Sunday, December 5, 2010

Sally's Words

Once upon a time there was a girl name Sally. Sally was a junior in high school and she was a Christian. She struggled every day to stay strong and show people she was a Christ follower. She had an amazing group of friend but had very few classes with the ones who actually went to her school. One day in English, her teacher Ms. Nosey, asked the class to write a one paragraph essay on the most important thing in their lives. Sally wrote on how important God was to her. After giving the class ten minutes to write she told everyone to share what they wrote. Sally began to get really nervous, she began to wonder how she was ever going to get up in front of her class and share what she wrote. Time came for her to go up and she started..."The most important thing in my life is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my God"...class went silent. When she came to the end..."He has the power to save everyone's life and help you with any problem you might have" As she went to sit down everyone began to clap louder then they clapped for anyone else. Wow! Amazing, Sally made it through it all and her class didn't think she was weird.

After class she had one of her classmates come up to her. She asked Sally "Can God really help you with any problems?" Sally said yes and went to lunch with her classmate, Debra. Debra told Sally how she had made some bad choices and didnt know what to do. Sally talked to her for the whole lunch period and after school too. By the end of the day, atheist Debra had agreed to go to church with Sally the next day. Sally thought to herself "Wow miracles do happen."

Wow what a testimony! Just think what just a few words can do to change someone's soul.

Based on a true story. Names changed to keep identities safe.

With love,
Elise

Friday, December 3, 2010

Kingdoms

Being the music lover I am, I listen to my iPod quite often. I was reading one night before I went to bed, and my iPod was playing in the background. A song came on. It was one that I've heard many times before, but I never really listened to the message before. The song was "In the Blink of an Eye, by MercyMe. There were two parts of the song in which I found a really great message. The first went like this:
And though I’m living a good life
Can my life be something great?
What is the a "good" life? We often think of it as one filled with pleasure and luxury. Fast cars, money, a big mansion. In this song, he tells us that there's a difference between a "good life" and a life that is "something great". I think he's saying that a good life is exactly what we think it is: money, pampering, and material possessions. So what does it mean to have a life that is "something great?" The difference is in what you do. If you're living a life that's something great, you are living for God. So I thought "How can I do that?" I'm a very busy person. Between homework, work, sports, and other obligations, I barely even have time to breathe! Isn't everyone like that, at least sometimes? We get so busy trying to do things to "enhance" our lives (a.k.a. making them more comfortable) that we isolate ourselves from God. That leads me to the second passage from the song:
How can I further Your kingdom
When I'm so wrapped up in mine?
When we get so caught up in out kingdom of material possessions such like things, God often, but not always, nor for all people, comes second to that. You may now be asking something like: "How do we further God's kingdom, like the song says?" (and even if you weren't thinking that, I'll tell you anyway :) ). We further His kingdom by spreading His Word, and by following Jesus Christ. Doing things for others is a way of doing that. Volunteering, donating, doing random acts of kindness, they're all ways for God to work through you. But we can also simply make our everyday actions reflect God's kingdom. Just do what's right. That's the easiest way to stay out of a material kingdom, and further the Kingdom of God. Amen.

Peace,
Kyle

( Credits: Lyrics from the song "In the Blink of an Eye" by MercyMe
Lyrics found on www.christianlyricsonline.com )

Monday, November 29, 2010

God's Answers

Last night, I was talking to a dear friend, getting advice. It was a very small, insignificant problem of mine, or at least that’s how it seemed to me. Despite that, she gave me advice. There was one piece of her advice that I remember most clearly. She said: “Pray on it. He doesn’t care how small [your problem] is. If we ask for help, He’ll give it…”
I realized that I don’t really pray on my decisions. I usually take the weight of whatever problem I have on my own shoulders. Very rarely do I pray to the LORD, lifting up my problems. I realized how hypocritical that is. I’m sure you have noticed how often I preach about the LORD always being there, but here I find myself not listening to my own advice. Life would be so much easier, less stressful, if I just lifted my problems to the LORD. He always answers our prayers. The second piece of advice I remember is this: “…Be prepared to not like the answer, though.” As I said, the LORD always hears and answers our prayers. That doesn’t mean his answer is our favorite. I know I’ve written about this many times before, but I just find it one of the most important things we need to know about the ever-mysterious ways of our LORD. We must remember that He has a plan for us, and He has had that plan since before we were born. If you ever find yourself wondering why you are going through a hard time, remember this: it is the LORD’s doing. That is not to say that our God is trying to bring us pain. There’s just times in which one must go through an amount of pain to reach something great. Consider these two examples:

For out first example, let’s think of a sport. We’ll use football, as it is a physically demanding sport. As a former football player, I can testify that practices weren’t always a blast. There were days that were very tough. Why would one put up with that? Well, the answer, in this example, is game day. A player puts themselves through the tough practices to reach the thrill and rush of game day.

For our second example, let’s look to the Bible. Alas, I cannot give a specific verse or chapter, but I know that Jesus said somewhere that, in order to follow him, one must drop everything in order to follow him. That must have been really hard, but, in the words of a Relient K song: “The ends justify the pain it took to get us there.”

