Jesus' Triumphant Entry

Before I get started, I just wanted to say, this is the most attractive donkey I've ever laid eyes on. Super Cute <3

  Today I felt like sharing with you a piece of Mark 11 known as Jesus' Triumphant Entry. Mark 11:1-11. Can't miss it (:

  I'm gonna copy and paste it from BibleGateway.com (;
^"1 As Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. ² “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it and will return it soon.’”
 ⁴ The two disciples left and found the colt standing in the street, tied outside the front door. ⁵ As they were untying it, some bystanders demanded, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They said what Jesus had told them to say, and they were permitted to take it. ⁷ Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it, and he sat on it.
 ⁸ Many in the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others spread leafy branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
   “Praise God!^[a]
      Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
 ¹⁰ Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David!
      Praise God in highest heaven!”^[b]
 11 So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples."

I really love this. If you think about it, its pretty deep in meaning.

Lets talk about the first half first.
  Jesus told his disciples to go and get this colt from town, and if they were questioned, they were to say "The Lord needs it and will return it soon."
Now can you imagine being a disciple at this time right now going to get that colt?
Going into a busy town and just taking the tied up colt, and if someone asks, you have to say something that may sound foolish to people of this Earth?
It takes a whole lot of faith to do what His disciples did then.
  Not only did they wonder into town and take a colt, but they said exactly what Jesus told them to say when they were questioned. Jesus wouldn't have been pleased if they took the calf, but when questioned, said something different of their own feelings. That would have not please him.
  Imagine Jesus telling you to give half your money to the poor and you only gave one fourth. But I gave some! No, you didn't do as Jesus asked, therefore, you will not be rewarded.
  To truly please the Lord, you must do exactly what he has told you to do.

Now for the second half.

  When the disciples threw their garments over the donkey, and there where people throwing theirs onto the streets ahead, along with leafy branches they had cut in their fields, and then praised the Lord, that was truly incredible to me.
   Can you imagine being that donkey?
This donkey has been tied up, un-noticed. Just, there. The donkey has never been ridden before just had no purpose.
  And just all of the sudden Jesus' disciples come and get you! Woah, baby! What a day for the young donkey. What a day. And I really do mean that. What a day it was for the donkey to be untied, and brought to the Lord. Brought straight to the Lord.
   Are there times where you feeled tied up and un-noticed? You feel you have no purpose in life. Well just hang in there. Because guess what?

Jesus knows about you.

  He knows who you are. You knows your here. He cares about you and he guarentees that you have a purpose in life. Guarentees. He will not let you go unrecognized or un-noticed because that day when his disciples come and untie you from the post you will be awaken to your purpose. He is calling you. All you have to do now is answer.

  Always know that where ever you walk, know that the Lord knows about you. He has great plans for you. And he truly cares for you.

Lighthouse

   Imagine being on a boat at night. Close your eyes for a second and think about it. I'll wait for a second..

......

.....

....

...

..

.

Okay. you imagined? So I have a few questions and I want you to answer them honestly to yourself.

1. What kind of boat where you on?

A big old cruise ship? A pirate ship? A fishing boat?

2. What was the water like?

Was it calm and smooth? Where there a lot of waves? Was it in a sea or on a river?

3. Who were you with?

A friend? Family? Where you alone?

All right. Remember what you were thinking on your own little mind boat. I'll get to the point of this (:

So when I think about sailing on a boat at night. I think about one of those classic boats you would draw as a kid with the little triangle sail on bumpy waves in a giant ocean by myself. Its just what comes into my head.

I don't know what got me into thinking about sailing. It just seems so so so fun! And hey, its a summer thing, right? So then I'm thinking, isn't it funny how much our lifes like the way water flows throughout this Earth?

Lifes like a river. Life in Christ is an ocean.

And we're just sailing along.

So the river. There are no waves, and you can only go one way, which is, the way the current goes. Your boat goes which way the current goes and if anything goes wrong, theres the land.

When you don't know who God is, all you do is try to fit in with the crowd, you do whats wrong because you just don't care and you don't know. You follow the crowd, and you lean on whatevers there to make you feel better, whether it be as bad as cutting or smoking, or even just a lie.

Then the river flows into an ocean. Its filled with waves tumbling and tossing over itself and it can be scary. But, its so large and exciting, but the shore is so far away. There may be a current, but you can sail past it because the ocean is so big.

