Teens and the Apostle Paul

Well...the post is a little late today since I had a speech class...and shopping...and The Bourne Legacy. But moving on...

Last night my youth pastor made a comment I wanted to share with you: You don't have to wait for the approval of others before sharing Christ with your friends. We were reading the following passage:

But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Galatians 1:15-17

 To get the full gist of this statement, follow the link or pull out your own Bible and read the entire section. The writer of this book is Paul, formerly known as Saul. He was a Pharisee of the highest degree. The requirements for reaching this position included memorizing the entire Old Testament. That's right, memorizing. Saul had everything going for him--heritage, authority, wealth, education, respect.

And his job comprised of persecuting Christians. Acts 8:3 "But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." This was Saul's passion. Finally, he went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, giving him permission to imprison any Christians he found there. 

That's when it happened. Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus in all His glory. A brilliant light surrounded Saul, blinding him.
  

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:4-6

Now a completely new man, Saul followed the Lord's command to the letter. In Damascus he met a man named Ananias,who had been instructed by God to restore Saul's sight. Ananias obeyed and Saul stayed a few days with the disciples in Damascus. No longer did he persecute Christians. In fact, he began at once to preach the gospel. He raised so much havoc with his fervor, that the Jews tried to kill him, and he had to escape the city.

And so, the self-professed "Hebrew of Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5) found himself led by God to preach the good news of salvation to the Gentiles. He didn't return to Jerusalem to meet some of the twelve disciples until three years later, and even then he stayed only fifteen days.

As teens, we can learn from Saul. You don't have to go to Bible college, or seminary for four plus years in order to share your faith. You don't even have to receive special approval by your pastor. God calls each and every one of us to serve Him here on this earth, and if you feel Him calling you in a certain direction, go for it!

Many teens see life as a huge gap of time lying ahead of them--at least I do. But truth be told, not one of us knows how long we have left. Our time could be tonight, tomorrow, a week from now, or even in ten years. So serve God with what He has blessed you with now. There will always be more to learn--and don't get me wrong, learning is crucial--but don't get so bogged down that you fail to take the opportunities He places in your path.

Time to Brainstorm: Do you have a personal relationship with the God of the universe? If so, how are you serving God right now? How can you serve Him more?

Resource: Go Teen Writers

“The next best thing to knowing something is knowing where to find it.”

~ Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) British author

Our world today is absorbed in a quest for knowledge. We start school at around four or five years old, and from then on the learning never ends. We gather information from books, television, computers, parents, teachers, and friends. Some of what we learn is valid, other things not so much. By the time we reach high school, the brunt of responsibility for our education has been shifted onto us, particularly for homeschoolers.

This is an exceptional opportunity to take learning far beyond the “schoolroom” and explore those areas which interest us as individuals. As teenagers, we are just beginning to see the world for what it is. All the information we’ve been assembling through childhood is starting to come together to create a beautiful picture of our past, present, and future reality.

Thankfully, these days we have access to information about almost every topic imaginable. Today I’d like to focus on one particular blog that has been instrumental in my growth as a writer.

I stumbled upon Go Teen Writers in January of 2011, and was immediately drawn in by the fun writing contests it offered. Little did I guess how much wisdom, information, encouragement and opportunities I would find as well.

Go Teen Writers, as the name suggests, is a blog for young fiction writers. Stephanie Morrill, author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series, began the blog in 2010. Over time authors Jill Williamson, Roseanna White, and Rachel Coker have been added to the staff, as well as a multitude of guest writers. Posts are published Monday through Friday and range in topic from writing to editing to publication.

At the moment GTW is celebrating 500 followers. In honor of the occasion they are holding a 500 word free-write contest for those 21 and under. The deadline is August 27^th.

So what are you waiting for? If you love writing, check out GTW or follow them on Facebook. You won’t regret it!

What subjects do you love to explore outside of school? What are your favorite resources? 

Proverbs 1:5

Homeschoolers and the SAT

This week my brother and I are beginning to study for the SAT and PSAT. We’ve got this awesome curriculum called College Prep Genius, but every time I read the part about studying all summer, I mentally freak out. We didn’t even know about this program until a few weeks ago, so I have about 150 hours worth of study to cram into 8 weeks.

What is the SAT?

Short and simple, it’s a Standardized Assessment Test. It can be taken by homeschoolers at any local high school, and is available seven times, October through June. There is a small fee. The test is comprised of three parts—critical reading, math, and writing. While it’s important to have a basic knowledge of math up through Algebra 2 and grammar, the SAT is mostly a logic test.

Why should I take the SAT?

Scoring high on the SAT and PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) can result in huge scholarships, all the way up to having your full way paid to college. Even if you don’t intend to go to college now, it’s still a good idea to take the SAT your junior and senior year. Plans can change, and your scores will be saved for up to two years. It’s also best to begin studying for the PSAT and SAT your freshman year. Looking back, I wish that’s what I’d done, but hey, live and learn, right?

Prayers would be hugely appreciated right now. Even though I took the PSAT last year, I still feel very unprepared.

Have you taken the PSAT and/or SAT? Will you be taking one or both this year? What are your thoughts? 

Psalm 39:4-7 

Kicking Off the School Year

As this blog kicks off with its first genuine post, it's got me thinking about beginnings. Our family started the school year yesterday with a pancake breakfast followed immediately by a mile run. Needless to say, some of us looked like this by the time we got around to math:

But after a few wrinkles got ironed out ("Mom, the answer key you put in my box last night isn't there anymore." "Hey Mom, if they're both doing schoolwork out here, how am I going to practice piano?") the day went pretty well. My mom has this new system of organization that she got at the homeschool conference last week. Here is our new and improved school schedule:

But who wants to think about school? Most of you are probably trying to get the most out of your last few days of freedom. So what else began yesterday?

Well...

In 1538 Bogotá, Colombia was founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. According to Wikipedia, Bogotá is not only the capital, but the largest and most populous city in that country.

In 1845 the Russian Geographical Society was founded in Saint Petersburg.

In 1926 New York's Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim English Channel. Her time was fourteen hours, thirty-nine minutes.

In 1961 the first case of motion sickness in space was reported.

In 1996 NASA announced that life may have existed on Mars.

Interested in learning more? I found this information on historyorb.com.

What about you? Have you started school yet? Are there any traditions your family keeps, such as taking a photo or having a special breakfast? I'd love to hear from you!