Though it may be hard to see this, we must remember that the light of the LORD shines at the end of every dark tunnel. Everything, even the bad things, happens as part of a greater plan. We must trust God by lifting up our problems, letting Him answer them, but remember: we must also be prepared for an answer that we may not like. Just trust that it is for the best, because it most certainly is, for the LORD our God is loving and merciful. Amen.

Keep the Peace,
Kyle

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Separation

Spanish is my second language. I'm in Spanish IV in school, and I'm semi-fluent. There's a curse that comes with being fluent. I quite often find myself translating english to spanish in my mind during everyday conversation. I was doing just that the other day while talking to Alyssa on facebook. I mentioned it to her, and she offered to help. She said she would pull up a translator and I would talk in spanish, and she would turn that into english. I happily accepted her offer, so we talked like that for just over half an hour.

Once I spoke all the spanish I could take, we switched back to english. My mind, however, was still in what i called "spanish mode". It was, believe it or not, a tad bit difficult to think and type in english. I began to wonder if that must be the curse that comes with fluency, or if, once one is more fluent than I, they can "turn off" whichever "mode" they're on, kind of like what some artists do. They sometimes have to turn off their "artist's eye", otherwise they will see even the smallest things as beautiful, and marvel at the simplest of objects.

That brought my mind to religion, and I realized I, and many more Christians, have separate "modes" in our lives. We go to church and enter "God mode". For that hour we are true Christians. We focus on God; give him all of our attention. Once we leave that church, though, like an artist leaving her painting, or a linguist changing languages, we go into what one may call "life mode". We all too often separate God from out everyday lives. I e-mailed my Pastor a few weeks ago. I was having trouble with the fact that my relationship with the LORD was melting away. Between work, school, and other obligations, I didn't have time to read my Bible or write a new article (as I'm sure you know). I asked him how I'm really expected to juggle all of that, and add God on top of everything else. His reply was this:
it can be helpful to see and live in a way that school, work, and musical are your witness and your service to God. Not to separate our God life from our everyday life.
Truer words have never been spoken. Amen.

In Christ,
Kyle

Saturday, November 20, 2010

He Knows

The other day, I was sitting on my bed and looking out the window. I looked up and saw the stars, and it amazed me. To think that God knows exactly how many stars are in the sky. Then I thought of the verse that says God knows the exact number of hairs on your head. That just amazes me so much, I try to count the hairs on my head and get lost at like 50, and it is not even 1/26 of all my hair! Wow, God knows everything, how many stars are in the sky and how many hairs are on your head. If He knows that, how would He not know how you are feeling, or the answer to a problem you have? Ask Him your questions, He WILL know the answer.

Love,
Elise

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Butterflies

Have you ever heard the story of butterflies before? It's really quite amazing. A butterfly starts its life as a crawling slug-like caterpillar. Usually dull-colored and boring, they spend their days simply eating and crawling. Eventually, they go through an amazing, impossible metamorphosis into the beautiful creatures we call butterflies. They go from dull caterpillars to colorful, free butterflies. After being confined to the ground, they are set free into the air, free to travel and go as they please, bringing smiles to little kids.

Butterflies are God's way of showing us that He gives second chances. We all start off as caterpillars. Confined to the dull ways of this Earth. We may do things we are not proud of, things that we regret. Amazingly, God gives us a second chance; He turns us into butterflies. He can open our eyes to His love and glory, showing us the light in the world and the Heavens. Isn't it amazing??

I know some of you reading this now may feel like a caterpillar, but that's OK. We are all there at one point or another, and sometimes more than once. God may not have opened your eyes yet. He has a reason for doing that, just like He has a reason for doing everything else. God always forgives you for what you have done. And He doesn't only give second chances, but third and fourth... seventh and eighth... Just believe with all your heart that Jesus was given to die for your sins. Believe that God is ever-present and ever-loving, and you will recieve his endless mercy.

In the words of PD: Keep the Faith.
Kyle

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Prayer Requests

I'm thinking about starting a weekly prayer chain. If anyone would like to put in a request, you can comment here, on facebook, or e-mail us at godswordsaves@gmail.com .

God Bless,
Kyle

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin

From the Gospel of Luke. Chapter 15: 1-10

Parable of the Lost Sheep
1Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people- even eating with them!

3So Jesus told them this story: 4"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying. 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
7In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!


Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, whe will call in her friends and neighbors and say, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."
________________________________

Who are you in these parables? It's plain to see that God is the shepherd and the woman. His people are the sheep, and the coins. But there are two different kinds of sheep. Two different kinds of coins. There's the lost and the found. Which one are you? If you're one of the found, that's great, be happy! The LORD God calls you His. But maybe these Parables are aimed at the lost. For the lonely, wandering sheep. Or the old, dusty coin hiding under the bed. Are you one of the lost? If you are, don't be afraid; don't worry! The LORD is searching for you. Yes, He loves all of those whom he has already found, but He chooses to search for the lost, so that they may be saved! He does not give up, nor does He tire. All day and all night he is searching, holding out His hand. Take it! It's such an amazing feeling, being one of the found. I know this from experience. My Father found me in July at Lifest in Oshkosh, WI. He reached out His hand and I took it and held it firm. I still have not let go, and neither should you. When I first came to the LORD, it was such an amazing feeling, but that can easily fade if you tuck that experience in a box and put it away. But here's some advice: don't put it away. Keep it with you always.
To all those lost sheep: don't be afraid to come to the LORD, your Shepherd when He calls you, for all the heavens and the earth will rejoice when you are found!
Now, to all those already found: keep holding on; keep a strong faith. Don't look down upon those who have not been found. Try giving them a nudge. You know the way to God, so point them in the right direction.

