For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and

my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9 

The doctor was surprised that I was hanging on, but, I thought that was God! My grandmother had just died, not me, too. I was severely dehydrated and my first night in the hospital was complete torture. I was assigned a team of doctors so whatever was wrong wasn't good. Blood had to be drawn from my foot. I went into cardiac arrest and the only option left was a blood transfusion, and my Mom freaked out. I could hear her refusing, but I could also hear the doctors telling her that without it, I would definitely die and with it there was only a 50/50 chance that I would accept or reject the blood. Looking at my odds, I stopped fighting and became furious with God for allowing such a thing to happen to me. What had I done to deserve this? I could here my Mother on the phone with my pastor sobbing. I had already decided to just let it happen and I gave up, but I got better and was released in two days. My spleen was removed two months later and I am fine now. At that point in my life I felt abandoned by God. However, He had a plan for me and my life, and He never left me. He is there for you too. He will not abandon you in difficult circumstances. He just has a DIFFERENT WAY. It's our choice to go His way.

-Danshelle Guy, 17, New Covenant Christian School, Pageland, SC

Father, I want to go Your way,

even when it's the hard way, because I know

You have a plan for me that is amazing. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your

ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are

higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your

ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 

At birth, I was diagnosed with Spherocytosis, but I never had any major complications with my blood disorder. However, a few years ago, I became very ill when I had a common cold since my immune system was weak and getting weaker by the moment. My Mom worked during the day and went to school at night. We had no idea that my physical problem was something greater than just a cold. As the week progressed, my fever began to rise and I started sleeping much of each day. In class, my teacher noticed my unusual behavior and sent me to the school nurse. Alarmed after taking my temperature, she called my mom and I saw the doctor imediately. Ironically, my doctor was on vacation and his new associate had to see me. He ordered blood work right away. I overheard him telling my mother that he's never seen ANY thing like this in his life. After he saw the results from my blood work, he simply stated, "Get her to the hospital now, or she will not make it." I panicked. He elaborated that my immune system was shutting down and my red blood cell cound was alarmingly low. I was dying. Was God there? Was He calling me home? Or was this a time of testing? These are times when we learn to trust HIM on the spot. He was in control and we knew it.

-Danshelle Guy, 17, New Covenant Christian School, Pageland, SC

Lord, even when a situation looks

completely hopeless and frightening, I want to trust You.

I want to know You're in control. 

Their sins and lawless acts

I will remember no more.

Hebrews 10:17 

Guilt comes when you've done something you know is wrong. You don't want to get in trouble, but you also can't get rid of that aweful feeling in the pit of your stomach. How do you get rid of that guilt that you are feeling? Tell God. Hebrews 10:17 says, "Their sins and lawless acts I remember no more." All we have to do is ask, and we will be forgiven. That is why Jesus came and died for us, so that we could have the chance to start over. Psalm 32:5 also says that when you confess your sins to the Lord, He will forgive you. But if you hide your sin and refuse to admit you are wrong, the feeling in your stomach will get bigger and bigger. Jesus loves us, so we should not be afraid of what will happen if we confess our sins. God does not want us to live with guilt. He wants us to feel free from our sins. Remember, if you ask, you shall receive.

-Ali VanMinos, 15, Oconee County Christian Academy, Seneca, SC

Father, give me the humility to

admit my mistakes to You.

I want to be forgiven. 

The Lord is... slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:8 

For a while, a canary-yellow cocktail named Wilbur lived at our home. He was the most nervous and frightened bird that ever lived. It took about a year to get him to come out on my shoulder and not be afraid. After that, he turned into the most pathetically spoiled bird you have ever seen. My family loved him; I loved him. He and I were stuck together like glue; he took showers with me in the morning, ate from my plate, and rode on my shoulder all the time. One day I went out to feed my dog and when I came back inside, I saw Mom holding Wilbur. I knew he was dead, but couldn't aceept it for a long time. We burried him under a blad cypress tree. I was angry at God because I loved that little bird more than anything else in the world, and God had taken him away from me. I couldn't understand why Wilbur's death had to be a part of God's plan. But as I was sleeping one night, I saw Wilbur in a dream. A voice from someone I couldn't see call Wilbur, and he flew away. I somehow know that God had sent me a message, telling me no to be angry at Him and that everything would be okay. I asked God to forgive me and He has. God is "slow to anger and abounding in love." I sill go out to the tree that shadows Wilbur's grave, and I can feel God's love there.

-Pamela K. Locke, 15, Walnut Grove Christian Preparatory School, Noblesville, IN

Father, I am do thankful that You don't get angry easily.

I get angry at You a lot, and I'm grateful that

You respond to me with love. 

