Burdens, a.k.a. Emotional Bags we stuff with things that weigh us down.  Some examples:

Name Calling.  Being Bullied.  Abuse.  Death.  Divorce.  Academic Pressures.  Social Pressures.  Self Image.  Friends.  Depression.  Religion.  And the list could go on and on.

The word Baggage is defined as “things that encumber one’s freedom”.  Maybe something happened to you as a child, and you are still holding onto the hurt it caused.  Or maybe you have gone thru something more recently, and you’re having a hard time letting go.  You’re still angry and hurting.  Holding onto these is “encumbering your freedom”, which means you are a prisoner to it.  I am talking to myself here, because just this past weekend I realized it was time for me to let some things go.  Yes, it still hurts, but every time Satan rekindles those hurts and questions of “why??” in my mind, I claim these promises:

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Psalm 118:6
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 34:19
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

There is NO burden too big or too small for Jesus.  He wants you to be FREE from the load you’re carrying.  Give it ALL to Him.  He is the only answer to your freedom!  The video below really spoke to me.  Please take a moment to watch this video.  I promise you won’t be sorry.  Baggage Video

I’m reading an AWESOME book right now called Sex 180 by Chip Ingram & Tim Walker.
“Desire is a normal, natural thing.  When we follow our desires, they can motivate us to do good things.”
Psalm 40:8 - “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
Proverbs 8:11 - “for wisdom is more precious than rubies,and nothing you desire can compare with her.”

“But desire can also lead us to do things that will ultimately hurt us.  Check out what writers Jim Hancock and Kara Eckmann Powell say about desire:”

Desire is good.  Except when it’s bad.  Think about it.  Desires drive one person to sacrifice herself in pursuit of a cure for AIDS.  Desire drives another person to indulge in behavior that spreads HIV.  Desire is tricky that way.  Healthy desire generates commitment and propels accomplishment.  Unhealthy desire, on the other hand (and there’s always that other hand), fuels lust.  And lust, as the book of James says, gives birth to sin–which, when it’s full-grown, gives birth to death.

After listening to “Beautiful Ending” by BarlowGirl, one memory kept playing over and over again in my head, so I wrote it down.  It was the night of my sister’s wedding.  At the reception, there were a few hundred people on the dance floor.  Everyone looked amazing, dressed up in their tuxes and fancy gowns.  Through the crowd, I caught my father’s eye.  My heart started racing with anticipation that he wanted to dance with ME.  Even though I was already married with one child, for that moment I was his little girl again.  See, I never had a real wedding, because I chose LIFE over God.  This was the moment I had dreamed of….a father/daughter dance.  Then I realized he wasn’t looking to me for a dance.  He was looking past me.  The most horrible sadness overwhelmed my heart as I fought back the tears and hoped no one around me noticed.

Thru the crowd (the choices of LIFE), God is looking to you for a dance.  He wants more than anything for you to choose Him.

I read this story on crosswalk.com.

The image was blurred and the voice distorted, but the words spoken by a young Ohio woman are haunting. She had sent nude pictures of herself to a boyfriend. When they broke up, he sent them to other high school girls. The girls were harassing her, calling her a slut and a whore. She was miserable and depressed, afraid even to go to school.

And now Jesse Logan was going on a Cincinnati television station to tell her story. Her purpose was simple: “I just want to make sure no one else will have to go through this again.”

The interview was in May 2008. Two months later, Jessica Logan hanged herself in her bedroom. She was 18.

It is a growing problem that has resulted in child pornography charges being filed against some teens across the nation. But for Cynthia Logan, “sexting” (sending to others semi-nude or nude cell phone pictures of themselves) is about more than possibly criminal activity: It’s about life and death.

Jesse Logan’s mother said she never knew the full extent of her daughter’s anguish until it was too late. Cynthia Logan only learned there was a problem at all when she started getting daily letters from her daughter’s school reporting that the young woman was skipping school.

Jesse told her mother there were pictures involved and that a group of younger girls who had received them were harassing her, calling her vicious names, even throwing objects at her. But she didn’t realize the full extent of her daughter’s despair.

“She was being attacked and tortured,” Logan said.

“When she would come to school, she would always hear, ‘Oh, that’s the girl who sent the picture. She’s just a whore,’ ” Jesse’s friend, Lauren Taylor, told NBC News.

Cynthia Logan said that officials at Sycamore High School were aware of the harassment but did not take sufficient action to stop it.

