White as Snow

iBegat the Begotten, iBegat Trends, iBegat U

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;” (Isaiah 1:18 NKJV)

I grew up where it snowed a lot in the winter. But cement streets, traffic, pollution, and garbage strewn about made the days gray and dingy. Even a colorful sunset often would be marred by a brown lingering haze.

One winter, things were extra nasty. A garbage company strike left streets scattered with bags of trash. Most had been ripped open by animals. Rats and roaches were everywhere. Every kind of creature roamed, making a fitting stage for a horror flick.

On a frosty afternoon, I walked home from school, counting the icicles hanging from the power lines. My breath lingered on the thickness of ice cold air. When I reached the lifeless block I lived on, I hoped a thick blanket of snow would fall to cover the dreariness.

That night it did snow, and in the morning it was if I had been given a new chance to live. Everything was white. School was closed so kids were everywhere throwing snowballs and diving into snow banks made by the plows. Some slid down the tall piles of garbage covered with enough snow to imagine they were each manicured ski runs on top a far away mountain.

I met up with friends and quickly forgot about the dirty old setting underneath. We walked the streets and hung out for hours. But as afternoon approached, temperatures warmed up and the beautiful white snow began to fade to gray and brown slush. Mountains of garbage resurfaced as snow drifts slid down into the grime. Late afternoon brought about the old neighborhood, now more depressing as ever.

The snowfall in my neighborhood only lasted until the heat came. When it was exposed to the change in temperature, it melted away. I trudged inside and wondered why the newness couldn’t stay forever.

Have you ever lived where it snows all winter? Or a place that gets just one snowfall? Maybe you are living in snow country right at this moment. If it’s winter, you probably have fresh snow on the ground. Fresh, clean, white snow. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow . . . “

Jesus shed his blood to cover all our sins. We were like that dingy old neighborhood that was transformed into a winter wonderland. But because of the sacrifice Jesus made, we can have newness that will stand the heat. The snowfall of grace and mercy is one that will not fade away when difficulties intensify.

Cindy Scinto, Editor, iBeGat.com

New York Students Protest Outside High School Over ‘Tebowing’ Incident

iBegat Sports, iBegat Trends, iBegat U

The “Tebowing” that reportedly led to the suspension of two New York high schoolers continues as more than a dozen students chanted Tebow’s name and struck his kneeling, fisted signature pose in front of the school Friday, the New York Post reports.

The students gathered Friday as one of the 17-year-old twin brothers who were suspended this week served out his single-day punishment for leading dozens of students in the same homage all week in a hallway.

Twin brothers Tyler and Connor Carroll of Riverhead HS in Long Island and classmates Jordan Fulcoly and Wayne Drexel were hit with one-day suspensions for kneeling and bowing their heads like Tebow does when he scores a touchdown, the New York Post reports.

“It’s not the most exciting day. I sat there. I did my work.” Connor told the New York Post in response to the suspension.

Tyler is set to serve his suspension Monday saying, “I feel like we were kind of singled out,”Tyler, who also plays football and baseball. “If we were told to stop, we would have stopped.”

The weeklong “Tebowing” craze was a distraction and a hallway hazard after dozens of classmates followed their lead, administrators told the newspaper.

“It was basically just a tribute to Tim Tebow,” said Connor, 17, who planned the prank with his brother and friends. “It was more than a religious thing. There was some of that involved obviously, because he prays. I guess it was basically like a moment of silence.”

The brothers have to serve their suspensions, while the others were rescinded because the other participants had not been given warnings, officials said. About 40 students had been gathering in the hallway all week emulating Tebow.

School administrators said the stunt jammed the hallway, creating a fire hazard.

“This is not about religious discrimination,” Riverhead School District Superintendent Nancy Carney told the Post. “It is about being sure kids are able to get to class on time and keeping the kids safe and orderly.”

But Tebow himself said the kids should play by the rules.

“You have to respect the position of authority and people that God’s put as authority over you,” Tebow told the media.

“So that’s part of it, and just finding the right place and the right time to do things is part of it, too.

“But I think it does show courage from the kids, standing out and doing that, and some boldness.’’

Tebow has led the once-lowly Broncos on an unlikely winning streak filled with late-game heroics while touting his religious beliefs by praising God to reporters and taking the kneeling stance on the field, the New York Post reports.

