My Birthday

I was thinking maybe I should do a post to let you all know that I'm still alive and the blog is not dead.  One of the last events of the summer for me is always my birthday (August 15th).  It seems like right after my birthday is when everyone starts preparing everything for school.

I started the day off water skiing with my cousins.  That was a whole lot of fun and I love to water ski!!!

After the slalom ski I went to knee boarding.  This was the first time I had ever knee boarded and I really wanted to do a 360 my first time out.

I would upload the videos of me doing it (apparently I made one 360), but my flash encoder isn't working right now...

After that we hung out at my grandparent's lake property and ate hamburgers and cheesecake.

W.W.Y.D.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. -Provers 3:5-6

Many teens across American wear wristbands to school, churches, that say simply, W.W.J.D. The letter stands for a question: What would Jesus do? The point was to encourage young people, as they face tough decisions in their lives, to ask that very important question: What would Jesus do in this situation? That was a great idea! We should all follow advice on that wristband and ask ourselves what Jesus would do if he faced the same tough decisions we face. But through prayer, we can ask even a better question: W.W.Y.D. We can ask Jesus personally and directly, "What would you do in this situation?"

That's the point of Proverbs 3:5-6, which is one of my favorite and best-known passages in the Bible. It tells us to consult God when we face challenges and difficult decisions in our lives. The Bible teaches a very important truth: When we accept Christ as our savior, we become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) with a new, sinless nature inside. Jesus lives in us and gives us power to make right choices. Unfortunately, this side of heaven, we also still have the power to make wrong choices. In fact, if we trust ourselves to make good decisions rather than asking God what we should do, we often will always make the wrong choices. That's why it's cruical to consult God "in all your ways" rather than leaning "on your own understanding."

If we make a solid habit of asking God's advice before making important decisions, and if we follow that advice, he will give us lives that are truly worth living -- full of joy, accomplishment, and exciting challenges. He will keep us on the right track towards the goal he has set for us, which is what Provbers means when it says, "he will make your path straight." If we ask God what we should do, and then do what he says, we can't go wrong! Now usually I don't present questions and don't answer them, however, today I will.

These are questions to ask yourself, and answer them personally.

1. Why is it dangerous to rely on yourself when you face tough decisions rather than asking God's advice?

2. Since God doesn't answer aloud when you ask him for advice, what are some way he shows you what he wants you to do?

3. What decisions are you facing right now that you should ask God's advice about?

A Hike Up Lena Lake

A few days ago my family, two of my cousins, and Daniel went on a hike to upper Lena Lake.  This is a 14 mile (round trip) hike in which you gain 3,900 feet in elevation!

When we got up there some people (my cousins Anna and Nathan as well as my sister Rebekah) were crazy enough to go swimming in that FREEZING water.  Remember that IS snow in the background in the above picture!

All in all it was a half-way decent hike (for my third time doing it).  And you better believe how I felt afterward...