By: Chris V Over the last few weeks, countries have gone into quarantine because of Covid-19. Schools, businesses, churches, and cities have shut down to avoid spreading the virus. If you're anything like me, you may be kind of bored by now and ready to do something! So, here's a list of six screen-free ideas to pass the time under quarantine! 1: Read Your Bible Sometimes, it's hard to find time to get into God's Word in this busy culture. But if we don't get into the Word, how do we learn about God and how He wants us to live our lives? Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work". Not only that, but Matthew 4:4 says, "But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God'". We need the Bible to help guide our lives God's way (Psalm 119:105). Try getting into the Bible while you're stuck at home! Start from the beginning (Genesis) or choose a book of the Bible to read through! 2: Bake Some Treats Yesterday, I made a pan of brownies with shredded coconut on top! (Check out the recipe here.) There's so many great things you can bake, like cookies and muffins (if you're able to get ingredients from the store). Look through some cookbooks to get ideas. Bonus points: Make something with your family! The culture is often busy; we sometimes don't see our family members as often as we should (considering most of your immediate family is in your house)! While your family is stuck in the house, make the most of your time together. Trust me, it's worth it! 3: Read A Book Books are a great way to pass the time! Even though your local library may be closed, check out different bookshelves around the house! (You could even read a few magazines.) Try reading some Christ focused books! Some suggestions I recommend are Crushed: Why Guys Don't Have To Make Or Break You by Jessie Minassian, Let's Be Real by Natasha Bure, or Lies Young Women Believe and The Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth and Dannah Gresh. These books talk about problems that us teen girls struggle with, and are focused on the gospel. Try reading a book today! 4: Do A Craft There's something exciting about doing a craft. Folding paper into a swan, using paints to make a landscape dream, creating a card to give to a family member or friend... there's so many things you can do! For me, crafting is also a stress-relieving activity. Over the last few days, I've tried to knit a headscarf using red yarn. Maybe you could try a craft too! Check out some DIY crafts here. 5: Listen To Christian Podcasts/Music The Bible commands us to focus on "...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). Shouldn't we want to listen to listen to Christ-centered stuff encourage us to focus on Him? There's tons of Christ-centered podcasts to listen to out there! (You can listen to ours here.) A few good ones are Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth, Ask Pastor John with John Piper, and 30 Minutes With The Perrys with Jackie Hill Perry and her husband Preston Perry. If you're more into music than podcasts, that's okay! Try listening to this Christian playlist on Spotify. 6: Take A Walk It's no fun being stuck inside, so spend some time out in God's beautiful creation! Take a moment to look at God's creatures, trees, and rivers. (You could even go out in your yard at night to look at the stars!) Be sure to keep the social distancing recommendations (6 feet) when passing by other people to avoid getting and spreading the Coronavirus. With social distancing in mind, enjoy the outdoors and fresh air! We'd love to hear from you! What have you been doing while under quarantine? Do you have any activities that people could do at home? Leave ideas in the comments below!
