My Wish For You

This is my wish for you, happiness on dreary days, and sunshine when you feel its raining. i wish for music in the midst of your silence, and for smiles when everything is crashing down. I wish for you to know always how loved you are, and to realize how much life is worth. I wish for your comfort in sadness, and for warm hands to hold when you know you cant face something alone.
i wish for you to love the life you live, and live the life you love.

a quote for thought

Made any new friends lately? The friend you've been hoping for may be a person you've never talked to.

just different thoughts..

"God doesn't remember me, he doesn't see me. He doesn't care! if he's
so big, why would he care about me?"

have you ever considered the fact that you are engraven into the palms
of his hands?
Jesus paid the ultimute love sacrifice for you, by dying on the cross.
And the nails that pierced his hands, the pain he went through. It was
for YOU.
and the scars that remain there, they are your name. they are you.
He sees them, and he says "I did this for YOU." YOU! he died for the
whole world. and he died for me. he died for the guy who lives three
houses away from you. died for the president of the United States.
he died for everyone.
and all of our names, are engraven in love on the palms of His hands.
I don't mean literally. it doesn't literally say "Natalie" on his palm.
but the scar is there that he was given on your behalf. on my behalf.
out of love.
and not only did Jesus die for us, but he also lives for us.
he is victorious over death.
and he died so that we might have life. so our lives would have a
PURPOSE.
he died for us. so why don't we live for him?

happiness

"if God loved me, he would want to make me happy, right? so why am I 
unhappy? why isn't God giving me what I know will make me happy?"

God doesn't think like us. His wisdom and understanding are far beyond
anything we can begin to comprehend.
So when we say we know what will make us happy, do we really? Do we
really know what will make our lives complete? we may think we do. But
when it comes down to it, we don't.
God knows us better than we know ourselves. He CREATED US. and he
loves us more than we can immagine. He has a PERFECT plan for our
lives. And he's the only one who can give us true happiness. God
DEFINES happiness. God CREATED happiness. A life lived for him is what
makes our existance worthwhile. He is the ONLY one who can fill that
void.
yeah, that emptiness, I know you know what I'm talking about. it's
that hole inside you that you try to fill but nothing seems to fill it.
Because those things aren't God, the only thing that can truely fufill
us.
He will give us joy that OVERFLOWS. if we follow him and are willing
to do what he wants us to.
He wants us to love others, to live our lives serving him and letting
people know what he has done for us.
he DIED for us. So why don't we LIVE for him.
we miss out on so much joy when we go our own way.
God DEFINES happiness.
and when our minds are in sync with him, we will be desiring what he
desires for our lives and we will ask him and he will give us happiness.
So let's refoucus here, let's take a look and see where our sights are.
Are you OVERFLOWING with Gods joy? are you trusting him? are you
loving him?
are you complete in him?

Letters To God

Dear God, you're amazing. Your love for me and everything you've done 
in my life. I love you so much!

Dear God, why did you make me this way?

Dear God, WHY did this happen?!?HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME??!! WHY
DID YOU TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME? WHY GOD, WHY?!?

Dear God, You're in control. I see how you have worked everything
together for good. What happened, was all part of your plan, and the
pain I went through was to bring me closer to you. And God, through
that, I am able to relate to different people more. God, thank you for
being in control.

Dear God, why can't people see my pain?

Dear God, I SCREWED UP AND CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN. I BLEW IT! God, I
totally messed up. How can you even look at me and say you love me? I
am so horrible. How can you love me? HOW?

Dear God, I love you and I'm so sorry for everything I've done. God,
I'm broken now, and I need you to help me. I can't do this alone.

Dear God, why can't I be like them? why do I feel so worthless?

Dear God, I understand now..

When we say "I screwed up big time."
God says "Youre forgiven. I love you."

When we say "I'm not beautiful."
God says "I created you, and you are perfect. I love you."

when we say "I'll never be good enough."
God says "no one is good enough. but I work through you and acomplish
great things through you. I love you"

when we say "why can't I be like them?"
God says "I created you as YOU. and you're the only YOU. that will
EVER live. you are perfect in my sight. I love you."

when we say "I can't do this on my own"
God says "my grace is sufficiant for you, and I will be your strength.
in your weakness my strength is made perfect. I love you"

when we ask "why God, WHY?"
he says "I am in control and I know what's best for you. I see the big
picture. sometimes I say no because I know it will hurt you if I say
yes. I love you."

