Week 4 Day 4: Choose Love Part 2

"Love is kind.."

Being patient is hard, but being kind is easy...right??? Is it easy only to speak kind words? To be sweet to someone who is rude? To be kind to your siblings or parents? To be sweet to the teacher who is failing you? Well..

OK so being kind in certain situations is hard. But I think I know why patience was before kindness. When you are patience, you are more calm and less irritated. And that makes it a whole lot easier to be sweet and kind. I know I need to choose to work on patience so I can be more kind. How about you? Do you need to choose to work on your patience so you can be kind? (To clarify, if you give attitude you need to work on patience and kindness)

Not only do we need to work on loving those close to us with kindness, but also to the ones we may have never noticed or acknowledged. I am talking about the person who sits by herself at lunch, who walks the hallways alone, who is ignored in class unless someone needs to borrow a piece of paper. She needs to be loved. You can choose to show her love by being kind. By having a simple conversation at lunch or in the halls.

My son and I just read the book, "To Save A Life." (based on the movie) It has inspired him to reach out to those who are alone. When one of the girls who really has no friends did not get a Valentine and spent her birthday in the hospital, he made her a friend valentine. He took a few minutes to put some candy in a cute bag. It was nothing big, but it made her day. He showed kindness to her and reminded her people do love her. It was something so simple.

Kindness is simple. It is stopping to help someone, holding a door for the older lady, talking to the person who sits alone, bring an extra piece of candy to share with someone, helping your teacher with a task, taking the trash out for your mom without her asking, helping clean up after dinner, a hug, a smile, a listening ear. The hardest part is realizing you need to choose to be kind.

And yes, there are those times and people it is very hard to show kindness. But remember to choose patience and choose to be kind whether they deserve it or not. God's love is kind to you when you do not deserve it.

If you and I start choosing to show love through our kindness, others may choose the same. It could save a life, a school, a city. This is a choice that can effect so many. So today choose to be kind.

It is my life I will choose…

*To read my verse

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor. 13:4-7

* as I brush out the tangles, to ask God to forgive me for not always being kind.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to help me see those who I can love through kindness.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me speak kind loving words even when it difficulties.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God

Week 4 Day : Choose to Love

"Love is patient...."

Yikes!!! Really? Love is patient. That has to be the first definition of love? I do not know about you but being patient with people...is so hard. There are a lot of people who test my patience. And I bet you feel the same way. Is it your parents, siblings, teacher or friends that test your patience? Does God even understand how hard it is to be patient with people?

Think about that question again, does God even understand how hard it is to be patient with people????? This is a hard answer to swallow, but yes. He understands completely. How does he understand? God has to have patience with you and me. He is patient while He waits for us to be obedient, while He waits for us to come to Him, while He waits for us to follow His will, while He waits for us to fulfill His purpose, while He waits for us to not be so selfish. Do I need to continue with the examples? God loves you enough that He will patiently wait until you fully give your life to Him and follow Him. His love does not change even if it takes us days, weeks, months or years. And all the time while He waits for you, He loves you enough to still provide and take care of you.

So yes, God's love is patience. Now, we need to learn how to practice love that is patient. Our love may need to be patient and hold our tongue. Sometimes our love will be patient by loving another even while we wait for them to love back. We will need a love that is patient when someone hurts us and we have to wait for them to be sorry.

So today I ask you, will you choose to have a love for others that is patient? It will be a choice made many times a day. It will not be easy. But make yourself aware of the choice you will have to love with patience.

It is my life I will choose…

*To read my verse

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor. 13:4-7

* as I brush out the tangles, to ask God to forgive me for not always showing patient love.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to help me see how His love for me is patient.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me speak with a love that is patient.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God.

Week 4 Day 2: Choose Love

I love chocolate and I love my Diet Dr.Pepper. These are two things I will always love. Right now most of you love Edward. Some of you love Taylor. Of course a couple of years ago you loved someone else. But what is sad is that these are the things we think of when we talk about love.

Your generation has not had the privilege of really seeing true unconditional love. Most of you come from broken homes or have parents you barely see. Teachers are so stressed that they do not get to show how much they care. And most of your friends either insult you or will dump you in a heartbeat for someone else. The only love you experience is what you see on TV.

I will admit that your generation has truly missed out on what love is. I want to tell you that love is so much more. God's love for you is beyond what you can imagine. The love you can have for others can be amazing too. But how do you love when you have not felt love? How do you even learn to love?

The verse I had you write yesterday is a perfect definition of love. The other example is Christ's love.

I want us to look at the love Christ has for us. Now it is so great it is hard to comprehend especially if you have never experienced a father's love. I will try to explain it the best I can.

His love for you is not based on what you do or don't do. He loves you unconditionally. He loves you even if you do not love Him. He loves you so much He took your punishment, death. He loves you so much He left heaven to walk this earth not only to die for you but to live a life that would teach us how to live. Christ's love has no selfishness. His love is patient, kind, forgiving. His love keeps no record of wrongs. He will protect you and because of His love for you, you will always have hope. He will always be there and never leave you because His love is so great.

You may have no one in your life that truly loves you. (But know I do). But you do have Christ. You have to choose let yourself experience His love. Make yourself aware of how He loves you and know that He loves you. Choose to be with Him and read His Word so you may know His love. Choose to let yourself be loved by Him.

