Military Daughter

     My dad has been in the military all of my life.  With that being said that means he also gets deployed a lot.  When I was younger I remember him being gone and how much I missed him.  So when I heard that he was leaving again I was devastated.  My heart broke in two.  It was like I could almost feel it splitting in half.  I huge lump swelled up in my throat and made it nearly impossible to talk.  All I wanted to to was crawl in a hole and never leave.  Then, just to make it worse when it came time for my dad to really leave I wasn't even there to say good-bye.  I felt like the worst daughter in the world.  At that time I was ministering to kids and I missed his call.  I was crushed.
     For the next few months I just pouted around, feeling sorry for myself.  The smallest thing made me upset and bitter.  I wanted to yell, "Does anyone care about how I feel!?"  It seemed like no one cared about how I felt.  But I realize now that it was wrong for me to think like that.
      It's not all about me.  It's all about God.  And when I thought no one cared, that was all just a big lie that the devil was telling.  In fact a lot of people care about me and how I feel. All of those nights where I cried myself to sleep and thought about how much I really missed my dad, I should have been thinking about how proud I am for my dad.  Yes, I miss him terribly but what he is doing is amazing.  To sacrifice your comfort and your family to help people you don't even know is very noble. 
     So even though I haven't talked to my dad in a week and I miss him so much, I REFUSE to be upset about it.  God didn't create me to just mope around and feel sorry about myself!  He created me to glorify Him.  To show the world what He has done for us.  God gave His only Son to die on the cross for us.  We certainly didn't deserve that!  God sacrificed His one and only Son to be beaten, whipped, spat on, and nailed to a tree, to save the very people who are driving nails in His wrist.  So when I do start feeling upset I won't get bitter, I will instead think about how proud I am for what my father is doing, and I will thank my Father in heaven for what He did. :-)


Written by,
jamNjelly

Umbrellas

     There are so many different names for trials.  Some people call them, "bumps in the road" or "hard times", while others may call them "bad days"well we call call them "storms"   And what is the best thing to have when a storm is coming?  An umbrella!  When we face a storm there is something that helps you get through that storm, we call that something an "umbrella". 
     This umbrella could be anything.  Whatever helps you get through your storm is your umbrella.  To some people it could be their friends, then there are some who have their boyfriend/girlfriends as an umbrella, and others it may be drugs or alcohol.  But I am here to tell you that there is someone who is the greatest umbrella.  He never leaves you and He will never forget you.  (Hebrews 13:5)  This someone is God.  God is the greatest umbrella there ever was and ever will be.  Why is this?
     Hebrews 13:5 says, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."  God will be with us always, there is never a moment that He is not with us and never is there a moment that He forgets us.  We are always on His mind.  He is always thinking of us, wanting to be with us.  Unlike friends or people who we date (or court) who are with us for a time, but soon have to leave, or forget about us for a while.  Isn't it amazing to think that He is always with every single one of us?  Our minds can't comprehend it, but it is truly true!  And He WANTS too, He loves you so much and He wants you to be happy.
     Now here is where I am probably going to burst someones bubble.  But, we choose to be happy.  It doesn't just happen.  So, if you are in a difficult time right now consider this.  Are you really upset, or are you just moping around?  When we first face a hard time we are upset.  But, there has to be a time when we pull ourselves together and move one.  Accept what has happened and be happy again.  There will probably be times when you will feel bummed out, but don't stay there!  Shed a few tears, then dust your shoulders off and look to God.  Don't think of all the tough stuff, because I assure you if you do, you will start feeling sad again.
      But, think on happy things.  Think of the blessings God has given you.  Think on how you won't always feel this way.  There will be a day when all of the pain has passed away!  And you will be with God in Heaven.  Think of how He bled and died on the cross and forgave you of your sins.  Think on how He blessed you with this day, with the breath you just took.  If you think on such things, and have God as your umbrella I know for a fact that you will get through this storm. 
     Written by, Jam'n'Jelly
   

Military Father

     I was at a luncheon the other day and we were talking about our dads.  How they should be more active in our lives and how we should get closer to them.  I thought this was a wonderful idea, and still think it is.  Except I have one little problem.  My father is in the military and is leaving for Kuwait in 2 months.  So just getting closer to him would be more painful and harder to let him go.     I am already close to my dad, and it is already hard to think of losing him.  So the thought that I can't get closer to my dad seemed very painful.  I do not want my father to go to Kuwait but I know that he has to.  It is comforting to know that he will be doing what he loves.  But it is still hard.  I know that I need to accept and move on.  And I am, because I have the greatest umbrella in the world. 
     And that umbrella is God.  When  I feel upset or depressed I start thinking of the blessings He has given me.  I know that this year is going to be a tough one.  But I also know that I won't be alone through this year.  I will always have my friends by my side.  I will have my mother and my siblings.  But the one who I am trusting the most to be with me through this time is God.  Because I know He will never leave me or forsake me.  (Hebrews 13:5)  And when I start getting upset I know He is right next to me.  Never letting me go.  So when the time comes, and my father leaves my life for a time, I will have my umbrella to help me over come this storm.
     Written by, Jamm'n'Jelly

