Merry Christams Eve !
I hope that Merry is a perfect word to describe your Christmas... lets be honest - the holidays are a tough times for a lot of us. We spend a lot of time thinking about the things and the people that are no longer in our lives. Maybe they passed away, maybe they are in the army, maybe its our first christmas without them... maybe its our twentieth and it isn't any easier. Or maybe we got a diagnosis that wasnt what we were hoping for, or maybe we are still waiting for the results... The holidays represent a season of family for most of us - we travel for hours and over seas to be with the people we consider our family. Our memories are consumed with our dads jokes or our moms gentle spirit. We look back and remember it being perfect when those certain people were still around...
Tonight at church our pastor's wife read a story about a little girl who was longing for the sense of hope to be renewed in her community. The cold and foggy atmosphere was becoming too much for her... she had to take matters into her own hands. Something needed to happen and she was determined to see that it did.
She was sick and tired of life being bland. She was hungry for some spice - some hope. She knew there had to be more to life than materialistic necessities... There had to be more to life than underwear and sandwhiches. She was convinced that there was something they were all missing out on... something big that would spice everything up, given the chance.
Mark my words, there is more to life than underwear and sandwiches. You can experience the fullness of God amidst adversity. In fact, hope stands firm when it seems that all else has fallen.
Jesus himself says this : "You will face difficult times. You will experience hardship because you live in a fallen world. You will have troubles. The road is not smoothe. You will fall and bleed and cry. Your heart will get broken. but...
take heart. I have overcome it all."
We have been redeemed - we have been restored. No matter our losses, no matter the schemes and plots of satan... Jesus has the final word. He came to show us his redeeming love, so that we would encounter Him and hold tight to the hope that he has given us.
Where ever you find yourself this Christmas season, remember that Jesus was born so that You would know his outrageous, unconditional, furious, overpowering love he has for you. He is gentle, and strong - He makes up for what is lost, and he understands where your heart is.
When you expereince his abundance amidst adversity, you wont be able to contain your joy. Your cup will overflow, and your peace will surpass all understanding.
May your Christmas be Merry, May you see the joy through the fog, and May you know that there is more to life than underwear and sandwiches.
12.24.2010
12.06.2010
Doubting Thomas & Slow Down, Quinton.
Today at church we talked about all the names of Jesus. The Son, The Father, the Holy Spirit, Messiah, I Am, Abba, Healer, Protector, King of the Jews, and the list goes on... throughout the bible, Jesus was known and proven to be worthy of many different names. Today we talked about one in particular: Jesus as God. He was fully man, and fully God while he walked the earth. The sermon was about all kinds of different facts and miracles but there is one thing that struck me:
The resurrection of Jesus is the one thing that leaves the world with no excuse to not believe. It was the way that God said to the world, "There is no way you can deny me now." The evidence is so clear. It is the truth that Jesus was beaten and hung on a cross, was burried in a tomb, and then three days later raised from the dead. It cannot be argued, over five hundred different people saw, spoke and interacted with Jesus after His resurrection.
One man stood out to me the most. Thomas. We refer to him as "doubting thomas" but lets be honest, if one of your best friends and the leader of your pack was murdered and everyone came to you telling you that He was now alive, would you automatically believe? I think a lot of us are more like Thomas than we like to think.
Thomas says, "I won't believe that Jesus has risen unless I touch his wounds with my own hands." He doesn't believe that Jesus is really alive... since Jesus is fully God, he knows where Thomas's heart is, and he understands what is going on through his head. Instead of writing him off because he has no faith, Jesus finds Thomas and says, "Come here Thomas, and put your hands in my wounds." He goes on to say that "those who believe without seeing will be blessed." but he loves Thomas and He knows the desires and the needs of his heart. He meets those needs by showing Himself real.
Growing up my dad has always reminded me that God can speak for himself. When we were faced with tragedy or trial, he would tell us to ask God to reveal himself to us... He told us to ask and to wait and to listen. The Lord speaks. He is just as alive as we are.
I wish the world knew that. I wish the world knew that Jesus cares about where they are. When you are confused and you have a doubting and unsettling feeling in your stomach, Jesus cares and he doesn't only care, but He wants to reveal himself to you. He wants to become real to you. Jesus didn't have to go to Thomas and say come and put your hands in my wounds, but he knew thats what made Himself real to Thomas, so He honored him and did it anyway.
I love that about Jesus.
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If you're a pretty regular reader, than you might recognize the name Anis Mojgani. He's my favorite poet, and though some of his work can be vulgar at times, he is an excellent writer... His poetry makes me think, and it inspires me to write.
In his poem "For those who can still ride in airplanes" he address the issue of trying to figure out this thing called a man... He explains that his one desire is to find God everywhere.
He says, "I spend most days making pictures or thinking about making pictures... I dream too much, and I don't write enough, and I'm trying to find God everywhere. I want to find God in the morning and the tired hands of dust. At the mouth of a river and down by its feet."
"Tell me what my fists keep writing. My fingers open up like gates when I write, and the wind is swinging in the wake... I lift bridges with poems."
He finds himself on a bus with a small boy named Quinton, and they take a glance into eachother's worlds... Quinton reads to Anis and he becomes so excited that his hands begin dancing back and forth across the pages, stumbling over words, skipping over lines because his fingers are moving fastser than they're showing his eyes... Anis listens.
"Slow down, Quinton. You don't have to touch and go. You can see it all while your finger whispers on one word. Slow down and hold what you see for just a little longer. For in a world full of fast faces I'm looking for God everywhere..."
We become so caught up in our agendas, and our hectic schedules. We have practices to be at and meetings to attend and classes that we can't miss and tests to study for and jobs to apply for and music to write and books to read and sermons to create and we forget to slow down. We don't have to touch and go. There are things we must observe along the path.
The other day I was talking to Jesus and he said, "Kirby, I go before you each day, so look for the little things that I hide along your path. I put things out for you to observe and to rejoice over." The next day I was walking to class and I saw this big huge colorful pile of freshly raked leaves... I laughed and my cup overflowed with the memories of jumping into those leaves when I was little.
Slow down. Observe the things the Lord puts in your path for you to sing about. They are there. It's a matter of whether or not you'll stop to notice.
Pause. Observe. Rejoice.
11.25.2010
For the Elephants
Happy Thanksgiving! I can not believe that it's already November 25 - the semester has flown by... only one month until Christmas!
It's nice to be home with time to relax. Usually, when I come home, I'm rushing to do all kinds of things before sunday afternoon rolls around, and I make my treck back to Norman. I'd much rather spend the hours that I'm in Tulsa laying in the living room with all 5 members of my family, laughing about random things...
Last night I was laying on the floor with the christmas tree next to me... It was lit up and beautiful with all kinds of white, red and gold ornaments and snow flakes and berries and buttons; For the past couple years, Barb has been in charge of decorating the tree - and if you were here, you'd be able to tell :) But, I was laying there laughing about something, when it struck me that most of the United States never gets to do this.
There are families with broken relationships - there are living rooms with elephants occupying too much space.
Some of us have dads that left when we were young, and moms that sit with Jesus today... Some of us were beaten and abused, some of us maybe still are. Some of us are dealing with self issues, and wonder if we will make it through the holiday, some of us have sisters and brothers across the world fighting for our freedom, and some of us have never known what it is to have a "thanksgiving meal".
The holidays aren't bliss for everyone. For some of us, it's hard to get through. The holidays bring back painful memories, and a sense of lonliness. We wonder what could be different if we had our mom or our dad back. We are angry at the family member who crossed the line of appropriateness when we were young and robbed us of our innocence, some of us have never had enough money to taste the famous pumpkin pie...
This is for the elephants in the room.
Today isn't the easiest day of the year for a lot of us... I hope the intensity in your living rooms are replaced by peace today. I hope that laughter and joy fill your homes. I hope there is something for you to PTL about.
Terrible things happen in this world, and most we will never know why; but rest assured that the Lord knows exactly what we need when we need it - and He takes care of us. Even though you are in immense pain, Jesus has not forgotten.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. Psalm 146:4
Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you. 1 Thess 5:16-19
Happy Thanksgiving - I hope that is exactly what it is.
It's nice to be home with time to relax. Usually, when I come home, I'm rushing to do all kinds of things before sunday afternoon rolls around, and I make my treck back to Norman. I'd much rather spend the hours that I'm in Tulsa laying in the living room with all 5 members of my family, laughing about random things...
Last night I was laying on the floor with the christmas tree next to me... It was lit up and beautiful with all kinds of white, red and gold ornaments and snow flakes and berries and buttons; For the past couple years, Barb has been in charge of decorating the tree - and if you were here, you'd be able to tell :) But, I was laying there laughing about something, when it struck me that most of the United States never gets to do this.
There are families with broken relationships - there are living rooms with elephants occupying too much space.
Some of us have dads that left when we were young, and moms that sit with Jesus today... Some of us were beaten and abused, some of us maybe still are. Some of us are dealing with self issues, and wonder if we will make it through the holiday, some of us have sisters and brothers across the world fighting for our freedom, and some of us have never known what it is to have a "thanksgiving meal".
The holidays aren't bliss for everyone. For some of us, it's hard to get through. The holidays bring back painful memories, and a sense of lonliness. We wonder what could be different if we had our mom or our dad back. We are angry at the family member who crossed the line of appropriateness when we were young and robbed us of our innocence, some of us have never had enough money to taste the famous pumpkin pie...
This is for the elephants in the room.
Today isn't the easiest day of the year for a lot of us... I hope the intensity in your living rooms are replaced by peace today. I hope that laughter and joy fill your homes. I hope there is something for you to PTL about.
Terrible things happen in this world, and most we will never know why; but rest assured that the Lord knows exactly what we need when we need it - and He takes care of us. Even though you are in immense pain, Jesus has not forgotten.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. Psalm 146:4
Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. For this is God's will for you. 1 Thess 5:16-19
Happy Thanksgiving - I hope that is exactly what it is.
11.10.2010
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
One night, The Lord spoke to a man about what He had planned for this man's life. The man was just an average joe, just like the rest of us... No better, no worse. To the eyes of the world, he was a normal man. To God, he was a willing heart - a heart that dared to say "Lord, wherever you want me and whatever you want me to do - I'll do it." the Lord replied...
"Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, where My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well please."
The man was Oral Roberts - Oral Roberts University is an internationally known school. Great leaders have come off of that campus - all because one ordinary man said "yes" to an extraordinary God.
The other day I was having a conversation with my friend and we were talking about how we want our lives to be worth something - We want to do outrageous things for Jesus... there is one issue that tugs hard on both of our hearts and it's the issue of human trafficking and the growing industry of the sex trade.
Women and children are being sold, beaten, and raped day in and day out. Planes, trains and automobiles are carrying these innocent people who have been stripped of their innocence, their youth and their rights. A young female who has been kidnapped and trafficked lives, on average, for three years after the day she was kidnappped. Her body, her fearfully and wonderfully made body, becomes absolutely mutilated due to the number of times she is raped daily.
We have got to put an end to this.
"...He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he deteremined their boundries... for in Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17: 26-28
God annointed each and every one of our lives for this time period. For this year. For this week. For today. None of us were born in the wrong decade, or the wrong era. He decided beforehand when we would rise and when we would fall. He already determined our boundaries.
Some of us long to travel the world and to bring the message of Jesus to the uttermost bounds of the earth - others of us are terrified of leaving the U.S. The Lord created us and wired us exactly the way he wanted us to be... When we offer our bodies as living sacrifies to God, we are worshiping God in the truest form.
When my friend and I were discussing our plans of how we want to serve God, he began to tell me a story - there was a man and a wife and they were serving as missionaries in the Dominican Republic. She was pregnant and her babies were born deaf - they ended up having to leave the Dominican for one reason or another and the man cried out to God "Lord, why is all of this happening? We are serving you with our lives as missionaries! Why would you take us out of the Dominican... this country that our hearts have grown to love?"
Brace yourself.
The Lord replies to the man, "Are you going to serve me the way you want to, or the way I call you to?"
"We seek selfish ambition far more than we seek the will of God." - Tim Mannan
I want my life to mean something - but I want to serve Him the way He calls me to... not the way that I want to. If He calls me to the uttermost bounds of the earth, I'll leave in a heartbeat; because that is my dream. But what if he calls me to stay in Oklahoma City for the rest of my life? Or what if He calls me to run a children's day care? - This is when you discover your true motives...
Are you going to serve God the way he calls you to, or the way you want to?
"Raise up your students to hear My voice, to go where My light is dim, where My voice is heard small, where My healing power is not known, even to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Their work will exceed yours, and in this I am well please."
The man was Oral Roberts - Oral Roberts University is an internationally known school. Great leaders have come off of that campus - all because one ordinary man said "yes" to an extraordinary God.
The other day I was having a conversation with my friend and we were talking about how we want our lives to be worth something - We want to do outrageous things for Jesus... there is one issue that tugs hard on both of our hearts and it's the issue of human trafficking and the growing industry of the sex trade.
Women and children are being sold, beaten, and raped day in and day out. Planes, trains and automobiles are carrying these innocent people who have been stripped of their innocence, their youth and their rights. A young female who has been kidnapped and trafficked lives, on average, for three years after the day she was kidnappped. Her body, her fearfully and wonderfully made body, becomes absolutely mutilated due to the number of times she is raped daily.
We have got to put an end to this.
"...He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he deteremined their boundries... for in Him we live and move and have our being." Acts 17: 26-28
God annointed each and every one of our lives for this time period. For this year. For this week. For today. None of us were born in the wrong decade, or the wrong era. He decided beforehand when we would rise and when we would fall. He already determined our boundaries.
Some of us long to travel the world and to bring the message of Jesus to the uttermost bounds of the earth - others of us are terrified of leaving the U.S. The Lord created us and wired us exactly the way he wanted us to be... When we offer our bodies as living sacrifies to God, we are worshiping God in the truest form.
When my friend and I were discussing our plans of how we want to serve God, he began to tell me a story - there was a man and a wife and they were serving as missionaries in the Dominican Republic. She was pregnant and her babies were born deaf - they ended up having to leave the Dominican for one reason or another and the man cried out to God "Lord, why is all of this happening? We are serving you with our lives as missionaries! Why would you take us out of the Dominican... this country that our hearts have grown to love?"
Brace yourself.
The Lord replies to the man, "Are you going to serve me the way you want to, or the way I call you to?"
"We seek selfish ambition far more than we seek the will of God." - Tim Mannan
I want my life to mean something - but I want to serve Him the way He calls me to... not the way that I want to. If He calls me to the uttermost bounds of the earth, I'll leave in a heartbeat; because that is my dream. But what if he calls me to stay in Oklahoma City for the rest of my life? Or what if He calls me to run a children's day care? - This is when you discover your true motives...
Are you going to serve God the way he calls you to, or the way you want to?