So, I’m reading thru a Bible study called Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn From Them.  It’s awesome.  I really enjoy digging into lessons that are completely different and somewhat intriguing.  The first chapter was about Eve.  I really thought I had heard all there was to know about her thru Sunday school lessons as a kid.  Well, this study really brought Eve to life.  She was young, beautiful, and PERFECT.  You know all the supermodels we see on magazine covers, airbrushed to perfection?  Well, Eve put them to shame.  Not only was she physically perfect, but she had no life experiences or struggles.  She had no worries…..no thoughts of mistrust…..no fear of failing…..no disappointments.  There was absolutely nothing she could complain about.  All her needs were met, and she had ZERO wants!  When Satan came to her in the form of a serpent, he knew exactly what he was doing.  He didn’t look slimy and ugly, and he wasn’t unkind.  He was BEAUTIFUL, and his words were smooth.  So of course Eve talked to him!  Why wouldn’t she?  That was her first mistake.  She engaged in a conversation with someone who was twisting her own words AND adding words to what her heavenly Father had said, placing questions and doubts in her own mind…..something she had never experienced.  She began rationalizing:  Why wouldn’t God want her to know all that she could? That doesn’t sound so bad, right? So what did I learn from this?  That when temptations come, and they will (over and over again!), I need to be armed with Bible verses that will help me say “No!” when the enemy says “GO!”  We won’t always be tempted with a sin that makes us say “What?!  OMG!  I would NEVER do that!!”  Temptations usually come at us looking not so bad.  Then we begin rationalizing…..”I’m not hurting anyone by doing this”… “It’s not that big of a deal”… “I’m just having fun”…

I love this quote by Elisabeth Elliot:  “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman.”

Here are some verses that have helped me thru temptations.  Feel free to post additional verses that have helped you!

Psalm 119:10 “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”

2 Timothy 2:22-23 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Psalm 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” <— MY FAVORITE!

Post your favorite Books & Music! Maybe share how each one encouraged you and what you learned from it.

Self-injury often becomes an addiction.  It can be very difficult to stop.  That’s why it’s important to get help. You can’t do this alone.  There is no shame in reaching out to someone for help.  We all have our problems, and the first step to recovery is finding someone you trust.  Anyone.  A teacher, family member, friend, even a neighbor.  Let that person know you need help stopping.  Additional information, help, and encouragement can be found at
To Write Love On Her Arms (www.twloha.com).

Within the last year, I have come in contact with several Christian girls who purposely harm themselves.  Why?  What is causing these girls to feel so desperate, that they would deliberately cut their arms and legs or even burn parts of their body?  While suicide is not the ultimate goal, reasons for self-injury range from coping with difficult emotions to control.  One young lady said, “You can’t control what’s happening around you, but you can control what you do to yourself.”  Another Christian young lady told me that she felt completely numb inside emotionally, so she cut herself to at least feel SOMETHING.  FOXNews posted an article in December ‘08 that talked about embedding, which is cutting gone to the next level.  It stated that 13 to 24 percent of high school students in the U.S. and Canada have practiced deliberate self-injury at least once.  Are you hurting yourself in any way?  It doesn’t have to be cutting or embedding.  It could be pulling your hair out or bruising yourself.  Please know that God loves you, and He understands your hurt!  He wants you to unload all your pain on Him and stop taking it out on yourself.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If you are a Christian, God never leaves you.  It’s easy to forget as we are going thru our crazy days facing peer pressures, friend troubles, boy issues, and family dramas, that He wants us to ask Him for help.  He wants to carry us thru those difficult situations.  When we pray and say “Amen”, that does not have to be the end of our conversation with Him.  Since He is with us every minute of every day, we can keep a running conversation with Him (like text messaging your best friend….she always knows it’s you).  He is not just at church, Sunday school, or present during your quiet time.  He never leaves you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

A great song that comes to mind is “I Know You’re There” by Casting Crowns.

Fashion is a big part of any Christian teen’s life.  Yet, just as in every other part of our lives, discernment is important.  Many fashion magazines promote low cut blouses and dresses alongside revealing skirts and shorts.  While many Christian teens want to be fashionable, they also want to be modest.  So, what advice does the Bible offer about modesty and how can it be applied to today’s fashion?

Being modest in your appearance is just as great a witness to those around you as your words.  One issue many non-Christians have with believers is that they tend to be hypocritical.  If you are preaching purity and modesty to others while wearing revealing clothes you may be seen as a hypocrite.  By being modest you allow people to see your inner faith rather than your outer appearance.

Discernment is always necessary when shopping for clothes.  One way to discern if an outfit is modest is to ask yourself why you are buying it.  Is it something you like or is it designed to draw attention to yourself? Are you buying the outfit to attract the opposite sex?  What type of attention are you seeking?

Remember, it is not Christian to tempt others through your dress, so if it is something revealing or you find that people are getting the wrong impression though your clothing then it may be good to evaluate that piece with a discerning heart.  There is plenty of great clothing available for Christian teens that is both modest and fashionable.  It is not a sin to like nice clothes, but it is a sin when that desire for fashion becomes more important than your faith.

I Peter 3:3-4 says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”