Hello all:)
It is officially Fall. Leaves are changing, college football has started, chili is simmering, and here in GA, lakes are appearing on the interstate. I think we can all agree that God has answered the prayer for rain. I read a status on Facebook earlier that said “If you are one of the people that keep praying for rain, stop.” Haha. Unfortunately, a lot of people have lost EVERYTHING. Home insurance doesn’t typically come with flood coverage, so a lot of people are in need. Be praying big time for those specific people. I will also have some info at the end of this to where you can actually donate and help some of those people out. So check that.
If you know me well, you know that the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has a HUGE spot in my heart. When I was in high school, I was very involved with FCA. In fact, that’s where God called me into the ministry. A coach named Doug Mullican started our FCA my freshman year and took me under his wing. He was crazy enough to make me captain of the club. Our first meeting we had about 15 kids show up. By the end of my senior year 1/3 of the school was coming, which at the time was around 150-200 kids showing up at FCA. It was the biggest club in the school. It was probably the most memorable thing for me about high school. A week ago, I got a call from a kid named Cody about me coming to sing at the opening FCA meeting at my alma mater. I went and WOW was I blessed. It’s been 4 years since I’ve been in high school. The kids who are now in charge of FCA were completely ruling it. It was amazing and such an honor to see something that I watched grow into a huge deal STILL be a huge deal by new generation. Cody called me yesterday and said, “I’m gonna as you a really rude question. Can you sing at See You at The Pole…like tomorrow?!” haha. Stuff like that is not normally something that I do, but I accepted because of how impressed I was with him at the FCA meeting. I got there this morning at 6:45 and Cody and his girlfriend were there setting up. Around 30 kids showed up. I sang a few songs, Cody gave the message and then the kids prayed. And man…it just hit me hard. Here was a 16 year-old-kid, no huge resume of leadership, not much support from adults in the area, and he was completely rocking it. Now, there are people that would read this and think, “It was 30 kids and a little prayer thingy, Haley. Not a big thing” But it is in such a bigger way than we know. I remember being a 14 year-old and singing and speaking in front of people and being scared out of my wit. I can even recall sometimes where people discouraged me because of my age and because I was a girl (still happens even now sometimes). I also remember people like Doug Mullican, who encouraged me and even challenged me to be boldly vocal for Christ. Coach Mullican saw something that I didn’t at the time. I was part of the generation who was going to eventually be leading the body…and whether I liked it or not, that position was quickly sliding under my feet. I had a huge responsibility, like it or not.
Watching Cody reminded me of that this morning. Doesn’t matter how young or old you are, you’re influencing someone- like it or not(notice how I keep saying like it or not). Also, I think it’s important to remember how incredibly important it is to encourage our younger generation. They will one day be our pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, etc. It’s important that we let them get started now in their own ministry and not hold them back or discourage them. I believe the children are our future… blah :)
Holler:)
HMS
To help flood victims is GA, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/
2 years ago
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Notes
Hello all!
WOW. I STINK at blogging regularly. I’m sorry! But I’m back now!
I hope everyone had an AMAZING summer now that it’s coming to an end. Jeremy and I did FCA/youth camps all summer and are just getting settled in to be home for a little break. We went everywhere in between Pensecola, FL and Costa Mesa, CA. It was CRAZY. It was such a good time though and I am beginning to miss it. If you’re someone we met or got to see this summer, I hope you had just as much of a ridiculously good time as I did. More than anything though, I hope you still have the same fire in your heart as you did the day you were leaving camp. If ya don’t, this might help some.
When I was in high school, I went to FCA and church camp every year. There is no feeling like the feeling you get at camp. You feel like you can take on the world. Then you get home. I don’t know about you, but for me, the realization that I was home and it’s wasn’t like camp anymore was a really hard thing for me to deal with. All the junk that I had in my life before camps was waiting for me when I got back. For some reason I thought because I had changed, I thought my situations at home had done the same thing. That wasn’t the case. What I did figure out is that’s what camp was for. God provided me with camp in order to go home and change those situations, I just had to have the guts to do it.
Another huge difference was that I had GREAT support from home. Not everyone does, infact I’m lucky I did. So- with that said…if you are struggeling to keep the fire burning bright then here are some steps.
