tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52015219472358804232024-03-08T18:54:58.071-05:00My Light, My LifeI am a teen that is on fire for God. His will is perfect and though I may never completely understand it I will follow him forever.Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-51557963691456422462012-05-10T09:02:00.006-04:002012-05-10T09:02:42.427-04:00Nothing Without Him<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was reading through my devo book a couple of days ago and came across something that I felt was worth while noting here. It starts with a story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There was a man, about mid twenty whom although he didn’t have the experience of many of the elders of the church had the knowledge and fire for God. One day he was asked a simple question, one that you may even ask some of your friends or accountability partners. It was simply this, what has God been teaching you in your readings and time with him? He responded, “Only one thing: that I can do nothing apart from him.” The elder than asked, “Do you really mean that you can do nothing?” The young man responded by saying, “Well, no, Of course I can do many things! In fact that is just been my trouble. I know I am able to do a lot of things well.” “Then what exactly do you mean when you say you can do nothing apart from him,” the elder responded. Finally the man responded, “The Lord has shown me that I can do anything but that he has also said that apart from me you can do nothing. Confusing but it comes down to this, that anything I can and anything that I do apart from him is nothing!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The overwhelming fact of the matter is that when Adam ate of the fruit this world feel into sin but it was much more than that. What happened that day was that the human soul became over developed. You might be going, “That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense Ben,” but stay with me for a moment. When sin entered this world man was no longer perfect and connected with God, he had the opportunity to choose his own wants and needs over the wants and needs of our heavenly father. As humans, we can go to the ends of the earth, we can build churches, and found missions, but if it is done apart from God it is tainted with the flesh and is therefore empty and nothing. However, if we do it through Christ, and pray for his blessing and his use we are no longer doing the things under our own power or through our own abilities but through Christ who can do all things.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NIV</span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Use your gifts to bring honor and glory to God and to further God’s kingdom. Remember, anything done under your own power is fruitless and results in nothing, but those things done through Christ’s power will bear fruit and be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!</span></span></div>
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</span>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-71101751173444947832012-05-07T12:17:00.001-04:002012-05-07T12:17:44.548-04:00What Helps You?<b>Wow, it has been so long but this time I am for real. I am making a comeback because I have realized that I could touch so many lives by just taking ten minutes out of each of my days. So here goes, and I want some feedback from all of you. What helps you when you seem to get into a spiritual rut? Everyone has something different I know because I have talked to a lot of different people. For me, it's just taking some time to play my guitar and worship. By worship I don't mean just singing, although that happens sometimes, but I mean just being in awe of him again. Sometimes I can find it so hard to just sit and be in awe, or in my daily life just remember who I am on this earth to serve. For me, just playing music brings me back to that point where I can truly worship him. For others that I have talked to they have said that reading a certain passage of scripture or going to a certain place always helps. While in the end each of us should strive to daily live passionately and devoted to Christ, the reality is that this doesn't always happen. People have lives, school, work, kids, friends, that all take a front seat and put God in the back seat. So I guess the question is, who is driving your car? If it isn't God are you willing to put your foot on the brake, stop driving the wrong way, and let him take over? I am going to leave you with this, a verse from Isaiah.</b><br />
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<i><b>The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.</b></i></div>
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<i><b>Isaiah 58:11 NIV</b></i></div>
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<b>Walk in the ways of the Lord always my brothers and sisters in Christ, and never lose focus on the one who has saved you and will love you forever.</b></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-5061299779399506952011-08-24T15:51:00.001-04:002011-08-25T16:13:46.295-04:00Peru... The Ups and Downs<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong> In <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Peru</place></country-region> I was taught a lot of different things as far as physical things and spiritual things. I made some lasting friendships with other people in our group. There are three things that stand out in my mind that I think you might be interested in. The first would be an awesome experience of evangelism. Two of my friends and I had been very disappointed in our efforts in reaching out to others so we took it upon ourselves to go our and talk to someone. After are group session at about eight o'clock we left our hotel and just started walking. We each had a Spanish background but none of us were even near fluent. So we just started walking and I pointed at a random guy sitting in a chair on the sidewalk and said that is the guy we need to go and talk to. So we went up to him and started sharing the gospel with him and started telling him why we were in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Peru</place></country-region>. He was catholic and though that good works got him into heaven and so we tried to reason with him which was quite difficult seeing as we didn't always understand him and didn't always know how to say what we wanted to say. In the end we ended up sharing with him an evangelism booklet and then we prayed for him and then left. We have no idea if he accepted Christ but we felt good after our experience. This experience really taught me to just trust God because half the time I had no idea what this guy was saying and I had no idea how to respond. It taught us three really how to trust God because he had to do the talking through us because we had no translator with us. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong> The second thing that was awesome was that at about the same time that night we saw God come through again in a powerful way. One of our seniors has severe back problems to the point where it took here quite awhile to get up in the morning and it hurt to sit or move. So that same exact night our group of about one hundred got together and prayed for her. As she was walking up the stairs she fell to her knees on the landing. She then stood up with her own power pain free. Our advisors were having a meeting and this girl came sprinting back down the stairs and starting jumping around the lobby where the advisor meeting was going on. The best part was that my youth pastor was so surprised that he fell off his chair. It goes to show you the power of prayer. </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Oh, darn.... I got this far and then I can't even remember what the third thing was. When my mind stops playing games on me I shall return and continue to tell you some more God stories....</strong></span><br />
