February 8th, 2010
I am a New Orleans Saints fan. I grew up in south Louisiana and they are “our team.” When they were absolutely terrible, we were fans. When they started to get better, we were fans. I am not a fair-weather fan. I wear the black and gold whether they win or lose. It just so happens that they won it all last night. They are the Super Bowl champions. What a great game that was!! But, there was a time when they were behind. They could have lost. There was always that possibility.
I am a saint. I have been saved and redeemed by the blood of Christ. Some days I mess up. I sin. I’m not perfect. But my salvation doesn’t change. My God is not a fair-weather Savior. He loves me no matter what. The difference between this saint and the New Orleans Saints is that I will always be victorious because of Christ. There is nothing that will defeat me. There is no possibility of that. What a great feeling!
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39
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Posted in Alanna |
January 5th, 2010
I’m not one for resolutions at the new year. I think when I set them I inevitably set myself up for failure. I can’t (or choose not to) keep them. I don’t handle failing well, so I do what I can to avoid even the possibility of that happening. With that said, I have decided this year to set one goal. I hope it will be easier to keep because I’m not alone in it. I’m going to commit to try radical living by participating in the Radical Experiment with my faith family. There’s something about knowing I’m not the only one doing this that helps. We’re reading through the Bible, praying for the world, and committing to radical financial giving for the sake of those in dire physical and spiritual poverty both here and in other nations. If you want more details, you can check it out at www.radicalexperiment.org. I’m two days in…so far, so good. I’ll keep you posted.
Are you participating, too? Tell me how it’s going for you and how you think we can encourage each other! Happy Radical New Year!!
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Posted in Alanna, Uncategorized |
December 24th, 2009
Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time of year this is as we celebrate the birth of our Savior! My prayer is that you will enjoy the time with family and friends but even more that we will all take the time to remember the reason we celebrate and give thanks. What a mighty God we have!
As a quick reminder, we do not have any small groups or Sunday morning Bible studies until January 6th (for small groups) and January 10th (for Sunday morning Bible study). The Student Ministry staff wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We love you!!
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Posted in Alanna, Uncategorized |
December 14th, 2009
This year, we have lined up a couple of opportunities for students to serve the world in East Lake at The Lovelady Center. They are listed below. Please contact
Alanna if you are interested in helping. This is also a chance for you to get others in your family or small group involved with you!
Santa Store (for girls only) – Each year The Lovelady Center offers a store for mothers to “shop” for gifts for their children. These gifts are donated to the center. We will be purchasing gifts for teenagers this year with money raised by students during our change war (which, in case your forgot, the GIRLS won)! They offer the opportunity for volunteers to join in by helping wrap gifts. On December 19th, our girls can help with this. Here are the details:
December 19 from 8am-1pm – (Middle School Girls) Each girl needs to bring a roll of wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and money for lunch (fast food).
December 19 from 4pm-9pm – (High School Girls) Each girl needs to bring a roll of wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and money for dinner (fast food).
Afternoon Entertainment for Children – The kids there are out of school the same time as our students. They often get bored and need some entertaining. This year we will help with that on December 21-23 and 28-30 from 2-4pm each day. Each day we will provide an activity of some sort (craft, games, etc.) and cookies. This can be an opportunity for small groups, families, etc. to serve at Lovelady. The Student Ministry will plan and provide the activity, those going should provide cookies (either purchased or home baked) for the kids there and their own transportation to Lovelady. If you are interested in coming, please let Alanna know which day you are interested in. There are roughly 20 kids there and I would like to be able to pair each child with someone from Brook Hills for this time.
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December 8th, 2009
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November 19th, 2009
Before I even begin, if you feel like I’m picking on you, I’m not. There is not a certain person I think about as I write this. However, I believe there are many of us (that’s right, I include myself in this) that can probably relate on many levels to the thoughts I’ve had lately. For a while now there’s been a lot of hype about November 20, 2009. You can find information about the significance of this date all over the internet, in teen magazines in any store, and you hear it in the conversations of teenage girls all over America. If you’re still wondering what I’m talking about, it’s the release of the second Twilight movie, New Moon. In less that 12 hours, it will be seen for the first time in theaters across America. People all over are currently sitting and daydreaming about what it may hold. What is Jacob really going to look like? Is it going to be just like the book? There are countless discussions happening about which “team” you may be on – Edward’s or Jacob’s. It’s crazy how Twilight has infiltrated our world!
You may wonder why I’m even bothering with the movie. Who cares, right? Well, I realized something last night that broke my heart more than just a little. My world is consumed with teenage girls. Girls who know nearly everything there is to know about Twilight. I will admit that I have read the books and watched the first movie (the list of reasons is long so I’ll spare you, but if you want to know why or my thoughts, please feel free to ask). What I have seen around me is a thrill, and excitement, a knowledge of the ins and outs of everything Twilight, and people who can’t get enough. There is giddy laughter and people running to one another to talk about what’s coming. That’s all fine, but I wonder why we, why I, don’t get that excited about Christ? How is it that we allow ourselves to get to a place where we know more about fiction books than his Word? He is a far greater Savior than Edward will ever be. He’s a real person I actually have a relationship with. He’s not a passing fad or a trend. His words aren’t fiction and his life isn’t a fictional account created by some woman with a vast imagination. Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings. Shouldn’t our response to him be far greater than our response to Edward or Jacob?
