youth devotion – “true love”

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.  It a special holiday because it is a day where you are supposed to “initiate actions” to say that you love someone.  When I was young, passing out those “Be Mine”, “You’re Cute” or “You’re So Grooovy” cards with candy was very popular.  And as I got older, giving heart shaped boxes of chocolates was the best way to express to someone that you loved them. 

 Initiating acts of love (which means the love expression starts with something you do) towards others can be very fun and easy to do, especially on Valentine’s Day.  Over time, we begin to associate initiated actions of goodness and kindness with the love we have for others and most times begin to think that initiated actions of love are the only forms of true love.  However, the Bible talks about other forms of love that are just as, if not more, important.  I call them “Responding Acts of Love”.

 What are Responding Acts of Love?

 Responding acts of love are the things you do to express goodness and kindness toward others when they initiate any action (whether good or bad) towards you.  In other words, it is how you react to something that is done to you.  For example, when your classmate gave you the “You’re Groovy” card, you say “Thank You” or give them a card in return.  That’s a responding act of love; someone did something nice for you and you in turn did something nice for them.  That is usually also fun and easy to do. However, the type of responding acts of love I want to discuss today is expressing love towards someone after they have initiated bad actions towards you. To me, this is when true love is expressed in its purest form. 

 As you go through the Bible, it seems like God spends a lot of time instructing us on how to respond when someone does us wrong.  It seems like the appropriate and justified action would be to act mean to them too, but that is so far from what God sees as love.  Let’s look at some instructions from the Bible on how we should respond when we think others have done us wrong.

 Biblical View of Responding Acts of Love

 1.       Being quick to forgive.

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

 2.       Not taking into account the wrong done to you.

1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP –“…it (love) takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].”

 3.       Not returning an evil for evil.

Matthew 5:38-39 Message – “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it.”

 4.       Speaking kind words in response to harsh words.

Proverbs 15:1 – “A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.”

 5.       Pray for those who initiate bad actions toward you.

Matthew 5:44-45 Message – I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.

Doing the above mentioned things is what true love really is. Expressing love to someone that is not expressing love towards you is the love of our God.  Jesus died for us no matter if we choose to serve Him or not.  So, how can you begin to improve your expression of love towards those that are in your life?

great tragedy leads to great love

Close to 200,000 people are dead, more than a million are homeless and the injured include hundreds of thousands. Whether anyone has a connection to Haiti or not, the aftermath is seen through the same lens – a horrific one that reflects the likes of an apocalyptic film. But it is usually in the midst of great tragedy, where many of us show our extension of God’s love towards strangers. This disaster is no different.

“Love is patient and kind (I Cor 13:4).” Many generously wanted to send food, clothes and blankets. However, the best tool Haiti could ever acquire for the massive earthquake cleanup would be the funds to keep the rescue efforts coming. And many responded accordingly. U.S. Magazine reported that celebrities helped raise $9 million in one night on Larry King Live. And this does not include donations the average household contributed to the American Red Cross and other charities. Even the young generation broke media relief records by texting contributions through cell phones and chalking up a $10 charge on next month’s bill. 

 “Love never gives up, never loses faith… (I Cor 13:7).”Aid organization Doctors Without Borders had five supply planes diverted from their rescue mission. But it didn’t stop the organization from using quick thinking to do their absolute all in saving lives. Renzo Fricke, the group’s chief in Haiti, told CNN that in order to make life-saving operations: “This morning we had to buy a saw in the market, in the city … for our surgeons to do amputations,” he said, “the medical equipment is not coming as it should arrive.”

Everyone can do something to make a difference in some way.  No matter your age or your financial position or where you live, we call can do something to help in the relief efforts in Haiti.

1. Give, give, give.  The relief effort in Haiti is not going away any time soon.  There are months of work ahead for the Haitian people to rebuild and financial support will need to keep coming.  Find a local charity (or maybe your local church has something going there) to give financially to as often as you or as God leads.  Examples supports Compassion International, a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.  http://www.compassion.com  You can make a donation directly to their Haiti relief effort by clicking the below:

https://www.compassion.com/contribution/default.htm

2. Pray, pray, pray.  We should all pray frequently regarding the recovery of Haiti.  Prayer for the families that lost loved ones, for children who lost parents and siblings, for families that lost homes, for individuals that lost everything, for the government to rebuild and strengthen.  There is so much to pray for and God will hear you and answer.

3. Mission Trips.  If the opportunity presents itself, consider taking a missions trip to Haiti to help in the relief efforts and serve the Haitian people with God’s love.  Northwest Haiti Christian Mission is just one organization that is offering opportunities to travel to Haiti to minister to their people.  http://www.nwhcm.org  Your local church may also be planning trips for you and your family to get involved in. 