1. Get in to the word, EVERYDAY. 2. Find a good, Bible teaching church that you enjoy and GET INVOLVED. If you don’t know of one, talk to your coach that took you to FCA camp. 3. GET INVOLVED with Christian friends. You can find some at FCA. 4. Exclude yourself, meaning STAY AWAY FROM, people or surroundings that tempt you to slip in your walk. For example. If I have a boyfriend who I “do stuff” with, he’s making me stumble in my walk. I need to DUMP him. If a certain group of friends cause me to act or talk a different way that’s unpleasing to God, then I need to find some new friends. Don’t mean that you gotta be mean to those old friends, just means you gotta surround yourself with people that won’t make you slip. 5. Find me and your huddle leader (for FCA camps) on facebook/myspace. You need support. I’ll be more than glad to pray for you, all you gotta do is send a message. I really encourage you to contact your huddle leader and maintain that relationship. They can be some of the biggest supporters you have and will definetely keep you accountable.
Myspace for me: Myspace.com/HaleyMorganSmith
Facebook for me: Facebook.com/HaleyMorganSmith
6. Quit watching CRAP (I can say that word, cause that’s what it is). Turn off the stupid stuff. If it’s something you’d be embarrassed of Jesus seeing you watch, turn it off. 7. Quit listening to CRAP. Turn off the nasty music. We can talk about how you like the beat or music ALL day long, but it comes down to this- Satan uses those lyrics to enter your heart. Guard yourselves.
On that note, here as some replacements for music. This is who we played when ya’ll walked in every night.
1. LeCrae 2. Flame 3. Ambassador 4. Fresh Digress 5. Kirk Franklin 6. Mary Mary
Check those artists out. Google them.
There is nothing and will never be anything more important than your relationship with Christ. If there is anything in your life you need to work at, it’s your relationship with Him. He does not leave or forsake. Make sure you put Him first.
Love each and everyone of ya’s :)
Haley
2 years ago
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Hey Hey!
I will be on TV 57 this Monday at 7:00-9:00pm on a show called Atlanta Live. SO, you should watch it! For GA residents who have DirecTV, I’m fairly confident that it’s channel 57 on your TV(cause that’s what I have). For others I’m not so sure, but this is the statement TV 57 makes about it:
“From nationally-known evangelists and gospel musicians to your neighbors down the street, ATLANTA LIVE features a wide range of guests sharing stories that inspire and music that ministers.
ATLANTA LIVE is WATC TV’s flagship program airing live weeknights from 7-9 p.m. with encore presentations every weekday morning from 7-9 a.m. In addition, one hour of ATLANTA LIVE is seen nationwide on NRB Network seen on DirecTV every weekday morning at 8 a.m. (ET).”
So…there ya go. WATCH IT!!! and pray I don’t do something embarrassing, like faint. It happens. To prove it watch THIS.
Eh, way to just stand there and look at her dude in the jacket. I love how she just keeps talking till she finally hits the ground. Amazing. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen Monday:)
Holler:)
Haley
2 years ago
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0 notes
Hello party people,
I now have my own page on the website iLike. It’s a cool page for fans to interact with. You can look at any videos I put up or that fans put up of me. You can listen and buy different songs that I’ve done, even some that I don’t actually sell myself. You can put my music on your facebook. You can check out pictures and any new albums or singles I put out. You can send me messages on my wall. You can request that I come to your town and show some Haymoe love(that was extremely corny, I know). You can put links up on your facebook or myspace. You get the point. You can do a lot of stuff. So check that out! Here the link: iLike.com
I hope you all had an AWESOME Easter. I did. This year I actually took off in order to be at my own church’s Easter service. I am pretty sure I have never been at my church for an Easter service (because I usually am singing somewhere else, not because I’m a “heathen”), so I REALLY enjoyed being there with my church family. My pastor did a stellar job with his message. He talked about the huge sacrifice that Jesus made, the power he had(has) and how he he took every step in detail, and how we should live our lives like everyday is Easter. I thought that was a really interesting point. We make a huge deal about this one day each year and then forget that the same Jesus lives, has the same power and grace, and still made that same sacrifice. So in other words, we should have the same fire in our hearts as we do on Easter everyday. We should make a big deal about Jesus everyday. He is completely worthy of it and it would be unjust to give him any less. A friend of mine sent me a quote that said, “Oh what the world would be like if all of us Christians acted like everyday was Easter.” I think that’s a good point. So that’s my heart’s desire- to have the same fire in my heart every day. To give him nothing less than what he deserves. Hope it’s your too.
Holler at ya’ll later,
Haley
2 years ago
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