A 2 Z Devotions by Margot Cioccio

A2Z

A 53 page pdf e-book with 26 bonus Journal Pages

Devotions Inspiration for your Christian Journey By Margot Cioccio

This E-book contains 26 devotionals one for each letter of the alphabet. It has beautifully laid out pages and 26 bonus journal pages. It contains Margotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photos and is filled with her original art work. It is packed with prayers, quotes, bible verses and encouragement for your daily journey with Christ.

TABLE OF CONTENTS A is for Abba B is for Broken C is for Chosen D is for Dying to Self E is for Ekklesia F is for Filled G is for Grief H is for Help I is for Immaturity J is for Justice K is for Knocking L is for Love

These devotionals were written by Margot Cioccio as part of the A-Z blogging challenge for 2012. Margot writes daily inspirational posts Monday thru Friday at http://devotionalsmargot.blogspot.com/ If you enjoy this e-book you will also enjoy her blog. Please stop by and visit for a daily dose of encouragement for your Christian journey. Margot is also available for Life Coaching http://mosaic-lifecoaching.blogspot.com/

M is for Mind N is for Note O is for Obstacles P is Pretty Late Q is for Queen who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Quiet R is for Reconciliation S is for Surprise Me T is for Time U is for Undeveloped V is for Virtues W is for Walk X is for X Marks the Spot Y is for Yikes Z is for I Got to See Z Tulips

My Top Five TOP FIVE AND JOURNA L INSTRUCTIONS

Not everyone likes to journal but most of us can make a list. Quickly jot down your top fiv e thoughts that came to mind wh ile reading each devotional. You will find My Top Five included in some of the pages but there is alw ays a space in the bonus journal pages. Your top five might includ e people to pray for or to forgive. Things that God reminded you of while you were reading. It migh t be feelings or issues that came up that you need pray about and deal with. There are journal pa ges with room for verses or qu otes as well as a place to write yo ur thoughts.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

A is for Abba by Margot Cioccio •••

AND BECAUSE YOU ARE SONS, GOD HAS SENT FORTH THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO YOUR HEARTS, CRYING OUT, “ABBA, FATHER!” ~ GALATIANS 4:6

Abba my Father is far more than a term or endearment. It carries with it a bigger sense of our close relationship with God the procreator, the one who has created and brought all things into being. It also carries with it a reminder of our covenant relationship in God’s family. I liked this explanation I found in a commentarie I was reading from the Christian Leadership Center. "To call God "Father" is to affirm that we have been born into the family of God, that we are joint heirs with Christ, that we belong to him forever and will dwell with him. But he is still the sovereign and holy Lord God; and the significance of the word "Father" is one of a reverent, respectful and solemn adult address of God."

subjects one thing remains constant and that is the love of sharing music together.

I suppose part of my journey to be open, honest and vulnerable with people has been by developing my ability to see where Jesus is alive My dad and his wife thought I needed and living in them. I am still at times a break and invited just me out for disappointed by people and in those some vacation time with them. It was times I have tried to remember how a wonderful time, we visited much Jesus has forgiven me. To museums and my dad helped me realize that we all are very broken, with my piano playing. He listened as and often respond and react based I struggled to play the pieces I was working on for an up coming recital. It really is not a big surprise for me that I feel very close to God the father when I am sitting and singing songs on my guitar, and as my skill increases also when playing piano, or when singing hymns or songs in church.

On the flip side I have had to work through much of my own issues of independence. My parent divorced when I was very young. As a result I developed a bit of a protective skin or at times more like a thick brick walled castle to protect myself from being It is not hard for me to relate to God hurt by people who might later as father. I have been blessed in this abandon me. I eventually found it to life to have a good and kind father. I be a very lonely place and have know there are some people for worked hard to take down the walls whom this is a difficult concept to and to be vulnerable realizing that grab ahold of because all they have the joys of sharing in relationships known of fathers is abuse. Some out weigh the pain of loosing those know only abandonment, criticism relationships or being disappointed and other negatives based upon their by them in some way. Its not that my relationship with their earthly father. father ever stopped loving me, he For me I feel the closest to God the was just thousands of miles away Father when I am singing or making and our time together became the music, it is interesting that music is stuff of vacations not daily life. So as the closest bond between my earthly a result I have had to work to allow father as well. From a very early age God the father to be part of my daily my daddy would sit with me at the piano and sing songs. That was our life and not just the God of mountain top retreats and spiritual vacations. special thing to do together. Even with our many differences in opinion though the years on countless

on old buttons and behaviors that may or may not have anything to do with the current situation. I found myself in a place of thankfulness for my relationship with my earthly father and for the wonderful relationship I have with my heavenly father. My point for today is that that I have found it helpful to look at both the good and the bad of my relationship with my earthly father and to see how those things have impacted my relationship with God the Father. Look at the things that you may need to forgive and to overcome as well as the things that you have to be thankful for. For those of you that this is a big struggle filled with more painful memories than good, I want to remind you of Psalm 27:10

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My Top Five

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Personal Prayer

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nulla pariatur. At vver eoson et page 2 continued accusam dignissum qui blandit est praesent. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, MARK 14:36 consectetuer adipiscing elit. And Hecondimentum said, “Abba,augue Father, Phasellus in all things are possible for You. mauris. Suspendisse non urna. Etiam Take this cup away from consequat elit ut enim. Quisque egestas rutrum purus.not Suspendisse Me; nevertheless, what I turpis ligula, luctus will, but what et, Youpulvinar will.”ameta, NSECTETUR ADIPISCING Magna convallis et, massa. Utateu libero maecenas justo. Nam wisinulla. donec amet nam, quis nulla euismodsed neque in Pellentesque ac purus pede enim, libero curabitur libero, tempus arcu

ay about and deal with. Duis et erat vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam in enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit amet sapien. facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, est Praesent pharetra, justo a suscipit et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus venenatis, lorem orci pellentesque laoreet libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit ROMANS 8:15 GALATIANS 4:6 nunc, eget scelerisque dolor massa et vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus ante.For you did not receive the And because youquis, aremassa. sons, non, blandit id, congue spirit of bondage again to fear, VestibulumGod has elit sent mattis, id forth bibendum Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, but you received the Spirit of His Son cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut the Spirit of adoption by whom into your hearts, crying out, vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, we cry out, “Abba, Father.” “Abba, Father!” Morbi tristique porttitor nulla. CURABITUR LABORE. Ac augue donec, UT ENIM AD MINIM molestie pede turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat sed gravida a dolor luctus, congue arcu id lorem consectetuer, eu. Posuere tempusrisus porttitor Aliquam in odio erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor diam praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper ipsum lorem non hac in quisque hac.

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ALWAYS

Bible Verse or Quote: __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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molestie eros, eget vehicula eros magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim vel, pede. Suspendisse potenti. Ut et nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum eget, elit sapien. Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. Cras sapien massa, dignissim et, dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed eu leo.velit, Donec inposuere augue. Maecenas nibh eget sem in a sit. vitae turpis. Aenean nonaenean mi vel leo Sociosqu netus semper blandit porta. Ut quis eros id lorem suspendisse dictum, arcu enim vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat conubia leo nulla ac nibh, purus vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam in hendrerit ut mattis nec maecenas, enim. Donec pellentesque sit quo ac, vivamus praesent nisl metus amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo eget viverra ante. Natoque placerat ased suscipit venenatis, lorem orci sit hendrerit, dapibus velit pellentesque eget sit molestiae leonunc, a, ut lorem scelerisque dolor massa et ante.

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B isenim for Broken Ut ad ALWAYS

By Margot Cioccio

THE BELOVED MOSAIC

••• All the glass has been laid and it is time to grout the finished project.

by Fringilla Viverr

There are a number of "B" words that Bibendum I could write about. Believe, Beloved, Baptism, Beauty, Blood, UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS quis dapibus Blindness...Today "B" is forDOLOR broken.IN NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT ut lorem My pastor shared a recent sermon LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA Sophomore •••

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Nippers are the main tool I use in shaping the glass to create the shapes I need for my projects.

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Etiam sit amet est

other we could choose to walk Congue tortor cursus risus together in love. He eros presented the Mauris ullamcorper, sit amet vestibulum commodo nisl, luctus case thatconsectetuer, we could come together faucibus pede risus augue amet quis aenean maecenas from our eros, starting places of eros molestie eget vehicula sit, donec velit iusto, morbi felis elit magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis brokenness and walk together et nibh. Vestibulum volutpat dui hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula towards Gods design lacus understanding consectetuer, mauris at ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla andsuspendisse, plan. eu wisi rhoncus eget

consectetur adipiscing sed it ut We have been looking elit, at what NEQUE PECUN MODUT NEQUE labore et dolore magna aliquam means to love the Lord with ouris Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare nostrud exercitation mmodo heart, soul, mind andullam strength, as pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis consequet. Duis aute in voluptate nibh velit, eget posuere sem in a sit. taken ornare from Mark 12. erat This felis weekwisi wea diam, magna Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla eros. Can I take the log out of my own were looking at loving God with our risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim pariatur. At vver eos et accusam eye before I try "mind" and askingcontinued the question of 2 vel, pede. Suspendisse on page potenti. Ut et dignissum qui blandit est praesent. Ut to take the splinter how do we love God with our nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud out of yours? intellect. While the sermon touched consectetuer adipiscing elit. exerc. Duis aute irure dolor in Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, reprehenderit in voluptate. Lorem tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer eget, elit sapien. adipiscing elit. Phasellus Thank you for loving us before we loved you. For taking us just as we condimentum augue in mauris. Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin Suspendisse non urna. EtiamThank you for loving us where we are today are in all our brokenness. dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare consequat elitus ut enim. Quisque one step at a time. Thank you that when and helping to overcome dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci egestas rutrum Suspendisse we do slip andpurus. fall back in the old muck that you and reach out venenatis arcu come ultrices vehicula. turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar a, with arms ADIPISCING of love setting our feet. Once again forgiving, rutrum tellus id augue nisl. Nuncsed NSECTETUR Magna us ametback onMauris CURABITUR LABORE. Ac donec, convallis et, massa. Utus eufree nulla. healing and setting from the chains that kept us bound. libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec amet gravida a dolor luctus, congue id diamelit. pharetra euismod diam.arcu Integer Pellentesque ac purus pede nam, quisus nulla nequesed in enim, libero praesent, pretium ac, ipsum Help toeuismod love each other the way you love each ofullamcorper us. Cras sapien massa, dignissim et,lorem

Prayer.

curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas.

dapibus sed, God adipiscing in, ante. Sed If I want to extend mercy, eu leo. Donec augue. Maecenas grace andinforgiveness to me, vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo I must be willing to extend those blandit porta. Ut quis eros id lorem things to others. vestibulum venenatis. et erat Sociosqu netus semperDuis aenean vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam suspendisse dictum, arcu enimin enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit conubia leo nulla ac nibh, purus amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo hendrerit ut mattis nec maecenas, aquo suscipit venenatis, lorem orci ac, vivamus praesent metus pellentesque nunc,Natoque eget scelerisque eget viverra ante. placerat dolor massa et ante. sed sit hendrerit, dapibus velit

non hac in quisque hac.

My Top Five

molestiae leo a, ut lorem sit et lacus Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, aliquam. Sodales nulla. consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, est et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus laoreet libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus non, blandit id, congue quis, massa. Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. Morbi tristique UT ENIM AD MINIM molestie pede lorem porttitor nulla. Aliquam consectetuer, eu. Posuere tempuseleifend, porttitor odio urna et risus in lobortis justo gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales laoreetnulla integer, pretium velit, cursus ultrices diam

in at, leo nam in.

B is for Broken

He is able to come to our aid. He waits for us to realize our need for Him. It is then that he steps in. It is then that he begins to help us pick up the shattered remains from our attempts to live life on our own terms. He does not ask us to come to him all cleaned up and put together. He accepts just as we are, another prodigal come home from life in the pig pens of life.

I nves tor News l etter

Working on the Beloved Project

I am a mosaic artist. In a very broken point in my life I discovered mosaics. Working with the bits of broken glass and making something new and beautiful out of the shattered remains gave me a kind of hope that sustained me through that difficult season. Isaiah 61 talks about how we are given beauty for ashes. “To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” I would say that God gives us beauty out of brokenness.”

I have often wondered why God does not just protect us from the things that break and damage us in the first place. I suppose he could, it would be so much easier. More often it is when we get to the end of ourselves and realize we need His help that then The Beloved Project began during a church service. Margot does not remember what exactly inspired her to draw that first sketch of the Beloved project. She does remember thinking how greatly the Lord love His Beloved. The sketch hung on Margot’s bulletin board for over a year before Margot began to do the larger drawing on a board. That board then sat in her studio for another year. Margot began laying the glass for the Beloved project on May 23, 2011 and completed the project on September 29th 2011. We estimate that there are roughly 18,000 pieces of hand nipped and placed glass in the Beloved ~ Margot Cioccio

Our church slogan is "People accepted... lives changed." On any given Sunday our seats are filled with homeless, inner city poor, people struggling with addictions, some with mental illness, sometimes we have sex offenders. Some old, some young, some have navigated life better than others but the fact remains if we are honest that we are all broken. Can we love others like Jesus loves us? I am thankful that Jesus forgives me and extends to me his mercy. That he sees the good in me and gives me the courage and faith to believe and to overcome step by step day by day. I would tell you that it does no good to water down the word of God to accommodate our moral failures. It is possible to admit that we all struggle with various things and rather than spending our time pointing fingers at each other we could start learning to love like Jesus.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure

ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

Etiam sit amet est

C is for Chosen A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

In the garden Jesus cries out to God in Luke 22:41-43 (NKJV) 41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.â&#x20AC;? 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. Jesus himself cries out to God - Is there another way to restore the broken relationship between God and his created people could we do that instead of this.

do you want the antidote? There are lots of things you might try but in the end only one will work. You are not asked to fix yourself, or clean yourself up, all that is asked of you is are you willing to believe in the one who has the antidote. Are you willing to admit that you are hopelessly broken and allow Him to begin a work of restoration in your life.

I see no where that one must walk forward in a church service or say the right set of words. Consider the thief next to Jesus on the cross. According to Jesus, he would be with him in 1 Peter 2:9 Hebrews12:1-2 reminds us. paradice. That guy did nothing But you are a chosen generation, a Therefore we also, since we are beyond believe that Jesus was who royal priesthood, a holy nation, surrounded by so great a cloud of he said he was. He had no time to His own special people, that you witnesses, let us lay aside every make things right with the people he may proclaim the praises of Him weight, and the sin which so easily had wronged. He had no time to be who called you out of darkness ensnares us, and let us run with baptized, he did no good deeds. He into His marvelous light; endurance the race that is set was a bad man who deserved to be 2 before us, looking unto Jesus, punished and die. Two bad men had Being a special people, or a chosen the author and finisher of our faith, a last chance that day as they hung generation, or even a royal who for the joy that was set before beside Jesus while the life ebbed priesthood does not make me better Him endured the cross, despising from their dying bodies. One mocked or superior to those who are not yet the shame, and has sat down at and scorned Jesus - the other turned called out of darkness or even to the right hand of the throne of to him and believed. Which of the two others who are. We too quickly forget God. are you? where we came from. That each and The joy set before Jesus was that every one of us was called out of there would be a way for broken, I have nothing to lord over any other darkness into the marvelous light of sinful people to be made right with broken or sinful person. I too deserve Jesus Christ. We were called out, God who is just and holy. Justice had death on a cross for my sins but I not for our merit or talent or even our to be satisfied. Someone had to pay have received an undeserved usefulness. We are all called, but not the price for the wrong that was pardon. That pardon has caused me all choose to respond to that call. We done. We as a people are hopelessly to want to live my life in thankfulness too often mistakenly think that we broken, unless we accept the way and service to the one who rescued must some how become good that God provides to restore us. It is me from darkness. It has caused me enough, nobel enough, righteous not that he comes to condemn us. to daily remind myself where I have enough, to one day, when we get it We are already broken and dying in come from and to extend the hand of all together, tip the scales of justice in our sin. We are like a person who God's mercy and forgiveness to our favor and then approach God. has been bitten by a poisonous others who are perishing. I am still None of us will ever be good enough. snake. The deadly venom is already broken, I still make poor choices, and There is only one way to approach at work and unless an antidote is at times badly represent the love of God who is holy and that is to accept quickly administered the person has Jesus to others. I have to choose the means that He provides. no hope of survival. All of us have each day to pick up my cross and been bitten by the poison of sin and follow him. I have to choose brokenness. The question left to us is everyday to allow him into the

Jesus came and modeled for us

4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the

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ALWAYS FREE ISSUE NO. 17 " I challenge you to relinquis how one is to become great in His Lord, beseech you to walk worthy h the fantasy of an uncluttered wo rld. Accept Kingdom. It is to lay down our lives of the calling with which you were each day as it comes, find Me in the for others. It is to be a servant to all. called, 2 with all lowliness and midst of it all." We are left here in a It is to forgive as we have been gentleness, with long suffering, cluttered, damaged, messe egestas rutrum purus. Suspendisse erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor d up world. forgiven.HIGH It is to reach out with a bearing with one another in love, It is in that messed up world LOREMligula, SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01 ultrices, est turpis luctus et, pulvinar a, facilisis sapien. Vivamus that we 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of hand of kindness to others who are are learning to look to Jesus, convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus to hear wallowing in the mucksed andpede poison of laoreet the Spirit in the bond of peace. his voice, to show his mercy Pellentesque ac purus libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit to others, this fallen world. My job is not to to be humble enough to ad tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus non, mit our own point out the faults and failures of The thief the cross brokenness and to share the risus varius dolor. In non risus. Cras blandit id, on congue quis, speaks massa. journey others. My job is to reach out with volumes to me. If you are still with others. She goes on to pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum say, "Remember that your ultima His love sayviverra to fellow travelers, I've cursus, breathing - its notvulputate too late totortor, turn to quam eu to ante semper velit enim te goal is not to control or fix everythin placerat est. vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. struggled with that and here's how Jesus. Most of us however, do have g around you; it is to keep communin Morbi tristique nulla. Jesus helped me to overcome. It is days and yearsporttitor of our lives to learn to g with Me." Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet Aliquam consectetuer, risustime in to do also to be humble enough to admit follow Jesus. We do have ~ Sarah Young faucibus consectetuer, pede risus lobortis eleifend, justo nulla pretium

CULTURE

that I still have blind spots, and I have

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broken, andFringilla damagedViverr places of my Sophomore life. I am learning to accept that we ••• are veryAD blind andVENIAM, broken.QUIS We UT all ENIM MINIM are all at various places in God's NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN restoration It is foolish of REPREHENDprocess. INCIDIDUNT UT me to think that I am some how LABORE ETminim DOLORE MAGNA Ut enim ad veniam, quis ALIQUA QUIS NOS. better than anyone nostrud exerc. Irure else. dolor It inis far Ut enim minim veniam, quis et reprehend incididunt ut labore better foradme to look beyond the nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris doloreand magna aliqua.ofUtother enim to ad see faults failures nisi ut aliquip ea commodo minim veniam, nostrud where Jesus isexquis working in that life. consequat. aute irure dolor exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut Rather thanDuis point out what is in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. broken I make it my aim to molestaie cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad Duis aute irure in reprehenderit celebrate what dolor has been restored. I incommod improb in voluptatequae velitegen esseium molestaie would prefer to link arms with my fugiend.Tia Officia mollit anim cillum. non deserunt ob ea soluad broken brothers and sisters id est laborum harumd dereud incommod quaeEtegen ium improb celebrating the things we have facilis est er expedit distinct. fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit anim overcome, encouraging id est laborum Et harumd others dereud.to Nonor et up. imper ned libidig met, to not give Pointing people consectetur adipiscing elit, ut a Jesus and living my life insed such continued on labore magna aliquam page isand 2 way asettodolore reflect his kindness nostrud exercitation his mercy to others. ullam mmodo consequet. Duis aute in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla Itpariatur. is His kindness that leads us to At vver eos et accusam repentance. To turn around from the dignissum qui blandit est praesent. Ut path of destruction we have enim ad minim veniam, quisbeen nostrud walking on and choose to in follow exerc. Duis autetoirure dolor Jesus on the path that leads Lorem to life. reprehenderit in voluptate. To makedolor roomsitfor others to come ipsum amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Phasellus along on that journey, no matter how NSECTETUR ADIPISCING Magna amet to condimentum augue in they mauris. messed up and broken are, libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec amet Suspendisse non urna. Etiam accept and forgive just like Jesus. nam, quis nulla euismod neque in enim, libero consequat elit ut enim. Quisque curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas.

molestie eros, eget vehicula eros areas that are broken and to be magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis gracious when others try to help me. hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula Walking not always pretty. ac auctortogether sodales,is dolor est fringilla It often apushes our odio buttons, andquis ipsum, commodo magna reveals places that we are still hurting. eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, There is a ac, beauty thatnon, is revealed as imperdiet dapibus dignissim vel, pede. to Suspendisse potenti. Ut etto we begin become free and learn nunc. ipsum dolor amet, As walk inLorem the gifts Jesus hassitgiven. consectetuer adipiscing elit.- we we learn to walk in his love Curabitur justo libero, become a vel cityante. on a Nam hill that cannot be tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum hidden. He sets a table for us in the eget, elit sapien. Donec arcu risus diam amet sit.