10.28.2010
Shine
Have you ever been to a broadway show or a football game or any sort of performance where the people you were watching seemed to be having so much fun that you couldn't help but want to get up and play or perform with them? Those are always the best kinds of shows - the players and dancers are shining with something contagious... makes me want to sing, or dance, or jump... stirs something in my heart - gets my adrenaline pumping.
For the past nine weeks i've been practicing with 49 other freshmen to perform an absolutely stellar show in front of hundreds of people. Nine weeks ago, the perfomance weekend seemed forever away - but now it's here and looking back, I can't believe it has already been that long! Everyday our directors tell us that our facials and our sharpness aren't in our muscle memory yet, so in order to do those things we have to think about them. With every practice our desire to win skyrockets... We want to be the best - we want to show everyone that we are the best; just as all the other teams want to.
Last night was our dress rehearsal in front of all the other teams. Before we took the stage my friend prayed over our performance - not asking for favor, but simply that we would have so much fun on that stage, that the crowd would be blown away by the light of Jesus shining through us. He prayed that we wouldn't be pretending with our giant smiles and big facials - but that through our performance the light of the Kingdom of God would be seen; it seems that would require great authenticity. It might require a change in heart for all of us.
don't get me wrong, our desire is still to win! But even more, we ask and we hope that through our ridiculous amount of energy, God will be glorified.
Think about if that was our souls desire, our hearts cry, in every single thing we did... What if in every day, in every office or classroom we step inside, in every phone call we answer, in every 5 o' clock traffick we get stuck in, every single person we come in contact with - what if our one desire was that the fire burning inside of us would be seen through our actions and our words - what if it became contagious... maybe the world would see us differently. Maybe they would catch the fire, and hearts would melt. Maybe bridges between people would be built in place of thick walls.
Isn't it interesting that the people who hated Jesus were the ones that were stuck on religion and rules and obsessed with the idea of catching Jesus doing something wrong? The tax collectors and the adulterers and the murderers and the prostitutes and the sick and the dying and the heart broken were all drawn to Jesus... They could tell there was something different about Him - they were attracted to the light that was inside of Him.
We were created in His image to do the things He did while He was here.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works that I have done, and even greater works..." John 14:12
It's absolutely crucial that we strip off the things that dim our lights - Light is the one thing that the darkness cannot overcome. The light transforms the darkness.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matt 5:14
Maybe letting our light shine in EVERY situation in every day isn't in our muscle memory yet - it requires us to think about the image that we are portraying to the world. We are representatives of the greatest phenomenon to ever walk the horizon of the earth... makes me step back, and think about what people see in me.
I pray that the people that I come in contact with will not see me, but Jesus inside of me. I pray that with every day, he is more and more visible inside me. I pray that the love of Jesus will overwhelm the hearts of the people I meet... I pray that His love inside me will surpass all the religious chaos out there - He is far greater. I pray all of these same things for you...
Let your light shine, He is so attractive inside of you!
For the past nine weeks i've been practicing with 49 other freshmen to perform an absolutely stellar show in front of hundreds of people. Nine weeks ago, the perfomance weekend seemed forever away - but now it's here and looking back, I can't believe it has already been that long! Everyday our directors tell us that our facials and our sharpness aren't in our muscle memory yet, so in order to do those things we have to think about them. With every practice our desire to win skyrockets... We want to be the best - we want to show everyone that we are the best; just as all the other teams want to.
Last night was our dress rehearsal in front of all the other teams. Before we took the stage my friend prayed over our performance - not asking for favor, but simply that we would have so much fun on that stage, that the crowd would be blown away by the light of Jesus shining through us. He prayed that we wouldn't be pretending with our giant smiles and big facials - but that through our performance the light of the Kingdom of God would be seen; it seems that would require great authenticity. It might require a change in heart for all of us.
don't get me wrong, our desire is still to win! But even more, we ask and we hope that through our ridiculous amount of energy, God will be glorified.
Think about if that was our souls desire, our hearts cry, in every single thing we did... What if in every day, in every office or classroom we step inside, in every phone call we answer, in every 5 o' clock traffick we get stuck in, every single person we come in contact with - what if our one desire was that the fire burning inside of us would be seen through our actions and our words - what if it became contagious... maybe the world would see us differently. Maybe they would catch the fire, and hearts would melt. Maybe bridges between people would be built in place of thick walls.
Isn't it interesting that the people who hated Jesus were the ones that were stuck on religion and rules and obsessed with the idea of catching Jesus doing something wrong? The tax collectors and the adulterers and the murderers and the prostitutes and the sick and the dying and the heart broken were all drawn to Jesus... They could tell there was something different about Him - they were attracted to the light that was inside of Him.
We were created in His image to do the things He did while He was here.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works that I have done, and even greater works..." John 14:12
It's absolutely crucial that we strip off the things that dim our lights - Light is the one thing that the darkness cannot overcome. The light transforms the darkness.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matt 5:14
Maybe letting our light shine in EVERY situation in every day isn't in our muscle memory yet - it requires us to think about the image that we are portraying to the world. We are representatives of the greatest phenomenon to ever walk the horizon of the earth... makes me step back, and think about what people see in me.
I pray that the people that I come in contact with will not see me, but Jesus inside of me. I pray that with every day, he is more and more visible inside me. I pray that the love of Jesus will overwhelm the hearts of the people I meet... I pray that His love inside me will surpass all the religious chaos out there - He is far greater. I pray all of these same things for you...
Let your light shine, He is so attractive inside of you!
10.14.2010
Spare Change
What is it that you're asking God for today? What is it that you need?
As I live here in Norman, I find myself more and more blessed every single day. I stand in awe of the relationships that have already unfolded before me. Role models and mentors that I could have only dreamed of are now instantly standing beside me when I need any kind of support.
Growing up I learned the moto "It's not what you know, but who you know" real early. As I've gotten older, I've become a strong believer in the truth of that saying. If we set goals as high as the moon, but do not build relationships along the way, we will get no where. We were created for community, and we must stop and see the people that God has placed in our paths. Maybe that relationship doesnt have much of an effect on you... maybe you're being used to better someone else. Be aware of your surroundings, there is ALWAYS a new friend to meet, and it's only a matter of time.
Anyways, that was just a sidenote.
I've been talking to some of my girlfriends this week about what's going on in their school lives within the next few weeks... with midterms coming up, everyone is in a studying frenzy - always on their way to the Library. We've been talking about the worries that we each have when it comes to our grades - none of us being familiar with College yet, trying our hardest to get into the swing of things.
My mom would always tell me to "speak life" over things. Naturally, it's now the first thing that pops into my head.
God is so huge. I would hate to tell him that He's not smart enough for Zoology, or Chem, or Anthropology... I can only imagine what He would get on that test... :)
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish anything - or destroy it!" James 3:5
I have a friend that was taking Chem a couple years ago and He got a bad grade on one of his tests so he had been re-studying all of the material so he could retake the test that he failed... he forgot that he had a new test over the new material on the same day. As he ran out of his house his cousin yelled a quick prayer for him asking God to help him on the test, asking God for favor.
He got a 100% on the test that he had completely forgotten about.
Could you imagine what our world would look like if we asked God for whatever it was that we needed, and expected Him to move?
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" - "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world."
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed and came back seeing! -John 9:1-7
Have you ever caught yourself asking God for spare change? - "Lord, please help me do okay on this test." "God, even just a little record deal will do." "Lord, help the doctors find a medicine that will heal me." Instead of "Lord, your word says that you came to give life and give it abundantly, I know that by your stripes I WAS healed. So I rebuke this sickness in the name of Jesus and send it straight to the pit of hell. I am Healed!"
What will it take for us to become a culture of need... When will we realize that we need a savior the same way the african people do, and the haitians? When will we stop believing God can do outrageous things, and start expecting Him to? Even satan believes, and shakes with fear. Our "faith" comes in when we expect God to heal us.
Too often we ask for spare change from God out of false humility. We miss opportunities when we ask for spare change. Don't you think God is waiting for a people who are waiting for Him to show off in and through them?
"I have appointed you for this very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." Romans 9:17
I've heard it said before that "we want to see a miracle, but we don't want to be one" its time we let God use us how he wants to rock the face of North America. We are a continent that is desperate for something solid. Something that we can find Joy in...
Spare change will only get you so far. Start asking for what you need, expect God to take care of you, and watch Him at His finest.
We're waiting, God. Blow us away.
As I live here in Norman, I find myself more and more blessed every single day. I stand in awe of the relationships that have already unfolded before me. Role models and mentors that I could have only dreamed of are now instantly standing beside me when I need any kind of support.
Growing up I learned the moto "It's not what you know, but who you know" real early. As I've gotten older, I've become a strong believer in the truth of that saying. If we set goals as high as the moon, but do not build relationships along the way, we will get no where. We were created for community, and we must stop and see the people that God has placed in our paths. Maybe that relationship doesnt have much of an effect on you... maybe you're being used to better someone else. Be aware of your surroundings, there is ALWAYS a new friend to meet, and it's only a matter of time.
Anyways, that was just a sidenote.
I've been talking to some of my girlfriends this week about what's going on in their school lives within the next few weeks... with midterms coming up, everyone is in a studying frenzy - always on their way to the Library. We've been talking about the worries that we each have when it comes to our grades - none of us being familiar with College yet, trying our hardest to get into the swing of things.
My mom would always tell me to "speak life" over things. Naturally, it's now the first thing that pops into my head.
God is so huge. I would hate to tell him that He's not smart enough for Zoology, or Chem, or Anthropology... I can only imagine what He would get on that test... :)
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish anything - or destroy it!" James 3:5
I have a friend that was taking Chem a couple years ago and He got a bad grade on one of his tests so he had been re-studying all of the material so he could retake the test that he failed... he forgot that he had a new test over the new material on the same day. As he ran out of his house his cousin yelled a quick prayer for him asking God to help him on the test, asking God for favor.
He got a 100% on the test that he had completely forgotten about.
Could you imagine what our world would look like if we asked God for whatever it was that we needed, and expected Him to move?
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. "Rabbi," his disciples asked him, "why was this man born blind? was it because of his own sins or his parents' sins?" - "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins," Jesus answered. "This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world."
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes. He told him, "Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam." So the man went and washed and came back seeing! -John 9:1-7
Have you ever caught yourself asking God for spare change? - "Lord, please help me do okay on this test." "God, even just a little record deal will do." "Lord, help the doctors find a medicine that will heal me." Instead of "Lord, your word says that you came to give life and give it abundantly, I know that by your stripes I WAS healed. So I rebuke this sickness in the name of Jesus and send it straight to the pit of hell. I am Healed!"
What will it take for us to become a culture of need... When will we realize that we need a savior the same way the african people do, and the haitians? When will we stop believing God can do outrageous things, and start expecting Him to? Even satan believes, and shakes with fear. Our "faith" comes in when we expect God to heal us.
Too often we ask for spare change from God out of false humility. We miss opportunities when we ask for spare change. Don't you think God is waiting for a people who are waiting for Him to show off in and through them?
"I have appointed you for this very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth." Romans 9:17
I've heard it said before that "we want to see a miracle, but we don't want to be one" its time we let God use us how he wants to rock the face of North America. We are a continent that is desperate for something solid. Something that we can find Joy in...
Spare change will only get you so far. Start asking for what you need, expect God to take care of you, and watch Him at His finest.
We're waiting, God. Blow us away.
10.11.2010
Sing!
Man, I've been sitting in my dorm watching this video over and over and over again, laughing hysterically to the point of tears. Her dad leaves a caption saying "What she lacks in tonal quality, she makes up in enthusiasm and volume".
I love the way her dad is so proud of her - when she gets a point in the song that she is so excited about she screams it with excitement and you can hear her dad laugh in the background.
He smiles and laughs with her. He marvels at how beautiful she is.
Watch it again. Notice the way her baby sister feeds off of her energy. Her joyful spirit is not only darling, but its now contagious.
It reminds me of the way my dad looks at me. He thinks i'm a goofball and a weirdo, but next to my mom he's my biggest fan. He laughs at the silly things i say and do... Reminding me that its okay to be a little different. He's proud to call me his, he claims me and protects me. He showers me with his love, reminding me that he isn't going anywhere. ever. Not even one day has come or gone where I have feared that my dad would leave me...
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18
I can't even begin to imagine how much more Jesus looks at me and smiles... He radiates with joy.. over me! I bet when i sing for him, he laughs at my voice and obsesses over my enthusiasm...
If Jessica was singing without the volume or enthusiasm, she wouldn't be nearly as funny or as entertaining... but because she is so excited to sing for her dad, even when she messes up, she radiates joy. Her spirit is contagious.
Sing praises today. Be loud and excited and joyful! Jesus is so proud of you, He calls you His own... and He loves the way you sing.
9.27.2010
PTL
Friday night I got to drive to Bethany, Oklahoma to visit my brother... to just relax and enjoy the peaceful neighborhood where he was staying. He lives about 35 minutes from me, so you'd think I could go see him often... I hadn't seen him in about a month though - life is hectic, and people are busy!
Saturday my parents and sister came to the area for Luke's football game, but came a few hours early to see me so we could catch up and hang out - i needed to feel the presence of stability. My cup was completely overfilled with abundant joy from getting to be in their presence. I've missed them so much - I had no idea how dependent I was on my family...
For the past couple weeks, since the semester has started, a few of my friends and I have been randomly busting out in song about all the things we love - Shelby and I publically display it on facebook to each other, while Sarah and I yell it while we walk down the south oval - and Mady and I pretty much just love to live a lifestyle of constantly loving the most silly things. (I'm pretty sure I've gotten weirder since I've moved to college!)
I love the birds, and the songs they sing. I love the beautiful weather. I love the rain. I love the grass on the south oval. I love walking through hundreds of people while I'm walking from building to building. I love walking! I love the caf. I love the songs I'm learning at U-Sing. I love to sing. I love to celebrate birthdays. I love to celebrate half-birthdays. I love to celebrate! I love to drink water. I love to lay in the grass. I love to watch the squirrels. I love to call people squirrels. I love to read the side walk chalk on the walk ways all over campus. I love to imagine writing my own announcements on the sidewalks. I love to meet new friends on the elevator. everytime i'm on an elevator. I love to learn peoples names. I love to go to Theta. I love to paint. I love paintings. I love to lay on boats. I love to dance. I love naming EVERYTHING Rex. I love uggs. I love OCTOBER. I love blessing people. I love fingernail polish. I love to laugh. I love to cry. I love to play in the rain. I love to yell. I love to whisper. I love the trees. I love spanish. I love accents.
In such a busy lifestyle, from going to class to dinner to theta to practice to chapter to new member meetings to dates to studying, I love to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for... all the things I love.
The other day I was sitting at starbucks with two of my best friends, Amanda and Mady, and we were talking about certain things in our lives... things that made us sad... pretty much just sharing feelings - and when I looked down at my starbucks cup the initials "PTL" were written on it.
