Faith Around The World

Would you still follow?

2010-09-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

"Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?"
Shane Claiborne

- Liberty

While Others Die...

2010-09-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

So I'm currently reading "Revolution In World Missions", a book Cassie sent me as a birthday gift. The book is by K.P. Yahannan, the man who founded the Gospel for Asia missions organization whose main purpose is to reach the unreached: peoples who have never heard the Gospel. GFA works on getting national missionaries (that is, missionaries who are from the ethnic groups they wish to reach) sponsored and stuff. In the first couple chapters, he's talking about his journey to starting Gospel for Asia.

To relate the entirety of his story would take way too much space, so I'll skim. I totally suggest you get this book- already, I'm not completely done with it- and read it for yourself. It's an inspiring book merely because of its view of our own churches. He speaks about the contrast between American affluence and Indian poverty: we spend more on a single meal than a whole Indian village would spend in a day! During the start-up of GFA, Yahannan speaks of how he went to find sponsors for these national missionaries. He found it surprisingly difficult. Amidst the prosperity we Americans enjoy, as well as our freedom, we were too caught up in our own lives to help spread the Gospel.

It's a sad indictment.

He came to America to study, and this was his first impression about churches in the United States:

"Religion, I discovered, is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States. Entering churches, I was astonished at the carpeting, furnishings, air-conditioning, and ornamentation. Many churches have gymnasiums and fellowships that cater to a busy schedule of activities having little or nothing to do with Christ. The orchestras, choirs, "special" music- and sometimes even the preaching- seemed to me more like entertainment than worship."

Now stop. Think about that a minute.

I would like to address the problem he highlighted: that of Christians, rather than wishing to serve, wishing to be entertained.

Yahannan is right: American churches all too often wish not to be lights to the unsaved world, but rather to sit in front of their lighted television screens and naively pretend the problem doesn't exist. We go to church to be ministered to, but never minister in our turn. We claim it isn't our job, that someone else is better capable to do it.

Let me present you with a hard truth: God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

If He calls you, there is a reason. He wants you, you and no one else, to accomplish that task for Him. There is no one else on the globe who can do that job- at least, not like you would, and God obviously wants your touch if He called you.

We hide behind our pastors, claiming that, since they are the shepherds, they should lead. But what excuse is that? God has empowered each of us. We have a wonderful book called the Bible. The average American household has at least five of these books- literally, God's words to men. No longer are we in the dark ages where we are bound solely to preachers and priests to give us spiritual direction. We each have the handbook in our houses, if not in our hands! Why are we not using it?

When our excuses fail, we literally turn our backs and go on to other things. Outwardly, we appear to be fine and dandy. We deliberately seek out things that appear Christian. We go to Christian bookstores, we watch Christian movies, we listen to Christian music. But amidst trying to be a Christian, we forget to be Christ-followers.

Christ did not call us to mosey through life, finding "Christian" things to do. He called us to live for Him. He called us to show, in every part of our lives, who we followed, and why it was worth it. Americans are so buffered from the facts of life and death that most of the world grapples with every day. We shelter ourselves behind our entertainment: our ball games and our money, our church pot-luck suppers and our Christian friends who take us out to dinner as we prattle on, and then we do nothing for those who are living and dying, both with and without Christ.

Frankly put, American Christians have begun to see themselves as a completely different entity as the rest of the body of Christ.

We are The Chosen. We belong to a "Christian nation". We are privileged. If we spare a thought for our brothers and sisters who are dying, it is to empathize with them that they do not live here, where they may be free. We perhaps pray for them, but it never crosses our minds to do more. While we spend thousands of dollars on fast food and movies, ball games and races, holiday presents and new gadgets, there is a battle for souls going on all around the world.

And we sit by, and we do nothing. We disregard it as if thousands of people are not every moment passing into eternity. How many of them are saved? How many are lost? How many have been deceived, and will spend an eternity being tormented in a place created by a God who cannot let them into Heaven because he is just and he is righteous?

And at least some of those are dying and going to hell because we, in our lazy, arrogant selfishness, cannot get off our bottoms and go preach the Gospel. We can't even open our checkbooks and our credit card accounts and give. We're not willing to suffer the "deprivations" we might have to suffer through. We let ourselves sink farther and farther into the fog of American-ism, let ourselves wear the blinkers of Entertainment, and drink the kool-aide of Somebody Else's Problem, all to forget that out there, people are dying.

And here we sit. And do nothing. While others die and pay the price for our own laziness.

- Liberty

Do All to the Glory of God...

2010-08-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."
Psalm 19:14

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
I Corinthians 10:13

Walking For God

2010-08-03T14:58:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3 is perhaps best known for these verses:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Reading this chapter today, I noticed the verses that come after verse 6.

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

Other than the rather amazing note that yes, the ancients did know about bone marrow, if not all the health ramifications, I found these two verses interesting.

The first 4 verses of Proverbs 3 are talking about listening to God- his commandments, his wisdom. Verse 2 tells us that there are benefits to doing this. Verse 3 and 4 tell us we should make mercy and truth our constant companions, and we will find favor with God.

Verses 5 and 6 are two of the most well-known verses in Proverbs. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding. We are supposed to trust God with everything we have. Our heart is the most intimate thing we have- what we think with, where all those crazy ideas we humans are prone to come from. If we yield the entirety of that to God, then we've truly given him everything we own, with no reservations, no fine-print.

Further, we are not supposed to lean, or rely, on our own understanding or knowledge. We shouldn't get to thinking we're so big and great that we forget who really matters- God, and his wisdom, his knowledge, his understanding. Because, let's face it. God knows way more than we, in our limited life's experience, could ever begin to fathom.

Verse 6 tells us to acknowledge him in all our ways. This goes along with the first part of verse 5. We are supposed to trust God with our whole hearts- which of course means we'll also be trusting him with our ways- how we walk, how we appear to the world. To acknowledge God means we are supposed to live like he would want to us to. That worldly music has no place in our lives. Ditto for movies, books, etc. etc. that don't please him. Of course, that doesn't mean that we should never read anything but the Bible. I might very well die, because there is a lot of knowledge that one can't get out of the Bible. But people should be able to note a difference between us and the world.

Verse 6 continues and wraps up by telling us that, if we yield our entire being to God, if we trust him and rely on his judgment and understanding, he will direct our paths. And God will never lead you astray. He knows so much more than we can imagine, that it is impossible that he could lead us off the path we need to walk.

Verse 7 starts out by telling us to not be wise in our own eyes. This goes back to verse 5's "lean not unto thine own understanding." When we're trusting in what we know (or what we think we know), then we're being wise in our own eyes. We think we know how we should walk, what our life should look like. This verse continues and tells us to fear the Lord, and to depart from evil. These two go together. If we're fearing the Lord- which means having reverence for him, respecting him, and following him- then we will not do evil.

We can see the fruits of this style of living and the consequences for not living like this in different Bible stories.

Remember Ruth? Ruth was a Moabitess, an hereditary enemy of Israel. Yet she married an Israelite when his family moved to Moab because of a famine in his homeland (this is an excellent example of something bad that reaped to something good). When Naomi, her mother-in-law, was heading back to Israel in the wake of her family's death, Ruth and Orpah, her sister-in-law, were going to go with her. When Naomi urged them to go back to their father's homes, Orpah instantly left. However, Ruth wouldn't leave Naomi. She entreated Naomi to let Ruth come with her. I believe all of us know how the story ends- Ruth goes to Israel, meets a nice man, settles down, and ends up being in the line of Jesus.

Ruth's is a story of a young woman who completely gave herself to God. She was leaving everything she knew- her family, her homeland, her gods, her culture, her food, her clothes...everything that was familiar...to follow God. As we know, it came out to good. And I imagine she was glad she did follow!

However, we have another woman who also came to live in Israel, but didn't do half as well. She was Jezebel, queen of Israel. Jezebel was chosen as the wife for the King of Israel, Ahab. She also left everything she knew...but she handled it in a much different way from her earlier counterpart. Where Ruth was thankful and compliant, Jezebel was spoiled and bratty. She got her husband under her thumb and started making rules. Where she could have done great things for God, instead she brought her own foreign gods into Israel, ruining the culture in that country, bringing a famine down upon the land, and eventually dying in a gruesome way and having her body eaten by dogs.

All of this came about because she didn't give herself to God and follow him. She didn't trust the Lord with all her heart, nor did she depart from evil or acknowledge him.

Proverbs 3:5-8 give us a blueprint for a life surrendered to God- and one that is joyful and happy- not to mention more pleasant!

See the original post HERE. :)

~Liberty

God is our Strength

2010-08-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."
Psalm 73: 26, 28

~Liberty

cancer...

2010-07-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Today we found out that a lady that goes to the church that we went to in Michigan, has Breast Cancer. It's very sad. She used to take us to Chuckey Cheeses every year for christmas, and we always sang the "old lady who swallowed the fly" song on the way there. She is a very nice person. Will you all please pray for her? Her name is Jan.

Our parents said that we might go visit her sometime next month, please pray that we will be able to, it would be very nice to see everyone there and to comfort Jan as she goes through this hard time.

Also please pray for Emily who is fighting Leukaemia. (click HERE to see her blog.)

Thank you,
Megan

(originally posted on megan-thelifeofagirl.blogspot.com)

Inspired Magazine {by Maggie}

2010-07-19T12:31:00.001-07:00

Maggie (one of my blogger friends) has a Magazine called Inspired. It's starting in october, so Sign up now!

Click HERE to learn more!

