Yeah, it's gonna hurt...

I thought I had it all under control
I thought my fate was still in my hands
All of my plans were firmly set
By the words they I say
I forgot how quickly things can change
Now my vision can not be the same

(Chorus)
My life is not what I thought
I'm not where I planned to be
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world

I need to let go of my destiny
I need to trust in things unseen
I believe in having faith
Though I yield my control
I forgot how quickly things can change
Now my vision can not be the same

(Chorus)
My life is not what I thought
I'm not where I planned to be
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world

I'm embracing all of my fears
I am watching them turn to delight
The very fears which
Were gripping my mind
Are now the hands shaping and sculpting my dreams

(Chorus)
My life is not what I thought
I'm not where I planned to be
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world
Though something's gone
There's nothing wrong with my changing world

In my world
In my changing world
In my world
In my changing world

(http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/kutless/changing-world.html)

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

I've always liked this song. It's got great music, lyrics, voices are amazing...but...now I love it.

It's so true.

I thought I had it all under control....I need to let go of my destiny, I need to trust in things unseen.

My world is changing.

The highlight of my week is Sunday night Youth Group - I get to fellowship with my bestest friends. Those guys mean SO much to me. Now, with the approaching school year, things are changing - because the graduates are leaving.

D is moving away. A, C, and K are moving away. J is moving away. Another J isn't moving but won't be coming to Youth Group anymore. Another C will be leaving in the spring....That's half the youth group. And half of my best friends.

That hurts...ya know?

That section of my world is changing.

A year ago, it didn't occur to me that at some point, people would leave the youth group. I didn't even think of it. Honestly, I didn't think about it until our youth camp out that happened this May.

At camp, on the last day, Mr. W told us all to put our hands on the seniors - we were going to have a prayer time for them. It was sweet. Actually, it was really, really sad. We were all bawling. I couldn't STOP crying. I mean, here are those friends that mean the most to me, and...we're saying...goodbye.

At the moment, everyone staying, everything just remaining the same, seems best to me. But...that's not how life works.

We grow up. We change. Those around us change. Plans change. Life changes.

Starting soon, I will be the oldest teen in youth group. Dude, I remember when I was one of the YOUNGEST only two years ago. Now, I will be the one that the younger ones look up to. Not the one looking up to the older ones. My role in the group is changing.

I forgot how quickly things can change...

Yeah. Everyone leaving will be insanely hard, but you know what?

Romans 8:28 stands.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, for them who are the called according to His purpose."

God knows what's best. And He will work all things together for the good of those that love Him, and for His glory.

Easier said than done? Oh yeah. I'll be crying. I know I will. But tears are not forever. And neither is separation. Praise God, not only are these guys my best friends but also my brothers and sisters in Christ. I'll be with them forever worshiping our great, fantastic God.

God has a plan for each one of us. I believe that with all my heart. I don't know what those plans are, but I know that God will do what's best.

I can deal with the pain that comes before the sweet. But not on my own. Philippians 4:13 says that "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me". Through Christ, I can do anything.

Now, "I will praise YOU in this storm!" (-Casting Crowns) Praising God through the hard times is both the hardest and most beautiful.

Yeah. It'll hurt. Bad. But God is always with me, my friends, and you if you trust in Him.

Giving HIM the glory through the storm,

Buttercup

Flowers that Never Die

This is my personal favorite poem of my own that I've ever written. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

They grow slowly and steadily,

Some stronger than others,

Yet they never die.

Weeds like envy and Hate,

Come and try to kill them,

Yet they never die.

Storm clouds called Gossip,

Rain down Pain upon them,

Yet they never die.

Winds of Change come in,

And try to blow them away,

Yet they never die.

And when things turn bad,

The dew sprinkles forgiveness on them,

So they will stay strong.

Always and forever,

The Son shines His love upon them

So that they will stay strong.

This flower so strong

Is called the True Friendship,

And it never dies.

God placed these in creation

For us who believe in Him

And they shall never die.

So I tell you,

Thank God daily

For True Friendships.

By Buttercup

Christian Friendships, part two

I would suggest that you read part one first if you haven't already, it will make more sense. :)

Having Christian friends is not only good, it is important! Being with like-minded people not only is encouraging and uplifting, but makes being different not so hard. Because you are being different with others! As the verse above says, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” That means that when you are alone, you don’t have a very good chance of winning; but when you have a friend with you, you can defend yourselves. And a cord of three strands, or friends, is not quickly broken. When you have friends with you, you are very difficult to overcome!

