Living in the Sonrise

A few weeks ago, something crazy happened. A bunch of teens and young adults left the comfort of their homes and walked for hours carrying heavy bags on their shoulders, ringing doorbells and knocking at the houses of strangers, not knowing if anyone would accept what they had to offer. Crazy, right? More than 2,000 years ago, the Son of God left the glory and comforts of heaven and walked the road of pain and toil for 33 years, ministering to people who sometimes didn't even thank Him, then walked the road to Calvary alone with the weight of the sins of the world on His shoulders, not knowing if anyone would accept it. He gave His very life to save the ones who didn't care. It wasn't crazy- it was Love. Those "crazy" young adults? They were canvassing- selling Christian books door to door to raise money to further their education, and to spread the light of Christ. I  was one of them. On my own, I can't canvass. It's hard. It's exhausting. I mess up ...

Hey friends! In a popular Bible story, a young man faces a mighty giant that everyone else is too scared to even try to fight- and he confidently overcomes this giant! You've probably guessed that this is the story of David and Goliath. I've heard this story many times, but I recently read it again, straight from the Bible, and it really encouraged me! What stood out most to me was, when David faced Goliath, he wasn't confident in his own abilities, but rather in God's power! He was so confident in God that he said these words to Goliath: "This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee... that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:46-47 These were brave words to say! But David didn't merely say them, he acted on them! He went forward and faced that gia...

 Hello friend! :)  Have you ever struggled to trust God?  I know I have. Sometimes our human nature wants to know what the outcome of something will be, rather than trusting our Heavenly Father to take care of it. Sometimes we want to take things into our own hands, thinking we know what is best. Perhaps one of the most popular Bible verses about trust is Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.   In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  Trust is more than a feeling. Trusting in God is a conscious decision to place ourselves- all that we are, all that we desire, all that concerns us- in His hands. Trust involves surrender.  When a child puts their hand into the hand of their father or mother, the child is allowing their parent to lead them where they choose, trusting that they know best. In the same way, when we surrender to God, we are allowing Him to lead us in...

Hello there! :) My last two posts were a little long, as they were also doubling as Sabbath School Remarks for my church, but this post is shorter, and I hope my posts in the future will be a similar length. Anyway, I hope you are blessed by these thoughts- they are just as much a reminder for me as I hope they are for you. I don't always like change. Sure, some changes are fun and exciting, like making a new friend, turning a special age, or redecorating your room. But usually, the changes we didn't anticipate, the ones that are beyond our control, we seem to have a hard time with. Many times, changes bring endings- and I know that I personally don't like to see good things come to an end. Sometimes I've wished that nothing would ever change, that everything would always stay just like it is.  Not too long ago, on a Friday evening, I was trying to make sure I was ready for Sabbath, and I had a little bit of time to myself. I was going to grab my phone and text my frien...