Stick with God

2010-07-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Stick with God!

I made this picture just now and I thought it's a great way to remind us to 'stick with God' because if we are sticking to other things, THAT IS NOT GOOD!

Feel free to take this picture and add it to your blog!

(Glue picture found online)

Zambia update

2010-05-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Zambia trip is back on!! Everything got sorted out, our flight has been rerouted, and we'll be leaving tomorrow at 12:40 pm!! Please pray as we prepare to teach the Word.

Reaching God & The Shores of God

2010-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

Reaching God
By: Megan Madison

I can see God's had reaching out to me miles away.

I try to reach him, but I can't jump the fences,
I can't climb the rocks, and I can't swerve around the holes to get there.
I have cuts and bruises from trying and failing.
But, I can heal.
I will keep trying, and try harder.
Soon I'll reach god.
Because, God's still there holding his hand out to me.

The shores of God

By: Megan Madison

I can see others out in the Ocean of sin.

I'm calling to them to come the God's shores.

But as I try to lead them,

I'm drifting farther away myself.

Jesus comes out to save me,

To lead me home.

These are random ramblings I wrote in my journal today. And maybe they will help you to strive to Reach God, to Heal and to keep going because God's still got his hand out waiting for you. And maybe they will help you to realize that Jesus can save you, he can lead you home. And you can reach the Shores of God.

Have a great day,

Megan

Urgent Prayers Needed

2010-05-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you know about my upcoming Zambia trip (we currently have six days left before we're scheduled to leave), I have a quick prayer request.

The airline we will be using between London and Lusaka, Zambia is currently operating under a strike by its flight crews. Fun, fun. So until June 9th, most flights from British Airways are cancelled. Just for the record, we were scheduled to fly from London to Lusaka on June 2nd.

British strikes apparently don't work like American ones- over here, workers will strike until they reach an amicable agreement. Over there, they strike until a certain date, then try to resolve things. So until June 9th, we will be unable to get onto our flight to Lusaka.

Please pray that will this will all work out and that we will be able to find a way to get to Zambia. Right now it's looking like we may take a couple round-about routes, because BA is running a few flights to a few destinations. So please pray that this will get resolved, and that if it's God's will, we will be able to embark on a plane in six days.

Thank you all.

Excited for camp...

2010-05-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm pretty sure I posted about camp last year... (checking...) YES, I did (click HERE) Well, I'm going to do another post on camp...

Okay so last year the theme was "REAL WORD" and personally it think it was a really good theme! Everyday we had a different subject on what the world says opposed to what God says... I don't remember what all of them were, but we all had a great time! :)
Here's a little description on what each week is:

Jr. week:
(4th-6th grade)
I went to Jr. week for 2 years as a camper (but I was there about 3 other years as a staff kid) and both years were awesome! The director is really fun and always knew a lot of stuff!!!! It was great and I learned a lot and made a lof of friends! Last year was my first year of being an O.P. (Older Phantom, were you're with your mom but you're too old to be a camper, a Y.P. is were you're with your mom but you're too young to be a camper), it was really fun because one of my friend's that I met when I was a camper was there and her cabin Counsoular (okay, my spelling is going to be really bad in this post because this computer doesn't have spell check!) let me stay in her cabin and it was really fun being able to help the younger kids! :)

Intermeadate Week:
(7th-9th grade)
Last year was my first year of being a camper at this week... I'll have to say, this has been my favorite week. The directors are THE BEST, they are really funny and well... They're just great... Last year was really fun and Well... I didn't really meet any new people, mostly everyone was people I knew from Jr. week... I had the best counsoler EVER! My Friend had brought one of those regular big bags of skittles and we (me, maddy, colby, erica, Emily, and Whitney) ate them in like a day... so when Emily went to get something in town she go us one of those 41 oz. bag of skittles!!!! it was the BEST and they lasted us the rest of the week (I think)... yeah, we had a great time!

Senior week:
(10th-Grad.)
I've been a Y.P. at this week for 2 years... it's pretty fun playing with the youger Y.P.s because they are always looking for something to do... we LOVE playing with Play dough... :)

Well, I've go to go do school now... TTYL!

My blog Party! :)

2010-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

My blog party has now officially started! So... Click HERE to see how you can join in with the fun and sign-up for some AWESOME giveaways!!!!! :)

Tag- inspired designs

2010-05-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is utter fluff. Enjoy. ^.^

1) What's your all time favourite blog/blogger?
There's so many good blogs. I can't decide. Just look at my following list. You'll see quite a few I enjoy, LOL

2) How do you personally define forgiveness?
A tough question...I'd say forgiveness is probably, ultimately, forgetting something someone has done to you for no reason other than the fact that it's the right thing to do. Forgiving someone because you have to isn't true forgiveness, for instance.

3) What object of your possession has the most sentimental value in your eyes?
Probably my fishbowl. Yeah, I'm a nerd. I know. But I've had three Betta fish, one of whom lived for more than two and a half years. He was my little buddy. :))

4) What song do you consider your personal theme song?
The Darth Vader theme in Star Wars. ^.^

5) Do the opinions of others about you really matter to you?
Sometimes. It depends on who it is. If it's someone who isn't Godly or something, then no. I don't really care. But if it's someone who I respect or look up to, then yes.

6) Do you ever make up words?
All the time.

7) Off the top of your head, do you know what your middle name means? (You can look it up though! :)
...No. However, I looked it up, and 'Denae' is a form of 'Danae', who was the mother of Perseus (who was also a son of Zeus). Yeah.

8) What's s something that never fails to make you smile?
ihazcheezburger.com LOL JK, JK! I would have to say probably my little sister, Sweet Cheeks. She's hilarious. ^.^

9) What person has touched your heart the most?
Hmm...I dunno. :P

10) Give a scene in a book where you really understood what the author was trying to convey.
Seriously? I don't remember. :P

11) What do you think of HTML? Is it the ENEMY or your friend?
It depends on what time of the day it is...

12) What person comments the most consistently on your blog?
On my personal blog, Cassie.

13) Who is your personal hero/heroine (fiction or real, or both) ? Why?
Hmm...I like Lizzy Bennet. Does that count? ^.^

14) Are you curious or are you satisfied knowing that "that's just the way it is"?
I am extremely curious. I can't let stuff slide by very often- I have to know what makes it go, etc. etc. However, I'm not a very hands-on person. For instance, I'd prefer to read a book about how a clock works than take one apart. >.>

15) List the your top 5 favorite songs. Do they have anything in common? Why do you love them?
Oh wow. Lesse'....

Does Anybody Hear Her - Casting Crowns (one about how there are people in the church nobody talks to, and why? We're Christians, supposed to love people in Christ, not ostracize them.
If We Are the Body - Casting Crowns (this is a powerful song.)
New Soul - Yael Naim (this is just a cute song.)
Be Thou My Vision - not sure (love this one. It's old fashioned, hymn, etc., and I love that, and the words are powerful, too.)
I Will Rise - Chris Tomlin (This song is great.)

16) Do you ever get into arguments with...your characters? (that's if you write a book :). And if you don't write, do you think you would?
I do. All the time. Mainly about why in the world I do certain things to them.

17) While reading a book or watching a movie, were you ever blown away by an unexpected plot twist? What was it and how did you react?
I don't remember.

18) What's your personal opinion of i-designs? (orignal, I know, but I really want to know! :)
I likes it. Especially the free stuff. :))

19) What's your favourite color combinations?
I like light-and-dark combinations. Like white and black, dark blue and light blue, etc.

20) What's your favourite comic book series?
Um....I don't really read comic books all that much.

21) What is the oldest book you've read? How old was it? (By old, I mean, like antique books...the manuscript doesn't have to be old, just the copy of it. :)
Um...dunno that I've ever actually read an old-old-book. I mean, I've read manuscripts that are old. The Iliad is probably the oldest book that I've read, but I haven't read an old copy of it, if you know what I mean...

22) What character in any movie or book, would you say is the MOST like you?
Hmm...that's a toughie. I'm really a variety...there's Satara in my book. I have the attitude. ^.^ I look like Anne from Anne of Green Gables...

23) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Hmm....not much, I don't think. I'd get braces. ^.^

24) As a child, what was one thing that always frightened you? This could be something real or imagined! :)
Scenes in movies. Seriously. It could be the most innocuous thing- like the hag in Snow White always creeped me out. Stuff like that.

25) What's your life motto?
"I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me." yes, that is a Bible verse. But hey, I like it. >.>

26) As you're sitting in café, you're given a note: "It's in your best interests to meet me at 7 P.M. tonight, alone, at Pine and 4th." How would you react?
Kinda freak out, then arrange to have a friend drive me and sit a block away. I'd also carry a gun if at all possible and make sure I was brushed up on my karate. ^.^

27) Name seven of your favourite books.

Captain Blood - Rafael Sabatini (long time favorite. Pirates. :)))) )
The Secret Sentry - um...can't remember the author's name (It's about the National Security Agency (NSA). Pretty cool. *delighted grin*)
Fairest - Gail Carson Levine (my favorite of her books)
I Kissed Dating Goodbye - Josh Harris (major favorite)
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (amazing book, and my favorite of hers)
Jane Eyre - Bronte (which one I don't remember. However I like this book.)
Naked Economics - can't remember the author... (so yes, I'm a geek. Be quiet. This was an awesome book.)

28) Name your absolute favourite font (you can have more than one though)!
Um...don't think I have one.

29) Have you ever cried over...a book or a movie?
I've come close. And I think I did cry over one once...I can't remember what it was now, though...

