Blog Hopping

Here's a story I wrote for a Blog Hopping Writing Contest. It's inspired from this picture. Learn more about how to enter here

I hadn't known that it was there. How could I have? I was a city girl – living amongst the towering buildings and the crowd of endless people. But that was before Carolyn left, and I was alone in the city. Alone in a cloud of careless humans along the city streets, empty alleys full of trash, and long stretches of traffic jams.

That was when I decided to leave the city for a day, go the country, and just roam. You know – fill your lungs with cool air, walk among the pines, eat a soggy, pre-made sandwich. I wasn't expecting peace. I wasn't looking for anything special – just a day away from the city that reminded me so much of my best friend.

Yet, as I walked along the forest trail that afternoon, I felt a strong pull to run. Run off the trail and into the forest for real.

So I did.

And that's when I saw it. It was a beautiful spot. A happy, peaceful, sweet spot. There, carpeting the ground around the fir trees, were flowers. They were delicate, white buds clumped together like crystals forming a snowflake. And not only were there the flowers, giving off the sweet incense of a dewy spring morning (of which I had only read about, and never known, before that day), there was a beam of light. It flooded the spot in a soft, white glow.

I sat there, in the circle of light with the flowers, for a long time and just breathed. I took in the scent of the flowers and the light, and I was happy.

---

I went back to that spot yesterday, except it wasn't there. I searched for several hours, running through the forest and looking for the flowers. They were gone.

-Aylin

My Poem

Inside the Head of an Teen Introvert

Smile, nod,
Remember the name,
Shake hands,
Make eye contact and
Say “Hello”
Note clothes, face, expression,
Lilt, tone,
Depth of voice and eyes
Focus on
Being pleasant, sweet,
Easy to talk with
Yet not too easy
Careful with
Eye contact – don't stare
Yet
Don't let your eyes roam
Too far, or, probably
You'll look bored -
And that is just as bad as
Staring
Now find an excuse
To leave this
Awkward conversation,
Not that one -
So lame
Well, walk away
Anyway, now it's over
Breathe easy
Calm your heartbeat
Slow down
Now analyze the
Words, gestures,
Emotions, feelings,
Problems, questions,
In your head.

Ever felt that way, or is it just me :) Please do not copy this poem in any form without my permission.

-Aylin

An Awesome Song

This is a song that everyone needs to hear. It has really inspired me, and I hope it inspires you too.

~Elizabeth

My Brother

Anybody like reading Spurgeon's Morning and Evening? Here's today's Morning devotional...

January 23

Morning
“I have exalted one chosen out of the people.”
- Psa_89:19
Why was Christ chosen out of the people? Speak, my heart, for heart-thoughts are best. Was it not that he might be able to be our brother, in the blest tie of kindred blood? Oh, what relationship there is between Christ and the believer! The believer can say, “I have a Brother in heaven; I may be poor, but I have a Brother who is rich, and is a King, and will he suffer me to want while he is on his throne? Oh, no! He loves me; he is my Brother.” Believer, wear this blessed thought, like a necklace of diamonds, around the neck of thy memory; put it, as a golden ring, on the finger of recollection, and use it as the King’s own seal, stamping the petitions of thy faith with confidence of success. He is a brother born for adversity, treat him as such.
Christ was also chosen out of the people that he might know our wants and sympathize with us. “He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.” In all our sorrows we have his sympathy. Temptation, pain, disappointment, weakness, weariness, poverty-he knows them all, for he has felt all. Remember this, Christian, and let it comfort thee. However difficult and painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of thy Saviour; and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt find his footprints there. In all places whithersoever we go, he has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry, has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.
“His way was much rougher and darker than mine
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?”
Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red track upon the road, and consecrated the thorny path for ever. (Published in 1865, 68. Public domain)

It is so encouraging to know that I have a Friend, a Brother, who loves me so much that He came to earth and lived like one of His very creations! That He was willing to experience what I experience - without failing. He has made a way for me and calls me to Himself.

Thank You, Jesus.

