ILS - It's in 3 days!!!!!!!

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ILS Countdown... 5...

ILS Countdown - Here we go...

I do it my way

She knows how to take care of herself and so everyone thinks she is really beautiful. She knows how to speak, how to be pleasant and the way she carries herself causes a lot of girls to admire her.

She is not the clueless type of girl, she knows what she wants in life and she knows how to get it. She is always busy with a new project, her job, her career, her family, her plans for the future and her friends. 

She has everything going for her, she feels content with the way she does things, she is bold and determined to fight for her dreams and that makes the future look even brighter. And to top it all up, she believes in God, goes to church and has even made some time for a few projects there as well. God is such a big part in her life...

Oh what an ideal way to live!!! Conquering what you want and having God being a part of everything...

Except... that's not the way things really work with God.

You can't have God as part of your life, like your family or friends are. God is not a gym class that you make time for three times a week! There is no such thing as 'I believe in God, but I do it my way, on my own time'. Either God IS your life and you fit everything else around Him or forget it, just continue living your life without Him.

Many people say, 'but God understands that I'm busy and don't have a lot of time'. Yes, sure... why don't you say that to your professor in college, or perhaps your family who expects you to spend some quality time with them, or even your boss? Yes, why don't you tell your boss that you can't work for a few weeks, because you are just too busy right now? 

So, why is it ok to say that to God? Why should He accept your leftovers? 

You are just kidding yourself if you think you can pull that off... and you know it. 

If you want to have a faith that brings results to your daily life, the secret is this: God FIRST, then everything else. 

Otherwise, just keep doing things your way and trusting in the strength of your own arm. You want to continue fitting God into your busy schedule? That's your right.  

Just don't expect God to do anything for you... better yet, expect Him to do just as much as you do for Him.

And that's the way it is.

I Love you. Seriously. Event

This is definitely one of my favorite scenes!!!!

ILS DVD coming out soon... Stay tuned for dates and giveaways!

The best YPG event yet!

I love you... Seriously - A lesson in a nutshell

The YPG Performing Arts Group around the nation captivated the audience with I Love You... Seriously – The Musical. The story exposed the reality of what goes on when teens get tangled up in what they imagine is love. The story of one boy and one girl's fateful decision, driven by their desire to be cool and fit in, and how it forever altered the course of their lives. Dancing, singing, comedy, drama, "Awww" moments, and a few surprises all came together to create this riveting performance.

After the performance in Houston, Bishop Renato gave an eye-popping talk on being smart about love. It wasn't your typical pastor's talk, to be sure! He explained that three things have to be understood before a teen even considers love: first the physical changes; second, the emotional changes, and the third is to invest in your spiritual life. Love has nothing to do with "feeling" anything. Real love is tough, and comes from a commitment. It can be found in the middle of the hardships, differences and struggles of a married couple as they pull together and overcome. In a nutshell, ignorant guys and girls think with their... impulses, to put it mildly. But the smart ones think with their brain.

Leeanne Ledesma, who became a single mother in her early teens, shared her story of both shame and victory as she turned to God. Needing to heal the deep wounds of rejection and low-self esteem, Leeanne did whatever she could to become like the "popular" girls in school. She lived to hear the words, "I love you," even if they were only lies. At thirteen she was having sex and at fourteen was pregnant. An immature, high school dropout, Leeanne was clueless about the great responsibility of raising a child, and sadly chose partying and drugs as she abandoned her baby to her mother's care. Today Leeanne is still a young mother, but now a good, loving and responsible one, as she follows in God's direction and teaches her daughter to do so as well. She warned, "If you're not smart about love, you'll end up hurting yourself."

Want to be smart about love? What does the opposite sex really think about? Ask the Youth Pastor at your local YPG branch more about this topic.

Congratulations for a job well done to the ILS cast across the country! Take a look at pictures of the event...

* Article from universal.org