30) What's something that's brought you so much comfort?
???

31) Describe what you would call a perfect moment.
That second right before I drop off to sleep is always great...

32) What's the fastest you've ever read?
I've read books in an hour. Little books, about the size of a Percy Jackson book... XD

33) What's your favorite book/movie genre?
Action/Adventure. Definitely.

34) Do you say one word a lot just because of the way it sounds? If so, what's the word?
Meningococcal. Or indubitably.

35) What's something you thought you'd hate, but ended up loving?
Twilight. Sort of. I said I'd hate it, but I sort of like it now. Okay, I admit, I like it a lot. Yeah. ^.^

36)Do you prefer British or American spellings of words (ex: the British favourite to the American favorite)
It depends. I like the British spelling of 'center' ('centre') and meter ('metre') better than their American equivalents...

37) List a few of your favourite names.
Naria- it's a made up name I thought of this morning. Yeah. And I like the name Elias for a boy...

38) What is your favourite movie?
Hmm...I can't pick. Really.

39) Imagine you're writing a story, and one of your characters keeps something buried in a box where no one will find it. What's in the box and what's its significance?
It's a necklace and it came from his/her mother/grandmother/other woman in his family whom he loves. Either that or he's a pirate and it's his loot. One or the other.

40) Was this boring? (be honest! :)
Um...not really.

~Liberty

Acceptance and Faith

2010-04-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

Suilaid!

So I've recently gotten into a few discussions concerning several different theological points. I hold a few...unpopular views, mostly revolving around the "sin nature" (which I believe we don't have), etc. (Of course, I also hold unpopular political views, but that's an entirely different subject.)

Inevitably, every discussion concerning these points comes down to this line, quoted in various different ways by nearly every person- "Well, there are just some things we have to accept on faith because we can't understand them, so we just shouldn't worry about them."

...........

o.0

So...um...I guess since I can't understand God, I should just not think about it, right?

Whatever logic that is.

I think God intended for us to exercise and brains and try to understand things. Why else did He give us the Bible? So we could just blindly stumble through life, trying not to think about things?

Maybe it's just me. I am of such a temperament that I want to try to understand stuff. Including the Bible. That doesn't make me less of a Christian, or less faithful. I exercise my faith by trying to understand. Without faith, I couldn't make sense of half of what I read in the Bible.

There are many things God tells us in the Bible. For instance, He tells us about salvation. Salvation is beyond man's superficial comprehension. Yet men have, for centuries, turned their minds to the questions of sin, salvation, and sanctification. Why? Because they wanted to truly understand. Yes, salvation still in a way transcends our efforts to understand. But does the fact that some of it we do not yet understand mean we should stop trying? That we should simply stop in our tracks, go no further, and simply accept "by faith" whatever we are spoon-fed from the pulpit?

You never see that in the Bible. I don't think Paul stopped thinking about things because he didn't understand them. No. He kept on trucking, and he was one of the greatest Christians ever. All throughout history, man's understanding of the Bible has increased because there were a few who didn't stop at accepted doctrine and teachings, and instead plowed ahead and actually thought about things, letting it all soak into their minds and trying to make some sort of sense of the puzzle pieces they had been given.

Neither do I see in the Bible the commandment to merely sit back, doze off, and let everything difficult to understand float around in the ether somewhere. I do see commandments to meditate and a commandment to study, commandments to think, and commandments to read. God does tell us to accept certain things on faith- but always in the context of salvation, etc. Never in the context of learning more about Him, the Word, and the world around us.

Just because there are some things that are beyond our mortal comprehension (or supposedly beyond that comprehension) doesn't mean we should stop thinking about those things. Only through applying our minds and meditating and studying those things can we truly grow and get to know God.

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty
(Also posted on Teenage Musings)

it'll be awesome...

2010-04-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

It's my blog party! There's going to be giveaways, fun activities, challenges, and MUCH, MUCH more! :) can't wait to see you there!!

This is SO cool!

2010-04-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so me and my sister know these girls Becca, Krista, Kaylee, and Whitney. Well, on tuesday night we were at their house and Becca was looking at this magazine and she go "COOL! guys, look at this." and this is what it said:

Nothing is Impossible

I'm possible

(i'm possible - impossible)

Isn't that just really cool!? I really makes you think!!!

Being accepted

2010-04-12T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hey girls! I make a magazine for my friends, it's called 'Daughter Of Christ' and the May/June issue is all about accepted... I've already started working on it so, I thought I'd post the 2 things I've written!

---------------------------------------------------

Accepted by Others

By: Megan Kristine Madison

Every girl wants to be accepted by others. They try to act the way others do to fit in, but they never let their true colors show. Less then 1 year ago, this was me. I was a girl trying to fit in and be accepted by everyone else. I had been keeping everything I felt and who I really was shut up inside myself. I didn’t did really have very many friends. Most of them were just people who I’d know for only a few years before we had moved into another state, and I only really knew them from writing letters. I only had 3 really ‘good’ friends and I only saw them once a year! When I did see them I would walk around with them just doing whatever they did, and I’m sorry to say, but they don’t really know the true me. I’m the kind of person that likes to always have a smile on her face, a girl who loves reading and writing, loves doing art work and crafts, who’s cray dream is to have a town where only her and her friends lived, and tries to follow God’s plan for her. Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever let any of this show. My 3 friends only knew part of my true self, because I was afraid to show them the whole me. I was afraid of being weird. Everyone is afraid of being weird. But the truth is, you have to accept your self for who you are before anyone else can and before you can let people know you for who you are. The only people that I could truly show my true self to was my family. I could show my true colors around them because I knew they would always accept me for who I am. But whenever I was around my friends all my thoughts, feelings, and everything I was got shut up inside me and I became a totally different person. I wasn’t that girl who was always laughing, or that girl who would talk to you about totally random stuff. I wasn’t my true self. I changed so I would fit in, but be ACCEPTED. All this time while I was keeping my true self away from my friends, I’d never realized that if I’d just let my friends know the true me we’d have been better friends from the start. But, then me and my family moved to Iowa and I met some really awesome girls. In the process of becoming friends with them, it suddenly struck me: What really is normal? What really is ‘fitting in’? I can tell you this, It’s now keeping yourself kept inside for the rest of your life! The problem is, everyone always thinks ‘normal’ is doing whatever everyone else does. Well, It’s not! Every person has their own NORMAL and that’s the true you! Everyone is always afraid of being weird, but the truth is, by trying to fit in with everyone else, you ARE being weird! If you’re afraid of losing your friends if you just be you, are they really worth it? Do you really want to keep yourself shut up for the rest of your life? I’ll tell you what, I know I don’t! And if it wasn’t for my awesome new friends here in Iowa, I’d still be that girl that wasn’t my true self. My new friends helped me to realize that people will accept me for who I am! And I’ll tell you this, once you let your true self show, you’ll never have better friends! These girls are the best friends I’ve ever had and I’ve know them for only 1 year! And it’s because I know their true self and they know mine! It’s great you know, having friends like this, you should try it sometime...

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Free to Be Me

By: Megan Kristine Madison

Once there was a girl.

Wanting to be accepted.

She wasn’t sure she could be herself.

She tried to change her ways,

she tried to fit in.

But it just didn’t seem right.

She wanted to be accepted for who she was,

because her friends didn’t know who she truly was.

Then she met some awesome girls,

she know she could trust them.

So she set herself free from holding herself in.

She had finally been accepted for who she really was.

She was free.

Then she realized she

had been accepted by someone all along.

God accepted her for who she was.

All she had to do was to let herself free.

This girl is Me.

Now I’m free to be Me.

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I'd love to know what you think so drop me a comment!

Btw, I have a violin festival tomorrow, so please pray that it goes well!

Thanks,

Megan :)

Abiding In Him

2010-04-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

Suilaid!

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
John 15:7

What does this verse mean?

The most accepted interpretation is that we have to read our Bible everyday and memorize it and meditate in it because if we don't, we'll all go to hell.

Hm.

However, reading it everyday for half an hour isn't really "abiding" in anything. If you stayed in your house for only a couple minutes each day- or hey, even an hour or two- you wouldn't be abiding there. You'd be dropping in for a visit every now and again. "Abiding" is defined as "unceasing, unrelenting." To abide somewhere is not a transitory, once-a-day ritual: to abide in something is to have a constant reminder of that thing, to be in it each and every moment.

Now I don't know about you, but I'm not able to read my Bible nonstop. I confess I often spend more time reading other books and blogging/Facebooking than I do reading my Bible. So can it be said that I'm not "abiding" in my Bible?

According to the narrow definition normally imposed, yes. I am not properly abiding in my Bible. But I would argue that "abiding" is much more than mere reading.

Yes, reading and memorization is good. It helps us to know what God wants for us. But a mere head knowledge of something is not actual understanding. For instance, we can know that a hot stovetop will burn us and it will hurt. But unless we have actual understanding of that principle, we cannot understand why we should pull our hands back from the metal surface. Just like that, unless we also have a good understanding of what we read, our reading accomplishes nothing.

It comes down to, not just reading, but instead a moment-by-moment application of what we have read. That is true "abiding"- letting God's Word fill us and direct our actions. We do this by giving earnest thought to what we have read.

Too often it seems, we read a passage than skip on our merry ways, not paying any further attention to what we've read. Sure, we recognize a couple verses- Pastor might have preached on one of them last week- and we think we can pick out a rough meaning. But we don't truly understand it because we haven't actually applied our minds to the task.

