Just Friends~Chapter 5~

CHAPTER 5-Discovering God's Model

• Finding the right person isn't about finding the right person-it;s about becoming the right person.-Pg. 46

• The more you force your will on God,the less you truly understand His will.-Pg. 46

Ephesians 5:1&2

• It means that God holds all your hopes and dreams-that He is your everything.It means that God is the center of your life-your provider,your strength,your refuge-not a boyfriend of girlfriend.- Pg. 47-48

• God desires for you to be on an upward journey of spiritual growth.- Pg. 48

• When marriage struggles-and all of them do-it doesn't mean you married the wrong person.It means that you need to grow-to become a better person.-Pg. 48

~It means God...should be the center of your life
~It means you must spend more time preparing your heart than daydreaming about an infatuation.
~It means your first love should be Jesus Christ.
~It means that every friendship should be helping you become the person that God desires you to be.

• If you will focus on becoming the right person,every friendship will have a godly purpose and a Christ-centered approach.-Pg. 52

• Which way are you thinking?Why are you "just friends" with the opposite gender?Is it so you can have security,acceptance,and artificial love?Is it so you can pretend to be married?Or is it so you can grow in God's grace and prepare for the right person in your future.-Pg. 52

• They (Isaac and Rebekah) were patient to wait on HIs timing.Their story reveals two people who were focused on becoming the right person.-Pg. 53

• Your life must be consumed with God and dependent upon Him,and your friendships and relationships should help you grow in His grace. -Pg. 53-54

Just Friends~Chapter 4~

CHAPTER 4-Erasing Hollywood's model
(1 John 2:15,James 4:4)

• You must constantly check your heart and make sure you are not buying into Satan's lies.

HOW HAS THE WORLD AFFECTED CHRISTIANS PHILOSOPHIES?:
1.Wrong role models

• Your role model ought to be those who are living in godliness and purity-Pg. 40

2.Wrong Perspective on reality
3.Wrong view of love and marriage
4.Wrong expectation of immediate gratification

• God's word makes it clear that the best things in life are worth waiting for!-Pg.42

• Live today in a way that will lead to no regrets.- Pg. 42

5.Wrong emphasis on personal experience
6.Wrong focus on fashion and the body

• What makes us beautiful are the qualities of the heart-a meek and quiet spirit,humility,holiness,and godly character.-Pg. 43

7.Wrong view of maturity

• Innocence is a thing of great value in God's eyes-Pg. 43

• Be glad if you don't fully understand sin or wickedness.Be intentionally ignorant.Focus instead on growing in wisdom and understanding that which is good and right.-Pg. 43

• Maturity is not familiarity with sin.Maturity is not an age.Maturity is the acceptance of responsibility.-Pg. 43

• God's philosophy is not about finding the right person.God will lead you to the right person.-Pg. 44

• God's plan is about becoming the right person.-Pg. 44

True Beauty

What makes us beautiful are the qualities of the heart-a meek and quiet spirit,humility,holiness,and godly character.

~Pg. 43, Just Friends Chapter 4

Just Friends~Chapter 3~

CHAPTER 3-A closer look at Biblical friendships
1)Biblical friendship involves three aspects of life
Body,Soul,and Spirit

• Body-the physical part of you (1 Cor. 6:18-20).Once your saved,your body belongs to God.

• Soul-your mind,will,and emotions,A.K.A. your heart

• Spirit-you are a new man (Rom. 6:6).You were once a sinful creature who was sometimes able to do right.Now you are a righteous creature,who is  sometimes able t do wrong.

What role do they (body,soul,and spirit) play in relationships?:

• Your body-God says to save this completely for marriage (2 Tim. 2:22,1 Cor. 6:18).

• Your soul-This is where you determine your values,your character,and your feelings.This is where you make choices!

• Your spirit-What God will use to guide you in all of life.Do you friendships help you grow closer to God and encourage you in your walk with Him?

2)Biblical Friendship involves time together

• Healthy,spiritual friendships develop the same  way other friendships do-through time and attention-Pg. 28

• The more time you spend together and the more attention you give any friend (even when you are apart),the closer your friendship will become.-Pg. 28

• Too much makes it too serious,too emotional,too confusing.Too little makes it pointless.-Pg. 28

3)Biblical friendships do wholesome things together

• Godly people build their friendships in wholesome,pure,and Christ-honoring ways.We're talking about things like youth activities,church functions,and family outings.-Pg. 28-29

4)Biblical friendships have a purpose

• Biblical friendships are headed somewhere-they help you become a better person,and they compel you to go the right direction in life.-Pg. 29

Here are a few goals that should be the product of godly,encouraging friendships in your life:
1.To grow socially,emotionally,and spiritually
2.To become more like Christ
3.To help someone grow spiritually
4.To have an enjoyable time and make good memories
5.To learn to love others selflessly
6.To learn to communicate with the opposite gender
7.To learn how to treat someone of the opposite gender
8.To learn how to keep Christ first in  your life
9.To learn how to guard your heart
10.To prepare you for the future
5)Biblical friendships have a good influence

