SHELVIS.

I have moved!

2009-03-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

My new blog is now on Battlecry.com

http://battlecry.com/battleplan.php?username=bamsbabe911

my account is still pending approval, but it will be up soon.

Thanks,
Shelby

Acquire the Fire!

2009-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

I attended a one and a half day christian conference called Acquire the Fire and it was the most life changing experience ever! I wish that Acquire the Fire occured every weekend because it was just that amazing. It seriously changed my life and I feel so much closer to God and I feel that I have a much stronger and better relationship with him.

Building 429, Abandon, Sanctus Real, and the amazing Phil Joel all played there. I had never heard Abandon before and they were a local SA band, but they were really amazing and had awesome music and a lot of energy. Sanctus Real only played on Friday, but they are really wonderful live! They sound just as if you were listening to their CD's. Building 429 was also like that! The singer was full of energy and life! He went into the crowd and stood on the chairs where my youth group was sitting because we were in the front row and walked back by many others and me. It was amazing and thankfully when he saw that were all sweaty, he gave up his water and sprinkled us with it and then tossed the bottle into the crowd. I was also three feet away from getting Sanctus Real's drummer's drum stick when he tossed it. While the bands were playing I danced my butt off and really connected with the Lord and didn't care what people thought of me. Some little girls were staring at me and laughing while Abandon was playing because I was dancing. I really was dancing during their set because everyone was so stiff and the band wasn't getting a very good reaction. All the music was so amazing and I am definitely going to buy some of their albums soon!

Also a few really good speakers came like the Ron Luce! That man is sooo amazing and everything that he has done for the Lord is amazing too! He's now a really big role model for me. There were a few other speakers but I can't remember their names >.< (I'm so sorry!) but they were all really wonderful as well and they are probably some big role models in my life too!

Everything at ATF was simply beautiful and really reflected the Lord's love and salvation and praying with all those people at the foot of the cross was one of the amazing experiences ever and it felt so wonderful and I felt so loved and accepted. My friend Stephanie and I also got interviewed by a few of the people who were in a few of the acts and they were really nice and it was also really akward being interviewed at the same time. :P

Overall, I give ATF 5,000 thumbs up! haha, if I had that many thumbs, they would all be up because this weekend really touched my heart and it taught me so much and I advise everyone to go to Acquire the Fire, even if you don't go with a youth group or church, it is still amazing and will really change your life.

God bless!
love is the movement.
Shelby Criswell

Valentine's!

2009-02-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hey Shelby here wanting to hope that you have a wonderful Valentine's Day, President's Day, and "Friday the 13th" :P

For Valentine's, show someone you love them, even if it is not your bf/gf, just show someone that you love them. Go up to someone you don't know or someone who looks sad or down and tell them that God loves them as well as you. Give them a smile. Go out and spread the love, especially the eternal love of God!

God bless!
love is the movement. <3

Today is Wonderful Day!

2009-02-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

We should cherish each day and live in it with happiness and hope. Our school had a "Blackout Day" where we all go against drunk driving and we had some guest speakers come and talk and sing and spread the word and the hope. Most people are dressed in black today and some people took a vow of silence.

Anyways, after school my cousins are coming over and staying with us until Sunday because my aunt and uncle are going on a cruise to Mexico. I hope that will be fun! :)

God bless
love is the movement <3

Count Your Blessings.

2009-02-10T19:02:00.001-08:00

Keep my beloved best friend, Starr and her family in your prayers. Her father passed away today. He had cancer and was being hospitalized for a few months now. Her father was a pure, loving man who was very friendly everytime I talked to him. He will be missed greatly. Let's hope for the best especially for Starr and her mother. God will definitely take good care of them.