Next time you read your Bible, make an earnest effort to try to ferret out the meaning behind the words. What is God telling you? What do you think God's purpose in telling you this is? If it helps, jot it down. But whatever you do, make sure you are applying what God tells you. Only then will you truly "abide" in His Word.

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty

Zambia Missions' Trip

2010-04-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Suilaid!

On June 1, 2010, I will be departing from my hometown on a jet plane. Ultimate destination- Lusaka, Zambia. We will be assisting Curtis and Juliana Johnson, two missionaries, with building, evangelism, and Vacation Bible Schools!! It is going to be an amazing trip.

Some things I need you all to pray for- firstly, for my funds. I still lack about $360 total- that's for my food and all that. So just pray that I'll be able to get enough babysitting and other side jobs done to pay for that (and to have some spending money, too!)

I'd also ask you all to pray as I prepare spiritually- I'm currently taking teaching Children Effectively Level 1 (with CEF) so I can be ready to teach some Vacation Bible Schools while there. Pray that I will be able to learn well enough that I can be effective while there.

Thanks much! I will probably be posting on this subject again, but for now-

Namárië and 爱於耶穌
~Liberty

Bible verse

2010-03-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

Genesis 1:11
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.

Practicing? Maybe?

2010-03-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not entirely sure how to do all this but I thought I should try to do something haha. WELL, HI. What are some of your view on how America/the World is doing? I believe most of us are lost in sin, and I know we need Jesus, right? Well before you do anything think "What would Jesus do?" "would this make him sad?" remember all he has done for you before you let that word slip or that snide comment or before you litter or when you are tempted to break a rule. Well thats all for now. Love ya! ~H

Yearning for God

2010-03-03T07:52:00.001-08:00

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

"My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

"When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day.

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

Psalm 42:1-5

waterfall pic from here
~Liberty

Jesus Is Our King!

2010-03-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

I took this picture yesterday and I think it's a great way to *remind us* that Jesus is our king!

~Megan

P.S. Hillside Photography is my photography blog.
Also, all photos and writings from this site are copy writed, so please ask if you want to use them!

*edit*

Rachel M.'s Prayer Page

2010-02-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

I would like prayer that I would love others as Jesus Christ loves me. Moreover, to forgive others as He has forgiven me.

At the community college I attend and wherever I go, I want to be like Christ.

~Rachel~

Liberty's Prayer Page

2010-02-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

I am planning to take a year-long missions-related trip to China in 2013. I would ask you to please pray that, if it is God's will, that that door remain open, and that we will be able to get the logistics ironed out, and the funds raised, etc.

~Liberty

Megan's Prayer Page

2010-02-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

Please pray for me as I've been learning flute for 2 years and I'm getting to some of the harder stuff.
Please pray for Jan, who has Breast Cancer.
Please pray for Emily, who is going through Leukaemia

About Prayer Pages

2010-02-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow faith around the world readers and authors! I'm going to start having all of you authors start your own 'Prayer Page' where you can add & remove prayers as they come along and as God answers them. So, as soon as you can title a post saying "your name's prayer page" (make sure you add the label 'prayer page') and update your prayer page when ever new prayers come along! :]

I'm off you start my own prayer page,
Megan

Prayers Needed

2010-02-25T08:37:00.000-08:00

My mom got admitted to the hospital this morning; they think she might have a kidney stone, but as of thirty minutes ago, they hadn't actually done a test yet or anything. But please just pray that it will turn out to be nothing, and if it is something, that it will be easily taken care of. :)

~Liberty

God's Glory

2010-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all."

1 Chron. 29:11

The picture from this website.

~ Liberty

Love

2010-02-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. -Psalm 52:8

Faith Around The World MAKEOVER! :)

2010-02-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

I (Megan) just re-did this blog and personally I think It's AWESOME!!!!!!
What do you think???

You can get your own custom Item or makeover at: Happiness {The Blog}

1 Samuel 16:7

2010-02-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

~Megan

In 90 Days...

2010-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

My mom and I have started this thing...reading our Bible in 90 days. It's currently day 5, and I'm already in Exodus. It's been a lot of fun, and has really been challenging.

What we did (if you'd care to join us) is looked at the number of pages in our Bible total, then divided them by 90. I have to read 11 pages per day, which is a bit daunting until I consider that I read more than that a day in other books LOL

Liberty

Verse

2010-01-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

"All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23

The Love of our Father

2010-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

I believe this is my first post on this blog! :D First, thank you Megan for this blog and sharing what you have been learning. Also, writing out Bible verses of encouragement that have been a blessing to me to read, and I know other readers have been blessed by them as well. God bless you, dear sister!

Recently, God has shown me the incredible love He has for me. He loves me for who I am; not how other people view me, but how God views me. His love reaches to the skies! In Psalm 139, it mentions how we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". He so enjoys spending time talking with His children. He desires us to stop what we are doing in the day--sit at His feet. Do you not believe that He cries with us when we are upset? Do you not think that spending time with the Creator of the Universe is a waste of your time? Oh, I pray that we will have such a deep love for our Savior, our Abba Daddy, that it will spill over on others. Those who know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior are His princesses and daughters of the King. If you do not know Jesus in this way, and are keeping your eyes, that God made in the first place, away from the ultimate Truth, come to Him today. He is calling you, His beautiful daughter.

Love in Christ Alone,

Rachel M. from Hopejourney

Just letting you all know...

2010-01-16T08:32:00.003-08:00

I had to make a new blog (silly blogger messed something up on my old one) So Please go check it out {and follow} :)

Just letting you all know...

2010-01-16T08:32:00.001-08:00

I had to make a new blog (silly blogger messed something up on my old one) So Please go check it out {and follow} :)

Long time, No posting!

2010-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

I'm terribly Sorry about the no-posting!!!

Here is a bible verse for today:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2009-12-24T07:01:00.001-08:00

Wow! christmas is here!!!

2009-12-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

Wow! Christmas really is here! But doesn't it seem like you just don't have the right heart for christmas time all the time? I mean, I truly don't have a nice, helpful, loving, giving heart, all throughout the year, And I know other people don't either. For example, "Will you please let me go to the movies with you?" sally asks Jill and Jodi. "No, not to day" says Jill. "Oh, come one Jill, It's christmas!"

I mean why not say any ordinary day "Oh, come on it's October 14th!" I mean truly, why can't everyone have a giving heart all year, not just around christmas or holidays!

Well, that's the heart part, but what about the getting and getting part? All Christians know that christmas is about giving, not getting. Even little kids are getting the point about Giving at Christmas and the Christmas heart. For instance, I teach small little classes for my younger sister every monday, and this week I told her to write a poem that is about Christmas or Winter. This is what she wrote:

All about Christmas

By: Mallory Madison

Age: 8

Christmas is fun,

Christmas is fine,

But do you know what Christmas is all about?

Christmas is about God's son, Jesus.

Jesus is the Christ,

God Sent his son to die for us,

It's not about the presents, it's about the Heart.

Isn't that just adorable? My sister is so cute!

But, doesn't that just tell you that even little kids know about the heart of christmas!

Even older kids & adults, especially Older kids & adults should set an example for the younger ones that they should have the "Christmas Heart" all year 'round.

let me know YOUR thoughts on the christmas heart,

Megan

Wonderful Blog, Yet....

2009-11-17T15:27:00.000-08:00

... Farewell.

This is a lovely, encouraging blog, but I just don't have the time to keep up on it. I know that I only made around two posts, but I loved the encouraging comments and post on this blog in general.

I will keep following this blog, and maybe I will find the time to join again, but for now, with school, writing, NaNoWriMo and life in general, I am only JUST keeping up with my own blog.

Thank you so much and God Bless you!

Cassie

Apologies

2009-11-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

I am very sorry, but I simply have too many things going on in my life to participate in this blog anymore. I realized this a while ago, but kept it on my dashboard; but the truth of it is, I do not have time to post in any other blog but my own. What with NaNoWriMo, school, activities, and all, I'm sure you all understand.

But I'm very sorry about leaving. :( It's a wonderful blog: I will continue to follow it, read it, etc...but just cannot be a part of it any longer, due to this infernal business. Perhaps when November ends, I'll be able to participate in it once more. Who knows?

Anyways, thank you all...this is an amazing blog. I'm so glad I got to be a part of it.

Bekah

Pray For us!!!

2009-10-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Please pray for me and my older sister Marissa!

We are playing at our aunt's wedding on saturday, and I know Marissa is afraid she'll mess-up or something. I'm not a scared as she is.... Marissa tends to get more nerves then I do. But Hopefully God will help us and we will do absolutely PERFECT! =D

~Megan

National day of prayer

2009-10-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

I was looking on http://ult-tex.net/counts/index.cgi and I saw a count down banner for NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER I wasn't sure what that was so I did some resherech...

Mission

The National Day of Prayer Task Force's mission is to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, mobilizing the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church and Family.

Our Vision and Values

In accordance with Biblical truth, the National Day of Prayer Task Force seeks to:

Foster unity within the Christian Church
Protect America's Constitutional Freedoms to gather, worship, pray and speak freely.
Publicize and preserve America's Christian heritage
Encourage and emphasize prayer, regardless of current issues and positions
Respect all people, regardless of denomination or creed
Be wise stewards of God's resources and provision
Glorify the Lord in word and deed

Who We Are and What We Do

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. Our Task Force is a privately funded organization whose purpose is to encourage participation on the National Day of Prayer. It exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America's leaders and its families. The Task Force represents a Judeo Christian expression of the national observance, based on our understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.