Etiam sit

presence of His enemies. Taste and cursus risus seeCongue thatquam. thetortor Lord is good. Look there Aenean Etiam sollicitudin vestibulum commodo nisl, luctus is a better way, there is an ornare antidote, dictum nunc. augue ametPellentesque quis aenean maecenas will you admit that you need and dolor ipsum. Phasellus nonitorci sit,et donec velit iusto, morbi felis elit receive theVestibulum healing andvolutpat the newdui life venenatis ultrices vehicula. et nibh.arcu Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc thatlacus is offered. This is the character consectetuer, mauris at pharetra Integer eget elit. of the neweuismod person in Christ. suspendisse, eudiam. wisi rhoncus

Cras sapien dignissim nibh velit,massa, eget posuere semet, in a sit. dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed Colossians 3:12-14 eu leo. Donec in augue. Maecenas 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo holy and beloved, put on tender blandit porta. Ut quis eros id lorem mercies, kindness, humility, vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat meekness, long suffering; vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam in 13 bearing with one another, and enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit forgiving onePraesent another,pharetra, if anyone amet sapien. justo has a complaint against a suscipit venenatis, loremanother; orci even as Christ forgave you, so you pellentesque nunc, eget scelerisque 14 But above all these also must do. dolor massa et ante.

things put on love, which is the

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something with the life he has given

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Prayer

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My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. tellus. In today at nislto etrealize dui Help us that you ornare adipiscing. Fusce mauris called us to walk and grow together. dictum massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. We are all broken and together you Phasellus tincidunt ipsum id quam. are taking us like bits of broken glass Quisque lacinia ligula quis diam. and fashioning us in to one beautiful Maecenas tempor placerat purus. mosaic. You called us to be a royal Morbi eu lacus non dui tristique priesthood your dapibus. Sedadministering convallis lacus sedgrace eros. and mercy, pointing people to the Duis vitae diam vel tellus interdum truth of your tristique. Duisundeserved bibendum. love. Help us to shine yourhabitant light so morbi otherstristique might see Pellentesque senectus malesuada fames their wayettonetus you. et Help us to love like UT ENIM AD MINIM molestie pede lorem ac turpis egestas.quis turpis sit amet you love. eu. Posuere tempus porttitor odio urna et nisl feugiat ornare. Aliquam dolor. gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales laoreet integer, Praesent rutrum. Vivamus varius in at, leo nam in.

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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D isIfor Dying to Self nves tor A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

2 Corinthians 5:14- 15 For Christ’s love us, because we are Ut enim adcompels minim veniam, quis nostrud exercconvinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer Nisi utwhoAliquip live forLaboris themselves but for him died for themConsequat and was raised again. 14

I started writing this "d" post about the word devotion but that post turned into more of and "e" post. So you will have to wait till tomorrow for that one. So I'm back to the drawing board for my "d' word but I think "d" is for dying to self. Its funny it had been one of my first thoughts but then I settled for something more warm and fuzzy like the word devotion. There are topics and verses in the bible that I have to wrestle with. What does that mean, and how do I even begin to live that out. Some things seem down right impossible. I shake my head and wonder, do I dumb things down and settle for easy answers or do I wrestle and study and seek God till eventually He helps turn the light bulb of my understanding on. The whole idea of dying to self falls into a whole area that I find myself having to wrestle with.

How dead is dead enough?

If I am honest there are parts of me that have a hard time dying. About the time I think some area is taken care of - I am quickly reminded how un-dead it really is. I like the following CS Lewis quote because when we come to Jesus we usually have realized that something is broken and not working , we are kind of clueless about what all really needs done. ""Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you know that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up

towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself!" CS Lewis Luke 14: 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. I have often wondered about the use of the word "hate" in verse 26. The Reformation Study Bible gives this commentary. 14:26 hate. This means to love less (cf. Gen. 29:31, 33; Deut. 21:15–17, where “unloved” translates a word meaning “hated”). Discipleship means loving the Master so much that all other loves are hatred by comparison. That helps - I don't have to literally hate my family and myself for that matter but I need to remember who is the priority. Is it to do my will or Jesus' will? Will I be selfish and demand that my family jumps at my every whim or will I jump to serve them? I will be the first to admit that I have a long way to go in this whole death to self thing. I am quick to protect myself from things that might bring pain or embarrassment. Did He really want us to die to all of our self? Dead seems so extreme, so final, so... dead. So I'm the chalk out line on the floor after my dead caucus has been hauled off to the morgue. Ok so when my life is over - dead dead is one thing but how do you live and be dead.?

ALWAYS

CULTURE

I remember as a pre believer that this idea of God talking control of my life was pretty intimidating. After all I had a life and things that I wanted to do. I have found that it by Fringilla Viverr seems to be anSophomore on going project of •• me being able to• let go of something UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS I wanted to hold on and control and NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN allowing Jesus to be the one who REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT calls the ET shots in that MAGNA area. LABORE DOLORE

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closets Suspendisse or old trunks non to clean mauris. urna.out, Etiam continued on page 2 behaviors elit or attitudes need consequat ut enim. that Quisque egestas rutrum Suspendisse adjusted, I knowpurus. it is Jesus who will turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar a, convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. Pellentesque ac purus sed pede tempor tincidunt. Galatians 2:20 Cras venenatis risus varius In non risus. Cras I have beendolor. crucified with pretium lorem in longer arcu. Mauris et Christ and I no live, but quam eu ante viverra semper Christ lives in me. The life I live placerat est.

in the body, I live by faith in the

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be there to help me begin, carry out and complete the project. I have to keep on seeking and knocking and at some point the door molestie eros, eget vehicula erosfor to that understanding will open LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / magna nisi.I Nullam me. Tillidthen believe facilisis that the bible hendrerit Morbi ligulato is true andquam. with His helpporta, endeavor ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla live it out by faith. ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, So how do we go about imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim dying toSuspendisse ourself ?potenti. Ut et vel, pede. nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer 1. Invite God adipiscing to be part elit. of your day Curabitur vel ante. Nam 2. Let him know that youjusto wantlibero, to do tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum His will. eget, elit sapien.

My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4.

3. Let him know where you feel

Aenean quam. weak and needEtiam help sollicitudin dictum Pellentesque 4. How nunc. can my focus be onornare serving dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci others rather than just me me me venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. 5. You might not be able to eat the Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc whole euismod elephant diam. today-Integer but start pharetra elit. Cras sapien massa, dignissim et, with a chunk. dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed eu leo. Donec in augue. Maecenas vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo Donec arcuUtrisus amet sit. blandit porta. quisdiam eros id lorem Dear Lord, venenatis. Congue tortor cursus risus vestibulum Duis et erat Helpvestibulum us to denyrutrum. ourself and up nisl,pick luctus vitae mi feugiatcommodo Etiam in our augue cross and follow you. nisl In our amet quis aenean enim. Donec pellentesque sit time it would be a march to the electric maecenas sit, donec velit iusto, amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo Helpvenenatis, us to that you morbi felis elitrealize et lorem nibh. Vestibulum achair. suscipit orci dui lacus consectetuer, diedvolutpat so we could live. Help us to lay pellentesque nunc, eget scelerisque mauris at suspendisse, eu wisi dolor ante. downmassa our lifeetfor the sake of others. egetofnibh velit,our eget Helprhoncus us to give ourself, time, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, our talents and our treasures for consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut your kingdom purposes. May your blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, will be done in my life today. turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, est et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus laoreet libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus know that your body is a non, blandit quis, massa. temple of id, thecongue Holy Spirit, who Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum is in you, whom you have cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, received from God? You are vel pharetra quam20justo eu sapien. not your own; you CURABITUR LABORE. Ac were augue donec, Morbi tristique porttitor nulla. sed gravida a dolor luctus, congue arcu id boughtconsectetuer, at a price. Therefore Aliquam risus in diam praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper

Etiam sit Prayer:

honor God with your body. ipsum lorem non hac in quisque hac.

“It is not by telling people about ourselves that we demonstrate our Christianity. Words are cheap. It is by costly, self-denying Christian practice that we show the reality of our faith.”

Jonathan Edwards lobortis eleifend, justo nulla pretium velit, cursus ultrices diam lorem ipsum est vitae turpis.

Philippians 1:6 "And I am

Donec auctorthat nunc. Praesent lobortis. certain God, who began Aliquam cursus elit. Aliquam erat the good work within you, will volutpat. Suspendisse ut metus. continue hisMorbi work eros untilenim, it is Aliquam sed dolor. pretium id, aliquet ut, gravida vel, finished on thepede day UTfinally ENIM AD MINIM molestie tellus. In at nisl et dui ornare lorem eu. Posuere porttitor odio when Christtempus Jesus returns. adipiscing. Fusce mauris urna et gravida, hasellus sed dictum sit sodales laoreet integer, in at, leo nam in.

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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E for Ekklesia A Devotional By Margot Cioccio

'calling out' was not just an assembly. The words agora and paneguris as well as heorte, koinon, thiasos, sunagoge and sunago can all mean an assembly. The word ekklesia was a political term, not a religious term. Jesus was the King and the Bible used the term ekklesia for a good reason. In classical Greek "ekklesia" meant "an assembly of citizens summoned by the crier, the legislative assembly.""

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves Wow - did you see that part about it to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread being a political term. As the people of the King we are summoned to and to prayer. assemble. Not to hide in our Christian The Fellowship of the Believers ... conclaves to avoid being soiled by the studied the word together, they spent filth of the world. We are summoned time together involved and part of together that we might accomplish the each others lives, they ate together will of the King. It seems to me the will and they prayed together. They were of the King is not served well by us devoted to living a life together as hiding from the world and having they followed Christ. Their devotion to a m a z i n g p r a y e r a n d w o r s h i p Jesus was not compartmentalized to experiences. Don't get me wrong give Jesus an hour or two sitting in a there is a place for those services, Sunday service. It is easy for us to get but it should be a result of lives lived into a rut of thinking that we have fully for the King of Kings not the goal done our duty because we attended a of our lives. weekly, monthly or for some yearly Blessed are you, Simon Bar church service. We have messed up Jonah! For flesh and blood has not the definition of Church to make it a revealed this to you, building or a place to go. The bible but my Father who is in word that we have translated as heaven. And I tell you, you are church comes from the word ekklesia. Peter (petros – stone, little rock) Even as I have studied to write this and upon this rock (petra – crag, post I have seen some things that I cliff, large rock) I will build my had missed previously. Before I took ekklesia (Matthew 16:17,18). Ekklesia to mean the called out ones. That is how I had heard it preached Even this passage has been twisted and I never really bothered to dig by some to the point of succeeding much deeper. I read the following church leadership needing to be from description from R. Scott, and H.G. the blood line of Peter. It was not Liddell, A Greek-English Lexicon, p. Peter himself that was the foundation 206. "The word 'church' in the New that Jesus would build upon it was Testament is translated from the what Peter believed. Go back a few Greek word 'ekklesia' which comes verses where Jesus is asking his from two words 'ek' meaning 'out' and disciples who they think. he is. 13 'kaleo' meaning to 'call.' An ekklesia or When Jesus came to the region of

Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is? 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Coming together for church should not just be a place to hide away while we bide our time waiting for the return of Christ. Matthew 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. This is the root of the belief upon which God will build his ekklesia or church. It is a called out group of people that believe that Jesus is more than a prophet or wise, holy man. It is a people who believe that Jesus is God. Jesus says himself says in John 10 to a bunch of Jews who were

My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. intent on stoning him for blasphemy.

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Jesus answered, ALWAYS FREE

“I did tell you, when we don't get our way, or we hit a preach the gospel and when ISSUE NO. 17all but you do not believe. The point of conflict we don't stay and else fails use words. Don't just miracles I do in my Father’s name work things out. Who needs to, there talk big - go live it out. Work speak for me, 26 but you do not are plenty of other churches. People out your salvation. We as a believe because you are not my people have been so insecure leave complaining about hendrerit quam. Morbi porta,how ligulathey Donec auctor nunc. Praesent lobortis. by Fringilla Viverr 27 sheep. MySophomore sheep listenLOREM to my HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME in our righteousness and so ac auctor dolorHello est fringilla cursus elit. Aliquam erat were not sodales, getting fed. - pick up Aliquam01 voice; I know them, and they follow afraid of getting our righteous ••• ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis volutpat. Suspendisse ut metus. your fork and eat. In most cases they 28 me. VENIAM, QUIS robes dirty, that we stand UT ENIM AD MINIM eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, Aliquam sed dolor. Morbi eros enim, have been offended and rather than This group of people who believed around pointing outvel,what NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim pretium id, aliquet ut, gravida work things out they run away. REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT everyone else isornare doing wrong and were devoted to JesusUTbelieved vel, pede. Suspendisse potenti. Ut et tellus. In at nisl et dui LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA rather than living like Jesus adipiscing. Fusce mauris dictum he was God, that He was indeed the nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, ALIQUA QUIS NOS. The fellowship of believers people. adipiscing elit. devoted massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. Phasellus promised Messiah. Many of these consectetuer Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, tincidunt ipsum id quam. Quisque people persecuted and died for themselves to being a Jesus people. Ut enimwere ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum lacinia quisat diam. I had ligula friends the Maecenas Cincinnati nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in a chance He was the central point. He was like their belief. They were given nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo eget, elit sapien. tempor placerat purus. Morbi eu Vineyard who would as a ut labore etin as the air they breathe, they would not consequat. Duis aute irure toreprehend denounceincididunt their belief indolor Jesus lacus non dui tristique dapibus. Sedcity church, regularly flood their dolore aliqua. enim live without became the convallis reprehenderit in voluptate velit essefor Aenean quam. him. EtiamHe sollicitudin lacus sed eros. Duis vitae God andmagna live, but theyUtchose toaddie with acts of mercy, kindness minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea soluad dictum ornare reason nunc. behindPellentesque why and how they lived diam vel tellus interdum tristique. their belief in Christ. This is devotion and justice. They had some exercitation ullamco nisi ut incommod quae egen laboris ium improb dolor ipsum. and Phasellus non orcias a Duis bibendum. Pellentesque habitant and et worked worshiped toaliquip believe so completely in Jesus that great t-shirts that said "The ea commodo consequat. fugiend.ex Officia deserunt mollit anim venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. morbi tristique senectus et netus et people together. Church is not your life isirure spent forinhis honor and Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc Church has left the building" Duis dolor reprehenderit id estaute laborum Et harumd dereud malesuada fames ac turpis something that we can accomplish on in voluptate velit esse molestaie We should be about more than facilisand est erthat expedit glory you distinct. would not turn pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. egestas.quis turpis sit amet nisl cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad our own. Wemassa, need to work together to feugiat putting on aAliquam happenin' sapien dignissim et, away even if it cost you your life. That Cras ornare. dolor.service. Nonor et imper libidig met, incommod quaened egen ium improb dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed laugh, play, to grieve and hurt when We are called to assemble Praesent rutrum. Vivamus varius not your life Officia would be spent insed doing the consectetur adipiscing elit, ut fugiend. deserunt mollit anim eu leo. Donec Maecenas out of the world so we can tortor. Fuscebut dignissim another hurts.in augue. To rejoice when one pretium Father's Pretty incredible. labore etwill. dolore aliquam is id est laborum Etmagna harumd dereud. vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo go back into it and shine for rejoices. We are living stones built sollicitudin pede. nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo blandit porta. Ut quis eros id lorem Jesus. together intovenenatis. a spiritualDuis house. We are Cras PECUN MODUT NEQUE consequet. Duis voluptate INEQUE am sorry to sayaute thatinmuch of what I vestibulum et erat volutpat, neque vulputate Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla iron that sharpens iron. We are sheep mi feugiat rutrum. suscipit lacusaenean mi porta see - that calls itself Church here in vitae Donec arcu risus diamEtiam amet in sit. Sociosqu netus Danielhendrerit, 12:13semper Those who are pellentesque vehicula, vehicula pariatur. At vver eos etin accusam that are part of a flock. enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit felis, condimentum fringilla eros diam Congue tortor cursus risus suspendisse dictum, arcu enim America pales in comparison. We go wise will shine like the diam, ornare wisi aUt dignissum quimagna blanditerat est felis praesent. amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo in nibh. Maecenas mattis, metus vestibulum commodo leo nulla ac nibh, purus vitae It is interesting to menisl, theluctus political conubia torisus. church more out of id. aquis devotion brightness of the heavens, Justo fermentum Malesuada enim ad minim veniam, nostrudto a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci tincidunt risus mi dictum augueofamet quis aenean maecenas hendreritmalesuada, ut mattis nec maecenas, context the word ekklesia. We are eleifend, tortor molestie, a fusce a vel self. Our question upon visiting a new and those who lead many to exerc. Duis aute irure dolor in pellentesque nunc,iusto, eget scelerisque at ultricies tellus velit sed sit, donec velit morbi felis elit mauris, quo ac, vivamus praesent metus the citizens of the kingdom of heaven et. Mauris at has suspendisse, neque righteousness, like the stars reprehenderit in voluptate. Lorem church is not God called me to be dolor massa et ante. volutpat dui ante. Sed varius miNatoque quis elit. Nullam et nibh. Vestibulum eget viverra ante. placerat aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus and we are summoned to meet ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer here, to be part of the life together lacus consectetuer, mauris at in. Wisi mattis suscipit nec amet, adipiscing elit. leo Phasellus Lorem ipsum dolor sitrepresenting amet, together as citizens that suspendisse, eu wisi rhoncus eget with this group of believers. It is more nisl fermentumaugue tempor ac a, augue in consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut condimentum in mauris. Prayer: kingdom hereeget on earth. nibh velit, posuere sem in a sit. often about will this church eleifend in venenatis, sitmeet id in my blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, Suspendisse non urna.cras Etiam Dear Lord, needs? The questions follow more turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat vestibulum felis. consequat elit ut enim. Quisque He lp us to be like guiding Whyurna dida nisi. Jesus come? continued page egestas rutrum purus. Aliquam auctor Luke often along the lines ofSuspendisse - Do on I like the2 erat lights and not just shoo 19:10 sapien. is pretty strait forward. turpis ligula, et, pulvinar Vivamus ultrices, est ting music, did I luctus like the sermon, a,were facilisis sta rs. Help us to quit alrea "For the Son of felis Man came to convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. et imperdiet laoreet, tellus dy people friendly, do they have exciting with the religious gam seek libero, and to save what was Pellentesque ac purus sed pede laoreet vitae feugiat nibh elit es an d stuff for my kids. We've pretty much vel pretense and get on wi tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis l o sdui. t . ”CrasSenim o wquam, e s dapibus i t i n non, our th come to be dolor. entertained fulfill blandit accomplishing your Ki risus varius In non and risus.toCras id, congue massa. churches and quis, wonder why the ngdom some religious obligation of being a Vestibulum purposes. Help us to se pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et mattis, elit id bibendum lost are not beating down our e quam eu ante viverra semper cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, that you are not calling good christian by attending church. doors to come in and hide out us placerat est. said it so well "Going to vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. we out of the world but int Keith Green with us. Duhhh because o it. Morbi tristique porttitor nulla. Lord awaken your church not makeeros yousitaamet christian are supposed to be out in the Maurisdoes ullamcorper, Aliquam consectetuer, risus in slumbering people an world being salt and light. We any moreconsectetuer, than going pede to McDonalds d help faucibus risus NSECTETUR ADIPISCING Magna amet CURABITUR LABORE. augue pretium donec, sed lobortis eleifend, justoAcnulla us to die to our selves are to be living libero maecenas Nam at wisi donec gravida supposed a dolor luctus, congue arcu id diam molestie eros, eget vehicula eros and to makes you ajusto. hamburger." I amet find it velit, cursus ultrices diam lorem live for you. nam, quis id nulla euismod nequefacilisis in enim, libero praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper ipsum lorem bibles. I believe it was Mother magna nisi. Nullam est vitae turpis. interesting that in most churches ipsum curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas. non hac in quisque hac. Teresa who said to go out and 25

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CULTURE CLUB

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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F for Filled veniam, quis nostrud Utisenim ad minim ALWAYS