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Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-6431272537029969562011-08-20T10:29:00.000-04:002011-08-20T10:29:38.628-04:00Wow, So Long<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just realized how long it has actually been since I did anything with this blog. I mean, at one point in time it was my outlet for just about everything. And since, I admit, I have been a bad boy and I have not posted anything. <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Peru</place></country-region> was an excellent experience for me. I got to go and see how a different culture lived. I meet some awesome new people down there and I was very pleased with how God changed my life and also continues to change the lives of the others that went. My favorite part of the entire trip though was the part when we got to go to church. They love music down their in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Peru</place></country-region>. I mean, they had an entire hour just set aside for music and then we did more at the end. Of course we didn't know any of the words so we just clapped along and had a good time. While the music was being played they asked us to do the message. So many of us were able to stand up front and share our testimonies with the congregation. It was awesome to see their response. They kept asking for one more! Oh, the one thing I forgot was that we got to do Sunday school before hand with the little kids. That was pretty fun but that only lasted for an hour. So when all of the pictures had been taken and we finally left we realized we had been in church for three hours and that was only one service! Imagine if we made time for our Lord and Savior here in the states. What would our Christian lives look like? Would they be so stale and stagnant? I am inclined to think they wouldn't. Oh, so much to tell but also so much to do. I will definitely do a better job at keeping you all posted.</span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-65592417994458318322011-04-24T10:04:00.001-04:002011-04-24T10:07:25.221-04:00Busy<strong><span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I have been really busy over the past couple of months with so many different things. Easter has helped me to slow down and just take the time to do this. Since my last post I have pulled out of middle school and have started a new online school. The first couple of weeks were strange as I have never been home schooled before. I am finally adjusting and we only have a couple weeks left before we get off for summer break. This move has allowed me to be more involved at youth group. I can now attend a small group which helps me grow spiritually as well as usually attending church near all of Sunday.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">78 students including myself are now preparing to go to Peru in the Summer. It is going to be a two week trip with quite a bit of travel involved as well. What we can do down there is going to be awesome and I am really started to get excited for this trip. As we prepare I would like to ask those of you reading to continually pray for us that God would enable us to have spiritual strength and physical strength to make it through those weeks. I know that it will be a grueling trip but that God will work in so many different ways in the lives of our group and the people that we meet down in Peru. I am truly blessed to be going.</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif';">I am so grateful to again be doing this and I hope that those of you that were following continue to.</span></strong><br />
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Chorus:<br />
So I'm walkin' on water (4x)<br />
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Verse 1:<br />
Yeah, go 'head, ask me how I do it, bruh<br />
The sky falling, but I'm still flyin' through-and-through<br />
Hey this ain't willpower, it's wheel power<br />
When God's at the wheel, yeah that's the real power<br />
I feel power, so I'm gon' trust that<br />
That's how I persevere, that's how I jump back<br />
The hurricanes never go away<br />
So I'mma stand firm, tell 'em all to blow away<br />
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Hook:<br />
I bet 'cha never see me with my head hung low<br />
I bet 'cha never see me with my eyes to the floor<br />
I bet the boys skit, homie they ain't no more<br />
Aint no lookin back, letting everything go<br />
When I see a problem, when it get tough<br />
I don't get soft, man, I ain't givin' up<br />
There ain't turnin' back, man, I will stay strong<br />
It's time to go hard or it's time to go home<br />
So I'm walkin' on water, hey (4x)<br />
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Verse 2:<br />
I know it's all good, when it's all bad<br />
There's somethin' workin' in me<br />
Hey what 'ya call that?<br />
Some people call it perseverance<br />
Some people say endurance<br />
But I know for sure it<br />
It's got me secure<br />
Yeah, I got faith, that's why I hold on<br />
'Cause I'm an alien, I'm 'bout to phone home<br />
I'll be long gone, see you hard times<br />
Have your boy, love peace, and a sound mind<br />
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(Hook)<br />
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Verse 3:<br />
I spit the Word any time you hear ya boy flowin'<br />
So please plagerize me, take my word for it<br />
Hey I'm Lecrae, but you can call me "Crayola"<br />
Not because I'm in the kitchen whippin' up the soda<br />
But because I'm here to paint a vivid picture for 'ya<br />
I know the truth's hittin' by the way I pitch it for 'ya<br />
You're fightin' for attention, I've got the Ritalin<br />
I've got the hope, boy, I'm the middle-man<br />
Let me show you my Supply, yeah you need to know 'em<br />
He got me walking on the water when the wind's blowin'<br />
And when the storm's brewin', and when the tide's high<br />
That's when I lean into the truth that I abide by<br />