History of the National Day of Prayer>>

Official Policy Statement on Participation of "Non-Judeo-Christian" groups in the National Day of Prayer:

The National Day of Prayer Task Force was a creation of the National Prayer Committee for the expressed purpose of organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values. People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs. This diversity is what Congress intended when it designated the Day of Prayer, not that every faith and creed would be homogenized, but that all who sought to pray for this nation would be encouraged to do so in any way deemed appropriate. It is that broad invitation to the American people that led, in our case, to the creation of the Task Force and the Judeo-Christian principles on which it is based.

(Website used for information: http://www.ndptf.org/about/index.cfm)

~Megan

God Stands Forever...

2009-09-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Made by Maddie

I just read THIS POST on one of my very good friend's blogs.

It seemed very relevant to today and life in general so I thought that I would share.

Enjoy!

爱和祝福，- Love and Blessings,

Goodbye

2009-09-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'd love to keep up with this blog, but I really don't have enough time anymore, which is sad to me. :(

Anyways, the brief time that I was on, I did enjoy, and I thank you for. :)

Love and blessings,

Hannah

Purity

2009-09-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days I've been hearing and seeing a lot of stuff about Purity. On the radio, in e-mails, in the Cassie's post on www.faitharoundtheworld.blogspot.com, and many other places. I think it's God calling me/reminding me to be pure. I think I'm going to try hard, stick with it, and be pure.

Thanks,

Original post of www.ahomeschooledgirl.blogspot.com

What Is the World Selling to Girls of Today?

2009-09-09T11:05:00.000-07:00

Now brace yourselves, girls, and don't be alarmed with what I'm about to say.

On Saturday my mom bought me a copy of 'Teen Vogue' magazine.

Now, wait, it's not what it seems. First, my mom bought it because she was extremely surprised to find that there was such a thing as a 'Vogue' magazine for teens and, after paging through it herself, she thought that it would be a good teaching experience for me to look though it and see what the world is expecting and selling the teen girls of today.

I sat down on the couch with my wonderful father and for a good forty-five minutes we looked at and discussed *almost* every page. It was so distressing to see the pictures and read the articles. Every other page had some mention of having a boyfriend or a "fling" or "crush" and there was a entire article discussing why "good girls" fall for "bad boys".

The girls posing for most of the pictures and adds were between the ages of 14 and 18, the majority looked to be about 16 years old. They were mostly wearing immodest dress, sensual makeup and many were posing inappropriately with male models.

The world is selling sex to its readers through this magazine. And it was horrible to realize that this is what teenage girls today are reading. Let's just say I did NOT regret throwing the magazine in the recycling when my dad and I were through with it!

During these valuable years of entering adulthood, those young women are focusing on boyfriends, dating, modern fashion and frivolous things of this world instead of working and striving towards the goal Christ has set for us and preparing for their future lives.

Let us purpose to become girls who are different from what the world tells us we should be.
Let us strive to remain pure until the day we marry the man God has chosen for us.

If you agree and share the goals, you may put this award/icon/badge that I made, up on you blog and feel free to pass it on to whomever feels the same way.

If you do take this, I'd love to know so I know that it's being passed along, so, if you could leave a comment, I would greatly appreciate it!

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on this post.

爱和祝福，- Love and Blessings,

Originally posted on Inside My Mind on July 6, 2009

praying

2009-09-08T16:54:00.001-07:00

I had someone ask if I'd/We'd Pray for the things on their prayer list... I'm saying yes, are you?

~Prayer Requests for 9/7/09:

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
The happiest make the best of everything that they have!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hi friend,

Please keep the following individuals in your prayers:

1) "Prayer for my need and help me to Heal mind strong and education skill. Well - communication. Due of my deafness and I'm not pity myself but Want understand how overcome of my success in my life with an career or along with people or christianity puropose. I care about God and his of God. I want to get know God almighty from him. Prayer for me. I always think about it everyday. thank you for pray" -Seth;

2) Becky asks for our prayers. She writes, "My 15-year-old daughter has had back pain since April. Yesterday she had an MRI. Just now the doctor's office called to say they found two suspicious spots on her spine and want her to have a 2nd MRI. Please pray that God will remove the spots and the pain by the time she has this second MRI. God bless you.";

3) "Please I need help with my finances! Please pray for my family!" -Alice;

4) AN asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for me. My husband died very suddenly and unexpectedly a few months ago. My adult son who has been living with me, recently got involved in a very unhealthy relationship. He has only known this girl for about 2 months and now he's planning to move over 1,000 miles away with her. I'll be living alone for the first time and I don't have too many family members. I'll be all by myself and I'm scared to death. I feel very vulnerable, especially now that my husband is gone.";

5) "I did not mean to make my request anonymous. I Please pray that I find a way to pay off 2 Visas, a truck, truck insurance, other debts. I am 75, single, etc., I bought a truck, etc. for my grandson to start a landscape business. He has spent a lot (non-business related), doesn't have any work lately and now one VISA is due the 29, all the rest next month and I have no way to pay them. I feel terrible that he did this to me. I found out that he has been lying to me a lot as well. Thank you." -Maureen;

6) Garey asks for our prayers. He writes, "Pray for me to be successful in my first year in seminary School. I have been accepted. I Pray for the Lord to enlarge my territory in my finances to pay for the whole 4 years that may receive my Bachelors degree and move on to study for my Masters Degree in Theology. Pray for me that I can do all things through Christ that Strengthneth me.";

7) "I have received a word of knowledge to move to the Midwest to continue my sowing of the seeds for heaven, however, finances have been so dim for the past year that the results are trials that are overwhelming emotionally and of course financially. I ask that you join me in prayer to seek restitution financially for my creditors and ease the emotional turmoil I keep getting as my faith tends to waiver from the focus on the Lord. Pray that my focus will be clear and my heart healed and my finances steadied." -CJ;

8) "Please pray for my daughter, Katie. She is 27, unmarried and has three small children. She has already gotten an eviction notice and has until the end of the month to come up with the rent. She just started a new job and won't get paid for at least another week. I have paid her car note and insurance and I don't have the funds to help her anymore. She ia a former drug addict who completed the 13 month Teen Challenge Program and is trying desperately to get her life back on track. Thank you for your prayers." -Jesuschick;

9) Please pray for Ronnie who has leukemia. He has been having a very difficult time these past few weeks. Ask the Lord to be with his family and friends, too, during these trials.;

10) Patty asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for my husband Kevin and my grandson Aiden. Both of them are clairvoyant/mediums who can see, hear and feel the spirit world. This is mostly wonderful but negative spirits may also come thru to them. Please protect them from harm and torment and bless them with beautiful spirits that do God's work.";

11) "My husband Jason has been out of work for a lil over a year and is on his way to a job interview. We have 3 children 14yrs,11yrs and 10months i ask that you will please pray for him the confidence he needs and the right things to say and do to get this job our family has been struggleing for a long time please put a blessing over this job oppurtunity for our family. Thank you and God bless." -Heather;

12) Betty asks for our prayers. She writes, "PLEASE PRAY FOR MY GRANDSON, CHRIS` HEALTH ISSUES...PRAY THAT HE WILL REGAIN THE WEIGHT HE HAS LOST....PRAY THAT THE LORD WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN HAROLD'S BODY SO HE CAN USE A CANE INSTEAD OF A WALKER...PRAY FOR LETHA, SHE NEEDS STRENGTH TO HELP TAKE CARE OF HIM...GBU!!!";

13) "I am asking for prayer for my granddaughter Kara who is battling lung cancer and pray that I am able to go see her. She lives in Maryland and I live in North Carolina." -Mary;

14) Inez asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Pray for my son, Javier -, whom is about to take a test. He is in the- stationed in -. Please pray to give him knowlege and wisdom to pass this test. Thank you!';

15) On Monday evening, I was able to visit the Greenville Detention Center (Greenville, SC). Much prayer and testimony was given by myself and several inmates. Bibles, gospel tracts, Bible studies and Daily Breads were handed out amongst many. Please keep the following individuals in your prayers: Milton Hill, Lino Whitaker, Jabaar Gualt, Jacob Poole, Chris Water, Enrique Martinez, Bryan Dodgens, Joshua McFerrin, Melvin Wingate, Charles Gregory, Brandon Croft, Kory Butler, Arielle Moore, John Webster and Ricky Richardson. If you would like to make a donation towards this ministry, please send funds to: Mark Seay, 105 Quincy Drive, Greer, SC 29650.;

16) "Good Evening, I come again to ask that you stand with me in prayer and ask our Lord to bring a MIRACLE into my life and restore my professional credentials. I ask you to pray with me for this and I thank you for your love and support. In Jesus' name we pray, Charlie";

17) Raquel asks for our prayers. She writes, "pray for yvette, pedro, errol and Jessica G and families please along with Agueda Aand Sophia Marin thanks and rosario...missionaries and families ... Would you pray for Geaorge and Bill and shriver and family please... they were seeking of the lord but abecame involed in extramarital affair that entailed voodoo and the feeding of their perversity with all forms of reprobativeness inexpression...will you keep this in prayer...they desire prayer and restoration in this, their last days.. for themselves and wives and families...and perhaps victims...as well as healing even where it seems impossible...God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think.";

18) "Please pray for my son as he believes he is ready for the gay lifestyle. As a single parent, I am struggling to understand the changes in our household. We both need much prayer as we move forward." - Rhonda;

