Guest blogger: Molly Mann: High School Junior

One of my biggest pet peeves and struggles is patience. Even for the simplest things it’s hard for me to wait. But what happens when God tells me to wait on something? It may be something I don’t know anything about but He still wants me to be patient?

Towards the end of Paul’s life he was held captive in jail for two years before they killed him. It’s hard for me to imagine him sitting in a jail cell for two years waiting on what the Lord had for him next. He could’ve complained or even gone against God’s will and try to find a way out. Instead, he was obedient and patient till his death.

So when I’m in such a hurry for things to happen, I reflect back to Paul and what he did in his last years of his life. God may have something better in store and in waiting for that, He’ll honor and bless us. Now isn’t that worth waiting for?

“You must also be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.” -James 5:8

Over the years, a few sports teams have risen above the rest: The 1972 Dolphins for example. However, as Isaac Newton said: “With every action there is an equal reaction,” and with every great sports team - there is a horrendous one. Introducing my childhood inline-hockey team.

At the season’s three-quarter mark, we had the dubious distinction of being the league’s only winless team. I was the unfortunate soul selected as goaltender. For one particular game, several of our players were out of town, leaving us with a single substitute. To make matters worse, we were playing “The Purple Team.” They had never lost.

Inching nervously out of our dressing room, we saw them. Their mature, muscular bodies towered above us as they whizzed past performing perfectly executed drills. I heard my brother Mike whisper shakily behind me, “We can’t play these guys…they have mustaches!”

The whistle sounded - the game began. The rink morphed into a gladiator coliseum. Our players were being rag-dolled and effortlessly tossed around. On our bench, I saw pale-faced Mike: The first sub. As a bloody, mangled carcass of a teammate dragged himself on all-fours, whimpering toward our bench I closed my eyes: Lord, if it be your will…please allow my brother not to die!

Taking a deep breath, Mike jumped over the boards. Racing straight towards the opposing team’s largest (and hairiest) player and doing the unthinkable - he threw a body check. The purple-jersey behemoth staggered, stunned, before swatting Mike away like a fly. But I watched something amazing begin to happen. Our small, grossly over-matched team began playing their hearts out.

Each time a beaten warrior would stumble back to the bench, our sub unhesitantly jumped over the boards to join the battle, continually knocked down, but relentlessly jumping back up.

When the buzzer rang to end the game, a silent and shocked audience sat starring at the scoreboard: Purple 2 - Blue 11.

As Christians we have a daunting task. We battle head-on with a sinful world for the souls of people, and the world will utilize its key players: Hollywood, the Internet, peer pressure, etc. Every time a weary player skated to our bench, our substitute faced a challenging decision. They could give plenty of excuses to stay “riding the pine” in safety, or they could jump boldly over the bench, knowing full well the price that might be asked of them. As Christians we can sit comfortably in our churches, cheering on our pastors and evangelists, or we can join the action.

Have you been watching others struggle in the world while you sit comfortably back from the fray? Have you been waiting for someone to take the lead? Realize that simply becoming a Christian does not win the battle any more than signing up for our hockey team won us a game. Joining the battle is not a one-time decision; it is a commission we must accept daily (Luke 9:23-24) Perhaps it’s time to jump over the boards and join the game.

Have you ever driven a minivan? When you first got your driver’s license and experienced that freedom, was that freedom shared with Honda Odyssey?

I have to admit–Mine was!

At first I didn’t care; I loved the fact that I was driving (by myself). But as my friends got nice, new cars and I still drove the minivan, you can imagine my pride sinking. Teenage guys don’t usually brag about driving their Mom’s Honda Odyssey.

It got worse. I would drive to basketball practice in this van. I would pick up my date in this minivan! Are you beginning to understand how awful this was? If I saw people I knew in cars next to me, I would literally attempt to hide.

Then the day came when I received my first car. And boy, it’s beautiful. Now at every red light I make sure I’m seen. I want to drive everywhere! I’m so proud of it!

This whole experience got me thinking about life, particularly about my relationship with God. Am I proud of that? When people are looking at me at a red light, do I show pride in my God? I’m a blessed child of the King. Why is it that I don’t show off my God like I show off my brand new car? I was so happy when I got the car. I talked about it all the time and showed it off to everybody. Now, why am I not the same for my God? I need to truly be thankful for the greatest gift I’ve ever received, Jesus Christ! And just like my brand new car, I need to show Him off for all to see!

My favorite video game has to be “NCAA Football 2010.” I like to play it with one particularly friend. You know the one–the friend you invite over just so you can humiliate him at the game.

So one day I am at his house and he, lacking knowledge of my gamin expertise, challenges me to a game of football on his Xbox 360. Yet in the midst of my total domination, he decides he’s had enough. He turns off the Xbox and storms out of the room.

Now, I’m sitting there thinking of all the fun I’m missing out on now that he’s left the room. Envisioning all the plays I was going to run and touchdowns I was going to score, I couldn’t help shouting to him, “Dude, wait I wasn’t finished.”

This got me thinking about my own life. When the video game of life is shut off and the screen goes black, will I have the same thought? Will I be looking at God saying, “I wasn’t finished?”

God puts us on this earth to accomplish things for His Kingdom. All those plays I plan to run in my life, why am I waiting? I need to seize every opportunity so that when the game is over and the screen is black, I can look back and say, “God, I did everything in my power to dominate the field of life for You!”

Guest blogger: Troy Solava: High School Senior

When I first heard of the earthquake, I was devastated. I heard about the death, the anarchy, and the confusion. I felt like I was there in a sense. I have been to Haiti twice and I have many friends there. I could not imagine my friends losing their lives and losing their houses.