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(Hook)Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-30100635125480227772011-01-31T15:23:00.004-05:002011-02-01T10:25:27.174-05:00What Love Really Means<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> This was an awesome song that I found and have recently really loved listening too because it just lifts me up. It helps me out to know how I need to treat people because this is the way that I want to be treated. It just reminded me that so often we put our time and effort into people that seem to be worth more to you as an individual. So basically if your time had to be spent like money is there anyone that you aren't spending the right amount on? Everyone wants to be loved.</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/21366070/jj_heller_what_love_really_means.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What Love Really Means</span></b></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He cries in the corner where nobody sees<br />He's the kid with the story no one would believe<br />He prays every night, "Dear God won't you please...<br />Could you send someone here who will love me?"<br /><br />Who will love me for me<br />Not for what I have done or what I will become<br />Who will love me for me<br />'Cause nobody has shown me what love<br />What love really means<br /><br />Her office is shrinking a little each day<br />She's the woman whose husband has run away<br />She'll go to the gym after working today<br />Maybe if she was thinner<br />Then he would've stayed<br />And she says...<br /><br />Who will love me for me?<br />Not for what I have done or what I will become<br />Who will love me for me?<br />'Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means<br /><br />He's waiting to die as he sits all alone<br />He's a man in a cell who regrets what he's done<br />He utters a cry from the depths of his soul<br />"Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home"<br /><br />Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside<br />And it said<br />"I know you've murdered and I know you've lied<br />I have watched you suffer all of your life<br />And now that you'll listen, I'll tell you that I..."<br /><br />I will love you for you<br />Not for what you have done or what you will become<br />I will love you for you<br />I will give you the love<br />The love that you never knew</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://www.mp3raid.com/" target="_blank">free music downloads</a> | <a href="http://www.videocure.com/" target="_blank">music videos</a> | <a href="http://www.singerpictures.com/" target="_blank">pictures</a></span></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-5991156682118492172011-01-21T23:51:00.000-05:002011-01-21T23:51:37.625-05:00Our Hope and Shield<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As we go through life we have a great tendency to shrink God down. Either that or we find that our sinful nature is either telling us that we are not worth this great and powerful God's time or it brings him down so that he doesn't catch our eye anymore as the massive God that he is. The wonders that he does from creating the universe to just making you and I. Psalm 33:6 says, <i>"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth." </i>This just absolutely blows my mind away as I realize that God didn't lift a finger to create the universe. It says by the word of the Lord. We may have to go back to the beginning when God began creation. In Genesis it says<i> "And God said, "Let their be light," and their was light." </i>You see, all God had to do was speak and out of his mouth came light and stars and the heavens. So right away we see that this God that we worship and this God that we praise is not some tiny God that is the size of our Bible or our devotion book, but this God that we worship is huge and massive and gigantic. And so the question comes up, "Then why does he care about me?" If you keep reading in Psalm 33:10 it says, "<i>But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine."</i> Our God is making a promise to us here, he is letting us know that his eyes are on us as children of God. That if you believe in him that he will deliver you from death which he did through the cross.<i> </i>This star breathing, universe creating God that we have became the sin baring, human sacrifice for you and I and he cares about you a lot. In Colossians the first chapter we read that everything in this universe was created by God and for God. This again shows the power and greatness of God and how big he is. But as you continue to read Paul makes a statement that just blows me away. It says that because God made all things that in him all things hold together. This gives me the ultimate picture of God. Someone that is huge and massive and breathes out stars but them comes back and holds everything in my life and your life together. Notice though that he didn't promise that everything would be easy and that life would just get easier to deal with. We can go back to Psalm 33 and we can see in verse twenty it says,<i> "We wait in hope for the Lord, he is our help and our shield." </i>During the bad times and during the times when you feel like you are all alone and discouraged and during the times when you feel like God doesn't see your troubles and care about your troubles it says that he is our help and shield. It doesn't promise and easy life and a struggle free life but God does promise that he will be there with you every step of the way. And as I read through so many different blogs and talk to different people in my life I seem to be getting the same question. Is God their and does he care? I just wanted to let everyone out their know that they are a miracle and they are someone special and unique. Our Creator knit you together in your mother's womb and knows the number of hairs on your head. He wants that personal relationship with you and created you to be with him in heaven. He made you exactly the way he wanted and he made you to perfection. And as we look and the bigness of God and how he made the universe and everything in it and what he did on that cross for us I think it is safe to say that our God doesn't make mistakes. You are beautiful just the way you are and don't change the way you look, act, or what you believe for anyone, because the creator of the universe made you in his image and to complete perfection. He gives strength to the weak and rest to the weary.</span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-68725414379425756992011-01-19T21:36:00.000-05:002011-01-19T21:36:43.406-05:00Fear<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I walk through life and live different situations I have seen and heard of different things that people are afraid of. Maybe the dark, or monsters if your a little kid. But if you are an adult it might be losing your job, or not being able to pay the next bill that you know will soon be coming to you in the mail. Everyone has there fears, and everyone fears something. Fear can be a good thing or it could be very harmful. For the fear of falling you are probably not going to climb up and stand on the railing of a bridge that has a 50 foot drop under it because you know that if you fall you probably will no longer be alive. It can also be harmful in the way of being afraid of what the people around you think of you and how they perceive you. Sometimes I find myself so wrapped up in what others think and the fear that if I don't impress them what they might say to me, that I fall away from what God wants me to do in that moment. Everyday God gives you small windows of opportunity that you can either seize or let them go bye unnoticed. And if you aren't spiritually ready for the day many times they go by untouched