In starbucks language "PTL" means "Passion Tea Lemonade" but in my language it means "Praise the Lord"... it was a pleasant reminder that the Lord is sovereign, and he works out all things for the good of those who love him. We all got a laugh out of the irony, and reminded each other to praise the Lord about something, anything, during hard times.
So - whatever day it is that you are reading this - here is a challenge from me to you: Talk about the things you love. Speak them out loud. Write them down. Hang them somewhere that you can see them and be reminded of them. Dance. Make pasta. Drink lemonade. Go for a walk. Show up somewhere alone. Buy a $4 coffee. Celebrate yourself. Watch the birds. Marvel at how many flies are gathered around one meal. Race. Be in community with someone else. Ask soemone else what they love. Speak life over someone. Declare liberty over your days - you were created to live abundantly. Isn't that cool? You were created to be in CONSTANT joy - celebrating and engaging with people - laughing about the beauty of the world... the butterflies and the leaves falling from the trees... the sound the wind makes and the crunch of an aged leaf.
Not even the next moment is promised to you, its a world of unknown futures and chaotic weeks - days that turn into seconds... you find yourself wondering where the time has gone. Tests, and papers and traveling and practices and positions to fill and music to write... maybe you're waiting to be discovered. Or maybe you are trapped in a violent relationship. Maybe you've lost your best friends. Or your kid moved away. Maybe you long for something real, a love that lasts... maybe you wonder if "love" could ever really last... maybe you long for a role model that has a positive influence. maybe you're sick of taking care of your family at age 17... Maybe you long to be a kid again.
Marvel.
We live in such a beautiful world. Love something.
Saturday my parents and sister came to the area for Luke's football game, but came a few hours early to see me so we could catch up and hang out - i needed to feel the presence of stability. My cup was completely overfilled with abundant joy from getting to be in their presence. I've missed them so much - I had no idea how dependent I was on my family...
For the past couple weeks, since the semester has started, a few of my friends and I have been randomly busting out in song about all the things we love - Shelby and I publically display it on facebook to each other, while Sarah and I yell it while we walk down the south oval - and Mady and I pretty much just love to live a lifestyle of constantly loving the most silly things. (I'm pretty sure I've gotten weirder since I've moved to college!)
I love the birds, and the songs they sing. I love the beautiful weather. I love the rain. I love the grass on the south oval. I love walking through hundreds of people while I'm walking from building to building. I love walking! I love the caf. I love the songs I'm learning at U-Sing. I love to sing. I love to celebrate birthdays. I love to celebrate half-birthdays. I love to celebrate! I love to drink water. I love to lay in the grass. I love to watch the squirrels. I love to call people squirrels. I love to read the side walk chalk on the walk ways all over campus. I love to imagine writing my own announcements on the sidewalks. I love to meet new friends on the elevator. everytime i'm on an elevator. I love to learn peoples names. I love to go to Theta. I love to paint. I love paintings. I love to lay on boats. I love to dance. I love naming EVERYTHING Rex. I love uggs. I love OCTOBER. I love blessing people. I love fingernail polish. I love to laugh. I love to cry. I love to play in the rain. I love to yell. I love to whisper. I love the trees. I love spanish. I love accents.
In such a busy lifestyle, from going to class to dinner to theta to practice to chapter to new member meetings to dates to studying, I love to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for... all the things I love.
The other day I was sitting at starbucks with two of my best friends, Amanda and Mady, and we were talking about certain things in our lives... things that made us sad... pretty much just sharing feelings - and when I looked down at my starbucks cup the initials "PTL" were written on it.
In starbucks language "PTL" means "Passion Tea Lemonade" but in my language it means "Praise the Lord"... it was a pleasant reminder that the Lord is sovereign, and he works out all things for the good of those who love him. We all got a laugh out of the irony, and reminded each other to praise the Lord about something, anything, during hard times.
So - whatever day it is that you are reading this - here is a challenge from me to you: Talk about the things you love. Speak them out loud. Write them down. Hang them somewhere that you can see them and be reminded of them. Dance. Make pasta. Drink lemonade. Go for a walk. Show up somewhere alone. Buy a $4 coffee. Celebrate yourself. Watch the birds. Marvel at how many flies are gathered around one meal. Race. Be in community with someone else. Ask soemone else what they love. Speak life over someone. Declare liberty over your days - you were created to live abundantly. Isn't that cool? You were created to be in CONSTANT joy - celebrating and engaging with people - laughing about the beauty of the world... the butterflies and the leaves falling from the trees... the sound the wind makes and the crunch of an aged leaf.
Not even the next moment is promised to you, its a world of unknown futures and chaotic weeks - days that turn into seconds... you find yourself wondering where the time has gone. Tests, and papers and traveling and practices and positions to fill and music to write... maybe you're waiting to be discovered. Or maybe you are trapped in a violent relationship. Maybe you've lost your best friends. Or your kid moved away. Maybe you long for something real, a love that lasts... maybe you wonder if "love" could ever really last... maybe you long for a role model that has a positive influence. maybe you're sick of taking care of your family at age 17... Maybe you long to be a kid again.
Marvel.
We live in such a beautiful world. Love something.
9.17.2010
Recklessness.
Have you taken time lately to hear whats going on in the world?
In my communication class this week we learning the importance of listening - one of the points in the book was that more times than not, we listen to what other people say so we can respond to them with our thoughts and opinions on whatever the issue is. We listen to respond. Instead of listening to hear. When's the last time you listened to someone, just hear them? I had to get myself in check on this one - I usually listen to respond. I think more of us are guilty of it than we would like to admit.
hear this:
Chile's mining minister expressed optimism Thursday that the 33 miners trapped since early last month 2,300 feet (701 meters) below ground here will be rescued in early November and maybe sooner.
The Census Bureau has released its annual poverty report showing more people are living at or below the poverty threshold. This means many are finding themselves there for the first time.“Maria,” who was too embarrassed to give us her true name or allow us to photograph her face, says she and her husband have had to sell their most cherished possessions.“We sold our wedding rings, our furniture, everything,” said Maria.
Sheryl WuDunn says, "Before long, we will consider sex slavery, honor killings and acid attacks as unfathomable as foot-binding. The question is how long that transformation will take and how many girls will be kidnapped into brothels before it is complete -- and whether each of us will be part of that historical movement, or a bystander."
Guatemalan police on Thursday were searching for a drug trafficker who initiated a shootout with police at a shopping mall the day before.
These things are going on in the world, and we don't even think twice about them... is it because they seem to be across the globe, and have no effect on us? Or is it because we have "other" things to worry about... more important things...
I got in a 'debate' with a friend today about the idea of having a female president - I understand that we all have different opinions about this, which is fine - but I think through this talk that we were having, i discovered that there was really an underlying issue. In multiple places throughout the bible, it talks about men being the head of the house hold - Paul tells us that men should love their wives the way Christ loves the church - even giving His life for her; and in return wives are to submit to their husbands. (Eph.5) I completely agree with this - and will do it gladly.
But what if we took gender out of the equation? what if we were submissive and loved each other in the greatest form, that we would even lay down our lives for eachother if it came to that?
The underlying issue is not the gender of our president - the issue is that we get more upset with each other about issues like this instead of getting angry over what's really wrong in the world.
when i asked him if he would vote for a godly woman over an ungodly man to lead this nation, which he would pick... the answer was somewhere along the lines of "the woman- but that choice would only happen because this country isn't full of christians"
I feel like it doesn't take much to realize that the body of christ is lacking in doing its job around here - I mean, the two greatest commandments are to Love God and to Love People... right? So if we are legitimately following Jesus than we would be more worried about taking care of the orphans and the widows and the poverty stricken than we are. Jesus said "What you do to the least of these, you're doing to me" (Matt 25) I think we should take that seriously. Its time we get angry about the things are wrong in this world - we waste our time and our breath with arguing about things that are so controversial that we will probably never agree on, and then we get mad at each other for having opposing ideas...
Hear this:
"What is, therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack today is not psychology or literature...what we lack is a holy rage - the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth...a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish... but never the chameleon." - Kaj Munk
Will people know who we are by the things that make us angry?
I once heard that if only seven percent of professing christians in the world adopted an orphan, there would be no more orphans...
What is making you angry? We must get a grip on a Holy rage - the world is watching our every move... a world that is searching for something stable, something true, something that lasts... we hold the answer - it replinishes itself. We can never get rid of it - when we empty our cups, they get filled back up. We have to stand up for something that matters.
It's time we run hard and fast after something that can rock human history until it conforms to the norm of the Kingdom of God... He wont relent until he has it all. Get angry about something.
In my communication class this week we learning the importance of listening - one of the points in the book was that more times than not, we listen to what other people say so we can respond to them with our thoughts and opinions on whatever the issue is. We listen to respond. Instead of listening to hear. When's the last time you listened to someone, just hear them? I had to get myself in check on this one - I usually listen to respond. I think more of us are guilty of it than we would like to admit.
hear this:
Chile's mining minister expressed optimism Thursday that the 33 miners trapped since early last month 2,300 feet (701 meters) below ground here will be rescued in early November and maybe sooner.
The Census Bureau has released its annual poverty report showing more people are living at or below the poverty threshold. This means many are finding themselves there for the first time.“Maria,” who was too embarrassed to give us her true name or allow us to photograph her face, says she and her husband have had to sell their most cherished possessions.“We sold our wedding rings, our furniture, everything,” said Maria.
Sheryl WuDunn says, "Before long, we will consider sex slavery, honor killings and acid attacks as unfathomable as foot-binding. The question is how long that transformation will take and how many girls will be kidnapped into brothels before it is complete -- and whether each of us will be part of that historical movement, or a bystander."
Guatemalan police on Thursday were searching for a drug trafficker who initiated a shootout with police at a shopping mall the day before.
These things are going on in the world, and we don't even think twice about them... is it because they seem to be across the globe, and have no effect on us? Or is it because we have "other" things to worry about... more important things...
I got in a 'debate' with a friend today about the idea of having a female president - I understand that we all have different opinions about this, which is fine - but I think through this talk that we were having, i discovered that there was really an underlying issue. In multiple places throughout the bible, it talks about men being the head of the house hold - Paul tells us that men should love their wives the way Christ loves the church - even giving His life for her; and in return wives are to submit to their husbands. (Eph.5) I completely agree with this - and will do it gladly.
But what if we took gender out of the equation? what if we were submissive and loved each other in the greatest form, that we would even lay down our lives for eachother if it came to that?
The underlying issue is not the gender of our president - the issue is that we get more upset with each other about issues like this instead of getting angry over what's really wrong in the world.
when i asked him if he would vote for a godly woman over an ungodly man to lead this nation, which he would pick... the answer was somewhere along the lines of "the woman- but that choice would only happen because this country isn't full of christians"
I feel like it doesn't take much to realize that the body of christ is lacking in doing its job around here - I mean, the two greatest commandments are to Love God and to Love People... right? So if we are legitimately following Jesus than we would be more worried about taking care of the orphans and the widows and the poverty stricken than we are. Jesus said "What you do to the least of these, you're doing to me" (Matt 25) I think we should take that seriously. Its time we get angry about the things are wrong in this world - we waste our time and our breath with arguing about things that are so controversial that we will probably never agree on, and then we get mad at each other for having opposing ideas...
Hear this:
"What is, therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack today is not psychology or literature...what we lack is a holy rage - the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth...a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish... but never the chameleon." - Kaj Munk
Will people know who we are by the things that make us angry?
I once heard that if only seven percent of professing christians in the world adopted an orphan, there would be no more orphans...
What is making you angry? We must get a grip on a Holy rage - the world is watching our every move... a world that is searching for something stable, something true, something that lasts... we hold the answer - it replinishes itself. We can never get rid of it - when we empty our cups, they get filled back up. We have to stand up for something that matters.
It's time we run hard and fast after something that can rock human history until it conforms to the norm of the Kingdom of God... He wont relent until he has it all. Get angry about something.
9.09.2010
Overcomers.
Fifteen years ago, 1 in 288 teenager girls cut themselves.
Fifteen years ago, 0% of teenage boys cut themselves.
One of my good friends, Alison, moved to India this passed summer and is living there for the next year... She emailed me last week and asked me what she could be praying for me and I got to tell her what God had been doing in my life.
I grew up around boys. All the time. Before my Sophomore, junior and senior year my best friends were boys... I liked to believe that they made better friends; less drama. Growing up, if my dad and brother were doing one thing and my mom and sister were doing another, you'd usually find me with Craig and Luke. It's just the way I was.
My junior and senior year of highschool I developed a passion for connecting with young women, and walking through life together. I was constantly being reminded that us girls gotta stick together. We have to be for each other. It's the only way we'll make it out.
The Lord has been so faithful. I ask the Lord to place girls in my life that I need to meet. Girls I need to mentor me. Girls I need to invest in. Girls who will probably end up changing my life.. I'm in a new city at a huge university and I'm surrounded by girls everywhere I turn. I live on an all girls floor, and I'm constantly with girls from my sorority. I've gotten to meet so many girls who are in the same boat as I am... so many new friends to make and stories to hear.
I keep asking the Lord to show me who I am.
Who am I?
I am a daughter of the Most High King - a daughter.
I'm learning what that means. I'm learning what it means to really be a girl. I've lost a desire to be "one of the guys" - I want to be who God has created me to be. Girly, and pretty, and joyful, and classy, and lovable.
She is more precious than rubies, and she will greatly enrich his life. She is energetic, and strong, and hard working. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. - Proverbs 31
I've been asking God to show me who I am... how to be His girl. His daughter. His wife, the church.
I am more precious than rubies, and I will greatly enrich his life. I will strive to be energetic and strong and hardworking. I will extend a hand to the poor and open my arms to the needy. I am clothed with strength and dignity, and I laugh without fear of the future. When I speak, my words are wise and I will give instructions with kindness.
Life is hard, and sometimes it's too hard to be who we are called to be. We are overcomers. We are not meant for this world. We were created for another one. The life after this... We are called to be IN this world, but not OF it.
Today, 1 in 5 teenage girls cut themselves.
Today, 1 in 7 teenage boys cut themselves.
Sometimes life interupts our plans... we get stuck in a moment that feels like it will last forever. We can't see past the darkness that we live in... we feel like hope is non existant.
Hope is real. We are overcomers. Remember the light - it is coming for you even when you cant see it. Your story matters. You were created to be a Proverbs 31 woman. Talk to someone. Your words are worth something. Your life is more precious than rubies.
Who are you? You are an overcomer.
Fifteen years ago, 0% of teenage boys cut themselves.
One of my good friends, Alison, moved to India this passed summer and is living there for the next year... She emailed me last week and asked me what she could be praying for me and I got to tell her what God had been doing in my life.
