AO Teens

 Everything may seem crazy right now. Covid cases are on the rise again. Everyone is freaking out about the new Delta variant. People are losing their jobs because of their religious  and medical choices. Afganistan  has been taken over by the Taliban. You may be thinking that it can't get any worse. That this is the end. But wait. It can't be. People have gone through even worse problems than this. And they still praised God. The world hasn't ended yet. Stop worrying and wondering about tomorrow. Lay your burdens aside and follow Christ. Tell Him all about it. Trust in Him and stay strong. This morning we were reading second Corinthians. Paul was telling the Corinthians what he had gone through. Listening to his hardships made me wonder if everything going on right now really was that bad.  2nd Corinthians 11:22-31 22  Are they Hebrews? So  am  I. Are they Israelites? So  am  I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So  am  I.  2...

                 Do you ever just have a night when all you can do is cry? You get home or escape to your room and all you can do it cry. Well, I know that I do. I used to be a very emotional person, but now things are quite different. I do cry but usual when I cry its because so many things have built up that I just can’t hold the tears in. I know that some people probably think that crying is for the weak, but its not. I recently learned that there are three different kinds of tears. Basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears. Basal tears are always in your eyes to protected them. Reflex tears are created whenever your eyes become irritated, and they help remove whatever is irritating the eyes. Emotional tears are the tears you shed whenever you feel extreme emotions, sadness, happiness, disappointment, excitement, etc. The thing that gets me about emotional tears is that they contain two proteins and hormones that other tears don’t. ...

                I feel that most of us take friendship for granted. We just assume that everyone has friends, and our lives are nice when we’re with friends. Have you ever stopped to appreciate your friends and how much they do for you? Let me tell you a story.                 May 3 rd, 2021, my best friend and her family moved to Wyoming. Ever since she had told me they were moving back in January I started to realize that I had never shown her how much she meant to me. So, I immediately got to work, I got together with some of her friends and made her a journal where all of us showed her how much she meant to us.   When she moved all I could think about was how I had never told her how amazing she was until she was taken away. It really made me realize how much I had taken her, and my other friends, for granted. Then not too lon...

 The Puzzle of Life By Hannah R. You know that moment when a piece of a puzzle that looks right, that you're certain is right, just won't fit where you want it to? You know that frustration? That anger that comes out? The throwing of the piece down, or that exasperated sigh of despair as you sit despondently back to stare at the unfinished puzzle? Remember how we need to stop, sit back, take a breather, and then come back to it with a renewed vigour and a fresh mind?  Maybe life is like that. Maybe those moments in life where everything seems to go wrong, or you keep trying to do what seems like the right thing is or you're certain is the right thing and it never works out are like those puzzle pieces that just don't quite fit. Maybe those moments of anger at something that just doesn't work out or that frustration at your calender not lining up so you can do everything you want to do is like that. Maybe, just maybe, mental health is like that. Maybe we're all t...

  His Name is Jesus By H. R. Remminga A man of integrity He provides us with an example Of what we should do In all circumstances of life We all know His name Some reject him as a fairy tale Others take Him to heart And make Him their savior His name is Jesus And to the world I will whisper You may reject Him But I claim Him You may hate Him But I love Him He took the burdens of the world On His young and healthy shoulders  He let our sins weigh on Him Crushing the breath from Him Accused of hypocrisy  By hypocrites themselves He loved them still As they screamed for blood His name is Jesus And to the world I will whisper You may reject Him But I claim Him You may hate Him But I love Him His name is Jesus And to the world I will whisper You may reject Him But I claim Him You may hate Him But I love Him Yeah, you may hate Him But I love Him

  Can No One Redeem Me? by H. R. Remminga My life should be Hell. By all accounts, I should be condemned and judged, Thrown down into that fire pit with the serpent And left to live in burning agony for eternity. I should be looked at with contempt. The sight of me should fill you with disgust And make you turn your face from me. I’m filthy. Covered in rags of deceit, malice, and selfishness. I stink of envy, greed, and dishonesty. My eyes shine bright with pride and haughtiness. I deserve to die for what I have done. I deserve to be beaten, stoned, ridiculed. I deserve to be left  In the filthiest, deepest, darkest corner Of the filthiest, deepest, darkest cell In the filthiest, deepest, darkest prison In the filthiest, deepest, darkest location. This is what I deserve for my pride, My envy, my hate. For my deceit and self-centeredness. Especially for having hurt,  Ruthlessly torn apart,  And cut down people around me. Intentionally done with my cruel, Cold, calcula...

  Pray When everything frustrates you. Pray. When you feel so broken that you can't get up again. Pray. When nothing seems to go right for you. Pray. When life becomes so hard that you wish it would just end. Pray. If you've ever just wanted to die and be with Jesus. Pray. If you just want to scream... Pray.

Hello! I am going to apologize for the pretty much nonexistent posts of late, I will personally try to make sure that I post more often, but I make no promises for my life tends to be busy and overwhelming as you will see in this post. A QUICK DISCLAMER- this post is not intended to be a pity party for me. I just wanted to share my feelings in a way that may help others so please understand that and don’t think I’m doing this for attention. -Kessa            I wanted to make this post because I feel that I cannot be the only one who is feeling this way. I am a planner, organizer, cleaner, leader, extrovert, etc. Mess stresses me out, disorganization stresses me out, spontaneousness is not my thing, and I always have to be busy. In case you can’t tell already, I get stressed out really easily. My planning, organizing, cleaning, extroverted, leading nature can be good, but it is often very bad. I tend to forget to go to God with all my troubles, I am stub...

Well hello there, long time no see! Today we are here to momentarily revive the blog with three original poems by Karissa, Caleb, and Alayna. Thanks for reading, enjoy! The Beach in November  By Karissa By the age of nine, I was tired of the sea With her dull gray shattering of incessant weight Heavy against the limitless sky. I was lonely among the muttering breakers, Feeling the weight of the water on my skin, Wishing I was dry and that my feet and hair Were not crusted with salt; And that my eyes were not hot, My skin no longer charred to gold. I returned to the sea, watched the grey sky, And got lost among the lack of sharks’ teeth, Wandering, in search of an answer, In search of independence, or rather of a companion. The sea, whispering, was like an old friend, But in a photograph, colorless, empty, And chilled, with November. The shoreline was grey With soaked seasand; The sobbing of the ocean made it easy To get lost inside myself, and I walked Farther than I had in a long ...

  Spring Sing a song of growing things, Of new delight that each day brings, And the bird that gladly sings. Sing a song of brightest green, Of flowers that grow so pure and clean, And new beauty so serene. Sing a song of a world made new, That has been reclaimed from winter’s blue, And seems to be made for you.

  Fall My artist’s soul exults In the vibrancy. The death of the leaves is celebrated In the brightest colors. Each step is embedded In the crunch as the leaves crumble Beneath my foot. Soon it will be winter, But for now, Let us rejoice in Fall.

  While in Lockdown, you may be finding that you are getting tired of listening to the same old songs over and over again. If this is the case, then have no fear. We have compiled a list of 10 of our favorite songs that we like to listen to. The genres range from Pop to Classical music, making sure that there is something for everybody, no matter their taste. While not a super long list, it should give you a taste of different artists and allow you to see which ones you like.  Pompeii by Bastille  Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult  Chlorine by Twenty-One Pilots Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) by J.S. Bach Soldier by Fleurie  Counting Stars by OneRepublic I’m Born To Run by American Authors Hurt by Johnny Cash I’m still standing by Elton John Angels by Owl City Hope you enjoy!