We often write these kind of letters to God.
it depends on the day. it depends on the situation. we question God.
we yell at God. We laugh at God.

we praise God, we say we love him. we worship him.

we question him again.
we are angry at him again.

we are in love with him again.

and all the time, when we constantly change.. God never changes.
and he Always says "I love you."
no matter what we are saying to him. he replies back in a still quiet
voice "I love you"

Here We Collide

"Write something down; the lyrics to that song, the people that you
love, the one moment today that was worth hanging on to, a
conversation you want to remember, something you want to do tommorrow,
a list of places you would like to see. Something that is beautiful in
the middle of the chaos. Write it down because it is real."- Here We
Collide. 

Quote

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadows."
Hellen Keller

Charge to Christians

Jesus was a physician. He came to heal. He came to heal the broken, the wounded, the sick. Those who tried to live life without him, who had been beaten down. He didn't come to save the saved, to heal the healthy. He didn't spend His time only with believers or His friends. He ate with sinners, he spoke to outcasts, he healed the exlies.

So why are we the exact opposite? Why do we only sit with our friends? Why don't we ever leave our comfort zone? Why do we leave the lonely desperate? They look for love outside of God when we don't show them to Him. Aren't we supposed to live like Christ?

Come Alive By Barlowgirl

Wake up, get out, there's no time to waste now
Never shut up it's our turn to speak out
These streets are dead just waiting to come alive

Break down the doors of our comfortable room
Tear down the walls we never could see through
Aren't we sick yet of missing out on life

Do we want more?
Tell me do we want more?

'Cause we've heard the cry and we'll come alive
And we fight for love and we live to die
Because a life that holds no meaning
Is like a day without the light
So we'll come alive tonight

All have the call but so few have listened
Life is too short you don't want to miss this
Make up your mind before life passes by

Now is the time to wake up and see this
World won't revolve around you and me
So let's be the change we've all been waiting for

We are the passion
We are the movement
We are the fire
We'll never lose it

Waking Up

"And when you wake up, on your own. Look around you, cuz you're not
alone. Release your high hopes, and they'll survive. Cuz this is the
future. And you are alive."

have you ever thought of the mere blessing of life? Have you ever
considered it a wonderful thing to
be alive?
what is your first thought every morning? what becomes your foucus for
the day?
sometimes it's hard to remain positive about living.
but just look around you. look at the sunshine, the flowers. the
people around you.
look at the sky, the ocean, the mountains.
listen to the birds, to the voices of people.
take it in.
and wake up to being alive.
make every moment count.
let the thoughts when you first wake up be "it's a new day! what can I
do to make a difference? how can I make someone smile today?"
think about the things you have been blessed with.

today is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in
it!

remember that you are loved. remember that every day!

remember that you are forgiven.

it's time to wake up. wake up and be alive!

Chris: My Story (and more)

Who am I? What is my story? Why do I love those who don't feel love for themselves?


Two reasons, really. First, my life was touched by an attempted suicide. She was one of my closest friends. And loneliness is all around me. I know this, and I go to a small school. Its amazing to me how in a small school we can still ignore people and make them feel lonely.


Second, because God first loved us. His love allowed me life, and it's a life I want to share with you. Yes, YOU.


Because YOU are worth it. YOU are loved. YOU have worth. YOU have value. And YOU mean the world to Him. And me.


Did you know he sent his own Son to earth, to die for our sins? For MY sins? I'm a sinner. I've sinned, I've rebelled against God. I have fallen short of the glory of God. But the beauty of this is God sent His Son to save us.


His Son was beaten, bruised, cut, stabbed, battered and bloodied. For me. For YOU. 

You have worth to Him. He wants to lead you to a life of joy, of love, of pure bliss. He's also our Rock, our peace in hard times. He never said that your Christian life would be perfect. I know its not. I've dealt with hardships in my life. Hard times. But He got me through. He will never leave nor forsake us. And I will always be here for you, too. 


I want YOU to know you have worth. I want to show you that, too, by reflecting God's love.

Natalie: A Little Bit About Me.