-Aylin

My family

Describe Family. It's kinda hard, at first, for me to wrap my mind around it. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines it as: a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head : household

Somehow that doesn't seem to encompass "family" to me. Family can be so much more. I have several "adopted" sisters. They aren't actually adopted, but we say they are, because we were so close as friends. A lot of people I view, almost subconsciously, as my family. My youth group is my family - they accept me without condition. One of my friends I used to be really, really close to - I could find all the dishes and silverware in their house.

"Family" is not just people who live under the same roof. Actually, the second part of the definition of Merriam-Webster fits my thought of family better. ": a group of persons of common ancestry"

At first, it kinda seems like the same thing, but it isn't. In Christ, we're all a family. Even more broadly, we are all related through Noah, since everyone else was wiped out from the great flood. So, yeah, it's been thousands of years since then, but that Korean, that Nigerian, that English girl, boy, man, woman is part of my family.

So if we treated everybody like they were a precious mother, or a dear father, or a sibling, we could make a difference by showing the world LOVE. I have a thousand songs I could share with you, but I will refrain today, and leave you with just a picture...

-Aylin

Go Back. . .

Press play and read. . .

I have a confession to make.

Although I am very anti-santa, I must admit that I love the movie The Santa Clause (the one with Tim Allen).

Lately, however, I've been thinking about a certain scene from that movie. You see, everyone was thinking that the dad (who was divorced from his wife) and his son were crazy because the son thought that his dad was santa and his dad was encouraging the idea. So the mother and her new husband were trying to get official custody of the boy, because they stopped trusting the father.

So they were sitting waiting for the boy to get out of talking with the lawyer, and they started discussing why they stopped believing in santa clause.

This is a paraphrase of what the woman said, "I was probably about eight. I used to send santa letters every week. I had always gotten everything I had asked for. But then, that year, I didn't get my Mystery Date board game, and I stopped believing."

This is a paraphrase of what the man said, "I was two, and it was a whistle."

With the man, it was when he was so young and his "faith" in santa was weak and easy to break.

With the woman, she had been very involved. Talking to him, trusting in him, but when she didn't get one simple thing--despite all the previous things she received--she stopped.

Despite the fact that they were talking about santa and I am talking about Something completely different (Something that is actually real), I drew some parallels between this and Christianity--and of what the devil uses to break us.

Maybe you walked away from your faith a long time ago. Maybe times are hard, and you can't help but think that God and everything else you have ever believed in isn't real (Anyone else raising their hands?). There are so many possibilities. . . But you know where you're at.  

And, more (most) importantly, so does God.

And He's watching over you. Not only that. . .but He's singing over you. What an awesome picture. God, holding you in His mighty arms that will never let go, singing a song to you.  

And, your life song will change. But you have to trust that no matter how hard it gets, that even when you are so close to giving in, God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him according to His purpose (see Romans 8).

So, I ask you this: What made you stop believing?

Maybe it was because you didn't get something from God that you thought was good, or maybe you had to give up something for Him that you thought was good but isn't according to Him.

Maybe you think it's not fair that you didn't get this. There you were, trying to have a relationship with God, making changes in your life, and you didn't think it was fair that that couldn't be enough. That God wants 100%, 100% of the time.

Well, let me ask you this. Is it fair that God sent His Son to die, to save a world that was rightfully His (and His creation) anyway, when He could have just let us suffer in blindness and hell?

And now, mind you, when Jesus hung on that cross, he didn't have a pretty crown on his head and just hung up there magically.

Because covenants have to be sealed by sacrifice. As in, blood.

The Messiah had his hands and feet nailed into the cross and a crown of thorns on his head. I wouldn't be surprised if all of these things each caused a tremendous amount of blood. Christ suffered.

And by the blood of The Lamb, the new covenant is sealed and we no longer need to kill animals to be close to God and to be sanctified.

Jesus was (and is) the final lamb.

You see, all of other sacrifices died when they were killed. But not Christ.

Because he was raised from the dead, Christ's sacrifice endures. He defeated sin, so that it couldn't defeat you.

That's how much He cares.

I don't care what you're going through, I don't care what you've done, because no sin is greater than what Jesus did for us. For everyone.

God overcame death itself; He has overcome the world. And He has overcome your sin and insecurity right along with it.

So quite making excuses, because there are none.

