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 Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:14 pm
My name is Jon, I'm fourteen and very sold out for God.
I was born to two christian parents and lived in Arizona for ten years. During that time, we attended a Baptist church. If you know Baptist, you know church there is Boring! I was saved, and I knew a lot of the bible, but I didn't care!
When I was ten, after a confusing childhood, and being very naive and immature, I moved up here to Michigan. We started attending a seeker-friendly, non-denominational church, and it was great! We had a good band, better messages, and it was fun!
Still, I felt like I wasn't living for God. Eventually, at about thirteen, We got a new youth pastor. He was funny, and great, but there was something I didn't like about him. He challenged us. He wanted us to go deeper. Stronger. Pssshhhhh! Like I wanted that!
Three or four months later I was baptized in the holy spirit, and I spoke in tongues! But then, the next six months, I was withdrawn from God. I didn't care at all, really. My youth pastor put us on what he called "The Summer Challenge."
I signed up. Here's what it was.
No TV. No Movies over PG. No Junk Food. Read the bible and pray everyday!
Pssshhhh. Who wants that? 40 days long, it was! I got through! And I regained my passion and spoke in tongues! Things were great for a while...
Until!
I struggled into the worst sin that could ever face a teenage boy slowly growing in faith! Perversion! Gasp!
I felt like I was cheating on God all the time. Guilt overcame me. I was struggling just living a lie! And it sucked!
June this year, I went on a mission trip with 8 youth and three youth leaders under thirty to Mexico. We spent a week, and it changed my life! We got preaching from the great Adam McCain! We went with global youth net. ( globalyouthnet.com )
I came back, I lived great. But guess what?
My sin came back!
Church was everything I wanted it to be, not for God! I'm in choir! I did it for myself! I wasn't living for God!
Finally, some weeks later, I decided enough was enough-no more cheating on God. I made a private decision to stop it! Forget it! No more!
Two weeks later...
I went to a youth retreat for a weekend. Adam McCain preached, and perfectly culminated last year, in which I learned, matured, and grew faithfully more than the rest of my life! He taught on cheating on God! My cheating was already done! I'm for God!
Now, after a week of Freshman-ness in high school, I'm a firm example. I tell people who want to know. I'm sold out for God.
If you want to reach me, my AIM name is PatchofRoses, my e-mail is roadkillraccoon@hotmail.com.
Your turn...
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2005 2:00 pm
My name is Mia, however that is generally what my name is online, (real name's Maria), I live in Wisconsin, and I try to live for God. You heard me. Try.
I grew up with two devote Christian parents in Washington (the state... jeez, if it was Washington DC, I would say so!) until I was five. I think we went to a baptist church but I don't much remember. Then we moved to Wisconsin and began going to a(nother) Baptist church, but soon left it so my parents could join with a few friends and create another church.
I go to church every week and help out in whatever I can. I do some sound during the service, I help out in the kitchen, and soon I'm going to be teaching the little kid's Sunday School.
When my mom first asked me if I wanted to teach I told her that wherever the church needs me, I'll go, if there's someone to fill in my place of where I'm leaving. I'll just get up and go do what God calls me.
But about a year ago Satan tempted me with his little perversion demons, and that took a toll. I prayed with multiple people, I was up late worrying, I called on God more than once with no answer. I've still got aftertaste of those demons, but I'm working on it.
After that Satan again tempted me with his demons, but they were suicidal. I was wondering, why can't the stupid demons just die instead of taking me with them? Again I shivered whenever I saw a knife, because I have a friend who cuts. I was up late also, worrying about the next day, my life. I called on God and got what seemed partial answers but weren't fulfilling, or I couldn't find the meaning. I'm still suffering from such demons, but I'm working on it.
God has a place in my social life that I just want to blurt out whenever I can 'God is sooooo cool!' or whatnot, but the pressure of society has a lot of weight in religion, that I have to find my place in an argument or something else that I can say such things about my Lord and not be entirely judged. I want to be known as a Christian, not as a kid who wears jeans everyday, which is my current status biggrin I want people to look at me and say 'What a wonder, she's so brave' or look at me in the eyes and yell 'Jesus Freak!' Either one I would take proudly, and then a number of others.
But God doesn't seem to be in my life too much. I see his works every day, I listen to my pastor's messeges and take them to heart, but there's only one way I find that I can put God through to other people: Writing.
But that's it.
I'm still seeking God, but I know he's there, so I just need to find him, and then I'll be okay. He just seems so hidden that it's impossible. However, I believe I am saved through Jesus' blood, because I repented soulfully, and it says somewhere in the Bible that the saved can not be taken from His hand. I want to find that verse, but I rely on it, somewhat. I want a revelation, no matter how small, to throw a rock in the direction of the path I need to go so I know. I just haven't come across anything willing to do so yet, or I just haven't asked for directions.
I don't know if this would be considered a testimony or not, but since I grew up with Christian parents, I grew up already knowing God, and I didn't have a chance to find out his grace in a way that most sinners repent as older people, even though it was my choice to repent, it's just that I was five.
I'm thirteen now, and I don't know how long I'll be looking, but I just hope that God doesn't plan my death before that happens.
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Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 6:19 pm
i had the ,by far, biggest shock of my life last night. always in my church we have talked about seeing thinkg sent by God and visions that at first we didnt understand. well that happened to me.
about a week ago i, for what seemed like no reason at all, saw an image of a burning skull in my mind. at first i was like "wow that was weird" and kind of forgot about it. then last night we had a guest speaker at church and he talked alot about how God has given us this potential to do great things in his name and how it is our decision to either accept it of run. at the end he asked all the people who felt that they needed to "cut the bull" and accept what God had in store for us so he could pray over us. as we began to pray i remembered that image and after a little while of thinking of all the sinfull things that i still do and need to get rid of i realized that that image was me. that if i didnt stop these bad habits that i could possibly not end up in the kingdom of God. it was so moving and so weird because nothing has never happened to me like that before. it was maybe the second only time i had ever cried in church other than the time i had realized God great love. nothing can explain what happened to me that night. but it was real and almost scarry in a way. that God could send me such a dramatic message. now i know that i can no longer neglect what God is trying to do for me.
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