I grew up around boys. All the time. Before my Sophomore, junior and senior year my best friends were boys... I liked to believe that they made better friends; less drama. Growing up, if my dad and brother were doing one thing and my mom and sister were doing another, you'd usually find me with Craig and Luke. It's just the way I was.
My junior and senior year of highschool I developed a passion for connecting with young women, and walking through life together. I was constantly being reminded that us girls gotta stick together. We have to be for each other. It's the only way we'll make it out.
The Lord has been so faithful. I ask the Lord to place girls in my life that I need to meet. Girls I need to mentor me. Girls I need to invest in. Girls who will probably end up changing my life.. I'm in a new city at a huge university and I'm surrounded by girls everywhere I turn. I live on an all girls floor, and I'm constantly with girls from my sorority. I've gotten to meet so many girls who are in the same boat as I am... so many new friends to make and stories to hear.
I keep asking the Lord to show me who I am.
Who am I?
I am a daughter of the Most High King - a daughter.
I'm learning what that means. I'm learning what it means to really be a girl. I've lost a desire to be "one of the guys" - I want to be who God has created me to be. Girly, and pretty, and joyful, and classy, and lovable.
She is more precious than rubies, and she will greatly enrich his life. She is energetic, and strong, and hard working. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. - Proverbs 31
I've been asking God to show me who I am... how to be His girl. His daughter. His wife, the church.
I am more precious than rubies, and I will greatly enrich his life. I will strive to be energetic and strong and hardworking. I will extend a hand to the poor and open my arms to the needy. I am clothed with strength and dignity, and I laugh without fear of the future. When I speak, my words are wise and I will give instructions with kindness.
Life is hard, and sometimes it's too hard to be who we are called to be. We are overcomers. We are not meant for this world. We were created for another one. The life after this... We are called to be IN this world, but not OF it.
Today, 1 in 5 teenage girls cut themselves.
Today, 1 in 7 teenage boys cut themselves.
Sometimes life interupts our plans... we get stuck in a moment that feels like it will last forever. We can't see past the darkness that we live in... we feel like hope is non existant.
Hope is real. We are overcomers. Remember the light - it is coming for you even when you cant see it. Your story matters. You were created to be a Proverbs 31 woman. Talk to someone. Your words are worth something. Your life is more precious than rubies.
Who are you? You are an overcomer.
8.23.2010
Run With Purpose
I LOVE COLLEGE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT I'M HERE.
I feel like this whole experience is a dream... I always thought I was made for high school. I loved everything about high school. The teachers, the administrators, the events, the dances, the mud fights... I had the greatest high school experience, and I would defend that to my death. I dont think I would go back and change a single thing if I was given the opportunity. I built relationships in that high school that I know will stick with me throughout life, relationships that prepared me for the future.. relationships that taught me to always stay "childlike" in my faith. If anything, I was definitely blessed with shaking the right hands at the right time.
Now I'm in college, and honestly... Its just about the exact same. I still have teachers that I could really love, I still have events to attend... fun surrounds me in every direction I turn. I still have so many of the same opportunities, but on a bigger scale. My friendships have expanded... new friends galore :)
The only difference is this: I dont have my parents to tell me what to do and when do it... They dont wake me up before church and wait for me while I'm getting ready. I'm on my own. I have the opportunity to find a family that I'm unfamiliar with... its uncomfortable, but it's so rewarding. I've never been so far out of my comfort zone, but I couldn't be more blessed. I've been pushed out of the nest, and I'm beginning to spread my wings.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that for the last 18 years my parents have been raising me for this very time... to go out and be who I am destined and created to be. To love and to be loved.
I went to a church called Antioch yesterday, and I completely fell in love with it. I loved the way God spoke through the pastor, Chris. The sermon was about the parable of the sower and the lesson of "planting seeds". He also spoke from Acts 17 where Paul explains that from one man came every nation, and God has already decided when each of us would rise and fall. He knew that I would come to OU and He knew I would be a Theta and He knew I would be involved in different organizations and he knows the things that I dont even know yet... He ordained every second of my life, before he even created the world.
For in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
It was said of David that he was a man after God's own heart... What a reputation. I can only hope that someday someone will say that I was a woman after Gods own heart... In Psalm 27 David says "The one thing I ask is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
That was the one thing he desired. To constantly be in the Throne Room. Thats it.
He didnt ask for anything else. Not a companion or a house or a family or a job or money or whatever else they had back in his day... He just wanted to be before the Lord all the days of his life.
4 years. If that.
I have four years to walk this campus. To love these people. To pour into these lives. To learn from these professors. To teach these professors. To grow in this city. To plant seeds here. To water seeds here. To reap harvest here.
The next four years are a blank canvas. Every decision I make is like a paint stroke that ultimately paints a picture. Today is the beginning.
I want to run hard and fast after God. I want to spend every day of my life before God in His throne room. I want my words and my actions and my decisions and my thoughts to make Jesus famous...
So I run with purpose in every step... 1 Corinthians 9:26
Wherever you find yourself today, tomorrow... You are beginning a new day. It's a new start. A fresh start. Run hard and fast... He has ordained your every move, your every breath. Never forget that you are called and equipped. Even if you're not qualified, you're called! Let God make up the rest, and he will... He loves you, so much. He watches over you and laughs at the silly things you do and say.
You are never alone.
I feel like this whole experience is a dream... I always thought I was made for high school. I loved everything about high school. The teachers, the administrators, the events, the dances, the mud fights... I had the greatest high school experience, and I would defend that to my death. I dont think I would go back and change a single thing if I was given the opportunity. I built relationships in that high school that I know will stick with me throughout life, relationships that prepared me for the future.. relationships that taught me to always stay "childlike" in my faith. If anything, I was definitely blessed with shaking the right hands at the right time.
Now I'm in college, and honestly... Its just about the exact same. I still have teachers that I could really love, I still have events to attend... fun surrounds me in every direction I turn. I still have so many of the same opportunities, but on a bigger scale. My friendships have expanded... new friends galore :)
The only difference is this: I dont have my parents to tell me what to do and when do it... They dont wake me up before church and wait for me while I'm getting ready. I'm on my own. I have the opportunity to find a family that I'm unfamiliar with... its uncomfortable, but it's so rewarding. I've never been so far out of my comfort zone, but I couldn't be more blessed. I've been pushed out of the nest, and I'm beginning to spread my wings.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that for the last 18 years my parents have been raising me for this very time... to go out and be who I am destined and created to be. To love and to be loved.
I went to a church called Antioch yesterday, and I completely fell in love with it. I loved the way God spoke through the pastor, Chris. The sermon was about the parable of the sower and the lesson of "planting seeds". He also spoke from Acts 17 where Paul explains that from one man came every nation, and God has already decided when each of us would rise and fall. He knew that I would come to OU and He knew I would be a Theta and He knew I would be involved in different organizations and he knows the things that I dont even know yet... He ordained every second of my life, before he even created the world.
For in Him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
It was said of David that he was a man after God's own heart... What a reputation. I can only hope that someday someone will say that I was a woman after Gods own heart... In Psalm 27 David says "The one thing I ask is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life."
That was the one thing he desired. To constantly be in the Throne Room. Thats it.
He didnt ask for anything else. Not a companion or a house or a family or a job or money or whatever else they had back in his day... He just wanted to be before the Lord all the days of his life.
4 years. If that.
I have four years to walk this campus. To love these people. To pour into these lives. To learn from these professors. To teach these professors. To grow in this city. To plant seeds here. To water seeds here. To reap harvest here.
The next four years are a blank canvas. Every decision I make is like a paint stroke that ultimately paints a picture. Today is the beginning.
I want to run hard and fast after God. I want to spend every day of my life before God in His throne room. I want my words and my actions and my decisions and my thoughts to make Jesus famous...
So I run with purpose in every step... 1 Corinthians 9:26
Wherever you find yourself today, tomorrow... You are beginning a new day. It's a new start. A fresh start. Run hard and fast... He has ordained your every move, your every breath. Never forget that you are called and equipped. Even if you're not qualified, you're called! Let God make up the rest, and he will... He loves you, so much. He watches over you and laughs at the silly things you do and say.
You are never alone.
8.06.2010
The Countdown Begins...
6 DAYS UNTIL I MOVE INTO MY NEW HOME IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA...
I can't believe it. I have a rush of emotions filling my heart and my head. I'm nervous, and exciting, and confident, and hopeful, and anxious, and ready, and sad, and joyful, and willing... I have so much before me, so many new friends to meet... and so many friends that are staying behind.
There are a few people back in Tulsa who get me teary eyed when I think about leaving them... My parents, my Sister, My best friend Shelly, and my small group... I am who I am today mostly because of these people.
I've been praying a lot about what I'm supposed to leave here throughout the next six days, mostly so I can be ready instead of hesitant when I drive away.
Last monday was my second to last Crazy Love small group and we saw God move in a way we hadn't yet seen in that setting. We washed each others feet, because we knew that's what Jesus did for his friends. He set an example for them, and then told them to follow Him. We talked about the symbolism of washing each others feet and what it meant to be so humiliated that we were literally on our hands and knees washing and drying our friends' feet. We got to experience the heart of Jesus first hand. It wasn't comfortable, but it was eye opening.
What would it be like if we were serious about being humble before each other? If we literally asked people what they needed and found a way to get it to them? Whether it be a listening ear, or a blanket, or a summer scarf that we have a thousand of? What if it was a mattress or a friend or a meal? I think if we heard these needs, we would be quick to move... but what will it take for us to stop and ask? - To be so humiliated before eachother that we will give whatever we have... even if it is to wash someones feet.
My best friend, Shelly, is going to TU to play soccer... She has already moved in, and my friends and I went to go see her new room and experience "dorm life" with her. It stirred something in my heart... I was finally getting excited to move away! Then I realized, Shelly wouldn't be coming with me. Shelly has been my rock throughout the past few years... She was an answer to prayer, to say the least. She was the light Jesus put in my path when it was too dark for me to see, and when I was too weak to even open my eyes. She came alongside me, and she lifted me up. Honestly, I don't know if I would be here today without Shelly. Jesus knew what He was doing when He put her in my life,he knew we would need each other, and because of that I know we will always be friends. She has become my sister, more than anything else. We share a lot of the same passions, and a lot of the same dreams. She's going to be a Missionary by teaching someday, and I am so so so excited to see where she lands. "Spin the Globe" Shelly :)
I feel like I am too young to be moving away. I can't believe I'm going to be living without my parents. Today, my friend Margie asked me what I was going to miss the most about Tulsa and I said, "I think coming home every night and sharing feelings with my dad." I can't believe I wont be walking into my house, and seeing him waiting up for me. I can't believe I wont have my mom to come home to and cry to when I'm just having one of those days... or just need to cry. I can't believe she won't be waiting in my dorm room telling me to do something with that sassy tone in your voice... Her poweful outlook on life has shaped my personality and my sense of humor. I can't believe I wont be able to hear the two of them laughing hysterically with each other when I'm trying to sleep. I'm not Miss Independent when it comes to my family, so I think that will be one of my greatest obstacles. I guess I'm realizing how blessed I am to come from the family I come from.
My sister has finally moved back to Tulsa - and now I'm leaving her. She keeps telling me to find my "safe place" in Norman that I can go to or drive to when I need to cry - but she doesn't understand that She is my safe place. Whether we are in Florida and we wind up at the Donut Hole, or we are in Tulsa and we end up in the parking lot of Union High School... She's been my safe place, and I'm so so sad to be leaving her.
So these are my feelings about leaving - All my sisters, and my Dad.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS IN STORE FOR ME. My dad sent me an email about all the things that I needed to hear as I move to college... but they were all things that could be found in my own writing: on my blog, or on my facebook wall. I know that God has been preparing my heart for all the new things that I'm about to encounter. All the new people, and new friends, and new stories, and new organizations and churches... I know that I am equipped... I'm just trusting that God will guide my steps.
"The world is knocking at your front door. Clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be." -Anis Mojgani
Here is to something new. Something beautiful. Stay tuned for all the new, hectic, exciting, scary adventures that I'm about to call my life!
It is all counted as Something Beautiful.
I can't believe it. I have a rush of emotions filling my heart and my head. I'm nervous, and exciting, and confident, and hopeful, and anxious, and ready, and sad, and joyful, and willing... I have so much before me, so many new friends to meet... and so many friends that are staying behind.
There are a few people back in Tulsa who get me teary eyed when I think about leaving them... My parents, my Sister, My best friend Shelly, and my small group... I am who I am today mostly because of these people.
I've been praying a lot about what I'm supposed to leave here throughout the next six days, mostly so I can be ready instead of hesitant when I drive away.
Last monday was my second to last Crazy Love small group and we saw God move in a way we hadn't yet seen in that setting. We washed each others feet, because we knew that's what Jesus did for his friends. He set an example for them, and then told them to follow Him. We talked about the symbolism of washing each others feet and what it meant to be so humiliated that we were literally on our hands and knees washing and drying our friends' feet. We got to experience the heart of Jesus first hand. It wasn't comfortable, but it was eye opening.
What would it be like if we were serious about being humble before each other? If we literally asked people what they needed and found a way to get it to them? Whether it be a listening ear, or a blanket, or a summer scarf that we have a thousand of? What if it was a mattress or a friend or a meal? I think if we heard these needs, we would be quick to move... but what will it take for us to stop and ask? - To be so humiliated before eachother that we will give whatever we have... even if it is to wash someones feet.
My best friend, Shelly, is going to TU to play soccer... She has already moved in, and my friends and I went to go see her new room and experience "dorm life" with her. It stirred something in my heart... I was finally getting excited to move away! Then I realized, Shelly wouldn't be coming with me. Shelly has been my rock throughout the past few years... She was an answer to prayer, to say the least. She was the light Jesus put in my path when it was too dark for me to see, and when I was too weak to even open my eyes. She came alongside me, and she lifted me up. Honestly, I don't know if I would be here today without Shelly. Jesus knew what He was doing when He put her in my life,he knew we would need each other, and because of that I know we will always be friends. She has become my sister, more than anything else. We share a lot of the same passions, and a lot of the same dreams. She's going to be a Missionary by teaching someday, and I am so so so excited to see where she lands. "Spin the Globe" Shelly :)
I feel like I am too young to be moving away. I can't believe I'm going to be living without my parents. Today, my friend Margie asked me what I was going to miss the most about Tulsa and I said, "I think coming home every night and sharing feelings with my dad." I can't believe I wont be walking into my house, and seeing him waiting up for me. I can't believe I wont have my mom to come home to and cry to when I'm just having one of those days... or just need to cry. I can't believe she won't be waiting in my dorm room telling me to do something with that sassy tone in your voice... Her poweful outlook on life has shaped my personality and my sense of humor. I can't believe I wont be able to hear the two of them laughing hysterically with each other when I'm trying to sleep. I'm not Miss Independent when it comes to my family, so I think that will be one of my greatest obstacles. I guess I'm realizing how blessed I am to come from the family I come from.