~Elizabeth

100 Questions

So Lizzie found a blog (tresadawn.wordpress.com) that was doing a series of 100 questions about themselves every week for a year (5,000 questions total). She thinks I should do it. I probably won't waste a post every week for a year on questions about myself, but I did do the first hundred. So... here goes...

1. Who are you?

- I'm Aylin. A Christian daughter, sister, and friend.

2. What are the 3 most important things everyone should know about you?

- I love God with everything I am, I do not understand people who don't like reading, and I sometimes get sudden urges to eat exotic fruit.

3. When you aren't filling out 5,000 question surveys like this one what are you doing?

- I'm listening to music, playing piano, reading, blogging, drawing, writing...

4. List your classes in school from the ones you like the most to the ones you like the least (or if you are out of school, think of the classes you did like and didn't like at the time).

- Social Studies, Lit., Geometry, Grammar, Chemistry

5. What is your biggest goal for this year?

- Not have such a short temper with my sisters

6. Where do you want to be in 5 years?

- Umm, in college, maybe have a boyfriend, and be involved with a church worship ministry

7. What stage of life are you in right now?

- I'm a teen, homeschooled...

8. Are you more child-like or childish?

- I probably act childish sometimes, but I am a technically a child, you know!

9. What is the last thing you said out loud?

- "Well, here's the thing..." (I didn't finish my sentence)

10. What song comes closest to how you feel about your life right now?

- Never Alone (Barlow Girls) ???

11. Have you ever taken martial arts classes?

- No :(

12. Does your life tend to get better or worse or does it just stay the same?

- Mostly the same

13. Does time really heal all wounds?

- No - time can help one forget, or one can hold on to a hurt and it can grow into black, ugly bitterness.

14. How do you handle a rainy day?

- My day's about the same, although I usually feel more tired when its rainy and gray out.

15. Which is worse...losing your luggage or having to sort out tangled holiday lights?

- losing luggage

16. How is your relationship with your parents? Will you miss them when they are gone?

- I love my parents and can't imagine not being able to talk to them or see them anymore. What a sad question :(

17. Do you tend to be aware of what is going on around you?

- HAH! Sometimes I'm in my own time and space demension, and I am oblivious to the rest of the world.

18. What is the truest thing that you know?

- God's patience and forgiveness.

19. What did you want to be when you grew up?

- Well, I'm not all "grown up" yet, so I still want to be a graphic designer.

20. Have you ever been given a second chance?

- Everyday.

21. Are you more of a giver or a taker?

- I'd like to think I'm a giver mostly.

22. Do you make your decisions with an open heart/mind?

- I always try to see all the angles of a situation and listen to other's opinions before I decide something

23. What is the most physically painful thing that has ever happened to you?

- Hmmm...

24. What is the most emotionally painful thing that has ever happened to you?

- When a group I was a part of split over rumors and my whole world wasn't the same again

25. Who have you hugged today?

- Oops - I'm going now to hug my mom :)

26. Who has done something today to show they care about you?

- I went shopping with my mom and we laughed and had a good time. She bought us raspberry thin mints (Mmmmmmmmm)

27. Do you have a lot to learn?

- Oh my goodness! So much to learn, not enough time to do it in.

28. If you could learn how to do three things just by wishing and not by working what would they be?

A. I wish I could speak german

B. I wish I could learn martial arts

C. I wish I could draw lifelike portraits

29. Which do you remember the longest: what other people say, what other people do or how other people make you feel?

- What people make me feel. I can live a whole month on a complement or a nice word!

30. What are the key ingredients to having a good relationship?

- Trust, Love, Faithfullness, a giving Heart

31. What 3 things do you want to do before you die?

A. get married and have a family

B. Travel all over

C. Learn to drive :)

32. What three things would you want to die to avoid doing?

A. Torture???

B.

C.

33. Is there a cause you believe in more than any other cause?

- Giving every man, woman, and child repeated oportunities to hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ.

34. What does each decade make you think of:

The 19..

20's: Roaring 20's

30's: The Great Depression

40's: World War II

50's: Korean War,

60's: My dad was born!!

70's: Hippies, My mom was born!!

80's: Umm...