who am I?
I will fade.
who am I?
I am a girl just trying to live her life. I am a failure. I am broken.
I am useless. I am ugly. I am a disaster. I am an emotional wreck. I
am ungraceful. I am at a loss for words. I am silent. I am blind. I am
unable hear. unable
to feel. unable to live.
those are the things I am, when I try to live on my own. that is who
I am when I leave God out of the picture. that is who I was before my
life was made new.
because now, I am able to stand up when I fall. I can live my life. I
am able to acomplish great things. I am beautiful because I am a
daughter of the Creator who knew me before birth.
I can speak, sing even, because I have joy and hope inside me. I am
made whole. I am sanctified. I am redeemed.
who am I?
I will fade.
but I hold on to the One who will never fade.
and while I'm living and breathing on this earth, I will share this
hope I have been given.
I have love to show, and life to live out. there are people around me
who I can reach.
I still fall sometimes. I cry when I'm upset. I laugh just a bit too
loudly. I trip walking up stairs. I run into walls. I get embarrased
about stupid things. I get shy sometimes.
I am me. I am a human being. I am a sinner. but I am a sinner saved by
grace.
and the very same grace I was saved by is the same grace that gets me
through my day. that allows me to love and care.
I am a crazy girl. I get distracted by shiny things, I like to laugh
till I can't breathe. I like to see babys smile. I like to watch the
sun set. I like to sing and play guitar and piano. I like music in
general. I like coffee shops and late night phone conversations. I
like warm hugs and evenings that are almost just too chilly. I like
quiet snowfall. and I like heavy rainfall.
I am me.
and I am here.
I'm living my life.
and sharing it with you.
so tell me your story
and I'll tell you mine.
talk to me about what's on your mind
and I willl listen to you.
I want you to know that I am here to walk this life with you. cuz I
got an invincible strength on my side.
maybe you know where that strength comes from. maybe you don't. ask
me sometime. I'd love to share it with you. And I would love to listen
to what you have to say.
who am I?
I am me.

Call to Action

What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured. - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Hero Lyrics by Superchick

No one sits with him, he doesn't fit in
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him
Cause you want to belong do you go along
Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It's not like you hate him or want him to die
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side
And the kindness from you might have saved his life

Heroes are made when you make a choice

You could be a hero
Heroes do what's right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what's right for what's right for what's right

No one talks to her, she feels so alone
Shes in too much pain to survive on her own
The hurt she can't handle overflows to a knife
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life
Each day she goes on is a day that she's brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves
When she throws the pills out a hero is made

No one talks to him about how he lives
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his
Doesn't know he's a leader with the way he behaves
And others will follow the choices he's made
He lives on the edge, he's old enough to decide
His brother who wants to be him is just nine
He can do what he wants because it's his right
The choices he makes change a nine year old's life

Little Mikey D was in the one class 
Who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years 
Until he decided that never again 
Would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door 
Grabbed the 44 out of his father's dresser drawer 
And said I can't take life no more 
And like that life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back
And watch it happen
Thinkin' it's not our responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me
This is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios
Which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice
And be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would be saved, changed, and rearranged
Now it's our time to pick a side
So don't keep walking by
Don't wanna intervene
Cause you just wanna exist and never be seen
So let's wake up
Change the world
Our time is now

Our Mission.

lonliness. it's all around you, yet you don't feel it. It cries out to
you, but you don't hear it. It's right in front of you, yet you don't
see it.
it's time to WAKE UP.
what's your story? Why are you here?What's your goal? What do you live
for?
We believe there is something bigger, a greater purpose. A life far
better than this. We believe there is hope.
We believe we are broken, we are outcasts, we are seperated.
But we believe in something more.
We believe we are freed. we believe we are made new. We believe we are
redeemed.
We can't do this alone, and we realize we are not alone. We wernt
created to live life alone. We were created to reach out and share
life with other people. We were created to love.
I look around me, and I see so many lonely people every day.
I can't change the situations they face, or take away the pain they're
in. but I can give them a ray of hope in the midst of despair. And
that ray of hope can get them through another day, and maybe help them
to see things differently.
the smallest things can make the biggest difference, and maybe even
save a life. A compliment, a smile, maybe even just sitting and
listening to someone.
Here at Operation Outkast, we want to show the world what we live for.
We want to share hope and forgiveness that we have been shown. We want
to let people know that they are not alone. We want YOU to know that
you are not alone. you are surrounded by people. People who love you,
people who need you, people who know exactly how you feel and what
you're going through. People who feel lonely, even though they are
surrounded. People who have voices and want to be heard.
The mission is LOVE. It is to show people that life is worth it. The
mission is reaching out to people and letting them know you care.
And ULTIMUTELY the mission is For By Grace. It is sharing this hope
you have, hope of a life that has been made new through an ultimute
sacrifice.
The hope that has been given to us through a love that's perfect.
A hope given by God and his beautiful grace.
We are here to let you know that you don't have to go through life
alone. We are here to tell you that you are loved more than you can
immagine.
we are here to listen to you, to reach out to you. To pray for you,
and help
you in any way we can.
So tell us your story, and we'll
tell you ours. Let us know what we can do for you. we are here for
you, and we want you to know you're not alone. Life is worth it, can
you see it?
There are lonely people all around you. You see them every day. you
don't know the hard things they face. they might be fighting every day
to stay alive.
reach out to them, love them, care for them, listen to them.
you might just save a life.
that is our mission at Operation Outkast. To draw people close, and
show them love. we are a generation of hope, and hope is a beautiful
thing.