We all are able to do at least one of the above items in order to help this country.  If you know of other ways for people to get involved with Haiti relief, please let us know by posting a comment or contacting us at contact@examplesyouth.org.  We will review and post for others to read about.

family entertainment – “Alice in Wonderland” in 3D

I’m late, I’m late, I’m late for a very important date.  No time to say “Hello”, “Goodbye” I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.

These are some of the most memorable lines in “Alice and Wonderland”.  Do you remember…?  The White Rabbit of course!  This begins Alice’s journey as she follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. 

This was one of my favorite movies growing up as a child.  I remember watching it constantly with my two cousins.  Alice adventure ran her into some interesting characters such as the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the Red Queen and who could forget the Mad Hatter.

Well guess what….Alice has returned to Wonderland!  That’s right…Disney has made a 3-D sequel scheduled for release March 5th.  In the sequel Alice is now 19 and attends a party at a Victorian estate shortly after the death of her father. The party is a surprise engagement party for Alice planned by her mother and sister. Just as the arrogant and dull Hamish Ascot proposes to Alice under a gazebo and under the eyes of hundreds of snooty society-types, Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch. In shock and confusion, she runs off into a maze and follows the White Rabbit through it, only to later tumble down a rabbit hole into Wonderland, a place she has visited ten years before, yet doesn’t remember. In Wonderland, she reunites with her childhood friends, including the Mad Hatter, who explains to Alice that they need her help in over-throwing the Red Queen, who has assumed control of all Wonderland. Alice then embarks — assuming both large and small sizes — on an adventure of self discovery and to save Wonderland and her Wonderland friends from both the Jabberwocky and the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

 The movie is not currently rated but should prove to be a good family flick.  Go check it out and let us know what you think!

Watch the movie trailer here.

By Valerie Kennedy (adapted from Wikipedia)
XYM Entertainment Researcher

rihanna teaches us to be salty!

Immediately after Rihanna’s interview on ABC’s 20/20 last month, dating abuse hotlines rang off the hook. Calls to the National Domestic Violence crisis line went up 59 percent and teen helplines went up by 73 percent. Her story inspired so many young ladies to reach out from their carefully hidden bruises and plead for help. Although Rhianna reunited with Chris Brown shortly after he attacked her, she eventually walked away from the relationship. And she says her decision was profoundly sparked by the impact she had on her fans.

“When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result into some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn’t be responsible,” Rhianna told Diane Sawyer. “If Chris never hit me again, who’s to say their boyfriend won’t?”

Rihanna’s final decision was not only unselfish, but it was a perfect example of how living a responsible life can inspire others to do the same. And for those who believe in Christ, this principle is significant. Sometimes we all can inadvertently become role models, whether it is towards a younger brother or sister who closely watches what we wear and do, or a friend who is curious about our relationship with God but still doesn’t quite understand the gospel.

You can find Rihanna’s daring hairstyles in high schools across the country and hear her voice on car stereos everywhere. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that young and older ladies imitated her decision to get out of an abusive and potentially deadly relationship.  And one can wonder how many look to us? We Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth. And according to the book of Matthew, if we lose our flavor, who will the world look to as an example?

“..You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV)

We have a responsibility to be a Godly example that inspires others to want and obtain the best life possible.

How many times have we judged others in front of our children, cheated a waitress out of a tip on a lunch date with friends, or grew angry in front of strangers because a line was too long? We must continue to compare our lives to the Word and adjust in the areas that do not reflect love.

“Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors…they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” (1 Peter 2:12 NLT)

Rihanna found the strength to rid her own selfishness so that others may benefit. She even possibly saved a life. And if we continue to deny our selfishness, we can possibly lead those closest to us to salvation. With one decision, Rhianna gave hope and encouragement to people everywhere. In our daily walk with Lord, do we?

“The Princess and the Frog” – big movie release from Disney!

OK, this is really a big deal folks.  I am a big fan of Disney: its products, theme parks, and commitment to family and excellence.  I personally, however, have been very careful about introducing my daughter to the world of the “Disney Princesses.”  I grew up with a host of beauty images that did NOT mirror my large nose, full lips and kinky hair.  I have spent much of my adult life recreating positive images of beauty for myself and am very conscious of those that are before my children.  So, I have been slow to bringing the whole Disney Princess craze into my home which in my opinion indirectly promotes images such as “snow white” skin and long blonde hair (or long black hair or long brown hair…long hair!) as beauty – even though they are beautiful, they are not physical similarities shared by my daughter, who is definitely beautiful as well with her short curly hair, caramel skin, and chubby tummy!