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By: Chris V Lately, whenever I turn on the news or look at social media, I see stories about Covid-19 (a.k.a. Corona virus). There are people that are currently worried about this new virus. Lots of Christian are wondering how to respond to this outbreak. Are you? I know I have! Let's take a look at what God's Word, the Bible, has to say: But First... Before we look at how to respond to Covid-19, lets take a look at what it is. You may be thinking something along the lines of, "Why? It's a disease that seems to come from nowhere." While that's true, there's something the Covid-19 also is: the result of sin. Remember in the beginning of the book of Genesis where Adam and Eve sinned? Genesis 3:8-11 says, "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”'. Eve had been deceived by the serpent, who twisted God's words into a lie. That resulted in Adam and Eve eating the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This brought sin into the world, which brought brokenness, sickness, and death. Covid-19 is one of the results of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, along with murder, stealing, other types of viruses and disease... the list goes on and on. The good news is, Jesus came to conquer sin and death through dying on the cross! Revelations 21: 1-4 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more... And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning , nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away"'. Jesus's death on the cross took on God's wrath that was meant for us, and Jesus conquered death and sin by rising from the dead on the third day (see Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 18-20). That means everyone who believes in Him will get to spend eternity with Him in heaven, and as the promise in Revelation says, there will one day be a new heaven and earth without sin and death! The epidemic of Covid-19 won't last forever (like any other virus). It will one day be gone, like the rest of the results of sin. How Should We Respond? Throughout the ordeal, you may not know where to turn. (Some sources of media may not be the best source to get your news from. For news about Covid-19, check out the CDC and the World Health Organization.) But, there is always someone you can turn to, no matter what: God. God cares about you! First Peter 5:7 says "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you". Another verse tells us that, " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). Cast your fears and anxiety on the Lord, whether it's about Covid-19, school, or anything else! God cares about whatever it is, and He will give you peace. Also, we should trust God through this! Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us". God is our refuge at all times; He knows what He's doing. There is nothing that is out of His control. God's Got You Even when the world feels out of control, God's still in control. He knows everything that's going on; His plan is perfect. Matthew 6:34 says,"Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble". We don't need to be in fear of Covid-19 because God's got everything under control; it's under His Soverienty (That doesn't mean there won't be sickness and death during this time of trial; John 16:33 says, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."). Instead of having fear about Covid-19, trust that God has everything in control, and cast your fears on Him.
For more on this topic, check out what John Piper has to say on Ask Pastor John here. What are some ideas you have to help others while places are shut down (babysitting, shopping for someone, etc.)? Share in the comments below! By: Chris V Recently, the blog for A Message for Christian Girls made a top ten Christian girls' blog list. As I looked through the list, I noticed several of my favorite blogs. After seeing the list, I realized that I should share more Christian girl resources with you guys (you can find some here too). So, here's my top four favorite Christian Girl blogs (in no specific order): 1: Lies young Women Believe (LYWB) This blog goes through - you guessed it! - lies us teen and college girls believe. I love how each blog post is super encouraging for whatever season of life you're going through, from relationships to devotion time. The blog posts are writing by older Christian women who even write about things that they have gone though and what they've learned over the years. The blog also points back to the Bible, what God says, and the freedom you can find in Christ through salvation. (Check out John 3:1-21 and Luke 22-24!) Check out the blog here! 2: Girl Defined The Girl Defined blog is filled with concepts that point to being a Godly woman and God's design for women. Bethany and Kristen pull from their own life experiences and thoughts to write about things that girls of all ages struggle with, like modesty, guys and media. They also take guest blogs, which gives you insight on the Christian life through some of the reader's experiences. The blog mainly focuses on relationships: how to stay pure in a relationship (take a look at 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. Staying pure in a relationship is important!), how to have God-glorifying relationships, etc. Try reading a few of their blog posts here. 3: Ask Jessie Do you ever have questions about a topic? Maybe how to deal with a guy, get along with an annoying family member, how to have a great relationship with God, etc. This blog is a Q & A, full of questions answered by Jessie Minassian, author of Crushed: Why Guys Don't Have To Make Or Break You. Not only might she answer a question you submit, she also answers other girls' questions too! If you have a question about something, check some of the other posts to get a possible answer! Check out the blog here. Why is it important to listen to the wisdom of older women? Titus 2:4-5 says that older women should "...train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled". There's so much you can learn from older women! 4: Dannah's Blog I was super excited when I found out that Dannah Gresh had a blog, which you can find here. While some posts are more geared towards moms, there are some posts that us teen girls should definitely read. Some of these posts talks about sexual purity, which is big in today's culture. The Bible commands us to "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Corinthians 6:18). Another thing the blog talks about is modesty, which is another big thing in today's culture. I definitely recommend her blog; it's a good read! What do you think? Yep, there are a LOT of awesome Christian girl blogs out there, so I could have totally missed something! What do you guys think? Are there any blogs I missed? What are your top four? I'd love to know! Share in the comments below!
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