Falling in Love, Part 4

In this post I'm going to discuss the final two "tips" that I've discovered on my quest for loving Him more.

3. Go on a Date with Him

I wish I could have seen your face when you just read that! :) But, like before, I'm being honest to goodness serious.

I went to a Christian summer camp this past year, and one of the ladies talked about how a close friend of hers would always have her "dates" with Christ (I'll call her Amy). It wasn't easy. As the oldest, Amy had a lot of responsibilities. She lived in a small house with seven siblings (and when I say "small house" I mean small house), plus the daily chores were almost never ending. Still, she managed to sneak out into the only place where no one else would bother her: the outhouse (no, not a bathroom. An outhouse). It was smelly, leaky when raining, and cramped, but still it was important enough to her that Amy was willing to push aside the unpleasantness to go on her dates with her Prince. There she would just start talking to God, singing to Him, sharing her hopes and dreams with Him, and strengthening her relationship with Him. She would write Him letters, songs, and poems, or just caress flowers from the garden that He had "given" to her. How many of us would do the same? I pray God gives me that same urgent desire to be still and just enjoy His company. You don't have to go into your bathroom for it to be a "date", but just try and spend time with Him on a more personal level than "Hey God, how's it going?". His love for us is above that of any mortal, because He is immortal and omnipresent. He is love, He created love, and His love for us is so vast that even the oceans couldn't contain it!

Point of Grace, a singing group that I really enjoy listening to, captures this picture in a beautiful way. Their song "Love of Christ" describes the vastness and largeness of His adoration of us.

How long (how long)
How wide (how wide)
Is the love of Christ
How deep (how deep)
How high (how high)
Is the love of Christ

It would take ten thousand lifetimes
To comprehend, a love with no beginning
A love that knows no end

More than any heart could measure or ever hold
His love could fill the oceans
'Til they overflowed

Higher than the mountains
Deeper than the ocean
Farther than the reach of the sky
Wider than the heavens
Longer than forever
Greater is the love of Christ

So go on a date with your Prince. His schedule is very flexible! :)



4. Write Him Love Notes

When you're doing something for someone, it makes you closer to them. You've taken the time to prepare something for them, and you were probably thinking about them while preparing it. Writing Him songs, poems, letters, or little lines of random thoughts is a special and unique way to draw you closer to Him. Like I stated in my previous post (Falling in Love, Part 3), He has written you lots of love letters. Why not write Him some in return? It not only is spending time with Him, but it's spending time thinking about Him, and that is obeying His word (see Philippians 4:8)! :) It can be whatever you want, and it doesn't have to be literature. You could make Him a quilt, or paint a picture, or perhaps teach others about Him. Even if you don't write down your acts of service for Him, let your life be a living testimony of your growing adoration for your Prince Charming.

Hopefully these four tips will start you on one of the most amazing journeys of your life; it will definitely be the most rewarding!
If you seek after God by asking Him for the desire to fall in love with Him, He is more than willing- and able- to grant it. Also, if you read His love letters to you, it will give you a new appreciation and love for Him. It really is a mystery that He loves us! Go on a date with Him, and spend time with Him. Not only that, but since He has written love letters to you, write some back. However you want to will work. We're all "wired" different ways- He made us that way- so use what gifts He has given you.

For Him!

Princess Catherine ~*~

There's Still Time. . .

. . . but not for long!

Jesus will return to earth and it could be at anytime, whether next minute, tomorrow, or in 50 years. We have to be ready. As I write this post I am assuming that you readers are Christians. While that may not be true I just wanted you all to know where I am coming from, because this assumption will affect this post.

As Christians, we must be ready to leave the earth and go to heaven. We can't waste our time while important work is left to be done. What kind of work? Laboring in a harvest field.

A WHAT?????

Yes, you heard me right; perhaps a look at a Scripture would be helpful.

"Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"---Matthew 9:37-38, NIV

This is an allegory(a representation of one thing by another). When Jesus speaks of "the harvest" he is talking about all the people in the world who do not know him. "The workers" are Christians who tell those people about Jesus.

As Christians, we are called to be telling others about Jesus and His wonderful gift of salvation. How can we go about doing that? Well, in each of our lives there are most likely two camps of people to share Christ with: (1)those we know(or know of) and (2)those whom we've never seen, met, talked to, or heard about.


How can we minister to the first group?

~Pray for them. Prayer, or talking with God, is powerful. Although God knows our hearts and what or who we are burdened for, He loves to hear us talk to Him. He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. Even if you don't see immediate results in the life of the person you're praying for, don't give up; sometimes it takes years for something to happen, but do not be discouraged. Keep praying.