Now... which one are you?

Kyle

Saturday, September 11, 2010

E-mail List

I'm going to start an e-mail list for anyone interested. I will e-mail you when there are any major changes to the blog, or new posts (just let me know when you would like me to e-mail you.) To get on the list, e-mail us at godswordsaves@gmail.com . Include your name (or a screen name) and your preferences for when you would like to recieve your e-mails from us. Now I'm hoping to get some mail!

In Christ,
Kyle

Fathers

Today's post is for those who lack a father figure, and for fathers in need of guidance.

Do you ever just think of God as a king? As someone who reigns on high, out of our reach? Though he does reign over his world, he's not just a king. The LORD is our Father as well. You can always look up to Him. If you lack a father figure, look to the LORD. He always does what's right, and can teach you SO many lessons. He's always there for you, and He always will be. And to struggling fathers: I encourage you to look to the LORD, your Father, as well. Ask Him for guidance. He knows all about being a father. He's raised millions of children. There's so much we can learn from the LORD, we just have to look to Him.

Praise be to God our Father,
Kyle

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Pray About Everything

Phillipians 4:6 says " Don't worry about anything instead, pray about everything." As Christians we should be doing this and many of us do pray often but have you ever stopped to think what you pray about? so many pray for their family's safety and success at work and all the other everyday things we worry about. But what about the other problems? The ones we don't tell anyone about? Do we not pray about those because either because we're to ashamed or want to pretend they aren't there? Well God already knows so we don't have that excuse to not pray . why else then? maybe we think he doesn't care about the big problems.but wait didn't we just read that he wants us to pray about everything? So why then don't we do it? I guess the only answers is that we just plain don't do what we should. Think about we say all things are possible in god so why not pray about everything? It certainly can't hurt anything. in fact it can only help.
Peace,
Alyssa

Monday, September 6, 2010

My Apologies

Dear Readers,

I am very sorry about the lack of new articles. Between school starting, and other obligations, I have not been able to sit down and just write. Don't worry, I haven't given up on you! There will definately be at least one more post up this week, so keep checking up on us!

I also want to raise awareness about National Pro-Life Cupcake Day, coming up on Saturday, Oct. 9th. Not everyone gets a first birthday. Some are aborted, some were taken by God early. This day is for them. You can attend the facebook event, just search it, make sure it's the 2010 event! :)

In Christ,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

God's Answers

Alyssa posted a comment on the "God is Here for You" post a little while ago. It was a lot about God answering our prayers. Since that comment is kinda hidden away, I thought I would make an article out of it.

Have you ever prayed to God and thought He never gave an answer? For example, maybe you know lost someone close to you. You may wonder why God put you through that. Maybe you prayed and prayed that that person would stay healthy and with you, but nothing gets better. Would you doubt that He heard your prayers? Know this: God always hears and answers our prayers. As I've said before, God has a plan. He has reasons for everything He does. Alyssa talked about how she lost a family member, and she wondered why God would put her through so much pain. She eventually found out what God's answer was. The loss of her uncle strengthened her family's faith. Even though God always answers our prayers, it doesn't mean we will always like what the answer is. So if you don't think God is listening; if you don't think He gave you the right answer, remember that our God is always listening us, His children. Trust in Him; He always has the right answer.

Trust God,
Kyle

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Featured band: Silverline

Silverline is a Christian rock band that I met at Lifest this year. I can tell you, from experience, that the band members are really fun to hang out with! :) They have two albums: "Voices in the Night" and "Start to Believe". Sorry about the lack of songs. Playlist.com , the site from where I get the music player has only those three songs. But they're good! :)

Kyle

"Come to the Cross"

Inspiration for the article today comes from Michael W. Smith's song "Come to the Cross.

There's always room in Jesus's heart for us. The song starts off like this:

Mourner, wherever you are
Wherever you are at the cross there is room
Tell your burdened heart
Your burdened heart at the cross there is room
Tell it in the Savior's ear
Cast away your every fear
Only speak and He will hear
There's always room at the cross for us. What I mean by that, is God won't deny you his love, mercy, or grace because you are one of millions. He's always here for us to tell our problems and pains to.

Hallelujah, everyone
Everyone can come to the cross
It doesn't matter what you've done
Everyone can come to the cross
Here, in the chorus, is another example of God's grace. Regardless of what you've done or what happened in the past, God still loves and accepts you.