Now, I am very aware that there are many images of beauty in the world; all of different races and ethnicities so don’t get me wrong.  But, what we cannot deny is the HUGE media buzz around the movie The Princess and the Frog and what it means to little African-American girls all over the world.  It is exciting to see and maybe it will be another piece of the puzzle in recreating and adjusting the images of what we all view as beautiful – impacting races of people everywhere.

A press release describes the story as follows (from Art Daily and Disney.com):

When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia (Bruno Campos) comes to town, a deal with a shady voodoo doctor (Keith David) goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose), takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 197-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet-playing alligator—discover that what they want isn’t as important as what they need.

In the official trailer it is revealed that once Tiana kisses the frog prince, she herself becomes a frog, and they must journey together to change themselves back to humans.

View movie trailer here: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/

it’s always better to give

“…it is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35

It’s that time of year again…Christmas.  All over the world, little kids are preparing their letters to send to Santa, teenagers are showing their parents commercials about the latest gaming system or cell phone and grown-ups are telling each other what they desire as a present.  One of the most famous questions we usually hear doing this time is, “What are you going to get me for Christmas?”

Sadly to say, a lot of people’s attitudes and actions during this time are motivated solely by what they are planning to receive.  For example, people will buy someone a gift because they want to receive a gift in return.  However, what if we shift our focus this season and purposed solely to see what we can give.  We make giving our motivation for our attitudes and actions, not because we want something in return, but because giving is our desire, not receiving.

As we shift our focus this year, let’s make sure our giving says the following:

1. Our giving should be an expression of our love. John 3:16 says that God love the world so much that His love prompted Him to give. When we give this year, we should follow God’s example and do it because we love the people we are giving the gift to.

2. Our giving should represent our best. John 3:16 also says that God gave his best – His only son – to those He loves.  When we give, we should make sure it represent our best, or something that has value to us.

3. Our giving should be done with a cheerful heart. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that God loves a cheerful giver.  It also says that we should not give grudgingly.  To give grudgingly means to give something to someone, but in our hearts we really did not want to.  To give with a cheerful heart is to give something to someone, and we are happy and excited to do it.

Ways to Give

Giving your time: A good way to give of your time is to volunteer in some capacity.  I am sure that you have probably seen the people in front of the grocery stores ring the bell for the Salvation Army.  They are actually giving of their time to volunteer to raise money for a great organization.  Or it could be as simple as volunteering to help your mom with Christmas preparation instead of going to the mall with friends.  What personal time can you give up and donate to helping someone else this season.

Giving your talent: To give of your talents is to use the things you are a good at doing to help others.  For example, you may be a great actor and your church is putting on a play at a nursing home.  Volunteering to be a part of the play would be you giving of you talents to bless others.  Do you bake?  Are you good at crafts?  Sometimes original and unique gifts from the heart mean more than buying something flashy from a department store.  Does your grandmother enjoy hot drinks?  Maybe putting together a basket of flavored coffee and tea would mean more to her than a new Blue Ray DVD player.

Giving your resources: This is the most common way of giving during the Christmas season, but it doesn’t always have to mean buying a gift.  There are also many different charities and organizations that could use your financial donation.  For example, Angel Tree is an organization which gives gifts to children who have a parent (or parents) that is incarcerated.  Another organization is Compassion International which gives gifts to children in impoverished countries.  There are many ways you can give of your resources that does not necessarily mean spending a whole lot of money shopping.

There are many ways you can give.  We should all take the time to seek God and consider how He would like for us to spend our time, talents, and resources on in order to be a blessing to others.  Whatever you decide to give this year, let’s make sure that the actual “giving” is your focus and that it is heart-felt, full of love and excitement to do it!

balloon boy – let’s not make haste!

So 6-year-old Falcon Heene was never in the home-made helium balloon that somehow accidentally lifted off 15,000 feet into the Colorado air early October.

Some of us were relieved. We had prayed through the CNN newscasts for hours, hoping that he hadn’t fell out of the aircraft his father built. But there were others who took one look at the silver flying saucer-like object when the story first broke, and thought, “Are you kidding me?” This skepticism may now be highly appropriate.

The Denver International Airport was temporarily closed down and National Guard helicopters searched for the boy’s body, but Falcon was found hiding in the attic. Days afterwards, the local county sheriff made plans to bring charges against Falcon’s parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene. Officials say the Heenes did it all for attention in hopes of fame and a television show.

