong. It doesn't. You're gross.

It just doesn't work! No matter what type of skin you have, no matter how good your razor is, it will just not work. It's gonna come out with bad results, and it's going to sting.

Can you see the analogy here??

You see, life is like that. Sort of. You need to decide what's most important. You need to prioritize. You need to figure out what works and go with it.

Ok, moving on.

First things first.

Give it up to God. I know, especially in my case, that's WAY easier said than done.

I'm a person who likes to be in control. I'm the one who coordinates and makes things happen.

Give it up to God? No, I don't think so. God's got more important things to do than listen to me. I'll get faster results if I just do this myself.

Again, WRONG.

As many of you know, I'm moving up to Canada at the beginning of February, but as of less than a week ago, I didn't even know that.

You see, I was just being me, and I was trying to be in control. And it sucked.

I was looking for a job, but I didn't know how to make a resume, and I didn't know how to search for job listings online, and I didn't know where I was going to live, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to get into school. I was a mess.

But FINALLY, one night, I was like "wait... I'm doing this wrong."

So that night, after everyone had gone to bed and I had the living room to myself, I started reading the Bible. I was like "God, if you've got something to say to me, now would be a really fantastic time to tell me." I was open, and I was listening.

But nothing came.

"God, I'm doing this right!! I'm sitting here, my Bible is open to a really awesome verse (it's Matthew 6:33, Father! It's your favorite!*) and I'm sitting here waiting for you to make things all shiny and sparkly! I WANT THE FANFARE!"

And still, nothing came.

And again, I realized that I was doing it all wrong.

So I got down off the comfy couch (where I was getting sleepy) and I got down to the floor and on my knees (which was cold, so I was no longer sleepy) and I prayed.

I prayed for Him to just take control. I was completely sincere, I was broken, and I was freaking out. I was so sure that my whole life was just going to be a mess, and there was really nothing I could do.

I don't know how long I spent praying, but it felt like a really long, amazing time.

Then I went to bed, wondering if anything was actually going to happen.

You see, I was expecting something... anything. I was expecting to feel something break, or make the sound that a rubber band makes when it snaps. I was expecting to feel something, like those walls that I had built come crashing down.

But I really didn't feel anything.

In the morning, things felt the same. I got up, ate breakfast, and went on the computer to start my day.

But something was different.

My Mom had been pretty quiet, and finally she looked up at me and said "Brewsters."

I looked up at her, about ready to say that it was barely 9:00 am, it was too early for her to be thinking about that. But she looked at my Dad and said "John, our clients own Brewsters in Edmonton. I bet they'd give Kenzie an interview!"

And that's how it started.

Within an hour, my life was all figured out. I had an amazing job that I didn't even need to interview for (!!) in a restaurant, and my Aunt had offered for me to live with them. I was so amazed! Words can honestly not even express how elated and blessed I felt. God had come through and provided for me in a HUGE way, and when I was least expecting it.

Which bring me back to my original point.

First Things First!!

I had been fighting for SO long, and I was SO full of myself, I had been pretty much blocking Jesus from being able to take over.

The the moment I let go, He came in and took over.

Now, I'm not saying that everyone is going to have the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE that I had. Sometimes, what you want and what He has planned for you don't jive.

But let me tell you, you need to give it up! His will is always WAY cooler than ours.

So, in conclusion, my darling friends, I leave you with this verse, Matthew 6:33 : Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Have a great day, guys!!

*He did not actually tell me this. I'm just assuming. But I'm pretty sure that if he HAD to choose a top 10 list, this would rank in the top 5.

Deeds Vs. Faith - Written December 7th

Mr. Deeds have you wrapped around his finger?

There is a Sanctus Real song out there called "Deeds."

And it goes a little something like this:

Yeah, Mr. Deeds has got you wrapped around his finger

With what you think you need to do to be delivered

You look for accidents so you can be the hero

You wrote the charity check that ends in double zeros

Your life revolves around yourself,

You don't treat others very well

You say your faith will get you by and that

you won't be left behind

You might be right, but that's not good enough

Sound familiar?

Because it should.

The "deeds system" had been around for a very, very long time.

"Deeders", as I just now dubbed them, are people who think that just by doing good things, by being, essentially, a good person, they'll go to heaven.

WRONG.

Here's the chorus:

If you don't have faith you have nothing at all

If you don't have deeds your faith will fall

They can't be true without each other

you can't have one without the other

Aaaaaand there you have it.

The song says it all.

But there's another part to the deeds system: the feeling that you're not doing enough.

Let's head over to 2 Kings chapter 5 and hone in on one dude: Naaman.

Naaman was a very powerful army commander, and he had leprosy, one of the most dreaded diseases of ancient times.

Long story short (you have to read it for yourself!!), Naaman was sick and he sought out Elijah who was a great prophet of the Lord. Naaman traveled a long way to go see Elijah, and when he finally got to the house, Elijah didn't even go outside to see him!!

2 Kings Ch.5 v9-10: So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

Well then. That's pretty straight forward. But then this happens:

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

Here is the perfect example of wanting a miracle and expecting something HUGE and FANTASTIC and SPARKLY with a loud fanfare in the background.