When should we come to the cross? Well, the question is: Once we come to the cross, must we leave? Luckily, the answer is no! Once you let God live in you, you don't have to forget about it. Embrace his spirit and let Him do his work through you. You can be so much happier.. You may find yourself doing things for others that you never did before. You will also find that you have someone to talk to in the worst of times. Like the song said "Tell your burdened heart... at the cross there is room". When you're burdened, talk to God. Ask him for help or guidance when you need it. God answers our prayers. He may not answer in ways that we would expect, or even in ways that we like, but you always get an answer, and it's always the best.

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Remember Rahab

Every night beefore I go to bed, I read a few pages of the Bible. Last night I started the Old Testament book of Joshua. In the first chapter, Joshua sends two spies across the Jordan into Jericho (in the Promised Land) before the rest of Israel entered. The spies were close to getting captured when they came upon the house of a woman named Rahab. Rahab wasn't the person you would think God would use. She was a prostitute, and for most of her life, she didn't believe in God. When word of what has happened with the Israelites came to Jericho, Rahab heard of it and began to believe in and fear the LORD. When the spies came to her house, she hid them. Soon, men of the Jericho military came in search of the spies. Because Rahab was hiding the two men, they were not found. After the military men left, Rahab lowered the spies out of her house through the window. The spies made it safely back to their families.

As I said before, Rahab wasn't a woman whom you would expect God to use, but she didn't let her past keep her from God. We all have things in our past that we aren't proud of, but we can't let those things draw us from God. Past regrets can't get in the way of giving ourselves up to God for His use. God will use you how He sees fit, regardless of your past. If you ever feel like things you've done are keeping God from being in you, just remember Rahab and how God used her.

Remember Rahab,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

How Do You Use His Name?

God's name is used in many ways today, and not all of them are good. The question is: How do you use his name? Do you use it as a blame? God's name can be a blame for us sometimes. Don't blame God for any bad things that are happening. Those things may either be Satan's work, or small bumps in the road. Remember that God keeps the big picture in mind. Ever use it as a curse? "Oh my God!" or "I swear to God!" are two commonly used phrases in which God's name is used in a not-so-good way. The Third Commandment says: "'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.'" That was covered in the first part of this article. What the Third Commandment doesn't say, is how we can use His name. Use His name for His glory. Praise Him. Use His name to teach others and spread His word. That's one of the reasons we, as Christians, we made. To glorify the LORD.

Praise the LORD,
Kyle

Monday, August 23, 2010

Five Minutes to Go...

It was a Sunday like any other. Church started at 9:00, and my alarm was set for 7:30 so I could get ready and get to church in time to get a good seat. At least, I thought it was set... 8:50 came around and I was just stepping out of bed in my pj's. First thing that came to mind: "There's no way I'm getting to church today." So I didn't. I simply walked up to the living room, sat down, and watched tv.
Now I'm looking back on that day and wondering why I didn't go to church. God doesn't care how nice you look. His house has no dress code. The dress-nice-for-church attitude is not God's, it's just one that His people have come up with. Now I'm not saying we should never dress up for church or look nice. What I mean is: Don't skip church one day because you're having a bad hair day. God accepts us for who we are. What matters is that we are there to praise Him and learn His Word.

Come as you are,
Kyle

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Featured Band: Superchick

This week's featured Christian band is Superchick! Superchick plays rock music, with some songs being girl-power based. They're very fun. If you try searching them and get no results, try Superchic[k]. Listen to the song "Hero", and be sure to really listen to the lyrics. It's an amazing song.

Rock on for God,
Kyle

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking alond the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
WHen the last scene of his life flashed before himm, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times alond the path of his life there was only one set of footprings. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. BUt I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leace you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

That story was on a card I picked up at church one day. I've kept it in my wallet ever since. It reminds me that when I'm going through a tough time, the LORD will help me out. When I'm going through one of the toughest times, the LORD will carry me. So if you're walking through the valley, and it turns into, say, the Grand Canyon, let the LORD carry you and you will make it through. There's strength in the LORD; don't be afraid to use it when you need it.

In Christ,
Kyle

Friday, August 20, 2010

Through the Valleys

I was listening to my iPod (again) and came across the song "Mountain of God" by Third Day. It's an amazing song about strength and God's love. It starts off like this:

Thought that I was all alone
Broken and afraid
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

And I didn't even know
That I had lost my way
But You were there with me
Yes, You were there with me

God is always with us. When we're broken, afraid, belittled, and overwhelmed, God helps us. Let Him be in you and you will make it through. Speaking of making it through...

Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God

For me, this is the most uplifting and powerful part of the song. It tells us that everybody has a long, hard journey, but God's there to help those who have faith. The last two lines are my favorites. There are mountains (ups) and valleys (downs) in everyone's lives. We have to learn how to face those downs with God.

I talked about this before, I believe, in the "Courage in Faith" article. When we are walking through life's valleys, we must have faith. Walk tall through life's challenges, knowing God is always at your side, helping you on. And when you're too weak to walk, and you think you can't go on, the LORD will carry you. But that's another article for another day. That will be continued in tomorrow's article "Footprints".

credits: Lyrics from the song "Mountain of God" by Third day. Lyrics were taken from azlyrics.com

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Two Announcements

Two things to announce!