90's: Me and my sisters, computers

2000's: 9/11, the age of cellphones, facebook

35. Which decade do you feel the most special connection to and why?

- 2000 - that's basically all I've been alive in

36. What is your favorite oldie/classic rock song?

- I don't have one

37. What country do you live in and who is the leader of that country?

- I'm a citizen of heaven - God is the King of Kings

If you could say any sentence to the current leader of your country what would it be?

- Thank You for loving me.

38. What's your favorite TV channel to watch in the middle of the night?

- I don't watch tv at night. I sleep.

39. What Disney villain are you the most like and why?

- ???

40. Have you ever been a girl scout/boy scout?

- Nope.

41. If you were traveling to another continent would you rather fly or take a boat?

- Fly. I do not think me, a boat, and a wavy ocean would like each other that much!

42. Why is the sky blue during the day and black at night?

- the sunlight hitting gases in the air makes it appear blue, and it's black at night because there in no light to make color (black is the absence of color)...

43. What does your name mean?

- Moon.

44. Would you rather explore the depths of the ocean or outer space?

- Neither.

45. Word association

What is the first word that comes to mind when you see the word:

Air: birds

Meat: venison

Different: people

Pink: girls

Deserve: hard working

White: snow

Elvis: music

Magic: fantasy

Heart: red

Clash: war

Pulp: orange

46. If you could meet any person in the world who is dead who would you want it to be?

- Einstein

47. What if you could meet anyone who is alive?

- Joni Ericson

48. Is there a movie that you love so much you could watch it everyday?

- No

49. You are going to be stuck alone in an elevator for a week. What do you bring to do?

- My laptop, food, my house (how big is this elevator?)


50. Have you ever saved someone's life or had your life saved?

- No, but Jesus saved my life

51. Make up a definition for the following silly words...

Fruitgoogle: A search engine for finding exotic plants on the internet

Ambytime: an ancient time system used by the indians somewhere

Asscactus: ???

52. What was the last thing you made with your own hands?

- I've been working on a portrait for an art contest the last few days

53. What was your favorite toy as a child?

- Probably barbies

54. How many TV’s are in your house?

-Only one

55. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

-Go camping, which includes kayaking/canoeing, fishing, hiking, and campfires!

56. How do you feel when you see a rainbow?

- Happy - like I want to go grab my camera and snap a pic

57. Have you ever dreamt a dream that came true?

- Not that I can remember.

58. Have you ever been to a psychic/tarot reader?

- Absolutely Not.

59. What is your idea of paradise?

- Spending eternity with God in heaven

60. Do you believe in god and if so what is he/she/it like?

- God is holy, just, love, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. He loved me so much that He died so to pay for my sin and make a way that I can live with Him forever.

61. Do you believe in Hell?

- Absolutely

62. What one thing have you done that most people haven't?

- Played Chopin's Waltz in C Sharp Minor :)

63. What is the kindest thing you have ever done?

- Hmmm, I don't know...

64. Are you a patient person?

- Hah! I try to be, but I mostly fail

65. What holiday should exist but doesn't?

- ?

66. What holiday shouldn't exist but does?

- Sweetest Day, Holloween...

67. What's the best joke you ever heard?

- I have no idea

68. Where is the most fun place you have EVER been?

- A state park I go to with my family in the summertime.

69. Is your hair natural or dyed?

- Natural. It's the perfect color - some people think it's brown, others - red, dirty blond, or strawberry blond.

70. Do you have any deep dark secrets or are you pretty much up front?

- I guess I have a couple deep dark secrets, but mostly I am pretty open with people.

71. What is under your bed right now?

- Too much stuff that it would be difficult to name it all!

72. If you were in the Land of Oz would you want to live there or go home?

- Go Home!

73. If you drive do you frequently speed?

- I don't drive.

74. What is the world's best song to dance to?

- I don't dance. Ever. :D

75. What song was on the last time you danced with someone?

- Like I said...

76. Do you prefer Disney or Warner Brothers?

- I wouldn't know

77. What is the first animal you would run to see if you went to the zoo?

- Tigers!

78. Would you consider yourself to be romantic?

- Not really

79. If the earth stopped rotating would we all fly off?

- Maybe?

