Introduction (Updated 10-3-04) (Under construction)
Updates: Added New Music to the page. "Spirit in the Sky" by DC Talk
Hey all, welcome to my webpage. Well, satan has set another mountain for me to climb, so I'll need your prayers and God's help. Not only do I have to get through the ravages of the school days, but the docs say my hip ain't doin so well. The chemo has sorta made it difficult for blood to flow around my hip bone, so it's not looking too well. There's some pain, and they say I need to exercise it. The bone may come back to life on its own, or it may just completely die, then I'll need it replaced; through surgery (URG!) But I pray to God that that won't happen, and I trust him, because he's gotten me over bigger mountains than this before...
Who am I? Do you really wanna know? If someone said that I was your average everyday teen, not a care in the world, they were wrong. Enough dialogue...I'm --, 16 year old teen and survivor of two cancers and a bone marrow transplant. The past 4 years have been very tough for me. I was missing school and not even feeling well for it. What's worse, is that they sent tutors to my house! Oh well, it turned out okay....by the grace of God of course. Did I mention that I am a Christian? I am. And I have God to thank for helping me out through my roughest times. Without God, I would have never kept on a happy face even though I had to get shots every day. Without God, I wouldn't have been cheerful before the surgeons put me under the gas for another operation. Without God, the chemo would've been too much for me to bare. Without God, I would've gone crazy during the times the pain was too much and I wasn't so cheery. I prayed through my most difficult times and God was always there to help give me hope. One by one he had answered my prayers and my faith in him grew. Finally, I had to go through many treatments of radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, which was the toughest ordeal that I had had to go through in all of my life (the next hardest thing is calling a girl I have a crush on...j/p). It was extremely difficult, but God was able to keep me safe through it all.
Sometimes we face ordeals to put our faith in God to the test. This test strengthened my faith in God each time he answered a prayer for me. You should try it some time. It works really well, as long as you have faith in God and Jesus. Now whenever I'm faced with something extremely tough or just a small dilemma, I know I can always rely on God to help me.
1 Peter 4:12-13 (NCV)
"Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad -- Because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world."
You see, Christ died for us, because of all the sins we've comitted. The Son of God took it upon himself to lift all the burdens of mankind's sin onto Himself. But that doesn't mean everyone will go to heaven. "No man comes to the Father but by Him, Jesus Christ the Lord." (John 14:6)
All the answers to my problems were in the Bible, every prayer that I had set before Christ has been answered, ever since I grew into a faithful relationship with Him. He set me free from sin, because I acknowledged that he actually did die for my sins. He can do the same for you. Trust me, I had to learn the hard way. Don't wait. No matter how happy you may be now without God, with God your happiness is much greater.
If you never acknowledge Jesus, you'll spend an eternity in hell, separated from His blessings and even God Himself. In Job 36:10 - "God makes them listen to his warning and commands them to change from doing evil." And in verse 15, "But God saves those who suffer through their suffering; he gets them to listen through their pain." I am recovering well and things could not be going better for me. Don't give up God's blessings, just look at my life. If you call on the Lord when you're down, he won't fail you. He didn't fail me. However, the key to answered prayers is always...FAITH. God's power is only limited by how much faith we have. And many of us, may have next to none.
Do you think this Christian stuff isn't for you? Think you're missing out? Well the truth is, we sell out to the pleasures of this world which keep us wanting more. That means, what the world has to offer will NEVER satisfy you.
For all the potential voters, I've read another devotional regarding who to vote for in the future. If you are unsure, just follow these guidelines (courtesy of Bill Keller and liveprayer.com)in making yout final decision: "God says abortion is murder. So you need to find candidates who will not compromise on the issue of abortion. God says marriage is one man and one woman. So you need to find candidates who will not be part of trying to redefine God's definition of marriage."
Another thing that you need to make sure of is if the candidate is for or against Israel. Ever read what happened to those who opposed Israel in the Bible? Yeah, they were destroyed. "The Bible says in Genesis 12:3 that God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel. So you need to find candidates who will be strong supporters of the nation of Israel. God's Word teaches us that gambling and pornography are sins. So you need to find candidates who will take hard stands against legalized gambling and the pornography industry."
The President has even made his choice, for more info click the link "What didn't make the News". Interested in what other presidents have said? Check out the quotes section in the links below.
I'd also like to thank Bill Keller, pastor of Liveprayer, for helping me understand more of God's word through his devotionals. Most of the information on this site came from his daily e-mails.
Above Photo - "An Angel" submitted by Patrick Hocker