1) God's Word Saves now has a page on facebook. Like us! :)

2) This week's featured artist in the Music Player is Relient K! :)

Peace,
Kyle

Courage in Faith

So I'm sure I've explained faith and what it entails. One thing I never mentioned is that faith can give you courage. I realized this when I was listening to "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris. There's a line in the chorus that goes:

That faith gives you the courage
to dare to do great things.

I paused the song the first time I heard that so I could think that over. I realized that he's right! There is courage in faith. If you want courage, simply have faith that God is watching over you. Have faith that He loves you and will make everything OK. Simply put: Faith is the key. The key to courage, the key to heaven, the key to an AMAZING relationship with God. So next time you're walking through the Devil's valley, have faith that your God will lead you to His mountain. Then you will have the courage to walk through the valley, proudly, untouched by the Devil, for God is with you.

Have faith,
Kyle

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Music Player

Inspired by Elise's post and Alyssa's comment, we now have a Music Player! Thanks to playlist.com for their gadget. The Music Player will feature a few songs from a Christian band. The band will change every week, so don't forget to check it out! I will be accepting requests/suggestions of bands to feature, just comment here!

Kyle

Your Music Taste

This summer I was working at a strawberry patch and the subject of music came up. Everyone started talking about their favorite songs and who they want to see in concert and I started to realize a trend, everyone was talking about some hip hop rap or rock artist, they were singing about sex or hurting some girl or something along those lines. Then I realized I hadn't said a thing about my favorite song. At that everyone seemed to realize that too. So they all asked almost instantly, "Elise, what about you?" and I sat there and I remembered the first country song I ever heard called "The Long Black Train" by Josh Turner and no one knew about it, of course, it's country and its CHRISTIAN. It got me thinking, you know even our music affects how we live. And it affects how people see us. Yes, there are rock and hip hop that aren't talking about sex, but how about those bands that are Christian. Why don't they play those on the radio? We need to let people know there is awesome Christian music that is good to hear and lift your spirits. Such as Relient K and Skillet. Our music affects us whether we wanna believe it or not.

In Christ,
Elise

Sunday, August 15, 2010

"He Still Calls Me Son"

I was listening to my iPod yesterday when I came upon a song. It's one I've listened to many times before, but I never fully listened and absorbed the meaning of the song. It was "He Still Calls Me Son" by John Waller. It's a song about Grace. He starts off by telling us the bad things he's done and the terrible things that have been done to him:

"I drug his name through godless places
And I've known shame that no child of his should know
I've seen pain on broken faces
Beyond all thought of hope
I was just too far from home
Still I always wondered when I closed my eyes"

And the first chorus reads:
"After all I've done
Could he run to me?
Would he kiss my face?
Could he even look at me?
After where I've been
should he take me back?
I would understand
I've disgraced him
But it would be amazing
If he still calls me son"
Are you ever like this? I know I get like this sometimes. I went through a rough patch awhile back. I wondered if God could ever forgive me for all the terrible things I did and thought. Things I didn't do that I should have.

In the next verse, he talks about how, just when things look the worst, and he's crawling home on his hands and knees, he sees God watching over him with forgiveness.

After all I'd done
He just ran to me
Then he kissed my face
He would not let go of me
After where I'd been
He just welcomed me
I didn't understand
But he put his robe on me
It was so amazing
That he still called me son
That's the second chorus. It shows how amazing God's grace is! No matter what we've done, God will always be here for us. Our faith is what matters. God will always forgive us, because Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins. God will always call us his sons (and daughters).

One day as I breathe my last
And I know my days on earth have ended
When every hour is spent
I will close my eyes in amazement
And I'll hear angels
They'll be singing
And here, on his deathbed, he is sharing still how God's grace is with him. His faith has earned him his place in heaven, because God forgives us of any sin we have committed.

If you're ever wondering if God will call you His, think of this song and smile. Know that God will always forgive you. Even if your faith is weakened with pain and sorrow, You're still His child and his love for you is uncondional. Amen

God's grace,
Kyle

credits: Lyrics posted are from the song "He Still Calls Me Son" by John Waller. Lyrics were taken from allthelyrics.com

Saturday, August 14, 2010

500 Views!!!

Yay! We've have reached our first milestone view count: 500! Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and voted on the site, but you wanna know what I think? 500 is great, better than I expected, but I think 1000 is better! How fast can we get there? Pretty quick if you tell your friends! At the bottom of each post there is a nifty little toolbar that you can use to post to twitter, facebook, etc. Tell you friends, family, church buddies, youth group. Even if they're not Christian. In fact, that's even better! have a friend that hasn't come to Christ yet? Help them out! Tell them to check us out! godswordsaves.blogspot.com is NOT hazardous to your health. I repeat: NOT hazardous.

Also, I was wondering if you guys would like God's Word Saves to have its own Facebook and/or Twitter account. If there was one, would you make use of it? Coming soon is a "Contact Me" area. The blog will soon have its own email, so you can contact us privately if you have any questions/concerns. But I must say, as with the comments, vulgar, anti-God, anti-religion, hurtful, inappropriate, offensive, spam, or mean emails are NOT appreciated.