It is so hard to explain the poverty of Haiti before the earthquake. I cannot imagine what Haiti looks like now. From the voodoo to the unfair government, it sounds like a very dark place. But I know Haiti as a joyful peaceful place. I met many children who were always smiling. The children are happy to have shelter, clothes are on their back, and a meal a day. They live such a simple life. I wish I could live a life where I can be satisfied.

During the day of the earthquake I was trying to think of what I could do to help. I could only think to pray. I did a lot. I don’t know why the earthquake happened but I know my sovereign God knows why. By the end of the week, God gave me a thought to have a Hope For Haiti Drive at school. Throughout the whole week we raised money and accepted supplies. We ended up with $1500 and a lot of supplies.

I wish I could be down in Haiti right now. I would love on the children I know and tell them that God is in control. I will never know why this happened but I will thank God for the opportunities I had to serve Him and Haiti this past week! Sometimes as Christ-followers we have to suffer a bit. Philippians 1:29 says “For you not only have the privilege of trusting in Him but the privilege of suffering for Him.” I will do my best to suffer and trust in Him.

I am not what you would call “physically fit.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not fat either, I’m just sort of-ordinary. I was never an athlete in school.

While other kids were trying out for the basketball team, I was practicing my Star Wars trivia. Never quite motivated enough to sculpt myself into a Greek god, I had resigned myself to my fate-then I saw him.

His name was Tony Horton, and his muscles barely fit into the TV screen. Tony was the spokesperson for a new extreme workout program known as P90X, and his infomercial reeled me in like a hungry fish.

I placed my order and waited. The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into a month, and still no P90X. This was problematic since I had completely let myself go in anticipation. Tell a man he only has a week left to gorge on fast food before training begins, and you will likely see the inner animal take over!

When the program finally arrived, everything was in place to begin. I had the weights, the protein powder, and the pull-up bar. My recently softened body was the perfect clay for Tony to mold into a superhuman warrior! I only lacked one thing-motivation.

The first day is expected to be the hardest. But it is nothing compared to the following morning. When my alarm woke me, I was dragged into a world of pain I did not know existed! Groaning in agony, I rolled my devastated body from bed and crawled to the shower. “I hate you Tony,” I muttered as the water ignited my knotted back, “But I’ll see you again this morning!”

I have realized that a person can spend his whole life piling up “what ifs” or “if onlys.” Or, they can push forward and commit to follow God whatever it takes. It’s easy to look at great heroes of our faith and shake our heads in amazement, thinking “I could never be like that.” But Billy Graham wasn’t born a superstar evangelist and Tony Horton wasn’t benching 200 lbs in his preschool (or maybe he was…)! The fact is every last one of us is ordinary. We all have our gifts, we all have our weaknesses, and we all have our vices. The question is does God have you?

God is in the business of using ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We can sit back in envy as others live abundantly, or we can trust God to do great things through us. But we must be willing to press on. All great men and women of faith share this in common: when things get tough, their faith grows stronger. As you relentlessly pursue God through the ups and downs of life, your faith will be strengthened, and you might find that God still uses ordinary people just like you.

“So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

One of my favorite things about January are the big-time college bowls that are held– especially the BCS National Championship. This year wasn’t any different. I was pumped to watch the University of Texas take on the University of Alabama. If you saw the game or watched the highlights on ESPN, you know that Texas starting quarterback Colt McCoy was injured early and had to sit out the rest of the game. Texas lost.

After the game, McCoy was interviewed by ESPN reporter Lisa Salters. As I watched the interview, I expected him to complain about his injury or down Alabama. But instead McCoy said, “I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control. And I am standing on the rock.”

I was blown away. It’s easy to give God the glory when things are going good, but McCoy gave God the glory despite his rough circumstances. I have to ask myself: “Why am I not like McCoy, giving God what He deserves, no matter what the circumstances?”

Guest blogger: Molly Mann: High School Junior

As my family and I were driving down the road Sunday morning, my Bible was in my lap and I quietly gazed out the window. I looked up and saw a billboard for Panera Bread. The picture showed three smoothies and next it was three simple words: Relax. Recharge. Indulge. Suddenly, the Bible in my lap felt like 100 pounds. A simple thought came to my mind. Why don’t we use what we have the luxury of having?

God’s Word is something that we have the privilege of learning from. For me, I HAVE to read from it everyday and the days that I’m too lazy to or just forget to, I feel emptiness. The Bible is something for us to relax, recharge, and indulge from. To relax, I like to read Proverbs 12:25. For recharging, I like to study 1 Corinthians 2:5. And for indulging, I like to go to Psalm 17:15.

Our opinions and advice from others is not always what God wants or has in mind for us. He covers just about every problem or situation we go through in His Word. So why would we turn to earthly things that are temporary instead of coming to the God who created everything and knows all? Lately, I’ve been coming to the Lord about friendship and relationship situations and He’s been faithful to my prayers! Sometimes when I worry or have anxiety about things, He reminds me of one thing: Be still and know that I am God.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7

As the new year approaches, many are getting their resolution list together. Common things that can be found on the list are:

Save money

Make more money

Exercise

Better grades

Get out of debt

Spend more time with family

Lose weight

Make the team

These are to name just a few that adults & high school students mention, but these seem to be the on the list outside the church and inside the church. What saddens me is that talks of New Year’s Resolution inside the church and outside the church don’t really look that different. What if this year it did look different?

What if those of us that are a part of the Church, those that are Christians, have a different New Year’s Resolution? How about we resolve to spend more time in the Word, more time in prayer, more time devoted to our relationship with God, and more time sharing about Jesus Christ the one that resolved the biggest problem of all, our distance from God.