and completely out of mind. One of the things that God has been teaching me lately is to slow down and realize that I may have this fear of my reputation but everyone else has their fears to. If you just would slow down and take in what others people's fears are you may realize that you are in the same boat with others that are around you every single day. You can let fear control you and stop you from what God wants you to do and what his will is or you can get past that fear and do what he wants for your life and take your stand against that fear. As Christians we have no reason to fear anything that this world throws at us because we know that we have God on our side and if we have God nothing can defeat us in this world or in the spiritual world. Live past your fears and step out of your comfort zone today and you just might see something that God has been trying to tell you and get you to do. </span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-81529947020718217332011-01-16T16:58:00.000-05:002011-01-16T16:58:22.946-05:00LoveThe gifts that we receive each day are unbelievable. The only thing though is that you have to take the time to recognize them and receive them. Sometimes we get so busy that we forget that the rest of the world is still around us and still matters to God. We get caught up in our own ways and our own little world that we miss the bigger picture. You miss the person that no one seems to love, or the one that has labeled themselves as an outcast. Why do we continue to pass these people by as if they don't matter? Why do we not stop and think that tomorrow someone may not wake up to life, and the people around them that will mourn? What I am calling you to do is to step outside your comfort zone and to start realizing what is going on around us. Without love nothing else can be, and nothing else matters. How are you loving?Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-42492413104479613072011-01-13T21:00:00.000-05:002011-01-13T21:00:51.921-05:00Spiritual Energy<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I got to play some volleyball this evening and we did much better then last week spiting the games 2-2. Although I noticed something throughout the game that seemed to make us better. The key for our success was energy plain and simple. The other key was not to make mistakes that gave away points. Playing volleyball is just like playing life. No not the board game, but actual life. When it comes down to how you live your life you always have choices. The same thing goes in your spiritual life. When you have spiritual energy and the people around you are supporting you and cheering you on and you are just being yourself, then things tend to be easier. When you get down because things aren't going your way and you start questioning why that aren't going the right way things can get tough. You can get easily frustrated and that is when most people seem to quit the Christian walk it when they get down. This is short and sweet and to the point and what I want you to try and do is have energy in your spiritual life, and place the people around you that can help you through the tough times and then you can turn around later and help them. You never know what the next day will bring, so prepare today and have a spiritual walk that can't be broken by the rough times that may lie in wait ahead. </span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-16379634326908642812011-01-08T16:20:00.000-05:002011-01-08T16:20:48.016-05:00The Days and What Lies Ahead.<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Each day that goes bye is another day closer to something. Another day of opportunistic, and another day of failures. Another day of good and bad. Another day of sweet and sour. Some days have more of one then the other but rarely does a day go bye where both are not incorporated. Another thing each day brings is people. People who know Christ and those who don't. People that are nice and people that are mean. The responsible and irresponsible. The loved and unloved. Everyone on this earth is the same, in the way that one day we will all be together in judgement day. God will judge the actions of the people and he will look to see who's names are in the Lamb's Book of Life. Everyone around you will have to face this day. Not everyone's name is in that Book and yet we continue to sit back and let others take care of it, because maybe, just maybe the people aren't important to us. I want to tell you something though, they are completely and one-hundred percent important and loved by God. He sees them in pain when we just pass them by and he sees their future in hell while all we see is our future in heaven. I am leaving to go to Peru in the middle of this summer. I hope to be their about two weeks on a missions trip. It isn't my first one but it is definitely the first one out of country. I have to have an interview with some of the advisors and my youth pastor and basically they ask me questions to make sure I am willing to go and am growing in my walk with God. I am not scared of the interview, or the plane ride, or getting lost, or the animals in the rain forest, the thought of being attack, the thought of being unwanted, the thought of being imprisoned, the thought of being killed, the thought of not coming back, the thought of injury, the though of lose, or the though of not being in technology range. Their is one thing though that I am deathly afraid of though, and that is that when I get to heaven and seeing my heavenly father and not hearing, "Well done my good and faithful servant." What do I want to bring back from this trip? Nothing. Sure the memories and the experiences will be there but I want to exhaust myself for these people, I want to be spiritually exhausted, I want nothing to come back with me and I want to hold no part of my self from God because he is the reason I live and he is the reason that I am going. He is the reason the citizens in Peru are their and he has awesome plans for them. I don't want to mess God's plans up for them though because I was selfish with my energy, or I turned someone away who was interested, or I didn't make that one child feel loved and excepted. Everything I am is God's and I want him to be all powerful their. If I come back with something I will be disappointed with myself. I am doing what God is calling me to do and I am asking now what are you willing to do for him? What are you willing to surrender for the people around you? Anything? Anything at all? Take a moment and think about this as you go through your life. Think of what our God demands and how you don't fill it. Think of what he did for you on that cross. Then think of the people that are going to hell because they don't know about him. Does it make you want to start living a more passionate life? It does for me.</span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-33071481833031696532011-01-03T19:03:00.000-05:002011-01-03T19:03:46.783-05:00New Year Physically and Spiritually<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> As we begin into 2011 many times people come up with New Year's resolutions that they want to try and fulfill and things that they want to succeed in. Most times people don't set a goal for themselves that they don't want to achieve, and if someone did, well that would be completely foolishness. Many times as well though, we get to mid January and then the goal just goes right out the window. I'm not here to tell you to get a New Year's goal or to tell you to try and grow with Christ this coming year, although both of these things are something that would be worth your time, but instead I am here to take this part of the year and compare it to the Bible. When someone comes to know Christ they can't just stop there. They must continue to nourish themselves with Christs everlasting water, and the must equip themselves with the tools to survive the battle that Christians go through everyday. The new year and the fresh start that is many times associated with it goes along represents a new Christan in many ways. The uncertainty of what is to come, the want to go after a new passion and succeed, these things are the same in both cases. The best way that I could discribe this would be Jesus's own words when he was here on earth. This comes from Matthew 3.</span></b><br />