Again, THANKS so much for the support you have given us here. Let's see if we can get up to 1000 views by the end of August!

God's peace,
Kyle

God Can be in You

Do you ever think about God and say to yourself "Why is He so far away?"

There are millions of Christians in the world. It's very easy to think that God is so far away from us personally. Too busy to be with us personally. But He's not! That's the amazing thing. God is always with us, communicating with us, teaching us. He's not just up in his throne. We must remember that he came down to His people. Not in Godly form, but as man. He came down through Jesus Christ. We have to want to have a personal relationship with God. He's not going to do all the work to make a relationship work. You have to meet Him halfway. He will not come where He is not wanted. So you have to want Him in your life, and have faith that He will be with you as long as you believe. If you do that, God will be in you.

Peace,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Faith Saves

Faith is very important and very powerful thing. Faith is believing and being certain of something we don't see. In this case, that thing we don't see is God. We have to have faith that God has a plan for us, and He does. Every little thing that happens is part of God's greater plan. Sometimes that plan includes things we don't like. I have a very close friend that had a battle with cancer. Throughout her fight, she kept her faith strong. She put her life into God's hands. She dropped life's reigns and let God do His thing, and she was rewarded for her faith. He got rid of her cancer! It's amazing what faith can do. You've probably heard me mention this before, and I'll mention it a million times more. The story of Joseph in Egypt. The terrible thing that happened to him, the cancer in his life, was being sold into slavery. Joseph kept his faith strong. He believed that God knew what is best. God rewarded him by bringing him up to be the Pharoah's right-hand man. Eventually, that led to Joseph's family being brought to Egypt, and then the Israelites being delivered from Egypt. So just remember, God has a plan for you. Keep your faith strong and you will be rewarded. Amen

Stay faithful,
Kyle

Comments

I just want to say that this blog is not a place for anti-religion, hurtful, nor inappropriate comments. Twice now, people have posted hurtful/rude comments. Nobody is forcing you to read/visit the blog. Please, keep your anti-religion comments/thoughts to yourself. Vulgar language is also not allowed. The blog is meant to be uplifting and educational. It's meant to help people understand God's word and lessons. Starting now, Any hurtful, rude, anti-religion, mean, vulgar, disrespectful, or inappropriate comments will be read, responded to, and DELETED IMMEDIATELY. I will respond in hopes that the comment's author will read the response. If this continues after the "read, respond, delete" process, I will be changing the Comments Settings so all comments will be reviewed by me before being posted. Any comments of the above-listed nature will not be allowed. Thank you

Kyle

HELLO!!!

I finally figured out how to post! I, like Kyle, will only be posting when I have something meaningful to say. Also music is a huge inspirational so you will often see me refer to songs and artists who have influenced me in some way. I just wanted to say in advance I am not trying to use the blog as a platform to advertise I just want to share the bit of songs that moved me. I will always post the artist and song along with any lyrics used (if I know them) to avoid legal issues. If you choose to look up the artist awesome , if not that's cool too. I am looking forward to posting and reading the feedback.
Blessings,
Alyssa

Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Popularity Idol

I was reading my Bible when I came across a little side note. My Bible is full of them. They offer insight on different parts of the Bible. This one was in Leviticus and it talked about idolatry. More than once, the Israelites made idols and worshipped them instead of God. It went on to talk about different idols that we have here in modern society. An idol is anything that has become more important to us that God. It listed an idol that really caught my attention: Popularity. If you think about it, it's so true! All too often, being "popular" pulls us away from God. Sometimes we are afraid to act the way God tells us to. We don't wear our Christian T-shirts to school. We tuck our cross necklace under our shirts, out of sight. We are afraid of what people might think or say. We can't let it be like that! So throw down that idol. Proudly sport an "I Love Hardcore Christian Girls/Boys" T-shirt. Speak up for your God. Popularity lasts only a lifetime. God's love lasts forever. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to completely give up popularity to love God. All you have to do is believe that God is more important. Have friends that will accept you for who you are: God's child. Amen

Friday, August 6, 2010

See the Little Things

God made everything. He made Earth and all it's inhabitants. He gave us all of our possessions. Everything here is connected to Him. Have you ever seen God's beautiful work here on Earth? He sends us little things, beautiful reminders of His love for us. Sunsets are one example. I think of the twilight sky as God's canvas. Some nights, He paints a beautiful for His people, so we are reminded of His love for us. A tip on being happy: Notice the little things. See the sunsets, notice every small, beautiful thing that He has given us. Once you can do that, see his little gifts to us, you have unlocked another door to happiness. Amen

Look for God's little gifts,
Kyle

Events

There's a new "Events" section to the blog. I will link to the event's website if there is one, so be sure to check it out! You can suggest Christian-oriented events for addition to the Events section by commenting on this post.

Note: "National Pro-Life Cupcake Dat: Oct 9th" is the only event up right now. The link is to their website, but I have also created a facebook event that you can attend. Just search "National Pro-Life Cupcake Day" and find the current event. There was an event made for Nation Pro-Life Cupcake Day 2009, so make sure you find the 2010 one!

Kyle

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Welcome!