For example, you became a Christian not long ago, and you haven’t been able to find any Christian friends yet. You are at school and one of your former friends asks you to go do something with him, and you don’t know if you would be going against God to do it. What do you do? Well, as a new believer, you probably don’t know many scriptures to back up your answerbiblically. You don’t know enough about the Bible to know for sure if doing it would be bad or not; and you are alone. You have no friends to help, or back you up.

If you were put into that example, you would be in a tough spot. You would probably be overpowered, and you might do something that would be very difficult to get out of. But what if we changed the scenario a bit...

You became a Christian not long ago, but you’ve been going to a local Youth Group that is firm in God’s word, and you’ve made good friends who love you no matter what. You are at school and one of your former friends asks you to go do something with him, and you are not sure if you would be going against God to do it; but you do have one of your friends from Youth Group with you. What do you do?

That would be an easier scenario, wouldn't it? You would have another believer with you to help you, and hopefully they have been a Christian longer and know more about the Bible than you do.

Having Christian friends is so important. And most probably take it for granted. I started going to my church’s Youth Group last year, and since then I have learned so much. Before I went to Youth Group, I was in a mental box. I was very shy; I didn’t talk to hardly anyone outside of the family, and I didn’t have many close friends. Going to Youth Group, I saw all of the others having a great time with each other, and they included me. Through these Christian friends, I broke out of my box, and now I laugh and chat with them all the time. A year ago, if I had been told that this is who I would be now, I wouldn’t have believed it. But it is because of my dear brothers and sisters in Christ that I act the way I do now. I am different, yet the same.

Christian friends not only help you in tough situations, but they encourage and lift you up, they teach and correct you when you are wrong, they pray for you, and so much more. As a Christian friend, we need to do the same, encourage and lift up, teach and correct, and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

– 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

Christian Friendships, part one

After writing a bit about my Youth Group and the importance of Christian friends in my last post, I was really thinking. So, I wrote this originally for the July issue of Go Ye Therefore (if you want to know more about Go Ye Therefore magazine please email me at helpnm@embarqmail.com), but I thought it would benefit y'all too. It's kind of long, so I broke it up into part one and part two, but here we go...

When you are a Christian, you are a light in a dark world. All around you are people who do not believe in God. All around you is darkness, and you are the light that is supposed to shine through. Light penetrates darkness. It pushes the darkness out, and fills the space with light. It exposes things that you could not see before.

If you are a Christian, if you are a true believer, then you will be different. And people will be able to see that difference in the way you live, in the way you act, and in the way you talk. They will see that you are not the same as everyone else. They will see that you have something more. As you grow in your faith, little by little you will change. And those around you will see that change, and hopefully ask for the reason.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

- 1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)

All of this, being a light, shining in a dark world, being different, it all sounds pretty easy, right? It’s not. It is actually very difficult. It’s like being the only boy in a room full of girls, or being the only modest teen in your school, or being the only homeschooler in your club. Being singled out in a bad way can hurt. I’m not talking about being singled out as in being the best soccer player, and thus the most popular kid on the team; I’m talking about being singled out as in being the “odd ball” or the “weird one”.

Being the only one, you are not very strong. As a believer, Christian friends are very important to have. In Ecclesiastes 4:12 it says:

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”(NIV)

Having Christian friends is not only good, it is important! Being with like-minded people not only is encouraging and uplifting, but makes being different not so hard. Because you are being different with others! As the verse above says, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.” That means that when you are alone, you don’t have a very good chance of winning; but when you have a friend with you, you can defend yourselves. And a cord of three strands, or friends, is not quickly broken. When you have friends with you, you are very difficult to overcome!

Part two coming tomorrow...

In Christ alone,

Buttercup

Happy Independence Day!

Dear readers, I would like to wish you all a very Happy Independence Day! I hope you have all had fun today playing with fireworks, eating watermelon, and having fun with family and friends! Well, I didn't play with fireworks, or eat watermelon, but I did get to play football with my Youth Group for close to two hours! It was SO much fun! But it was SO hot! And it doesn't really help when you're scared of the football...I wonder who that would be...yeah, it's me. I don't know why, but while we're playing, I just can't catch it. And that fear has given me a pretty bad reputation when it comes to football, no one wants me on their team. haha. So, I've been the last one picked for the last few times we've played. Oh well, what can you expect? I probably wouldn't pick the only person in the Youth Group who can't catch, and can hardly throw. Would you? All in all, no one got hurt except my sister, Poppy, she got bumped into, fell, and got kinda scraped up...but that's to be expected since we were playing on the church parking lot, which is asphalt. My friend Jeremy fell at the same time, but I don't think he was hurt, but you never can tell with boys...