~Invite them to something. This one depends on the situation. You may be praying for someone who lives far away, or someone you have no contact with anymore. However, you might be praying for a neighbor or someone who goes to your school or who does a certain activity with you. If so you may be able to invite them to an event at your church. It doesn't necessarily need to be Sunday School or church service; maybe it's a sports league at your church, or Vacation Bible School. How about a get-together/potluck your church is hosting? Depending on the person it doesn't have to be at church. Once my siblings and I hosted a game night with some friends and invited a neighbor. We didn't say anything about God; we were just building a relationship. Sometimes just starting as friends is best.

~You might send them cards(or emails, or the like). I share my birthday with someone whose salvation I'm praying for, so for the past couple of years I've sent them a birthday card, just a simple note. It's basically the only contact I have with this person, which makes the cards more important. And it's really not that hard. The note doesn't have to be long; just let them know that you're thinking of them.



What about the second group? Those whom you don't know at all?

~Show them through your actions. You may never talk to people, but they can watch you and see what you do, like what your attitudes are, how you treat your parents, siblings, and others, what you say, how you act, etc. As the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words."

~Pray for them. Believe it or not, you can pray for them. Occasionally I see someone and start praying for them, even though I don't know them! You may not ever think of them again, and that's nothing to feel guilty about; God doesn't expect you to, but who knows? One prayer could be an amazing thing!

~You could ask them straight out! This may partly depend on your personality. I know someone who asks people directly whether or not they know Jesus. For me personally, this is not the way I prefer to witness to others. However, God may be calling to that or maybe that works well for you.



Some of these things are definitely harder than others, but sharing Christ is extremely important! It really is a matter of life and death--for eternity! In some cases there's not anything to do except pray; in others it might be good to invite them to something. Ask God to show you what to do and when the time is right. Maybe you need to simply pray for someone now but later will be called to have more contact with them. I don't know. Just follow what God says; His timing is perfect.




From one harvest laborer to another,



~Princess Gloria




"'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"---Acts 1:8, NIV


P.S. If you have any questions or would like to share a way you witness, or even share a testimony, please feel free to leave comments.

Two Events That Changed The World (Part 1)

The crowds are shouting, the soldiers yelling, the women crying. Three men stumble along the streets toward the place where no one ever wants to go: Golgotha. This infamous hill is where many people had been put to death by crucifixion, one of the most horrible ways to die that man has thought up. Hammers clang against the nails and the crosses are raised. Six hours of incredible pain pass and finally the man hung in the middle raises his eyes to heaven and says, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." It is finished.

This small paragraph has only scratched the surface of what Jesus went through for us. We can't imagine the excruciating pain that He suffered. We know that he was nailed to the cross and that He was beaten, but in addition, Isaiah 50:6 (NIV) says this:

"I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide face from mocking and spitting."

Can you imagine? He was beaten, mocked, spit at, and HIS BEARD WAS PULLED OUT! What unbelievable things He endured, and He CHOSE to do this!

But WHY do He choose it?

Because He loves us so much(John 3:16) that He came into the world and died for every single person. He did it to save us. That, then, raises two questions.

1) Why did we need saving? When Adam and Eve sinned they disobeyed God and then severed their relationship with Him. In order to restore that relationship, a perfect someone, without blemish or defect(sin), had to be sacrificed. Since all men are sinners we couldn't restore that and work our way back to God. Only God, Who is perfect, could be that perfect sacrifice, so Jesus came and died. Only He could fix the bridge between man and God.

2) Why did Jesus have to die? The Scriptures say this:

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22, NIV)

There HAD to be some kind of bloodshed so that we might be forgiven. Otherwise, we would still be without hope. Also, since the wages of sin is death(Romans 6:23) Jesus HAD to die in order that sin could be payed for. There was no other way. He had to die for our forgiveness and for sin's dues.

Praise the Lord that He cares for us that He would send His Son to DIE so that we could LIVE! If Jesus hadn't come and died we would still be lost and with absolutely no hope at all! Truly He loves us more than we could ever imagine!

~Princess Gloria

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."---Ephesians 3:17b-19, NIV)

Looking Out For You

Let's move on the verse 3 in our Psalm 139 series!


"You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." (Psalm 139:3, NIV)


Why don't we start by looking at 'discern'- "to measure off, discern"

and 'going out'- "travel, keeps company"


Think about it. The Lord measures off where you go, whether it's to the mailbox, or to church, school, sports practice or games, along with everywhere else you've ever been and ever will be. Someone pays a lot of attention if He knows every single place where you've been. People might know when you go to church, and probably a lot of people know when you go to school, but when you walk to the mailbox? Play outside? Leave your room? Get on the computer? Turn on the TV? Just to name a few.

His loving eyes are constantly upon you. Please notice that I said 'loving'. God is not watching you so that He can point out every little thing you do wrong. Not at all! Instead, He is watching over you.

May I give an example?