CULTURE CLUB

exhausted their own means to solve root of the pain and the reason you their problem. As a result they are need to numb it in the first place. We "F" could be for a lot of things. less likely to try and manage and can numb ourself with lots of other molestie eros, eget vehicula eros lobortis eleifend, justo nulla pretium by Fringilla Viverr Forgiveness comes quickly toLOREM mind, HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01 drink and drugs. To often control how God would fix them. They things than magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis velit, cursus ultrices diam lorem but I have hit thatSophomore pretty hard and go from being set in their ways to we fill ourself up with other mind ••• hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula ipsum est vitae turpis. often in past Forgiveness is UT ENIM ADposts. MINIM VENIAM, QUIS being willing to be shaped. It is when numbing activities - workaholism ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla often an underlying message in the NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN we nunc. Praesent lobortis. get to the end ofodio ourself andquis cry Donec comesauctor to mind. Even work can ipsum, a commodo magna things I write. "F" could be forUT Fun, REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT Aliquam cursus elit. Aliquam erat out to God that he steps in. Most become a numbing addicting thing in eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, John Eldredge does a great job of LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA volutpat. Suspendisse ut metus. often the things we arenon, asking him to our life. For some it is the TV, idiot imperdiet ac, dapibus dignissim describing the fun side of Jesus in his fix ALIQUA QUIS NOS. Aliquam sed dolor. Morbi eros enim, vel,are pede. potenti. Uthe et onlySuspendisse the beginning. Once box or mind numbing activities on Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis not pretium id, aliquet ut, gravida vel, book Beautiful Outlaw. It would nunc. he Lorem dolor sit amet, starts doesipsum not stop working until their computer. Often people with Ut enimtoad minim veniam, quislaboris nostrud exercitation ullamco In at nisl et dui ornare be hard write about faith but I have consectetuer adipiscing elit. we arrive at tellus. addictive tendencies simply trade one nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo adipiscing. Fusce mauris dictum decided to tackle "F" is for filled. You Curabitur vel ante. Nam perfection. justo libero, addiction for another that is seemingly reprehend incididunt ut labore et consequat. Duisa aute in nisl. Nunc viverra. tincidunt quis, feugiat at,Which vestibulum massa are likely to get bit ofirure faith,dolor and in less destructive. Don't just trade that dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad esse reprehenderit in voluptate velit Phasellus tincidunt ipsum id quam. eget, elit sapien. forgiveness as well. reminds me Quisque addiction for another one - face the minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea lacinia ligula quis diam. of another root of the pain, face the failure, exercitation ullamco laboris soluad incommod quae egen nisi iumut Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin Maecenas tempor placerat purus.the 2aliquip Corinthians 4:78 But we have "F"ornare word guilt, the shame once for all. "If ea commodo improbex fugiend. Officia consequat. deserunt dictum nunc. Pellentesque Morbi eu lacus non dui and tristique this treasure in jars of clay to show Faithful to we confess our sins, he is faithful Duis aute irure dolor in mollit anim id est laborum Et dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci dapibus. Sed convallis lacus sed eros. that this all-surpassing power is reprehenderit infacilis voluptate velit esse finish what Duis and vitae just and us our harumd dereud est er expedit venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. diamwill vel forgive tellus interdum from God and notTia from 8 We molestaie cillum. nonus. ob ea distinct. Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc tristique. bibendum. he has sins andDuis purify us from all are hardincommod pressed quae on every soluad egen side, ium but pharetra euismod diam. Integer habitant1morbi begun. elit. Pellentesque unrighteousness." Johntristique 1:9 Nonor et imper ned libidig met, not crushed; perplexed, but not in Cras sapien massa, dignissim improb fugiend. Officia deserunt et, senectus et netus et Philippians consectetur adipiscing elit, mollit anim id est laborum despair; 9 persecuted, butEtsed notut dapibus sed, adipiscing in, Sed 1:6ante. "being labore etdereud. dolore magna aliquam is harumd eu leo. Donec in augue. confident Maecenas of abandoned; struck down, but not Prayer: nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo destroyed. this, that he who began a good NEQUE PECUN NEQUE De consequet. Duis MODUT aute in voluptate ar Lord, For this reason I kne Donec arcuUtrisus amet sit. blandit porta. quisdiam eros id lorem el workCongue in youtortor will carry it on to Consectetuer arcu ipsum be for e the Father, from whom his velit esse cillum dolore euornare fugiat cursus risus vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat We are jars of clay, simple earthen completion untilrutrum. the dayEtiam of Christ whole family in heaven and pellentesque vehicula, vehicula nulla pariatur. At vverin eos et vestibulum nisl, luctus vitae mi feugiatcommodo in on earth vessels with the capacity to hold with de rives its name. I pray that ou Jesus." diam, ornare magna qui eratblandit felis wisi accusam dignissum esta augue amet quis aenean enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit t of inrisus. us the things of heaven. may his glorious riches he may Justo id.You praesent. Utfermentum enim ad minim veniam, maecenas sit, donec velit iusto, amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo strengthen you with power not feel like aeleifend, very worthy jar. You Malesuada tortor molestie, quis nostrud exerc. Duis aute irure Ephesians 5:18elitDoetnot get drunk through morbi venenatis, felis nibh. Vestibulum a suscipit lorem orci his Spirit in your inner being, so may even feelet.more likein a cracked adolor fusce vel Mauris at inareprehenderit voluptate. that on wine, which leads toscelerisque volutpat dui lacus consectetuer, pellentesque nunc, eget Christ may dwell in your he pot, broken and valueless to faucibus yourself debauchery. art suspendisse, neque aliquam s Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, mauris at suspendisse, eu wisi Instead, be filled with dolor massa et ante. through faith. And I pray tha t you, in. Wisi oradipiscing, the peoplevivamus around you. Asmattis a consectetuer adipiscing elit. rhoncusYou egetmight nibh velit, eget that the Spirit." not notice being rooted and establish ed in love, leo suscipit nec amet, nislaugue Phasellus condimentum in Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, mosaic artist, I love broken things. may have power, together "filled" is a present tense verb which with all mauris. Suspendisse non urna. Etiam consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut The first thing they hold is possibility. the saints, to grasp how wide an carries with it the idea of needing to continued on page 2 d consequat ut enim. blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, long and high and deep is I am likely toelit break thoseQuisque things a lot be regularly filled and re-filled. It is the love of Christ, and to know this lov egestas rutrum Suspendisse turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat more so they canpurus. become part of my also e that spoken in the form ofauctor a surpasses knowledge—tha turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar a, erat urna a nisi. Aliquam pallet and fit in with the other broken command. Here is the message in t you may be filled to the measure of convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, est all the things I will use. Together those Margot speak. Don't just numb your full ness of God. Now to him wh Pellentesque ac purus sed pede et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus things will become something of able to do immeasurably mo o is pain withlibero, addictive tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis laoreet vitaesubstances feugiat nibhthat elit re than beauty. Then like living stones in a all we ask or imagine, accord to Cras stuff enim that will mess you up, risus varius dolor. In non risus. Cras leads vel dui. quam, dapibus ing to his power that is at work wit spiritual house they work together to instead take id, thatcongue pain and need to hin us, to pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et non, blandit quis, massa. him be glory in the church hold theeupresence of God among and in quam ante viverra semper Vestibulum mattis, elitfillidyou bibendum God and allow him to with the Christ Jesus throughout all themselves. placerat est. cursus, velitI enim vulputate tortor, Holy Spirit. suppose that takes a generations, for ever and eve r! vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. humble heart to first of all admit that Am en. (Ephesians 3:14-21) NSECTETUR Magna amet CURABITUR LABORE. Ac augue donec, Mauris eros sitabout amet The thingullamcorper, thatADIPISCING I have noticed Morbi tristique You porttitor nulla. you may also beid libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec sedneed gravidahelp. a dolor luctus, congue arcu faucibus consectetuer, pede risus Aliquam consectetuer, risus in broken people is that they have amet nam, quis nulla euismod neque in diam about praesent,trying pretiumtoac,solve ullamcorper going an UT generally the bottom. Theyarcu have enim, liberohit curabitur libero, tempus ipsum lorem non hac quisqueto hac. addiction when youin need tackle the By Margot Cioccio •••

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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G is for Grief A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Psalm 88:8-10 8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape; 9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? Selah I thought about the things I could write about. Grace, goodness, godliness each wonderful but I am trying as I go through this a - z challenge, to take the road less traveled. To write about some of the more difficult things. Or to be more open about my own journey. I thought today that it would be better to talk about a subject that is painful and uncomfortable and as a result one we tend to avoid. We want to sweep things like grief under the rug. When others are grieving we feel awkward and uncomfortable. We feel powerless to change anything. The person who is grieving sees that stand offishness from most people and takes it to mean that no one cares. They feel abandoned, forgotten, misunderstood and unloved. I suppose unless you have ever truly grieved a loss you

don't realize it is a process. In some ways you have to go through the cycle of at least a year and experience how that loss effects the things you do during the seasons of the year. You remember what was, and feel the pain of it being no longer. How many things that you used to do will continue to be possible and even if they are, they will be changed. Does doing them bring back too many memories making it impossible to enjoy doing that thing you once loved doing. This is a massive journey that a grieving person must travel through. I know my tendency with my own personal grief it is to lock it away ignore it and move on. There are things to do and I tell myself I need to be the strong one. I will tell you, while that may buy you some time, eventually all chickens come home to roost. In the end it just prolongs the healing process. At some point it is important that we feel the pain of that loss of a person, a job, a dream, or even a way of life. Often it is not only the loss of what was, but what could have been. In those times of sorrow we often want to blame, we want there to be a clear cut why. We might go through a long list of "if only's. We think why didn't God just step in and fix or rescue or save the day. Why did this bad thing happen to me - and where was God. Why didn't he help me or my loved one. In some cases He did not step in to help because he was not invited. Sometimes we have been so sure of our own means and it is only when they all fail that we realize we need God. We want to blame God for not helping when we did not allow him in or if we did we tied his hands by our demands that he do things our way. Sometimes like the chick hatching from an egg we need to fight through something to gain the strength we will need for the next

phase of our life. This past year I have finally done a lot of grieving. Jesus is helping me to go through trunks and closets and to take down the walls I have built around things I did not want to deal with. It has been hard, and painful but as I walk through feeling, forgiving, repenting, releasing, trusting I am becoming more and more free. I am not so quick to dismiss present painful situations or to run away or just burry them and move on. I am choosing to walk through them knowing that Jesus is walking beside me. Often there is nothing I can do but watch and wait as Jesus works. My heart should grieve over the things that grieve the heart of God - Where has my heart become calloused, cold, un-caring or indifferent? We have bought into a lie that wants to tell us that following Jesus is all rainbows and warm fuzzies. That we will go from one mountain top blessing to the next. Yes those mountain tops are wonderful but there is always a long valley and a difficult climb between them and people often neglect to mention that part of the journey. We were never meant to live on the mountain tops. Growth happens in the valleys. Strength comes from the climb. Maturity comes when we go back down and help others. Faith comes from continuing to walk day by day, step by step with our eyes on Jesus. Working together with other people brings out each others rough edges. Most of us duck and dodge and run away rather than do the hard work of seeing our own blind spots. It is easier to point out the blind spots of others. They are so obvious to us - why can't that person see the damage that ___ is causing? What we fail to do is to just be responsible for our own stuff. How have my actions and behaviors intentional or otherwise hurt someone

I need to repent. I need to be humble enough to be truly sorry. The other side is that when someone else comes to me to repent of a wrong that they have done to me, I should not hide my pain - I should share it. We should grieve together over the pain and the brokenness, the losses. I should forgive - not that in doing so I in anyway am saying what was done was not wrong, damaging or painful. It was - I am choosing to forgive - to no longer hold it against the other person.

moment my friend Karen called from Ohio. She says to me "Whats going on - God told me to call you." Thank you Holy Spirit. In that instant I knew that God was working. She shared a wonderful word as she prayed with me over the situation. It was a very medical picture. That God was doing surgery - and everything looks bloody and hopeless in this moment but God has not given up. His fingers are nimble and he is working to get to the roots of the infection. The caution was given not to sew up the wound too quickly and even when it is sewn up it will have a drain tube to continue to allow it to drain.

I nves tor News l etter

So heres the hard part - a new situation arises and the same person hurts me again. The easy thing to do is to stop trying, to say, I tried, its hopeless. The wise thing to do is to admit there is something deeper that perhaps we only scratched the surface the last time. How many times must we forgive Matthew 18 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins 22 Jesus against me? Up to seven times?” answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." Before you get all noble saying you've tried - I'm going to tell you - try again, and again. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying one should stay in an abusive situation. Kingdom stuff is not easy to really walk out - the temptation is to say its too hard and give up. It is too hard - we can not do it without the constant help of the Holy Spirit. Invite him into your situation. Admit to him that you would like to forgive but you don't know how to get there. You are willing but you need Him to bring about a heart change that will make it possible. I have two dear friends in desperate need of Gods intervention. Their relationship is full of little wounds that have been brushed aside as no big deal. Now those wounds are festering and the poison has spread beyond just the two of them. Now their little wounds are infected and affecting those around them. My heart is grieving over this situation - I love them both but neither one can see that the problem is both of them not just the other. So I am seeking God about my own blind spots in this situation. While I can't be responsible for the choices that others have made, I must be responsible for my own. Incidents that we often pass over as no big deal can like a small untreated wound become seriously infected and if not treated result in the loss of a limb or death. I was sitting in my office thinking God who can I even share this burden of grief that I'm feeling with. In that

We can be too quick to try and patch up something to quickly elevate the feelings of pain and grief. We need to walk through them. Jesus endured the pain of the cross, he did not avoid it - he faced it head on. While there was nothing they could do, the ones who loved him stayed near by. They experienced the horror of the crucifixion. In the days that followed they tried to sort out what had happened and why. Sometimes we need to be a witness to the life of another. We need to stand by them even as they go thorough pain, anguish, difficulty, loss, fear, hopelessness. We need to be a witness to say look I see your pain, I know God is working. There may be nothing we can do but pray and just be there as emotional support for another. We think prayer and emotional support to be little insignificant things but in reality they are huge

Prayer:

Dear Lord, You know the weight of the grief we bear. Isaiah 53 say You were despised and rej ected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar wi th suffering. the punishment that brou ght us peace was upon you, and by your wounds we are healed. Lord, help us to not run away from grief and suffering. Help us to tru st and to pray and to see that you are working even when everything seems dark and impossible and hopeless. You know, you understand the pain we be ar. Thank you that through it we may in some small way understand the pain you bore on our behalf. Let us like wise be willing to walk throu gh the darkness of our own suffering and to wa lk beside those around us as they face suffering.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure

ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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women earlier in the day. Then the so are you. The story picks up again H is for Help stranger says "How foolish you quis are, in thenostrud book of Acts. Ut enim ad minim veniam, A Devotional by Margot Cioccio and how slow of heart to believe all "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait exerc. Irure lorem ipsum sitDiddolor that the prophets have spoken! for the giftin my nunc Father promised, ALWAYS FREE

ISSUE NO. 17

CULTURE CLUB

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Malesuada enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud but I find myself wondering what word ina suscipit venenatis, lorem orci risus mi dictum augue amet quis aenean maecenas tincidunt hendreritmalesuada, ut mattis nec maecenas, eleifend, tortor molestie, a fusce a vel clothed with power from on high." poured on all flesh which makes it exerc. Duis aute irure dolor in would the Holy Spirt have me write pellentesque nunc,iusto, eget scelerisque at ultricies tellus velit sed sit, donec velit morbi felis elit mauris, quo ac, vivamus praesent metus et. Mauris at suspendisse, neque even possible formius to realize we are reprehenderit Lorem massa et ante. volutpat dui ante. Sed varius quis elit.placerat Nullam about. See my inlistvoluptate. above Holy Spirt dolor et nibh. Vestibulum eget viverra ante. Natoque aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus H is for HELP the disciples needed missing something. ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer quis orci. 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ALWAYS

CULTURE

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of by Fringilla Viverr everything I have said to you.

transforming you, helping you to grow, to desire to be more like Jesus.

molestie eros, 15eget vehicula Acts 8:15-17 they eros arrived, LOREM When HIGH SCHOOL / magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis they prayed for them that they hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula ActsENIM 1:8 AD ButMINIM you will receive might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 UT VENIAM, QUIS ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla power when the Holy Spirit comes the Holy Spirit had not NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN because ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis on you; and you will be my yet come upon any of them; they REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, witnesses Jerusalem, and in all had simply been baptized into the LABORE ETin DOLORE MAGNA imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim 17 Then Judea and Samaria, and to the name of the Lord Jesus. ALIQUA QUIS NOS. vel, pede. Suspendisse potenti. Ut et Ut enim veniam, quis ends of ad theminim earth.” Peter and John placed their hands nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, Ut enim ad minim veniam, quislaboris on them, and they received the nostrud exercitation ullamco consectetuer adipiscing elit. nostrud exerc. Irure dolor “Repent in nisi aliquip ex ea commodo Actsut2:38 Peter replied, Holy Spirit. Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, reprehend incididunt ut labore consequat. Duis aute irure dolor and be baptized, every one ofetin you, tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum dolore aliqua. Ut enim ad esse reprehenderit inJesus voluptate velit eget,need elit sapien. in the magna name of Christ for We to constantly be filled and minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea the forgiveness of your sins. And refilled with the Holy Spirit. The exercitation ullamco laboris soluad incommod quae egen nisi iumut Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit much like Jesus waits to aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. improb fugiend. Officia deserunt dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare Holyaute Spirit. be invited. In our stiff-necked Duis irure dolor in mollit anim id est laborum Et dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci posture we think we can manage reprehenderit infacilis voluptate velit esse harumd dereud est er expedit venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. Acts 5:32 We are witnesses of with out assistance. and molestaie distinct. cillum. Tia non ob ea Mauris rutrum tellusToday id nisl. Nunc these incommod things, andquae so is theium Holy everyday we need to ask for help soluad egen pharetra euismod diam. Integer Nonor et imper ned libidig met, Spirit, whom God has given to and allow Him room to order and improb fugiend. Officia deserunt elit. Cras sapien massa, dignissim consectetur adipiscing elit, sed ut mollit est laborum thoseanim who id obey him.” Et direct our day. et, dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sophomore •••

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labore etdereud. dolore magna aliquam is harumd nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked NEQUE PECUN NEQUE consequet. Duis MODUT aute in voluptate people, with uncircumcised Consectetuer arcu ipsum velit esse cillum dolore euornare fugiat hearts and ears! Youinare just like pellentesque vehicula, vehicula nulla pariatur. At vver eos et your fathers: You always resist diam, ornare magna qui eratblandit felis wisi accusam dignissum esta the Holy Spirit! risus. Justo id. veniam, praesent. Utfermentum enim ad minim Malesuada eleifend, tortor molestie, quis nostrud exerc. Duis aute irure I fusce couldinafind you many more verses adolor vel et. Mauris at reprehenderit in voluptate. but I guess my question to you is are suspendisse, neque aliquam faucibus Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, adipiscing, vivamus in. and Wisi mattis you being stiff-necked consectetuer adipiscing elit.resisting leo necthat amet, nislaugue Phasellus condimentum thesuscipit very help Jesus has in

mauris. intendedSuspendisse for you. Arenon youurna. tryingEtiam to continued on page 2 consequat elit ut enim. live the Christian life in Quisque your own egestas purus. Suspendisse strengthrutrum and limited understanding. turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar Trying to pull yourself up by youra, convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. own boot straps? Receive the gift of Pellentesque ac purus sed pede the promised Holy Spirit. The Holy tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis Spirit is something, someone that risus varius dolor. In non risus. Cras Jesus wants you to be full of. Be pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et filled with power from semper on high. The quam eu ante viverra Holy Spirit is that power from on high placerat est.

that makes it possible for you, a

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My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. TOP FIVE INSTRUCTIO

Not everyone likes to journal but most of us can make a list. Quickly jot down your top fiv e thoughts that came to mind wh ile reading H is for Help. Your top five might include people to pray for or to forgive. Things that God reminded you of while you were reading. It might be feelings or issues that came up that you ne ed pray about and deal with.

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Sed eu leo. Donec in augue. lobortis Maecenas vitae turpis. Aenean non eleifend, nulla pretium velit, Donec arcu risus diam sit. posuere justo sem in a sit. Sociosqu mi vel leo blandit porta. Ut amet quis eros cursus ultrices diam lorem ipsum Congue tortor cursus risus Duis netus semper aenean suspendisseest id lorem vestibulum venenatis. vitae turpis. vestibulum nisl, luctus dictum, arcu enim conubia leo et erat vitae mi commodo feugiat rutrum. augue amet quis aenean nulla ac nibh, purus hendrerit ut Etiam Lord, in enim. Donec pellentesque Donec auctor nunc. Praesent lobortis. sit, donec velit iusto, mattis nec maecenas, ac,it nisl maecenas sitYou amet sapien. Praesent have provided all the help weAliquam will ever need but we quo resist cursus elit. Aliquam erat morbi felis elit et nibh. Vestibulum vivamus praesent metus eget pharetra, justo a suscipit venenatis, thinking we've got things under control. Or we mistakenly think volutpat. Suspendisse ut metus. volutpat dui lacus ante.I know Natoque placerat lorem orci this pellentesque eget don't viverra that thing is consectetuer, nonunc, big deal, worry God, your busy, Aliquam sed dolor. Morbi eros enim, mauris at suspendisse, eu wisi sed sit hendrerit, dapibus scelerisque dolor massa et ante. I've got this. Lord help us to see our own blind spots,ut,one ofvelit which pretium id, aliquet gravida vel, rhoncus eget nibh velit, eget molestiae leo a, ut lorem sit is to be able to realize we need the help of the Holy Spirit. tellus. In at nisl et dui ornare Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, Not just here and there but everyday in everyFusce way. mauris dictum adipiscing. consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, Phasellus tincidunt ipsum pray that come in this instant and fill each oneid quam. turpisLord nibh Icursus leo,you sed will placerat Quisque lacinia ligula quis diam. reading this up withauctor your Holy Spirit. Open our minds that we erat urna a nisi. Aliquam tempor placerat purus. might understand word,estgiveMaecenas us that promised power from on facilisis sapien. Vivamusyour ultrices, Morbi eu lacus non dui tristique et imperdiet laoreet, felis be tellus high that we might living Bibles and be able to better represent Sed convallis lacus sed eros. laoreetalllibero, vitaeKingdom feugiat nibh that your has elit to offerdapibus. to its citizens. Duis vitae diam vel tellus interdum vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus tristique. Duis bibendum. non, blandit id,can't congue massa. Lord we do quis, anything with outPellentesque your inspiration, and help. habitant morbi tristique Vestibulum id bibendum Comemattis, and fillelit us now. Help us to learn to be sensitive to the senectus et netus et malesuada cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, leading of your Holy Spirit. Help us to realize when we need toturpis sit fames ac turpis egestas.quis vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. wait to be filled and refilled. CURABITUR LABORE. Ac augue donec, UT ENIM AD MINIM molestie pede amet nisl feugiat ornare. Aliquam Morbi tristique porttitor nulla. sed gravida a dolor luctus, congue arcu id lorem eu. Posuere tempus porttitor odio dolor. Praesent rutrum. Vivamus Aliquam consectetuer, risus in diam praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper urna et gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales

Prayer,

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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Ephesians 4:14 (NIV1984) Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 14

I is for Immaturity A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

I went looking for quotes about immaturity and found the following. “Psychologically I should say that a person becomes an adult at the point when he produces more than he consumes or earns more than he spends. This may be a the age of eighteen, twenty-five, or thirty-five. Some people remain unproductive and dependent children forever and therefore intellectually and emotionally immature.” Henry Emerson Fosdick "I think that Jesus has already turned out to be the supreme realist of history. For example, a leading psychologist of my generation, Dr. Henry C. Link, was alienated from the church for twenty-five years, but he came back again because in his practice he kept running into the realistic truth of Jesus’ insights into man’s inner life. A great variety of incidents, he wrote, gradually forced me to realize that the findings of psychology in respect to personality and happiness were largely a rediscovery of old religious truths. No one ever really believes in Jesus until, one way or another, he has that kind of experience. He thinks of Jesus as lovely, alluring, appealing to man’s highest ideals and all that, and then someday he runs head-on into a fact, an incontrovertible fact and a law of life that visibly operates, and there comes to him the surprised but inescapable conviction: Jesus is right! What he said is realistically true! This teaching of his is not wishful idealism, but a fact which man neglects or denies at his peril! Theology or no theology, it is then that a man really believes in Christ." Hmmm - A person becomes an adult when he produces more than he consumes. As a parent I can see that as my kids grow they are able to contribute more. I no longer have to spoon feed them, and they don't need rocked to sleep, I don't have to have my eyes on them every second

anymore. They are gaining the skills to be able to function independently of a parent. I suppose this is true of baby Christians as well. There is a period where they need others to take care of them and nurture them. They need others to slice and dice the word for them because they have not learned to rightly divide it for themselves. When I was a youth leader one of the things that always amazed me is that parents would drop off their kids and expect in one hour a week that their child would become spiritual. I tried to explain to them that it is not the job of the church to raise and spiritually train up your children. We as youth leaders are there to encourage and come along side of parents. Even as adults we have the mistaken notion that sitting in a church service one hour a week and trying not to cuss makes us a good christian. I don't think Jesus called us to just take up space. He wants us to grow up Ephesians 4 goes on to say. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Speaking the truth in love. Part of growing up and growing together is learning to be honest with each other. Sadly what I see most often is when people hit a point of conflict or are offended for some reason they don't even try to work things out. They like little children stomp off and take their toys and go home. In most cases they jump ship and go find another church. As a result we have in America a largely immature group of people who call themselves believers. We've bought in to a bless me Jesus mentality. We want everyone to coddle, entertain and keep us comfortable. The kingdom life was never meant to be just you and Jesus and your personal relationship. The kingdom life is also about a community of people who follow, love and serve one King.

