I want more than just ok

In my life I've definitely settled for just "ok" on some things. Like, an "OK" grade instead of an A. Or Just having an OK practice instead of 100%. The list goes on. Lately my family has been trying to find an affordable house to buy, and it's getting REAL stressful REAL fast. I worry about it a lot, but the worst thing I've been doing is having and OK relationship with God. In times like these, we need to step up and push through TRUSTING that God will provide; but when you have an "OK" relationship with God, you can't possibly trust him completely. God tells us in the bible he'd rather we not be a Christian at all than a lukewarm Christian. That's where I've been these past few months, and the feeling of finally getting stuff right with God is unlike anything else.
If a 15 year old kid came up and challenged you to do something, I know plenty of people that would pat my head, smile and shake their head, and walk off thinking how silly that little kid is. If I said to you "I've been through this. I know what it's like to not be on track. Let me challenge you to fight to be right with God EVEN when it HURTS. Even when you just want to give up. Because if you don't, Satan will find his way through your fake smile you have during Church. You can count on it; unless you make yourself right with God," would you pat my head and walk away? Because believe me I've met my fair share of people that have. Don't walk away. Wanna know why? Because Christ NEVER walked away from us and he NEVER will.

God wants SO much more for you than just "ok".

Home

Ironic how last year this time we were looking at the house I'm now living in. Ironic how 1 year later we are looking at a new house.

Ironic that we have such a desire to stay in Ozark.

3 years ago my parents told me we were moving to Arkansas. As my dad sat on my bed, both of us crying, he said "Jo I'll try and find another place. We won't go to Arkansas."
"No. Whatever God says. Go." I don't know what made me say it. In my right mind I would've gladly agreed with a new place NOT 1000 miles from home. Maybe it was the fear of what I'd seen happen to people who didn't obey God. Maybe it wasn't me talking, but God somehow speaking through me. Whatever it was, here we are, 1000 miles from where I was born, making plans and praying about a new house in OZARK.
All I know is that God knew what he was talking about when he told us Arkansas.

Jess Luess

I will be the first to admit, sometimes our parents will do things we don't understand. Sometimes for the better, and yes, sometimes they make mistakes. I will also be the first to admit I've grown up in a GREAT family with GREAT parents. But every kid comes to a point where they want a little more freedom, and yeah it'd be nice to have some more. But they're really just looking out for us. It's hard, and a lot of you would probably say I don't even understand what it's like to have parents that are strict or "mean." I definitely don't think my parents have ever been deliberatly mean to any of us, and yeah they have they're strict areas, but in the long run they just want to protect you. No I don't have mean or super strict parents, but I have my struggles with them that you wouldn't have any idea. I'm stubborn and have never been one to like taking orders and when I lived in Michigan I was given a lot of freedom because I lived at a Christian camp where not much bad happened. Moving into a town, even this small, I know it's hard for my parents to let me be all the places I am and be so involved in school and all. But they're learning, thank the Lord ;) They have really tried to transition into giving me more freedom and they've always been good about trusting me if I earn it. Nobody has perfect parents, and they WILL make mistakes. Just remember, they grew up in a different time with different ways of life. Give em a break, but remember, they're your parents. If you have a problem or a question or something, TELL THEM. They won't bite! Even if the whole world abandons you, your parents will always be your parents.

I can't wait to kiss the ground wherever we touch back down.

It's August.
The most dreaded month EVER. August should just become depressed that no one likes it and go away.
Because the only thing we have to look forward to is *choke* school. We are not capable of seeing beyond that.

The highschool years we all look forward to so much has come upon me. When you are accepted for who you are and you are popular and everyone loves you and life is great and you have no homework and sports are always awesome and you love all your teachers right?

WRONG!

I hate to be pessimistic here fellas but I'm entering highschool. What is there to look forward to? You don't get lunch with your friends and the tall kid gets stuck with the bottom locker adn someone hates you all year and one teacher can't stand you and on top of that, at the end of the day, the coaches murder you. YAY.

oK ENOUGH complaining. Lets think of happy things.

1.) I got to see Rebekah Davis :D Life is good.
2.) Summer basketball is over!
3.) I got to see my Michi-gang
4.) God is AWESOME
5.) I have great friends (Like Amber :) )
6.) The sun shone today!
7.) I have adorable nieces!
8.) Maybe I WILL get a top locker
9.) I'm still alive!
10.) God is still awesome :)

I'll be out of my mind, and you'll be out of ideas pretty soon.