You have a puppy named Muffin. Because you love her, you allow her to sniff and roam as she pleases all over your yard. However, you make sure that she doesn't get outside your fenced-in backyard, or your electric fence. You know that if she does, she could be run over in the road, she might not have enough to eat, some bigger animals might get her, etc. You're trying to keep her safe.

God does the same things with us. He allows us to enjoy ourselves within his boundaries, but watches over us to keep us from stepping outside them. He doesn't want us to be hurt. He knows that all we need is what He has to offer us and outside his boundaries we can't have those things. It is so awesome that He cares for us so much that He will give us just the right amount of freedom in his boundaries.

"Familiar with all my ways." This phrase is kind of self-explanatory.

The Lord is familiar with your ways, such as what time your alarm is set for, whether you like to stay up late or get up early, shy or out-going, what you want to do/be when you "grow up", what dreams you have(He gave them to you in the first place!), what your favorite book/movie/Bible verse is, even when you might not even know yourself! These are just a few examples. God knows you inside-out. He "is familiar with all my(your) ways." Only our God could do that.

Look at it this way. If you knew someone who knew all your thoughts that you had ever thought and ever will think, all your favorites, how many hairs are on your head(Matthew 10:30), knows all your friends and family(immediate and extended) members then you would think that that person was amazing! Take God--he knows those very things (and much, much more!) about you, and your family and friends, along with every person who has ever lived and every person who ever will live. Now that's amazing!!!


The New American Standard Bible(NASB) says verse 3 this way:

"You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways."


Remember today that the Lord scrutinizes you, not because He's the pointer-out-of-all-the-mistakes-I-make, but because He's the wanter-to-keep-me-safe-within-His-boundaries, as well as the Lover of your life! He loves you...He knows you...He's the best person to be looking out for you!


~Princess Gloria




NOTE: Word meanings taken from 'The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance' by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III.

Knowledge and Perception

All right. As y'all know, the last post on this chapter (Psalm 139) was on the first verse, showing us how God knows us. Now it's time to look at the next part.

"You(the LORD) know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." (Psalm 139:2, NIV)

Similarly to the last verse, this piece also talks about the Lord's knowledge of us. Let's take a look at some word meanings!

The word "know" is the exact same word as was in the first verse: "recognize, understand, observe, cares for".

Actually, every time the the word "know" is used in this particular chapter it is this same word. You'll want to keep this in mind because I probably won't put the definition for this word in the following posts. :)

Though the word "sit" does mean "sit" (I know-that was profound!), it also means "live" or "dwell".

From this we see that the LORD observes when we live, or where we dwell. Not only that, but if you think about it, recognizing when someone is sitting is rather detailed, wouldn't you say? Yet this is what the LORD cares about! He is so aware of what's going on in our lives that He knows when we sit. And in addition to that, He knows when we rise.

'Rise': "to get up, arise, stand, establish, restore".

Again, this shows how detailed God is about us and how involved He is in our lives! He is aware of when we sit and when we rise! Imagine that!

Now we come to an interesting part: 'perceive': "to understand, discern, realize, to care for, consider with full attention".

I thought that the last definition was neat. The Lord considers our thoughts, or intentions(word meaning), with His full attention! The God of the entire universe is not a distant God. No! He is a Being that penetrates us and knows us completely! How amazing!

Our last word for now is 'afar': "far, distant, future, beyond".

Another awesome thought! He knows our thoughts from the future, before we ourselves think them. Incredible!

I hope that you will remember and constantly be reminded of God's love and knowledge of you. Don't let the fact that He knows everything about you be scary! No, this fact shows just how personal God really is!


~Princess Gloria




NOTE: The word meanings from this post were taken from "The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance" by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III

What Fear Can Do

by Princess Izori

Hello! I'm terribly sorry that I haven't posted in such a long time!

For my home schooling, I'm reading 'The Princess and the Goblin' by George MacDonald (pretty good book, by the way). I'm sure that most of you princesses are familiar with it, but I'll just tell you what it's about anyway, as a way of introduction. It's about a princess, Irene, who makes a wonderful discovery in her castle. At the same time, a young miner named Curdie uncovers the frightening plot of the evil goblins.

One part of the book in particular struck me. When Irene is threatened by a creature while she's in her room, she is very frightened. So frightened, in fact, that she actually goes in the opposite direction of the one who can help her. Believe it or not, she runs to a place where she is even more vulnerable than before!

'Why?' we wonder as we look on Irene's panicked foolishness. 'What on earth got into her head? Who would be so brainless as to do that?!"

Have you ever been in a scary situation? Have you, instead of praying to the Lord for help, spiritually 'ran away' and tried to help yourself? Then you were reacting the same way as Irene was. I can think of at least six situations where I 'ran away', and it was only by God's grace that everything turned out alright.