If following Jesus was just about your personal relationship with Christ, God could have left this next part of Ephesians 4 out of the bible. This is all about how to live together with others. The bible is full of things that help us to know how God would have us treat each other.

What does it mean to love the Lord with our heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself. In Luke 10 an expert of the law pretty much asks Jesus to boil down the law as he asks what does it mean. Here is the answer he was given. Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

I nves tor News l etter

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 25

I will tell you in 30 some years of following the Lord that there are no perfect churches out there. They are all filled with people who are a big mix of both carnal and spiritual. They are filled with seekers and believers. We all start out broken and our journey is one of working out our salvation. We must die to our self and pick up our cross and follow Jesus. That cross you wear around your neck should be a reminder of the instrument of torture and death that Jesus endured for the joy set before him. He allowed his body to be broken so that we would have a way to be made right with a Holy God. He does not just zap us out of this world at the point of conversion. He leaves us here to grow up along side of other believers. A bit more from Ephesians 4 I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it

I don't think we can accomplish loving God with our heart, mind, soul and strength alone and the love your neighbor as yourself part I think attests to this fact. Diamonds are produced by heat and pressure, Gold and silver must be refined by fire. It is often the difficulties and the pressure of learning how to love one another that cause us to grow. We can't just nod our heads to what the bible says we must walk it out and apply it to daily life in how we interact and treat others.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, Help us to realize that we need each other. Help us to understand that as we are learning to love each other that we will at tim es go thorough difficult seasons. We will be given many opportunities to develop your heart and attitu des. Help us to see that if we jump ship every time thi ngs get hard that we won't grow. Help us to grow up an d become mature.

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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Ut ad J isenim for Justice A Devotional by Margot Cioccio minim "Sin is not simply the breaking of ALWAYS

rules, butbyisFringilla living withViverr indifference to Sophomore the needs of others when confronted ••• by those needs". ~ Eric Severson UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS In one of my EXERC. searches about justice,INI NOSTRUD IRURE DOLOR found this book, Scandalous REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT Obligation: Rethinking Christian LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA Responsibility and I have been ALIQUA QUIS NOS. reading parts of it veniam, on Amazon. Ut enim ad minim quis I think Ut enim ad minim veniam, nostrud exercitation ullamco I am going to have to get quis a laboris copy. In nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo my effort to tackle the more difficult reprehend incididunt ut labore consequat. Duis aute irure doloretin topics for each alphabet letter I am dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim adesse reprehenderit in voluptate velit choosing justice over joy. I admit that minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea soluad Iexercitation don't begin to have all thenisi answers ullamco ut incommod quae egen laboris ium improb in regardseatocommodo what ourconsequat. responsibility aliquip ex fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit anim is in thisirure broken world. Is it my Duis dolor in dereud id estaute laborum Et harumd problem if a guy who comes our reprehenderit in voluptate velitto esse facilis est er expedit distinct. feedings, who lived in the bushes molestaie cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad aroundetour building diesimprob alone in a Nonor imper ned libidig met, incommod quae egen ium consectetur adipiscing elit, sed anim ut fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit near by ally? Is my heart like that of labore et dolore magna aliquam id est laborum Et harumd dereud. Ebinezer Scrooge and the loss isof life nostrud j u s t d exercitation e c r e a s e s ullam t h e mmodo surplus NEQUE PECUN MODUT NEQUE consequet. Duis aute in voluptate population? I don't want to put a big Consectetuer arcu ipsum velit esse cillum dolore euornare fugiat nulla guilt trip on anyone but my gut feeling pellentesque vehicula, vehicula pariatur. At vver eos etin accusam is that we as kingdom felis people are diam, ornare wisi aUt dignissum quimagna blanditerat est praesent. probably not doing all we could to risus. Justo fermentum Malesuada enim ad minim veniam, id. quis nostrud elevate the suffering all around us. eleifend, tortor a fusce exerc. Duis autemolestie, irure dolor in a vel

Leviticus 19:15 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

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Photo by Ryan Mahoney

hendrerit quam. Morbihere porta, well. He said “I came soligula I could ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla be near Jesus and here you sang my ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis favorite song pastor”. eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, Donec arcu risus diam sit. imperdiet ac, dapibus non,amet dignissim In our downtortor towncursus area, our neighbors risus Ut et vel,Congue pede. Suspendisse potenti. arevestibulum folks livingcommodo in shelters, guys in the luctus nunc. Lorem ipsum dolornisl, sit amet, federal prison work release program, augue amet quis aenean consectetuer adipiscing elit.maecenas Spokane Mental Health. For years sit, donec felis elit Curabitur velvelit ante.iusto, Nammorbi justo libero, et. Mauris at suspendisse, reprehenderit in voluptate.neque Lorem ouret church was indifferent to nibh.quis, Vestibulum volutpat duithe tincidunt feugiat at, vestibulum I watched theamet, other dayvivamus as the aliquam faucibus adipiscing, ipsum dolor sit consectetuer plight of consectetuer, these folks. Our attitude lacus mauris at was in. Wisi mattis leo suscipit nec amet, paramedics came to deal with a guy eget, elit sapien. adipiscing elit. Phasellus suspendisse, eu wisi rhoncus eget - they must be poor because they are nisl tempor ac a, in that fermentum was passed outin on ouraugue church condimentum augue mauris. Aenean quam.eget Etiam sollicitudin nibh velit, posuere sem in aown sit. lazy. Granted we all reap our eleifend in venenatis, sit id inwell. porch. We knew the cras guy pretty Suspendisse non urna. Etiam dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare consequences for the choices we vestibulum felis. consequat ut enim. Quisque He's had elit periods where he was dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci make. I've talked to a lot of these continued on page egestas rutrum Suspendisse sober and doingpurus. pretty well only to be2 venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. folks each week at our feed. Some turpis ligula, luctus et, pain pulvinar a, life Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc overwhelmed by the of his are people who just had too many convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. and be back to drinking. I stood there pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. medical bills and couldn't keep up. Pellentesque ac purus sed pede as my pastor told the guy, "I don't Cras sapien massa, dignissim et, Some lost jobs and tried for months tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis want you dying here on the street". dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed to get work, some found themselves risus varius dolor. In non risus. Cras This guy is quite a talented piano eu leo. Donec in augue. Maecenas pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et with out a place to live after a player. My pastor started to sing vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo quam eu ante viverra semper domestic break up oreros abuse. Some blandit porta. Ut quis id lorem Amazingest. Grace with him to try and placerat vestibulum Duis something et erat are highly venenatis. skilled but k e e p h i m c o n s c i o u s t i l l t h e vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam in happened and they just gave up on Mauris ullamcorper, sit amet paramedics arrived. eros By the time they enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit life and now wander the streets of faucibus consectetuer, risus NSECTETUR ADIPISCING Magna amet CURABITUR LABORE. Ac augue donec, sed arrived he was up andpede staggering - I amet sapien. Praesentnotorious pharetra,drunks justo Some libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec gravida a dolor luctus,are congue arcu id diam molestie eget vehicula erosamethim Spokane. was gladeros, to see that they treated a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci nam, quis id nulla euismod nequefacilisis in enim, libero praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper ipsum lorem magna nisi. Nullam curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas.

pellentesque nunc, some eget scelerisque and drug addicts, are addicted dolor massa et ante. to irresponsibility, but it seems to me

even those folks find themselves Etiam sit ametthat est

non hac in quisque hac.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, in such a place in an effort to numb consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut Sociosqu netus semper aenean some tremendous pain. blandit, arcu dictum, id hendrerit suspendisse arcu placerat, enim turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat conubia leo nulla ac nibh, purus Ithendrerit takes lot of work just to get erat urna aautnisi. Aliquam auctor mattis nec maecenas, from one location to another facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, quo ac, vivamus praesent metus est et imperdiet felis tellus where therelaoreet, is Natoque shelter or meals eget viverra ante. placerat laoreet libero, vitae feugiat nibh being served. Part of loving sed sit hendrerit, dapibus velit elitmy vel dui. Cras non, molestiae leo a, ut quam, lorem sit lacus neighbor asenim myself is dapibus to et even see blandit id, congue quis, aliquam. Sodales my neighbor. nulla. I am amazed by massa. Vestibulum mattis, how appreciative these folkselit are id bibendum cursus, velit enim for things as simple as listening vulputate tortor, vel pharetra quam ear, a kind word and a gentle justo eu sapien. Morbi tristique touch. We make a concerted porttitor nulla. Aliquam consectetuer, effortin to not eleifend, serve anything risus lobortis justo nullawe would not feed our own families. pretium velit, cursus ultrices diam lorem ipsum est vitae turpis.

Psalm 106:3 Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.

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ALWAYS

CULTURE

Every need that is presented is not necessarily mine to meet. Much of the time I just barely make my own bills and keep Fringilla Viverr food inbymy own refrigerator to Sophomore feed my own family. Luke 3:11 ••• John answered, "The man with UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS two tunicsEXERC. shouldIRURE shareDOLOR with him NOSTRUD IN who has none, and the one who REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT has foodETshould doMAGNA the same." I LABORE DOLORE may not be able to do everything ALIQUA QUIS NOS. Ut minimtoveniam, quis as a butenim it ad seems me that Ut enim ad minim veniam, nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris follower of Jesus that Iquis must do nostrud exerc. Irure dolor in nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo something.

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reprehend ut labore etin consequat.incididunt Duis aute irure dolor dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad esse reprehenderit in voluptate velit minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea exercitation ullamco laboris soluad incommod quae egen nisi iumut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. improb fugiend. Officia deserunt Duis aute irure dolor in mollit anim id est laborum Et reprehenderit infacilis voluptate velit esse harumd dereud est er expedit molestaie distinct. cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad incommod quae egen ium Nonor et imper ned libidig met, improb fugiend. Officia deserunt consectetur adipiscing elit, sed ut mollit anim id est laborum Et labore etdereud. dolore magna aliquam is harumd nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo NEQUE PECUN NEQUE consequet. Duis MODUT aute in voluptate Consectetuer arcu ipsum velit esse cillum dolore euornare fugiat pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula nulla pariatur. At vver eos et diam, ornare magna qui eratblandit felis wisi accusam dignissum esta risus. Justo id. veniam, praesent. Utfermentum enim ad minim Malesuada eleifend, tortor molestie, quis nostrud exerc. Duis aute irure adolor fusceinareprehenderit vel et. Mauris in at voluptate. suspendisse, Lorem ipsumneque dolor aliquam sit amet,faucibus adipiscing, vivamus in. Wisi consectetuer adipiscing elit.mattis leo suscipitcondimentum nec amet, nislaugue in Phasellus

Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

Isaiah 1:17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause ofSuspendisse the fatherless, mauris. non urna. Etiam continued on page 2 consequat elit ut enim. plead the Quisque case egestas rutrum purus. Suspendisse of the widow. turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar a, convallis et, massa. Ut eu nulla. Its midnightacand I have to go to Pellentesque purus sed pede bed - but I know I will continue tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis risus varius dolor. risus. to wrestle withIn non what isCras my pretium lorem in arcu. Maurisbroken et responsibility in this quam ante viverra semperto give world.eu Are there ways placerat people est. a hand up rather than a

hand out? You know the old

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nam,and quis nulla aamet fish feedeuismod him neque for ain day or enim, libero curabitur libero, tempus arcu

you can give him a fishing pole My Top Five and teach him how to fish and feed his family. 1. eros, eget vehicula eros Imolestie guess LOREM where IHIGH am presently SCHOOL / is I magna id nisi. Nullam facilisis know can't help everyone but I hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula can help a few and perhaps when 2. ac auctor sodales, dolor est fringilla they become stronger they will ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis be able to also help a few others. eros. Proin metus. Ut risus turpis, To the rest of the folks I meet, I imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim 3. do my best to treatpotenti. them Utwith vel, pede. Suspendisse et respect and ipsum dignity. Tosittake time nunc. Lorem dolor amet, to wave or smile, to listen, to consectetuer adipiscing elit. pray. I vel think would not Curabitur ante.Jesus Nam justo libero, 4. tincidunt feugiat out at, vestibulum likely bequis, hanging with the eget, elit sapien. religious folks in the big warm fuzzy entertainment services. I Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin think he would be out among the 5. dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare lost and broken. As an dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci ambassador for his kingdom I venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. want be tellus foundid nisl. doing Mauris to rutrum Nuncthe things Jesus would pharetra euismod be doing. I diam. Integer elit.fall terribly short and Cras sapien massa, Prayer: dignissim there areet, times Dear Lord, Open our ey dapibus sed, when compassion es to the needs around us. Help us to see the lit Donecgets arcu adipiscing in, ante. fatigue the tle things we could diam do. Help us to share that Sed risus euofleo. Donec best me but I extra coat, or to give amet sit. in augue. a bit of our time to serve know that Jesus others. Lead us by Conguevitae tortor Maecenas your Holy Spirit to be se is working to nsitive to your cursus risusnon turpis. Aenean leading. I think sometim challenge me es you are asking us vestibulum mi vel leo blandit to sacrifice and give up a and to change bit of our own commodo porta. Ut quis nisl, eros pleasures that others migh me. To give me t not suffer so luctus augue id lorem intensely. Help us to come avestibulum heart that amet quis to a better working understanding of what jus cares about tice means from a venenatis. Duisthe et kingdom perspective. things erat vitaethat mi He

Etiam

cares feugiatabout. rutrum. Etiam in enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci pellentesque nunc, eget scelerisque dolor massa et ante. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, CURABITUR LABORE. Ac augue donec, turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat sed gravida a dolor luctus, congue arcu id erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor diam praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper ipsum lorem non hac in quisque hac.

facilisis sapien. Vivamus ultrices, est et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus laoreet libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus non, blandit id, congue quis, massa. Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. Morbi tristique UT ENIM AD Aliquam MINIM molestie pede porttitor nulla. lorem eu. Posuere tempus porttitor odio consectetuer, risus in lobortis urna et gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales laoreet integer, in at, leo nam in.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure

ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

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to choose the more difficult things to right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think K is for Knocking write about or the things that require about that tomorrow." My tomorrows Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis A Devotional by Margot Cioccio me to be more vulnerable and open. have nostrud been busy and I have found ways to avoid dealing with things and exerc. Irure lorem ipsum sit dolor in nunc On the vulnerable side of things Jesus little by little they became piled up

ALWAYS FREE

ISSUE NO. 17

CULTURE CLUB

has beeneros for magna the much ofNullam the past turpis. behindAenean walls that I have created vehicula id nisi. non mi vel leo blanditas LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01 year knocking down theMorbi partitions of porta. boundaries beyond facilisis hendrerit quam. porta, Ut quis eros id which lorem I purposely ligula ac auctor sodales, dolor est vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat my heart. He has had my permission, never bothered to venture. UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS fringilla ipsum, a commodo odio vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Etiam in I have asked Him to heal my very NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN magna quis eros. Proin metus. Ut enim. Donec pellentesque nislpush sit and broken heart. I realize that I struggle Things happen in life that REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT risus imperdiet Praesent to loveturpis, others becauseac,I dapibus have been amet shakesapien. and rattle the pharetra, partition justo walls. LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA non, dignissim vel, pede. Suspendisse a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci hurt, or disappointed through the Sometimes in my mind it is like the ALIQUA QUIS NOS. potenti. Ut et nunc. Lorem ipsum pellentesque nunc, eget scelerisque years. I struggle to trust and to let souls in Revelation 6. The things Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis dolor sit amet, consectetuer dolor massa et ante. others in - as you sit here reading you locked behind my walls cry out to the Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris adipiscing elit. Curabitur vel ante. nostrud exerc.ex Irure dolor in might think me to be very open - all I Lorem Lord and to dolor me "How long until you nisi ut aliquip ea commodo ipsum sit amet, Nam justo libero, tincidunt quis, reprehend ut labore can say is that it has been a very long deal with this?" " I saw under the consequat. incididunt Duis aute irure doloretin consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut feugiat at, vestibulum eget, elit dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad journey altar the souls of those who had reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse arcu id hendrerit placerat, sapien. and I have a very long way blandit, minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea soluad yet to go. turpis nibh cursus leo, sed placerat been slain because of the word of exercitation ullamco nisi ut incommod quae egen laboris ium improb Aenean quam. Etiam sollicitudin erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor God and the testimony they had aliquip ea commodo consequat. 10 Vivamus fugiend.ex Officia deserunt mollit anim dictum nunc. Pellentesque ornare sapien. ultrices, The partitions of my heart are the facilisis maintained. They called outest in a Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit id est laborum Et harumd dereud dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus walls behind which I have locked loud voice, “How long, Sovereign in voluptate esse molestaie facilis est er velit expedit distinct. venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. libero, vitae feugiat nibh elit things that have been too painful to laoreet Lord, holy and true, until you judge cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc vel dui. Cras enim quam, dapibus non, face at the time. Things I could not the inhabitants of the earth and Revelation 3:20 Nonor et imper libidig met, incommod quaened egen ium(KJV) improb pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. blandit id, congue quis, massa. 20 sort out or reconcile the "why" and avenge our blood?” consectetur adipiscing elit, seddoor, ut Officia deserunt mollit anim fugiend. Behold, I stand at the Cras sapien massa, dignissim et, Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum foolishly like Scarlett in Gone with the cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, labore et dolore aliquam is id est laborum harumd dereud. dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed andEtmagna knock: Wind I haveintoo oftenMaecenas said " I can't vel It ispharetra hard to know those nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo eu leo.- Donec augue. quamwhat justoiseubehind sapien. if any man hear my voice, NEQUE PECUN MODUT NEQUE think about walls, tristique some have beennulla. there for a consequet. Duis aute in voluptate vitaethat Morbi porttitor andcillum open the door, Consectetuer arcu ipsum velit esse dolore euornare fugiat very long time. Some I Aliquam consectetuer, in Donec arcu risus diam risus ametthings sit. pellentesque vehicula, vehicula will come in toin him, nullaI pariatur. At vver eos et remember butcursus it is more like that of lobortis eleifend, justo nulla Congue tortor risus diam, ornare magnaqui erat felis wisi accusam dignissum blandit and will sup with him, est an outside observer. What has pretium velit, cursus ultrices diam vestibulum commodo nisl, luctus Dear Lord, Help those wh a risus. Justo fermentum id. praesent. Ut enim ad minim o rea lorem ipsum est vitae turpis. d this been locked away is the emotion, augue amet quis aenean andeleifend, he withtortor me. today to make the time to Malesuada veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Duis deal with maecenas sit, donec velit iusto,than I the feelings. I am stronger molestie, fuscein a vel et. Mauris at the spaces and places of aute irureadolor reprehenderit Donec felis auctor Praesent their own morbi elitnunc. etJesus nibh. once was and is gentle and I suspendisse, sat here this morning thinking hearts. He in voluptate. neque Loremaliquam ipsum dolor lobortis. Aliquam cursus elit. lp them to pause and hear Vestibulum volutpat duithat lacus patient and realizes I don't about what to write for the letter k. faucibus adipiscing, vivamus in. sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing Aliquam erat volutpat. Suspendisse your voice and to notice consectetuer, mauris at wh ere you mean to resist him.sed He understands The thing a letter like "k" are knoc Wisi mattis leoabout suscipit nec amet, elit.nice Phasellus condimentum ut metus. Aliquam dolor. king. Give them the suspendisse, eu wisi when I tell him "I can't do or face fermentum tempor ac a, non isnisl there fewer choices than courage augue in are mauris. Suspendisse Morbi eros enim, pretium id, or to let you in. Thank you for let go of yet" vel, So we leave that augue in eleifend venenatis, some letters. I inthough urna. Etiam consequat elit utabout aliquet ut,that gravida being so gentle, patient an d kin continued on page 2 d. place alone and look to some other kindness - it isegestas his kindness enim. Quisque rutrum that tellus. In at nisl et dui ornare Help us to repent and to for giv e, area that Fusce needsmauris attention. purus.us Suspendisse turpis ligula, adipiscing. dictumI am leads to repentance. I have help us mo del for others how to live trying in the present to feel life as I luctus et, pulvinar a, convallis et, massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. seen so much of His kindness but and work and move and have our massa. Ut eu nulla. Pellentesque Phasellus tincidunt ipsum id quam. go through it and to not put it off and I will save that for future posts. I being in your kingdom. Thine is the ac purus sed pede tempor Quisque diam.not to just rushlacinia past.ligula I amquis trying started to think about where in my Kingdom and the glory and the tincidunt. Cras venenatis risus Maecenas tempor placerat create more partitions thatpurus. will have life is Jesus knocking. In some power - for ever and ever - thank you varius dolor. In non risus. Cras Morbi eu lacus nonlater. dui tristique to be dealt with Lord help me ways, it is, that I have begun to that it is alw ays you, Jesus that pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et dapibus. Sed convallis lacus sed eros. deal with them now. Help me repent wrestle with the things of God in helps us quam eu ante viverra semper Duis vitae diam vel tellus interdum to will and do those thing of my part in things, help me forgive s aplacerat way that I have not done that you wa est. tristique. Duis bibendum. nt done. Thank you for those who have wronged or hurt or formerly. In wrestling I am the work Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique that you have done in ea disappointed me.etHelp mepede putfames these ch realizing thatADIPISCING my understanding Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet NSECTETUR Magna UT ENIM MINIM molestie lorem senectus etAD netus malesuada of our hearts and for the wo rk tha libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec eu. Posuere away tempus porttitor odio etwhen t memories clean. So urna thatamet ametviews faucibus consectetuer, and should grow and you have ac turpis egestas.quis turpis sit yet to do. amet nam, quismolestie nulla euismod neque in gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales laoreet integer, those memories surface again pede risus eros, eget change. Part of my wrestling is nisl feugiat ornare. Aliquam dolor.in the enim, libero curabitur libero, tempus arcu in at, leo nam in.

by Fringilla Viverr Sophomore •••

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Etiam sit amet est

Prayer:

egestas.

future they won't be all pussy and

and infected they will simply be scars that have healed and remain to tell the story of God's faithfulness, grace and mercy in my life.

