Update April 14, 2010

Hello! I know it's been a long time. In fact it's been TOO long! Two years or something like that, right?

Well now it's 2010 (has been for a while), and we're all getting older. I'm (Jelaya) 17, Sophia's 15, Gabriella is 9, Victoria is 8, and Hosanna is 4. By the end of the year, we'll all be one year older than we are now!

I am a senior now, and I still can't grasp that. So much has changed! I'm slowly shaking off the shackles of shyness that I've had for so long and starting to experiment with different clothes and things. I still have a ways to go, but God is good! He has grown me a lot, especially since winter camp of this year. He's given me a wonderful discipler who I've had since 7th grade. Also, He's given me accountability partners who challenge me to grow, and encourage me. I pray that He will use me after I graduate in whatever way He pleases.

I've just finished the book The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney with one of my accountability partners. It was a great book! I learned many things from it, and one of them was that I need to preach the Gospel to myself daily. Even as a believer, I should never move on from the cross. Even though I go through discipleship and learn more things about doctrine, the Gospel should always be my focus. I need to dwell on it in every aspect of my life. And when I sin I need to preach it to myself to remind myself that Christ died for my sins, and that through Him I am justified. This is just something small that I learned from that book. Now we're going through The Disciplene of Grace by Jerry Bridges. It seems like The Cross Centered Life and The Disciplene of Grace go hand in hand! God is just teaching me amazing new things every day, and even though I always fail Him, my standing with Him is not in any way based on my performance. I cannot add any merit or favor to God when I have "good days" spiritually, and I cannot take away from salvation when I have those "bad days".

On that note, God is too good. I hope you enjoyed this little blog, and hope to put another soon!