It's About the Cross by Go Fish

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6

Esther

Noelle and I are starting a new series or topic here on Step by Step. For the next two months we'll be talking about young people in the Bible. I tend to think of most people in the Bible as grown or even old people. You know the old guys with long white beards or the wise old lady. Yes, there are stories of adults, but there are also many stories of young people. Even teens! You probably already know that Mary the mother of Jesus was around 14 when He was born. (Noelle will be writing about Mary in a while) Well, in this new series we're going to talk about other "young people of the Bible".

I'll start with Esther...

Imagine being taken from your family to the king's palace. Imagine being told that you'd stay there for a year until the king called for you. Then, if he picked you, you'd become queen even if you didn't want to. That is what happened to Esther. You would think that having to leave your family and eventually become queen would be hard enough, but God asked more of Esther. God asked Esther to risk her life to save His people, her people. Haman, one of the king's nobles had a plot to kill all the Jews. That meant Esther and all God's people. Esther is asked to tell the king of Haman's evil plan, but to go to the king without being sent for is death. Anyone who comes before the king when he has not called for them will be killed. Esther does not let the fear of death stop her!

I am not going to tell Esther's whole story here. I hope you will be inspired to go read it for yourself. Esther is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Esther is loyal, brave, and God-fearing! She is not afraid to take a stand for God and His people. She is not afraid of death. We shouldn't be either! We may not be called to face death, but every day we are given at least one chance to stand up for God. We need to look for that chance and act on it! Do not back down. Do not lose heart. Act boldly for Christ as He did for you!

The 5 O'Clock Club

The 5 O'Clock Club is group of believers from all over the US who get up at a set time each morning to have time with their Savior and Lord. The 5 O'Clock Club wants to encourage you to put God first and spend time with Him each morning before you start the day. It can be 5am, but it doesn't have to be. Just as long as you're spending time with Him each morning. Why? Because it's the quiet times when He really speaks to you. When you spend that time with the Lord first thing in the morning, He gives you the wisdom and encouragement you need for that day.

 

Here's just one of the wonderful testimonies-

"Well, being 15 and still in school, life can be pretty hectic for me. I want to have a quiet time every day, but sometimes I sleep in, due to staying up late the night before doing homework. The Lord convicted me that I needed to put my time with Him first. Before anything else, even making my bed. So, I'm doing the 6 o'clock club (because 5, well that's a little early. :) because I know that I need to give my first fruits to the Lord and not anything else."
Ellie Berry

 

 

So, check it out here: http://www.girltalkhome.com/clubs/5oclock

Here's the "Fireproof" movie trailor!

"City on the Hill" by Casting Crowns

"City on the Hill" by Casting Crowns is a fantastic song. It reminds me of Ephesians 4:3-6 which says, "Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all."