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<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">3</span>A farmer went out to sow his seed. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">4</span>As he was scattering the see, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">5</span>Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">6</span>But when the sun came up the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">7</span>Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">8</span>Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: xx-small;">9</span>He who has ears let him hear."</span></b></i></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I really don't think that you could describe it any better than that. I won't type out exactly what Jesus said when he was explaining it to his followers but I will just summarize it. Here is the twist though, I am going to do it as it applies to this idea of new year's resolution and accepting Christ. Those who fall upon the path obviously don't except Christ when the hear about him and they are the ones that decide that a new year's resolution with a fresh start is pointless, and that having new life is just not worth it. Those who spring up quickly are those who mean well but just don't have the spiritual backing to keep growing. Their zest runs out within a few weeks of the new year. They are scorched as the trials come and not everything is as easy as the person in the front of the church made it out to be, but don't get me started on that because it could be an entire post of it's own. Those that fall along the thorns are those that get started and make it past the first hard aches but have no one for the second time of trial, or they just find the old way easier. These are the people that in the New Year's resolution may make it the first couple of months but see everyone else dropping their resolutions and by that influence they decide to do the same. The one's that fall upon the good soil are those that except Christ and run hard after him. These are the people that make their resolution a reality not just for one year but for the many years to come.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I think these are the four main people that you have in life, those who don't care, those who are easily influenced to fall away, those who see everyone else dropping out and the decide it is not worth it, and finally those who decide to stick it out to the end. Of course their are probably people that are in between these but most people can be put into one of these four categories. However, the good news is that unlike the seeds, we as humans have the option and the freedom to chose are destiny, and to be able to chose how badly we want to grow and flourish. It is a new year for you physically and so now you have the option if you want to start and new year spiritually, or maybe you want to change where you fall. You never know when he will come back, as the Bible tells us that he will come like a thief in the night, and now could never be too late. It is all up to you to decide your own destiny, I just hope that you won't regret the decision that you make, because once our God comes back you will not be able to change where your seed is growing. </span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-1080022063352641352010-12-30T13:56:00.004-05:002010-12-30T14:00:26.555-05:00Forgiveness<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I was going through these really cool websites where people can post anonymous stories. I have it linked to the side. One of the side links off of this website is called Kids Give Me Hope. I began reading and just am blown away by, well, kids and what they are willing do. Here is and example.</span></b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Yesterday, my daughter died in a hit and run.</span></span></i></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> Sadly, she died at the hospital from blood loss and brain trauma.</span></span></b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> Her forgiveness and love GMH.</span></span></b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">What forgiveness, what love. Yes this was a tragic accident for the family but the forgiveness of the child. Of all the things she could have said like tell my family I love them, or I hate the man that did that, or something else, she opted to forgive that man. How quick are we as Christians to forgive? I mean many times we find ourselves in a battle to come through and forgive and yet she was so quick. So my challenge to you is to look and see how quick you are to forgive, and if God can forgive you so quickly then shouldn't we also forgive? You see, God makes it very plain in the Bible. If you forgive others, I will forgive you. If you don't forgive others, I can not forgive you. So making that plain, where do you stand? I encourage you to forgive freely and to check out both websites to see just what some people are going through.</span></b></span></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-59878752116111486452010-12-25T22:09:00.000-05:002010-12-25T22:09:00.775-05:00Bored....Spiritually Bored?<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I ran into a problem today. It wasn't big, but it definitely was a problem. I became bored. Gasp, what, a teen becomes bored, breaking news! Yea, it happens to all of us and more then we realize. I didn't realize how much time I was going to have on this break and well, I am out of ideas on what to do. This got me to thinking though, about what I can do with my life, like a hobby. I talked with my mom about it and we prayed about it but she did tell me one thing. I wrote both her and my dad poems for Christmas this year. I wrote them at one in the morning as well after I did my devotion time and went through my time that I spend with God. I decided that I wanted to do something different for them, and something with a homemade touch if you know what I mean. My mom told me I had a talent in writing and I should use my time to write. Seeing as I will be heading out of town most likely in the next day and will have zero computer access, it might be a good idea so I don't go crazy. The only problem I seem to have is that I can never sit down and finish something very easily. Even a poem that has four or five stanzas with four lines in each. I know it sounds crazy, but I just can't do it. So I guess my question for you would be, would you be interested in reading some of them if I posted them and should I pursue this? I really do want some feedback because I am not totally sure on what to do.