Inves tor

So today I am looking at where Jesus is knocking. What doors would he have me open to him. We might have to tidy up a bit before we can sit down and eat together. Little by little we are creating spaces and places where not only He but others are able to be welcomed in. My friend Tonia posted photos yesterday of her newly set up patio space. She has such a gift of hospitality and a eye for making spaces warm and inviting. You may have been wondering about my photo choice today - it is a photo of Tonia's patio. I won't show you mine presently its pretty neglected and part of a messy garage project I will need to tackle that mess in the very near future. If I would like to have a patio to enjoy as the weather in Spokane becomes nicer I will need to deal with that mess. My heart is much the same there are some lovely places, that like Tonia's patio that are ready to be shared with others. There are other places like my own patio that are still a mess and are an embarrassment to me and I hesitate to let even Jesus into those places. Ecclesiastes 3: says "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." I guess my challenge to you is to stop and look and listen. Where is Jesus knocking? There are probably some spaces in your own heart that could use a make over or a bit of tidying up. There are not only places where Jesus is knocking but places where I am knocking. Places where I am wrestling to understand how do I do this thing I find in the Word. How do I really love like Jesus loves - ahhh but that perhaps is tomorrows post for the letter L. Here's a promise that comforts and encourages me when I struggle. Matthew 7 7 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. I do have to bother to seek and to knock and to wrestle with the harder things and not just sluff them off as the things of theologians and great thinkers. I believe as I grow and mature that part of my responsibility is to learn to feed myself on the word and to wrestle with the meat that is hard to chew.

My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerc. Irure

ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet by Fringilla Viverr LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01risus Sophomore faucibus consectetuer, pede •••

Etiam sit amet est

honest how many times have you L is for Love First we all know John 3:16 how been mad at God because you Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud A Devotional by Margot Cioccio God loves the world and send his prayed that he give you that close son. That whoever would believe parking spot. Or why couldn't God exerc. Irure lorem ipsum sit dolor in nunc in him would not perish but have just give you that winning lotto ALWAYS FREE

ISSUE NO. 17

CULTURE CLUB

eternal life. So Morbi in thisporta, verse Jesus Donec ticket auctor - common God give me a hendrerit quam. ligula nunc. Praesent lobortis. LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01 is to be sent father, Aliquam break. Here I have served erat you and ac willing auctor sodales, dolorby estthe fringilla cursus elit. Aliquam ipsum, a commodo odioof magna quis to volutpat. Suspendisse to leave the glory heaven your people and allut metus. I get is big UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS eros. Proin metus. Ut This risus turpis, sed dolor. enim, come be with us. would be Aliquam hassle from the Morbi folks. eros You have NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim pretium id, aliquet ut, gravida vel, to like me some how crawling into a sweet Mary who says willingly REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT vel, pede. et tellus. In at nisl“I et dui petri dishSuspendisse and trying potenti. to saveUtsome the angel amornare the Lord’s LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, adipiscing. Fusce mauris dictum damaged single celled creatures. servant,” Mary answered. “May it ALIQUA QUIS NOS. consectetuer adipiscing elit. massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. Phasellus How is that even possible? Jesus be to me as you have said.” Then Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, tincidunt ipsum id quam. Quisque did not just tap on the glass of our the angel left her. Then she is left Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris tincidunt quis, feugiat at, vestibulum lacinia ligula quis diam. Maecenas nostrud exerc.ex Irure dolor in little world and try and get us to tempor to dealplacerat with skeptical family and nisi ut aliquip ea commodo eget, elit sapien. purus. Morbi eu reprehend ut labore swim in the direction of a better lacus friends. Here reputation is all consequat. incididunt Duis aute irure doloretin non dui tristique dapibus. Sedbut dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad way. fully enters into our convallis ruined. Joseph could had her reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse AeneanHe quam. Etiam sollicitudin lacus sed eros. have Duis vitae minim veniam, quis molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non ob ea soluad world. dictum nunc. MuchPellentesque as I love ornare Christmas diam stoned and considered to put her vel tellus interdum tristique. exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut incommod quae egen ium improb dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non orci 1 Corinthians 13: 2b -7 songs and carols they paint a Duis awaybibendum. quietly. Pellentesque I don't think this habitant aliquip ex ea commodo fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit anim venenatis arcu ultrices if I have a faith thatconsequat. can move pretty picture of a vehicula. very plastic morbi experience was all wonderful. tristique senectus et netus et It Duis irureEt dolor in reprehenderit idmountains, estaute laborum dereud MaurisYou rutrum tellus nisl. Nunc ac turpis butharumd have not love, Jesus. know theid baby born in malesuada had to be fames hard to have family and in voluptate velit esse molestaie facilis est er expedit distinct. pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. 3 If I give all I egestas.quis turpisyou sit amet nisl I am nothing. a manger. Mary is always looking friends accuse of things like cillum. Tia non ob ea soluad Cras sapien massa, dignissim et, feugiat ornare. Aliquam dolor. possess the and surrender radiant after going through child lying, impurity, unfaithfulness to Nonor etto imper ned libidig met, incommod quaepoor egen ium improb dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed my body to the flames, but have birth in barn far from home with Praesent Joseph rutrum. and toVivamus God. varius In recent consectetur adipiscing elit, sed anim ut fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit eu leo. Donec in augue. Maecenas pretium tortor. Fusce dignissim gain nothing. no mid wife. Ok so I can't save weeks the words have come out of labore et love, doloreIEtmagna aliquam is id estnot laborum harumd dereud. vitae turpis. Aenean non mi vel leo 4 Loveexercitation is patient, ullam love ismmodo kind. the single in the sollicitudin my mouthpede. "why does it have to be nostrud blandit porta.celled Ut quis critters eros id lorem NEQUE PECUN MODUT NEQUE Itconsequet. does not Duis envy, it does not boast, petri dish. How might I follow so hard?" I neque don't vulputate know but God aute in voluptate vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat the Cras volutpat, arcu 5dolore velit esse cillum euornare fugiat nulla itConsectetuer is not proud. Itipsum is not rude,it is example of love that Jesus sets for vitae mi feugiat rutrum. Donec arcu risus diamEtiam amet in sit. pellentesque vehicula, vehicula pariatur. not At vver eos etin accusam self-seeking, us in John 3:16 enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit Congue tortor cursus risus diam, ornare erat wisi aUt The problem of reconcili dignissum quimagna blandit est felis praesent. it is not easily angered, it keeps amet sapien. Praesent pharetra, justo vestibulum commodo nisl, luctus ng risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada human suffering with the enim ad veniam, quis nostrud He a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci nominim record of wrongs. leaves what is familiar, he augue amet quis aenean maecenas eleifend, tortor a fusce exerc. Duis autemolestie, irure dolor in a vel pellentesque existence of a God who 6 Love nunc, eget sit, donec iusto, morbi felisand elit does not delight in evil leaves his velit place ofscelerisque honor loves, et. Mauris at suspendisse, reprehenderit in voluptate.neque Lorem is only insoluble so long dolor massa et ante. 7 et nibh. Vestibulum volutpat dui but rejoices with the truth. power. His leaves his rightful as we aliquam faucibus adipiscing, vivamus ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer attach a trivial meaning lacus consectetuer, mauris at with It always protects, always place to go from there to be to the in. Wisi mattis suscipit nec amet, adipiscing elit. leo Phasellus Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, word "love", and look on suspendisse, eu wisi rhoncus eget trusts,always hopes, always us. I can see from this example nisl fermentum tempor ac a, augue in condimentum augue in mauris. consectetuer elit. Ut nibh velit, adipiscing eget posuere sem sit. things as if man were the perseveres. that Jesus was willing to go.inI acan eleifend in venenatis, sit id in Suspendisse non urna.cras Etiam blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, centre of them. Man is no also see that he does notplacerat go to the vestibulumelit felis. t the consequat ut enim. Quisque turpis nibh cursus leo, sed ce ntr e. Go d do continued on page 2 es You might think love is a warm place of power or honor but to a no t ex ist for egestas rutrum purus. Suspendisse erat urna a nisi. Aliquam auctor

by Fringilla Viverr Sophomore •••

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and fuzzy wonderfully easy thing turpis ligula, luctus et, pulvinar a, toconvallis talk about. But Ut I wonder et, massa. eu nulla. what Pellentesque ac purus would it look like sed to pede love like tempor That tincidunt. Cras venenatis Jesus? does not sound so risus to varius easy medolor. - butIn non see risus. whatCras you pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et think. I guess we then must decide eu ante viverra semper ifquam his kind of love is too hard and ifplacerat we willest. continue as we are. We believe that through thesitwork Mauris ullamcorper, eros amet of the Holy Spirit we could faucibus consectetuer, NSECTETUR ADIPISCINGpede Magnarisus ametsome libero maecenas justo. Nam at wisi donec how grab ahold of Jesus' examples molestie eros, eget vehicula erosamet quis id nulla euismod nequefacilisis in enim, libero ofnam, how tonisi. love and begin to put magna Nullam curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas. them into practice in our life.

carpenter andVivamus his young bride. facilisis sapien. ultrices, est Was it poorlaoreet, planning the part et imperdiet felis on tellus laoreet vitaerulers feugiatof nibh of Godlibero, that the theelitday vel dui. Cras dapibus called for enim a bigquam, census of non, the blandit id, congue quis, massa. people that sent very pregnant Vestibulum id bibendum Mary and mattis, Josepheliton a long 80 cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, mile journey. That is probably at vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. least 4 days of walking or donkey Morbi tristique porttitor nulla. riding, probably longer to avoid Aliquam consectetuer, risus in pregnancy complications. What CURABITUR LABORE. augue pretium donec, sed lobortis eleifend, justoAcnulla gravidaGod a dolorthinking? luctus, congue arcu id diam was How is velit, cursus ultrices diam lorem that praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper lorem love, and come on they ipsum could not ipsum est vitae turpis. non hac in quisque hac. even get room at the inn. Now be

the sake of man. Man do es not exist for his own sake. "T hou hast created all things, an d for thy pleasure they are an d were created." We were made not primarily that we may lov e God (though we were ma de for that too) but that Go d may love us, that we may beco me objects in which the divine love may rest "well pleas ed" CS Lewis

wonderful plan for my life has revolution of demonstrating there are a lot of things that vie for ALWAYS FREE ISSUE NO. 17 been a whole lot harder than I kingdom life and principles in the throne of our heart and the imagined as a baby Christian. how we live and work and time of our day. I'm not saying respond to one another. Take a we should not enjoy the blessings -So Jesus grows up and begins his look at Amos. that we have. I don't think God is hendrerit quam. Morbi porta, ligula Donec Praesent lobortis. earthly ministry. HeViverr is traveling 21“I hate, I despise your some auctor cosmicnunc. kill joy. by Fringilla LOREM HIGH SCHOOL / SPRING_SUMMER 2009 / VOLUME 01 Sophomore auctor sodales, est fringilla cursus elit. Aliquam erat around the country with a bunch acreligious feasts;dolor I cannot stand Aliquam Ecclesiastes 5:19 Moreover, ••• ipsum, a commodo odio magna quis volutpat. Suspendisse ut metus. of fishermen, a tax collector, and your assemblies. when God gives any man wealth UT ENIM AD MINIM VENIAM, QUIS Proin though metus. Utyou risus turpis, Aliquam sed dolor. Morbi eros enim, assorted other ordinary folks. He’s eros. 22Even bring me and possessions, and enables NOSTRUD EXERC. IRURE DOLOR IN imperdiet ac, dapibus non, dignissim pretium id, aliquet ut, gravida vel, not hanging out with the burnt offerings and grain him to enjoy them, to accept his REPREHEND INCIDIDUNT UT vel, pede. Suspendisse potenti. Ut et tellus. In at nisl et dui ornare privileged. He is most often found offerings, I will not accept them. lot and be happy in his work— LABORE ET DOLORE MAGNA nunc. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, adipiscing. Fusce mauris dictum modeling theNOS. kingdom for his Though you bring choice this is a gift of God. ALIQUA QUIS consectetuer adipiscing elit. massa in nisl. Nunc viverra. Phasellus disciples or telling parable stories fellowship offerings, I will have Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis Curabitur vel ante. Nam justo libero, tincidunt ipsum id quam. Quisque Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis that people had to try and figure tincidunt noquis, regard for them. 1 Timothy 6:17diam. Command those nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris feugiat at, vestibulum lacinia ligula quis Maecenas nostrud exerc. Irure dolor out. of the time youinfind him eget, 23Away with the noise of your who are rich in this present nisi Most ut aliquip ex ea commodo elit sapien. tempor placerat purus. Morbi eu reprehend incididunt utsinners, labore consequat. Duis aute doloretinthe with the poor, theirure songs! I will not listen to the world be arrogant lacus nonnot dui to tristique dapibus.nor Sed to dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim adesse reprehenderit in voluptate Aeneanmusic quam. of Etiam sollicitudin demon possessed. He is velit teaching your harps. put their hope wealth, which convallis lacus sed in eros. Duis vitae minim veniam, molestaie cillum. Tianostrud non obThe ea soluad Pellentesque ornare and feeding bigquis crowds. lame dictum 24Butnunc. let justice roll on like a diam is sovel uncertain, but to put their tellus interdum tristique. exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut incommod quae egen ium improb dolor et ipsum. Phasellus non Pellentesque habitant walk, the dead rise, the blind see, river, righteousness like aorci never- Duis bibendum. hope in God, who richly aliquip ea commodo consequat. fugiend.ex Officia deserunt mollit anim venenatis arcu ultrices vehicula. morbi tristique senectus et netus and captives aredolor set in free. Now this failing stream! provides us with everythingetfor Duis irureEt reprehenderit id estaute laborum harumd dereud Mauris rutrum tellus id nisl. Nunc malesuada fames ac turpis isinlove to walk among the broken Oh yeah there we are back to that our enjoyment. voluptate esse molestaie facilis est er velit expedit distinct. pharetra euismod diam. Integer elit. amet nisl and bring them is for justice thing. Makes me egestas.quis Finally theturpis cross.sit Jesus willingly cillum. Tia non ob ea hope, soluad healing, jCras sapien massa, dignissim et, feugiat ornare. Aliquam dolor. food, wisdom, forgiveness and a wonder if loving like Jesus is suffered and died. His body was Nonor et imper libidig met, incommod quaened egen ium improb dapibus sed, adipiscing in, ante. Sed Praesent rutrum. Vivamus varius way to be made rightelit, with bringing justice, mercy, broken and beaten so that we consectetur adipiscing sedaanim utholy about fugiend. Officia deserunt mollit eu leo. Donec in augue. Maecenas pretium tortor. Fusce dignissim God. Iet see Jesus going tois the healing, help, forgiveness might be healed and our labore dolore aliquam id est laborum Etmagna harumd dereud. vitae turpis. Aenean non mi velto leo the sollicitudin pede. nostrud exercitation ullam mmodo broken, to the lost, to the seekers. broken, the lonely the id dying, blandit porta. Ut quis eros lorem the relationship with God be restored MODUT NEQUE consequet. Duisfrustrated aute in voluptate I NEQUE see PECUN him by the hopeless. because justice wasvulputate satisfied. vestibulum venenatis. Duis et erat Cras volutpat, neque Consectetuer arcu ipsum ornare velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla religious folks as they accuse him Loving like Jesus is Etiam maybe As Americans welacus avoid suffering. vitae mi feugiat rutrum. hendrerit, mi porta Donec arcu risus diam amet in sit. not suscipit Sociosqu netus semper aenean pellentesque vehicula, in vehicula At vver enim. Donec pellentesque nisl sit felis, condimentum fringilla eros diam inpariatur. Matthew 12eosofet accusam driving out about me tortor getting all the blessings Why does God allow suffering? Congue cursus risus suspendisse dictum, arcu enim diam, ornare magna felis wisi aUt dignissum blanditerat praesent. amet pharetra, justo nibh. mattis, metus vestibulum commodo nisl, luctus conubia leo nulla nibh, purus demons byqui the powerestof the devil. that Isapien. thinkPraesent I should have as a in If you Maecenas need anac example of vitae what risus. Justo fermentum id. Malesuada enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud a suscipit venenatis, lorem orci tincidunt malesuada, risus mi dictum augue amet quis aenean maecenas hendrerit ut mattis nec maecenas, They want him to give them a sign Kings kid. Maybe those gifts that love is... look at Jesus. 1 John 4:10 eleifend, tortor a fusce exerc. Duis autemolestie, irure dolor in a vel pellentesque nunc, eget scelerisque mauris, at ultricies tellus velit sed sit, donec velit iusto, morbi felis elit quo ac, vivamus praesent metus that he is really the Messiah. You he gives me are not just for my "This is love: not that we loved et. Mauris at suspendisse, reprehenderit in voluptate.neque Lorem dolor massa et ante. volutpat dui Sed varius miNatoque quis elit.placerat et nibh. Vestibulum eget viverra ante. gotta love his answer. "A vivamus wicked own pleasure, entertainment and ante. God, but that he loved usNullam and sent aliquam faucibus adipiscing, ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer quis orci. Vivamus aliquet purus lacus consectetuer, mauris at sed sit hendrerit, dapibus velit vel and adulterous generation asks for comfort. Maybe I'mamet, supposed to his Son as an atoning sacrifice for in. Wisi mattis suscipit nec amet, adipiscing elit. leo Phasellus Lorem ipsum dolor sit ligula. Fusce lobortis, ante idetdictum suspendisse, eu wisi rhoncus eget molestiae a, ut lorem lacus anisl miraculous sign!" Makes me use them to bless and help others. our sins."leo God loves ussiteven when fermentum tempor ac a, augue in condimentum augue in mauris. consectetuer adipiscing elit. Ut elit duinulla. nibh velit, eget posuere sem in a sit. accumsan, aliquam. Sodales eleifend in we venenatis, sit id in a blandit, arcu id hendrerit placerat, wonder if might be off track we don't accept or return that love. Suspendisse non urna.cras Etiam commodo neque, vitae vestibulum felis. bit to go elit chasing after meetings Did it nibh evercursus occur leo, to you that while venenatis Do I justquam love theneceasy tonunc. love consequat ut enim. Quisque turpis sed placerat ante continued on page 2 promising miraculous signs and Jesus walked this earth that he Nunc people? Can I, ligula like Jesus, love the egestas rutrum purus. Suspendisse erat urna a nisi.on Aliquam auctor vestibulum vel quam turpis ligula, et, pulvinar facilisis Vivamus ultrices, est wonders. Asluctus believers do a, we did notsapien. amass land, houses, people that make things difficult, dereud. convallis et, massa. eu nulla.them? animals, et imperdiet laoreet, felis tellus an who treat me scornfully, who call really need to go Utchasing servants, clothes, Pellentesque purus sed should pede laoreet libero, feugiat porttitor. Nulla at urna. Fusce My bible it ac says they be education or vitae money. Henibh waselitnot Nunc me names. tempor tincidunt. Cras venenatis vel dui. collecting Cras enim quam, following me. Don't believe me about stuffdapibus - he non, was diam arcu, ultrices vitae, fringilla Prayer: Lord, risus varius dolor. In non risus. Cras blandit id, congue quis, massa. mollis, porttitorDear a, nisl. Nam at erat check out Mark 16:17 I don't focused on collecting people. pretium lorem in arcu. Mauris et Vestibulum mattis, elit id bibendum ac purusthat adipiscing porttitor. I pray right now youQuisque help us mean to step on toes but what is quam eu ante viverra semper cursus, velit enim vulputate tortor, ante pede, pharetra ut, dictum sed, the point of going from meeting Ok so this makes me squirm a bit to expand our definition of love. I placerat est. vel pharetra quam justo eu sapien. lobortis eu, nisi. tellus ligula, pray that you Vivamus would be active in after meeting if we don't some -Morbi and it probably should make me porta tristique porttitor nulla. commodo, porttitor vel, helping us see how you loved and how make a difference for the feel a bitconsectetuer, uncomfortable. Mauris ullamcorper, eros sit amet Aliquam risus inWhat is tristique et, odio. Cum sociis natoque toUTbegin with your help to love Kingdom. Don't get pede me risus wrong I itlobortis that Ieleifend, really love my penatibus faucibus consectetuer, NSECTETUR ADIPISCING Magna amet CURABITUR LABORE. auguespend donec, sed ENIMet ADmagnis MINIM dis molestie pede lorem justoAcand nulla pretium parturient withtempus thatporttitor Jesus odio kindurna ofetlove. libero justo. Nam atworship wisi donec gravida a dolor luctus, congue arcu id diamDon't others eu. Posuere molestie eget vehicula erosamet am allmaecenas foreros, corporate and I life, and resources on. velit,time cursus ultrices diam lorem montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. nam, quis nulla euismod neque in enim, libero praesent, pretium ac, ullamcorper ipsum lorem gravida, hasellus sed sit sodales laoreet integer, around us. Help us to love people magna nisi. Nullam love toidpraise the facilisis Lord. Jesus just say If most of us were Phasellus ipsum estJesus. vitae turpis. quam risus, euismod vel, curabitur libero, tempus arcu egestas. non hac in quisque hac. in at, leo nam in. took 12 guys and started a radical really honest we have to admit till they ask us why?