Fire

Where to start....... Okay, on the first Wednesday of December my house caught on fire and my life was completely flipped upside down. No, my house did not burn to the ground, but we were told 5 more minutes and it would have been, but the smoke damage all over the house was horrible, I couldn't believe my eyes as I walked in, once they said that the fire was gone and it was okay I just wanted to roll up in a ball and cry, my house was destroyed, every wall was coated in smoke and the windows were cracked the molding bubbled and burnt, it was like we'd never bought curtains, because there wasn't even any trace that we had curtains, the blinds and fans had all melted, I could go into more depth but I wont. The love and care of so many people was amazing, The Red Cross showed up while the firefighters were hosing the fire out, they were so amazing, even though we didn't even know them they stayed there and comforted us and got us in a hotel room, some of our neighbors came over and took my younger brothers and sister to their house and fed them pizza so they wouldn't have to see the house. The next day at my co-op they prayed for us and comforted us, my best friend let me stay at her house and let me borrow her clothes, since the smoke had ruined most of my clothes, and people we had never really talked to came up to us and offered extra rooms in their house or even their guest house.Our church was just so amazing supporting us and just taking us under their wing, the love was so abundant I don't know how we could of gotten so far. I thank to all those people Christ truly shone through you guys.

Pity Parties

     Bad things happen to people all the time. So what do you do when it happens to you? Well wallowing in your misery, or having a pity party is NOT what you do.  God has a plan for you, and His plan is not about you feeling sorry for yourself.  Tragedy's happen and sometimes we don' know why.  But God does, He knew the very day He created everything.  There is a reason why you are facing a hard time.  Though you may not know why now,you will later.  
     So what do we do until then?  Instead of feeling sorry for yourself you should get up and live life.  Be thankful for the breathe you just breathed!  God just blessed you right now.  He gave you this day, don't waste it by thinking of how bad your life is.  But, instead think about the blessings God has given you.  Be thankful that He died on the cross for your sins, that He gave you this day, that He loves you and wants you to know more about Him.
     God loves you and He let this happen to you.  We may not know why but there is a reason.  So don't go about your days thinking about how terrible your life is.  But think about all of the wonderful blessings He has given you.  And remember that someday this will make sense, and that there is a reason behind this.
     Written by, Jam'n'Jelly

A Man Named Job

     There once was a man named Job.  He was a very wealthy man, had ten kids and a wife.  He was also a godly man.  God knew that his heart was right, but Satan didn't.  Satan wanted to test Job saying that the only reason why Job was so godly was because he had everything he could have ever needed.  God allowed Satan to test Job.  That is when everything fell apart.  All in ONE day, Job lost all of his wealth and all ten kids.  All in ONE single day!  Can you believe that!  Having everything and then losing it all in one single day, just 24 hours. 
     So what would you do in this type of situation?  Well, Job tore his clothes, which is a sign of morning, and worshiped God!  After losing everything, he worshipped God.  Knowing that God let this happen, knowing that God could have stopped this from happening.  He knew this and he STILL worshiped God.  So what does this tell us?
     We should be worshiping all the time.  In good times and bad times.  Because we know that God lets everything happen for a reason.  Nothing that has ever happened in this world caught God by surprise.  There is a reason for everything.
     James 1:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  So what does this verse tell us?  We should be thankful when we are in trials.  Now why in the world should we be thankful???  Why would God let bad things happen?
      God lets bad things happen because He knows that we can come out of this trial.  He knows that we will grow closer to Him through this trial.  Now sometimes people leave God, and say that He doesn't exist when hard times come.  But remember Jesus said, "Whoever follows me, let him carry his cross."  Jesus didn't promise us an easy life.  He didn't promise that we would never have any more trials.  He didn't promise us any of that.  But He said to take up your own cross.  But when we do go through hard times, we should know that there is a reason.  And when we go through a trial God wants us to become closer to Him.  So when a hard time comes are you going to, be like a man named Job and draw close to God, or leave Him?
     Written by, Jam'n'Jelly

FAITH makes things
POSSIBLENOT EASY