June Authors of the Month

The June authors of the month are Alex and Brett Harris. I realize that I had their names on my sidebar under "Authors of the Week" for about a year, but I never really wrote a post about it. So they are my Authors of the Month for June.

In 2005, Alex and Brett Harris, the younger brother of Christian author Josh Harris, founded the Rebelution blog. Since then they have written a book, produced a helpful modesty survey for teens, and have done multiple nationwide tours to teach teens the meaning of their book and the goal of their organization.

I wrote a post last year about their book, Do Hard Things. At the time I hadn't finished reading the book. I have finished it now, and I think that it is a great resource for both teenagers and their parents. The Rebelution is definitely a website that you should check out.

Also, Alex and Brett have a great suggested reading list that I am planning on using this summer for some good reading. Check it out here.

Not relating to the authors of the month, I updated my blog's look because I had been using the other template for a while and I wanted a new look.

Authors of the Month

I have 4 authors listed on the side bar for authors of the month. When my dad, my mom, and I attended the 2009 Ligonier conference in Orlando in March, I bought a book by each of these authors. I bought 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by R. C. Sproul, In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson, Humilty:True Greatness by C. J. Mahaney, and The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven J. Lawson. So far I have started the book by Ferguson and the book by Mahaney, both of which I am enjoying. When I finish them I will post a full review.

To see more about the authors, click on the links to the right. The authors of the month will change on June 25th.

I need to study more.......

Actually, I was glad that I even got three correct, because I kind of thought that I was going to bomb the whole thing. However, you should try the quiz.


More about John Calvin at Calvin 500

Be Transformed......

Today's society is filled with many things that we as Christians shouldn't have anything to do with. Unfortunately, many Christians still want to be able to do them, because they are tempted by their sinful desires. So a lot of times they do. They listen to whatever music, filled with whatever lyrics , that they want. They watch whatever T.V. shows and movies they want, and they read books with inappropriate content. When I have asked people why they think that it is okay to listen to music with swear words and watch movies with bad content, the answer that I get is, "Well, it doesn't affect me, so I don't see why there is anything wrong with it." But the truth is, music and movies like that will affect you. It will make you start thinking more about things that you shouldn't be. Even if it doesn't affect what you do on the outside, God still knows what you're thinking on the inside. Romans 12:2 says:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

How can we be renewing our minds if we are filling our heads with stuff that is inappropriate? Sometimes even stuff that we would be ashamed if others knowing about it?

So I make it my effort not to listen to a lot of secular music, and not to read books like Harry Potter and Twilight. I also stay away from R rated movies.

Now, I'm not saying that I think that people should never listen or read anything that is secular. I just think that people have to be aware of and stay away from foul content. How can we be renewing our minds if we aren't???

Update on Please Pray

Just wanted to let you know that, Brenda, the young woman I mentioned in the last post went home to be with her heavenly Savior last night. Currently, please pray for her five year old because they had to tell him today that his mother has died.

Please Pray

There is a woman in our church with leukemia. She is currently in Atlanta. Today they told us that she has massive bleeding in her brain. Please pray for her as well as for her family and the decisions they will be making. Also, please pray for her son, who is six years old. Thank you!

Ronald Reagan Quote

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born. --Ronald Reagan

I found this quote the other day in the companion reader that accompanies my textbook for the U.S. Government class that I'm taking at the homeschool co-op. I thought it was really interesting. There are so many people out there who want to be able to abort their babies for convenience. They don't even want to give their child a chance. But they were born. They were given a chance.

Never Silence Life

You all know that I am very Pro-Life. I never like to hear people talk about abortion as if it is no big thing. If you feel the same way that I do (or even if you don't) you should check out this post on the Rebelution blog. It is very encouraging.

On January 22, 2009 the sisters from the band BarlowGirl are doing abortion awareness. According to their website a child dies every 22 seconds due to an abortion. That is terrible. I think we should all have the responsiblity to tell people the truth about abortion.

Visit the Barlow sisters website at Neversilencelife.com.

Before You Meet Prince Charming

Lately, I've reading Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Mally. From what I've read so far, it's a great book. Sarah Mally is one of the 3 siblings who published the book Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends a few years ago. This book presents the idea that courting is better than today's modern idea of dating. I agree with Sarah on this. Some of the big things she presents are the problems with today's dating. One of the things she says is that dating is all about the present. It makes you feel really good and cool now, but the effects later can damage you for good. Courting is about the future, waiting for what is God's best for your life. One of the biggest problems I have with dating is that when someone dates, they are probably going to break up. Even though they weren't married, it would be terrible, especially if they had been dating the person for any length of time. Dating and breaking up is a practice for divorce later.

Also, a lot of my friends are "dating", technically. What I see is a lot of people getting hurt at a very young age. I don't believe that people who are that young need to be in a relationship. If they are alone with a boy a lot, they'll start having romantic feelings, even if they are way too young to get married. Also, having had boyfriends earlier in life can cause problems later when they get married. People can lose part of their heart to someone even if they don't think or realize that it happened. It's something that can't be recovered. Lots of people would say stuff like, "Dating is a lot of fun," and "It's so cute for them to have a boyfriend," or "Nothing will possibly happen." But things can happen and the consequences can hurt people for the rest of their lives.

As well as writing Before You Meet Prince Charming and co-writing Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends, Sarah Mally is also the founder of Bright Lights, a ministry program for young teens. You can visit her website here.

For more information on courting, check out I Kissed Dating Good-Bye and Boy Meets Girl, both by Joshua Harris. You can visit his website at www.joshharris.com

Fireproof

Yesterday, I went with my parents and family to see the new film by Sherwood Pictures, Fireproof. Sherwood Pictures is the same company that made Facing the Giants two years ago. I thought that this was an amazing movie. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. What I loved about it is that, because it's a Christian movie, you don't have to deal with any swear words or anything like that. Even without cursing, their point was made completely. I don't understand why movie makers feel the need to include that in most movies, but I guess most of them are not saved, so what should we expect?????

This movie is the story of Caleb and Catherine Holt, a young couple who is struggling in their marriage. Neither of them are saved, so there comes a point where they almost give up and go for a divorce. But then Caleb's father gives him a book called The Love Dare to try to help save Caleb's marriage. Each day for 40 days, Caleb has to do something for his wife. From not saying anything harsh to buying her something nice, he tries desperately to save his marriage.

I think that this is a great movie for anyone to see because it shows the great importance of marriage.

To see my dad's thoughts on this, click here.