What’s one of the best things about this book? Chad doesn’t force his advice on you. He offers it. And he lets you know that it’s just his opinion. (Which in my opinion, his opinion is really smart and helpful, just sayin’.)

So my rating for this book is a 5 star and my review is AWESOME!!

It’s helped me beyond belief. So, you should rent this book from a library, a friend, buy it from a store smart enough to sell it, whatever! Just read it! I don’t think you’ll regret it…no matter how old you are and no matter where you’re at in your life or relationships.

Let me know what you think of ‘The Truth About Love, Dating & Just Being Friends’ by posting a comment on this post!

Last night, I told the Lord that I missed Him. I hadn’t gotten to spend as much time with Him the past few days as I would have liked, and I wanted that time to draw near to Him again. I asked Him to bring me back into close communion and to give me special quiet time with Him. It was late in the evening and I was trying to get some work done, but my brain was shutting down and my eyes were drooping, so I decided to call it a night and head to  b … Read More

via Wake Up, Generation

I’ve seen on Twitter that some people do something called #ThankfulThurs. I guess you just tweet about something or someone you’re thankful for and then add the hashtag #ThankfulThurs. Oh and you tweet about it on a Thursday. Call me weird but I think that’s a good idea. It’s seems like for a lot of people, the only time of year that they are thankful is during what holiday???… That’s right… Thanksgiving… So any way, I thought that it would be nice for people to use this whole “Thankful Thursday” thing because maybe, and hopefully, it would open some eyes (inlcuding my own) to see all that there is to be thankful for, but not only see those things and people, but to actually be thankful for them. SO!  What are you thankful for on this snowy, white and cold Winter Thursday?   I’m thankful for Jesus Christ. And no, not just because it’s almost Christmas.

While I’m talking about Christmas… what’s your top favorite Christmas songs to listen to? Currently, I am really loving BarlowGirl’s ’Hallelujah [Light Has Come]‘ song.  The music video for the song is absolutely beautiful. (You can watch it at BarlowGirl.com)

Well, I think that’s all for now. I’ll try to blog more but I’m not promising anything.

Until then, I hope you have a wonderful week.

~ Courtney

Everytime I go out to a public place like the mall or the local fair, I notice one thing that is the same about every person that walks by me. They are all looking for something to fill the hole, and fill the pain in their life. The hole in their life is usually caused by them thinking they must have the right body, the right cloths, or do certain things like smoking to make them cool enough.We are always searching for something more, it's the wa … Read More

via Mission Six Blog

Nothing seems to be going right anymore. I’m a wreck. I’m in total need of a transformation. You know those times when everything will be going right, maybe not exactly perfect, but great, and then things slowly start to go down hill? It’s what I’m experiencing right now. About a month ago, I couldn’t see how life could have gotten any better. I was as joyful and happy as I’ve ever been. Then old and probably new problems came creeping in on me and finally they brought me down. So now I’m going through a storm. I know this “storm” is God testing me. It’s also a chance to become more like Him. What will I do? Will I stay committed to Him and follow in His ways, or will I just give up and not live the life He intended me to live? It truly is hard being committed to the Lord. Sometimes you feel like it’s a waste of time, there’s no point in it, it’s too hard, and so on. So yeah, it’s hard. But it’s totally worth it. I know it’s hard to see beyond the here and now, but there’s such a bigger picture. Every single choice we make on earth has eternal significance. And if we cling to Jesus all the time, no matter what, and if we stay committed to Him, no matter how hard life gets, He will make sure that we get out of the storms alright, and even stronger in our faith and our relationship with Him than before. There’s beauty to be seen in the midst of the brokeness. There’s a rainbow and sunshine to be seen in the middle of life’s storms. There is joyfulness to have while we have sorrow. And even though we will sometimes be knocked down and fall flat on our faces, we will feel like there’s no way out, no one to pick up the pieces, and our hearts will be burdened, Jesus is holding out his hands for us to take hold of. He is asking us to lay every single thing at His feet and let Him take care of it all. He will give our weary and our troubled hearts rest. He will give us strength, joy and hope. Since Jesus never gave up on us, and He never will, we should never give up on Him, and we should always stay committed to Him. So yeah, life is hard. But He promises to get us through the hard times and be right by our side, making sure that we never have to face anything without Him. He never said that living a life pleasing to Him would be easy, but He did say he would help us to do just that.

“…make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.” – 2 Peter 3:14

“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” – Hebrews 2:1

“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” – Hebrews 2:18

“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”  – Jeremiah 29:13

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever! Amen.” – 2 Peter 3:18

“…what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God…” – 2 Peter 11 & 12

“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 10:22

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:9 – 10

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” – Psalm 84:11

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“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.” Romans 8:28-29

Understanding Romans 8:28-29

*****This is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages in the Bible. It doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out the way I want it to.” Obviously that’s not true. It also doesn’t say “God causes everything to work out to have a happy ending on earth.” That is not true either. There are many unhappy endings on earth. We live in a fallen world. Only in heaven is everything done perfectly the way God intends. That is why we are told to pray, “They will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 12  To fully understand Romans 8:28-29 you must consider it phrase by phrase.