Quoted from: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/17/new-york-students-protest-outside-high-school-over-tebowing-incident/print#ixzz1gwyYU5l0

real devo: Christmas Cliches

iBegat HOME, iBegat Trends, iBegat U

…and other things I’m sick of hearing.

So, confession time with Abbie. (And don’t get excited – no stories of coffee shop humiliation today.)

Ready? Here goes…

I am a scrooge.

But not the kind of scrooge you might think.

I’m a scrooge in a way that is probably largely frowned upon in Christian circles. A scrooge with a bad church-girl secret: I hate stuff Christians say at Christmas time.

It’s true. There are a lot of cliches being thrown around this time of year. And umm… they sorta get on my nerves.

You know the ones I’m talking about? It’s not about the presents. Jesus is the reason for the season. Keep CHRIST in CHRISTmas. Wise men still seek Him. Santa is bad. Santa is just another way to spell Satan. Christmas traditions have pagan roots. Real Christians don’t get caught up in the glitter and commercialism of Christmas.

Okay, so maybe those last few aren’t exactly well-known cliches. But you definitely hear them this time of year. People can get a tad preachy and overbearing with their Super-Christian Christmas spirit. Christmas shopping, lights, trees, decorations, and that jolly man in the red suit are given an all around bashing in an attempt to put the focus back on Jesus. Which, in a roundabout way, brings me to another confession:

… I like presents, y’all. Just needed to get that off my chest.

Here’s the deal: I don’t want anyone to succeed in making you feel guilty for enjoying the trappings and trimmings of Christmas. Decorate. Celebrate. Go out to the mall and battle the crazy hordes of last minute shoppers, if that’s your style. (*Raises hand guiltily.) Listen to Jingle Bell Rock and Santa Baby if you like. (I won’t judge.) Watch Elf eight hundred times. Then watch it again if you want to.

But do yourself a favor this Christmas season: sneak away by yourself. Sit down, and take a while to let the authentic Christmas message seep into your very soul. Don’t do it because I’m telling you to. Or anyone else is telling you to. Do it because you want to. Do it because one day, approximately 2,012-ish years ago on a date that probably wasn’t December 25, a baby was born with one purpose.

History hinged on that one squalling infant because He came to do something incredibly, magnificently, mind-blowingly heroic.

He came to save us.

To save me. I know I need a savior, deep in the recesses of my grinch-like heart. (You know – two sizes too small?) I know it, and that is why I like to sneak away and soak in the hope.

The freedom.

I’m not here to preach y’all a sermon today. Those are easy to come by. I’m here to share a smidgen of honesty.

Don’t forgo the festivities in favor of sackcloth, ashes, and solemn remembrance – unless of course, you feel you should do so. Deck those halls. Put on that hideous reindeer sweater with the antler headband your Aunt Penelope gave you four years ago.

Be merry, and be out in the world. Just remember… you have a whole deeper reason for rejoicing.

Merry Christmas

~Abbie

Check out our friends at Real Teen Faith!

By RTF Editor Abbie Miller

real devo: let’s talk about money

iBegat Trends, iBegat U

Now this may sound greedy, but let’s be honest: we all want money, we all like walking around with some spending money in our pockets. But summer is for fun not work, at least in my mind it is. So I’ve come up with a solution: jobs we like to do!

In school when picking electives, teachers advise me to pick classes that relate to what I want to grow up to be and major in while in college, but I think that we should have the same attitudes about the jobs we hold. If flipping burgers is your only work option then hey- if opportunity knocks don’t turn it away. But say you like to work with people, then perhaps apply for a retail job or a position as a restaurant host.

It’s been said that as teenagers we can’t be too picky about the jobs we get, we’re notorious for asking: Read the rest of this article at Real Teen Faith!

by Staff Writer Stephany Mendia

Remembering Memorial Day

iBeGat Health, iBegat Trends, IBegat Trouble, iBegat U

My husband, John, and I have an odd date we love to plan–it’s one of our favorites. We change into our yard-work clothes, old and raggy, load up our beat up 1989 Ford F150 with cuttings, branches, and other green waste, and head to the county dump.

Jackson joins us. What dog would turn down the chance to ride through the dump with the windows open and a multitude of smells rapidly bombarding his hypersensitive nose.

After unloading our truck and sweeping out the back, we travel home, stopping at McDonald’s on the way. John and I split a $1.00 diet coke and a dollar menu chicken biscuit. Jackson gets a plain cheeseburger. He doesn’t like pickles or mustard.

