April 14th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
Making crafts is an easy thing, but even in foreign countries?
Yes, crafts are easy, even in a foreign country. I have had the privilege of being on four missions trips throughout my high school years. One thing I noticed was the fact that making a craft was the easiest way to connect to children and adults in Haiti and Mexico. Crafts opened doors that could not have been opened through the language barrier we experienced.
One of the most effective ways to share the salvation message was through making salvation braclets. Salvation braclets consist of colored beads and can be made to fit infants, children, teenagers, and adults. Along with their adjustability to different sizes, they also explained the message we longed to get across. Each color has a specific meaning: purple- grace, black- sin, blue- water baptism, red- blood of Christ, clear- forgiveness, green- eternal life, and gold- Heaven’s streets. As we instructed them on the order of the colors, we also shared the Gospel message to them.
We also use those braclets here in the states. When people ask me where I got my braclet, I tell them I made it. Then I go right into the meanings of the colors and why I wear it.
Don’t think this can only be done in foreign countries, because your backyard needs to be reached too!
Tags: Adults, Arts, Beads, Children, Christ, Crafts, Experiences, Foreign Countries, Gospel, Haiti, Language Barrier, Mexico, Missions Trips, Salvation, Salvation Braclets
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April 13th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
As I sit back and reflect on my freshman year, I realize two things. Class and dorm life is a lot of fun, and the people here are extremely friendly and personal too.
I thought classes would be easy; its my freshman year. How hard could they be? Well, they weren’t hard, but it was challenging to stay organized. I thought I was organized in high school when I had at least 7 classes. Now I have five.
I’m not going to lie, its hard to stay organized with all the work you need for the week. I found it easier when I got a planner where I could write everything down. Then after I was done with classes I could sit down and go down the list of assignments and cross them off as I completed them.
Dorm life, I would have to say is one of the most interesting things about staying at college. There will be those quiet afternoons and evenings but at night the dorm comes alive (at least in my dorm). During the day the dorm is quiet and peaceful (perfect time to get all your work done), then after curfew when everyone is in the dorm….we start to have some fun. Okay, it doesn’t always happen that way. I enjoy playing Phase 10 and Dutch Blitz during the afternoons with some of the girls and a few guys. During the spring-like weather we have been having, we enjoy sitting outside doing homework together with some socializing.
I cannot express how many caring and friendly people we have on this campus. The teachers not only teach you the information you need to learn, but they take time to get to know you and to make sure you understand the material being taught. The students as a whole are like a family in some ways. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get a hello passing by a student, whether we’re friends or not. Along with being friendly, the students are very accepting. Coming from a public school this really impressed me. Instead of ignoring what you are saying, they sit down and talk to you and direct you in a godly way. This also goes for the faculty on campus.
This year has been an amazing life-changing experience. When you’re unsure about visiting a college, just remember dorm life is where the fun is!
Tags: Classes, Dorm Life, Dutch Blitz, Freshman year, Organization, People, Phase 10, Reflections, Socilization, Students, Teachers
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April 12th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
I would say death is one of the hardest things anyone will have to go through.
“Why does God let bad things happen in the world?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions when death is involved. According to explorefaith.com, one of the most important things we need to remember is “God allows ‘bad’ things to happen; God does not cause them to happen.”
When I think of “bad things,” I think death. When death occurs I start questioning, as most of us do. We do not trust God or believe that He is the one who gave us life and allowed someone we love to die. So we start believing what Satan tells us; we start believing the lies.
How do we correct this problem? One thing I realized is the problem will not go away unless you want it to go away. This is hard for most of us to do after losing a loved one. Its hard for us to remember that God’s timing is always right, and we need to accept that.
When we have accepted the fact that we have a problem, then we need to seek God, seek His comfort. We may find His comfort in other people, or we may find it sitting alone in a room. I know I’ve found it both ways.
When we have found God’s comfort, we need to start learning to move on in God’s direction. I believe guidance is harder to find. We need to read the Bible and seek God’s will in our prayers and daily lives.
After we have accomplished these three things, we should be on our way to serving Christ with the memory of those we love.
Tags: bad things, Bible, comfort, death, guidance, lies, prayers, Questions, www.explorefaith.com
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April 7th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
I had the awesome opportunity to go on a trip to the Appalachian Mountains for Spring Break. I assumed it was just going to be one of those hiking trips that wouldn’t really change me or challenge me at all. I was wrong!
I learned something I already knew. I’ve known about the passage in Luke that talks about taking up your cross and denying yourself. I never really studied it or applied it at all until now. This passage has become more to me then just taking up your cross and denying yourself, its become a way of life (Luke 9:18-27).
In reality we all need to study what this passage is saying. We need to understand that no matter what is going on in life we need to deny ourselves and acknowledge what God wants for us that day, that moment. I realized on this trip I am very selfish, like a lot of us are, and I need to remember every day that I need to deny those selfish feelings and think of others. Another thing I realized was I like to be in control and know what’s going to happen. A lot of us do. Again we need to remember that God has it all planned out. We need to leave it to him and stop worrying about it.
Tags: Interesting, Life, Luke 9, Selfishness, Trust
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April 6th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
Some people are like rivers and just go with the flow.
Some are like trees; they decide which way they want to sway.
Some are like the sky, always blue.
Some are like the sun, always happy and shining.
We need to be all of these as we follow Christ. We need to be willing to go with his plan, make decisions with Him in mind, to be sad occasionally. But most of all we need to be happy. We need to be like the sun to this dark world. Although it’s not always easy, we need to buckle down, do daily devotions, study God’s word and enjoy the ride!
Tags: Discipleship, Life, Nature, People
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April 5th, 2010 by Karissa Craft
As I sat near a stream, I started thinking about people being like streams. The more I thought about it the more I realized this:
Running water doesn’t know its destination; it just keeps on going. As born-again Christians we know we will end up in heaven, but we don’t always know where God wants us next.
This is a difficult concept for me to really apply. I like to know what is going on and what is going to happen. In life, I can’t always have those answers. I may know what is going on for the day, but I don’t always know what is going on tomorrow or if I will even finish today.
This scares me to know that my life isn’t in control, but what comforts me is the fact that I know who is in control. God is in control, and no matter what happens, He is there to help me through it – to be the only one who understands, the only one who knows exactly what I am feeling at every second of every day. That is an amazing comfort! We know where our destination is, but we need to seek God for the next step!
Tags: Christianity, Destinations, Life, Streams
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