A Cellist in the Tuba Section

1 Corinthians 7:17 Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.  (ESV). If you read the blog post  Moving into Ministry , you'll know that each of us has been given different spiritual gifts by God. One of the most difficult things to overcome when it comes to spiritual gifts, and life in general really, is the comparison game. So often we feel like we need to compare ourselves to others. We think things like: He's more spiritual than I am because he can speak in tongues. She's prettier than me because she's got a thigh gap. I'm so much better than her because I don't drink. And on and on and on... Comparison is a trap because it takes our focus off of the unique plan that God created for our lives. That causes several problems: we fail to accomplish things that God wants us to do which makes us feel distant from God. In addition, losing our focus causes us ...

The internet has a lot of options for finding sermons or Bible-based resources. However, some sources are more helpful than others. Below, I have compiled a list of some resources that I have found helpful (I'm not getting any money off promoting these sources, I just genuinely want to share them with y'all). They deal with loneliness, relationships (platonic and romantic), and other problems teen girls are facing. I hope you enjoy this list, and feel free to suggest other resources in the comments, or directly to me by filling out the contact form on the right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7h5BHax06c  This sermon talks about relationships, and is the first part of a series on relationships. It's very helpful, humorous, and sparked ideas for my post "God's Desire for Community". The second sermon in the series, found on YouTube as well, brings up the idea of dating yourself, which has totally changed my perspective on singleness and really helped me...

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (ESV). When someone believes in Jesus, the Holy Spirit lives in that person, and gives that person their unique set of spiritual gifts. Each follower of Jesus has different sets of spiritual gifts, even though the same Holy Spirit lives in all followers of Jesus. These gifts are given so that we can each use our spiritual gifts to share the good news of Jesus with the world around us. Some examples of spiritual gifts are: healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, encouragement, teaching, evangelism, and many others. God wants us to use these gifts for His purposes of growing his kingdom, not for our own selfish gain. He also doesn't want us to be jealous for the gifts others have ...

Psalm 147:1-3 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (ESV) Have you ever had a day where nothing seemed to go your way? You got tons of homework, your friends ignored you, your crush won't talk to you, you got in a fight with your parents, or your car broke down. Maybe all of the above? When you're in the middle of that kind of day it can be really hard to know what to do. When I have an awful day, I find that I fall into the trap of impatience, and start getting mad that I'm still in a season of singleness, even if the cause of my bad day has nothing to do with relationships. The reason I want a boyfriend on those bad days: I want someone to comfort me. What I have to remember in the middle of a bad day is that I already have a comforter. God is able to comfort us at any time an...

Masks You probably think of Halloween. I think of church because all too often, we don't come as we are. We cover ourselves and pretend our lives are perfect when we know they're not. We get so afraid of what others will think sometimes we forget that Sunday is meant for worshipping God, not worrying if anyone will see through your disguise. We hide because we don't want anyone to see our shame but by protecting ourselves we push others away. Others who don't know Jesus. Others who don't know where to turn. Others who are just as broken as we are. I understand: as Christians, we must try hard not to sin but when we do, we must repent and move forward because hiding it is killing us and others. We can't be afraid of "dirty words" like: depression, abortion, homosexuality, attempted suicide, masturbation, abuse, heroine, alcoholic. We all make mistakes. Sometimes we cave into the flesh, but hope is...

Psalm 77 is a perfect example of how we should react to doubts about God's love, faithfulness, mercy, and all other aspects of God. Asaph is the writer of this psalm and he begins by discussing how he cries out to God and believes that God will hear him. He talks about how often he cries out to God; all day and all night he pleads before God. In verses 7-9 Asaph brings his doubts directly to God. He doesn't beat around the bush. He asks the questions that are weighing him down. And then for the rest of the psalm he sets the perfect example for us. Starting in verse 10 he immediately recounts several of the wonders that God has performed in his life, and several of the ways God has proved himself. He ends the psalm with confidence in God's love and faithfulness. So, the lesson here is that when you have doubts, the most important thing to do is lay them down at the throne of God and leave them there.  Instead of picking them back up, rejoice in God's past mercy and l...

Genesis 6:6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart . (ESV) (I know that that does not sound like an optimistic way to start a devotional, but bear with me for just a moment.) The thing that sticks out to me from this verse is the word "regret". I think so often in our culture, we feel that regrets mean we've done something wrong. But it doesn't. God is perfect, so He never messed up, and yet He is capable of feeling regret. So, regret is not a sin indicator. I think that often the devil uses regret to try to make us turn around, even if we're headed on the right path. For example, let's say you knew that your friends were cheating on a test, so you told the teacher. If they made fun of you or got mad at you later, you might regret your decision to tell the teacher what was going on. That doesn't mean you did the wrong thing--you very much did the right thing by telling your teacher what happened and try...

Job is usually not a favorite book of the Bible for most people because it contains a lot of suffering and loss. However, when God responds to Job, He expresses how much higher He is than we are, and I love reading of His power. Job 38:22-24 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?  (ESV) This passage amazes me (and feel free to check out the rest of Job 38 for more imagery about the power of God). God coordinates so much from His throne. He is in control of the snow and hail falling and light breaking forth upon the earth. It's amazing to think of all that God has to do, and yet He is never too busy to listen to us and speak with us through His Word and His people. Rejoice today that God, who controls the whole world, loves you and invites...

Do you often feel unloved? Excluded? Well, I have recently been searching to learn about God's love, and what that looks like. So, below I have compiled some of the verses I've found about how much God loves you, so memorize some for those moments when you feel absolutely alone and unloved. Lamentations 3:22-24 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." (ESV) Psalm 103:8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  (ESV) Psalm 103:11-14 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remem...

Imagine that you hear about a fall dance at school. A friend tells you that everyone will be dressing up for this dance, so you find a really cute cow costume assuming that she meant it was a Halloween dance. You're dressed up in your cow costume and you get out of the car, and...everyone is wearing dresses and suits. This is a formal dance, and you are standing outside in a cow costume. Imagine how out of place you would look and feel in that situation. Maybe you would wait outside for your mom to pick you back up, or you'd walk home, or maybe you would brave it out and pretend that you're a royal cow. Regardless, there would be no way to hide how out of place you are if you go in to that dance. However, as a Christ follower, the difference between our lives and the lives of people who haven't yet begun a relationship with Christ should be that different. It's important to note: I'm not saying that non-Christians have all the fun while Christians are staunc...