My sister has finally moved back to Tulsa - and now I'm leaving her. She keeps telling me to find my "safe place" in Norman that I can go to or drive to when I need to cry - but she doesn't understand that She is my safe place. Whether we are in Florida and we wind up at the Donut Hole, or we are in Tulsa and we end up in the parking lot of Union High School... She's been my safe place, and I'm so so sad to be leaving her.
So these are my feelings about leaving - All my sisters, and my Dad.
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IS IN STORE FOR ME. My dad sent me an email about all the things that I needed to hear as I move to college... but they were all things that could be found in my own writing: on my blog, or on my facebook wall. I know that God has been preparing my heart for all the new things that I'm about to encounter. All the new people, and new friends, and new stories, and new organizations and churches... I know that I am equipped... I'm just trusting that God will guide my steps.
"The world is knocking at your front door. Clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be." -Anis Mojgani
Here is to something new. Something beautiful. Stay tuned for all the new, hectic, exciting, scary adventures that I'm about to call my life!
It is all counted as Something Beautiful.
7.24.2010
"This? This is for You..."
Tonight I came across a poem/youtube video that is my favorite of both... it is called "Shake The Dust..." by Anis Mojgani
It addresses every single person who walks the face of the earth. I think everyone and anyone can read it and relate to it... It begins by calling out to every type of person.
"This is for the benches, and the people sitting upon them." - Pretty universal. "This is for the two year olds who can not be understood because they speak have english and half God." "This is for the biggots, the sexists, the killers..." "This is for the tired and for the dreamers... this? This is for you."
It ends as universal as it begins.
"Make sure that by the time fisherman returns you are gone.
Because just like the days, I burn both ends and every time I write, every time I open my eyes I am cutting out a part of myself to give to you.
So shake the dust and take me with you when you do for none of this has never been for me.
All that pushes and pulls, pushes and pulls for you.
So grab this world by its clothespins and shake it out again and again and jump on top and take it for a spin and when you hop off shake it again for this is yours.
Make my words worth it, make this not just another poem that I write, not just another poem like just another night that sits heavy above us all.
Walk into it, breathe it in, let is crash through the halls of your arms at the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood pumping and pushing making you live, shaking the dust.
So when the world knocks at your front door, clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be." - Anis Mojgani
I want my life to be worth it. I want to run forward into life with widespread greeting arms, and trembling fingertips. I want to be fearless. I want to see each person I come in contact with and offer them some hope just by sharing my life with them. I want to walk with people through life... I want to let go of my "plans" for my future. I want to live today - because I will never know who I was supposed to meet and what I was supposed to see today, if I'm too busy looking forward and planning.
I want to be prepared, but even more I want to be willing to learn from the moment I have today. I want to meditate on the living Word of God, and the fact that I am blessed to be here every second that I'm here. I know a lot of people who's families would give anything to have them back here... I want to shout praise while I'm still here.
Life has never been described as "easy" - so shake the dust. Remind yourself that you're alive. "Speak everytime you stand so you do not forget yourself." You matter. Your words matter. Your story matters. Your art matters. Your talent matters. Your laughter and your tears matter. Shake the dust.
"Do not settle for letting these waves settle, and for dust to collect in your veins." - Find something that makes you move for something greater than yourself.
"We are only given a little spark of madness. We musn't lose it." - Robin Williams
It addresses every single person who walks the face of the earth. I think everyone and anyone can read it and relate to it... It begins by calling out to every type of person.
"This is for the benches, and the people sitting upon them." - Pretty universal. "This is for the two year olds who can not be understood because they speak have english and half God." "This is for the biggots, the sexists, the killers..." "This is for the tired and for the dreamers... this? This is for you."
It ends as universal as it begins.
"Make sure that by the time fisherman returns you are gone.
Because just like the days, I burn both ends and every time I write, every time I open my eyes I am cutting out a part of myself to give to you.
So shake the dust and take me with you when you do for none of this has never been for me.
All that pushes and pulls, pushes and pulls for you.
So grab this world by its clothespins and shake it out again and again and jump on top and take it for a spin and when you hop off shake it again for this is yours.
Make my words worth it, make this not just another poem that I write, not just another poem like just another night that sits heavy above us all.
Walk into it, breathe it in, let is crash through the halls of your arms at the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood pumping and pushing making you live, shaking the dust.
So when the world knocks at your front door, clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be." - Anis Mojgani
I want my life to be worth it. I want to run forward into life with widespread greeting arms, and trembling fingertips. I want to be fearless. I want to see each person I come in contact with and offer them some hope just by sharing my life with them. I want to walk with people through life... I want to let go of my "plans" for my future. I want to live today - because I will never know who I was supposed to meet and what I was supposed to see today, if I'm too busy looking forward and planning.
I want to be prepared, but even more I want to be willing to learn from the moment I have today. I want to meditate on the living Word of God, and the fact that I am blessed to be here every second that I'm here. I know a lot of people who's families would give anything to have them back here... I want to shout praise while I'm still here.
Life has never been described as "easy" - so shake the dust. Remind yourself that you're alive. "Speak everytime you stand so you do not forget yourself." You matter. Your words matter. Your story matters. Your art matters. Your talent matters. Your laughter and your tears matter. Shake the dust.
"Do not settle for letting these waves settle, and for dust to collect in your veins." - Find something that makes you move for something greater than yourself.
"We are only given a little spark of madness. We musn't lose it." - Robin Williams
7.06.2010
KUSHIKA
Kushika: v- to be held
Today, I met with my best friend Rachael who just got home from Tanzania on a Medical Missions trip. She came back with a heavy heart for many of the people that she met while she walked through the country. She spoke with tears in her eyes about the words God was speaking to her.
Kushika is Swahili for "to be held". Rachael went to Africa with one thing for certain in her heart... to reach the people of Tanzania and to give them hope; to show them that the promise was that when everything in this life fell, we'd be held.
She came back with stories of how poor these beautiful people were, but how rich they were in spirit. How thankful and joyful they were, even when they had little to show for it.
"This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life. This is what it is to be loved, and to know that the promise was that when everything fell we'd be held." -Natalie Grant
Tonight, I sit and remember the stories of the babies I met in Arlington this past week. My heart is heavy for people. Life is tough, and sometimes it takes too much out of us to lift out own heads. We are tired and hungry and thirsty. We can't see the end and we wonder if it will ever come.
If you've had the sacred torn from you're life, remember that you are held. There is hope, and there is healing. You were never meant to face the heartache of this life alone. When it feels like you cant move on, when you cant take one more step, I pray that God will light your path just enough to show you where to plant your foot.
We must remember hope, and we must remember "Kushika". Remember what it is to be held. You are in better hands tonight.
Wherever you are, whatever you are dealing with remember that there is someone who is praying for you, someone who loves you, someone who believes in you and someone who wants to walk with you.
May you find Kushika tonight.
Today, I met with my best friend Rachael who just got home from Tanzania on a Medical Missions trip. She came back with a heavy heart for many of the people that she met while she walked through the country. She spoke with tears in her eyes about the words God was speaking to her.
Kushika is Swahili for "to be held". Rachael went to Africa with one thing for certain in her heart... to reach the people of Tanzania and to give them hope; to show them that the promise was that when everything in this life fell, we'd be held.
She came back with stories of how poor these beautiful people were, but how rich they were in spirit. How thankful and joyful they were, even when they had little to show for it.
"This is what it means to be held, how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life. This is what it is to be loved, and to know that the promise was that when everything fell we'd be held." -Natalie Grant
Tonight, I sit and remember the stories of the babies I met in Arlington this past week. My heart is heavy for people. Life is tough, and sometimes it takes too much out of us to lift out own heads. We are tired and hungry and thirsty. We can't see the end and we wonder if it will ever come.
If you've had the sacred torn from you're life, remember that you are held. There is hope, and there is healing. You were never meant to face the heartache of this life alone. When it feels like you cant move on, when you cant take one more step, I pray that God will light your path just enough to show you where to plant your foot.
We must remember hope, and we must remember "Kushika". Remember what it is to be held. You are in better hands tonight.
Wherever you are, whatever you are dealing with remember that there is someone who is praying for you, someone who loves you, someone who believes in you and someone who wants to walk with you.
May you find Kushika tonight.
6.26.2010
Unknown. Unheard. Unseen.
I was cleaning out my room the other day, and found a plethera of my old journals. I love to write, and I love to document my feelings on different subjects or experiences. I feel like the journal is my safe place. The thing I can turn to and spill my thoughts... a place I find that my thoughts actually make sense. There are times when I can't think of a single thing to put on paper, and then there are times when my fingers can write fast enough... Its always entertaining to go back and read the things that were on my heart during certain times of my life.
I love buying new journals. I love the different styles, and the art on the cover, and the quotes that are already written inside of them. People who know me pretty well know that a journal is always a welcomed gift around here. With that being said: Collectively, I have 9 journals. None of which have been completely filled. My goal is to finish an entire journal before I die. I think I can do it, it will just take dedication.
I promise this blog has more to do with it than informing you about my journals... hang in there.
I discovered my journal that I took to Amsterdam last summer, and reading the words that were written on the lines of the pages caught me by surprise. It's as if I remember feeling every word that I wrote, but now it feels like I'm reading someone else's words... I stand in amazement when I look back and remember the things I learned, or the people I met, or the way God orchestrated every detail. It is so obvious that no human being could have ever planned that trip to Amster and seen it unfold the way it did without God's hand at work. I am so blessed... today, I am reminded.
I found this journal entry:
Unknown.
How could I stand here with You, and not be moved by You? Unknown is my theme word for the week. Lord, You know every story of every person to walk on the face of this earth. Today is going to be a big day. Somehow, each of these women ended up in this place. But why? What are their stories? It's all unknown, until it is asked. the woman at the busstop, what is her story? Does she have anything that reminds her to hope? Hope. It's a mighty thing. It gives us the energy to keep holding on. to push through. Anne Frank died one month before the suffering and torture were over. She thought her entire family died. She lost hope. Maybe if she would have known her dad was still alive, she would have pushed through and survived. Hope does that for us. The yellow roses that were given to the prostitute from Singapore reminded her to Hope. Who do I need to share my hope with?
"Growth means change. Which sometimes involves risk. Stepping from the known to the unknown." -George Shinn
Unheard.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." -MK16:15
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resoundng gong or a clanging symbol. - 1COR13:1
Tomorrow I am leaving for a missions trip with my youth group to Arlington, Texas. We will be working with all kinds of kids who live in the projects of Arlington... I think mostly running VBS camps, and loving on people. I dont know what they have heard, or what they have never been told. I dont know if they'll look at me and think, "Who is this Jesus she speaks of?" By the time I leave I hope there are 3 things I leave them with: 1) The Love of Jesus. 2) A message of hope and of healing. and 3) They are important. Their story matters. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope, by the end of the week, they leave VBS grasping a piece of hope that was once unheard of.
Unseen.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2COR4:5
For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. EPH6:12
(EXERPT FROM AMSTER JOURNAL):
"The spirit of Satan is so obvious in this district. It's like Satan has this place on a leash. I have never experienced such a dark place. The Light floods the darkness though. It isn't the girls or the clients or the pimps or the traffickers we are fighting against. But rather the evil that resides over them. The hatred and emptiness and bitterness and lust and rage... they are all friends and they all work together. The good news is: Love heals."
I hope that when I go to Arlington, I will see the world with my spiritual eyes. I want to see the city and the people through the eyes of Jesus. Because everything and every being has beauty embedded in it.
I am going on a new mission. It is very different than walking the streets of Amsterdam; however, it is very much the same. I am still going to invest in people. People must be restored. I am going to speak life over a city and a child. If even one child experiences Jesus while I'm there, then this week will be worth it.
Some may say that short term mission trips have a greater impact on the missionary... and to an extent, I might agree. But like my Mom always told me: "Plant seeds."
Some plant, some water, and some reap the harvest.
I love buying new journals. I love the different styles, and the art on the cover, and the quotes that are already written inside of them. People who know me pretty well know that a journal is always a welcomed gift around here. With that being said: Collectively, I have 9 journals. None of which have been completely filled. My goal is to finish an entire journal before I die. I think I can do it, it will just take dedication.
I promise this blog has more to do with it than informing you about my journals... hang in there.
I discovered my journal that I took to Amsterdam last summer, and reading the words that were written on the lines of the pages caught me by surprise. It's as if I remember feeling every word that I wrote, but now it feels like I'm reading someone else's words... I stand in amazement when I look back and remember the things I learned, or the people I met, or the way God orchestrated every detail. It is so obvious that no human being could have ever planned that trip to Amster and seen it unfold the way it did without God's hand at work. I am so blessed... today, I am reminded.
I found this journal entry:
Unknown.
How could I stand here with You, and not be moved by You? Unknown is my theme word for the week. Lord, You know every story of every person to walk on the face of this earth. Today is going to be a big day. Somehow, each of these women ended up in this place. But why? What are their stories? It's all unknown, until it is asked. the woman at the busstop, what is her story? Does she have anything that reminds her to hope? Hope. It's a mighty thing. It gives us the energy to keep holding on. to push through. Anne Frank died one month before the suffering and torture were over. She thought her entire family died. She lost hope. Maybe if she would have known her dad was still alive, she would have pushed through and survived. Hope does that for us. The yellow roses that were given to the prostitute from Singapore reminded her to Hope. Who do I need to share my hope with?
"Growth means change. Which sometimes involves risk. Stepping from the known to the unknown." -George Shinn
Unheard.
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." -MK16:15
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resoundng gong or a clanging symbol. - 1COR13:1
Tomorrow I am leaving for a missions trip with my youth group to Arlington, Texas. We will be working with all kinds of kids who live in the projects of Arlington... I think mostly running VBS camps, and loving on people. I dont know what they have heard, or what they have never been told. I dont know if they'll look at me and think, "Who is this Jesus she speaks of?" By the time I leave I hope there are 3 things I leave them with: 1) The Love of Jesus. 2) A message of hope and of healing. and 3) They are important. Their story matters. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I hope, by the end of the week, they leave VBS grasping a piece of hope that was once unheard of.
Unseen.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2COR4:5
For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. EPH6:12
(EXERPT FROM AMSTER JOURNAL):
"The spirit of Satan is so obvious in this district. It's like Satan has this place on a leash. I have never experienced such a dark place. The Light floods the darkness though. It isn't the girls or the clients or the pimps or the traffickers we are fighting against. But rather the evil that resides over them. The hatred and emptiness and bitterness and lust and rage... they are all friends and they all work together. The good news is: Love heals."
I hope that when I go to Arlington, I will see the world with my spiritual eyes. I want to see the city and the people through the eyes of Jesus. Because everything and every being has beauty embedded in it.