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CULTURE CLUB

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Luke 10:27 He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

M is for Mind

I A Devotional by Margot Cioccio I'm not sure why "M" is being difficult maybe it because there are lots of words to choose from. I have been thinking about M for several day because I had gotten slightly ahead in the A-Z posts. I try to set the blog to post just after midnight my time so it will be there when readers start their day. Last night I sat down after a full day and all I was wringing out of my mind was silliness. Maybe you could have used a dose of my silliness but it just did not seem to fit. This morning after hunting the elusive "M" word for days through the forest of my daily activities, I have finally captured a word that will transport me where I want to go with this post. I have settled on M is for mind. We are told to love the Lord your God with all your mind in Luke 10:27. How do we do that? There is an account of a time in the life of Daniel that I think gives some clues. First a bit of background on the story. Daniel was one of young men taken into captivity. We have to go back to Daniel 1 to catch the threads of that story. 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

According to Rabbinical tradition, Daniel was from a royal family as were his three friends Hananiah, Mishal and Azariah. Its quite possible it that they are those spoken of in Isaiah 39. " Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Judah existed until 586 BC, when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire. Hezekiah's reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. This would mean that at minimum a hundred years has passed since the prophecy given to Hezekiah and the time that Daniel and the boys finding them self captive in Babylon. I find these little nuggets in the word interesting, they remind me that God has a bigger plan. I also think it is interesting that Daniel is likely the guy that creates a group of learned men who's decedents many many years later are watching for a star in the heavens that will mark the birth of a long awaited king. The teaching of Daniel and that star lead them to the baby Jesus. Some of loving God with my mind is to seek out and follow the little threads I find in my bible to see God bigger story woven into the fabric of time and the lives of mankind. So Daniel is among these young men described as being with out physical defect who shows an aptitude for every kind of learning, are well informed, and quick to understand. So he is brought to the kings palace and trained. While there he does not want to defile himself by eating the things that God had told the people of Israel not to eat. So he asks his keepers to test him and his buddies using his suggested diet.12 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

At the end of the ten days they were healthier and stronger than the others who had eaten the kings regular fare. Do you see the keepers perhaps starting to wonder if there is something different about these guys. I think they were probably saying to each other "hmmm lets keep a close eye on these boys." In this example we see Daniel using his mind in a difficult situation to solve the problem of how to live Gods way while in captivity. He came up with a plan and presented it and was able to show over the course of ten days that it would work. He goes on to interpret the dreams of the king. He looks to God and prays that God would tell him the meaning of the dreams. Here is one example. Daniel 2 23 I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” I think it is worth noting that Daniel did not just give the king his own opinion he takes the time to seek God about what the dream meant. Although he is one of the greatest minds of his generation he still goes to God and believes God will give him the needed answer. Even in a bad situation he grows over time, in wisdom, favor and stature with God and men. Much like Joseph he did not forsake God because of his dismal circumstance. He believed that God would be with him in it. I think all too often we look at our difficulties and shake our fist at God and use them as an excuse to languish in self pity. We need to make the best of them and consider that perhaps God will use in our lives to prepare us for his purposes. In the case of both Joseph and Daniel allowed those difficulties to be the chariot that propels them forward to accomplish great things. Later in his story in Daniel 9, during the reign of Darius the Mede it says. "I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. The word says if we seek we will find. Daniel was seeking an answer and God sends Gabriel who tells him 23 As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision. Have you ever fasted and

prayed and petitioned God to better understand the word? Again later in chapter 10 after he had been praying and fasting for a considerable time he is visited again by an angel. Daniel 10:10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. He set his mind to gain understanding and to humble himself before God. Hmmmmmm I think Daniel understood loving God with his mind. He used his mind to seek God. He used his mind to understand the scriptures and the words of the prophets. The things he did not understand he took to God in prayer. I think that you see him rise in status and power during the reign of quite a number of kings that employed his service because he took what he had and kept going to God to seek out the deeper truth and meaning. Did you notice that the angels that come to him tell him each time that his prayers were immediately heard and answers were sent to him. Each time the angels say Daniel is highly esteemed. I would like to be highly esteemed by God. I want to seek to know and better understand God and his ways and endeavor to put them into practice in my life. I found this quote that I like and I think it defines a character quality found in both Joseph and Daniel. “Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.” ― Carl von Clausewitz 1 Corinthians 2 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. I think it is interesting that we see two examples of how God develops great leaders. Both are taken out of a life of high status and go into a long season of life in captivity. Both of these men continue to seek God and to live according to

his way. They don't just acquiesce to the surrounding culture of their captors. I think it is notable that the prophet Ezekiel receives a word from God talking about Daniel and he is listed along side of some other guys who pleased God. Ezekiel 14 12 The word of the LORD came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, 14 even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD." I think we might be wise to take a look at these guys and the lives they lived and ask the question why are they held up here as examples of righteousness. I think in looking we will find that they managed to Love the Lord their God with their heart, soul, mind and strength to a greater degree than most. Our verse today does not originate in the New Testament it goes way back to Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Theologian J.I. Packer says "Man's mind becomes free only when its thoughts are brought into captivity to Christ and His Word; till then, it is at the mercy of sinful prejudice and dishonest mental habits within, and of popular opinion, organized propaganda and unquestioned commonplaces without. Tossed about by every wing of intellectual fashion and carried to and fro by the cross-currents of reaction, man without God is not free for truth; he is for ever mastered by the things he takes for granted, the victim of a hopeless and everlasting relativism." Deuteronomy 11:18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Phil. 4:8 ”And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” “Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy.” ― Dean Koontz I should wrap this up - Here's what I would like you to remember God give us a mind so that we might choose to seek him and know him with it. He desires for us to turn to him in every aspect and circumstance of our lives. You may find yourself struggling in some difficulty of life. God blessed Joseph, Daniel, Noah and Job but he did not just take away their troubles - he leaves them all in them for an extended time until one day he lifts them up on to some platform of prominence as leaders in their day and examples or patterns to us in our day. Romans 12:2 says Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Prayer Dear Lord, Help us to use the minds and the intellect you have given us to know you more. Help us from a position of knowing you to become better ambassadors for your kingdom. Help us to live out the truth that you reveal to us and to use our minds as we look to you, to overcome the many obstacles that we will face on our journey through this life. May we find ourselves standing before you one day and may we hear you say "Well done".

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N is for Note by Margot Cioccio Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Karen reading me portions of her Memoirs Project

I received the following note recently and I thought N would be a good letter to respond to it. In the note my friend Karen asked some good questions that I though might be fun to answer in this post. To help keep thing strait I will put her words in bold. I met Karen 12 years ago when we lived in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She has a daughter who lives here in Spokane and we make a point to get in a visit when she is in town. During her most recent visit she read several chapters from her Memoirs Project. As she read aloud to me I found myself more than once moved to tears as she related the deeper struggles of events in her life that I had been aware of from a distance. It was amazing to hear her recount various events and to hear how she had processed through them through prayer, spiritual council, and writing.

I have always loved that she is a deep thinker. On a previous visit she had shared with me a number of her poems and I marveled at how she was able to capture and express emotions and feelings with such eloquence. I have seen her take on some massive projects and also to find the grace to step back and allow others to rise up to carry them on. She is always an inspiration and an encouragement to me. While Karen was here I took her to see the River Project that I had just completed and she had begun following this blog at that time. We had a wonderful lunch together and caught up with what was happening in each others lives. Dear Margot, First, I want to tell you how blessed I've been by reading your Devotional Mosaic each day. Secondly, I want to tell you what an inspiration you are to me to turn these essays out each and every day. That is the most important practice of a writer --- to write! Along with reading, it is absolutely the key to becoming more and more skilled. I do agree that you have significant pastoral gifts --- and your Bible research and references to other writers, plus your own experiences, make your blogs meaty and thought-provoking. I want to thank all of you along with Karen, who have sent notes or made comments on various posts. Some of you who follow me on facebook and comment about things I post there. Also thank you to those of you who read and comment in person when you see me. Your encouragement means so much to me. When I first started this project I had a very small handful of friends who

were reading along, it has been exciting to know that people from far of places in the world are visiting and reading. It has been exciting to see the blog's following spread by word of mouth. I can track things like the number of page views and I can see what addresses have signed up to follow by e-mail. I don't ever know for sure who is reading and have pretty much written with the mind set that my task is to write and to leave the out come of who is reached up to the Lord. The bible says we should encourage one another - when you see God moving in the life of others and you see them operating in the gifts that God has given them or you see the fruit of the Spirit growing. Say something! You have no idea how many people have to fight through insecurity and self doubt to set out to accomplish a dream, or to express themselves creatively. I have often battled insecurity and self doubt and it was the encouragement of friends, who saw something in the notes I had been writing to encourage them that suggested I take the step of faith to begin this project. My love of writing started in high school and I have probably been journaling since that time. I have written articles for newsletters and did have one article published in Psalmist Magazine many years ago. Creating, expressing and communicating through art, music and the written word have been friends that have been with me through the ups and downs of life. They have helped me to communicate with others and share my thoughts and feelings. I have tried to maintain a life long love of learning and have through the years tried to continue to grow and develop in all three areas.

N is for Note by Margot Cioccio and communicating through art, music and the written word have been friends that have been with me through the ups and downs of life. They have helped me to communicate with others and share my thoughts and feelings. I have tried to maintain a life long love of learning and have through the years tried to continue to grow and develop in all three areas.

Karen sharing what she has learned on the harp 1. Why is it so important for you to write these devotionals? Â The Lord has been talking to me for several years about leaving a legacy of faith. I have long been inspired by people like Keith Green, Rich Mullens, Bach, Michelangelo, Oswald Chambers, C.S Lewis, Jullian of Norwich, and many other believers who now stand among the great cloud of witnesses. I am amazed how their thoughts, music and art still inspire me though some have been long dead. God has put it in my heart to somehow be like them and to leave a legacy of faith that will continue to inspire and encourage people long

after my days on this earth are over. I realized that legacies don't just happen. I must make purposeful steps to accomplishing the things God shows me and puts on my heart to do. I have learned that holding an honest view of where I am today and the vision of the completed project simultaneously creates a useful structural tension that helps to propel you towards the desired goal. I originally only did this with art projects until one day it dawned on me that I could take that same process and apply it to other areas of creativity and even my life. I have to say that it took the encouragement of a friend to help me to realize that I did have something to say. One of the things on my bucket list has been to write a daily devotional and so in the beginning the idea of accomplishing that in a little over a years time was my motivation for setting up a Monday - Friday posting schedule. I knew that it would stretch me and I knew I would need to set it up with some form of accountability. The idea of writing daily Monday through Friday and the goal of creating a 365 day devotional was intentionally too big and would require faith, trust and the Lord's empowering to accomplish.

easy to write when you are inspired, happy and things are going good it is much harder to have to write and share the more difficult days. Writing daily has forced me to be open and honest about the ups and the downs of life and to not just paint a rosy one sided picture with my words. I think too often we put on our Sunday best game face and try to hide the fact that we are struggling. There are some skills like learning to play the piano that require steady ongoing discipline, commitment and practice to master. That discipline seems to be something that the Lord has been working to develop in my art, music and writing.Â

One of my goals has been to become more open and transparent. For the person on the inside and the person on the outside to become the same. I could have just written these posts in a journal but God has been on me to go ahead and share my writing, and songs even in their less than perfect state. At first that was very hard to know that there would be typos and some clumsy wording and that people would 2. What have you learned over see my imperfections. the months you've been doing them? I am also endeavoring to model I have learned that I can write and that we need to learn to be open post M-F. Doing something daily and honest with each other. To means that I have to write on days have to pretend that we have got it that I am inspired as well as days all together leaves people isolated that I am not. I am a very creative, and lonely. I tell my vocal moved by inspiration kind of students to sing loudly - because person so the dailyness has been then I can hear what they are an area of growth for me. It is doing and help them correct it.

N is for Note by Margot Cioccio In some ways I choose to live loudly and publicly. I have learned to give myself permission to experiment and to fail because doing so allows me to adjust and refine. I learned though writing one year for NANOWIMO (National Novel Writing Month) that sometimes we need to turn off our inner editor and just write with abandon. Sure I could re read and edit more but I run out of time and just need to post and get on with my day. I have learned that the accountability of knowing that people are following and reading along helps me to keep writing. Even when it was just a few people reading it helped me to know that they were encouraged in their walk each day by the thing I was writing and posting. 3. Have you experienced peace through the process, or have they stirred up unrest, questions, anxiety? There have been some posts that there was tremendous spiritual battle surrounding. The oppression was so heavy and writing was like trying to walk through waist high mud. I could finish and hit post and that heavy oppression would suddenly lift. I began to realize there was a spiritual battle going on and have tried to gather some faithful folks to pray for this project. I had to realize that the things I was writing and posting was helping others to get free and as such the enemy would try to discourage and stop me from writing. I had to press through that and believe that the word says to resist the devil and he will flee. I am thankful that for the most part

I am writing during the quiet time I spend with the Lord and it is generally within the protection of his presence and from a place of peace. Sometimes the things I am writing about do stir up some unrest, and bring up old hurts or broken places and while moving through those things is difficult, I always have a sense of the Lord walking right beside me and helping me and in the end there is healing and peace.1. Why is it so important for you to write these devotionals? 4. If some have resulted in more peace and others in more unrest, what has made the difference? I often will write as a result of things that I am working through in my own life. If we are honest there are times of peace and times of unrest in all of our lives. I think that sometimes it is the difficulties in life that are the hidden blessings that cause us to have to come up with ways to overcome. Becoming more open and honest has at times caused me some unrest to my tendency towards being a very private introvert. It is not nearly as hard as it was at first. It is kind of like getting that snowball started at the top of the hill - it eventually picks up its own momentum. Writing has become a welcome part of my day. I am often thinking about future posts and looking for topics that will carry me along as I write them. The elusive letter M post was like that - it took a while to find the right word or topic but once discovered it almost leads me along and pulls things out of me.

5. Have writing them brought about any surprises? If so, what? That my experiences and the things I have written are making a difference for people. That people seem to enjoy reading and following along. I guess I am always kind of humbled and surprised when the things that I have created begin to take on a life of their own. I see God doing that with this project and am humbled that my journey, thoughts and words are impacting others. I guess like king David I find myself saying "Who am I that you are mindful of me Lord" I think our culture tries kill of anything that is different from the norm. The kid in school that is different is picked on and teased by the more "normal" kids. I've had to come to grips with God having given me some natural talents that I have worked to develop as well as some spiritual gifts. I am responsible to do something with those things. They have often made me stick out and feel different, and sometimes to feel bad because God has given me so much. They have caused me to have to deal with the jealousy from some and often to not be understood by others. I am somewhat compelled to create and the ideas will wrestle and stew to develop and be given birth. I have tired through the year to just blend in but in the end the need to express and create wins out. I guess I have been surprised to find that maybe I'm not so different and that there is a creative spark

N is for Note by Margot Cioccio My focus shifted and it became less about me and more about hurting people who needed encouraged. In some ways it is very similar to what you would get if you came to my house and I was sharing with you my latest project. I asked a friend recently if I was dressed ok to go to a evening event. Their comment was "Margot you are always a little rumpled but that's what I love about you". Its true I am generally covered with glitter like residue from glass I have been cutting, most of my clothes have a spots of paint on them because I am always creating something. I see each project as a journey of discovery and I suppose it is the journey that is more important to me than even the finished project.

My Top Five

Margot

Well this post has gotten long but I hope it answered Karen's questions and gave you some insight into my journey of writing these devotional blog posts.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Karen

Prayer

Dear Lord,Â I thank you for the encouragers who come along side us. Those people who notice something special in us and speak up to help fan the flames of that creative spark. I pray that those reading today would be encouraged to embrace those things that are different or special about them, things that they may have even come to view as handicaps or faults. Lord help us to see the wonderful textures that you have created in each of our lives.Â Help us to begin to discover our own spiritual gifts and to discover how they fit into the body. Help those of us who are feet to not be jealous of those who are hands but to discover and develop in our own area of giftedness and learn to function together in love.

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that might be useful. I found this idea in the list of topics one might use for prayer or devotional meetings.

is for Obstacles that test our faith A Devotional by Margot Cioccio I have had my brian working on other things today and it is now 11 pm and I am remembering oops I need to write the letter O devotional. I could get up and write it in the morning and may well do that if I fall asleep while writing. You will know thats what has happened if you would see something like the following. seeaighsf;owwwwwwirsfo;wiahefAIO S"kajfegnrfan;vw''''''''''''''LK? ERMBNai'prj. You will know that this has been a test of the emergency blogging system. If this were a real blogging obstacle.....I would tell you. Actually when it gets late I get silly or sarcasm sets in. I thought I would write about obstacles that test the faith of believers. Before you think I am so amazingly wise, I want you to know that I got this ideas right out of my bible concordance from a section called Practical Helps for Christian Workers. Its gives 3 pages of ideas

I have a Thompson Chain Reference bible - it has been my favorite bible for most of 30 years. I lost the one I had had most of my Christian journey about a two years ago and tried to limp along with my other extra bibles but in the end found a way to come up with the money to get a new one. I just like how I can chase a topic through the chain references. Its probably just a habit that I got used to as a growing believer and it works for me so I stick with it. This copy is not as marked up and underlined because I now have Bible Gateway and various other apps that I use when writing these posts. So next to the topic listed it showed me to go to 1213 in that section it gives me four things that can be obstacles. See what you think. #1 Lack of Sympathy on the part of the church - ouch Matthew 15:23 and Mark 10:13. Wait while I open yet another window on my awesome Mac Book Pro and get those verses for you. Matthew 15:21-28 The disciples were tired and being bone heads and this poor woman had to really make a strong case that she should have their attention. I call this story the Dog Lady. To save space I will just post the link to that passage. In a nut shell the lady had a daughter who is suffering from demon possession. Jesus is in Gentile territory for this little encounter and this woman is not part of Israel. Jesus comes as the Jewish Messiah and yet this woman persists and is willing to take the crumbs and scraps that are left by Israel. It is interesting that so many in Israel, particularly the religious leaders wanted nothing to do with Jesus. He

allows her to persist in her faith and belief that he is able to do something to help her daughter. She is commended by Jesus for her great faith and her daughter is healed. Thank you I'll take the scraps. I guess I have to wonder how many people we turn away because they are not like us. People who are looking and crying out for real answers while we are focused on me me me. Bless me Jesus - we want more and more rather than taking what we have already been given and doing something with it to bless others. For years I would have avoided even eye contact with the scruffy, often smelly homeless folks who have now become my friends. Is the good news only available to people who have money to toss in the basket to keep the doors open. How does one do a church in our culture for the poor? The other story mentioned in this section is us from Mark 10: 13- 16 about the parents who were bringing their children to be touched and blessed by Jesus. The disciples decide they need to protect Jesus and are trying to send them away until Jesus catches wind of what's happening. What I notice in both of these passages is not that Jesus is unwilling to minister to outsiders and children but his closest followers would like to stick to the more important folks. Who are we overlooking, or sending away. Who is it that does not fit our little narrow Christian box? We make room for some sinners in our church but what about people who are coming from homosexuality or addiction or a life of prostitution. Are we secure enough to have those folks around? The journey to freedom is a long one for some folks - often two steps forward and one step back. Will we walk with them?