19) "One of the men that we have been feeding through Brown Bags And Jesus has been asking alot of questions about Christ, quit drinking, found a job but still living on the street, and has really been trying to get himself back on tract. Last week a drunk homeless man was messing with a woman and our friend Chip asked him to leave her alone. This upset the drunk guy so he left and came back with a friend and a 4 ft steel pipe. Chip is now in a nursing home with bolts and screws in his leg arm and numerous surgerys to come. He is in great spirits and really looking at the bright side of things. Also the guy he shares a room with just happens to be a pastor, so he is getting more knowledge of God and growing closer to him. Chip is a veteran that served our country and is now living on the streets of New Orleans, no living family and no where to go. We are just asking for prayers for Chip that God will lay it on his heart to draw nearer to him and that somehow he will use this experience for the Glory of God." -David;

20) "Please pray for Dustin, he is going in to surgery one more time for his injuries suffered from sexual abuse.";

21) Beth asks for our prayers. She writes, "Please pray that I am on Mark's heart and that he will not let me go.";

22) "Having difficulty breathing. Was sick and am getting better. Pray for my healing and fear to go away. Thank you." -AN;

23) Mary asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for my son who has progressed terribly into alcoholism. His mind doesn't seem right anymore, he doesn't appear to care. He was a man of so much love & kindness, compassion, sensitivity.. My heart breaks for him. Thank yoiu & God bless you.";

24) "Hi! My name is Germaine, 21 years old female from Philippines. I have some prayers that I wish and hope that you will help me pray for. I believe in the power of PRAYER and THE LORD HEARS and LISTENS. I hope you will be able to help fulfill the desires of my heart. Here are some of my prayers: 1. I wish my family to be closer and that they may know Christ, our Lord--that they may gain hope and faith and have more encounters with God. 2. I wish my God will change me according to His WILL-- a. Spiritually- Faith in God that I myself will not turn away caused by the trials and problems I'm continually facing b. Emotionally- That his WORD will change my ACTIONS and DECISIONS so that I may show how loving or God/Christ is. c. Financially- to provide for myelf, my family and the needy d. Physically- That I will have strength, perseverance so He can use me for whatever purpose He may deem. I am writing because I know that I myself cannot do it alone but with the help of my fellow Christians through prayer, God may grant my desires. Thank you very much!";

25) Pam asks for our prayers. She writes, "please pray for my grandson Chanler. my daughter is taking him to the emergency room, she thinks he had a seizure. thank you for all your prayers.";

26) "Please pray for me, I am so alone, without employment or medical insurance. My son hurt his wrist about 2 months ago, thought it was getting better, but turns out it was broken and now needs surgery. I am living in a shed without a bathroom. I am trying to focus on the Lord, but at times I have such anxiety. Please pray for me son also, especially him....he is really struggling in his life right now and could use prayer. Thank you so much." -Susan;

27) Stella asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Please pray that my daughter Jennifer get back together with Her xboyfriend Anthony. Thank you and God Bless you.";

28) "My husband has been diagnosed with prostate cancer 95% of the prostate is involved. Thanks that according to bone and CT scans there is no spread. He is on hormonal chemotherapy and they want to do radiation which he is not sure about. Pray for wisdom in decisions and healing. Also pray for our economic situation. He is supposed to be starting work with the census on the Sept 21 after being off work since April. We are behind on basics such as rent at this time. Thanks for God's help during the time since April. Pray for physical strength to do work. He is low on energy and not feeling well. One of the decisions we need to make is whether to move or not, since my income alone is not enough to pay our rent where we are. We have to sign the lease for at least 6 months or pay $80 more for month to month before the end of September or find another place to live that will meet needs and preferably some wants too. Thanks and blessings to all of you who pray." -Carrie; and lastly ...

29) Anita asks for our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for my health - my Rhumetoid Arthritis and other health concerns are taking me over. In March My hearing went out overnight in my left ear (my good ear- I have little hearing in the right ear from childhood) Is had a 3 inch tear in my right rotator cuff repaired the last of April. I have a problem with my right knee- have had two different type injections but it still hurts. I had an MRI done on my head to help determine the cause of my sudden hearing loss. It showed no reason for the loss of hearing- which clears the way for a BAHA External Hearing aide that requires surgury to drill a hole in the skull to place the device in. I am scheduled Tuesday for an MRI on the right knee- tried to have one done last Friday but the machine would not turn on.I am a Breast Cancer Survivor- 13 years come December. I have been blessed so much in my life- but I feel overcome with the number of ailments. Thank You."

**God bless you for caring enough to pray!!!**

Becoming a Member

2009-08-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that i don't have a post/text for people that want to become members!

(Cassie made me notice that when she said she didn't know who to tell what her e-mail was)

So here is how to become an author:

1. E-mail your e-mail to Jennaandme@gmail.com

2. Except the invitation when I send it to you!

Thanks everyone!

~Megan

What is faith?

2009-08-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 4:12

"Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

What is faith? Since the name of this blog is 'faith around the world,' I thought it might be good if I did a study on it. Below, I've listed several verses that talk about faith.

Matthew 9:22
But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

John 20:29
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Acts 15:9
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Romans 3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Romans 4:9
Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Romans 5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

2 Corinthians 1:24
Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

2 Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Faith is mentioned many times in the Bible. In all instances, faith is conveyed as something important, something that is needed for all believers. In Matthew 9:22, a woman was healed simply because she had faith that it would happen.

Acts 15:9, Romans 3:25, Romans 4:9 and Romans 5:1-2 all talk of faith being counted as righteousness, faith justifying us, or our hearts being purified by faith- talking of salvation. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says that faith is required to hold a position in the church. And the last two verses (The ones we will principally be dealing with) show that faith is all we have, truly.

Faith is variously defined as "complete confidence in a person or plan," "loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person," and "religion: a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny."

Faith in the Bible would be something closer to "A complete, total surrendering of oneself to the reality and power of God."

But how does faith apply to a young woman who has already trusted in God? Does faith have a practical application after salvation? Yes, it does, and this application is contained in the last two verses.

"By faith you stand..." 'Standing' in the Bible is commonly defined as standing on the Word, on principles, on morals, or on God's grace. Without faith in God, we can't do any of those things properly- and without it, we definitely can't stand on God's grace.

Ephesians 3:17-19 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

From this verse, I gather that without love, or charity, we cannot have faith- and love is, of course, given by the correct spirit and- you guessed it- faith! We have three interdependent attributes that are given to God's people- and only his people.

((This post is taken originally from my personal blog. All links go to there, and this post is part of a series, so to get some background on this post, you can go there. ;) ))

~Liberty

Thanks Sarah Grace!

2009-08-24T15:59:00.001-07:00

Sarah Grace has decided to STOP being and author to Faith Around The World. School is starting up and it was going to be hard for her to post (as it will be for all of us also!) It was such a blessing to have her as an author when we did. So I just wanted to say thanks to sarah grace for being a wonderful author! I do not take the fact that you (sarah grace) decided to stop being an author, because I totally understand, but if you ever want to be an author again I'd be happy to have you!

Thanks Sarah Grace!

~Megan

Update

2009-08-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Earwin's dad made it through the surgery "ok", and is slowly recovering.

Urgent Prayers

2009-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Earwen, dear blogger friend that some of you know, Dad is having bypass surgery tomorrow.

As I learned for another blogger this could take 6 to 12 hours. So prayers for their family is very much needed.

Also here sister is having stomach and hip pain, and went to the emergency room.

So PLEASE pray that everything is fine, and that her dad's surgery tomorrow goes well.

Thank you.

~Marissa

What does the verse say to you?

2009-08-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

With God all things are possible

Matthew 19:26

Please comment things that you thought weren't possible, but WERE possible when you relied on God!

~Megan

Weekly Verse

2009-08-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

I decided to do a weekly Verse every week (other contributes, feel free to do your own weekly verses too!) SO here goes...

Megan's Weekly Verse:

He is the rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.

A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Deuteronomy 32:4

Megan

Beauty

2009-08-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

"3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3:3-4

I love that verse...just thought I'd share it with you :)

Bekah

Some new Christian pictures...

2009-07-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

I made some new pictures, they are on the side bar also so you can add them to your blog:

The Face with in

2009-07-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

*See the face in the cloud picture?

Also you can follow the riddles I made up and find cool stuff with in the picture (God's face is the face in the cloud!)!

This picture was taken bye ME, Megan K. Madison!

*see side bar to add this to your blog!

Here I am To worship

2009-07-26T16:10:00.001-07:00

Here I am to Worship

Chris Tomlin

Light of the world

You stepped down into darkness.

Opened my eyes, let me see.

Beauty that made this heart adore You

Hope of a life spent with You

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that You're my God

You're altogether lovely

All together worthy,

All together wonderful to me

King of all days

oh, so highly exalted

Glorious in heaven above

Humbly You came

To the earth You created

All for love's sake became poor

Here I am to worship,

Here I am to bow down,

Here I am to say that You're my God

You're altogether lovely

All together worthy,

All together wonderful to me

I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

I'll never know how much it cost

To see my sin upon that cross

I'll never know how much it cost

Hope you all enjoyed this post!

~Megan

Thy Word

2009-07-09T07:23:00.001-07:00

Thy Word - By: Amy Grant

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

When I feel afraid,

And think Ive lost my way.

Still, youre there right beside me.

Nothing will I fear

As long as you are near;

Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

I will not forget

Your love for me and yet,

My heart forever is wandering.

Jesus by my guide,

And hold me to your side,

And I will love you to the end.