I am going on a new mission. It is very different than walking the streets of Amsterdam; however, it is very much the same. I am still going to invest in people. People must be restored. I am going to speak life over a city and a child. If even one child experiences Jesus while I'm there, then this week will be worth it.
Some may say that short term mission trips have a greater impact on the missionary... and to an extent, I might agree. But like my Mom always told me: "Plant seeds."
Some plant, some water, and some reap the harvest.
6.22.2010
Tonight Has Never Happened Before
If you were given a platform and a mic in front of two people or two million people, what would you do with the opportunity?
Choices.
We all come from different backgrounds. We've traveled different paths, and we've lived different lifestyles. We each have our own story. We come from single parents homes and "Happily Ever Afters." We come from million dollar houses and a hope for finding the next meal. We come from addiction and self mutilation and back yard baseball. We come from competitive natures and "I Quit" attitudes.
Some of us are proud to continue a family legacy... Others of us are dying to start our own... a fresh start.
Two roads lay before us everyday: Blessings or Curses. Life or Death.
Millions have come before us, and millions will follow us. Talk about pressure... Too often we look behind us and wish we would've reacted a diffferent way, or said goodbye, or forgave a parent or a son. Too often we want to rewrite our story. But tonight has never happened before.
Tonight we have the choice to walk in blessings or in curses. To walk forward or to fall behind. To live or to die.
All the world is a stage. A new opportunity arises, a new moment, a fresh start. And Tonight Has Never Happened Before.
Choices.
We all come from different backgrounds. We've traveled different paths, and we've lived different lifestyles. We each have our own story. We come from single parents homes and "Happily Ever Afters." We come from million dollar houses and a hope for finding the next meal. We come from addiction and self mutilation and back yard baseball. We come from competitive natures and "I Quit" attitudes.
Some of us are proud to continue a family legacy... Others of us are dying to start our own... a fresh start.
Two roads lay before us everyday: Blessings or Curses. Life or Death.
Millions have come before us, and millions will follow us. Talk about pressure... Too often we look behind us and wish we would've reacted a diffferent way, or said goodbye, or forgave a parent or a son. Too often we want to rewrite our story. But tonight has never happened before.
Tonight we have the choice to walk in blessings or in curses. To walk forward or to fall behind. To live or to die.
All the world is a stage. A new opportunity arises, a new moment, a fresh start. And Tonight Has Never Happened Before.
6.17.2010
Tony Jones
If you are a pretty regular reader of this blog, and you've read the blog titled "...Pray for Those Who Persecute You..." then you'll remember me writing about a man named Tony Jones... A man I had never met, yet had taken on the challenge to pray for everyday for a year. One year turned into two years, and now here we are today.
June 17, 2010 at 12:45 am Tony Jones went to dance with Jesus.
I weep at the thought of the family He left behind. Two little kids, a wife, a Father and a Mother... they rest in the shadow of the Most High.
My heart is broken, because I know that it is okay to mourn. It is okay to grieve, to cry, to feel the brokenness of this world. Because that is just what it is, broken. I weep because life is hard. Cancer sucks. I guess it's all part of the great fall.
I rejoice because of the promises that we find on the lines of God's love letter he left for us...
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1
Weeping may endure for the night, but JOY comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
Today, I was driving home from work with my windows down in 97 degree weather, blaring Hillsong out my windows... thinking the ol' max (my car) might explode... singing at the top of my lungs. The Holy Spirit was filling me with the Truth. Reminding me that He still sits on the throne.
"No weeping, no hurt or pain, no suffering... You hold me now. No darkness, no sick or lame, no hiding... You hold me now."
"All of my life, in every season, You are still God. I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship."
"I'm found in the arms of Love, for Your Love, it has saved my soul."
The Lord Reigns... Let the earth Be glad. Psalm 97.
I know He still sits on the throne. I will weep knowing the joy comes in the morning. We must fill ourselves up with the truth. Because the light overwhelms the darkness. Satan can't stand the truth, and He wont come anywhere near it.
Then you will know the truth,and the Truth will set you
free. John 8:32
June 17, 2010 at 12:45 am Tony Jones went to dance with Jesus.
I weep at the thought of the family He left behind. Two little kids, a wife, a Father and a Mother... they rest in the shadow of the Most High.
My heart is broken, because I know that it is okay to mourn. It is okay to grieve, to cry, to feel the brokenness of this world. Because that is just what it is, broken. I weep because life is hard. Cancer sucks. I guess it's all part of the great fall.
I rejoice because of the promises that we find on the lines of God's love letter he left for us...
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1
Weeping may endure for the night, but JOY comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
Today, I was driving home from work with my windows down in 97 degree weather, blaring Hillsong out my windows... thinking the ol' max (my car) might explode... singing at the top of my lungs. The Holy Spirit was filling me with the Truth. Reminding me that He still sits on the throne.
"No weeping, no hurt or pain, no suffering... You hold me now. No darkness, no sick or lame, no hiding... You hold me now."
"All of my life, in every season, You are still God. I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship."
"I'm found in the arms of Love, for Your Love, it has saved my soul."
The Lord Reigns... Let the earth Be glad. Psalm 97.
I know He still sits on the throne. I will weep knowing the joy comes in the morning. We must fill ourselves up with the truth. Because the light overwhelms the darkness. Satan can't stand the truth, and He wont come anywhere near it.
Then you will know the truth,and the Truth will set you
free. John 8:32
6.16.2010
"Sweep Me Away..."
I had a conversation the other night with a friend about the difference in blogging and journaling. After a long discussion comparing the two of them, here is what we decided: journaling is thoughts on paper in the rawest form. While blogging is writing down the same thoughts but writing them and then rewriting them and critiquing them, and then publishing them to the cyber world.
Emotionally, this week has been tough... so because I lack the energy it takes to critique, this is my journal entry. raw as it can be.
Friday marks the 3 year anniversary of the death of a dear friend of mine. 3 years. I can not begin to grasp that it has already/only been three years. It seems that the time has crept by... at the same time it seems that it has flown. Today, I sat on my back porch and thought about all the great times, and the extraordinary impact this man left behind. He was Extraordinary.
I've been listening to a song by Kari Jobe called "Sweep Me Away". It goes like this: "Sweep me away, sweep me away in Your love... where nothing else matters."
That has been my prayer this week. Coach Snider has been swept away by His love, and nothing else matters anymore... to me, that is so resfreshing. He no longer lays in pain, he dances for Jesus.
"Rise up, My Darling! Come away with me. Look, the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. The season of singing has come." Song of Songs 2:10-12
The season of singing has come.
"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
*Whoever you are, wherever you are... know that you are loved. You have a purpose, and you have a role to play in this world. Don't give that up. I am thankful for you. Wherever your heart is at, whether you are dealing with the loss of a loved one or searching for something that brings more satisfaction than what you've found so far, please know that there is hope. I pray that you are swept away by God's love. His extreme,empowering, thick, furious love. In Him, nothing else matters. His grace is overwhelming, and his Joy comes with the morning.
"Sweep Me Away... Sweep me away in Your love, where nothing else matters..."
Emotionally, this week has been tough... so because I lack the energy it takes to critique, this is my journal entry. raw as it can be.
Friday marks the 3 year anniversary of the death of a dear friend of mine. 3 years. I can not begin to grasp that it has already/only been three years. It seems that the time has crept by... at the same time it seems that it has flown. Today, I sat on my back porch and thought about all the great times, and the extraordinary impact this man left behind. He was Extraordinary.
I've been listening to a song by Kari Jobe called "Sweep Me Away". It goes like this: "Sweep me away, sweep me away in Your love... where nothing else matters."
That has been my prayer this week. Coach Snider has been swept away by His love, and nothing else matters anymore... to me, that is so resfreshing. He no longer lays in pain, he dances for Jesus.
"Rise up, My Darling! Come away with me. Look, the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. The season of singing has come." Song of Songs 2:10-12
The season of singing has come.
"Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
*Whoever you are, wherever you are... know that you are loved. You have a purpose, and you have a role to play in this world. Don't give that up. I am thankful for you. Wherever your heart is at, whether you are dealing with the loss of a loved one or searching for something that brings more satisfaction than what you've found so far, please know that there is hope. I pray that you are swept away by God's love. His extreme,empowering, thick, furious love. In Him, nothing else matters. His grace is overwhelming, and his Joy comes with the morning.
"Sweep Me Away... Sweep me away in Your love, where nothing else matters..."
5.30.2010
True Love
"Come close, listen to the story... about a love more faithful than the morning." -Phil Wickham, True Love
Every night I go to sleep knowing that I will wake up in the morning. that sounds foolish because I know that I am not promised tomorrow, but there aren't many things in this life that I can be as sure about as waking up in the morning.
I watched a movie tonight about a man who is obsessed with routine. It's as if he can't function outside of his daily schedule. Every Saturday he makes meatloaf; Sunday, lasagna. He wakes up to work on his coin collection. Every day. Nothing new.
I have a friend who wakes up every single morning at 4:51 AM. Not 4:50 or 4:55, but 4:51.
It's interesting to me, as Americans, or maybe even as humans how obsessed we are with knowing everything will work out on our schedule at the right time for us. We all have our agendas and our to-do lists. We get into this funk, knowing that every day will begin and end exactly the same way as the one before it, and the one after it. It's comfortable. Predictable.
Until something outrageous happens. Something that rocks our world.
It could be anything. Anything that could mess up our schedule.
Maybe it's a traffic jam on the way to work. Maybe it's the obnoxious commericials on the radio station. Maybe it's the call from a friend who needs a raincheck when you're already at the restaurant waiting for them. Maybe it's the call from a friend who desperately needs you to listen without asking questions. Maybe it's the phone call that delivers the terrible news. Maybe it's the diagnosis. Or the police at the front door at ten o'clock on a school night when your kid isn't home yet. Maybe it's falling in love.
It could be anything really. Anything that could mess up our routine.
"Come close, listen to the story... about a love more faithful than the morning."
Remember the last time you experienced a crisis? It could be a personal crisis, or a family crisis, or even a national crisis. Remember falling on your face and crying out to God,
"Where are You?!"
"...a Love more faithful than the morning."
God's love is more faithful than the fact and assurance that the morning will come. Even more faithful than the sun coming up. I know God's patient, and kind, and selfless, and rejoicing Love is present in my life, every second. When I am following routine, and when I am faced with hardship.
I know that when He calls me to step out of the boat, every thing I've ever known, His love is faithful.
I know that when I fear the unknown about my future, His love is faithful.
I know when I mourn the loss of a dear friend, His love is faithful.
I know that when people leave, when people are called to different places, His love is faithful.
Which brings me to my two choices.
1) I can live in comfort, honoring God with my writing and my voice and my talents, hoping that my routine will never get rocked, and staying away from all outside distractions,
or
2) I can live in such a way that I, routinely, wake up every morning and die to myself so that I can live and walk and breathe in Christ, knowing that because I am with Him, my circumstances are besides the point. Because His love is faithful.
I choose # 2.
In fact, I pray that God will light my path just enough so I can see where to take my next step. I dont need to know all the answers. That requires no faith. No trust. All I need to know is that I follow the One who carries the torch. The One who is the torch.
And I'll walk that path, knowing that wherever He leads me, His love is faithful.
Every night I go to sleep knowing that I will wake up in the morning. that sounds foolish because I know that I am not promised tomorrow, but there aren't many things in this life that I can be as sure about as waking up in the morning.
I watched a movie tonight about a man who is obsessed with routine. It's as if he can't function outside of his daily schedule. Every Saturday he makes meatloaf; Sunday, lasagna. He wakes up to work on his coin collection. Every day. Nothing new.
I have a friend who wakes up every single morning at 4:51 AM. Not 4:50 or 4:55, but 4:51.
It's interesting to me, as Americans, or maybe even as humans how obsessed we are with knowing everything will work out on our schedule at the right time for us. We all have our agendas and our to-do lists. We get into this funk, knowing that every day will begin and end exactly the same way as the one before it, and the one after it. It's comfortable. Predictable.
Until something outrageous happens. Something that rocks our world.
It could be anything. Anything that could mess up our schedule.
Maybe it's a traffic jam on the way to work. Maybe it's the obnoxious commericials on the radio station. Maybe it's the call from a friend who needs a raincheck when you're already at the restaurant waiting for them. Maybe it's the call from a friend who desperately needs you to listen without asking questions. Maybe it's the phone call that delivers the terrible news. Maybe it's the diagnosis. Or the police at the front door at ten o'clock on a school night when your kid isn't home yet. Maybe it's falling in love.
It could be anything really. Anything that could mess up our routine.
"Come close, listen to the story... about a love more faithful than the morning."
Remember the last time you experienced a crisis? It could be a personal crisis, or a family crisis, or even a national crisis. Remember falling on your face and crying out to God,
"Where are You?!"
"...a Love more faithful than the morning."
God's love is more faithful than the fact and assurance that the morning will come. Even more faithful than the sun coming up. I know God's patient, and kind, and selfless, and rejoicing Love is present in my life, every second. When I am following routine, and when I am faced with hardship.
I know that when He calls me to step out of the boat, every thing I've ever known, His love is faithful.
I know that when I fear the unknown about my future, His love is faithful.
I know when I mourn the loss of a dear friend, His love is faithful.
I know that when people leave, when people are called to different places, His love is faithful.
Which brings me to my two choices.
1) I can live in comfort, honoring God with my writing and my voice and my talents, hoping that my routine will never get rocked, and staying away from all outside distractions,
or
2) I can live in such a way that I, routinely, wake up every morning and die to myself so that I can live and walk and breathe in Christ, knowing that because I am with Him, my circumstances are besides the point. Because His love is faithful.
I choose # 2.
In fact, I pray that God will light my path just enough so I can see where to take my next step. I dont need to know all the answers. That requires no faith. No trust. All I need to know is that I follow the One who carries the torch. The One who is the torch.
And I'll walk that path, knowing that wherever He leads me, His love is faithful.
5.26.2010
So, I trust...
"There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing." -Donald Miller
5.18.2010
The Time is Now.
Sometimes I day dream about how my life would be different if I were born in a different point on the globe, at a different point in history. I wonder what kind of family I would have, what kind of issues I would deal with, and what kind of lifestyle I would lead. I think to myself, "What if I had been born in Darfur, and lost my family to genocide?" or "What if I was a little jewish girl in WWII? Would I have had the strength to survive?" A lot of times I'll catch myself thinking "Why did God place ME in a godly home, with strong parents who made a promise to stay together forever? Why did He give ME life in 1992, when the United States has been free for years, where I don't have to fear our government, and where I can say and believe whatever I want?"
When I went to Amsterdam this past summer, the first lesson I learned (about ten seconds after I stepped off the plane) was that it is only by the grace of God that I wasn't born into the sex capitol of the world, where slavery is ignored and people are treated as objects. It is by the grace of God that I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma at such a time as this.