O is for Obstacles that test our faith Will we make room for them in our churches or at our table or do they have to go to a segregated church for the severely broken while we piously sit in our pews and thank the Lord that we are not a bad sinner like them. Let me remind you of this little story Jesus told in Luke 18: 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” #2 Unbelieving Friends - Mark 5:35 This guy really needs a miracle - his daughter has died. His friends tell him. Mark 5:35 (NIV1984) 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?" I love how Jesus responds. '"36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Maybe the

people around you are telling you don't bother Jesus about that healing you need just accept that your are sick, or mentally ill, or trapped in addiction. Its hopeless just make the best of your lot in life. Jesus is says to you to ignore those voices and listen to him “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” #3 Scoffers John 9:24 In this story Jesus heals a blind man and the religious leaders give the man a hard time because he can see and keep questioning him repeatedly. Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they start hurling insults and having a general religious tantrum. The mans response is wonderful. 30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” Here is a guy who is defending his faith in the guy who has given him sight after a life time of blindness. Sometimes we need to be bold and stand up to the guff that some folks want to dish out. #4 Divine Delays John 11: 3-6 This post is a divine delay of my bed time tonight, but I'm almost done. The dear sisters of Lazarus track Jesus down and send word that Lazarus is sick - come quickly. Jesus stays where he was for another two days. It

does severely test my faith when God does not get with my program and do things by my time table. Think of the images of dead stinky Lazarus hopping out of the burial cave all wrapped up in mummy cloths that we would have missed out on if Jesus had rushed to the scene. God's timing is quite often not at the pace we might like it to be but God has a plan. I have come to trust that he is working even when I don't understand what the heck he is doing. Sure he could have come right away - who knows what awesome parts of your story would be missed if he did. Think back on the times He has come through at the last minute - leaving with you a story of his faithfulness to now share.

Prayer

Lord, help us when we face these obstacles to press on through to the other side and to be overcomer’s. Yes Lord, O is for obstacles but it is also for Overcomer's. Help us rise up by faith, to stand on the truth of your word and be an overcomer!

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ALWAYS

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P is for Pretty Late A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

I could use some folks to pray for me. I can tell I am fighting some bug and it needs to go away and not get worse. So I am not going to stay up writing but go to bed. So I am posting a short article I wrote in October of 2008. “P”it seems is for past posts and pirate. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for extending me some grace on this one.

So You’ve Become a Pirate Peter? I was watching the movie Hook with my children a few days ago. There was a point early in the movie where Peter Banning and his family arrive at Ganny Wendy's home in London. Peter is trying to describe what he does to make a living. Granny Wendy listens and replies. "So...you've become a pirate Peter"

Captain Hook. With the help of the Lost Boys and Tink and the faith of his children does find the child with in himself and does in the end manage to rescue his children. I think in reality it is Peter Banning who is rescued through his experience in Never Land. He is rescued from a life quickly heading towards destruction. It is being able to find his happy thought that gives him the ability to fly. Childhood is filled with happy thought and thankful hearts. It is when we become a pirate that all we see is tainted by the bitterness of our heart and the only joy we know is in trying to steal the joy away from others. Maybe like Captain Hook we can blame it all on the loss of a hand, job, a loved one. Life may be hard but we should continue to trust that God is in control and to have the faith of a child.

My Top Five 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

I suppose it struck me because like Peter Pan we are to retain our child like faith. If we do not we become jaded, cynical, bitter, and hard like a pirate. Lord break up the hard and fallow ground of our hearts. Create in me a clean heart, renew a right spirit with in me. Much of the comedy of the movie Hook is about Peter Banning trying to remember how to be a child at heart again. He is highly motivated because his children have been taken captive by the mean old

TOP FIVE INSTRUCTIO

Not everyone likes to journal but most of us can make a list. Quickly jot down your top fiv e thoughts that came to mind wh ile reading P is for Pretty Late. Yo ur top five might include people to pray for or to forgive. Things that God reminded you of while you were reading. It might be feelings or issues that came up that you need pray about and deal with.

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ALWAYS

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Q is for the Queen who wasn't Quiet A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Esther 7:4 For I and my people have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king. I am going to look at the word quiet not from the peace and quiet stand point, even though most of could probably stand to have a bit more of that kind of quiet. What I want to look at is the idea of being quiet when we should speak up. Our story today is kind of a Cinderella story. Ester is in a sense the fairest in the land when the king goes looking for a new queen to replace queen Vashti, who refused to come when he called her. Lest women all over the kingdom began to think they

could refuse their husbands commands he had to make an example of her. Quiet frankly I think Vashti did the right thing to refuse to come to her husbands drunken party. You have to look to the commentary to understand Vashti's side of the story. "Reasons for Vashti’s disobedience are not given in the Hebrew text, though early Jewish interpreters explained that she was commanded to appear naked, wearing only her crown. The queen’s refusal to obey introduces the theme of obedience and disobedience." Clearly she was a trophy wife who had had just about enough. "Just come in your crown" was enough to push her over the edge. She however is not the story today she got replaced and in classic fairy tale fashion a call goes through the land for the fairest maidens to come. If you are not familiar with it you might want to read it some time in the book of Esther. I'm skipping ahead, Ester is already the queen and she has to decide on several occasions to put her position and life on the line in order to speak up. Our verse today is near the end of the story. Ester is a young, beautiful Israelite girl who lives with her uncle Mordici. When the call goes out to find a new queen Mordici suggests that she present herself but not say anything about her family nationality. So she becomes the queen and goes through massive beauty treatments before she is presented to the king. During her time as queen there is a man named Hamman who is

one of the kings advisors. He pretty much hates the Mordici because he won't grovel before Hamman. Rather than just put Mordaci to death he decides to go after Mordaci's people. So here is Haman's decree from Esther 3. "Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.” Mordaci hears about the new decree and contacts Esther and tells her what has happened. She sends back word to him that the king has not summoned her in 30 days. Now you need to know that the penalty for bothering the king and coming to him without being summoned was death. So her life is on the line and she must make a decision. If the king is annoyed - its "off with her head" so to speak. She tries to explain this difficulty to Mordaci. His response is one that we might all consider when faced with a difficult choice of should we speak up or should we be quiet. "“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who

knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Sometimes God puts us in places where we will need to stand up for what we believe, or for what is right or for justice. God gives us an opportunity to be part of what he is doing but we have the choice even as Ester did, to look out for number one or to do the right thing. God will uses someone and the question is will it be you? Will you rise up and do the right thing or will you stay in the background and be silent when you should speak up. Of course this story has a happy

ending at least for Mordici and Ester. Keep in mind that just like when you are facing a difficult decision, they did not know how the story would end. They had to trust that God would make a way and help them, even in the face of very dismal odds. So Q is for the Queen who wasn't quiet and serves as a reminder to us that we will all have opportunities to to speak up. Like Mordaci tells Esther if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place. Don't put off till tomorrow what you should do today. That opportunity my pass.

There is a verse where Isaiah is in the throne room of God and he hears God speaking "Who will go for us, who shall we send". Isaiah responds "Here I am I, Lord, send me."Sometimes God is speaking something to many people and waits to see who will rise up and respond.

Prayer, Dear Lord, I pray that you will help each of us to find the courage to speak up when we see injustice, or for truth and righteousness. Help us to not remain silent when you are calling us to speak.

Is there something that you know you should do but have put off because it is inconvenient or it may cause you ridicule from others around you? Take a moment and write it down. _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________

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ALWAYS

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R is for Reconciliation A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

way to live. Sadly many people think that they need to get their act together before coming to God. Some even after turning to Jesus still feel like they have to perform to please him. If they just pray enough, read the word enough, do enough good things. Even though they are believers they are are constantly waiting for the next shoe to drop or for God to get fed up with them and their constant failure. Justice must be satisfied. Wrong has been done and someone must pay the penalty. The good news it that while God must be just he is also love and because of that love he has sent Jesus. You are that slave trapped in the bondage of the old life of sin and he comes and redeems you. Its nothing that you deserve, or have any merit that makes you worthy of redemption. It is not that your are special. His call goes out to everyone. Isaiah 45:22“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Access: The second stone from verse 2 reminds me

While I was considering what "R" word to use - I passed a page in the back of my bible that said The Eight Jewels in the Ring of Reconciliation. On the page there is a drawing of what looks like a mothers ring with multiple birth stones. It gives the passage Romans 5:1-5. Next to each stone in the ring are the verse and the name of the jewel. It gives one other verse Luke 15:20-22. I don't know if this is something like the Romans Road that everyone sort of knows. Clearly I never was told about this one. I have seen it and wondered why it was in the back of my bible. So anyway I thought we might try to find out together.

from the Reformation Study Bible. "New Testament hope is the assurance of something not yet fully experienced, and quite different from uncertain, wishful thinking. That this hope will not be frustrated is guaranteed here and now by the love of God that the Holy Spirit pours into believers’ hearts" We have joy in knowing that our sins are forgiven. That God chooses to remember them no more.

Peace: The first stone from verse 1 Therefore, since

we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That one makes sense to me. As long as you are trying to justify and atone for your own sins you have no peace. What you have is guilt, shame and a constant feeling that you are just never going to measure up. That is not a pleasant

that we were once separated from God. Even the best and the brightest of us fall horribly short of Gods intentions and will for our lives. We have gained access by faith into the grace in which we now stand. I have faith that the sun will rise and that if I sit on a chair it is going to support me. The question is do you really believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, that no one get to the father except through him. (John 14:6) It is faith that that opens the door way to the grace or undeserved favor of God.

Hope in Joy: The third stone. I liked the commentary

Joy in Suffering: The forth stone. Too many of us

signed up for the "God loves everyone or the bless me Jesus club" at the first difficulty we are ready to bail or blame God. I had to get a grip on this concept about a year ago. I was reading about mother Teresa. I just could not understand how she could suffer and deny herself of so much for the sake of Christ. I thought well maybe its just a Catholic thing that I don't understand. I talked with my pastor and he said "Margot you need develop a theology of suffering" I've come to realize I don't have to

go looking for suffering - life is full of it. The question is how will I respond to it in the lives of the broken. What will my attitude be when its me that is suffering? Our view of suffering is often not getting that close parking spot that we had prayed for. Romans 8:17 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." The Jesus I follow was willing to lay down to leave the comfort and glory of heaven and lay down his life for me. If I am his follower perhaps I should follow his example and lay down my life for others.

Perseverance: The fifth stone. I think I will let the

word speak for it self here. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. James 1:3 -4 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Character: The sixth stone. I'd like to tell you the

journey to character is an easy one. I like this definition given by Wikipedia "Moral character or character is an evaluation of a particular individual's durable moral qualities. The concept of character can imply a variety of attributes including the existence or lack of virtues such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits. Moral character primarily refers to the assemblage of qualities that distinguish one individual from another" What are your durable, unshakable moral qualities. The things that you will stand for what is right and true in the face of ridicule, hardship, persecution. Its not the stuff like telling the truth only when its convenient but consistently telling the truth even if it costs you personally.

Hope and Love: The last two stones. I'm sure any of

these stones could be expounded upon. There is much more that could be said and I am merely scratching the surface. Perhaps you will dig into your bible and mine some of these jewels for yourself.

Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. God put in us through the Holy Spirit because of his love the ability to hope. Faith holds on believing God is able, Love lets go and trusts leaving it in the hands of God, Hope stands between and holds them both together in light of Gods will and greater purposes. Lets take a look at what that one last verse is. Luke 15:20-22 Its the Prodigal Son. Luke 15:20-22(NIV1984) 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. If you have squandered your inheritance and have been living in the pig pens of this life. The Father will not chase you but he waits, he longs for you to come home. Dear one - do you hear him calling you. While you were still a long way off - the father sees you coming. He is filled with compassion. He runs to you and throws his arms around you and kisses you. All you can think of is how dirty, and broken, what a sinful wretch you are. Know that the Lord loves you in that moment and he does not say to the returning son go hose yourself off - geesh you stink. No he tells his servants to bring the best robe and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Let me take a little turn for those who are already with the father. We his servants are to help that son into his robes. None of us should forget where we have come from on our own journeys. We were once that returning son. Hmmm did you notice that the father gave the son a ring of reconciliation. Eureka - I get it - it was a treasure that I had to dig for but I'm glad I took the time to finally see what that box in the back of my bible was all about. That would be a cool ring to wear - When someone would comment on it you could say... Let me tell you about it. What a beautiful tool to help tell the story of reconciliation.

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ALWAYS

Bible Verse or Quote:

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some compassion fatigue and burn out. Its ok to step back but don't run away or storm off leaving all your projects in boxes for other to try and carry on. People are more important than any project take some time to rest and re-evaluate but don't in your frustration nuke all your relationships. Sometimes we need to help people recognize the signs of stress and burnout and help them to take a step back in a right way from the whirl wind of things that seem to endlessly need done.

S is for Surprise Me A Devotional by Margot Cioccio ““Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NIV1984 "S" is for Saturday a day that I usually use to catch up or get a little ahead. I however have been running hard all week so I might just decide that "S" is for sit. Anyway today's post idea spun from the surprise me button that the A-Z folks made available for randomly visiting other participants blogs. I realize that I kind of like surprises. I don't like it when my life gets too predictable you know that whole get up, go to work, go home routine that sometimes gets broken up by a go to Mc Donalds. I guess I like my life to be a bit more interesting and so I try to keep a sense of wonder and awe as I navigate my day. I am mindful as I deal with ordinarily reasonable people who have bad days, when it becomes evident that they are struggling - to not let their stuff push the old buttons in me. Sometimes people just have a bad day - I know I do from time to time. There is always a temptation to get sucked into other peoples drama and I have found that it is better to step back and simply pray. To allow God to show me if I have in someway added to the stress load of another. If so I should endeavor to make things right. While there are always things we could do better it sometimes the surprises and figuring out how to overcome current problems and obstacles that pushes us to do a better job or to be victorious.

Yesterday we realized that for some the work at the church seems like a tedious and thankless job. Staff jobs at churches start out with a manageable list of tasks and before you know it you have this mountain of stuff that others some how think is your problem. Time to put on that "Just say No" t-shirt. I have found one really has to know where their boundary lines lie. I have to be aware of my own limits and be able to step back from it all and make sure I am allowing the Holy Spirt to lead me and not doing stuff because it screams to be done. It may not be mine to do. I realize that there are ebbs and flows in church life. We have come through the Easter season and that is always a busy time and I put in a lot of extra hours of my own choosing. I need to remember that it is ok to coast a bit between things. I have to realize that some things just won't get done until a volunteer rises up to take it on and that its ok to wait on God to raise up the right people. These are some things I have discovered through the years of being in and around ministry. I had to step back about this time last year because I was sick and dealing with my own issues and had

Sadly when people get tired and burnt out they often take on various offenses. What might not have been a big deal when they were not tired becomes a heavy weight, a drain, yet another thing that needs done that no one will notice unless it is not done. To often they leave and go lick their wounds and feel bad because no one comes to beg them to come back. Its not that they are not missed but they left in such an awkward way that no one knows what to do. Often they just need some rest but then things are awkward and it takes courage to make things right and work through issues. It seems easier to just move on and not look back. Its not always everyone else sometimes its us. We took on too much, we allowed the tyranny of the urgent to suck us into its ever demanding and thankless wake. There is a flip side we need to as kingdom people do a better job of encouraging one another. Sadly it is easier to throw stones. You know the sound guy only gets noticed if there is a problem like feed back during a service and then all eyes turn around to register their disapproval. Staff and leaders work hard and all you hear are the complaints, the problems. So that started me on a little rabbit trail of

statistics in the bulletin each week the ratio of weekly giving to weekly need is still way, way off. It is all part of our inner city dilemma of how do you do church for the poor in America. Let me tell you it is a different dynamic than I have ever had to deal with in my 30 years of ministry. We have been given a window of grace by our denomination to figure that out.

My first thought was to do something nice for the ushers who will have to deal with the changes presented by the new bulletin I've just created. Rather than 3 folds they now have two pages folded in half and must use a long arm stapler. I know un expected change can sometimes set a day off in the wrong direction. So I wanted to do something so they know that their service is appreciated. So as I left the office yesterday I asked my pastor can I get some Million Dollar Bars or something nice to do for our ushers. I wanted to buy some candies that I could attach cute little cards to and some how communicate our appreciation. So the ushers are getting the Whopper of a great job treats in the photo above. I also wanted to do something special for our leaders and staff. It has been a rough and rocky road bringing this church back from nearly dead. Have to chuckle when I think of the line in The Princess Bride, where Miracle Max says that "Nearly dead is still slightly alive." He makes up a magic pill and as the company of un sung heroes leaves they wave and say.. Have fun stormin' da castle. Valerie: Think it'll work? Miracle Max: It would take a miracle. Our journey has been filled with plenty of miracles but we are still

having to asses our assets as we go about trying to storm the castle to take back what the enemy has stolen or simply take new ground for the kingdom. We are all at various stages of burn out and exhaustion but great stories are written about characters who overcome incredible odds. Ah ha - I found Rocky Road bars. A bunch of nuts held together buy gooey marshmallow. Not sure if they will pick up on that subtle humor. I think we are all a bit nuts and the Holy Spirit is the marshmallow that holds us together. Kingdom life is a bit sticky. Might we all be like Fezzik and notice the little signs of healing in each other. "You just wiggled your finger. That's wonderful" We all need encouraged and we could all do a better job encouraging and recognizing the healing, and the things others are doing that go un noticed. The other idea came to me as I stood in the check out line and saw the Mentos. It crossed my mind that I could make a card that said "We wanted to take a mo-mento to say a BIG Thanks for all your hard work." I'm still not sure what budget category this little adventure is going to come out of - we don't run on a big budget. In fact I print our weekly

So for some, my fledgeling efforts may be met with "sorry its too little to late" and they are right. We have not done a very good job of thanking people or recognizing their efforts. I pray that God will refresh those weary souls and help them to be able to realize that they are loved and appreciated. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotta come up with something special to do for the folks that come early and make the coffee and bake the yummy things that are provided each Sunday following our service. Then there is the older lady that saves paper clips and brings them in so we don't have to buy them. Gotta love her - she's a treasure. What about the folks that stay late to vacuum. Oh and that thankless job of keeping the toilets and the bathrooms presentable. Did it ever cross your mind that someone had to do that job even if its a paid job they still should be thanked.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, Help us to not just sit down and cry when we hit a bump in the road but to stop and sit on that bump and ask you what we might do together to overcome. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Lord open our eyes to the little things that others are doing for your kingdom and help us to celebrate and encourage their part in the collective whole.

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ALWAYS

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T is for Time A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; Psalm 31:14-15

It is Saturday and much like I expected in my S post, I have chosen to sit... well at least for a while. I have had a wonderful morning of popping in on various A-Z bloggers and leaving little notes to encourage them on their journey to Z and as aspiring writers in various stages of that journey. I finally got hungry and had to go make something for breakfast. As I stood at the stove cooking my omelet the idea for T presented itself. T is for Time - My times are in your hands Oh Lord. Today you might think that Time is a magazine, that I might pick up at my leisure to flip through its pages on some whim. There are days when I wish I could jump in the Tardis with the wonderful Dr Who and journey to various points in time and see what really happened or what might happen in the future. My kids and I love

watching Dr. Who and my oldest often dresses and looks a wee bit like David Tennant. It has a science fiction, historical fiction kind of twist to it all that we all enjoy. Time is an interesting thing, when we are children it moves at a snails pace and as we grow older it races forward at an alarming pace. I've heard some interesting explanations of why as I have often longed to revisit a long an boring summer only to realize that while things slow down a bit in the summers now there is no going back to being a child with little or no responsibilities. Time marches on and none of us really know how many days are allotted to our life may be. I have to admit that I struggle to wrap my mind around the idea of heaven being timeless. Eternity is a bit to big for my little mind to grasp. I know for me - I feel a responsibility to have at least tried to use the gift called time wisely. I try to have done something with my day to bless and encourage others. To leave some kind of footprints for others, who will follow behind me. I think it must be somehow hardwired into me, the idea of it being somehow very important that I leave a legacy that will speak to others beyond my time. Honestly I don't understand it but it compels me forward and urges me to not allow my days to become a mundane existence of mind numbing escapism or to become so busy in the pursuit of a pay check that I forget to stop and smell the roses. At age 50 I still think I have plenty of time but I know without taking purposeful steps to accomplish the things that I believe God has set before me to do, that those things will become dreams that vanish. I don't want to look back someday with a bunch of regrets for things I should have said or done.

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. ~Carl Sandburg Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things; the past is gone, the future is not come, and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it, and, like the flash of lightning, at once exists and expires. ~Charles Caleb Colton Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. ~Denis Waitely I think my favorite time quotes is this one shared by Kermit The Frog. "Time's fun when you're having flies." I suppose there is some truth to that - when you are enjoying the journey time is fun. When one can pass through a day without collecting regrets I suppose it is a day well lived. Ah but today - the sun is shining, which is currently a novel thing here in the Pacific North West and I can hear my bike saying - "come now is the time to ride". I am thankful that my times are in the hands of the Lord.

U is for Undeveloped

triggers to that past. I realize that they are undeveloped things that become a whole new adventure to try to reacquaint myself.

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

I was thinking at first that I needed to revisit those memories but I realize that I have already done that and they are at a place of peace. I guess I am hoping that serious painting is much like riding a bike, once you learn you never forget how. Bike riding is another thing that God has given back to me. I did not have to re-learn how to ride. I just have to go out and ride and realize - oh my gosh - how much I love riding. The feel of the wind on my face and arms, and the sun on my back, it is exhilarating. My mind races and runs while I am riding at at tremendous speed. So many thoughts and ideas, so much inspiration. I am overwhelmed with a thankfulness for having been given back something that I had lost.