Fear is a big problem, and it is one of the devil's weapons. I'm not talking about the thrilling, healthy fear we're supposed to have of God. I mean the dangerous fear.

'I'm all alone. God's not going to help me!'

'How can I know where I'm going after I die? Am I sure that Jesus' blood really paid it all?'

'What if ___ happens, or I get hurt, or...'

Those are all examples of what could run through our heads when we start to be afraid. And unless we cast all our cares on God, we'll start to panic. And then the panicking leads to foolish decisions that leads to serious injuries, both physical and spiritual.

See why it's so important that we trust, and not fear?

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43: 1b

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
I John 4:18a

Princess Izori

Know That He Knows

"Does the Lord know you?"


"It would seem that since He's God, maybe He would, but...He must be so busy with keeping the world moving and helping other people that He must not give much thought to young people like us. He's probably more concerned with the adults. Some say that He is a personal God Who knows us and Who wants us to know Him, but I'm not so sure."

Do these sentences mirror your thoughts? Do you want a new look at God's love for you? Maybe you're not really struggling with doubts, but could use some encouragement. Let's look at a Scripture verse and hopefully that will be a help to you.

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me." (Psalm 139:1, NIV)

Well, there's a confirmation right there. The very first verse in this chapter dispels the doubt that the Lord doesn't know who you are. In fact, not only does He know you, but He has searched you! That word "searched" means "to explore, search out, probe, test, sound out, sees through, to be determined, examined"*

Think about it: Don't you think that if God has probed you, explored you, examined you, and sees through you that He would know you? It certainly seems that way, but more than that, it is that way. How do I know? The Bible says so, and the Bible is absolutely true.


The word "know" in this verse means this: "recognize, understand, observe, cares for, found out, take notice"*

Isn't that so neat? From looking at this verse there can be no doubt that the Lord does, indeed, know and care for us. What an awesome God we serve!


Please remember today, tomorrow, and in the days to come that the Lord most definitely cares for you, whether you are a teenager or an adult. Age makes no difference. He has searched you and He knows you. Never forget that!



~Princess Gloria



P.S. I am hoping that there will be many posts following this one that talk through the verses in this chapter. Keep a look out!





*Meanings taken from "The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance" by Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III

Happy New Year!!!!

Since this is the first post this year, I (Catherine) wanted to start off with one of my favorite, if not my favorite, Scripture passages:

Jeremiah 29:11, 13
"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (NIV)

For a New Year tradition, I always read one of my favorite Scripture verses or passages as we count down till the new year. Then, I can start off the new year by reading the Bible, and what better way is there to start it off? (It's also fun to say "I've been reading this passage since last year! :) This year, I read Jeremiah 29:11, 13, and I wanted to do a quick "looking" at it.

The first phrase "For I know the plans I have for you", really speaks for itself, but slow down and think about it. This is God talking, and HE- all powerful, creator of the universe- pays attention to what you are doing and the wonderful things HE has in store for you! That's amazing when we stop and think about it, isn't it?! :)

But, we get blessed more than that! Not only does HE know our plans, and the plans HE has for you, HE also has made the plans that will prosper you and not harm you! Prosper means "to be successful or fortunate, esp. in financial respects; thrive; flourish" (from Dictionary.com). Basically, you want to prosper! I wish people who where worried about the economy would read this verse. Now, I don't believe that God will make us all rich, powerful, and famous (then none of us would be if all of us were!), but the plans HE has for us are the best ones that we could ever have, and so, since they are the best plans, they will make us the most content with our life, our family and friends, the money, and the earthly things we have. We will also have the blessing of knowing HIM more! How many other people can promise (and carry out that promise) that much?

Hope is something that I couldn't imagine living without! We see this on movies a lot. The hero (or heroine) always "hopes against hope", and their hope is almost always rewarded! And why do we see our favorite characters on the TV shows and movies hope against any hope? Because the movie directors- although they can stumble in other areas- know that we as humans need hope; it gives us a will to live on, and that's how HE made us! We all know what future means, and HE is giving us that! It may not be the future we humans think of- a long and peaceful life on earth- but I believe it means that we will have a future to look forward to in eternity! Heaven; an eternity with the LORD! Now, for some of us it does mean a long a peaceful life, but only HE knows what our lives will be like (remember the first phrase).

Now, moving on to verse 13. People often quote verse 11, but don't read far enough down the page to verse 13. "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." This verse is a great one to bring up when someone questions you about whether or not God is a personal God. This seeking and finding is a personal seeking and finding, and then HE says we will find HIM when we seek with all our heart. God is someone we can know. Did you know that? :)

Okay, this might not have been as quick as you were expecting, but still! :)

May the LORD give you a blessed New Year!!!

Princess Catherine ~*~