• Choose to be interested in people who have godly character and a good direction in life.Choose to hang around someone you would like to become more like-someone who will help you be more like Christ.-Pg. 30

• God blesses those who honor authority (Eph. 6:3)

1.They have been where you are
2.They have been down the "marriage road"
3.They are wiser than you are
4.They care for  your welfare

• God never intends for you to allow authority figure to take His place in your life or to allow them to lead in any direction that would go against His word or His laws.-Pg. 32

• Do your friends strengthen your heart for God or weaken it?Are you a better son,daughter,brother,sister because of your friends?do your friends help you respect your parents or tempt you to lie to them?Do  your friends encourage you with spiritual talk,prayer,and uplifting attitudes?Or do they make you negative,ungrateful,cynical,and rebellious?Do you love God more or less because of their influence?-Pg. 32-33

• It's not about dating,it's about maturing.It's not about falling in love;it's about growing in grace.-Pg. 33

• Good friends make you a good person in every area.-Pg. 33

• God desires for you to learn from your friends and for them to learn from you.-Pg. 33

Just Friends~Chapter 2~

Chapter 2-A Biblical view of Guy/Girl relationships

• God gives attractions,and God gives friendships-Pg. 17

• It is more about establishing healthy friendships than it is about falling in love.It's more about growing close to God and walking with Him than it is about growing close to a boyfriend or girlfriend.It's about preparing for a lifetime of love than it is about finding a temporary one.-Pg. 18

• You will most likely one day give your whole life to another person as spouse.And while it may seem far off,right now you are preparing for that day.You are becoming the person your spouse will marry-Pg. 18

• View all young adult attractions and friendships through this thought-I am preparing for God's will-Pg. 18

• If your not ready to get married,why act like you're married-especially with someone who will most likely be someone else's spouse?It's much wiser to focus on keeping God first and then on developing godly friendships that will prepare you for what is to come.-Pg. 18-19

PRINCIPLES OF GUY/GIRL FRIENDSHIPS:
1.Godly friendship is a good thing

• Pro. 17:17,It is a good thing when guys and girls can be together in ways that honor the Lord and sharpen their lives for God's glory.Good friendships do much to prepare you spiritually,socially,and relationally for a wonderful future

2.Guy/Girl attraction is a natural thing
        Gen. 2:18
3.Guy/Girl relationships should be Bible-based

• The Bible ought to be the center of a godly friendship.It is the relationship manual for mature Christian young people.It will keep you clean (Ps. 119:9)and in the center of God's will(Rom. 12:1-2).

4.Godly friendship is about fellowship
John 1:3,Acts 2:42

• Simply put,you should be a better Christian because of your friendships.

• Your friendships should be Christ-focused,and others-focused.

• Mature Christians find their acceptance and love in Christ,and then their friendships are focused more on fellow-shipping and serving.

• Your goal as a Christian in your friendship ought to be to help that person grow in the Lord and be the best person he or she can be for God.

• Decide now that you will learn from the person you are attracted to and that you will help them learn from you.See their weaknesses and strengths,and try to help them grow.Pro. 27:17

 5.Healthy friendships are a means to the end

• The road that leads to marriage begins with  real,authentic,godly friendships.

• The moments you spend with friends in godly environments help you learn to relate,to mature,to connect,and to honor Christ.

  6.Guy/Girl attractions should be between Christians
Amos 3:3,2 Cor. 6:14

• Light cannot have fellowship with darkness

• Don't even entertain the idea of being attracted yo a non-Christian.You will not reform them-they will reform you.

• Wise Christians will only establish close friendships with strong Christians

Just Friends~Chapter 1~

PART ONE-See the Big Picture
Chapter 1-Mutations,confusion and transition

• It is a medical,scientific fact that you are undergoing a radical mental reconstruction.This should make you more dependent upon the Lord and and godly authorities as you grow into adulthood-Pg. 9

• What better time to ingrain a brain with biblical principles and godly wisdom then when it is still being wired?-Pg. 10

• God desires to be your stability,and He desires to give your friendships and influences that strengthen you toward Him,not pull you away.-Pg. 12

THE RIGHT RESPONSE TO CHANGES:
1.Spend time with God

• All the spiritual stability comes from building your life on the Rock!