Imagine with me for a moment if we lived with the same excitement for Christ as we see with Twilight. What if people were as thrilled to share his Word with friends as they are to share latest issue of Bop magazine (or whatever it’s called these days)? What if people were as consumed with him as with Edward and Jacob? I think we would see more disciples being made. I think we would see more needs met. I think we would see God glorified in ways that would blow us away. I realize you may think I’m crazy and even a bit ridiculous. I’m ok with that.
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Posted in Alanna, Uncategorized |
November 5th, 2009
Last night was our first of two “Underground Church” nights. Over 100 middle school students ran around campus trying to complete various tasks that people in a church in a persecuted country might have to complete…all without getting caught by the “Secret Police.” For us, it was a game. There was a lot of laughing and loud singing. Those who were arrested and jailed taunted the jailers and had a fun time in the jail. As I sat in the jail with them, I realized that in this moment of the game we had missed the point. If we were truly part of those jailed for having faith in Christ, we wouldn’t have lasted 5 minutes in that jail. The jailers would not allow us to live with that kind of behavior. To us, it was a game. To our brothers and sister in persecuted countries, it’s anything but a game. It is their faith. It is real. It is often life or death. Oh, how blessed we are to have freedom. Oh, how we miss out on the opportunities we have to share.
Jesse shared with us as we wrapped up some ways that we can help those in persecuted countries. First, we can pray for them. This may be one of the greatest and easiest things we can do to support them. Second, we can be aware of their situations. It is important for us to be informed on what is going on in the world around us, especially when it comes to spiritual matters. Finally, there are practical ways we can meet physical needs. There are many organizations that we can contribute to. There are ways to send necessities with those who are going to the field. Want to know more? Just ask…we’ll help you get connected. I promise.
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Posted in Alanna |
October 5th, 2009
Secret Church is coming soon…
Today, Monday, October 5th, at 9a.m., Secret Church tickets go on sale! (I am posting this at 1:30 pm on Oct. 5th and there are only about 900 tickets left.) Tic-Toc Tic-Toc….
You can get them by visiting Brook Hills’ website, www.brookhills.org, or by going to www.secretchurch.org. Tickets are $5. This will cover your study materials for the evening.
Secret Church will be Friday, November 6, from 6p.m. – midnight. The teaching will be focused on Angels, Demons, and Spiritual Warfare.
If you want to be added to our email roster, have questions, or need additional information, feel free to contact our Media Director, Angelia Steward, at astewart@brookhills.org or call her at 205.313.7735. There is also a Secret Church Facebook Group that you can join to stay connected.
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Posted in Wes |
September 24th, 2009
That’s a term you hear a lot around Brook Hills “Lord, give us the nations in such a way that only You get the glory” … “We’re going to the nations” … “We glorify Christ by making disciples of all nations” … etc. This is a good thing. I think you should care about the nations.
Question: How much do you know about the nations?
Personally, I don’t know much. I get confused by which countries are which in Europe, the Middle East, and don’t get me started on Asia … It’s so big!
Being the game girl, like I am, I’m posting a game for us all to enjoy. (The link is in the right hand column. It’s the “How Much Do You Know About the Nations? Game”.) It’s going to test your geography knowledge. Play it enough and you’ll start to learn where some countries are … you know those countries that you know you should know where they are but you don’t really. When I started playing I couldn’t get past Level 4. I got to Level 9 today. You’ll learn more about where the nations that we have a heart for are and, maybe you’ll even be inspired to learn more about these nations …
Ryann
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Posted in Ryann |
September 21st, 2009
A couple of weeks ago I asked the girls in my small group to think about the question, “What is the church?” They had to answer in more than one sentence and back it up with Scripture. I’d like to share one of the answers with you, written by Kyndal Nichols.
“The church is the body of Christ, a group of believers gathered in the name of Jesus. Matthew 18:20 says, ‘For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.’ We are one body. Ephesians 4:4-6 says, ‘There is one body, and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one father of all, who is over all and through all in all.’ Later in verses 12 and 13, it talks about the body of Christ being built up to reach unity in the faith, the knowledge of the Son of God, and the fullness of Christ. As the church we seek Christ, and spread the Gospel. We fellowship with one another, and pray for each other. We hold people accountable, and meet together for worship. We are one in Christ and we make disciples, not only in the church, but also in the world. The church is the body of Christ seeking the fullness of Christ.”
How would you answer the same question?
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Posted in Alanna, Student Entry |
Sweater...check
Antlers...check
Middle School Students...check
Let the games begin!
Antlers in the making!
Antlers complete!
The Abominable Snowman
The Abominable Snowman #2
Eating the Marshmallows is difficult when you're blindfolded!
Cotton Nose
Frosty the Snowman...complete with the coal buttons!
Gift Time...what did YOU get??