Devotions

SUMMER TIME!!!!!!! I want to figure out a way to make the most of my summer. I'm not sure what that looks like or how I will act in order to achieve this. In fact, I'm actually really confused. I think until now, my summer has just been laid out to me on a silver platter: you'll go to church camp this summer. Next summer you'll run VBS drama department. You'll go on vacation. I guess everything was just kind of... there. But now that I'm driving, and now that I am mature-ish enough to make my own decisions as to what I'm going to do and where I'm going to spend my time... I don't know... I'm a little lost. The first world view is "HAVE FUN, CARLY! That's what life is all about-- having crazy wild summers that give you something to talk about once school starts again." And I would partly agree-- I want to have fun this summer! But somehow I want something more. I want something with more purpose-- something that gives me fulf

Love is a great thing. That may be the understatement of the century for some of you. That may be the cheesiest, most ridiculous lie you’ve ever heard, too. But I think that when God was creating us, He instilled a wonderful, magnificent capacity inside our hearts, and then created everything else to work with it. It’s not like He created humans and then added a little love potion, and we were complete. No, I think that he created us for love. He gave each and every person love in their hearts, and then He created our bodies. Our minds. Our spirits. Our souls. It all started, though, with the amazing love that He has for us. You can’t honestly tell me that love comes from anything but God, and that we come from anything other than His love for us. It’s just a fact. We were made out of His love for loving. That’s why it feels so good to love someone—to buy someone lunch, or congratulate your friend. To pick someone up after they’ve been knocked down. To hug someone. To c

THE POWER OF OUR GOD. Worship music is great, isn't it? Maybe you go to church-- maybe you don't, maybe you like worship music, and maybe you don't. But for some reason, when a group of people get together and sing praise, it's amazing. My question for you is: why? Why do we sing praise to God? Why do we repeat phrases over and over like "How great is our God" or "I will sing of your love forever..." Do we believe it? That's the real question. It's easy to read words on the projector screen and lift our hands in the air, (that is, if you have two eyes, a brain, and hands). It doesn't take much to "worship." The true act of worship, though... the kind that fills you with the Holy Spirit, the kind where you truly believe every word that comes from your lips, the kind that fills you with hope, strength, and a devout fear of the everlasting God... If you believe in what you're saying, and believe in the almighty