He is; I AM

Ablaze!

Hi...Ablaze is a youth ministry for ages 12-18, we meet every Thursday night @ 6:30 pm @ the Maco, the inner city of Virginia.  It's a place where junior and high schoolers can connect, make friends, have fun and talk about faith and life's challenges for teenagers.  We have found a way to makes since out of today's teen issues with a biblical principle and perspective while finding our true identity and purpose for this world.  Come join us, everyone is welcome!  Are you lonely?  Do you think no one sees you?  Do you think no one cares?  Do you feel unloved or rejected?  We have Good News!  Come...Come see...Come listen...meet some new friends, or re-acquaint with some old ones...  :) Don't follow the crowd, come find out who you REALLY are.

And the greatest of these is Love...

Sometimes the weight of this world can be so weary...One thing I try to remember is you never know what anyone is going through.  We can smile, we can laugh, we can be @ every fun event, we can stay up all night with our friends, stick a positive status on facebook, or a funny one for that matter.  But does anyone really know what we are going through?  Jesus does...Jesus sent us a helper, the Holy Spirit, He is with us all the time, (Matt 28:20, Jn 14:2, Jn 15:26) As for each other I say "no" some of us may wear our sadness, troubles, heartaches, grief, etc..on our sleeve, which in other words means we let everyone know how we feel, or what we are going through.  But some do not.   If someone has hurt me, or lashed out @ me I try to remember these words of Jesus;  A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).  But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:27-28).  "But Steph this is the hardest thing to do" "I know right!"  Most of the time when I give you something from the Lord, It's not always just for you...it usually means the Lord has just taken me through this, or He is teaching me more on the subject right now!  The fact is we are called to love one another!  I want you to remember one thing,  "You are the righteousness of God, because of Jesus, not because of anything you have done!  You are righteous in the eyes of your Heavenly Father because He looks @ you through the cross!  His perfect Son, Jesus, His perfect Son sinless Son became our sin!  What a Love!  Can we really grasp that fact!  I pray right now, Lord that the person reading this post, that you establish in them this truth, that your precious Son, died on the cross for us, that He took our sin upon himself, became our sin, so that we may live with you eternally forever someday in heaven, and live a free life, abundant life, a victorious christian life right now on this earth, establish this Lord, write this on the tablet of their heart now in Christ Name, Amen!  ~  So lets try, practice this, tidbits to help us love, I ask you to realize that you may have misunderstood the persons words who you think has offended you, He or she may be distracted,  He or she may be busy, He or she may be going through a personal crisis, He or she may be sick or exhausted.  Or on the other hand maybe they are your enemy! 

However, if someone insults you or dislikes you, respond in a Christ-like manner.   Try not to take things personally and let your emotions control you. Instead, see the other person as someone with a problem who needs God's help and your prayers, but don't tell them that either, it could send a signal that you think you got it going on and they don't.  And DON'T, I repeat DON'T talk about it to others, don't gossip about them, be a GOSSIP STOPPER!   Or in the teen world 'DRAMA" Oh I feel another post coming!!  Anyway here are a few scripture verses to help us along.  Romans 12:10, Philippians 2:3, Galatians 5:26 ~ Look them up!  Pray God establish and write these on tablet of your heart memorize them!  Remember your helper, the Holy Spirit, and before you know we will be walking in the truth and love, not just knowing it!

I Dare You!

Hi My name is Steph, a few years ago I had an encounter with God, so much so that my life has never been the same since!  Coming from a background of never feeling accepted and lots of rejection, I carried this through my teen years and young adulthood along with all the pain which sat me up for some pretty tough times.  God has showed me how to make since out of my life and life's challenges, through spending time with Him.  How do I spend time with God?  Glad you asked, well how do you get to know a new friend?  You spend time with them.  I built this sight as another platform for us to use to build, strengthen and encourage one another!  We believe God is using this ministry team to take you to heights you've never been before.  Lately the Lord has been showing us how to love the unlovely, lost or lonely.  This can make for a difficult quest at times.  So we need to fully rely on God, and one another as we learn how to build our foundation together in Christ first, and then right relationships with others.  Let's enjoy this journey as God is reshaping us, building our new identity in Him.  The bible says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2Cor. 5:17 So I challenge you these questions ~ What or whom do you honor the most?   What or who do you give allegiance to?  What or where is your value?  These are some of the questions we are answering together through applying biblical principles to your lives as teenagers going through adolescence making the transition into young adulthood.   Did you know that what you honor the most, what you give allegiance to, where you get your value from, what you believe in, shapes your destiny and direction and you will become whatever you represent.   My heart burns for your generation because I believe God has placed this desire in me, He has called me there.   So c'mon take a chance with us, what have you got to lose?  Let's really get to know who God is and breakdown all those distorted views and images that were built in us through our old life before Jesus pulled us out of the pit!  I dare you!  I challenge you to watch as He rebuilds your identity and gives you the future that He promised us in Jer. 29:11.   See you in the next post!