Okay, so I kinda started in the middle of the day...let's start from the beginning, shall we? I got up, didn't want to, don't know why I did...maybe because I had too...haha. Anyways, got up, made chocolate drop cookies, forced Poppy to make the cold salad, got ready for church, checked my email, did my hair, etc. We left for church, got there early for Sunday School (YES!!! I try every week to be early, but somehow, every week, we're late. If you don't know me very well, I hate being late! It drives me nuts! ), after Sunday School, we went in the Sanctuary, had the service, then had Agape Feast. Our church does an Agape Feast the first Sunday of every month, and they're so much fun! Most of the teens sit in the youth room and chat and eat, then, if the weather is nice (or even if it isn't, it just can't be raining...) we go outside and play football. For a long time, we played ultimate football, but we have lately proceeded to regular football, of which I understand very, very little. Which is one reason no one wants me on they're team. Oh well, I was still picked...Thanks Chris! :D

Christian friends are so great. My dear brothers and sisters in my youth group encourage and lift me up, teach and correct me, pray for me, and so much more; I wonder often whether I am doing that for them. If I encourage and lift them up as much as they do me, if I teach and correct them as much as they do me, if I pray for them as much as they pray for me. I kind of doubt it, they're pretty hard to beat. As a teen, I realize how important they are to me, and what an impact they've made on my life. I am the oldest child in my family, and most of my friends in my youth group are older than me, so I look up to them a lot. I am so thankful for them. ---Sorry for getting so off subject, but I can't help but talk about my youth group...haha.

After everyone was too hot and sweaty (gross) to play anymore, we came inside. After cooling off, the VBS drama team (along with a few people who just had to distract us) went in the teen room and practiced for VBS. Oh no! I think that I've failed to post about VBS...sorry! I'll be sure to post about it sometime this week! Anyways, so that was my 4th of July. :) Hope I didn't bore you.

As a final note:

Remember those who gave their lives for our freedom, from the time of the birth of the USA, through all the wars and troubles we've been through, up to this day. Remember the millions of soldiers that are in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting for our freedom. My Dad was overseas two years ago on the fourth of July, and so were many others. My Dad, thank God, came back; but many don't. Pray for the families of those who gave their lives. Thank God for bringing home those that did. Pray for the soldiers who are overseas as you read this. And finally, thank God for allowing us to live in a country so free as the United States of America.

God bless!

Buttercup

Do Hard Things Quote

Today I read a couple chapters in the Do Hard Things book, and I found a really cool quote that I wanted to share with you all. It is on page 120, they said, "This verse (Proverbs 13:20) reminds us that friends can be a curse or a blessing depending on whether they are wise or foolish. It also tells us that we become like our friends. You've heard the old saying, ' you are what you eat.' It's probably just as accurate to say, ' you are who you hang out with.' If we want to be wise, mature, and godly, we have to make friends with people who have those qualities." I really like how they put that, and it is so true. If you hang out with people who don't care about God, what kind of influence are they going to have on you? They also say further on that you have to be careful to chose your friends wisely, the Bible says not to "hang out" with evil people. They can lead you in the wrong direction.

I am about half-way through the book and I love it! I encourage all teens to read it also.

Verses

Remember how I told you about the class we had on friendship? Well, here are some more verses that she put in our folders.

1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

John 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you."

Ephesians 5:8, 15-16 For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light ... Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

Psalm 19:7-8 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making the wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Psalm 119:9-11, 33, 60, 63 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping (it) according to Thy work. With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee... Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes, and I shall observe it to the end...
I hastened and did not delay to keep Thy commandments..
I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who deep Thy precepts.

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Mark 8:38 "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

I really want to thank you C., for looking up all of these verses and more for us!

being a faithful friend

The Church we attend is pretty small , and the youth group is really small . We usually have about eight kids all together. We have youth group on Sunday nights, I usually don't go , but the older sister of a friend of mine was doing a lesson on friendship last night, so I decided to go.

At the beginning of the lesson she gave each of us girls a little folder with some Bible verses, quotes and other things in it. It was a fantastic experience for me, to see how these verses applied to me and my friends, at co-op or church or wherever. Here are some of them:

*Philippians 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

*Colossians 3:12-13 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

* Titus 2:7 In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds.

*1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

There were so many other wonderful verses, but I picked my favorites, I will put more out later. Now here are some quotes that she also put in the folder:

*You can make more friends in a month by being interested in them then in ten years by trying to get them interested in you. - Dale Carnegie

*Don't make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up. -Thomas J. Watson

*The only way to have a friend is to be one - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I will also post more quotes later. This class was so very well organized and I hope it benefited not only me but the other girls in the class. :)