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Secondly, I really started thinking about the whole idea of being bored and how you could apply to your own spiritual life. Take a minute and evaluate your life, do you read the same devotions year in and year out, or maybe the same chapter of the Bible every year? To me that is being spiritually boring. I am not saying that it is bad to go back and look at something again or reread the same thing but I guess it just has to do with your attitude while you spend your time with God. See, our God wants a relationship with us, and not just some flimsy one but a deep and lasting one. There has to be a two way street though, one person can't do all the work. So if you are putting no effort into the relationship with God by taking the steps to further your relationship with him, I am considering you to be spiritually bored which can quickly lead to spiritual sickness if you leave it go to long. So my underlying challenge to you is not to be spiritually bored. Get yourself active in your seeking heart and relationship with God because he will come like a thief in the night, whether you are ready or not. </span></b>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-28086558517193384722010-12-23T23:02:00.000-05:002010-12-23T23:02:02.891-05:00Relationships With Others<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone in this life wants to be loved, treasured and accepted
by the people around them, for the most part. Not too many people that you or I
know go around hoping that everyone that they see or meet dislikes them. It is
part of human nature, the longing to be loved and accepted. Going into high
school I made it a goal to just be nice to everyone and not have anyone dislike
me or start rumors about me, you know, that sort of thing. I just wanted to be
known as the happy guy that didn’t dislike anyone and that was not disliked by
anyone else. I quickly came to realize that you can’t do it. No matter where
you are, in work, school, or any public place there is no way that you can have
one hundred percent of the people like you. People are always going to have their
opinions and their own way that they view you and you can do nothing to change
that. Sounds kind of scary, huh? I got really close, to about ninety eight
percent or so, but no matter what I did I could never get the last two percent
to change their minds. I tell you all of this to say that no matter what you do
in life you are always going to have people that don’t like you and won’t
accept you for who you are. Most of the time though, we get so caught up in
wanting a relationship with that person, or wanting that person to like us and
accept us so much that we forget a key fact in life. The only persons thoughts,
feelings, emotions, and attitude that you can control is your own, and no one else’s.
You cannot make someone like you, or accept you by force. They have to have a
change in attitude or feeling. I mean, look at the life of Jesus. He wasn’t
accepted by all or like by all. The Pharisees were always trying to kill him,
and countless others saw him as a fool and a fake. So after saying all of this
here is my challenge: Check your own heart, and your own mind and thoughts. If
you think someone is holding a grudge against you check your own heart. Are you
holding a grudge against them? Is there a thought in you that is unkind towards
them? Remember, how are you going to take the speck out of your brother’s eye
if you have a plank in your own eye. Relationships as human beings are
important to us and God, so strive to make sure you don’t have a plank in your
own eye, so that you can carefully and skillfully take the speck out of the eye
of your brother. </span></b></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-2943292933987927392010-12-18T13:31:00.000-05:002010-12-18T13:31:30.517-05:00What is the Meaning?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As we approach the Holiday season and as everyone is going around getting ready for Christmas, it seems that as Christians we get caught up in the world’s way of celebrating Christmas and the world’s meaning of Christmas and we forget what we are really celebrating. Yes, Jesus came to the earth to save the world but this goes so much farther than that. God gave up his only son to the earth to be born in a stable. He came in the most humble way, and yet the point I want to stress is that God gave up his only son, from<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the heavenly thrown, and allowed him to come to earth to fix our messing up. I can’t imagine even though I am not a Dad, giving up my only son to save a bunch of people that sinned over and over again and continually mocked me and spit upon my name. I’d have enough trouble just forgiving them let alone giving up my only son to die for them. I want you to take a couple of minutes right now and think about what a sacrifice that this was and what really took place on that night. Think about the discipline of Jesus life, to live it perfectly, and then to die a horrible death. Then just reflect on the people, you and me, which he did it for. He did it to save the sinners of this world, and gave us an opportunity to live with him forever. He gave us a chance to have a relationship with him once again. I challenge you to this; when you get up on December 25<sup>th</sup>, think about this sacrifice first. I know it will be hard and not the easiest thing as you may think about the presents or the food or all of the cooking and cleaning you have to do for family. Try, and spend some time with him that morning just reflecting on what he did for you and the world. I don’t think you can have the same outlook on this part of the year again if you remember and make what he did the most important thing of all.</span></strong></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-27223464098088340082010-12-06T19:09:00.002-05:002010-12-06T19:09:39.101-05:00Bible Study Challenges<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, another week is upon us. Christmas is right around the corner and now the snow has begun to fall here in Cleveland. The snow also brings cold weather and wind, so we have embarked upon the winter journey that who knows when will end. I have my Bible study in school tomorrow and isn’t it always interesting how we have no idea what God has in store for us when we start upon these things. I may decide on Saturday or Sunday to do one topic but then boom, God gives you something completely different. We are starting to face some light resistance to what we are doing so tonight I have to go online and brush up on the law and the reasons we are allowed to do this and meet in the high school. I also need to let everyone else in the group know the rough sketch of what is going on. I really don’t look forward to doing this because I know that it might get technical but you do what you have to do. I just am really looking to make a bigger impact at school and I want to be able to just let others see God through me. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me and the rest of the group. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-78050713242952743002010-11-29T14:10:00.001-05:002010-11-29T14:10:26.557-05:00You Won't Relent<div align="left" id="songlyrics" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You Won't Relent</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Misty Edwards</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You won't relent<br />Until You have it all<br />My heart is Yours<br /><br />I'll set You as a seal upon my heart<br />As a seal upon my arm<br />For there is love that is as strong as death<br />Jealousy demanding as the grave<br />And many waters cannot quench this love<br /><br />Come be the fire inside of me<br />Come be the flame upon my heart<br />Come be the fire inside of me<br />Until You and I are one</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I really like this song, singing and playing it. It wasn’t too long ago that I finally really listened to the lyrics and just let God speak to me through them. I just realized how amazing our God is because after you and I have messed up time and time again, he is still coming and running hard after us to know us better and to have us have a relationship with him. That he will not relent until he has everything that our life is just blows my mind. The creator of the stars and the universe that is so vast and so great wants to know me and have a relationship with me, a small human being. We were created in his image but still why would he want you and me? He created us to be with him in heaven for ever and to bring him glory and honor with our life. I want this so bad but it seems so many times I start out and then fall flat on my face after taking a couple of steps. We could never do enough good to cancel out our sin; we can’t do any good to cancel any sin. “For the wages of sin is death….” So why live life if we know that we can’t make it through without sinning and messing up? What is the point of trying? God gave us his son, his perfect son, to die in our place. He came to earth and lived a perfect life so that you and I would only have to turn to him and then we would have everlasting life. He conquered death by raising himself up from the grave and then ascending to heaven. We don’t have to be perfect because he is perfect. He has given us the chance to have a relationship with him, it is a free gift. He doesn’t promise that things will get easier and neither will I, but he does promise to be with you every step of the way whether you know it or not. He does promise you everlasting life with him in heaven. All he wants from you is your life and everything that is involved with your life, and a willing heart to serve and grow with him. He is waiting for you, are you going to run to him or walk away once again?</span></strong></div>
<strong><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-50455442697436519072010-11-28T18:01:00.004-05:002010-11-28T18:02:18.498-05:00Too Full..... Or Too Empty?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, Thanksgiving is gone all too quickly it seems. So is the break from school. Tomorrow everyone heads back to the work force and school to brave out the week. It just seems as if the weekend flew by and we now stare Monday straight in the face. It just seems so hard to take a break from what you have been doing and enjoying. For the next couple of weeks I have to do just that though. I got over my head with involvement in the church and my health took a beating because of it. It just is so hard though not to go up to church and be involved in an event almost every night especially because that is all that I knew for the past couple of months. I had to decline worship band for this Wednesday because I need to get completely caught up with school and I needed a break so I could rest physically. I also did not go to church tonight for our late night contemporary service which is normally one of the highlights of my week. I enjoy doing things so much in the church and I enjoy serving but sometimes you just need to get out of the way so that God can do his thing. You also need to have control over what is on your plate and not have a extra full portion that you can’t eat. I had way too much on my plate and I think it just finally broke me down physically. I need to get back to the basics and what God wants me to do instead of just doing everything. You have to get to a point where you know that you need to say no to the activities that come your way. I challenge you to look at your life and your plate and see if you need some adjusting. Maybe your plate is to full and some things need to come off of it so that you and God can fully communicate and you can be ready to do what he asks. Maybe your plate is pretty empty, and you know that God is calling you to do something and you are ignoring him. Tonight, ask God to give you the right portion and for wisdom to make the decisions to give you the right portions. You could be amazed at the results that follow. </span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-12429044885715391142010-11-24T12:34:00.002-05:002010-11-24T12:34:43.006-05:00Fear of Daily LIfe<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Have you ever found yourself scared of something, maybe it was the dark when you were a little kid. Well, for school I had to write a school paper that forced me to look at fear and describe it. I knew I had a problem when I used the word fear about 26 times in the first two pages so I decided to go online and find some words that I could replace fear with. Here is what I came up with: anxiety, concern, cowardice, despair, dread, fright, horror, jitters, panic, scare, terror, timidity, trembling, unease, and worry. As I read this list and though about the words and how I could use them I came to a scary realization, that this is what had described my Christian life at the high school and middle school for much of my life until recently. I continued thinking about it and tired to think about why this was and why as Christians we seem scarred of our faith and what others think about us. No matter where you are whether in school or in a work setting we have to deal with this aspect of life. This is what I came up with. When the world hears the word Christian they associated that with perfect, and happy and having everything together when in fact we know for sure that this is not the case at all, we know that we are anything but perfect and that we are far from this. Because of the title that we are given though we feel like we have to live up to this and if we don’t that everyone will hate us even more. In all reality there is only one thing that separates us from everyone else in the world. It isn’t the church we go to, or the way we view life, or the pastor that we listen to on a Sunday morning. It is the God that we worship daily and that created us with perfection and is living in us daily. When you have God in your life, your life should be different and your life style should be different