Now, you need to understand, the Damascus was kind of a sludgy little muddy thing, more of a stream than the Mighty River that the name Damascus brings to mind.

So when Naaman was told to go bathe in that, he was like "What, that's IT?! After I come alllll the way, I'm told to go WASH MYSELF in a sleezy little river? Not going to happen. If I wanted public humiliation I would just bathe in the clear waters back home." (PLEASE NOTE: This little hissy fit is not directly quoted from the Bible. Use your freakin' imagination.)

But then, as it (sometimes) does, the voice of reason broke through:

13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”

14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

There it is!

Sometimes we're so caught up in the glitz and glamor of things that we forget, Jesus isn't like that.

Humility is a virtue, guys.

I encourage you to not worry about going all the way to Africa or Haiti or some other far off place to "Do God's Will", but to start by ministering to that old man who lives down the street or to someone on the bus. As we just saw, sometimes it's the small things that have the biggest impact.

Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=relzxbUUsao

Fruits of the Spirit - Written Nov. 9th

(Galations 5:19-23)

Good morning, youth group!

While I was really thinking about what I should write about, I came across the book of Galatians.

Now, Galatians is a pretty intense book, but it was actually written as a letter. The Galatians were a tribe of people who had been recently liberated, and having begun their new life being led by Faith, they suddenly seemed more interested in leaving the Faith aspect behind and following a new religion based more on works - and Paul finds that disturbing.

His letter to the Galatians is a vigorous attack against the gospel of the Deeds System (believing that you can get to heaven simply by being awesome and helpful) and a defense of Faith (believing that being saved by the Lord is the only way to spend eternity with Him).

Remember, blessings come from God, not the system. The law declares man guilty and imprisons him, whereas the Lord sets man free and gives man eternal life in Him. Freedom in Christ means freedom to produce the fruits of the Spirit by living a life influenced by Him.

Now, to the Bible!!

We're starting at Galatians 5:19 and going until v. 21.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery (Extreme indulgence in sensual pleasures); 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions (disagreement), factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That's pretty self-explanatory, really. As fallen beings, we crave sin. We're made of flesh, and while all desires of the flesh aren't "evil", there is a time (and a place) for everything. Let's clear something up: wanting to have sex does not make you a bad person. Once married, having sex with your spouse does not make you a bad person. God made sex to be enjoyed between 2 people, as a way of uniting Husband and Wife. But having sex outside of marriage, or once married you're sleeping with your neighbor, that's bad. It says in verse 21, those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. It's as simple as that.

Now, let's read verses 22-23.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

You might be thinking, 'silly Paul, patience isn't a fruit!' And yes, you're right, you can't eat a patience. However, we're talking about Spiritual fruits, as in things that are yummy for your soul.

Let's take a look at this:

The Spirit fights against sin not merely in defense, but it also attacks by producing in Christians the positive attributes of a Godly character, all of which are found in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark Luke and John. Study them. They're awesome.)

Love appears first because it's the greatest quality, in that it most accurately and succinctly defines God.

Joy comes in close second, for in rejoicing in God's salvation, believers show that their affection is rightly placed in God's will and purpose.

Peace is the product of God having reconciled sinners to Himself, so that they are no longer enemies which results in confidence and freedom to approach God (check out Hebrews 4:6)

Patience shows that believers are following God's plans and timetable rather than their own, and they have abandoned their own ideas of how the world should work.

Kindness means showing goodness, generosity, and sympathy towards others, which likewise is an attribute of God.

Goodness means working for the benefit of others, not oneself. Paul again mentions it in Galatians 6:10.

Faithfulness is another divine characteristic: is means constantly doing what you are supposed to do, and doing it diligently and properly .

Gentleness is a quality that Jesus attributes to Himself in Matthew 11:29; it enables people to find rest in him and to encourage and strengthen others.

Self-Control is the discipline given by the Holy Spirit that allows Christians to be able to resist the temptations of sin and the power of the flesh.

Verse 23 even says, Against this there is no law; therefore, those who manifest them are fulfilling the law more than those who insist on having large, elaborate ceremonies and those who follow the flesh.

So really, which side of the fence are you on?

Because Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, He who is not with me is against me. He also said that if you're only lukewarm, neither how nor cold, He's going to spit you out of his mouth. Because no one likes eating lukewarm stuff, right?

In conclusion, I challenge you to read Galatians at some point in the very near future, because it really is a very interesting book. I also challenge you to really take a look at your relationship with the Lord. Are you really truly following Him because you love Him, or are you hoping that because you're essentially a good person, deeds alone will get you by?

Have a great day, guys!

Here we go!!

This is where I'm going to be archiving all of the Bible Study lessons that I've been doing, and the ones that really catch my attention (with full credit to the author, of course).

Most of these will be from my English Youth Group that was based out of Mexico, but has recently moved onto the internet because over half of the group has left and is now all over the world.

We're a non-denominational Christian youth group comprised of people from all walks of life. And let me tell you, it's been quite the ride.