There are so many lessons to be learned. But there is one biblical standpoint that sticks out sharply: No one can force a plan that is not in God’s plan for their life. In 2 Timothy 1:9, we find“…

God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.”

How many times have any of us believed in a dream so wholeheartedly that when it didn’t come to pass, we tried to force it? Sometimes visions and hopes stir up so much excitement in our hearts that we know God had to have placed them there. Yet, there are many of us who year after year, wonder why the dream has not manifested into our realities.

The Heene’s family history reveal two parents who struggled to get acting gigs, and tried to get attention through storm chasing and YouTube videos. The height of their journey includes two appearances on the reality TV show “Wife Swap.” The couple had also been in talks with the producers for a separate reality show. And Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden believes the Heenes desperately thought the hoax would give them the spark they needed to seal a deal. If true, that spark has put them in a whole new struggle – fighting a possibility of felony charges, six years in prison and a $500,000 fine (The Chicago Tribune).

Sometimes we just have to go back to the drawing board, pray, reevaluate the origin of the idea and possibly let go of something that was more of a good idea than a “God idea.” Other times, it was in fact God speaking to us and His promise is still true. It’s just that we have to remain faithful until it’s our time. But if we try to pursue something despite God’s grace that’s not there to make it a success, we can lose ourselves and do anything to force it to happen. This choice disrupts our lives and causes unnecessary disappointment, or possibly as in the case of the Heene’s, jail time!

Proverbs 28:20 (AMP) A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished.

new movie – Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” with Jim Carrey

Christmas is approaching and soon the streets will be filled with lights decorating the homes of many.  There will be carols playing and every channel will have that one classic Christmas movie that you have to watch every year!  You know you can’t miss the Charlie Brown Christmas Special!  Disney has struck again and has remade a popular Christmas movie which will open in theaters November 6^th: the classic Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”.

“A Christmas Carol” is about a miserable old rich man named Ebenezer Scrooge who believes that Christmas is just an excuse for people to miss work and for lazy people to expect handouts. He doesn’t believe in all of the good cheer and charity that the season promotes, and he makes sure everyone knows it.   Because of his sour attitude he doesn’t have many friends and spends Christmas Eve alone.  That night Scrooge falls asleep and is visited by three ghosts: Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. They show Scrooge his mistake in valuing money over people.  Scrooge awakes on Christmas morning a new man. He becomes very jolly and charitable, and truly turns into the man he promised the ghosts he would become. He then begins to carry the spirit of Christmas with him all year round!

Disney has remade this classic and will be featured as a 3-D motion picture!  Jim Carrey stars as Ebenezer Scrooge and also plays Ghost of Christmas Past and Ghost of Christmas Present.  This movie will truly be a must see for this holiday season.

Check out the trailer here….enjoy!

a lifestyle of thankfulness

1 Thessalonians 5:18 AMP – Thank God in everything no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks, for this is the will of God for you who are in Christ Jesus…

Every November, we start preparing to celebrate one of our biggest holidays…Thanksgiving. I find it so interesting that we have an entire day set aside for us to reflect and give thanks for the wonderful things we have and enjoy in life.  For most of us, this is one of the happiest days of the year and we can easily see so many things in our lives to be thankful for. But as we head back to the reality of our everyday lives, will our being thankful start and end on that one day?  Selah (which means “stop and think about that!”)

When you are in an environment or celebrating an occasion that makes or forces you to think about the good in your life, it’s very easy to be thankful.  But what about each of the remaining 364 days in which your life could go extremely well, extremely bad or mediocre? Will you be thankful on any of those days and any one of those circumstance?  Selah again!

To make sure that our being thankful starts before and goes past the Thanksgiving holiday, let’s get some basic understanding about thankfulness.

What Does Being Thankful Mean?

Being thankful is simply some sort of expression to God, your parents, your siblings, your friends, or anyone letting them know you appreciation of something they have done for you – specifically some act of kindness or goodness they have shown to you. In other words, an expression of favor and/or kindness shown towards you should demand an expression of appreciation from you.  This can be done by simply saying, “Thank you.”  However, being thankful should also be an expression of appreciation from your heart, and this expression should have value to you and the other person.

Understanding Thankfulness

Now, living as a “thankful” person is more of an attitude in which you make a conscious decision to always acknowledge and recognize someone, specifically God, for showing you favor and kindness in your life – no matter how good or how bad you may feel at the time.  In other words, thankfulness says, “I purpose in my heart and mind to not allow the things that are going extremely well or extremely bad to block my view of God, what He’s doing in my life or circumstances or to hinder me from giving Him thanks for it.”  For example, if you are in a season of life where you have a lot of money, don’t let your abundance in money stop you from recognizing God’s hand on your life and His goodness towards you.  The same goes if you are in a season of “not so much money.”  Not having all the money you desire should still not stop you from giving God thanks for still taking care of you and providing for you.