The date is fun, productive, and cheap. Our marriage has lasted 30 years on cheap dates and bonding through yard-work and chores.

Memorial Day weekend in 2009, we stopped at the traffic light by the local Post Office we always passed on the way to the dump. The American flag hung high, gently swayed by the warm breeze.

“John, pull over!” I yelled and gestured, pointing at the parking lot in front of the Post Office. A car had pulled in and its driver’s door was open. Next to the front of it was the dark figure of a body laying face down in the gravel.

We jumped out just as police arrived. A neighbor already called 911. The man, a regular customer at the Post Office and war veteran, had taken his own life, shooting himself in the head. He died instantly. Word was that he had been very depressed and without friends and family for support, decided he couldn’t go on.

I will never forget what I saw that day. His body, clad in worn out jeans and a blue denim shirt, lay below the American flag now at half mast in honor of Americans who lost their life due to war. As if he wanted to say, “Remember me this Memorial Day.”

Remembering Memorial Day has faded into a holiday weekend of partying, summer’s initiation, and massive throngs of people traveling in the name of rest and recreation.

Each year, an average of 500 people will die on Memorial Day Weekend due to traffic accidents. I wonder how many die due to suicides. Memorial Day was meant to remember those lost honorably as they died for our freedom and safety in the United States.

Each Memorial Day, at exactly 3:00 PM local time, a moment of silence is observed throughout the country. This Monday, take the time to do this and close your eyes, remember it’s Memorial Day, pray for those lost and those left behind to suffer, and thank God in heaven we live freely.

For me, Memorial Day will never be the same. The figure lying in the parking lot on the gravel that day remains in my mind as a vivid reminder of the hurt and loss war brings. He was a stranger to me, but an angel to God.

Remember.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:2-3)

Cindy Scinto, Editor, iBeGat.com

We Were Made To Worship

iBe HEgat, iBe SHEgat, iBegat Trends, iBegat U, Tessa Hall

Notice the title says “We Were Made to Worship.”

Not “We Were Made To Worship God.”

We were made to worship, period. The way you live fills in the blank. Each of us was born with a desire inside of us to give something or someone praise. Unfortunately, many of us fill this desire by worshiping things other than the One who created us. John 4:23-24 explains:

“It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit… that’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship… those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves…” (MSG)

It’s what you say, the way you act, and your love that reflects what’s in your heart—and your heart reflects who or what you live for.

If you’re a teenager, then you’ve probably caught yourself drooling over another teen of the opposite sex and craving to give into peer pressure. Or maybe you’ve caught yourself raising your hands at a concert or a football game.

We live for what we love.

Are there any desires in your heart you’ve subconsciously put before your Heavenly Father? If so, ask him to remove those and replace them with the desire to worship him only.

“The secret things in their hearts will be made known. So they will bow down and worship God…” (John 4:23-24 MSG)

You were made by God. You were made for God. But are you living for him?

TESSA HALL

Tessa Hall is a writing and coffee obsessed seventeen-year-old. She lives for Christ only and believes that it’s not just a religion, but a relationship. Her Young Adult, Christian fiction contemporary novel, Purple Moon, is currently under contract with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She also writes a blog called “Christ is Write” where she posts teen devotions, writing tips, book reviews, author interviews, and coffee recipes.

Tessa has always enjoyed writing and has a passion to spread God’s healing, love, and comfort to her peers through the written word. Some of her other passions include acting, film, music, photography, and dance. She has big dreams and high hopes for her future, but believes that God can grant the desires of her heart as long as she puts Him first. Her favorite scripture is Ecclesiastes 11:9 (MSG): “You who are young, make the most of your youth. Relish your youthful vigor. If something looks good to you, pursue it. But know also that not just anything goes; You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.”
<<<more posts by Tessa…

Reflector Rejected

iBe HEgat, iBegat Trends, IBegat Trouble, iBegat U

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1 NIV1984)

“Pulling shopping carts from the parking lot is the most boring, low life job I could get. There’s just nothing else to apply for. With school and homework, this is all I have time for. At least I’m outside. Bill’s stuck inside stocking shelves.” Jeff grumbled loudly.

Hey, there’s Bill. “What are you doing out here, man? Did ya get fired!?”

“Don’t be funny, Jeff. Manager sent me out here to help you. They’re all out of carts inside and the after dinner rush is starting.”

