Awesome Weekend

On Friday I took a random trip to Chipley to see +Julia Veit  (aka my twin) play Dorothy in the school's play. She did AWESOME, and I was so proud of her! While I was there, I got to see Lana, Colton, and Jaclyn, and I enjoyed catching up with them so much. It has been way too long since I have gotten to see them. I even took pictures so I could post on my blog, which Colton made fun of me for :) God really has blessed me with some awesome friends, and I could not be more thankful! Sunday's church message was something that God knew my soul needed. Currently we are on a series called "Christian." In this series, Andy Stanley talks about what it really means to be a Christian and how "Christians" do just the opposite of what the Bible calls us to do. This Sunday his message talked about the sermon on the mount and Jesus' statement about how Christians are supposed to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. Andy Stanley's message was "Salt always preserves and light always points the way forward." He talked about how God has strategically placed Christians to preserve the place around them and be a light to unbelievers. It is not by accident that Christians live and work in the areas they do. As Christians, we are called to act differently than the unbelievers around us, so people will wonder what makes us so different. When this happens, our Heavenly Father will receive the glory and opportunities to be a witness will open up. His message was encouraging and convicting all at the same time. I know that I need to do a better job at standing out in the mainstream environments I am in. He does a lot better at explaining it than I do, so here is the link to the online message: http://beachsidecc.org/messages/current-series/. It is the message titled "Showing Up." Although if you have time, all the messages are wonderful to watch :)

Verse for the week: "God can restore what is broken and change it to something amazing. All you need is faith." Joel 2:25


Matthew 5:3-16 "Sermon on the Mount"

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
⁵ Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
⁷ Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.