"For this reason I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that my life would bear witness to the Truth." John 18:37
From the very mouth of Jesus came these words. Words that inspire me, words that challenge me, and words that push me to live up to the standard of the Word.
I was created in the image of God, and He had each day of my life mapped out before I took my first breath. He knew the issues I would deal with, the heartache I would experience, the path I would choose. He knew that I would attend Family Church, and co-lead a girls small group. He knew I would graduate from Union High School, and He knew who I would choose to surround myself with. He knew the bumps I would stumble across while I walked the journey of finding myself, and He knew who I would meet along the way. He placed certain passions in my heart, and He equips me to live them out.
For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, I was created to be 18 years old in the year of 2010.
For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, YOU were created to be how ever old you are in the year of 2010. You are unique. You are called. You are equipped. You are never too young, and You are never too old. God has a plan for YOU to do something that only You can do at such a time as this. Together, we are the body of Christ. Each one of us with different functions, different passions, different strengths, different callings.
Each of us walk different paths, and along those paths are different lives that we have the opportunity to influence. We have influence, whether we realize it or not. The issue has never been whether or not we have influence, but, instead, how we use that infuence; for better or for worse? Our speech, the things we laugh at, the way we carry ourselves... all have influence. People are watching us. We are here for such a time as this... We must stand up. We must live in such a way that our lives bear witness to the Truth.
The Time is Now.
When I went to Amsterdam this past summer, the first lesson I learned (about ten seconds after I stepped off the plane) was that it is only by the grace of God that I wasn't born into the sex capitol of the world, where slavery is ignored and people are treated as objects. It is by the grace of God that I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma at such a time as this.
"For this reason I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that my life would bear witness to the Truth." John 18:37
From the very mouth of Jesus came these words. Words that inspire me, words that challenge me, and words that push me to live up to the standard of the Word.
I was created in the image of God, and He had each day of my life mapped out before I took my first breath. He knew the issues I would deal with, the heartache I would experience, the path I would choose. He knew that I would attend Family Church, and co-lead a girls small group. He knew I would graduate from Union High School, and He knew who I would choose to surround myself with. He knew the bumps I would stumble across while I walked the journey of finding myself, and He knew who I would meet along the way. He placed certain passions in my heart, and He equips me to live them out.
For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, I was created to be 18 years old in the year of 2010.
For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, YOU were created to be how ever old you are in the year of 2010. You are unique. You are called. You are equipped. You are never too young, and You are never too old. God has a plan for YOU to do something that only You can do at such a time as this. Together, we are the body of Christ. Each one of us with different functions, different passions, different strengths, different callings.
Each of us walk different paths, and along those paths are different lives that we have the opportunity to influence. We have influence, whether we realize it or not. The issue has never been whether or not we have influence, but, instead, how we use that infuence; for better or for worse? Our speech, the things we laugh at, the way we carry ourselves... all have influence. People are watching us. We are here for such a time as this... We must stand up. We must live in such a way that our lives bear witness to the Truth.
The Time is Now.
5.02.2010
Embrace It.
There is an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything under Heaven:
A time for birth and another for death,
A time to plant and another to reap,
A time to kill and another to heal,
A time to destroy and another to construct,
A time to cry and another to laugh,
A time to lament and another to cheer,
A time to make love and another to abstain,
A time to embrace and another to part,
A time to search and another to count your losses,
A time to hold on and another to let go,
A time to rip out and another to mend,
A time to shut up and another to speak up,
A time to love and another to hate,
A time to wage war and another to make peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I read this tonight, and it hit me like a bag of rocks. Isn't it cool that there is a divine appointment for everything under Heaven? A time for everything. Sometimes I forget that. I get overwhelmed. I get stressed out. I get anxious... It never solves anyting. Those things aren't accounted for in the above list.
The bible says "...Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth, all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day..." (Psalm 139)
Have you ever experienced heartbreak? Loss of a parent? Rejection from a friend?
"The Lord will fulfill His plans for me.." (Psalm 138)
If you don't already know, You should know that I LOVE to share feelings. I'm an open book. It could be genetic, but its also a lifestyle. I am a firm believer in truly feeling and embracing every emotion. I think I grow this way.
Sencondly, I'm also extremely passionate about asking questions. I'm intrigued by the affect of asking questions.I think it builds relationships. However, the art of asking questions is perfected when the answers are listened to and valued.
These two things have shaped my relationship with Jesus.
Yes, there is a time for everthing under Heaven. Yes, my entire life has been spread out before God. Yes, He will fulfill His plan for me. All of these things are true.
Yes, I experience confusion. Yes, I wonder where God is going and what the heck He is planning. Yes, I fall short.. and Yes, I sceam and cry and question...
"My grace is sufficient..." 2 Cor 12:8
Even in my darkest hour, even when I'm hurting, even when I can't handle it anymore... Even when I feel alone, even when I want to quit, even when I struggle, even when I forget how to walk in love... Even when I feel unworthy, even when I feel dry, even when I'm confused: His grace is sufficient.
"I'm absolutely convinced that nothing- nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable- absolutely nothing can get between Me and God's love." Romans 8:38
Change is inevitable. Praise God that it all has already been mapped out.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
A time for birth and another for death,
A time to plant and another to reap,
A time to kill and another to heal,
A time to destroy and another to construct,
A time to cry and another to laugh,
A time to lament and another to cheer,
A time to make love and another to abstain,
A time to embrace and another to part,
A time to search and another to count your losses,
A time to hold on and another to let go,
A time to rip out and another to mend,
A time to shut up and another to speak up,
A time to love and another to hate,
A time to wage war and another to make peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
I read this tonight, and it hit me like a bag of rocks. Isn't it cool that there is a divine appointment for everything under Heaven? A time for everything. Sometimes I forget that. I get overwhelmed. I get stressed out. I get anxious... It never solves anyting. Those things aren't accounted for in the above list.
The bible says "...Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth, all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day..." (Psalm 139)
Have you ever experienced heartbreak? Loss of a parent? Rejection from a friend?
"The Lord will fulfill His plans for me.." (Psalm 138)
If you don't already know, You should know that I LOVE to share feelings. I'm an open book. It could be genetic, but its also a lifestyle. I am a firm believer in truly feeling and embracing every emotion. I think I grow this way.
Sencondly, I'm also extremely passionate about asking questions. I'm intrigued by the affect of asking questions.I think it builds relationships. However, the art of asking questions is perfected when the answers are listened to and valued.
These two things have shaped my relationship with Jesus.
Yes, there is a time for everthing under Heaven. Yes, my entire life has been spread out before God. Yes, He will fulfill His plan for me. All of these things are true.
Yes, I experience confusion. Yes, I wonder where God is going and what the heck He is planning. Yes, I fall short.. and Yes, I sceam and cry and question...
"My grace is sufficient..." 2 Cor 12:8
Even in my darkest hour, even when I'm hurting, even when I can't handle it anymore... Even when I feel alone, even when I want to quit, even when I struggle, even when I forget how to walk in love... Even when I feel unworthy, even when I feel dry, even when I'm confused: His grace is sufficient.
"I'm absolutely convinced that nothing- nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable- absolutely nothing can get between Me and God's love." Romans 8:38
Change is inevitable. Praise God that it all has already been mapped out.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
4.09.2010
"...Pray for those who persecute you..."
The past couple weeks my prayers have been consumed with one man in particular. He is a close family friend who is battling cancer...
I hate cancer more than anything, and I know that is silly to say because no one likes cancer; however, the effect it has had on my life turned my world upside down.
...anywho, this man's parents have been best friends with my parents for years, so together they have walked through this battling process. I have known his parents for years, yet I have never met this man.
Two januarys ago I was challenged to do 3 things throughout the year of 2009: Encourage one person often, mentor one person consistantly, and pray for one person daily. The idea was to think of one person for each catagory that maybe wasn't a part of my every day life, in hopes that it would get me out of my comfort zone.
I adopted Tony as the one person I would pray for daily. Because I had never met Tony, I would sometimes find myself frustrated because I didn't know what effect, if any, my prayer had on his life.
Eventually, I grew to love this man. I began to believe in him, and I began to be so interested in how his life was, how his battle was, how his family was, what i could be praying for... these things became important to me... and i had never even met him.
So, Here is what I wonder:
what would happen if we created a love movement by praying for people daily? People who we don't know. People we grew up with. People we love. People we don't love. Our best friends. Our enemies. Our teachers. Our nation. Our government. People who torment us. People who persecute us. People who speak life over us. People who speak lies about us. People who have encouraged us. People who have hurt us.
How will we react when we finally discover that the power of prayer overrides the power of depression, sickness, bitterness, hatred, and anger...?
What would the movement look like?
I hate cancer more than anything, and I know that is silly to say because no one likes cancer; however, the effect it has had on my life turned my world upside down.
...anywho, this man's parents have been best friends with my parents for years, so together they have walked through this battling process. I have known his parents for years, yet I have never met this man.
Two januarys ago I was challenged to do 3 things throughout the year of 2009: Encourage one person often, mentor one person consistantly, and pray for one person daily. The idea was to think of one person for each catagory that maybe wasn't a part of my every day life, in hopes that it would get me out of my comfort zone.
I adopted Tony as the one person I would pray for daily. Because I had never met Tony, I would sometimes find myself frustrated because I didn't know what effect, if any, my prayer had on his life.
Eventually, I grew to love this man. I began to believe in him, and I began to be so interested in how his life was, how his battle was, how his family was, what i could be praying for... these things became important to me... and i had never even met him.
So, Here is what I wonder:
what would happen if we created a love movement by praying for people daily? People who we don't know. People we grew up with. People we love. People we don't love. Our best friends. Our enemies. Our teachers. Our nation. Our government. People who torment us. People who persecute us. People who speak life over us. People who speak lies about us. People who have encouraged us. People who have hurt us.
How will we react when we finally discover that the power of prayer overrides the power of depression, sickness, bitterness, hatred, and anger...?
What would the movement look like?
3.21.2010
I Made Her Because I Love Her
I made her...She is different, she is unique. With love i formed her in her mothers womb. I fashioned her with great joy. I remember with great pleasure the day I created her. (Psalm 139)
I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh. I love the silly things she says and does. She brings me great pleasure. This is how I made her. (Psalm 139)
I made her pretty not beautiful because I know her heart and how she would be vain. I wantd her to search out her heart and learn that it's ME in her that makes her beautiful, and it would be Me in her that draws friends to her. (1 Peter)
I made her in such a way that she would need me. A little more lonesome than she would like to be only because I need her to lean and depend on Me. I know her heart and I know if I had not made her like this she would go her own chosen way and forget Me- Her own creator. (Psalm 63)
I have grown her many good and happy things. (Psalm 84; Romans 8)
Because I love her, I hae seen her broken heart... and the tears she has cried alone. I have cried with her and had a broken heart too. (Psalm 56)
Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone, only because she would not hold my hand. Many lessons she has learned the hard way because she wouldn't listen to my voice. (Isaiah 62)
So many times I have set back and sadly watched her go her way alone, only to watch her return to my arms, sad and broken. Now she is Mine again. I made her and then I bought her because I love her. I have to reshape and remold her... to renew her for what I have planned. It has not been easy for her or for Me. (Jeremiah 29)
I want her to conform too my image... this high goal I have set for her because I love Her.
-Unknown Author.
You were created in the image of God. He has an extraordinary plan for You. He created the entire world in 7 days. He calls the stars by name. He knows the number of grains of sand there are on every beach. He purposely put 128 muscles in the head of the caterpillar. He made each tree a little bit different. He healed the lame, and gave sight to the blind. He put an idea for a cure in the mind of a child. He has this world in his hands. He defends the poor. He laughs. He lights up the darkness. He is way too big for a box. He works mysteriously. He seeks You out. He calls Your name. He desires You.
He Made You, Because He Loves You.
I love her smile. I love her ways. I love to hear her laugh. I love the silly things she says and does. She brings me great pleasure. This is how I made her. (Psalm 139)
I made her pretty not beautiful because I know her heart and how she would be vain. I wantd her to search out her heart and learn that it's ME in her that makes her beautiful, and it would be Me in her that draws friends to her. (1 Peter)
I made her in such a way that she would need me. A little more lonesome than she would like to be only because I need her to lean and depend on Me. I know her heart and I know if I had not made her like this she would go her own chosen way and forget Me- Her own creator. (Psalm 63)
I have grown her many good and happy things. (Psalm 84; Romans 8)
Because I love her, I hae seen her broken heart... and the tears she has cried alone. I have cried with her and had a broken heart too. (Psalm 56)
Many times she has stumbled and fallen alone, only because she would not hold my hand. Many lessons she has learned the hard way because she wouldn't listen to my voice. (Isaiah 62)
So many times I have set back and sadly watched her go her way alone, only to watch her return to my arms, sad and broken. Now she is Mine again. I made her and then I bought her because I love her. I have to reshape and remold her... to renew her for what I have planned. It has not been easy for her or for Me. (Jeremiah 29)
I want her to conform too my image... this high goal I have set for her because I love Her.
-Unknown Author.
You were created in the image of God. He has an extraordinary plan for You. He created the entire world in 7 days. He calls the stars by name. He knows the number of grains of sand there are on every beach. He purposely put 128 muscles in the head of the caterpillar. He made each tree a little bit different. He healed the lame, and gave sight to the blind. He put an idea for a cure in the mind of a child. He has this world in his hands. He defends the poor. He laughs. He lights up the darkness. He is way too big for a box. He works mysteriously. He seeks You out. He calls Your name. He desires You.
He Made You, Because He Loves You.
3.03.2010
"When You Open Your Mouth"
"A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything -or destroy it.
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue-it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!"
James 3:5-10 (MSG)
I read this tonight. Talk about intense. This passage challenges me so much, because it reminds me of how much power i have in my words. In the words i speak over myself, over my friends, over my family, over my teachers, over my nation, over the church...
"...send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell..."
I want to be counted as wise. I want to live in such a way that brings people to Jesus. I want to speak, and speak life.
It seems almost as if more often and not, we dont even hear ourselves... We speak without thinking. We say things when we are angry that we dont mean. We forget that once it's spoken, we can't take it back.
What would it be like if we spoke life over eachother? If we spead hope and laughter and walked in love, in place of chaos, and smoke? What if we opened our mouths and blessed people, but not only that.. what if we walked in the same love and hope and laughter that we speak of?
Jesus said, "You will be known by the way you love eachother."
You were created in the image of God, and through Him all things are made new.
It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue-it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!"
James 3:5-10 (MSG)
I read this tonight. Talk about intense. This passage challenges me so much, because it reminds me of how much power i have in my words. In the words i speak over myself, over my friends, over my family, over my teachers, over my nation, over the church...
"...send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell..."
I want to be counted as wise. I want to live in such a way that brings people to Jesus. I want to speak, and speak life.
