What Faith with Works Means to Me...

 I read the the Bible every day with my Mom or Dad.  We love to learn about the Bible.    It is God's Word.

I have been thinking a lot about what it says in  James 2:18 

 "But someone will say,
“You have faith and I have works.”

Show me your faith apart from your works,

and I will show you my faith

by my works." 

 I heard my preacher say that people get confused by this verse.  
I asked my Daddy about it, 
 and he told me to research it
and
write an essay about it
for my English Composition class.  

                

It was not easy to write,

but here are my thoughts about

Faith and Works.   

I think it means that if someone says, '' I am a Christian!''  and punches, kicks, abuses, swears like crazy, makes fun of others, and never, ever gives any second chances,  he is also a liar!   He says he has Faith, but what does his life show?

But another person says, ''I am a Christian!'' and does the opposite of the first person.  He is telling the truth!   I want to be more like this person. 

  In my life, I show my Faith in God by helping other people.  At least this is one way.  I helped my Daddy dig, insert pipes, and re-cover the pipe and hole with the dirt.


It was hard work, but it was better than a flood in the basement! I saw my Daddy hurting because he was working so long and his back was sore. 

I had Faith and wanted to help him.   I showed my Faith by my Works... Digging and Helping.  This is all part of becoming a Strong Leader for Jesus. 

 

ONE Truth

     Albert Schweitzer was a German Doctor who operated on sick African people.   I read a book about him for my home schooling.  He helped to cure Leprosy, and infections.  Those people in Africa needed lots of help.  Dr. Schweitzer hated cruelty.  Even fishing bothered him because it was harming a living thing.  He was a vegetarian all his life.  He hated to eat meat. 

    He loved to help people.  He lived in Africa almost all his life.  Once he got put in a prison camp because he was a German, and he was on French land in Africa during the war.  In all, Dr. Schweitzer built and helped to work in 3 hospitals in Africa.  The first hospital was made from a clean chicken coop.  He even helped a sick Pelican.  It's leg and wing were injured.  The Dr. helped the Pelican to fly, and it became his favorite pet. 




     The people in Africa loved Dr. Schweitzer.  So did a lot of the animals.  He said he was a Christian man.  He taught the African people to sing 'Jesus Loves Me."  But he was a hypocrite because he didn't believe that Jesus rose from the dead.   Albert Schweitzer did lots of good things, but that did not help him to go to Heaven.  The Bible says,

 

"After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene,  the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons."   Mark 16:9          Albert Schweitzer did not believe the whole truth.  Neither do Mr. Sal and Miss Donna, some people who came to study the Bible with my Parents.  They were Jehovah's Witnesses.  There is only ONE Truth.  But Dr. Schweitzer didn't believe in it.  There are thousands and zillions of lies about religion.  But the Bible tells us the Truth, because it is the Word of God.  God inspired the people who wrote the Bible.          Dr. Schweitzer was kind and not prejudiced against the Africans.   He is a role model because of this.  But in the end, I think he was wrong.  He believed the lie that others told him about Jesus being only human.  Don't be like him.  Read the Bible for yourself.  Jesus died for us on the Cross, and He rose from the Dead on the Third Day.  Lots of people saw Jesus after He rose.  The apostles saw Him.  Mary saw Him.  They weren't lying about it because when they were killed, they still stuck to the story that Jesus raised up from the dead.  I wish I could have talked to Albert Schweitzer so I could have told him these things.  Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and will always be!       "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." --John 14:6

 

 

 

 

Super Heroes

     My cousin, Brayden and I like to dress up like Superheroes.  

We imagine we have super-powers, and we do lots of good deeds and help beat down evil and let good win. 

"In due season, we shall reap, if we do not lose heart." 

Galatians 6:9

I think this verse means that if we keep believing in God, and we don't give up (lose heart), we will overcome 

anything in life.   Our enemies may be nicer, our schoolwork

will come easy to us, and we will have friends.   Our life won't be as Hard as it used to be, because we will grow close to Jesus by praying, listenting to music that praises Him, and reading more about the Bible. 

Here is a video my Dad and I made
after we did a Walk to Raise Funds for
Children with Down's Syndrome.
My friend, Hannah's sister Rachel, has Down's Syndrome.  We walked in honor of her.

A Good Deed

My Mom helped me make
this cake for my
friend who has lots of
little brothers and sisters

It was fun to deliver it to them!

ONE Faith

Me and my Daddy at Church Services

My father is called “Daddy.”  Even though I am eleven years old, I call him “Daddy.”  My Daddy called his father “Daddy” until the day he died.  That’s because they lived in the South, and Daddy says lots of people call their fathers “Daddy” in the south.  I love my Daddy very much.   There are tons of reasons why I love my Daddy.  He takes me fishing, and he brings me old things like radios and old computer monitors to tear apart and try to fix. 