Thankfulness is an inward decision to express appreciation, and being thankful is the outward expression of this decision.

Bible Examples

Now let’s look at a Bible example of these two things.  First, let’s look at being thankful.  Get your Bible and read Luke 17:12-19. This is the account of Jesus healing ten lepers. Notice that they all were healed, but how many of them came back to say thank you to Jesus???  Only one of them expressed appreciation towards Him. In verse 15, he did this by glorifying God with a loud voice, falling down on his face and giving thanks to Him. Jesus took note that this man knew what it meant to be thankful. But observe what the other nine did. They just went on about their day. They allowed the events of an extremely good day to rob God of the appreciation that was due to Him.

Now, let’s look at another example of being thankful, and things were not going too well for these people! Read Acts 16:16-25. This is the account of Paul and Silas being jailed for casting a spirit out of a young girl.  Now think about all that happened to them. They were falsely accused, stripped naked, beat and thrown in prison. From reading these verses and looking at it from an outside perspective, there is no obvious sign God’s goodness or kindness in their lives – they were having a pretty bad day!  Paul and Silas must have had a different perspective. Verse 25 holds an important key to their attitude while experiencing all of this. It says that at the end of their day, they were praying and singing hymns to God. They chose to sing songs of praise and give thanks to God in the midst of an extremely bad day. They did not allow the circumstances to block their view of what God was doing in their lives, or hinder them for giving Him thanks for it. And notice that in the midst of their praise, an angel set them free from jail!

Let’s start today with developing a lifestyle of thankfulness and being thankful.  Let’s not take for granted the things God and others do for us that express their favor and kindness. And no matter how good or bad life may get from this day forward, don’t allow the good things or the bad things to block our view of what God is doing in your life.  And let’s thank God in everything no matter what the circumstances may be…even after Turkey Day has come and gone!

staying plugged-in to God this summer

Summer break is probably one of the best times for a student. There is no school. No teachers. No homework. And plenty of time for God. Just because your school year has ended does not mean the growth you experienced throughout the year in your relationship with God has to end.

To illustrate this point, let’s look at a couple of items you probably own: a cell phone, i-pod, television or desktop computer. What do you and these things have in common? Do you know?

They all have to be plugged in at some point to function or continue functioning. Let’s take a closer at a couple of those items. First, let’s look at your desktop computer. You probably use it for many different things daily. But if the plug is not connected to the socket or power source, the computer is useless, functionless.

Now, let’s look at your cell phone. It does not have to be plugged in all the time for you to use it, but it can only go for so long before you have to plug it in and recharge it. You and your life are the same way. In contrast, you are the computer or cell phone and God is the socket or power source. You have to plug into God to keep you and your life functional.

So, what does it mean to plug into God. Let’s look at our examples again. Each one of the items has a cord and plug, or in other words an object that connects the particular item to the socket or power source through which the power flows to them. In our case, we have things in our lives that connect us to God (who is our power source) and allows His power to flow to us.

There are four things that I consider to be the “cord and plug” in our lives – our ways of connecting to God and His power. They are:

1. The Bible – You connect to God through the Bible by reading and studying it on a regular basis.

2. Prayer – You connect to God by praying or talking to Him on a regular basis.

3. Praise – You connect to God when you praise and thank Him for things He has done for you and your family.

4. The Local Church – You connect to God by attending church regularly, paying attention to what is taught and applying it to your life.

Now that we have identified the “cords and plugs”, lets talk about one more contrast to our original example. Remember your desktop computer. To function properly, it has to be consistently plugged in at all times. But your cell phone could function without being plugged in, but can only go so long before it needs to be plugged in and recharged.

The first three things are like your computer. For your life to function as it is supposed to, you should be reading your bible, praying and praising God consistently, daily. Attending your local church is more like your cell phone, which is where you go to get a recharge.

With all the free time you will have over the summer, I encourage you to intentionally develop a habit to make sure you plug into God daily and you are getting recharged at your local church each time the doors open.

If you got up the next morning to check your Facebook page, but the computer did not come on when you hit the power button, what would be the first thing you would do? Probably check to see if it is plugged in. Now that you have checked your computer, you should also check yourself. So before you start your day, ask yourself, “Am I plugged in?” Or in other words, “Have I connected to God this morning?”

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