• There's nothing that can replace being alone with God,opening His Word and letting Him speak to your heart.You must begin walking with God now and never stop.-Pg. 15

2.Time  with Family

• Every moment that you spend developing a strong relationship with mom or dad is a moment that God will settle in your heart.-Pg. 15

3.Comic Relief

• Laughter is God's way of helping you cope with growing up!-Pg.15

• Laughter at the right things will just keep your heart and perspective balanced and sane.-pg.16

Just Friends~Introduction~

I went to my sisters house and had been looking at this book on here shelves for awhile so finally I asked to borrow.I just started this book this evening,but it already had good points in it so I thought I would put them on here as I read each chapter.
It is written by Mike Ray and Cary Schmidt

• "Being attracted to the opposite gender is neither wrong,nor abnormal.In fact it is a great,wonderful,God-given gift."-Pg. xvii
• "God desires to give you a full heart,a full light,and all the love you could ever need.But it all starts with Him and happens according to His principles and His timetable."-Pg.xvii
• "Base all your friendships and youthful attractions on the Bible."-Pg. xix
• "If you go with His plan,your going to love where He leads you."-Pg. xix

Teen's vs. Parent's Volleyball Tournament

This past Friday we had a volleyball tournament at church.For ten weeks we have trained and been coached for this,to play against the parents.We had an awesome Coach (who made us do some awful drills!= D),we met every Monday night,we were there working on our volleyball skills from 6PM-8:30PM.There was 12 of us,and we all worked our hardest.Well time for the tournament came we were playing best out of seven games,meaning winner would have to win 4 games or more.We started the games...the adults won the first 2 games,and then we won the next 2,and the the adults won one,and then we won one,and then we won the last one;making it adults-3,teens-4!We won!Go Strikers!We were pretty excited about it,but there's more of the story to hear,there was some motivation behind this...first our Coach told us that if we didn't win the third game (since the adults beat us in the first 2 games) that we would have to run 20 suicides,I don't know about you,but I strongly dislike doing suicides,our next motivation was that if we won the game Coach would make 11(enough for each of us,because the twelfth player couldn't make the game) whipped cream pies,one for each of us to smash in his face,and our last motivation our team captain said that if we won we could pour Gatorade all over him....another reason for the victory was the pep talks from our team captain and coach.Well the first thing we did after the win was took a minute and thanked the Lord and then some of the guys carried Coach around,then we all high-fived and  congratulated each other.Then our team captain gave us his water bottle full of grape Powerade,and true to his word,let us dump it all over him...me and another girl did it.Well I was standing there talking to someone and next thing I know my team captain came at me with cold water and dumped it all over my back....and there another person who was squirting me with water and 2 other girls (one of which was my loving sister!= D) put ice down my back...it was a very eventful night,I'm just glad I didn't get red Gatorade dumped on me like some of the other team members did...afterwards we hit the v-ball around some,and talked,and just had some great fellowship!= D
[sorry there was no pictures...= (]

Good Quote for Young Men

“Where are our young men, fired with the love of Christ and compassion for immortal souls, who are desirous to leave their comforts and their homes for a few years, to serve their Redeemer in foreign lands?"
~Ann Judson~

Cherries

Culotte Making

I started making a pair of culottes yesterday and finished them today (with the help of mom= D)I got the material for my birthday from my sister and brother-in-law.

Camping with Friends

Last Tuesday Liv and I went camping with Melanie,Michelle,Megan,and Gina as one last get together before Gina goes to Africa.We set up a nice camp site and then decided to go tube down the creek one time before supper;it looked a little stormy,but we figured we could get down once...well we did make it down the creek once,but when we got to the end where our campsite was,both of our tents and canopy was in the creek.So we all pitched in and got down in the creek to get the stuff out.Do you know how heavy a wet sleeping bag is?How about a wet pillow?What about a tent full of water?Let me tell you it's not light!And as we were getting the stuff out of the creek it started to pour with lightning flashing all around us,we all just thought it was to funny,I mean what could go worse?The weird part was the one tent was staked to the ground and the other one was full of stuff,and the canopy looked like it was picked up.Not a single chair that was sitting by the fire was moved,not even the food on the picnic table.The good news was our clothing was still in the truck,dry.We went back and loaded up in the trucks and then went to Teen Haven (after a little detour= ]) and stayed in a cottage in warm,dry clothes.We had pizza and watched a movie,it was all fine...except for the 2 wolf spiders the size of your hand in the bathroom and outside the door.Wednesday afternoon we went back and loaded up all the stuff because we just left it there,then we had a campfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.We played Apples to Apples and then went tubing(which was great because of the rain!) and swimming in the creek.All in all it was great.I mean we could choose to look at it as our last time to be with Gina before she leaves and all our plans were ruined or we could look at like we do,our last get together with Gina and boy,we will never forget it!I'll leave you with some pictures (sorry we wish we had pictures of us trying to get the stuff in the rain and lightning,but we didn't have a water proof camera!).

All the tubes

Wednesday,playing games and eating

Making lunch

 pictures on the bridge

Me and Gina

 more pictures on the bridge

 

Montour Falls

When we were up at Watkins Glen we also had the opportunity to go to Montour Falls,even though it was only one waterfall it was still very pretty!

Watkins Glen

This past weekend my family and I had the opportunity to go to Watkins Glen in NY.It was very beautiful.It was so neat to look at it and realize that it was all carved out by God!