Hey, I gotta “duh” comment for you.
You are alive.
“Wow, Jenna, so profound,” you may be thinking with some slight sarcasm.
No, but let’s think about it.  I don’t know about you, but a lot of times I forget that I’m breathing.  I forget that my heart is beating.  I forget life is a gift.  If you are alive (which, I’m guessing you are if you are reading this right now), what are you doing about it?  Are you pouring life into a flat screen, a trendy store, a sport, a phone, an unhealthy relationship?  Want to make something of your life?  Well, then read this next comment.
God is alive.
No sarcasm allowed after this comment.  I don’t want to hear any “duhs.”  Why?  Because if we really, I mean REALLY, believed this statement, then our lives probably wouldn’t look the way they do now. There would be less insecurity, less selfishness, less laziness, less media consumption, less confusion.
See, when we experience a relationship with a LIVING God, then we begin LIVING godly.  Our actions, decisions, words, dreams all change.  In a good way!  We live with confidence, selflessness, motivation, relationships, and purpose.  When we get to know this God who loves us inside and out, then we begin to change from the inside out.  We begin living for what we were made to do:
Make a Difference!

Excerpted from You Were Made To Make A Difference copyright 2010 by Jenna Lucado. Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

See Jenna Lucado Bishop LIVE at The Revolve Tour: Dream On 2012.  Register here!

Psalm 147: 10-11

You have two huge exams on Friday, three papers due next week, and an oral presentation to do the following week.  Ahhh!  You’re committed to putting all the effort you can into it; but some of it’s so challenging, you really wonder if your best will be good enough.  What if you still don’t make the grade you need to?

It’s always right to do your absolute best at everything you do (Colossians 3:23).  Diligence and excellence glorify God, and so does relying on him.  Paul sure set that example well, saying, “I work and struggle, using Christ’s great strength that works so powerfully in me” (Colossians 1:29).  Even so, there are times we give it our all and rely on God’s help, but our performance (whether it’s grades, sports, or anything else in life) still doesn’t meet people’s expectations.  And if you’re a perfectionist with high standards for yourself, you might start to feel ashamed of yourself. You might even start to think God feels that way about you, too.

But you know what?  God cares most about where your heart is.  Psalm 147 says he’s not impressed with human strength or a perfect performance people will rave about.  He’s pleased with people who “respect him” and “trust his love” (Psalm 147:11).  So strive for excellence and do your best, but remember: at the end of the day, the most important thing is having a heart that honors God and is devoted to him.  What a relief!

Want to know more?  Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Excerpted from Revolve™ Dream On: The Complete New Testament. © 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. © 2005 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Say hello to the Crists. They are a family of nine, representing three pockets of the world, changing three pockets of Guatmela, while living in two pockets of the Western Hemisphere. More pockets than a pair of carpenter’s pants! And carpenters they are, building better lives for hundreds of orphans, the elderly, the disabled, children stuck in gang-run territories and so many more. They have returned so many times to serve the children and widows of Guatemala, that they began a non-profit called Tree4Hope. You can check out their web site at www.tree4hope.org.

Nine months out of the year they live in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, while the other three months are spent in Guatemala. Brett and I happened to be overlapping one of their 3-month stints last summer. We were on a mission trip with some students from Oak Hills Church, and on our last day went to an orphanage called Hogar Miguel. That’s where we met the Crists.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that on our last day, in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by beautiful brown-skinned orphans, a blond-haired, blue-eyed, middle-school girl from Pennsylvania tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Excuse me, are you Jenna?” I stared at her cute freckled nose, taken aback. “Yes,” I said. She then continued with a pleased smile, “I love the Revolve Tour!” The girl was Jessica Crist, and her family had just arrived at the orphanage for the first time that summer, an hour before our group. Divine timing? From there we began a friendship with this adventurous family, and we are forever grateful. So grateful, that I thought it appropriate to make our Top 5 List of our favorite adventures because of the Crist Family.

To read the rest of Jenna’s post, click here!

See Jenna Lucado Bishop LIVE at The Revolve Tour: Dream On 2012.  Register here!