Nothing will I fear

As long as you are near;

Please be near me to the end.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

And a light unto my path.

You're the light unto my path.

Palms 119:105

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

*Picture taken by: Kaycee

Vacation.

2009-06-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

I shall be gone from July 4th to July 10th, I think.

Thought I'd let all of you know.

~Hannah

Alright, I'll be gone...

2009-06-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

...from June 27th (or sometime around there :]) to July 9th.
Just wanted to let you guys know!

Blessings in Christ,

Bekah <><

The Christian Girl's Guide to being your best!

2009-06-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

My older sister Marissa (also an author of this blog) Has this book called "The christian girl's guide to being your best!" I haven't actually read it all but I thought I'd stat sharing some of it with you:

What is being your best?

Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Story:

Jenna sat beside her parents in the high school gymnasium watching her brother Luke play in the basketball finals. It was a close game with lots of action, but Jenna's mind wasn't on the game itself. She was watching the cheerleaders; especially a girl named Lisa.

Lisa occasionally baby-sat for Jenna when Jenna's parents were going to be out too late for her to be alone. Jenna looked forward to those nights because Lisa was a lot of fun to be with and she always had lots of ideas for things to do when they were together. Jenna thought Lisa was the prettiest of all the cheerleaders. Plus Lisa was always on the honor roll and she sang solos at their church. Best of all, Lisa was now dating Luke, so Jenna got to see her more often. That night, Jenna was looking forward to going out for pizza with her family and Lisa after the game.

In the last quarter, Luke scored six points and his team took the lead. When the final buzzer went off, Luke's team had won 88-84! Jenna cheered with everyone else, then she went to the car to wait for the others.

As Lisa approached the car, Jenna said, "I hope I an just like you when I get to high school!"

"Why?" Lisa asked as she tossed her pom-poms into the car trunk.

"Because you're pretty, smart, talented and the best cheerleader," Jenna answered.

Lisa laughed. "Thanks for saying that but I really just try to do the best I can with what I have."

"What do you mean? Jenna asked.

"Well, if you do the best you can with what you have for God and for others and for yourself," Lisa answered, "you'll be successful no matter what you do. That's a lesson my grandmother taught me. I've never forgotten it."

"But what if I do my best, and it just isn't good enough?" Jenna asked. " that wouldn't make me vary successful."

"But it would make you successful in God's eyes," Lisa said, climbing into the backseat. "He doesn't judge you by your looks or talents or by how smart you are. He knows what your best is and that's all he wants form you."

Lisa scooted to the middle of the seat as Luke and Jenna got in the other side. "My favorite bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6," Lisa continued. "It says to trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't depend on your own understanding and remember the Lord in everything you do. Then he will give you success."

"I like that," Jenna said. "Maybe I should memorize the verses so I'll remember them when I'm not feeling good about myself."

"I'll help you with that later," said Lisa as Jenna's dad swung the car into their favorite pizza place. " But right now I want to 'be my best' at devouring a few slices of pizza!"

What is Success?

Lisa gave Jenna a good definition of what success is: doing the best you can with what you have for God, Others and yourself. To be successful in God's eyes, you don't have to be beautiful, have a lot of money or possessions, be a genius or even be popular. And you don't have to be and adult to be successful. You can be a success for God right now, whatever age you are.

Live Quiz!:

Take this quiz to see if you're on your way to success. Keep track of the answer that fits you best (and be honest), then score yourself at the end.

1. Your teacher announces and upcoming science fair. You are required to make a project and submit it. Science isn't you favorite subject, but you know you have to do the project so you:

a. Mumble and complain until your dad does it for you.

b. Decide that as long as you have to do it you might as well find a project you like and give it your best.

c. Just do it and get it over with.

2. Just as you sit down to watch your favorite TV show your mom asked you to peel some carrots to help with dinner. you:

a. Turn off the television, go peel the carrots and then ask if there is anything else you can d o to help.

b. Peel the carrots as fast as you cans so you don't miss muck of your program.

c. yell, "It's not fair. I never get to watch TV."

3. After you rake your own lawn, your mom asks you to rake your elderly neighbor's lawn. you are tired of raking. you:

a. Rake enough to make it look like you raked.

b. cheerfully rake up all the leaves.

c. moan and groan until your mom does it herself.

4. your mom asks you to clean your room. You see that some of your clothes are thrown over a chair, old test papers are scattered under your desk and you left some books from a research paper piled on the floor. You:

a. Put each item neatly where it goes.

b. Push everything under the bed so your room looks neat enough to please your mom.

c. Push everything into the closet because nothing more will fit under your bed!

5. Your teacher says that your class is going to have a talent show. Other classes will be invited to attend. he says everyone must be involved. you:

a. Decide to memorize the shorted poem you can find and recite it.

b. Plan to be sick that day.

c. Decide to use your writing talent to write something that would be both funny and informative.

Score your self and see how you did!

a: 0 points

b: 3 points

c: 1 point

a. 3 points

b. 1 point

c: 0 points

a: 1 point

b: 3 points

c: 0 points

a: 3 points

b: 0 points

c: 0 points

a: 1 point

b: 0 points

c: 3 points

On this Quiz I got an 8, What did you get (Please comment your score!).

How did you do?

how did you do? If you scored 10 or above, good for you! If you want to be a Christian girl at her best, you will use your talents, work hard even when you don't feel like it and always give 100%.

My thoughts:

I guess I need to work on Being my best in everything I only got an 8... I think reading this for the 2nd time has really let it sink in. I'll be using this as a go through my 3 weeks of camp. (Please comment your thoughts, along with your score.)

I hope this had encouraged you to BE YOUR BEST!

(I'm sorry if I missed spelled any words or for got to add words. I had to type this my self.)

I hope this helped!

~Megan

Button!!

2009-06-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe the other post I did today wasn't my LAST post but... I just wanted to tell you all about the Blog Button I made for Faith Around The world. It is on the Sidebar so you can put it on your blog!

~Megan

Please pray

2009-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Someone that we (My family) knew (before we moved) Got pregnant, she is only like 16 and we are not sure what she is going to do. She is a girl we knew from church, so she is a Christian... But please just pray that God will show her what to do.

~Megan

P.S this will be my last post until June 28th

Prayer requests

2009-05-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything yet, but today I'd like to ask you all to pray for my Uncle John.

He found out at the beginning of the year that he has a form of cancer called Lymphoma, after he had a lump removed from his side. He has been doing Chemotherapy for a while now.

He has to do a total of 6 treatments, and they are every 3 weeks.

I'm not really sure how many he has to go..... 2 or 3.......?

But Last time we saw him he was starting to loose his hair.

So just pray for him. That the cancer will be cleared up and he can get stronger.

My Uncle John is just so amazing. He is a stronger christian, and he didn't let this stop him form doing things. He still smiles and talks with you, jokes and laughs. He is amazing! I love talking to him about things. =D I hope that I can be like him someday.

Anyway, thats my prayer request.

Oh!

Also my Grandma is having back pains and she has been to the chiropractor 3 times already, and that's not helping very much. So pray that she will feel better soon.

Thanks.

~Marissa

Away

2009-05-29T06:40:00.001-07:00

So, ladies, just a quick note: I will be gone from June 4-12, at Christian Youth In Action. With that in mind- please pray for me while I am there, as I will be learning how to teach children the Gospel.

Thanks tons. :)

愛于耶穌 - (Love in Jesus)
Kyla

No posting?

2009-05-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

As so in my last post I explained about my Bible camp. Well starting June 7th - June 28th I will not be posting anything on any of my blogs. In this post I am also speaking for my sister Marissa. We will be at MWBC. So it will be up to my fellow Co-writers to Be posting those 3 weeks while My sister and I are away. I would also like any of the Co-writers to let me know (by e-mailing me: jennaandme@gmail.com) if they will be gone, too. I may post a few more time before June 7th, But if not: I thank all of my Co-writers, followers, and visitors too. For reading this blog, let it encourage you and lead you to god.

Thank you all,

Megan †

Prayers needed...

2009-05-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

I just want to request prayer for my neighbor, Cory. He went through a divorce recently, and lives alone in this huge house. He's never home, and I can just feel his hurt whenever I'm around him. I would really appreciate prayer for him. Plus he's not a Christian, so imagine the pain he must be feeling right now!

Also, please pray for my aunt, Carrie. She also just went through a divorce (her second one), and she's struggling to raise three kids, as her ex-husband ran off with all her money. Of course, all my relatives are helping her, but how much fun is it to receive charity from your family? Definitely not as satisfying as earning it for yourself. When you pray for Carrie, I would really appreciate it if you slipped in one for my oldest cousin (Carrie's son from a previous marriage), Dakotah. My grandma was talking to me about how he is so pressured all the time: as he goes to a public school, and hangs with non-Christians. My grandma told me proudly that he refused drugs and worse so far, but he can always use prayer. And please pray for Jeff (Carrie's ex-husband) and Jeff's daughter, Tiffany. Both of them aren't Christians.

I know I have a lot of prayer requests, but here's another: my other uncle John, who, also, went through a divorce. He lives alone, and I'm seriously worried about him. I accidently overheard my grandpa talking to my dad, about how John way overworks himself, and how he was really worried. Also, my aunt (John's ex-wife) Julie fled to New York after the divorce, working for a jeweler or something; prayer for her would really be appreciated.

