Keep Pressing On

Hello readers. I hope this post finds you all doing well. I just want to bring you a reminder today. If you are going through a storm right now, please don't lose hope. If life keeps throwing you one problem after another, and it feels like it will never end, keep pressing on. If the road is rough and the end is nowhere in sight, keep putting one foot in front of the other. I know how difficult things can be. But we serve a Mighty God, who knows our every need. He will not let us fall. He will give us strength and peace and comfort and rest. He will sustain us. A wise man once said, "God would never give us something to do that we could not carry out."
Remember, this is not the end. You have a goal bigger than this life - a goal of heaven. Do not despair - give your worries to God and leave it in His capable hands.
"Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." -Isaiah 40:31
Be encouraged friends!

Spreading the Gospel Through Social Media

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love social media. Facebook, Twitter, and of course blogging. ;) It makes it so easy to connect with people who might even live far away. It can be a very useful tool. But in fact, I recently was convicted that it can be an incredibly useful tool for spreading the gospel. I read something that really made me think. (Paraphrasing a bit) it pointed out how we have all sorts of different media where we can say absolutely anything we want, and we end up using most of that to talk about ourselves. I was challenged by this idea. Why not use these outlets to talk about Christ, God, and spread the gospel?? This idea stuck with me. I also have a good friend who uses social media (specifically Facebook and Twitter) to do this. This inspired me to do it as well. You would be amazed what just posting an encouraging status can do. It can lift up other Christians. It can help them have the courage to speak out as well. It can be a witness to unbelievers. It can possibly help them see Christianity in a different way. It can help you to stay focused on God as well. It helps you to be thinking of something more than yourself. It might be a small thing, but you never know how big God will make it as He uses you. Try it; you might just be amazed.

Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage Page

Hello readers. I hope this post finds you all doing well and staying strong in the Lord. :) You know, God is just so amazing. And He really does work in very wonderful ways. In 2010 I started a Facebook fan page called "Saving Your First Kiss for Marriage." I did this as a way for like-minded people to come together and encourage one another. And it worked! If you believe in saving your first kiss for marriage, all you have to do is click "like" and you are instantly connected to thousands of people who hold fast to wonderful values of purity. I have watched this page grow from only a few fans to literally thousands of fans. I remember watching in excitement as the page reached 100 fans. Today there are 12,577 fans. That is just mind-blowing to me. When I started it, I was the sole administrator. Since then I have had to add two additional administrators to help me take care of all the extra traffic! God has used and grown this page in amazing ways. One thing I did not expect from this page was persecution. But many times when believers unite, Satan tries to deter them. This was no exception. People who do not value purity get on the page to try to make fun, ridicule, and discourage others. My fellow administrators and I do our best to field these comments and people, removing what is necessary to keep everyone encouraged. This does not, however, mean that we remove everything that we do not agree with. Oh no. In fact, having people challenge my point of view has helped me grow so much. Now not only do I know what I believe, but I can defend it too; and I have many times. So if you're looking for some encouragement, or just a lively discussion, please check out the page on Facebook.

"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man." -Proverbs 27:19

Kansas City Convention!!!

The view of the city from the 32nd floor. :)

This past weekend my family and I, along with about 30 other people from our church, were blessed to attend the Leadership Training for Christ (LTC) convention in Kansas City, Missouri. We had a wonderful, fabulous time, and the Lord was certainly working! The kids did events such as Bible bowl, Bible quiz, Bible reading, speech, poetry, Live Drama, song leading, photography, scrapbook, and more. They were awarded either a bronze, silver, or gold medal. I don't think anyone got lower than a silver! Well the Live Drama was what I was so nervous about. I had been working with the kids on it for months. I tried to give them some last minute tips, and then just prayed that they could do their best. They were amazing!! They gave a wonderful performance for the judges, and got a gold medal for it. And as if that wasn't enough, their drama was chosen for the encore performance!! They got to perform it for over 1,000 people!! I was so proud of them. :) Not only did the kids all do very well, they spent a lot of time in God's word to prepare for the conference. I know they have done a lot of growing. That is a great thing to see.

Well if all that wasn't good enough, I also got to spend a lot of time with some of my best friends!! We stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking, telling silly jokes, jamming on the keyboard, singing, and just enjoying each other's company. I have come back so encouraged. :)

So I hope this encourages you, and if your church is not involved in something like LTC, look into it!!

~Brooke