“I know. It’s the highlight of the evening. Shop Super Shop & Mart for the big sales.” Jeff walked off.

It’s getting cold. Hey, my jacket’s in the car. Bill won’t miss me for a sec. I’ll get it and come right back. Besides, he’s a moving target with that reflective vest. What a kiss-up he is. I won’t get caught wearing that lame looking orange thing.

“Hey Jeff, where were you? And where’s your safety vest? The way people are driving around here, you’re likely to get run over without it. Besides, it’s policy to wear it after sundown.”

“Oh chill out Bill. I don’t need to glow in the dark and besides that vest won’t fit over my jacket. I’m tired of freezin’ out here. If you keep glowing the way you are these crazy driver’s will think you’re worth seventy points.”

“Seventy points? What’s that mean?”

“You know, like target practice, Bill.”

“Man, this guy is thick. Follows all the rules but doesn’t use his head. Rules are made for breaking. Sometimes you have to take the survival route. I’ve seen people do that with speeding, lying, and cheating on their taxes. It’s just the way of the world.”

“Jeff! Watch it! There’s a car pulling out behind you!” The surreal thud made Bill run to help Jeff.

“Oh man, he hit me, Bill. I think my leg is broke. Call an ambulance.”

“Hang loose, Jeff, I’ll get help.”

Later, in the ER, Jeff apologized to Bill. “You know, Bill, lying here in the emergency room makes me feel pretty stupid. I should have listened to you. All this anti-establishment stuff went out long ago and as a Christian, I should know better. Rules are not there to be challenged and if I had taken this one rule seriously, I could have avoided this.”

“Don’t sweat it Jeff, just wear your reflector next time.”

Bill was too nice. I didn’t think my manager would be. But he gave me an opportunity to keep my job after I healed up as long as I promised to follow the safety rules while in the parking lot. “The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Good thing God doesn’t take any of my advice. He’d be awfully busy looking after fools like me!

Life Application: Do you think the Ten Commandments were given by God to command you? Think again. They are there to protect you. It’s your choice!

Cindy Scinto, Editor, iBeGat.com

Guarding Your Heart

iBe SHEgat, iBegat Trends, iBegat U

“… Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” (Song of Songs 2:7 NIV)

I’ve always gotten a thrill out of wearing a pretty dress. The local spring formal for home schooled high school students presented the perfect situation for doing so. While considering if I should go or not, I remembered my commitment to guard my heart and decided to explore my motivation for going. Dress aside, I realized I mainly wanted to be noticed by guys.

Don’t get me wrong–social events are not bad, and God has a plan for young people to be in community together in healthy ways. But for me, going to the dance with that beautiful dress would mean compromising what I knew about guarding my heart. Any attention I would receive at the dance may have flattered for a moment, but afterward my decision to save dating until I am old enough to consider marriage would seem so much harder. My longing for affection would be awakened.

God delights in a pure heart. Are we willing to protect ours? What steps can you take to guard yourself? Stopping to examine your motivation might be a good place to start. Ask God to guard your purity and glorify Him.

——————————————————

MARY CATHERINE LEWIS

Mary Catherine is a 16-year-old home schooled high school student living in Lexington, KY. Among other things, she enjoys playing piano and violin, watching movies, singing along with her iPod, going to Disney World, and writing. She has been writing since age 8, and has spent the past few years honing the art of fiction and is working on her first novel. God has given her the desire to teach and encourage teenagers to purity.

The Death of A Car – Not the Driver

iBegat Trends, IBegat Trouble, iBegat U

DO NOT TEXT and DRIVE.

Do NOT Talk on your Cell Phone and DRIVE

DO NOT glance at your phone to look for new messages or updates.

DO NOT DO anything that will distract you from driving.

Our pizza delivery guy, a teenage driver, was distracted the other night AND going 40-45 mph in our neighborhood. I always see him speeding through like a speed demon. Our street is only 25 mph for a reason. He got distracted–probably by his phone, and hit a parked car in front of my house. Never had time to even brake. He pushed the parked car on the sidewalk and flipped his car landing upside down. If he hadn’t had his seat belt on he would have been killed. DO NOT get distracted when you are driving. I don’t care who is in the car with you and making fun of you–just drive safe. If you don’t get killed or seriously injured or don’t injure or kill someone else, you still have the aftermath of an accident. The emotions, fear, anger, trouble, blame, and cost.