It is my life I will choose…

*To write the verse on my mirror

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor. 13:4-7

* as I brush out the tangles, to thank God for loving me.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to help me see how He loves me.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me speak of my love for Him.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God

Week 4 Day 1: Choose to Share

This morning I will be attending a funeral of sweet, loving woman of God. She was one of the first to welcome my son and I into the Pipes family. I always felt accepted and loved by Jerry. She was a simple woman who loved her family, church and God. I would be surprised if she had any enemies. And even though she will missed by many, we get to celebrate her life and her being in the presence of the Lord now.

Today, pause and think about your love ones, your neighbors, your friends. Are you sharing Christ with them? Are you loving them with the love of God? Are you impacting their life? Or are you waiting to tell them about Christ? Do you think you have plenty of time to share the love of Christ with them? Are you too busy with your life to care about their eternal future and their own relationship with Christ?

There are a lot of bad choices we will make in life. Most of them have consequences. But choosing not share Christ with those He puts in our lives has eternal consequences for that person. So do not put it off another day. Choose today to share Christ and His love. There is a lost and dying world around us that needs Christ. Choose to share the the awesome news of a loving, forgiving God with them.

It is time to be more concerned about someone's eternal future than what others may think about us. Choose to share Christ instead of choosing to look cool.

It is my life I will choose…

*To write the verse on my mirror

"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Cor. 13:4-7

* as I brush out the tangles, to thank God for loving me so much that He have up His OSn for me..
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to help me see who does not know Him.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me share Christ with others.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God

Week 3 Day 5

Enjoy your day off and the snow!!! Praise God for blessing Texas with all this snow. Have fun and remember how awesome our God is!!!

Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40:5


It is my life I will choose…

*To read my verse.
* as I brush out the tangles, to praise God for all He created.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to help me see Him in all creation.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me speak of His great wonders.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God.

Week 3 Day 4 (The Actual Day 4 Yesterday was Wrong..oops)

All week we have been talking about friends, but we cannot talk about friends without talking about your best friend. Or should I say the one who should be your best friend.

In this world and in your life, you will have many friends. You will have friends you keep forever You will have friends that come and go. But all these friends are human. They will make mistakes. They may let you down or hurt your feelings. You will probably fight over a boy (which may I say is never worth it.) It is part of life. So is there a friend who will never leave you? Who will always love you no matter what? Who would sacrifice their own life for you?

Yes. Yes. And he already did. Jesus will never leave you. Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you so much, he took your punishment and died on the cross for you. Read that again. This is a friend who knew you would mess up. He knew you deserved to be punished, but Jesus stepped in and took your punishment...death. Wow, that is a friend.

You may have a friend who would do a lot for you, but no one will do what Christ did for you. He is the best friend you could ever have. So why do you and I not spend time with Him? Why are we missing out on such a great friend? Why do we keep trying to have so many other friends that we have no time for Jesus? He is the only 100% faithful and loving friend we will have.

I really want you to think about it. If a friend saved your life, would you not just love and adore them? If a friend always stopped to listen to you, would you not be grateful? If a friend forgave you everyday, would you not love them more? Should you not admit Jesus is that friend? What excuse do you have not to be with Him everyday?

It is time you and I choose to be with our best friend. It is time we choose to talk to Him everyday. It is time we choose to learn more about Him. Christ has already chosen you.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13

It is my life I will choose…

*To read my verse.
* as I brush out the tangles, to ask God to forgive me for not spending time with him.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to show me how much he loves me and all he has already done for me.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to help me speak to him everyday.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God.

Week 3 Day 4: Choosing To Be A Friend

"Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work; If one falls down his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17

I need you to be honest today. What type of friend are you? Do you encourage your friends? Or do you insult and condemn? Do you love even when they make you mad? Or do you love only when you get your way? Do you lead them to Christ? Or do you lead them to the world?

The movie, "Mean Girls," comes to mind. The popular group were so called friends. But the problem was they were all very selfish. Each one cared more about themselves than their friend.

And if you made them mad, they would pull you down. My thought is with friends like that who needs enemies.

You need to remember a couple of things when being a friend.

First, you must be willing to sacrifice what you want at times. As a true friend, you are going to be there when they need you. Sometimes that is just being there to listen. Other times you may need to provide something they need (need not want).

Second, you must love your friends. And I mean love them enough to care about their relationship with Christ. You may need to share Christ with them or you may need to help them grow closer to Christ and in their obedience to Christ. We can all say we care about our friends. But if we do not tell them about Christ and encourage them in Christ, do we really care for them?

One of the things I regret is I did not share Christ with more of my friends. Once I did my senior year, I wanted to more. But what about all those years I did not. And my heart breaks over the friends I have already lost over all these years. Why did I not share Christ more back in school? I did not choose to love my friends enough to share Christ back in school.

I beg you not to do the same. Choose to share Christ and/or encourage each of your friends in Christ. Be a friend that picks up their friend, not pulls them down. Don't wait until you are older to be that type of friend. You can start now and you do not have time to wait. (Three of my friends passed away by the time I graduated, one the year after).

I believe each of you can be that friend.

It is my life I will choose…

*To read my verse.
* as I brush out the tangles, to ask God to forgive me for not loving my friends enough to share Christ.
*as I put on my contacts (eye makeup), ask God to show me which friends do not know Him so I may share Christ with them.
*as I brush my teeth, to ask God to give me the courage to share Him with others.
*as I put on my clothes, to put on the armor of God..