I would like to welcome Alyssa as a new author on the blog. I can't wait to hear what she has to say! Now, be nice. Don't scare her away, please. :)

Kyle

Don't Be a Garage Christian

A friend's facebook status yesterday read: "Sitting in church makes you no more Christian than sitting in a garage makes you a car."
This is so true! We can sit in church all day and still not be true Christians. The problem is that we give God his own little space, and that space extends to the property lines of our church. Once we leave Service we resume our everyday lives, leaving God all alone at His altar. That's what we do, but we don't have to continue doing it. God wants people to hear about him. He wants us to spread His word to everyone! Spread it to the masses: your family, your friends, believers, and those who still haven't come to Christ. Who knows, you may even help someone start their relationship with the LORD. Trust me, it's an amazing feeling.
So pray to the LORD. Ask Him to fill you with his love. Ask for understanding of His Word so you can spread it to His people.
Lastly, I ask you this: Will you bring God into your life? Will you stop being a Garage Christian? Amen

Spread the Word,
Kyle

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Saved From Doubt

Until recently, I was doubting the success of the blog here. I was getting bummed because of the low number/rate of views. I was doubting the quality of my writing, but right when I was about to give up, God talked to me. The first time it was through my girlfriend. I asked her what her opinion about the blog was. She told me she was proud and that she loved it (thank you, dear). The second was through someone whom I've never spoken to before. It was a reader who commented on a post. She talked about how she loves the blog, and how it has helped her with her relationship with God. I was talking to my best friend today and she actually ws the one to tell me about the post mentioned above. She was aware of the doubts I was having and told me: "You have doubts and God provides you a message to keep your faith strong". That's exactly what happened. God saw that I was having my doubts and he sent me those people, who helped me and kept me going. (Thank you to all those mentioned, you helped me so much.) So next time you are having doubts, whether they are doubts of faith, of other doubts, just look around. There might be a message from God waiting to be discovered. Amen

When in doubt, stay strong,
Kyle

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Sundays

First things first, I would like to think my lovely lady for bring this matter, and my faults in it, to my attention. ♥

In today's busy world, Sunday is anything but a day of rest. We are always out and about, doing this and that. There are places to go, people to see, no time to rest. Right? Not exactly... On the seventh day, Sunday, God rested after creating the world. He made it a Commandment that on Sunday should be a day of rest. Back in biblical times, they took this very seriously. Even the preparation of food was considered work and, therefore, not done. Nowadays, for most people, it's different. There's church, then football, running errands, planning for the week ahead, etc. We don't give God his place on this day. Sometimes we only allot him an hour or two during church. So how much of the day should be devoted to God? Well, all of it. I know it's difficult. He knows it's difficult, that's why He forgives us for not devoting this day to Him. But it doesn't have to stay this way. We don't have to keep ignoring God on the day that should be devoted to Him. Start small. Give Him a little more time than you do now. Rest a little more, read the Bible. Then you can increase the time you do those things and you're on your way. :)

Peace,
Kyle

God's Gifts to Us: Respect Them

God has blessed us on this earth with so many amazing things. The oil in the ground, the beauty and bounty of the land are all gifts to us from the LORD. Why must we abuse them? I think we should respect those gifts more. This was brought to my attention by my amazing girlfriend while we were discussing the oil spill disaster . We are slowly destroying everything that God has given us. The rainforests are a prime example. I don't know the numbers, but I know they are staggering. Many square miles of beautiful rainforests are being leveled off every day. Species are going endangered and extinct left and right. We can and need to stop this from getting worse. Simple things: recycle, car pool, donate money to reputable charities. So go out and change the world in the name of the LORD. :)

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Friday, July 30, 2010

Friends: God's Reminder

I was talking to my best friend last night. I was having a bad day and she reminded me, again, how God is here for me. I thanked her for being God's reminder, and she quoted her grandmother: "Friends are God's messengers. They show us we always have someone to love us." Good friends are always there for you, just like God is. Sometimes God will send you a reminder via your friend. Make sure you listen to it. Sometimes it's not exactly what you want to hear. Here's a situation: Your boy/girlfriend just broke up with you. You're really upset about it. You are talking to your friend and they tell you it's all going to be OK and you should try to move on. Although this may not be what you want to hear, take it as God's Word. He always knows what's best for us.
Sometimes, His plans don't take shape right away, but be faithful. Trust in God. A perfect example is the story of Joseph in Genesis. His brothers sold him into slavery. He went to Egypt as a slave, then a prisoner. He could have given up, bet he kept following the LORD. He stayed faithful and that took him far! He went from being a prisoner to Pharaoh's right-hand man! That's what faith can do.
So listen to your friends. Sometimes God will speak to you through them. And what God says matters. Amen

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

God is Here For You

The other day, I told my friend about something bad that was going on in my life (sorry, not gonna go into specifics). She answered me with a few questions. She asked, "Who's in your heart now?" I replied, "God." Then she asked, "What has He done for you?" I replied, "Everything". Again she asked, "What can He do for you?" My answer: "Anything." Lastly, she asked, "What does He want you to do?", and I said, "I don't know." Then, she finally gave me an answer. She said, "Prayer. He wants you to talk to Him."