Hebrews 5:11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. I have a friend who was considering having me do a large mosaic. We are discovering that the costs of shipping a larger project or even doing a road trip to deliver it are more than her budget. So we are having to rethink the project. Could you paint it? She asks me. I suppose I could, but I realize that I have not really done any serious painting since I was in my early 20's. She does not know it, but I realize that painting is among the things that I put away with some dreams that died about that time in my life. You could say I laid them to rest... In reality I locked them away, I imprisoned and avoided them. I avoided doing things that triggered those memories until I could not even remember why I avoided those things. While at this point I think I have finally put those memories away in a right and healthy fashion. It seems that God is trying to give back to me some of those things that I avoided doing because they were

First Painting Idea

So now to think about painting. I would need paint, and brushes, gesso, and some grace to experiment and reacquaint myself with painting. It adds a whole lot of unknowns. I have felt old insecurities try to rise up today. I have had a bit of anxiety over my own ability to do this project. What if I can't capture the idea that I have pitched to her using a bunch combined, photoshopped images. Just like I stopped riding my bike and painting and those things have not developed as a result. We can have undeveloped areas of our heart, character, our emotional or spiritual or educational development. We may have areas that because of some hurt that we stopped developing. Our growth in that area has become stunted. I think part of the healing process is getting to a place where you can again go on to grow and develop. I know that God is working in my life. He is patient with me on days like today as I process and attempt to look to him even though self doubt and insecurity tries to rise up and intimidate me. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. He is the one who stood in the middle of a storm tossed seas and commanded the waves to be still. Jesus in your name I speak to my own waves of fear and doubt and insecurity and I tell them to be still.

Second Painting Idea

My Completed Painting Prayer:

Dear Lord, You know the places of doubt and fear in our lives. Those places where we choose to worry rather than trust you to lead us. Be my shepherd and lead me beside those still waters and restore my soul to a place of peace in your presence. Help me to know that you walk beside me and you help carry the burdens. Thank you for the obstacles that reminded me that I need you like the air I breath. I am not self sufficient I depend and trust and rely on you. Help us see the areas in our own lives that are undeveloped and allow you into those places to heal, transform and set us free so we can develop and grow.

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ALWAYS

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sympathy towards others. Christian compassion towards others should reflect the compassion of God for his people." The Dictionary of Bible of Themes

V is for Virtues A Devotional by Margot Cioccio Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV1984) 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. There are a number of virtues listed in this list but it is love that keeps them together in unity. So lets look at the list of virtues and perhaps we will discover some undeveloped areas that could use a little attention. Jesus lead us as we tackle this list, give us eyes to see the places we are lacking. Lord I know you love us right where we are today but you are always calling us to come up higher by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us to will and to do what you desire. Compassion: "An attitude of care and concern, grounded in pity and

I should care for others like Jesus cares for me. He understands me. He loves me even with all my faults and failures. He is concerned when I make choices outside of his design because he knows they will come with consequences. He knows what he designed each of us to do and be. He gives us gifts to help us. He allows me time to figure things out. He makes room for me to be part of what he is doing, even though I bring to the project, a messy dynamic. Much like a little child trying to help mom clean the windows. Yeah I helped but now mom has a wet child to clean up and streaky windows and probably mud tracks from where I got sidetracked and I thought I should help water the flowers. That child enjoyed helping and did learn a bit about helping and will likely want to help again. We need that kind of hands on training, that says here try this way and allows for personal discovery to take place. God has designed us and knows how we are to work. He knows that we will not be happy or at peace doing things he never designed for us to do. Compassion must be marked by action. It is not just feeling sorry and gossiping about that poor person with someone and calling that prayer and concern. Compassion is saying I know you are struggling let me walk beside you for a while and carry your pack. Let me be a sounding board while you try and sort through this. I can't tell you what to do but we can come up with a plan of things we think might work and give them a try. We probably

will need to adjust some things but we can celebrate the little victories as we work together to over come the trials and difficulties that we face on our life journey. Ephesians 4:32 ( N I V 1 9 8 4 ) 32 B e k i n d a n d compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Kindness: "The quality of compassion and generosity, characteristic of God’s dealings towards the weak and poor, and demanded of believers. The kindness is also shown in the words and deeds of Jesus Christ."The Dictionary of Bible of Themes I need to look around and remember how God has been kind to me. He shows me kindness even when I don't deserve it. Even when I have not lived up to his expectation or example. He realizes I am weak, poor and broken, he knows I have limits. Some things will remain broken till I become strong enough for God to help me deal with that. I may have some poor vision and need corrective surgery, I may need a knee or hip replaced but God and any good doctor is going to deal with that or, that bleeding, infected wound first. So did you know that failure to acknowledge Gods kindness is a sin? Hmm so I should probably try to recognize and acknowledge the kindness of others as well. Romans 2:4 (NIV1984) 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? Oh wait did you get that - what leads me to repentance is not someone holding up a picket sign, or screaming what a rotten person I am, or throwing accusations like

rocks. It is not kicking someone when they are down. It is not lording my rightness over someone and demanding they do it my way or the highway. Dealing with people like that is rooted in insecurity not in love. God's kindness leads us to repentance. God gave us a free will and so he will not make us do things his way. He leads us, he sends us examples, he inspires us. He is kind to us and there for we are more apt to listen to what he has to say. Humility "An attitude of lowliness and obedience, grounded in the recognition of one’s status before God as his creatures."The Dictionary of Bible of Themes James 4:6 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Just when you were polishing up your humble button and thinking it means to be a door mat to others. Its a command 1 Peter 3:8 8 Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble" These are qualities that do not grow on our own but grow as we have to live and deal with people. It means that my opinion is not the only one in the room, my way is not the only way. It mean I can't just storm off with my toys when I don't get my way. It means allowing someone else a chance to shine. If the goal is to live in harmony it does not mean we all must play the same note. To do so makes for boring uninteresting music. Sadly it is a problem for most churches. We set about to find people just like us rather that embracing each others differences. We don't need a church of all hands and no hearts. We all have different gifts, callings, and functions with in

the body. Humility is recognizing how we fit it to Gods bigger plan and design and making room for others to find their place as well. Gentleness: "An expression of compassion, seen in God’s dealings with the frail and weak, and expected of believers in their dealings with others". The Dictionary of Bible of Themes Dang it, I guess that leaves out throwing stones and demanding that others do things my way. James 3:17 (NIV1984) 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." How does God deal with us in our weakness? How do we want God to deal with us when we mess up? Might be some clues there in how he would have us deal with others. Patience: "The quality of forbearance and self-control which shows itself particularly in a willingness to wait upon God and his will. Believers are called upon to be patient in their expectations of God’s actions, and in their relationships with one another." We are so used to fast food, instant gratification, sit coms that solve big problems in thirty minutes or less. Now this verse today tells me that I have to be willing to wait upon God and his will and I have to wait and be patient with others too. This is when you need to remember that we can't really do any of this with out the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. So before you go off feeling like a dejected worm of a failure. Lets ask God to come in and help us with all of these virtues.

So here's the kicker. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. " Christianity was never meant to be walked out in isolation. Nor is it good if everyone is just like me. When we have a grievance we need to go to that person and try to work it out. If that does not work we take a friend to help mediate. If that does not work we go to our church leadership and ask for help. We may have to take a time out to allow each other to process but we have to come back and continue to work it out til we can come to a place of peace and resolution. Sadly how we do church is when we get offended or don't get our way we just go find another church were the people are more like us. I can't see my own blind spots and neither can you. Sometimes one foot has to say to the other - hey you are stepping on me. Well... not the exhaustive study on any of these virtues. There are a lot of great resources to help you dig a little deeper at Bible Gateway. Its time that we begin to learn how to pick up the spoon and feed ourselves. You alone will stand before God regarding your personal spiritual growth. Its not your pastors job to do it for you. God is massive - there are endless treasure and things about Him to discover. Your life as a believer should never be dull - there is plenty to do and always more to discover. Quit waiting for other to do it for you. Get off the bench and into the game. Ask the Holy Spirt to train, teach and lead you into all truth.

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W is for Walking A Devotional by Margot CioccioÂ Â

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.Â ~ 3 John 1 2

When I was thinking about W - I thought about writing about "Who am I" and telling you about me and my family and some of the stuff we do. Not a bad idea but then I found myself thinking about my daily journey and decided W is for walking. Instantly the poem in the corner came to mind. My friend Karen read her poem By Walking I Make The Road to me two visits ago. I fell in love with it instantly. It kind of sums up my approach to life. It is by little steps of faith that we get to our final destinations. It is the little things I do to make a difference, little things done with great love that change the world. I try to keep Jesus central in my life. He's not just a Sunday obligation for me He is the reason that I live and so He is interwoven into all that I do and all that I am. I don't go around telling everyone I meet about him. I just live him, and endeavor to be a living bible. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Love them till they ask you why. If someone asks I have an

answer. They are not really ready to listen till they want to know something. I try to practice being aware of his presence as I go through my day. I have an inner running dialog with him going on in my head a lot of the time. I try to be very open and honest with Jesus. If I am struggling or failing miserably at something I talk to him about it - I don't try to hide the places I fall short of his standards. He see's, he knows already so we might as well talk about those areas. When trying to solve problems, I allow myself to come up with my best guess of what might work. Then I allow myself to test and experiment with that idea to see how it works. The I try to remember why I am even bothering to try and solve this problem. I re-evaluate how well my idea has worked. I might adjust it here or there or toss it out completely and try something new. I don't get all hung up berating myself if something does not work or go like I planned. I simply go back to the drawing board and try the next idea. When I find that I am stuck - I wait, I pray. I look around to see what if anything I can do. Generally there are things I can do - so I do those things. Somehow by the grace of God answers come and I get to the end of big projects step by step. Whats next - Heres a family photo. Yep I live in a house full of men thankfully the dogs is a girl. Actually they are a great bunch. We have a tiny house and a lot going on. I would be in big trouble if Better Homes and Gardens decided to come with a camera crew. Our house is pretty lived in and there is a lot of life happening in every corner. Well I'm out of time for this post and need to get on to practicing piano and getting out the door for music lessons.

PRAYER:

I pray that God will bless and keep you. That his face will shine upon you and be gracious to you. That he will be very present in your day as you endeavor to walk in his way.

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ALWAYS

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X Marks the Spot A Devotional by Margot Cioccio X Marks the Spot where I should tell you a little about my blogging adventure so far. I started this blog July 6th of 2011. I had felt for several years that I wanted to write a year long daily devotional. I had made a stab at it during the National Novel Writing Month Challenge in 2009. It wasn't a novel but I was writing. I managed at that time 30,000 of the 50,000 word goal. This gave me about 20 devotionals that were pretty much ready when I started daily blogging. I've used a few as back ups on days when I was not able to write something new. I am a pretty scattered type of person. I have bunches of things going on and my life is often like that circus act where the clown is standing on a ball and holding poles while spinning plates on the ends of poles. At the same time I am careful to protect time for the things that are important to me. I love to write and have journaled for as long as I can remember . Those stacks of journals were only benefiting me. I have about 20 blogs that I have started and most of them have a small handful of posts before I got busy with something else. Some of them I post to periodically as I am inspired but most just contain the remains of abandoned projects. Going into this adventure I had to bust past my self doubt and fears of not being able to keep up with a daily writing schedule. What if I couldn't think of anything to write, what if I got too busy or sick?

I worried about really being open and sharing my private thoughts and beliefs. I had to bust past my feelings of imperfection and failures but more than that I had to be willing to share bits of those stories. I knew if I just wrote daily in a word processing file that I would not have any built in accountability. Accountability is important for me it helps keep me on track. I had a when I started a small collection of friends who were reading what I was writing. The feedback I was getting from them was that they were indeed finding my posts helpful and were looking forward to them. As my confidence and number of posts grew a bit I began to let my facebook friends know about my postings. I'm still small potatoes compared to a lot of the A-Z blogs that I have visited but one should not despise small beginnings.

The Beloved project I have people I know stop me in person or or on facebook who make a point to tell me they are enjoying my posts and they are not among the official followers in my stats. I guess I have not really been terribly concerned by the stats. It does help me to have the accountability of knowing that people are reading. I suppose the world would not end if I missed posting one day. I found in dieting that if you take a diet vacation it usually takes longer than you planned is a lot harder to get back on

track. So I prefer to stick to the plan which is to write and post Monday though Friday. It is for me an indicator that God's hand is upon me and helping me to accomplish this task. I have found of late that God gives me visions of big things that from the starting point seem to be well beyond me to accomplish. I have learned that little by little I get from here - to there. Often my original idea is just something I see in my head and its usually kind of sketchy or whispy. I can see it but not totally and I don't usually have it all figured out at the beginning. I just make a point to experiment and work on it and little by little things like the Beloved project go from a sketch on a piece of paper to a finished project. This blog adventure has taught me the discipline of writing daily. It has taught me how to write regardless of how inspired I am feeling. I find myself wondering what I will do when I get to 356 posts. Will I continue? I know I have a lot of editing that will need to happen before I can do published versions of this project. I guess at this point - I can't see beyond the goal of completing 365 posts. I suppose I will know what to do once I get there so for now I will be busy about the task at hand. I have found that I really enjoy the time that I spend writing each day and I am glad that people are enjoying what I write. I know when I finished the Beloved project I felt at loose ends for a little bit. One thing I did find out by posting progress photos on facebook was that I had gained a following of people interested in my art. So I asked them what they would like me to do next. I put up a poll with several suggested ideas for people to vote on. Little did I know that they would add their own ideas and people would vote on those too. So they voted on a project called The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

Butterfly Project which was not one of my own ideas. I originally thought it would be a big project like the Beloved project on with something I chose to do a smaller project and posted those project photos. While I was trying to figure out that project I did a Butterfly project that someone requested. I did a bunch of jewelry and pins that can all be seen in my Artfire tab above. Then I did a 3 dimensional Lighthouse project. Then the River Project a big interactive prayer area at my church. So I have been busy in the midst of this devotional writing project I have done a number of projects. I have large painting project that I've been asked to do and I posted some of the design ideas for that in my W post. That one is a challenge because I have not really done any serious painting in probably 30 years. It seems it is God's plan that I dust off my brushes. I guess one thing I have seen increase massively as I have daily grown to make spending quiet time each day with the Lord a priority in

my life. I find I have incredible amounts of creative I have no The Riverenergy. Project shortage of ideas for writing, and mosaic and music projects. I am finding what the word says to be true. If we abide in the vine - we can't help but bear fruit. After about a year of being pretty consistent about

idea to project reality in many areas of my life. Its kind of all a big wild adventure and I'm not always sure where we will stop next but I'm having fun daily walking with the Lord. So X Marks the post where I have rambled on and on probably not in an x-ceptional way. I guess I just needed to x-press more about what I have seen God doing in my life. I hope you have found it interesting. At this point it will have to do I have run out of time.

Prayer: Â

spending daily time with the Lord. Something changed in me about a year ago. God healed some deep stuff and it has allowed me to somehow move steadily from project

I pray that what ever God wanted you to see in this post will jump out and inspire, motivate, compel you forward towards His plans and purposes for your life. I pray that somehow you will be encouraged and that you will have found some nugget of hope and that faith would rise up in you to take that step into the journey that God has planted in your heart. I pray you will find the courage to take the first step, or the next step. That you will push past the self doubt and fear of failure and run a good race that He has specially marked out and created just for you.

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Y is for Yikes A Devotional by Margot Cioccio Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV1984) Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,Â for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Â 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.â&#x20AC;? 29

Taking Photos while driving - not recommended! Ha - my concordance on my phone lists four topics for "y"- all compelling I might add. Yarn, Year, Yoke, Young Men. So I think I might just tell you about my road trip. We finally got on the road about 4 and arrived at our destination about 11:30pm I drove the first part of our journey while Intern, Ryan snored in the front seat and Pastor, Rob had turned my back seat into a mobile office. We stopped once at McDonalds and then again a bit later stop at this very quiet restaurant for dinner. We walked in and it was like walking in to a library. Hushed and silent - well it was till we arrived. The waitress comes and greets us at the door and invites us to sit wherever we like. To which our pastoral intern responds, by walking up to some young couple sitting

quietly at a table and speaking to each other in whispers. He turns and tells the very short young waitress " Ok I want to sit here" and then says to the couple, "Can you please move." After that everyone was laughing and it no longer felt like a library. I think the waitress was actually relieved to have a break from the quiet. So I suppose my Ryan story counts for young men. The drive from Spokane to Mount Vernon Washington on the Seattle side of the state requires driving up over and through the Cascade mountain range. Its a lovely drive in good weather. Our weather for most of our drive was drizzly rain. Thankfully we changed drivers after dinner and Ryan who tells me he likes driving takes over. I think he liked driving until we got to driving conditions that reminded me of the scenes in Star Trek or Star Wars where the ship takes off and goes into light speed. For miles we drove through this blinding warp speed like snow, sleet, rain and toss in a bit of fog for good measure. Of course the lines on the road are just a suggestion. I think the state of Washington must save millions conserving on line marking paint. Ryan did a great job at white knuckle driving.

My Quiet Room

would have had a room mate but she had a conflict and was not able to come on the trip. So I have a lovely room all to myself. I realized that I am not really used to being alone. I do plenty of things alone and I wake up early to find quiet space but I always have dogs, kids and family members around. So I found myself kind of wandering around my lovely large room all by myself. It was quite nice, just a different kind of quiet and alone than I am used to. It was late so I decided to call it a night.

The Library

This is where I am writing this post. Today the guys have headed to a meeting and I have about an hour to kill in the church library before the women's meeting that I am to attend begins. I've not been to these meetings before so I'm not sure what to expect and only have a fuzzy idea of where I'm supposed to be when. My plan is to just kind of go with the flow. I'm sure I'll be brought up to speed soon enough. For now I have found a quiet place to write. I even have the internet password which makes working on this post so much easier.

Yikes what an adventure. So we got to the hotel and the guys were booked 3 to a room and I

Yikes we are almost done with this A-Z challenge. It has certainly been fun.

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ALWAYS

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Z is for - I got to see "z"-tulips!

We got to these fields early and there were only a few other photographers out taking photos. My friend Ryan went back later in the day and said that you could not even find a place to park there were so many people trying to view the tulips in all their glory. I realized some things while on my road trip. There are some parts of my life that I shut down and avoided because those activities were things that triggered memories I wanted

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio Song of Songs 2: My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. 11 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. 12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.

This weekend while on my road trip I got to do something that I have wanted to do for many years. I got to see the Washington tulip fields in full bloom. Wow - when God paints it is spectacular. I had to get up at 5:30 am to be able to fit this little side trip into my busy day. It was well worth missing a bit of sleep. I'm pretty tired and need a weekend to catch up from my weekend. Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” These flowers have been a sight that has drawn people from mile away to come see them. Their lovely beauty will soon fade. This weekend however, they were arrayed in full splendor.

forget. It dawned on me that in so doing I have perhaps distanced myself from parts of God's intended design, plans and purposes for my life. I realized in one of the classes I took during the conference, that I have allowed my mind to develop but my heart is about 3 sizes too small in comparison. In some ways I have been like a fish trying to live in the trees rather than living in the water and fully realizing the joy of swimming and doing things that I was created to do. Forgive me Lord

- for allowing pain and fears to rule me. I realize how I need to allow my heart to bloom and grow for God's plan to be accomplished in my life. I am looking back now at some of the things that I have avoided and seeing God restore and bring back some things that once brought me great joy. I'm not sure exactly how those things will unfold. I realize that I have over developed some other areas. I certainly accept God's sovereignty and believe that the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. He is so patient with me and has allowed me to develop in other areas. He has been patient to wait until I could get to a place of seeing what I have done to myself as a result of stuffing, burying things, avoiding feeling pain. God never forces his way into the secret or hidden places. He waits for us to realize that we need him. That we can't make it on our own. Then he comes. Alas we have come to the end of the A-Z Challenge. I have been positn daily Monday - Friday since July 2011 as part of reaching my own challenge goal of writing a 365 day daily devotional. If you have enjoyed this e-book I invite you to visit my blog for more of this kind of writing. I would be thrilled if you would follow along and be doubly blessed if you would pass my site link

http://devotionalmargot.blogspot.com/

on to your friends. I always enjoy your comments and would welcome suggestions for things you might like me to write about in future posts.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Help us to bloom and grow. If there are areas in our lives that have been left un-developed or avoided because of some deep wounds help us to allow you to come. Bring your healing, help us to forgive, to repent. Help us see those things we have viewed wrongly and begin to see them through your eyes. Give us the grace to view things through a new grid and enable us to discover the parts of your plan that we have been afraid to walk in. Allow courage to rise up in each of us that we might like these flowers be arrayed in your splendor as we walk more fully in your design and purposes for our lives.

My favorite tulip photos

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ALWAYS

My Top Five 1.

Journal Page CULTURE

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ABOUT ME Margot lives in the Spokane Washington with here husband, two sons and dog April. She works part time on staff at First Covenant Church, she teaches guitar. She is an artist who paints with acrylic paints and also works in stained glass mosaics. Margot writes a daily devotional blog that can be found at http://devotional-margot.blogspot.com/ The devotionals for this e-book were originally posted as part of a blogging A-Z challenge that happens each year in the month of April. Margot is also available to work with you as a life coach. Maybe you want to talk about some of the things theses devotionals have stirred up in your spirit. Please visit my coaching page at http://mosaic-life-coaching.blogspot.com/ I am happy to coaching over Skype, or the phone or even by e-mail or instant messaging.

FINAL BLESSING I pray that the Lord will stir up the gifts he has placed in you. That through these devotionals you will draw nearer to the Lord and he will reveal himself to you and help you to see areas where he is ready transform in you. I pray you will find peace in His presence and find the confidence to do walk in your unique calling to His glory and praise.