And then you find God somewhere along the way. Because of a friend, family, or something that happened. But the walk with Christ is something that can be scary. Your safe and sound in his arms, but walking by faith is a difficult thing to do on Earth. You face obstacles you never thought you'd encounter. But you always have God by your side. You follow your own crowd with Christ, making what you do so important in his eyes. Your oppurtunities grow, your worries are gone, and you go out and tell the world what he's done for you.

You tell them to come out from the river, and sail in the ocean.

And even when sailing just seems like your done. When you feel like theres nothing more you can do in this life and you want to give up.

There will be a lighthouse.

A little light that shines through that reassures that your safe. Your not lost anymore. Because God has you. He sees you and he has you in his hands. He loves you and would never do anything to hurt you. He will only make you stronger. When you get sick of sailing in that ocean one time, you'll find that light of his. And its just a bit of reassurance that will tell you "You are here for a reason." And eventually, when you make it through that vast ocean of tumbling waves, that walk through Christ with obstacles that make you think your not strong enough, you'll make it to the shore at the bottom of the lighthouse, you'll make it to Heaven at the feet of God himself.

And then sailing into that ocean, straying far from that river, will all be worth it.

But you have to keep in mind that that boat your on counts.

Don't be on cruise ship where you say hey, I'm a Christian, but you do absolutley nothing for God.

Don't be on that pirate ship where all you do is cuss and sin and don't care.

Sail on a fishing boat where you notice everything around you and doing something about it.

Another thing is, don't be afraid. Put all your fear in God's hands.

Don't sail on the smooth water where your safety is insured.

Sail where you can serve God and walk by faith.

And when you sail, bring along someone. But never let them keep you in the river or on smooth water. Cause no one wants to sail through life alone.

Will you sail in the ocean? But more importantly,

Will you make it to that Lighthouse?

Tools For Teaching

Okay.
So I know its summer and looking at this title you're like, ew. I hate learning. Get me away from this. Noo! I promise its worth it (:

So the other day God told me,
"Fear no more"
I'm literally walking out of my bathroom looking for my missing glasses and I just stop and hear
"Fear no more"
Thanks God!!!(:
Haha. But really. I'm just there and I'm like, but God, what have I been fearing that I have to stop? I mean, I thought I've overcome so much with You by my side and you tell me to fear no more? Whats up, God? What am I so afraid of?

In the past days, I've prayed over my lost friend on top of bleachers in a crowd of everyone I knew. I sang a christian song infront of everyone in my grade. I got bad kids talking about Jesus. I practiacally preached to three of my friends.

What am I fearing?

Well then I went to church that night and listened. And I didn't think much. But then it came time to worship and well, I broke down crying so. so. much.

I feared the future of my

family that just won't ever listen.

I fear not doing what pleases

everyone I meet because I hate

being judged and then disliked.

But now here I am coming to reality and the realization that if I judged myself (in a Godly way, you know. Not looking in the mirror and saying ew whos that fat hunk, no) then what or who could ever judge me but God?

I feel guilty all the time when I end up arguing with my sisters cause I say stuff I don't mean, and then I'm like man. God didn't want that coming from my mouth.

So heres were the title comes in.

Today I went on a trail ride (hang it there this will all tie in)

We passed through this part of the woods. It was so so dark.. And I'm like, its the middle of daylight, why is it so dark? And then, we enter this bright open field where I just want to run free on my horse and go woo! and then.. I followed the group back into the dark woods.

Then I'm like... isn't that what some people do in their lives? Isn't that what some of us do sometimes? I have. Have you? Let me explain it..

Starting out in the dark.. Your caught up in your own mind with no light to show you whats wrong and whats right. Still your saved and are free and its the most beautiful thing in the world and then you have someone in your life that just brings you back in the darkness of this world.

For me, I sadly have to say thats my sisters. I get caught up in the ways that they behave sometimes and struggle back to find some light. Just somewhere along the trail. Just somewhere.

Let me ask you this.

Why do we let people lead us stray?

Why dont we lead them to the light?

Why dont we say,

Hey man, lets go over there and run free in that field. Doesn't that sound a whole lot better than exploring the dark woods where things can pop out and get you startled and even hurt? Sure, In that field we may find some skunks or snakes, but they're all there for a purpose!

Its suprising what kind of tools God uses to bring us back into thinking heavenly thoughts. From scenery to even skunk encounterments. These tools of teaching God has given us, we see them everyday. You just have to keep your mind open and learn something he wants from you.

It may just save a life one day.