Life is so uncertain.  Sometimes it seems like everyone and everything conspires to make us afraid. Afraid of speaking up. Afraid of letting go.  Afraid of holding on.  Afraid of what people will think. Afraid of being less than perfect.  But the Bible says, “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Excerpted from The Real Me by Natalie Grant. © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Want more information on The Revolve Tour?  Click here!

Hi, my name is Emma.

I’m a teenager and I live on the east coast.  This summer, my life was completely transformed. Looking back on my life at this time last year, I was a completely different person. I had never heard of Revolve, and I had certainly never heard of Burundi.  I now realize that God was laying out an amazing plan for my life, without me even knowing it.

It all started back at my home church when we began fundraising for World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine. The 30 Hour Famine is a unique experience which allows you to learn about and experience hunger while making a difference.  It was the perfect opportunity for me to put my passion for fighting hunger and poverty into action.  That spring, I went to Revolve in Reading, PA.  At Revolve, my friends and I were able to hear from World Vision speakers, watch informative videos, and have personal conversations with World Vision workers.  In just one weekend, all this sparked my curiosity and passion even more.  At Revolve, the speakers also mentioned the Study Tour.  They described the Study Tour as an incredible opportunity for students who participate in the Famine to travel to an impoverished country and see firsthand how the funds are transforming lives.

{Emma (second from the left) at Revolve Tour in Reading, PA}

At the time, it sounded like an amazing opportunity, but never one that I would be able to experience. I doubted that anything that special could happen to me, and as a result, didn’t give it much thought. However, as the weeks passed, I found myself reading about the study tour, watching YouTube videos from previous years, and even talking to my youth pastor about it.  For some reason, I couldn’t get it off my mind.

I was certain I wanted to apply after I participated in the 30 Hour Famine at my church.  I wanted to take that experience to the next level and see firsthand how the funds are affecting hunger-stricken communities.  I prayed about my decision, and eventually decided to go for it.  So I sent in my application, which included a video, form, and references.  I didn’t expect anything to come of it, but knew nothing would happen if I didn’t give it a chance.

As it turns out, I was one of 9 students selected from across the country to go on the Study Tour to Burundi, Africa.  A dream which I had never even imagined would come true, and was now unfolding before my eyes.

Now, a few months since the Study Tour, I think about the trip every day.  Being able to meet the children, visit sites in the community, and experience a glimpse of what life is like for the people of Burundi was an unforgettable experience.  And even though it’s been several months since Burundi, my journey continues.  It has been a privilege and an honor to be able to share stories of the people of Burundi.  Trust that just as God has done amazing things with my own life, He also has an amazing plan for yours!  I can’t wait to share more details about my experience in Burundi throughout several upcoming blogposts.

Much love,
Emma

We LOVE being able to share Emma’s story with all of you!  We’ll be posting more photos and blog posts from Emma throughout the next few weeks.  Check back for more posts written by this incredible Revole girl.

Thanks again, Emma!!  You have inspired us all.
Wanna know one of the coolest parts about all of this?  Just like Emma, YOU can also get involved!

For more information on 30 Hour Famine, click here!
If you’d like to find out more about The Study Tour, click here!
Want more information on The Revolve Tour?  Click here!

You have millions of brothers and sisters in Christ. They are poor, rich, tall, short. They are elementary school kids and high schoolers. College students and grocery store workers. Heads of state and chairmen of big corporations. They are all around you, and that’s amazing- because there’s some serious power in numbers. And power is a good thing when you want to make a difference.

Your eyes are now opened. You feel terrible about all the needs that are not being met around the world. You want your classmates’ lives to be better. You want every person on earth to have enough to eat. You want prejudice and slavery to stop. You want sicknesses to be treated. You want everyone to hear about Jesus.

You really DO want to make a difference.
And you can.
And you will.

And you probably already are.

Excerpted from You Were Made To Make A Difference copyright 2010 by Jenna Lucado. Thomas Nelson, Inc. pg. 96-97. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

See Jenna Lucado Bishop LIVE at The Revolve Tour: Dream On 2012.  Register here!