80. What is the one thing that you love to do so much that you would make sacrifices to be able to do it?

- Ummm, probably play music, or write, or something... I really like a lot of things!

81. If you (and everyone) had to lose one right or freedom, but you could pick which one everyone had to lose, what would you pick?

- The right to... let me think about it...

82. If you had to choose would you live on the equator or at the North Pole?

- Equator (I am already too cold as it is!)

83. Would you rather give up listening to music or watching television?

- Watching television. Music is SO MUCH BETTER.

84. What do you think makes someone a hero?

- Love

85. What cartoon would you like to be a character in?

- Rio

86. Name one thing that turns your stomach

- Tarantulas - well, really any spider, but it sounds better to only say the really big ones!

87. What was the last thing you paid for?

- An ebook

88. Are you a coupon clipper?

- Nope. I don't really shop all that much.

89. Get anything good in the mail recently?

- No :(

90. Which would you rather take as a gym class...dancing, sailing, karate, or bowling?

- Karate

91. In Star Trek people 'beam' back and forth between different places. What this means is they stand in a little tube and their molecules are deconstructed and sent to another tube somewhere else where they are reassembled. Only problem is when the molecules are deconstructed the person is dead. When they are put back together it is only a clone that has all the dead person's memories. So...

Is the person who gets beamed the same person on both ends?

- What kind of question is that, anyway?

92. What insects are you afraid of?

- Mostly just spiders.

93. If you could print any phrase on a T-shirt, what would it say?

- Hmmm. I don't know.

94. What's the most eccentric thing you have ever worn?

- :)

95. If you could pick one food that you could eat all you wanted but it would have no effect on how much you weigh, what food would it be?

- cinnamon rolls

96. What are your parents interested in?

- Hunting, fishing, hiking, camping...

97. Have you ever caught an insect and kept it as a pet?

- No, but I did catch some insects, gas them with nail polish remover, and pin them to a board in a jar once >:D

98. What is more helpful to you, wishes or plans?

- Well, you start with wishes, but if they don't develop into plans, than the wishes were worthless.

99. When do you feel your life energy the strongest?

- Umm "life energy?" When I'm singing in church, I guess.

100. You are spending the night alone in the woods and may bring only 3 items with you. What do you bring?

- a rifle, a lighter, and a sleeping bag!

Tell me what you think!

-Aylin

Something to Remember

This post is mainly a warning for something that many people--myself included--wind up doing when it comes to New Year's Resolutions.

I find that, all too often, we get so wrapped up with what we are doing and what change we can make in the world. Then. . . We forget to give the glory to God. We begin to think that we  can do things all on our own, and have no need to do things like pray and have Christian fellowship. Because, after all, we don't need it.

And the more we fall into that philosophy, the more the opposite will be true.

So today, I encourage you all to pray about each of your resolutions, no matter how small.

But why stop there? Don't just pray about them, but ask for God's blessing on them.

After all, we can do all things--but only in and through Christ who gives us strength.

Also, if there happen to be any men following this blog, I encourage you to add being courageous onto your list of resolutions. Here's the link to the movie Courageous's (by Sherwood Pictures) website. They have some amazing resources, including copies of their Resolution that you can put in your own home.

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

~Elizabeth

THE LIST

Today is National Top 5 Day! (don't Google it, 'cause it may or may not exist - and if it does it probably isn't today anyway) Anyway - here are my top 5 Christian bands in the whole world... well, maybe not the whole world, but pretty close...

#5

Matthew West! It was a toss up between Third day and Matthew West, but West won because The Motions is an AMAZING song. If you haven't heard it, you should. Right now ;)

#4

Casting Crowns is #4! They are a great group - and their newest cd (The Well) is awesome! May loves to listen to it ALL day long, and it hasn't hardly gotten old to me yet.

#3

Newsboys! They used to be my absolute favorite group, but after Peter Furler left, the group is not quite the same :( It still is a great band, it just isn't really Newsboys anymore. I really do like their new rendition of Jesus Freaks, though!

#2

Yeah, Red! I love this band. Their music is amazing - their only issue is that they don't have a keyboardist in the group, which is sad :( but even without it, they sound great. The official music video for Feed the Machine is so cool!