It seems almost as if more often and not, we dont even hear ourselves... We speak without thinking. We say things when we are angry that we dont mean. We forget that once it's spoken, we can't take it back.
What would it be like if we spoke life over eachother? If we spead hope and laughter and walked in love, in place of chaos, and smoke? What if we opened our mouths and blessed people, but not only that.. what if we walked in the same love and hope and laughter that we speak of?
Jesus said, "You will be known by the way you love eachother."
You were created in the image of God, and through Him all things are made new.
2.28.2010
Drops Like Stars.
"Imagine being at a public event like a movie or game or play or religious service and before it starts, someone says to the crowd, "Please stand if you've ever been affected by cancer"
What would you feel? Compassion? Empathy? Solidarity? Connection? Love?
A setting of strangers and yet you mention cancer- a specific suffering- and there's instantly a bond.
If someone said,
"Please stand... if you've been to Hawaii" or
"Please stand... if you've had to fire your interior decorator" or
"Please stand... if you drive a station wagon"
It just wouldnt have the same effect, would it?
But suffering, suffering unites."
-Rob Bell "Drops Like Stars"
I love this, because it is so true.
First semester of my junior year I went to Leadership Retreat and the man who led it, Phil Boyt, asked us to play this game called "Cross the Line". In this game, Phil would ask a question and we had three answer options: Yes, No, or I dont want to answer. If the answer was yes we would cross the line... you get the idea.
The questions would start out "Cross the line if you do well in school" to "Cross the line if you are embarrassed to be your brother or sisters sibling" to "Cross the line if you have ever contemplated suicide" to "Cross the line if you have lost a parent to Cancer" to "cross the line if you've ever been sent to jail"... and the list goes on.
The questions went from surface level, to intimate, personal, deep questions.
our group went from 200 high school students who had known each other for years on a surface level, to a group of 200 high school students who were beginning to see into the lives of their classmates. People crossed the line on questions that i would never have expected.
But in that moment, I was given the opportunity to relate to my peers and see their hearts without saying a word, without passing any judgement.
Makes you wonder... what do you see in the garbage truck man? or the teen mom that lives next door? or the CEO of your company? or your Pastor? or the lunch lady? or your Professor?
...A million stories are waiting to be told. How would you react? and Who would you connect with along the way?
Suffering unites us.
What would you feel? Compassion? Empathy? Solidarity? Connection? Love?
A setting of strangers and yet you mention cancer- a specific suffering- and there's instantly a bond.
If someone said,
"Please stand... if you've been to Hawaii" or
"Please stand... if you've had to fire your interior decorator" or
"Please stand... if you drive a station wagon"
It just wouldnt have the same effect, would it?
But suffering, suffering unites."
-Rob Bell "Drops Like Stars"
I love this, because it is so true.
First semester of my junior year I went to Leadership Retreat and the man who led it, Phil Boyt, asked us to play this game called "Cross the Line". In this game, Phil would ask a question and we had three answer options: Yes, No, or I dont want to answer. If the answer was yes we would cross the line... you get the idea.
The questions would start out "Cross the line if you do well in school" to "Cross the line if you are embarrassed to be your brother or sisters sibling" to "Cross the line if you have ever contemplated suicide" to "Cross the line if you have lost a parent to Cancer" to "cross the line if you've ever been sent to jail"... and the list goes on.
The questions went from surface level, to intimate, personal, deep questions.
our group went from 200 high school students who had known each other for years on a surface level, to a group of 200 high school students who were beginning to see into the lives of their classmates. People crossed the line on questions that i would never have expected.
But in that moment, I was given the opportunity to relate to my peers and see their hearts without saying a word, without passing any judgement.
Makes you wonder... what do you see in the garbage truck man? or the teen mom that lives next door? or the CEO of your company? or your Pastor? or the lunch lady? or your Professor?
...A million stories are waiting to be told. How would you react? and Who would you connect with along the way?
Suffering unites us.
2.21.2010
Blessed.
I dont know who needs to hear this tonight, but I know somebody does. So if it gets to one person, then it's totally worth it.
Tonight I sat with a few of my best friends with our mouths full of water, waiting for someone to start laughing and spew it all over the place, and begin the ripple effect. Having the time of our lives, in our element, being immature, and completely oblivious to the world around us.
It didn't hit me until I got home, but I realized the worlds around me were falling apart. So this is for you:
You were created in the image of God. You are the apple of his eye. He cares about every single thing You care about. He knows when your heart breaks. He knows every thought you have. He knows your feelings, and he sees the way you deal with them. His heart breaks when yours does. He yearns for you. He seeks you. He believes in your dreams. He brings you life. He has plans for you. He protects you. He has a place for you to rest in his shadow. He wants to tell you things that are true. He wants you to experience real, genuine, love. Love that doesn't envy or boast. Love that isn't proud or rude, or selfseeking. Love that keeps no records of wrongs. Love that rejoices in the truth. He wants to be that for you. He defends you, and he is on your side. Talk to Him about the small things, talk to Him about the big things. just talk to Him. He's dying to hear from you.
Remember this when satan tries to lie to you. When he walks in and does his very best to destroy you. To destroy your life, your family, your faith, your marriage, your trust, your security. Satan can only do so much. Greater is He who is within you, than he who is in the world. Do not let satan in. He will stay as long as you let him.
So open your mouth. Speak. Sing. Dance. Cry. Laugh. Run. Play. You have breath. You are here for a purpose. Never forget that.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
"Without Joy, You have no strength."-Barb Olson
Tonight I sat with a few of my best friends with our mouths full of water, waiting for someone to start laughing and spew it all over the place, and begin the ripple effect. Having the time of our lives, in our element, being immature, and completely oblivious to the world around us.
It didn't hit me until I got home, but I realized the worlds around me were falling apart. So this is for you:
You were created in the image of God. You are the apple of his eye. He cares about every single thing You care about. He knows when your heart breaks. He knows every thought you have. He knows your feelings, and he sees the way you deal with them. His heart breaks when yours does. He yearns for you. He seeks you. He believes in your dreams. He brings you life. He has plans for you. He protects you. He has a place for you to rest in his shadow. He wants to tell you things that are true. He wants you to experience real, genuine, love. Love that doesn't envy or boast. Love that isn't proud or rude, or selfseeking. Love that keeps no records of wrongs. Love that rejoices in the truth. He wants to be that for you. He defends you, and he is on your side. Talk to Him about the small things, talk to Him about the big things. just talk to Him. He's dying to hear from you.
Remember this when satan tries to lie to you. When he walks in and does his very best to destroy you. To destroy your life, your family, your faith, your marriage, your trust, your security. Satan can only do so much. Greater is He who is within you, than he who is in the world. Do not let satan in. He will stay as long as you let him.
So open your mouth. Speak. Sing. Dance. Cry. Laugh. Run. Play. You have breath. You are here for a purpose. Never forget that.
The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
"Without Joy, You have no strength."-Barb Olson
2.14.2010
We All Have a Story.
This week I have been assigned to find and orally interpret a poem, along with an original, to my speech class. The purpose is to learn to express poetry through different tones and expressions. However, the opportunity is far greater than that. I've been given an assignment, but even more I've been given a platform. So far, there has been various topics, emotions, and meanings. Sports. Animals. Imaginary friends. Senior year. Regrets. Aspirations. Suicide. War. Paintings. Desire. Hobbies. Laughter. Anger. Depression. Tears. Each person telling their own story. Each person speaking out of passion about a topic that intrigues them. My Oral Interp is due on Wednesday, and tonight I have found the perfect poem. It's a poem about people, but to me its a poem that reminds me that the ground at the foot of the Cross is flat. That we are all created equal. That we all experience the same feelings. That we are all called to greater things. It reminds me that no matter where we are in life, on which ever road, regardless of our past, mistakes, shortcomings... the Cross remains. It challenges me to "Shake the Dust"... to drop the dirt, and to seek out the good... So here it goes: "Shake the Dust" By Anis Mojgani
This is for the fat girls.
This is for the little brothers.
This is for the school-yard wimps, this is for the childhood bullies who tormented them.
This is for the former prom queen, this is for the milk-crate ball players.
This is for the nighttime cereal eaters and for the retired, elderly Wal-Mart store front door greeters. Shake the dust.
This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them,
for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns,
for the men who have to hold down three jobs simply to hold up their children,
for the nighttime schoolers and the midnight bike riders who are trying to fly. Shake the dust.
This is for the two-year-olds who cannot be understood because they speak half-English and half-god. Shake the dust.
For the girls with the brothers who are going crazy,
for those gym class wall flowers and the twelve-year-olds afraid of taking public showers,
for the kid who's always late to class because he forgets the combination to his lockers,
for the girl who loves somebody else. Shake the dust.
This is for the hard men, the hard men who want to love but know that is won't come.
For the ones who are forgotten, the ones the amendments do not stand up for.
For the ones who are told to speak only when you are spoken to and then are never spoken to. Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself.
Do not let a moment go by that doesn't remind you that your heart beats 900 times a day and that there are enough gallons of blood to make you an ocean.
Do not settle for letting these waves settle and the dust to collect in your veins.
This is for the celibate pedophile who keeps on struggling,
for the poetry teachers and for the people who go on vacations alone.
For the sweat that drips off of Mick Jaggers' singing lips and for the shaking skirt on Tina Turner's shaking hips, for the heavens and for the hells through which Tina has lived.
This is for the tired and for the dreamers and for those families who'll never be like the Cleavers with perfectly made dinners and sons like Wally and the Beaver.
This is for the biggots,
this is for the sexists,
this is for the killers.
This is for the big house, pen-sentenced cats becoming redeemers and for the springtime that always shows up after the winters.
This? This is for you.
Make sure that by the time fisherman returns you are gone.
Because just like the days, I burn both ends and every time I write, every time I open my eyes I am cutting out a part of myself to give to you.
So shake the dust and take me with you when you do for none of this has never been for me.
All that pushes and pulls, pushes and pulls for you.
So grab this world by its clothespins and shake it out again and again and jump on top and take it for a spin and when you hop off shake it again for this is yours.
Make my words worth it, make this not just another poem that I write, not just another poem like just another night that sits heavy above us all.
Walk into it, breathe it in, let is crash through the halls of your arms at the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood pumping and pushing making you live, shaking the dust.
So when the world knocks at your front door, clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be.
This is for the fat girls.
This is for the little brothers.
This is for the school-yard wimps, this is for the childhood bullies who tormented them.
This is for the former prom queen, this is for the milk-crate ball players.
This is for the nighttime cereal eaters and for the retired, elderly Wal-Mart store front door greeters. Shake the dust.
This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them,
for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns,
for the men who have to hold down three jobs simply to hold up their children,
for the nighttime schoolers and the midnight bike riders who are trying to fly. Shake the dust.
This is for the two-year-olds who cannot be understood because they speak half-English and half-god. Shake the dust.
For the girls with the brothers who are going crazy,
for those gym class wall flowers and the twelve-year-olds afraid of taking public showers,
for the kid who's always late to class because he forgets the combination to his lockers,
for the girl who loves somebody else. Shake the dust.
This is for the hard men, the hard men who want to love but know that is won't come.
For the ones who are forgotten, the ones the amendments do not stand up for.
For the ones who are told to speak only when you are spoken to and then are never spoken to. Speak every time you stand so you do not forget yourself.
Do not let a moment go by that doesn't remind you that your heart beats 900 times a day and that there are enough gallons of blood to make you an ocean.
Do not settle for letting these waves settle and the dust to collect in your veins.
This is for the celibate pedophile who keeps on struggling,
for the poetry teachers and for the people who go on vacations alone.
For the sweat that drips off of Mick Jaggers' singing lips and for the shaking skirt on Tina Turner's shaking hips, for the heavens and for the hells through which Tina has lived.
This is for the tired and for the dreamers and for those families who'll never be like the Cleavers with perfectly made dinners and sons like Wally and the Beaver.
This is for the biggots,
this is for the sexists,
this is for the killers.
This is for the big house, pen-sentenced cats becoming redeemers and for the springtime that always shows up after the winters.
This? This is for you.
Make sure that by the time fisherman returns you are gone.
Because just like the days, I burn both ends and every time I write, every time I open my eyes I am cutting out a part of myself to give to you.
So shake the dust and take me with you when you do for none of this has never been for me.
All that pushes and pulls, pushes and pulls for you.
So grab this world by its clothespins and shake it out again and again and jump on top and take it for a spin and when you hop off shake it again for this is yours.
Make my words worth it, make this not just another poem that I write, not just another poem like just another night that sits heavy above us all.
Walk into it, breathe it in, let is crash through the halls of your arms at the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood pumping and pushing making you live, shaking the dust.
So when the world knocks at your front door, clutch the knob and open on up, running forward into its widespread greeting arms with your hands before you, fingertips trembling though they may be.
2.09.2010
Bucket List
A new phenomenon has been created. It's called The Buried Life, and if you've never heard of it it's a TV show of 4 boys who travel the United States attempting and completing different things they want to do before they die. However, that isn't their only goal. In every city they enter and for every thing they cross off their list, they help a stranger do something on his or her list. They end each show asking the question, "What do YOU want to do before you die?"
The question challenged me. The boys challenged me. What am I doing that is meaningful? What kind of impact am I making, if any at all? What do I want to do before I die? More importantly, What am I waiting for? But when I ask myself these questions, my mind is flooded with heavier ones... What I am doing to help other people obtain their goals? Their dreams?
"...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31. Write a book. Travel to six continents. Fluently speak another language. Donate blood. Adopt a child. Plant a tree. Help build a house. Live among the homeless. Skydive. Be part of a flash mob. Have a pen pal. Bless someone, daily. All obtainable. What are we waiting for? And who might we meet along the way?
I am convinced that we meet nobody by accident, but purely by divine appointment. Changing THE world starts with changing ONE world. We each have our own story. To know, we must ask.
"Let the songs I sing bring joy to you. Let the words I say confess my love. Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune. Father let my heart be after you." -NeedToBreathe
The question challenged me. The boys challenged me. What am I doing that is meaningful? What kind of impact am I making, if any at all? What do I want to do before I die? More importantly, What am I waiting for? But when I ask myself these questions, my mind is flooded with heavier ones... What I am doing to help other people obtain their goals? Their dreams?
"...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor 10:31. Write a book. Travel to six continents. Fluently speak another language. Donate blood. Adopt a child. Plant a tree. Help build a house. Live among the homeless. Skydive. Be part of a flash mob. Have a pen pal. Bless someone, daily. All obtainable. What are we waiting for? And who might we meet along the way?
I am convinced that we meet nobody by accident, but purely by divine appointment. Changing THE world starts with changing ONE world. We each have our own story. To know, we must ask.
"Let the songs I sing bring joy to you. Let the words I say confess my love. Let the notes I choose be your favorite tune. Father let my heart be after you." -NeedToBreathe
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