“We know”: Our hope in difficult times is not based on positive thinking, wishful thinking, or natural optimism. It is a certainty based on the truths that God is in complete control of our universe and that he loves us.

“that God causes”: There’s a Grand Designer behind everything. your life is not a result of random chance, fate, or luck. There is a master plan. History is His story. God is pulling the strings. We make mistakes, but God never does. God cannot make a mistake – because he is God.

“everything”: God’s plan for your life involves all that happens to you – including your mistakes, your sings, and your hurts. It includes illness, debt, disasters, divorce, and death of loved ones. God can bring good out of the worst evil. He did at Calvary.

“to work together”: Not separately or independently. The events in your life work together in God’s plan. They are not isolated acts, but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ. To bake a cake you must use flour, salt, raw eggs, sugar, and oil. Eaten individually, each is pretty distasteful or even bitter. But bake them together and they become delicious. If you will give God all your distasteful, unpleasant experiences, he will blend them together for good.

“for the good”: This does not say that everything in life is good. Much of what happens in our world is evil and bad, but God specializes in bringing good out of it. In the official family tree of Jesus Christ, four women are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar seduced her father-in-law to get pregnant. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was not even Jewish and broke the law by marrying a Jewish man. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, which resulted in her husband’s murder. These were not exactly sterling reputations, but God brought good out of bad, and Jesus came through their lineage. God’s purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin.

“of those who love God and are called”: This promise is only for God’s children. It is not for everyone. All things work for bad for those living in opposition to God and insist on having their own way.

“according to his purpose”: What is that purpose? It is that we “become like his Son.” Everything God allows to happen in your life is permitted for that purpose!*****

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That was so eye-opening to me. I just had to share.

*****Taken from the book ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren*****

Getting close to five weeks. It's crazy how fast that has gone by… and how slowly. (Almost) five weeks ago, Shane and I were in a hospital room, trying to wrap our brains around the sweet little "love lump" (as Grandma Barnard calls her) that had just arrived. We STILL are trying to wrap our minds around it, but to be honest, our minds are a little too tired nowadays. I know for myself, I can't really remember the last time I fed Lucy, let alon … Read More

via Bethany Dillon

One day I commented on Paige Armstrong’s blog post, and here is what I said: “Just thought I would stop by and say “Hi”.
Also, thanks for the encouragement on my blog, means so much!
Love and blessings, Courtney Smith”

Here’s what she said: “Girl! Your blog is looking cooler and cooler every time I see it! Love what you’re doing with it. THAT’S such an awesome way to impact & encourage others! I’m proud of what the Lord is doing in and through you “

Wouldn’t you think I would say something other than this: “Awwww thanks!! Can’t stop grinning! (and if I do I am still smiling in my heart).
love you girl! <3 P.S. YOU are awesome!”

I posted that very cheesy and awkward comment, then I thought to myself “what in the world did I say that for?”. Like seriously, who says “Can’t stop grinning and if I do I am still smiling in my heart”? Maybe you don’t think that comment was wierd or cheesy like I do, but I am constantly afraid of saying things that people will think is stupid or wierd. I always want to be the one that everyone likes, the “normal” one. And when I say something I think is stupid, cheesy, awkward etc., I usually think that person don’t like me anymore ’cause they probably thought what I said was stupid or wierd, too. Ever feel like that? Like if you say something you think is wierd, that other people think the same thing? And if they do think the same thing, that they don’t like you anymore ’cause you’re “wierd”.

Whatever happened to people just being themselves? And I’d like to mention that just because somebody may say something that was uncomfortable or “wierd”, it doesn’t mean the person himself/herself is “wierd”. Not only that, but let’s ask ourselves this question and answer honestly: is there really a “wierd” or a “normal” person or thing out there in this world? No. I don’t know who came up with the whole wierd and normal thing, but there’s nobody who is wierd or normal. Maybe we’re just ourselves. People have different personalities, a different sence of humor, different backgrounds, etc. Just because somebody is not like us, does not mean that we have to not like them, and it doesn’t mean that they or “wierd”. There is not one person in this world who is entirely like you. God created people with different personalities, laughs, sence of humor, looks, backgrounds, talents, passions, etc.

Aren’t we supposed to love people no matter what? Jesus does.

I’m not saying that people, you and I, don’t ever say something uncomfortable or stupid or get annoying. All I’m saying is I think it’s time we, especially Christians, throw out this whole thinking of “wierd” and “normal”. Because wierd and normal don’t exist. It’s just our own, unique, one of a kind personalities. Be yourself, Beloved.

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you  in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:1-8)

*As many as 27 million people are victims of human trafficking

*No country is immune from human trafficking. Each year, an estimated 600,000-800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders (some international and non-governmental organizations place the number far higher), and the trade is growing. This figure is in addition to a far larger yet indeterminate number of people trafficked within countries. Victims are forced into prostitution, or to work in quarries and sweatshops, on farms, as domestics, as child soldiers, and in many forms of involuntary servitude.