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world,

but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

John 17:9 

I met Laura in seventh grade. We were on the swim team together. I realized instantly that she was a really cool, really unique person. But after a while I started noticing cuts and bruises on her arms. When I questioned her, she would shrug off my questions. One day Beth from my church "met" with Laura and talked with her for me. Beth told me that the best thing I could do for someone who does not want to be helped is just P.U.S.H.: PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS. She said our most powerful words are those we use in talking to God. She and I prayed for Laura for months. In ninth grade I moved to a swim team on the other side of town and no longer saw her. Sometimes we called each other on the phone, but after a while we stopped. I still thought about her and prayed for her and so did Beth. One year later I met Laura at a festival in town, and we were able to pick up just where we left off. She told me she cut herself because of everything that was going on in her family... and that she had no wanted to open up because she was afraid. She had started visiting a church with a friend, and her outlook was changing. She was wrestling through what she did and did not believe. Being with her made me smile because of what God had done because I P.U.S.H.ed.

-Michelle Palacio, 15, Alpha Omega Academy, Charlotte, NC

Lord, I want to believe in prayer enough

to keep praying even when I can't see results.

One day they will come, and I will see the great work

You can do when I have faith. 

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,

Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake,

for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said,

"and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:18-20

I was once in a conference for young girls and the speaker pointed out that God cannot use all of our lives unless we let Him. He desires us to be willing and devoted. The speaker continued to say that she had given her life, future, goals, and entertainment to Jesus. When she surrendered herself, God gave her an abundant ministry. She encouraged all of us girls to let God have all of our life so He could use it all for His plan. Right there, I decided that I wanted God's absolute best for me. However, it's easy to say that you're going to do His will only, but it's really hard to give up all of the fun that there is on earth. Daily, I find things that I still want control over in my life, but I have to tell myself that I am God's, made for His purpose, and I am not in control of my own life. It was a hard struggle to let my entertainment and time go out of my hands into His, but everyday my life grows sweeter as I drop my goals and wants and follow God. A lot of things are not important anymore because He is worth so much and everything is so much better living in His.

- Hannah Reeves, 14, Home School, Central SC

Father, teach me to find the joy in living for You,

the joy that surpasses anything I could have or do in this world. 

I can do everything through him

who gives me strength.

Phillipians 4:13 

    Do you ever want to give up on life, to give up trying to be obedient, sharing, and being a true example of Christ. I wanted to give up when I was the one causing all the trouble in my family, even though I was trying so hard to have a true servant's heart. Being home-schooled has made it twice as hard. Basically when my family and I aren't doing mission trips, I am home almost all the time, oh, and this doesn't make me sheltered! I'm faced with most trials that teen age girl goes through. With Christ's strength in me, even though it took, and still does, take time to learn that though we "always" do everything wrong and "never" seem to do anything right, God is in the midst of perfecting us, His precious beautiful daughters, into becoming strong women of character and righteousness. Once God gave me an analogy, you have to use your imagination: We, our lives are plates, lifes trials and tribulations are the meals, and God is the dishwasher (except he never malfunctions and doesn't make that disgusting smell that my family's dishwasher does!). We go through one of the "meals" and it's sticking to us and making us feel unclean but once we go through the "dishwasher" we come out looking more pure and clean than ever before. Do you understand it? Even though we always seem to get ourselves into a mess God still wants to clean us off and purify all the iniquities that seem to "stick" to us.

-Jana Kroeker, 15, home school, Medicine Hat, Alberta, CA

Father, I just pray that You will make me clean.

Thank You for working to make me perfect even when I feel like I'm doing everything wrong. 

Serve the LORD with fear and

rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 2:11

     I have struggled with knowing who I am. I didn't know what I wanted to do when I grew up. But then one day it hit me really hard. I wanted to be a singer. But what kind of singer did I want to be? I didn't know yet. I thought it wasn't cool to be a Christian artist. So, I tought I had to be a secular artist, singing about how much I love this boy or how much I want to be with him. I started to become what I thought was "cool" in the eyes of the world. I didn't realize that in the process of trying to fit in with the world, I was losing my true identity in the Lord. I grew so far apart from Him that I didn't even recognize His voice. That scared me. I knew how important it was to listen to Him. My parents always told me to obey Him. But how could I obey Him when I couldn't hear Him. I had to stop what I was foing and turn back to Him. I had to find myself again. So, I asked God for His forgiveness. Of course He forgave me, but I had to forgive myself. I had to know that I am who God created me to be. It took me a very long time to figure out what kind of singer I wanted to be. But now I know I want to be a Christian artist. I know it is going to be a hard way there. But I know that I'm on the path God wants, and I trust he'll help me succeed.

          -Victoria T. Kaopua, 15, Kealakehe High School, Kailua-Kona, HI

Your way is the best way, Jesus. Help me to do

Your will and not the will of the world. 

Hey girls,

     Since I don't have the book yet and I wanted to make a test run at this whole website/blog deal, here's a clip from January 2nd. Let me know what you guys think by posting comments! I'll put another clip up in a day or 2! Love you girls!

~ Britt