That whole conversationed reminded me of something I have somehow forgotten: God is always here for us. He has been with His people since the beginning of time. He gave His only son for us. Another thing: He will always be here. After the great flood of Noah's day, God made a promise, and He made it with a brilliant rainbow. That promise still stands today. We all must remember that God is here and he always will be.

We also must remember to pray. In times of doubt or darkness or sin, all we have to do is pray to the LORD. Just ask for forgiveness, guidance, help, whatever you need. But also thank Him. He's done so much for us. Amen

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Confronting the Lies

When I started going to public school in 8th grade, I thought my life would change drastically. It did, but in the opposite way I thought it would. I started drifting away from God; I didn't realize it at all. However, when I entered high school, I knew I was messing up, but I didn't want to stop because I was making a lot of new friends. I was becoming popular, and I didn't want it to stop. Next thing I knew, I was doing bad things left and right. I went into sophmore year being friends with anyone I talked to cause I was "cool". However, half way through the year, I got to the point were I lied about almost anything just to be cool. But thanks to God, I had two friends confront me about my lying. They came to me and told me they knew I was lying. Then we had a deep conversation and they reminded me who I was: I was God's daughter. That night I recommited my life to Christ and I wrote down all the lies I could remember telling. I went to those people and asked for forgiveness. Suprisingly, I only lost a few friends. People like me still because I am me and I am there for them. That's what matters: being yourself. God taught me that the hard way but I am so happy I learned it.

In Christ,
Elise

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Praying Shouldn't be Exercise

First off, I would like to thank Pastor Dick for his sermon today, which mentioned some of the things I will be talking about, and prompted me to write today.

People pray for different reasons. Some do it because they think it is expected, others pray because they they're told it's an exercise. We must not think of prayer like an exercise. It's not something that you need to do all the time in order to get better. The important thing is to pray with your heart. It's not about praying the "right" way. There is no "right" way to pray. It's all about having a relationship with God, your Father. All you have to do is talk to Him, and mean what you say. Amen


Peace,
Kyle

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Blog Changes

Dear readers,

I have changed the permissions of my blog so anonymous readers/ without accounts can comment on my posts. I apologize for preventing anyone without an account from commenting. Comment away! :)

Thursday, July 22, 2010

God is Calling

I'm going to start this one out with a question: What does God want you to do to spread His word? I started this blog because I believe God put the idea into my head, so I can spread His word to His people. I believe God gave me my musical abilities so I can praise Him and spread the Word through my songs and the songs of others. So what's God calling you to do? He wants everyone who truly believes to spread the Word so others will follow suit. Some listen, some don't, others just don't look, or don't know enough to look and listen to Him. Will you listen? Things done in God's name are the best things to be done. So pick up the phone when God calls, don't just let it ring. If God hasn't made the call yet, do something for His people in the meantime. Donate to your local food pantry, go on a mission trip, volunteer somewhere. Even the little things help. So, remember, when God calls you, be sure to listen, it's always for the best.

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Philippians 4: 6-7

Philippians 4: 6-7 reads: "Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus."

This is my favorite bible verse, and it happened to be one of the verses that majorly strengthened my relationship with God. It kinda taught me how to pray. All too often we ask God for something. More often than we thank Him. This verse doesn't tell us to stop asking God for things. It tells us we should ask God for what we need, but also thank Him for listening and doing everything He does for us. If we do that, like the reading says, we will experience God's peace, which is so great we can't fully conprehend it. Yeah, it's that great.

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

It's Not Always Easy

Last year, during a curling bonspiel (tournament), God taught me a very important lesson.
It was our third game of the bonspiel, and we needed to win in order to have a chance at taking home a medal. We were neck-and-neck with the other team for the first four ends. When I had time, I took a moment to pray to God. I asked him to give our team the strength and wisdom to win the match.
We stayed neck-and-neck through the eighth (final) end and into the ninth (overtime) end. The score was tied, and after every rock was thrown, We gathered at the house to measure and score the rocks. One of our rocks and one of theirs were about the same distance from the center, so we brought out the measuring device. It turned out our rock was closer by literally 1mm.
God taught me a lesson that night. He taught me that things aren't always a cake walk. Sometimes we really need to work to get what we want. It's not always easy. Amen to that.

Peace,
Kyle

Monday, July 19, 2010

Grace

Grace. It's just one word, but it's all around us. I have been told many times by my pastor: "No matter what we've done, no matter what we will do, no matter what has been done to us, God will still love us." It's so true! Jesus died on the cross for us so God will forgive us of all our sins. The best part: that forgiveness is for forever! As long as we believe in God and believe with all our hearts that Jesus died for our sins, we are saved. So we should never dwell on the past, never worry about whether or not God cares about what we've done in the past, or what has been done to us. In God's book, it doesn't even matter. He loves us, has always loved us, and will always love as long as we believe in Him. Amen

Peace be with you,
Kyle

Hello everyone

First things first, welcome to my blog. My hopes are that this blog will strengthen your relationship with God and help you see Him in your everyday life. I will only post when I have something new to say. There won't be a new post everyday, but check back often or follow the blog! :)