Luke 19: 41-42
You never have to wonder if Jesus was fully human and fully God. This passage proves he was both.  He’s just received a hero’s welcome and ticker tape parade while entering the city.  Fans cheered wildly and declared him King.  A pretty exciting day, yes?  It was like winning a ton of awards all at once!  But Jesus was not rushing off to an after-party.  There was no acceptance speech or wide-mouthed grin on his face.

No, he was somber and sad.  Crying, in fact- and not tears of joy.  His heavy heart proves he was a human, and subject to human emotions.  But the reason for his sadness shows he was God on earth.  He wept because he knew what the future held.  In the next few days, this same crowd would be in a frenzy, furiously calling for his execution.

As a teen girl, it’s pretty interesting to know that Jesus cried.  After all, crying can become a pretty common occurrence during the teenage years.  Your Savior knows all about changing emotions.  Just look at this one day in his life: from top-of-the-world royal treatment to down-in-the-dumps sadness in a matter of hours.  And Jesus had other emotional times, too, like when his friend Lazarus died (John 11:33-35).

So next time you feel emotional and teary-eyed, talk to the one who understands better than anyone else first.  Before you text or IM your best girlfriend, consider spending a few minutes talking to Jesus!

Want to know more?  Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Excerpted from Revolve™ Dream On: The Complete New Testament. © 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. © 2005 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Has anyone ever done something wrong to you, and instead of apologizing and making it right, she tried to correct her wrong by doing something nice for you?  How did that make you feel?  Really, you just wanted an apology, right?

Well, sometimes we do that to God.  There are a lot of people who believe they can work their way to heaven or that God will love them more if they do enough things for him.  They believe they’ll be rewarded because of their good deeds.  It just doesn’t work that way, and these thoughts will get people into trouble.  There are still others who take it to the other extreme.

These are the kind of people who believe they have to suffer just like Jesus did, so they beat themselves with whips, crawl across glass, and even hang on crosses for hours at a time in order to receive forgiveness.  Both of these ways are false.

“Only God can forgive sins” (Mark 2:7).  You can’t get his forgiveness from your parents or from the people you hang out with.  Sure, they can (and should) forgive your shortcomings by not holding them against you, but only God can erase them from your record permanently.  All you have to do is confess your sins to him and repent and- instantly -they’re gone forever.

Confess your sins to the Lord today.  He’s the only One who can get rid of them for you!
See for yourself: Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10, 11; Luke 5:20, 24; Eph. 2:8, 9

Want to know more?  Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Excerpted from Revolve™ Dream On: The Complete New Testament. © 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. © 2005 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Fear or faith.  Which is stronger in your life?  Allowing fear to control your life is a prison.  Allowing faith to control your life is an adventure.

God has plans for you that will totally stretch you out of your comfort zone- plans that may even make you feel super freaked out at times.  If you allow fear to control your choices, playing it safe instead of trusting God, you’ll miss out on amazing opportunities.  But if you trust in a big God and decide to risk living on the edge with him, you’ll accomplish things you never dreamed possible.

Begin identifying things that rattle your world- failure, rejection, being alone, getting sick, being treated harshly, speaking in front of people, getting hurt physically or emotionally, trusting God with your future, missing out, or sharing your faith.  Next, replace fear.  Memorize Philippians 4:13 and Isaiah 41:10.  Repeat them each time you come to a challenge that seems too hard.  Also, make a list of the times God helped you through tough spots and ask really committed believers to tell you about situations when God helped them through fearful events.

Faith isn’t the absence of fear- it’s the courage to overcome fear because you believe in a big God!  So relax and believe that something you can’t see yet will happen- an awesome faith adventure where there’s no room for fear.

Want to know more?  Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Excerpted from Revolve Devotional Bible. © 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

‘We both love this song – the original version and tons of the covers.  When we were looking at what song we wanted to do, Moriah brought this one up and I cover it a lot so it made sense!  The only thing that didn’t make sense was the lyrics  Pertaining to our lives, that is.  We then changed it to “when I’m gone” to relate to when we’re not spending that quality time with God.  We couldn’t say “when He’s gone” because God’s never gone!  It’s those moments when we don’t pray or read our Bible… that’s when we’re “gone” and not having those moments with our Father.’

See Jamie Grace LIVE at The Revolve Tour 2012: Dream On. Click here for event dates!