from that of the world but that doesn’t mean that you have to have everything all together and not have any problems. What this does mean though, is that when you do face the problems and hardships in your life you will be able to overcome them and stand through them on our rock and salvation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></strong></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-13363735673394178322010-11-22T19:15:00.002-05:002010-11-22T19:15:31.430-05:00Fire<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m really not sure on what I am going to make this post about. I just wanted to make one though because I hadn’t posted in a couple of days. I’ll tell you, I am pretty tired from the just past day. I am so glad we only have two days this week because I am not so sure I would make it past that. Anyways, I was reading in Hebrews today, and I came across chapter 10. This chapter just seemed to really stick out to me because it was talking about sacrifice. Now that might seem weird on how that had anything to do with me, but just hang in there with me. I was reading about how they had two tents and one was for the sacrifices and the other was the holy of holies that only was entered once a year. Then it when on to say that when Jesus, our sacrifice died on the cross, they no longer needed the priests of the day to offer the sacrifices for the people. Jesus had been the final priest and offered himself as a sacrifice that was the final blood spill for man’s sin and there repentance, and now we could have a personal relationship with him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tore down the curtain blinding the common man from him. He enabled us to become as one with him, to when people look at us to see God instead of you. It is something so hard to grasp sometimes in my own mind but God gave me this body, it is his, and I want to live as if I don’t own it, as if I no longer posses any of my mind but that it is totally devoted to him and what he wants for my life. I want God to burn inside of me, not my own will or passion, not my own wants or needs. I need to realize that every other fire that is inside of us will fizzle out and will not succeed, but that God will reign and triumph over all. And when judgment comes, and believe Him when He says it is coming, I want as many people to be ready to stand up and to be called into his kingdom with him forever. Shouldn’t this be our ultimate goal anyways? Think about it. </span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-49865938269680172262010-11-17T11:57:00.000-05:002010-11-17T11:57:33.638-05:00Priorities in Life<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What is number one in your life? Well, the Sunday school answer would be God, right? But truly look at your life and tell me what is number one. Is it your car, house, kids… or maybe it is a friendship or other relationship? Why isn’t God first? What could you do to change that? God needs to be priority and you need to run to him and go after him with everything that you have, and anything that hinders you should be cut off. Maybe this means to literally get rid of it, and to discontinue it in your life. Or maybe you need to take a break from it to cast all your attention on God and his plans for your life. I am striving to make sure that God’s plans are the plans that in my life I follow and that it is his wisdom I seek, not man’s. If you can’t run this life’s race going after God and you let other things hinder and distract you, you may find yourself running the course the wrong way. So I guess my question for you is, are your priorities straight, and are you running after God with him first in your life? That is my goal, to follow him with everything that I have and to do his will. What is your goal?</span></strong></div>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-29357312646162658732010-11-16T18:04:00.001-05:002010-11-16T18:04:03.606-05:00Spiritually Sick<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, things just seem to be going from bad to worse as far as my health may be concerned. As weird as this might sound for a teenage boy, I want to go back to school. I am sick and tired of being sick and doing nothing all day. I know though, that if I go back I would never have enough energy to get through the day. I just hope that when I go to the doctor tomorrow, that all that is needed is a stronger antibiotic and that it isn’t something worse. I just know that I need to trust in God through this situation and just allow him to take over. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enough of that, I’d rather use my time to blog about something important. While being sick I have lost a lot of my physical strength. Just from not eating as much and being somewhat dehydrated. I got to thinking though, can we be spiritually sick? And if we can, will it slow us down and have us make less of an impact around us? I guess to answer that question we have to decide what being spiritually sick would look like. Maybe it’s the thoughts that you think or the things that you say, or maybe it is the lack of God’s word in your life or prayer. All these things affect you and your spiritual walk with God. If you don’t read God’s word, which could be compared to food and drink, you can lack strength when the devil tempts you or threatens you. This could make you vulnerable to his attacks and the thoughts and deeds that he brings with his attack. I guess in all of this what I want to say is to stay strong in your walk with God, especially when reading his word and going through your day. Glorify him with your words and attitude because it is him that gave you this day and it is him that could take it away. Stand strong my friends and be careful not to fall spiritually ill.</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></strong>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5201521947235880423.post-70372595764953147432010-11-15T13:21:00.002-05:002010-11-15T13:21:40.292-05:00Tough Decisions<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Have you ever had a really tough decision to make? One that you knew was going to hurt you and another person or other people? I had to make one this week and it wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to do it and I didn’t want it to happen but I realized after prayer and talking to other people that this was the best thing. I realized that I wasn’t strong enough to continue to the situation and to continue forward so I stopped it. Now I have my doubts though, like if I should have done it. I know it was right but is it wrong to doubt a decision that was made? I don’t regret the time and the energy that I put into this situation, the situation was a good thing that I have no regrets about. I guess it was just too close and too dangerous to continue and now that it is over I look back at it with satisfaction, knowing what I gained from it. I am glad that I made the decision and that the conversation was had, but there is still some doubt and longing still holding on somewhere deep inside of me…</strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong></strong></span>Ben Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04951980973080052779noreply@blogger.com0