*80 percent of the victims trafficked across international borders are female and 70 percent of those females are trafficked for sexual exploitation

* The International Organization for Migration estimates that each year 500,000 women are sold (trafficked) to local prostitution markets in Europe.

* Sex trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years.

* Traffickers use psychological as well as physical coercion and bondage, and it defines coercion to include: threats of serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in serious harm to or physical restraint against any person; or the abuse or threatened abuse of the legal process.

* Victims of sex trafficking can be women or men, girls or boys, but the majority are women and girls. There are a number of common patterns for luring victims into situations of sex trafficking, including:

- A promise of a good job in another country
- A false marriage proposal turned into a bondage situation
- Being sold into the sex trade by parents, husbands, boyfriends
- Being kidnapped by traffickers

* Sex traffickers frequently subject their victims to debt-bondage, an illegal practice in which the traffickers tell their victims that they owe money (often relating to the victims’ living expenses and transport into the country) and that they must pledge their personal services to repay the debt.

* Sex traffickers use a variety of methods to “condition” their victims including starvation, confinement, beatings, physical abuse, rape, gang rape, threats of violence to the victims and the victims’ families, forced drug use and the threat of shaming their victims by revealing their activities to their family and their families’ friends.

*information taken from www.theHOMEfoundation.net

Wow. Did you read these facts? This is heartbreaking. But you know what else is heartbreaking? How people don’t help these victims. We can and should help these victims. These victims are people. It may seem like this kind of stuff don’t happen around you, or like it’s too “bad to be true”. Maybe it don’t even feel real to you. This kind of stuff can happen anywhere, to anyone, and it is real. We need to take a stand against this. You know we can. Nothing is impossible. Even if all you can give is prayers, well, prayers are the most powerful thing you can do. We can and NEED to do something about human trafficking…we need to STOP it. One of the ways to learn more about human trafficking and how you can help the victims, you can go to www.theHOMEfoundation.net

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13

Just found out that Joni Eareckson Tada internationally-beloved disability advocate, artist and quadriplegic, was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had the privilege of meeting her a while back at an event that I was singing at and where she was speaking. When she was 17, a diving accident left her a quadriplegic. This means, she can't use her arms or legs and has to wear an extensive upper body brace to keep her upright. After surrendering her lif … Read More

via Wake Up, Generation

Philippians 2:13 says “Do everything without complaining or arguing”.

I am not saying you need to be a clean freak, or have to be organized or that you even have to like cleaning. I’m not saying those things at all. All I am saying is God wants you to take care of the things you have and “without complaining or arguing”. I think I’m up for the challenge. Hope you are, too.

There are certain things in life that seem to travel on a conveyor belt. Those things not only have one route, but seem to set the "rule" for how things are supposed to travel. According to this "rule", there is NO other way than the route the track is going. At some point in time, we are all on a conveyor belt. Whether it's our family's, society's or the one built of our circumstances, we all get pulled onto a moving track of expectations and pr … Read More

via Wake Up, Generation

These videos are of Paige Armstrong’s sermonette’s on Ishine KNECT.  (you can check out Paige Armstrong at www.paigehasastory.com)

http://vimeo.com/12114621 

http://vimeo.com/12114289

http://vimeo.com/12112028

http://vimeo.com/12088759

http://vimeo.com/12059935

http://vimeo.com/12019403

http://vimeo.com/12019403

Let me introduce you to an amazing Christian rock band.  Mary Reeves (younger sister of  worship singer/leader, Sarah Reeves) is the lead singer of Only In Stories. They have two songs up on their MySpace and I have already fallen in love with the sound and lyrics. Not to mention Mary’s voice. Such a beautiful, rockish voice! The band is not too famous now, but I bet you in about a year, their name will be well-known in the Christian music industry! So, if you want to check them out, go to http://www.myspace.com/onlyinstories and, enjoy!

(you can follow Mary Reeves on Twitter at Twitter.com/marebear356)

 ”Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mothers womb. I thank you , High God-you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration-what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.” Psalm 139:13-16 (message)

The NIV puts it this way: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

The NLT says it like this: “you made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mothers womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it.” (Psalm 139: 13- 14)

 See that, you were sculped from nothing, into something. Something very beautiful. You were “fearfully and wonderfully made”.  God is perfect. God is beautiful. God is lovely. He made and formed you. That makes you beautiful.

It’s not about looks though. It’s about your character. Your personality. Who you are on the inside. Not outside.

“Man does not see what the Lord sees. For man sees what is visible. But the Lord sees the Heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 HCSB

“But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (Message)

And yet, another reason why you are beautiful - if you are a Child of God, well, need I say more?

God thinks, and not only does He think, He says you are beautiful. Don’t pay attention to all of society’s little lies when God’s opinion is all you need.

Granted, I am not saying you should not take care of yourself and that it is wrong to look the best you can, all I am saying is you are beautiful because God made you, and you shouldn’t care about the worlds standards more than Gods.

Let’s keep being beautiful, Beloved. But not to the point it is all we care about.

” And the words of the Lord are flawelss, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.” – Psalm 12:6 NIV

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105 NIV