S3 Stories of Strength

An important word about the recent shootings in El Paso and Dayton, from the S3 president and founder.

From my heart to our family:

El Paso, 20 dead, many others critical. Another shooting in Dayton; 9 dead and many injured. 

As a family, let’s love each other deeply from our hearts.  Be patient, be respectful, be attentive. We have no promise for another day or even another hour. 

Build up every person that crosses your path…. even if just  a momentary smile at a stranger. Call on the Holy Spirit throughout the day, so you’re equipped to do everything as an expression of love towards God.  If you truly love Him, as your words suggest, you WILL love others. 

Become one with the Father, thanking Him for His undeserved grace, kindness and forgiveness. The more our minds and hearts focus on His character, our natural  responses and actions will look more and more like Jesus. Our countenance will radiate a quiet peace. Our actions and words will be marked by kindness.

Most people we do life with have deep broken places in their hearts!  Enjoy fun experiences with friends and family….but love them enough to take time to listen and know about their  struggles and fears.   

We speak many idle, negative and  frivolous words that could be changed into a  life giving stream of hope!  

Selflessness helps us hear the “voice” of the Holy Spirit prompting us to step out of our mundane normality. We’ll be empowered to use our eyes to smile at someone we don’t know….wave at a child…speak hope to a teenager,  even if just a passing compliment…and listen to the story of one whose skin is a roadmap of their past journeys already traveled 

I believe loving people well helps them to love  themselves just a little bit more…and maybe in the future we won’t see so much hate.

We love getting the opportunity to hear from Boyd Brigman, our sweet friend of S3.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:18

Where is “kindness” on your to-do list this afternoon?

Our worship rightly consists of honoring God with our words. But that cannot be the end of it. That is simply vocalizing what our activities should constantly reflect. Our love for the Father should be visible in our actions toward His children. Let me challenge you to amend your schedule today.  As you prepare your calendar, intentionally set an action point to be kind to someone for no other reason than God told you to.

Be creative….Have fun with it.  Amaze someone today with your compassion and they will then be receptive to your truth.  We were created to love each other, and you will never feel more fulfilled then when you do so with your activities.

God didn’t just love us with words, He took action… difficult, expensive, sacrificial action. We should do the same.

It is your choice, today can be just another day, or you can choose to bless someone and make this day extraordinary for both of you!

I dare you to, be a blessing to someone today.  I guarantee when you bless them, it will splash out all over you.

What actions do you have planned today to show your love for others?

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

For more devo’s created by Boyd Brigman, check out his site: http://bigosbibletime.blogspot.com/?m=1

Hi friends!

My name is Taylor Sandy and I am excited to share truth with you today! 

A little background…

I graduated from Grapevine High School in 2014 and participated in S3 throughout middle school and high school. I went on to play collegiate soccer for The University of Kentucky, then transferred to The University of Texas at Austin to finish out my degree and soccer career. From the outside, many people think that my life is picture perfect and Instagram worthy at all times, but that is far from reality! I have struggled with sports adversity, injury adversity, friendships, break-ups, disappointments and set-backs, but the biggest has been loneliness.

The Bible says in Leviticus 20:26 “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own”. We are not meant for this world; we are not meant to fit in and the best example I can give is Jesus. He was bold, spoke truth in love, and He was persecuted for it. He experienced betrayal more than once and yet is the MOST significant and important person in history. Being set apart is lonely!

The world tells us to live as we choose, live by the mantra, “you only live once”, do what makes you happy, etc.

God’s Word says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”” I have experienced moments where I don’t feel liked or accepted by my peers and I have to remind myself that the world hated Jesus first. If you feel like people don’t like you because of you, it’s most likely because Jesus lives inside of you, and not because of who you are! When you change your perspective of the criticism or judgement you may face, it frees your heart and mind to really LOVE those who persecute you.

So, if you feel like you’re alone here is my tip for you. Put yourself out there! Join a bible study if you’re not in one already, go to youth groups at church or to your Student Standing Strong meetings every week, etc. Finding like-minded friends and community who understand what you’re feeling is the key! The fact is that everyone is lonely. Every person you know, even the popular person, feels lonely sometime or another. Satan fills your mind with lies of self-doubt, lack of moral values, insecurities, sinful pasts and current sin to hold you captive and keep you in the state of feeling lonely and isolated. God wants you to know that you are loved just as you are and that He created YOU for a unique purpose that only He can fulfill. Stand firm in your beliefs, and know God’s Word. You are not alone!

With love,

Taylor Sandy (@thetayloredlifeblog)

Throughout my middle school and high school years, Students Standing Strong has provided me with a space and a group of people that has allowed me to further develop my faith and leadership in the Lord. It can be hard to stand firm in your faith while going through school, but what I have found most important is to involve yourself in ways which you can lead and serve others. The past few years, I found my calling through serving as the dance worship leader, for elementary and middle school students at my church. I have created dance routines to worship songs that kids would learn and participate in during church services. I was able to take my love and passion for dance and use it in a way to praise and teach other students about the gospel. Serving as a leader for these younger students made me realize that I can be an eyeopener to Christ for many people. I am able to take my love for the Lord and combine it with

 my passions and gifts to serve Him. 1 Peter 4:10 states that “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

This verse has impacted my life because it such a great reminder to use the gifts that God has given me to serve in His name. Everyone is blessed with a unique gift that God intends for you to use to spread his word. Whether in school, at home, or with friends, don’t be afraid to utilize your gift to teach others about Christ.

Robin O’ Hanlon

I sat down to take a break from studying for my six exams during finals week and preparing for a full summer, working hundreds of miles away from home, to write a peace.

Huh, ain’t that something. I have learned that often what season you are walking in, and the areas the Lord is refining you is what you can speak and teach on most. While in such a busy time, what better way than to take a second to breathe and be still.

Psalm 46:10, the psalmist declares from the Lord, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations,I will be exalted in the earth!”

When he wrote that he was in a bit of a chaotic time. Verses like this, in my opinion, have a cost to them. There is a cost to being still, knowing, trusting and resting that many of us experience.

In John 14:27 Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” God’s heart is to fill you with peace. He longs for you to have all the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) dwelling within you. He has consistent, constant peace available to you. But you must trust Him in every area of your life. You must hand over the reins of your relationships, job, identity, and plans to the superhero of your soul. You must trust that He will guide you perfectly into an abundant life.

I remember, at the beginning of the year, feeling the Lord pressing on my heart, you know, where all of a sudden you feel the Word as much as you hear it or sense it. This would be the year I would rest and truly trust. Every time that I would step out of that, I would feel the angst and the striving of trying to make something better, trying to solve something, trying to bring a solution to something. And there was a feeling so deep in resting and trusting that we only gain by being still. The only time we are told to strive towards something in the New Testament it’s to actually strive to enter the rest of God (Hebrews 4:11).

I leave you with this: Look to your heavenly Father for peace. Find rest in His abundant love. Find your self-worth in the fact that God so desired relationship with you that He laid down His own life to have you. Your Father counts you worthy of the death of His only Son. Trust Him today. Place your entire life in His capable hands. Experience abundant life in the area of your emotions, rooting and grounding yourself in His unconditional, available love. May your life be marked by increasing peace as you grow in trust.

Shelby Schumacher

The University of Oklahoma ’21 | Sports Management

Grapevine High School Students Standing Strong President 2016-17