One last prayer request: one for my friend named Krista's mom. Michelle just gave birth to her...seventh (? or eighth...) child and I'm sure she's experiencing some up-and-down's (what with a one year old, a three year old, and a five year old, along with a whole bunch of other kids). And even more amazing is that: they're all homeschooled!

Lot of praying, huh? :D

Blessings,

Bekah

Washington DC Trip

2009-05-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a rather selfish prayer request, but here goes.

September 12, there is going to be a 'tea party' in Washington DC. We'll be going to protest the government on the capitol lawn, and will- of course- go see some sights while we're there.

The only problem to this otherwise peachy-keen plan is two things- money, and time. Money is...well, pretty straightforward. It'll probably take quite a bit of money- several hundred, at least- to pay for just gas from here- Texas panhandle- to DC.

Time is also an issue, since my dad owns his own business, and he has to be able to take a couple weeks off.

So please just pray that, if it's the Lord's will, we will be able to take this trip. I'd really like to, as I think the Tea Party is important, and it would be a wonderful historical trip for our entire family to take.

愛于耶穌 - (Love in Jesus)
Kyla

Camp

2009-05-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

About: The camp I go to is called Mid West Bible Camp. It is located at the Lake Darling Youth Center, is Brighton Iowa. I've been going to it for a VARY long time and it is the same camp my Mom went to when she was a kid. It's vary helpful to see so many other kids with so much faith in God. The most touching week is Senior week, our (My family) First time of ever experiencing this week was last year. My older sister Marissa (Also one of the authors of this blog) was a Camper, and my mom was a cook and me, my 2 sisters, and 1 brother. Stayed there at the camp (we always do). It was really cool, so many things took place and it was a wonderful experience for anyone. There was a Pranal (Prayer Journal) that anyone could write in, and our Shelter House was used as a... I'm not exactly sure how to explain it... It was a place where People could go and pray. It was really awesome, and my sister had a great time. Well, that's all about Senior week, Now I'll tell you about Intermediate week.

This summer (June) will be my First year of Actually being a camper at Intermediate week. Last year we were there because my mom was a teacher, and my Brother was a Camper. It was really fun, and I got to spend time with my friends that are a year older then me. Intermediate week is not as involved and Senior week, but it is still really fun and there are lots of people there that set good examples for us younger kids. Now, I've talked about Senior week and Intermediate week, now it's time for Jr. week.

Jr. week is the week that I've gone too for the past 2 years (I didn't go 1 year because we were moving, but usually you are supposed to go for 3 years), oh ya funny story: Last year I had chicken pox the week before Jr. and thank goodness I was over them by Jr. week!!! Anyway, The guy who Directs Jr. week is an AWESOME director!! He knows alot about Nature and stuff and is GREAT for younger kids (4-6 grades), so far my experience with Jr. week were really good!

For more information about MWBC (Mid West Bible Camp) you can go to www.midwestbiblecamp.org

thanks,

Megan

Sad - Prayer

2009-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Our family knows a family (whose names I shall keep private) who has, seven children, I think, and the mother was pregnant.

I just recieved an email that the mother gave birth early last night, and the baby was tiny, non-living, too small to tell the gender.

Please keep this family (especially the mother) in your prayers, from what I know, she has lost two or three babies.

Thank you,

Jehovah Reigns,

~Hannah

Prayers.

2009-05-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that I have been praying for Zara, and to remind everyone to keep her in their prayers.
~Hannah

More information on Zara

2009-05-19T06:33:00.001-07:00

The next operation Zara will need to have is for her jaw...

By: Zara Ross

This is my story.......

3 years ago I was having a operation to remove my tonsils out,I started to suffer really bad ear pains on my right side,I went back to see the surgeon who operated on me and he wouldn't believe me he said I had attention seeking I got sent to see a another surgeon in his team,who did a MRI scan and found that he knocked the cartilage out of my jaw joint. Since then I have been attending a another Hospital 2 hours away from my home to see a Maxillofacial surgeon and I am facing my second operation later this summer where he will make a hole inside my face take the disc out and clean it,he may have to remove some tissues or bones that could be causing my pain.

I am also needing a new jaw joint replacement but I'm too young to undergo it yet

Zara

We will all be praying for you this summer, Zara, as you go through this operation.

Hi, Everybody!

2009-05-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hi, everybody!
My name is Bekah, and I am a new co-author of this blog. I'm extremely excited! This is going to be a really awesome blog- and I am really happy that I got invited to co-author it.
My own blog is http://bekahsbubblyblog.blogspot.com, where I write about daily things that happen in my life.
Blessings,
Bekah

Me!

2009-05-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, my name is Kyla. I'm a Christian, saved by the grace of God, and hope to be able to make some sort of contribution here. You can visit my main blog- Teenage Musings- by clicking the name that I just put. (Yeah, I'm so original and all...)

~Blessings

Hello

2009-05-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My name is Marissa and I am Megan's older sister. A co-writer on this blog.

and I'm really excited about doing this!

It's such a good idea! Isn't it? Anyway, my main blog is A Peek Into My Life

and you can find out more about me there.

I don't know about you guys, but it's always fun to find out what other peoples beliefs are.

I love learning about the differences!

Well that about it for now.

~Marissa

Zara

2009-05-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to have my 2 new authors!

Sarah & Hannah!

They and I will be posting more soon.

For now I have a prayer request:

I've recently met and Girl online, Her name is Zara.

This is how we met...

One day I was checking my e-mail, and I had got something for I girl I didn't know, this is what it said:

Dear Megan,

Blessings from Scotland! I am 19 years old I have Special needs and I suffer from a rare syndrome which I'm not very big for my age. I hope you are not offended by me finding your blog I am looking for a Christian penpal to email me,would you like to email me? I go to a Reformed Baptist Church every Sunday and I love Jesus with all my heart.

Let me know

Blessings

Zara Ross

So, I told her that I would be her penpal.

We have been e-mailing back in forth ever since I got that e-mail a few weeks ago.

Shortly after I got her First e-mail I got this one:

Dear Megan,

Blessings to you on this day! I was wondering if you would pray for me as I am going to Hospital tomorrow as I suffer from TMJ(temporomandibular jaw).

Zara

I told her I would DEFIANTLY pray for her.

And the next day we were google chatting:

2:23 PM zaramayross: Hello

me: hi

me: I'm really sorry but I have to get off, maybe we can chat again soon.

2:26 PM zaramayross: Okay just to let you know I was at Hospital

me: oh, did it go okay?

zaramayross: I need a another operation-Bad News

me: Well, I'll keep praying for you!

2:27 PM talk to you later, BYE! <3

zaramayross: Thank you blessings

And I haven't e-mailed Zara in a few day, so I will soon.and I'll be sure to give you all up-dates on Zara.
If you were reading closely to the first e-mail I got for Zara, you would have noticed that she said she Lived in Scotland, now that really is "Faith Around The World"!! And that e-mail is what inspired me to start this blog... It was just an Idea, and it will be good for me and anyone else around me to share their faith!
And now I'm asking for you all to pray for Zara, my dear friend.
Thanks!~Megan

Indroduction

2009-05-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hi. My name is Sarah Grace. I am one of the contributing authors for Faith around the World.
If you would like to read a little bit 'about me', you may visit my other blog Teens For Jesus.
Thank you Megan, for allowing me to contribute to this neat blog!
In Christ,
Sarah Grace

Hello!

2009-05-17T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Hannah, I'm a co-writer on this blog. I'm very excited to share my faith and such! You can read some of my regular writings at Aspire.

Blessings,

Hannah

About this blog

2009-05-16T18:48:00.001-07:00

This blog is for Girls around the world to share their faith and what's going on in their lives.

If you would like to be part of "Faith Around The World" Please comment and leave your name and e-mail address.

More to come!

~Megan

Faith Around The World

Would you still follow?

While Others Die...

Do All to the Glory of God...

Walking For God

God is our Strength

cancer...

Inspired Magazine {by Maggie}

Stick with God

Zambia update

Reaching God & The Shores of God

Urgent Prayers Needed

Excited for camp...

My blog Party! :)

Tag- inspired designs

Acceptance and Faith

it'll be awesome...

This is SO cool!

Being accepted

Abiding In Him

Zambia Missions' Trip

Bible verse

Practicing? Maybe?

Yearning for God

Jesus Is Our King!

Rachel M.'s Prayer Page

Liberty's Prayer Page

Megan's Prayer Page

About Prayer Pages

Prayers Needed

God's Glory

Love

Faith Around The World MAKEOVER! :)

1 Samuel 16:7

In 90 Days...

Verse

The Love of our Father

Just letting you all know...

Just letting you all know...

Long time, No posting!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wow! christmas is here!!!

Wonderful Blog, Yet....

Apologies

Pray For us!!!

National day of prayer

I was looking on http://ult-tex.net/counts/index.cgi and I saw a count down banner for NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER I wasn't sure what that was so I did some resherech...

Mission

Our Vision and Values

Who We Are and What We Do

God Stands Forever...

Goodbye

Purity

What Is the World Selling to Girls of Today?

praying

*~*Prayer Requests for 9/7/09:

Becoming a Member

What is faith?

Thanks Sarah Grace!

Update

Urgent Prayers

What does the verse say to you?

Weekly Verse

Beauty

Some new Christian pictures...

The Face with in

Here I am To worship

Thy Word

Vacation.

Alright, I'll be gone...

The Christian Girl's Guide to being your best!

Button!!

Please pray

Prayer requests

Away

No posting?

Prayers needed...

Washington DC Trip

Camp

Sad - Prayer

~Prayer Requests for 9/7/09: