Yo Yo Yo, I just had the most stressful week in the whole wide world, and now it's over and I just don't know what to do with myself.
I'm an intern at a Bent Tree Bible Fellowship, and they have partnered with a campaign called "I am Second".
My challenge this week is to go to this website and check out these compelling stories. God is big guys, and these stories are evidence of that. So get some kleenexes (<--- what the heck is the plural to that one?) and go to http://www.iamsecond.com/ - the pastor of my church, Pete Briscoe, is up there along with some famous faces. This is an incredible website for anyone to use...seekers, believer, and those needing hope. Check it out and let me know what you think. Love you guys.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Patience....
Hmmm... honestly, that title just typed itself. I was going to write about how I got engaged last week. Well, I guess that will a be a topic for another day.
So, I don't know if any of you have experienced this, but with each passing year I get more and more impatient. I used to get compliments about how patient I was, but I don't think I really had patience... I think I was just unaware of how to keep track of time... the big hand, the little hand, what did it all mean!! But now, with my clock-reading skills at their peak, I feel as though I have lost that "patience".
In the Bible, we are supposed to clothe ourselves with patience (Col 3:12), but I usually think it makes me look fat (insert lame joke here). Instead I like to put on impatience which usually makes me angry, and then before you know it I'm screaming at the car in front of me for going 5 under the speed limit and practicing my "are you freakin kidding me" face in the review mirror, and what's funny is most of the time I'm not even running late.
I definitely can blame it on society, because we do live in this "whatever you want, whenever you want" day and age of instant gratification, but I think what it boils down to for me at least is me just being disobedient. The book of Colossians talks about the transformation in our hearts when we become a new creation by accepting Jesus as our Savior and committing our lives to him. This transformation isn't this instant thing that happens overnight. Obviously b/c I still yell profanities at elderly drivers. But it should awaken this new purpose in our lives that we are called to- be in the world, but not of the world. I think sometimes, especially if you have been a Christian for a while, you get slightly removed from that purpose. My challenge to myself tonight is to come back to that place of direction and desire, and if anyone wants to come with me the water is warm, so come on in.
Colossians 3:12 in it's entirety says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
Proverbs 25:15 "Through patience, a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone."
Think about that, patience is this terriffic catalyst that can create relationships with people we never thought possible, it can force people to listen...people who would of never given you the time of day. A gentle tongue can break bone, how many times have you seen a tongue break a bone... well besides that one time...NEVER. Patience yields some powerful things in our spirits, so let's unleash it and change the world.
Missed ya'll.
So, I don't know if any of you have experienced this, but with each passing year I get more and more impatient. I used to get compliments about how patient I was, but I don't think I really had patience... I think I was just unaware of how to keep track of time... the big hand, the little hand, what did it all mean!! But now, with my clock-reading skills at their peak, I feel as though I have lost that "patience".
In the Bible, we are supposed to clothe ourselves with patience (Col 3:12), but I usually think it makes me look fat (insert lame joke here). Instead I like to put on impatience which usually makes me angry, and then before you know it I'm screaming at the car in front of me for going 5 under the speed limit and practicing my "are you freakin kidding me" face in the review mirror, and what's funny is most of the time I'm not even running late.
I definitely can blame it on society, because we do live in this "whatever you want, whenever you want" day and age of instant gratification, but I think what it boils down to for me at least is me just being disobedient. The book of Colossians talks about the transformation in our hearts when we become a new creation by accepting Jesus as our Savior and committing our lives to him. This transformation isn't this instant thing that happens overnight. Obviously b/c I still yell profanities at elderly drivers. But it should awaken this new purpose in our lives that we are called to- be in the world, but not of the world. I think sometimes, especially if you have been a Christian for a while, you get slightly removed from that purpose. My challenge to myself tonight is to come back to that place of direction and desire, and if anyone wants to come with me the water is warm, so come on in.
Colossians 3:12 in it's entirety says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
Proverbs 25:15 "Through patience, a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone."
Think about that, patience is this terriffic catalyst that can create relationships with people we never thought possible, it can force people to listen...people who would of never given you the time of day. A gentle tongue can break bone, how many times have you seen a tongue break a bone... well besides that one time...NEVER. Patience yields some powerful things in our spirits, so let's unleash it and change the world.