I as well have not been feeling very well for I have some variation of the latest flu plague. It's either the flu or bronchitis, or maybe even both. I'm not sure, but I haven't gone to school since last Friday and that is when I was to coughing and feel achey. Due to my absence, I was not able to be there for my best friend. I wish I would have been there for her. I never actually saw Starr cry ever. She was always the happiest person I ever knew Sure, she has seen me cry multiple times and has always been there for me when I needed her and now I feel terrible that I wasn't there for her today when she needed me. I wonder how she is taking this because I have never seen her in a sad or sorrowful mood before.

"You can't always be where you need to be, but you can be available to comfort someone."

God bless
love is the movement. <3

He's coming...

2009-02-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

...are you ready?

I love my family!

2009-02-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

love is the movement.

howdy.

2009-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

My mother has been coming and going, but now I think she is gone for good and I am perfectly happy with that. Ever since she started leaving, it has brought my family closer together than ever and my relationship with my father has become stronger and I am finally able to really talk to him now. The Lord said that out of the bad, comes the good.

I still love my mother, but am glad that she is keeping away. When she is here, she is a mess and there is just so much drama and I can barely even talk to her.

Anyways, this is my first post of 2009. I'm sorry it's been so long! My Christmas was wonderful and our winterguard season has started. We have currently competed in 2 contests so far. At our first contest we got 1st out of 6 places and at the second competition we got 3rd out of 6 places. We have been doing pretty good and hopefully will get better and hopefully win something at state.

Keep the faith and god bless!
love is the movement.

shelby criswell. <3

"turkey day"

2008-11-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I don't even get why we really celebrate Thanksgiving. After all, the native americans were in the Americas before the Europeans. So really all we are celebrating is when the first European came to America? I think that's pretty dumb, but whatever.

I went to my grandmother's house around 11:30 this morning. We all had a wonderful time eating and sharing memories with each other. I took my laptop because I had a feeling that we would be there a while and my prediction was right! I ended up making two pictures using a software called Gimp because I had nothing else better to do. Over all, my Thanksgiving went swell. It was kind of weird not having my mom there (due to her stupid decisions on taking drugs and becoming an alcoholic, so mainly personally reasons). I had fun and can't wait until Christmas. I am really into the Christmas spirit this year. Probably because I'm older and don't really care for presents much anymore. Before I was always like "just give me my presents and forget Santa." Now I actually want to help decorate and give to others. I'm not asking for much this year because I actually feel like giving more than getting.

I really don't get why we celebrate Christmas in December because Jesus was born sometime in the summer and like my cousin said, we should celebrate his birth everyday other than just one. Anyways, that's enough of my rambling...

Happy Holidays and keep the faith.
love is the movement.
<3

Everything Changes.

2008-09-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

If I had a dime for every time my mother lied to my family and I, I would be the richest person alive.

That's hard to say, but it's true.

My mom left again after that amazing weekend. That seriously was the best day of my life seeing her face again and now it's gone...

This is really hard to get through the day. My emotions are scattered everywhere. I'm a mess right now.

Please Lord forgive me and my family and my mother.
Bring her home.

keep the faith.
love is the movement. <3

Amazing.

2008-09-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last night the Lord sent my family a special gift. It seems that all the angels we have been sending my mother have guided to where she belongs.

That's right, the Lord has sent her home. Not heaven, but home. To us, her family, where she should have been this whole time.

Praise the Lord for that wonderful day! I thought it would never come...

Praying really has an effect.

keep the faith.
love is the movement. <3

Off the Heezay

2008-09-27T16:02:00.001-07:00

Today was one of the best days of my life. My high school hosted their 5th Annual Hornet Invitation. So many amazing schools came and although we didn't get to see all of them perform, it was still amazing to be around other band nerds. ;P This was also my first band competition.

Our colorguard looked even more amazing than we did the night before at the football game. We put so much energy into the show than we ever have before that it was almost 10 billion times better. There is always something that needs improvement, but it was absolutely amazing!

The Lord really did give our band a gift today other than life and the oppurtunity. He gave us the strength and endurance to put into our show and the East Central Hornet band and Odyssey Colorguard used God's gift to the best that we could. Our Band got a 1 rating, which is the best thing you can get and our colorguard got 3rd place. Although we didn't get a trophy or anything because we were hosting the competition, we still rocked that contest! We were the last to go on, and you know what they always say "Save the BEST for LAST." That's exactly what happened today.

I remember once we were done performing, I was completely exhausted. I had never felt so tired in my life and never at a football game did I ever feel that tired. I drank and sweated my body weight today. My eyes still feel really heavy right now, they're even burning because I'm so tired.

Well, I thank the Lord, all our band directors, the band boosters, all the section leaders and officers, and everyone who has supported me and the band.

Today seriously changed my life and it always be special.

keep the faith.
love is movement. <3

SYATP.

2008-09-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

See you at the pole is tomorrow! If you don't know what that is, it's where christian students gather in front of the school's flag pole and pray. It is naturally just to connect with other christians at school for one day and forgetting whether they are a jock, prep, sophmore, freshman, whatever. We all know that christianity is misunderstood by many and this is also mainly to help keep ourselves strong in the Lord and so we can tell other students about him.

I am definitely going to it tomorrow. My aunt who is the youth group leader at my church and also the attendance lady at my school will be there, so I will probably feel a lot more comfortable. I'm going to try to drag my friend Emily over to the flagpole, and hopefully she will witness and want to accept the Lord. I am praying that she does, even if it's not tomorrow.

Keep Emily in your thoughts and pray for her. Participate in See You At The Pole tomorrow. It's going to be a wonderful experience. This will be my first time ever doing it because we never did that at any of my other schools. I'm hoping this will be really awesome and I'll do it every year.

Keep the faith.
Love is the movement. <3

I have the most random posts....

2008-09-21T07:34:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I went to my church picnic and I felt good knowing that I was having fun with a bunch of other people who live their life in the lord. When I was there, I spent most of my time on the swings. I was listening to calming music while I was swinging. While I was doing this, I somehow realized how beautiful the world is. Maybe it was due to the fact that I felt like I was flying and because I was surrounded by nature. I find it amazing how I find the weirdest things to be beautiful. Maybe because everything is beautiful.

keep the faith.
love is the movement. <3

Coast to Coast

2008-09-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Remember my last post? Well, go read it!!

My mom is continuously leaving. I'm not going to go into detail, but I just have one thing to say...

My mother may have left her family and me, but I know God won't leave me.

Even though I'm going through hard times, I still stay faithful in God. I keep my faith in him and keep praying for my mother and my family and everyone else who loves my mom. In the bible the Lord says to "Forgive and Forget," especially for family. Which is what I have been doing and everyone else, but there's just so much you can give...

Even if I never see my mom again, at least I know that the last words she spoke to me were "I love you."

keep the faith.
love is the movement. <3

Stress, Worry, and Confusion.

2008-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

My mom took me to school yesterday morning and hasn't came home yet. She did this same thing last week and both times my dad, my sister, my brother, and I are miserable without her. It's a very emotional time for my family right now. We don't know what to do. We don't know where she is, if she's with someone, if she's dead, or anything! We are stressing out about it all day. My day at school was horrible because of this. I think maybe tomorrow at school I'll go and talk to one of the counselors. I hope that will help me not to be so stressed out.

Earlier today when I was hugging my father I told him I loved him and he told me it was okay to cry. I just want you guys to know that it is okay to cry and let it out. That why God gave us all emotions. You don't always have to be strong, but still you should pray to God asking for him to give you the strength the get through this which is what I am doing. I'm also praying for my family that they have the strength to do so also.

I looked up on google how to have faith in stressful times like i am trying to do and here's a page that helps you to do so...

I also looked up a few encouraging verses that are helping me be faithful and stay strong. I hope they will lift your spirits as they are for mine when you are in a lot of stress and worry:

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the hornof my salvation, my stronghold."-Psalm 18:2
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."-Psalm 34:18

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me."-Psalm 138:7

A lot of verses in the book or Psalms are really encouraging and just the whole book of psalms in general is simply amazing. It's by far my favourite book in the bible as well as proverbs.

keep the faith
and know it's okay to
talk to someone or even
to shed a few tears.
love is the movement.<3

Colorguard.

2008-08-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Our first actual performance for the colorguard (flags, flagcorps, whatever you wanna call it) was today and it was a pep rally type thing called meet the hornets (our school mascot is a hornet) and it was to meet all the athletes, band, dance team, etc. It was really fun. I loved every minute of it.

Normally everyone makes fun of me during practice because I don't practice it like I'm supposed to by smiling, but tonight it's like I turned my smile on and tomorrow when i go to school, I'll just turn it off. It's pretty crazy, but whenever we practice, we don't have an audience and we don't hear clapping and cheering which doesn't make me smile. But tonight when I heard the lady introduce the band and everyone just got up and cheered so loud, it made me so happy and I did the best I could. Althought I did mess up once or twice, the only important thing is that I gave it all I had and never gave up.

I can't wait until our first football game which is on Friday. I'm so excited! I really can't wait to go to another school and show off what we've been learning half of our summer at band camp and we will be using props which only the really professional marching bands/drum corps normally do. I'm excepting everyone to freak out!

Our show is called "Ride!" and it's based on the pixar movie, "Cars." We have a song called, "The Big Race" which is actually from the movie and our swing flags (flags that are normally shorter than usual) are checkered and our taller flags looks like a cone which is soo cool!!! My guard instructor said we'd be wearing racecar driver jumpsuits like the nascar drivers do. We are also learning another routine to where we drive around in cars! Two cars get in a wreck and a few of them go to get gas and the prices are flying!! and there's one person who stands in the middle as a cop and directs traffic the whole time!! which I hope I get that so I don't get tired haha. There's also two cars who race and I don't know who wins or what happens after that, but yeah. I am soo excited!! (As if you couldn't already tell by the excessive use of the exclamation point pretty much in every sentence...).

Now I'm all sweaty and tired and it took forever for me to type this because my body is so tired, so I'm going to go take a nice hot shower to wipe the sweat and makeup from my face/body and go to sleep! haha

Sorry I haven't written any sermin based blogs lately, I've just been wanting to share my thoughts on what's going on in my life right now.

<3
keep the faith.
love is the movement.

My first day of high school...

2008-08-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well, let's just say it wasn't what I expected. I thought my first day really was gonna suck. I had so low expectations on how good it would be, but I was completely wrong. It was really fun and I was so hyper all day! I met a few cool new people and my theatre arts class is soo awesome!! I have a good friend of mine in all of my classes, which made me feel really blessed. I'm so excited to go back tomorrow. I never thought I would say that. Hopefully my second day will be just as good as the first, but tomorrow after school I have band practice for a pep rally on wednesday and the football game on friday, so I need to get ready for that.

In the meantime, I am going to share a message that a guy from my church, Matthew, had on his myspace which I thought was really cool. I think I'm going to write my own testimony like this. I will update with that maybe later today or some other day, whenever I decide to write it. So be on the lookout for that. Here's his testimony type thing:
"I am here to spread the word to all that I can that Jesus DOES SAVE! God is as real as the air we breathe, the sun that shines, and the existance we experience. All we have and all we will ever receive are the gifts of God. Worship them as gifts and always give thanks and praise, even in the hardest of times, for this is where we receive our lessons of life. Ensure that you take time each day to pray and worship God each day for all that you are needing and receiving. The Lord knows our needs and, as any other Father would, provide for the needs of his children. We must share the message of salvation and everlasting life to all that we care about. Imagine watching our loved ones suffer in the final days before the Judgement or to see them writhing in pain as the eternal flames of the Hellfire laps at their flesh, while all the while knowing that you had the ability to share the message of the salvation that you enjoy while watching them suffer. For your own sake, share the word with all you know and love!"

Thanks! I hope you really like it. He is such an amazing guy and a really good christian. He's a better christian than me (well from what I know of).

Keep the faith.
Love is the movement. <3

Art.

2008-08-19T20:02:00.001-07:00

I drew something new for the walls of my youth group room at church. The verse it Psalms 23:1 and it says:

"The Lord is my sheperd, I shall not be in want."

love is the movement. <3

Graffiti.

2008-08-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

I was searching around on flickr and found something that interested me. I found a picture of graffiti, but it was a bible verse.

Rev 19:20-21 states:

"But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had recieved the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

Yeah, it's a mouthful, but very meaningful. The photographer said this about the photo:

"This photo was taken at a deserted Burger King in Downtown Portland, where I regularly see bums sleeping, and prostitutes being arrested in the drive thru."

It came to my mind after I read the verse, that maybe someone spray painted that verse on this particular wall because of the prostitutes and drunkards who live in this place.

Somewhere in the bible it says people who are bums and prostitutes will not be accepted into God's kingdom. Like the bible verse I posted a while back states:

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

So the part that says,"...With these signs he had deluded those who had recieved the mark of the beast and worshipped his image..." is refering to those bums and prostitutes because their lives reflect the work of the beast (the devil).

Yeah, that was just something that made me think. I could be wrong about the whole thing, but yeah. I needed to update anyways...

keep the faith.

love is the movement. <3

Time.

2008-08-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

I know we all have important things to do during the day, but we must not forget about God during the day. Everything we do must revolve around him. He must be in the center of everything (work, school, dinner, etc.).

I came across 2 verses that reminded me that we must use our time wisely:

"Evening, morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice."
-Psalm 55:17

"Seven times a day I praise You,Because of Your righteous judgements."
-Psalm 119:164

Time is precious and we must use it in the glory of the Lord. He gave us all time and we should use it wiser than before. I know we all don't pray EVERY morning and EVERY time we go to bed and EVERY time we eat, but we need to start praying more and more. We need to set our schedules to doing this more often.

Tomorrow morning wake up a little bit earlier before you go to work or school or whatever it is that you do and pray when you wake up that your day will go by well and read a bible verse. I promise if you read a verse or two before you get dressed and everything else, it will make your day so much better.

Also, on Sunday morning and/or night in which you go to church, really listen and remember what words were spoken in the ceremony. Don't just leave what you learned that day at the door, take it with you and I promise this will also make your week so much better.

Everytime before you eat, even if it is in public, go ahead and pray. Of course you'll probably get attention and people will stare at you, but you're showing your love for the Lord in front of others. This is a good thing. One of the Yokefellows at my church told a story about how one night his family ate out at Denny's and they prayed when their food arrived to their table. He said that they prayed and when they were done praying, a woman came up to their table. The woman said, "Thank you. I haven't seen anybody do this in years!" This proves that a lot of people are afraid to pray in public because they don't know what kind of reaction they will get. Jesus did say, "If you betray me in front of your friends, I will betray you in front of my father." (haha don't make fun of me if that is wrong I was typing from memory :3).

Also every night before you sleep, pray to the Lord about whatever you desire and read a bible verse. It will make your good night's sleep even better than before. Your rest is more peaceful knowing that you've talked to God.

love is the movement.
Shelby <3

Dangerous.

2008-07-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Last night, my uncle and two cousins were coming home from my uncle's work trip and my uncle, Phil, had some beer and me and my cousin, Steven sat in the back of the bus while Phil sat in the front. So we weren't really sure what Phil was doing the whole time on the bus to Ft.Worth. Also because we were having so much fun being crazy. Phil was really drunk by the time we got back to San Antonio and no one else in our four-people clan had a license but my uncle. And it was later than midnight and no one we knew would be awake that we could call to drive us home, so Phil ended up driving home. He was swerving all over the place and only ran off the road once. My cousin, Steven and I were praying to God. I think I prayed that we would be safe and get home about five or six times. I was terrified the whole time. Steven did the same as he sat in the front making sure that Phil stayed awake. My other cousin, Nancy, sat in the back with me and she wasn't scared at all. She had been in the car with her father drunk so many times that she was fine.

In Romans 13:13 it says:

" behave properly as in the day not in carousing and drunkenness."

I think that means, don't waste your time being drunk. It is clear that that from the passages in the bible, God wants us to stay away from the harmful power of alcohol.

In 1 Corinthians 6:10 it lists drunkards who will not be allowed in the kingdom of the Lord.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, NOR DRUNKARDS, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."

Althought getting drunk is sin, drinking is not. So here's some reasons why I think those Christians who "drink responsibly" should abstain from alcohol as a whole...

1 Thessalonians 5:22:

"Abstain from all appearance of evil"

evil=the devil (that's why the word devil has evil in it) and the he is the one who tells you to drink.

In Matthew 5:13 it says:

"Ye are the salt of the earth...Ye are the light of the world."

Therefore, us Christians are to set examples for others. You should show everyone you don't have to drink to be social and happy. You can be drunk on the Holy Spirit and be perfectly fine.
and also for those who say they drink responsibily, what are you trusting that says enough is enough?

Throughout the Bible it tells us of the consequences of alcohol and getting drunk, so why would you want to waste your time drinking and have such pleasure in something that can negatively affect others and yourself?

You have a responibility to set examples for non-christians. You have to show them that you can always have a good time without alcohol and that alcohol is not the answer.

So think again about drinking and getting drunk. You could put yourself and others in danger.

This situation has really proved to me that God does answer prayers, even if it is one prayer or a thousand. He will always answer. You may not hear, but he's there.

love is the movement.

Shelby Criswell.

shelvis1994@wmconnect.com

http://www.mysebc.org/

Beware the Antichrist

2008-07-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting article about a man who claims to be god, even though this article was written over a year ago, it is still an important issue to discuss.
here is the link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/16/miami.preacher/

It says that he claims to be god which is already breaking one of the ten commandments. The second commandment states:
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord you God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."
Obliviously, this commandment is saying that those who claim to be him and those who worship this person will be punished.

In the article it states that this man has a '666' tattoo which is the sign for the devil and the sabbath day. The members of this man's church also get the same tattoo in honor of this man.
It also states that at his church, the members protest other Christian churches by disrupting services and smashing crosses. In the third commandment it reads:
"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
And by smashing a crucifix is the same thing as misusing the Lord's name. So that's already another sin.

This man also preaches that there is no devil and no sin, which is probably why this church has tattoos of '666' and misuses God's name. I bet this man probably preaches that there is no devil and that he is god because the devil is talking through him. The devil is tricking this man into thinking that he is god and that everyone should have '666' tattooed on them and that there is no sin, that you can do whatever you want.

This man is the antichrist, he is the father of lies. He is the devil. This man gives christians a bad name. Say for instance some people saw this group and they were smashing crosses at there church, they would think that christians are bad people and that they shouldn't become one.

Okay, that's the end on this topic, just another way for me to tell you guys to stay faithful in god and beware of imposters because it's only the devil trying to get you to cross over to his side.

stay strong
love is the movement. <3

HELP!

2008-07-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It's time to help out an artist in need. The San Antonio Express News is deciding if they should keep Jeff Corriveau's comic strip, "Deflocked" in their newspaper. You can read his comic here http://www.deflocked.com/ and if you like his sense of humor, would you kindly send an email over to comics@express-news.net and giving some positive feedback and saying that it should stay in the paper? If you do, Jeff and I would greatly appreciate it!

thanks!

love is the movement. <3

Malachi 1:6-14

2008-07-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

I was going to talk about a random bible verse in this post. I opened my bible to a random page and chose a few verses that I really liked and I would like to share what I think it means.

I never really liked to read out of the Old Testament, but Malachi has always been one of my favourite books in the bible and my favourite prophet, so I'll go over Malachi 1:4-16.

First of all the book of Malachi was written by a man named Malachi that was sent to rebuke people for their sin when they lost interest in god (about 516 B.C. when the temple was being leaded by Zerubbabel, Haggai, and Zechariah).

Malachi 1:6 reads:
Blemished Sacrifices
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.
"But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?'

hey and I found this verse in hebrew and thought it was pretty cool::
מלאכי 1:6 Hebrew Bible

בן יכבד אב ועבד אדניו ואם אב אני איה כבודי ואם אדונים אני איה מוראי אמר יהוה צבאות לכם הכהנים בוזי שמי ואמרתם במה בזינו את שמך׃

In Malachi 1:6-2:9 people weren't giving the same respect and honour to god as they were to their masters and fathers. Malachi uses an argument to show how ridiculous the people are being. Malachi 1:6, as I mentioned above, is really important to this passage because it shows the people are being loyal to their fathers and masters than their true master/father, god. And god is questioning why they are turning away from him.

In Malachi 1:7 it says,

"You place defiled blood on my altar. But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?' By saying that the Lord's table is contemtible.

This is also important, it's saying that you keep sinning over and over and you deny that you are sinning and deny that your angering god.
The people were putting god second and he wasn't getting the full attention he was supposed to. Like it says on http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=979 they ask if you would give your boss leftovers if you invited him for dinner? or would you give a broken present to someone as a gift? Of course you wouldn't! The person who wrote that is right and they also mentioned something that we all do and it's sad that we do something like that to god, but would never dream of doing it to others. That made a really good point. And it makes you want to give more to god. It really makes you think of what you've been giving to god. What have you really been giving to god if you just go to church every sunday and that's it? not much. What have you given to god if you follow his word everyday and study and understand it and put him first in front of everything? you've given alot, but there's always so much more you can give to god. Think about that.

Basically what I'm trying to express is that you shouldn't lose your faith in god for some silly reason. You should always keep giving more and more of your love to him and keep him in your heart. Just like you wouldn't want to lose a best friend over a fight. You wouldn't want to lose god because of a conflict with someone at church or something like that. Just keep giving and keep going to church and put him first before everything else.

I know I didn't explain this very well, but I tried and I'll get better in time.
I really hope that you learned something from this and go and share this passage with others that are in a "spiritual crisis" and those who are losing their faith in god. I hope you also regain most of your faith and learn to give more of your love and time for god.

keep faithful.
love is the movement. <3

2008-07-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Brother Jerry, the pastor at my church, was talking about Spiritual Discouragement (I believe that's what it was called) and was telling the story of David and how he threw the three rocks at the Goliath and stuff.

In the service, he mentioned that some people are misguided by stress spiritually and they end up commiting suicide, so I just wanted to tell from my own personal experience that I used to want to kill myself because I never thought there was a god and that I was just living for no reason at all, but I ended up not killing myself whenever I found To Write Love On Her Arms (http://www.twloha.com/).

I believed it was a sign from god. I knew he was trying to tell me something. He was telling me not to do this and that he really is there and he wants to be in heart. Not too long after I found TWLOHA, I accepted Christ into my heart and have been a christian ever since. I am really grateful that god showed me that life in beautiful and that I shouldn't be afraid to keep on living and that I shouldn't be afraid to die. Now I know that when I die, I will have a place in heaven.

Hope you learned something and if you are having problems with depression and loniless and need someone to talk to or need some help feel free to email me or check out the twloha website and get help NOW!

shelvis1994@wmconnect.com

http://www.twloha.com/

love is the movement. <3