(comments on a real picture)

- ______, You DON'T look bad! You are VERY pretty!

- Whatever! Yall are crazy! ______ You are WAYYY prettier than me!

Really guys? Either you just really want attention, or you think God doesn't know what he's doing when he made you. It says in the bible that we are "fearfully and WONDERFULLY made." Out of ALLLLL Gods creation, we are his MASTERPIECE. Let me say that again. MAS-TER-PIECE! You are BEAUTIFUL without make up, or jewelery, or dyed hair. God made you. Look at how beautiful God made the sky, and trees and WORLD. Do you not mean much more to him than the trees? Goodness gracious guys!

This DOES NOT mean you should be conceited about it. God made us beautiful, but the Bible ALSO says that our ONLY boast should be in HIM. Not in ourselves. God made us so beautiful, and he has a purpose for us all, but remember the first part of that phrase. GOD made us. His own personal design for our lives in particular. We are the masterpieces of the greatest designer of all time. He knew what our purpose would be before we were born. Before Adam and Eve. If WAYYY back then he was already planning how we would look and our purpose and life, don't you think we're pretty stinking important to him? The next time you're tempted to put yourself down like that, think of one thing:
God made you, and when you put yourself down and call yourself ugly, you are calling a design of the God of the UNIVERSE ugly. I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

Life is still worth living.

Sometimes I wonder where our country's going when I see commercials about things like scientology on the TV when Christianity is even trying to be pushed out of the Pledge of Allegiance. It just makes me stop and think.

Joel Nizza was at Governors School here in Arkansas for the past 4 weeks. He said that one of the people spoke on how Christians are imposing their faith on others, or forcing it on them. It's just like, Oh okay! So you're aloud to tell me that I'm an idiot for being a Christian and all that and that's not "imposing" on me. Nah go ahead and bash my faith and I'll just sit back and not stand up for what I believe because everyone else will be mad at me for forcing it on them.

I don't want to sit back anymore and watch the devil slowly but surely take over this nation OR this world, because we all know he's after it. And it's scary to think about it that he is, but it's even scarier to think that we are ALL just sitting at home watching him do it. We've been pushing God out of our schools, our communities, our lives, and our country for so many years and we are facing the consequences. I want to make a difference.

I believe that God has called me to do his work here. Right here in the United States of America. Where he sends me, I will go. I have devoted my life to him because he paid my debt. I owe him more than I could ever pay, and to live for him is the least I could do.

- Oh praise the one who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead. -

yeah...

We have all been subject to judgment, and we are all guilty of judging.
I'll be honest, if I see an old man sitting on his porch watching the world go by, i've been guilty more than once of speeding my bike up and saying "creeper" under my breath.

But here's the fact of the matter.

Whether you know it or not, or whether you want to admit it, we have ALL judged.

So stop sitting around telling your neighbor that so-and-so down the street did it with whats-his-face downtown and she's obviously a slut because DUH she's slept around with like EVERY guy. At least that's what facebook is telling me. JUST STOP.

Or OMG did you hear about the new girl? She looks like she's on drugs or something. Guess what? Not every person can afford to have make-up or that new hollister shirt or your precious flat iron. Not every girl has had the perfect little past with everything she wants. Maybe she's been giving up new shoes for 2 years just so her mom could finally afford a surgery that would eventually save her life.

Believe me don't think I'm not preaching to myself here. I'm guilty of this and MORE! I'm just SICK AND TIRED of it and the petty gossip that goes through our schools and all the kids that are so scared to come to school in the morning because they're so tired of being teased, or beat up, or laughed at, or sick of not having a friend in the whole school because everyone else is too afraid of losing their perfect image of the star football player that can have any girl he wants, or that smart girl with all her smart friends that are "studying for their next test" but are secretly laughing at her behind their books. I've been that girl that sits by herself for months. Anyone who went to a new school KNOWS how it feels to be that kid that has always been stared at because not a single person ever took the time to get to know who they really are and what they've been through.. How could ANYONE ever want to put someone through that? It makes me sick to think about it.

Because no matter how much homework you have, or how many friends you have to hang out with, that kid sitting by them self at that table in the corner may be just searching for ONE person to come and say "Hey, come sit with us!". Maybe they say no, but believe me, you will never understand how much those five words could mean in the rest of their day.

You will never understand what everyone's been through, so stop acting like you do.