#1

SKILLET!!!!!!!! Skillet is my favorite band of all time. I love how they incorporate a violin into some of their songs - plus they have a girl drummer who sings, which is awesome! And, for all of you Skillet fans, here is my favorite song by them -

-Aylin

Thinking Ahead

I'm really sorry about not keeping up with posting. Things have been crazy busy since the start of the new year, and I honestly haven't had much extra time. But without further ado. . .  

I tend to be someone who thinks way in advance. For example, it's January and I'm deciding which camps I'm going to go to this summer. I'm looking into where my family should stay when we go to D.C. later in the year. I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on a road trip with my cousins this fall. 

Yet. . . I may not even be alive this summer. Seriously. 

For all I know, this will be the last thing I post before I die. For all I know, this will be the very lasts breath I breathe. For all I know. . . What do I know? 

You see, I think that's something that so many atheists (and Christians) get wrong about Christianity. They tend to think that we think we know everything. That, because we have God on our side, we are all knowing and omnipresent.  

But, to be quite frank, it's the exact opposite. 

What Christianity is meant to be is humans humbling themselves and admitting there is something to vast and incredible for our minds to conceive. That we can never know it all, because only God can. 

That is what sets Christianity apart from atheism. Admitting that we aren't God, and that we can never even come close. 

That we don't know the answers, and having faith that Something else does. 

So today, I encourage you to not think months ahead, but to live every moment to the hilt, as if it is your last. 

Because, for all you know, it might be. 

~Elizabeth

An Awesome, Holy God

Food for thought...

22 Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD.
“Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.
(Jeremiah 5:22-25)

Sometimes, I think we lose sight of how awesome, powerful, and holy God is. God is love. Yet, God is justice. He takes sin seriously. Although this was written thousands of years ago to Judah after Israel's destruction and captivity, it is applicable to us today.

We know God's standards and commands. Yet, sometimes, if we aren't careful, we can become like Judah. The people were saying, "Why is God angry? We're sorry for all we've done," but they still continued to do the same things as before. They did not have a genuine change in their heart, and though their words were right, their actions portrayed that they were lying to God. He wasn't fooled.

God asks for us to give our hearts to Him. He knows we will never be perfect in following Him, but He wants our hearts to be genuine in trying to live for Him. He doesn't ask for half-hearted submission - He asks for our lives.

With that in mind, I lay my "yes" on the table today, as I have to mentally do every day. God asks for nothing less then total submission to His will. He has a plan with what to do with my life, my heart and body, that I daily must decide to give to Him. So I strive to not be like Judah, an unrepentant nation after rebuke. They were white on the outside, but inside, the cup was filthy.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1



-Aylin

Brand New

It's a new year, everybody! (I know I should have posted about the new year earlier this week, but welcome to the life of a procrastinator :D) A brand new year. A time for a fresh beginning and a new start. A lot of people make resolutions at the beginning of a brand new year. And that's exactly why - because it's a brand new start to a brand new year. It's almost like everything resets.

The good news is that we don't have to wait until the new year to start new again. Each month is a brand new month. Every single day is a fresh, new day. No one's screwed it up yet. Although we have to deal with the past, own up to what we've done and live with the consequences, tomorrow is still a day that we can do right in.

It reminds me of the crisp, white snow outside. It blankets the frozen mud and grass underneath. Instead of having to see the dead earth all winter until it blooms again in spring - where I live- it is covered up in pure white. God's like that, too. He gives us fresh starts. First, He gives us a brand new birth in the Spirit when we come to Him and give Him our lives. Then, each day He wipes our slates clean. He forgives our sins and makes us new inside. We don't have to sit in ugly sin until we die. He bathes us in His blood that makes us pure as snow.

So, it's a new year. It's 2012. It's a new start. But even if we screw it up, there's still God's love washing us clean and making us new again.

-Aylin

Set Me Free

I was searching for Casting Crowns music videos on YouTube, and I found this amazing video made by a youth group, and there are many more like it if you search for them on YouTube. It is a great idea for any youth group wanting to put on a short drama set to music. Enjoy!



-Aylin