What Have You Lost?

One night at the highschool small group I attend, I was asked one of the most important, difficult, and challenging, questions I have ever heard. My youth pastor looked at our youth group and asked "What have you lost?" ...We didnt really know what to say or how to respond. One, because we didnt know what he actually meant and two, those four words were so powerful even without a meaning.

He further went on to say, "If you lived your life following God, then died and it turned out that God isnt real afterall, What have you lost?"
I took a couple minutes to think about it and I ask you to do the same. Re-read the question and think about how you would answer.

Well if I died and it turned out that there is no God afterall, I would have lost friendships that I could of had. Parties I could have gone to. Boys I could have hooked up with or dated. I could have fitted in with the in-crowd. And all the other crazy things this world offers us. Did you think of any of these things?

Then he asked us a even harder question! Yes, another question. Please have a open heart about this question I will be giving you.

"If you lived your life not believing or following God, then died and turned out that God was real, What have you lost?" Re-read it, think about it, take it in.

We would lose a Father who loves us through our failures and accomplishments, a Father who is the Father to the fatherless (Like me: God is my daddy (: ), and a Father who is there for it all and loves you through the good and bad. A King who has already won and owns the victory, a King who takes care of His people, and a King who is above any king and treats everyone the same. A Savior who offers us eternal life, a Savior who gives us strength and protects us, and a Savior who vanquishes all evil and has experienced everything we have. A Friend who sticks closer than a brother, a Friend who will never forsake us or do wrong-doings to us, and a Friend who died for our sins even though we didnt deserve it at all.
     
    A God who loves us unconditionally, forgives all wrongs, knows us better than we know ourselves, who created us, and has plans for us.

Yes, the world offers cool things, but those things are mostly fun only during a season of our life. But, the things that God offers us, are beyond our lifetime, beyond the "coolness" of the things of this world, and are just so darn awesome! I am so glad that something greater than anything in this world loves me and you, cares about me and you, and wants us to live a good, hopeful, happy life. Its cool knowing that the Creator of the universe chose you and me.

A lot to take in! I know that feeling. I experienced it when Pastor Brian asked those questions. But I know that a lot of you can handle it.

And I pray that this speaks to you and helps you with your walk or Journey through this life!

-Haley Dorsey

Lets Take A Journey: Together.

Hello there new and awesome people!

My name is Haley Dorsey, I am sixteen years old, and I have realized that Life is a hard road, its quite an adventure. So why not share it with the people of the world?

I decided to start blogging because I always felt that God wanted me to write, inspire, and encourage the people of this world with my life, my failures and accomplishments, my testimony, my ability to love and write, and most importantly: My faith with God and the walk that you may or may not be traveling with me.

I started to get interested in blogging when my lovely mentor, Jacqueline Zdrojowy, introduced it to me. She wrote about her life, our youth group, her kids, and whatever else that awesome women wanted to blog about. I never knew about blogging, but I definitely know that God truly opened that door for me to just share this Journey with all of you. It is quite amazing how our God has everything worked out to every little detail!

So yes, I am very interested and excited to see where God will take this little blog and make it into something big, because our God never fails!

Creating the Right Name:

 Earlier this afternoon, I was sitting and talking to my dear friend Teresa Dubyoski. We were just talking about life and how we just wish that the people in our life encouraged each other a lot more. (Which was really weird since God planted that desire in my heart to encourage with a blog or something. God had it all together!!) I then had the sudden urge to do something about it, instead of just talk about how it could happen. So, Teresa helped me set up this blog spot... but then we got stuck. It really caught me off guard... "What am I going to name this blog?" Yeah a little petty or as our youth group would say "Great first world problem." But, honestly? If God is calling me to do something big with this blog, wouldn't I want even the title to mean something? Yes.
So Teresa and I sat for at least fifteen minutes dumb founded about what to say, and then the next twenty minutes were spent on looking at other blogs, trying to find ideas!
Then all of a sudden, Teresa comes out with "How about A Journey of Faith?" ....I sat there and was so taken back by how powerful and fantastic that name was, I literally got chills. I then knew "A Journey of Faith" was the name of this blog and the name of this encouragement and faith-walk to all of you.

My life is honestly a Journey and if I didn't have faith... I wouldn't even have begun a journey. So I ask all of you to have a open heart, a sound mind, and a kind spirit to the things on this blog that I know God will effect and show Himself through me, to this blog, and through this blog, to you. Allow Him.


I thank all of you for accompanying me in this new experience and allowing a sixteen year old girl to partner with you in this Journey of Faith: Together.

                                                                                                            With love,
                                                                                                                      Haley Dorsey