 

     Daddy teaches me how to build stuff, like sheds, and how to fix boat motors.  He teaches me how to make Mom’s vacuum cleaner work better, and how to cast and fish the best way.  He always keeps his cool in times of trouble, and he says that I should do that, too.  He hums when he gets upset.  

 

 

 

 

 

I know my Daddy has Faith.  He reads to me and the whole family every morning from the Bible at the breakfast table.  He likes the Proverbs.  From the Proverbs, I have learned that I should not be arguing a lot with others, I should be loyal to my friends, and I should not use credit cards when I grow up.  I learned all this from Daddy reading me the Bible, and then he talks to us about it. 

     It is sad for me when he has to go to work every day.  He has to work a hard job, lifting boats and engines, and doing other tough things.  He is a good Daddy because he brings in the bacon and pays the bills for our family.  When he comes home at night, he sometimes even grills food for us after all that hard work.  That shows me that he gives up his time and is unselfish, so we can all live together and I can be Homeschooled. 

 

     I know my Daddy loves me, because he spends lots of time with me.  We go on trips, like fishing all day, and one time he took me Duck Hunting in Arkansas for a whole week.  He even helped me with all the schoolwork I had to do during that week.   I kept on want to quit the school stuff that week, but he was patient and stern enough to make me do it, anyway.   When I get upset or disobey, Daddy never yells at me.  He corrects me very tenderly.  He puts his hand on my shoulder and guides me to do the right thing. 

 

     When I grow up, I am going to have 8 kids.  I want to be like my Daddy to my kids.  One way is taking them to work with me.  I will also take them to caves and dams and neat places like the places that my Daddy takes me.  I will read the Proverbs and Revelations to them, too. 

 

 



This shows a "Red Neck Trompoline" that my Daddy
made for me in Arkansas at the
Hunting Camp

     Finally, my Daddy is probably one of the best fathers in the world.  He always helps everyone in my family.  He loves to spend time with me.  He works to make money for us to live.   He teaches me to always love others and help them.  I am so thankful for my Daddy. 

      

"The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. "

 

Proverbs 23:24

ONE Way

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

 Try me and know my thoughts.

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

 

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

 

 

This is one of my memory verses I am learning this week.

I am thinking of things that I can do to serve

others as I start being a Lad to Leader this

year. 

 

 

My Lad to Leaders Group is going

to do lots of fun projects,

but I want to do some of my own

to help other people and to show Jesus that

I love Him a lot.

 





Do you know what FLINT is?

 

 

 

I am making the theme of my blog based

on the verse in Isaiah that talks about a Flint.

This is a picture of a stone called a Flint

  It is my Mother's favorite Bible Verse,

and she has told it to me many times

in my life.

Flint, Wikapedia

 

 

Isaiah 50:7 tells of how Isaiah set his face like a Flint.

  I looked up what that means and it said that he 

decided that no matter what happened, he wasn't going to flinch or change,

even if someone tried to shame or disgrace him.

 

 

 "For the Lord GOD will help me;

therefore shall I not be confounded:

therefore have I set my face like a flint,

and I know that I shall not be ashamed."

 

                 

My parents and I talk about verses a lot,

and this one is a verse that needs to be remembered,

because life is hard and there are battles. 

 

 Flint is really hard and strong, and it can help you win battles. 

 Flint can even start fires. 

That's why Flintlock Rifles are called "Flintlock,"

because you strike the flint against the steel,

and it shaves off a tiny bit of very hot steel. 

 That is how the rifle fires.

 

Isaiah 50:7 tells us not to give up, ever.

We have to set our minds on hard work,

and on faith.  One Faith.

Many people will tell us that there are

other Ways, other Faiths that are

just as true as The Faith of the Bible.

 

We have to be determined. 

To study and to learn how to tell others

that Jesus is The Way.

 

 

I like that it also says,

"For the Lord GOD will help me"

Because sometimes I don't want to keep on.

Sometimes I just want to be like every

other kid and just let everybody be right.

 

But that is not good. 

 I know that someday

I will face God and He will

remember how I did or did not stand up

for His Word,

for

His Way. 

 

And so I will Set my Face Like a Flint.

 

I'm pretty sure that Jesus thought of that

verse when He was in the Garden.

 

He did not exactly want to die

on the Cross.

 

But He did it...

 

for me,

 

for you,

 

even for those who will laugh at me,

call me a weirdo and

tell other kids not to hang out with me.

 

This blog is about not flinching...

Not giving in when the hard times come.

Not being a wimp and letting them say

that Buddha or Mohammed

or

Whoever is also right.

 

I will set my face like a Flint,

and my God will help me.