Missed ya'll.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The Big Pic
Tonight I was doing a puzzle with one of my bfs Brenner, and we were putting together a Charlie Brown Halloween puzzle that had a gijillion pieces. I think the quote of tonight was “I swear that piece is missing”. On the cover was Linus and Sally, and she said, “This piece is right above Charlie Brown’s head.” My immediate response was almost, "that’s not Charlie Brown, that’s Linus." Not only was I about to prove that I was a Charlie Brown geek, but I was about to be “that person”…oh you know who im talking about, you know you have never thought about hitting someone harder. Like are you kidding me I’m about to jump on the chance to say that’s not Charlie Brown that’s Linus…wow…why do people hang out with me? Luckily I didn’t say anything, and I got to keep Brenner as bf for another day…haha.
You see the big picture of tonight was I got to hang out with my wonderful friend, singing dumb songs together, and making fabulous memories while we got owned by a puzzle.
I think a lot of the time we as Christians miss the big picture. Anyone seen the movie Footloose? The crazy conservative preacher worried about dancing making sinners out of all who shook what their mama gave 'em…they really should of been worried about those too tight acid washed jeans, I mean how are you supposed to "drop it like its hot" in those?
We argue about the “extra” things…the “gray” things… when we don’t even practice this….
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'[f] 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[g]There is no commandment greater than these." (mark 12:28-30)
Thats a pretty clear message to me. But...
Love…that can be a interesting subject. Sometimes we learn what love is from others … by how our friends love us, or how our mother loves us, or our father loves us. But what if you have crummy friends that talk about you when you are in the other room, or a father that abuses you, or a mother that uses you? Your view of love gets skewed and it starts coming with fine print.
Let me reassure you that Christ’s love is absolute perfection, unwavering, everlasting, not circumstantial, unbiased, and unconditional
Unwavering: firm in view or purpose and unable to be swayed or diverted from it
Everlasting: never failing or coming to an end
Unconditional: complete or guaranteed, with no conditions, limitations, or provisos attached
I challenge you this week to get in the word, and learn about how Christ loves, so that you can equip yourself to love others, so you can retrain yourself what love really means, so we can better love our perfect Savior.
Leave your comments… let me know where this or other challenges have taken you, or if you have simply started a petition banning me from blogging…let me know where I need to sign.
Love you guys!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
That's My King!!!
So, it's 45 degrees in Dallas tonight...my favorite weather in the whole wide world. I could walk and talk in that weather all night long...
It's also nights like these, where I love to reflect on spiritual milestones and breathroughs I have experienced with my sweet Jesus. I don't want to go too heavy into those things over this blog, well at least not yet, but I do want to share a magnificent verse that was my prayer for a very long time. It was recently spoken over our choir before our service began, and it brought me back to that place of brokeness where God was delicate and sweet with me, and how He helped me survive that dark place in my life. This verse is powerful and any of you who are sitting there wondering where God is in the midst of the rubble... take this verse, claim it, take refuge in Him....
Psalm 31
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction, [a]
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave. [b]
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
I dont know about you, but as I talk to more and more girls about life it seems that life has gotten more and more complicated than when I was theire age. There are more and more things to distract us, bring us down, put us down, lie to us...this information is coming faster and louder than ever before. I talk to more girls in abusive relationships, more girls with eating disorders, more girls from broken homes...more girls looking for hope in the midst of this crazy thing called life and not sure where to find it.
Even when you are a believer we have these doubts, as I talked about in last week's post. My challenge to you last week was...Do we really think God is who He says He is? If our whole world crumbled like Job's.... would we still think He was sovereign? Do we truly think that He is perfect in our weaknesses and His grace is sufficient?
Now, I don't know if you have gotten to that point where you feel like you can truly answer yes. If you haven't, this challenge might help facilitate an answer, and if you have then this challenge will hopefully affirm that yes in you.
How has God shown up in your life? Big and small. What struggles or trials has he brought you through? When? Where? How?
Reflecting on that evidence tonight has given me this unreal confidence that I serve a breathtaking Savior. Who has never left me. Ever. That's My King....
It's also nights like these, where I love to reflect on spiritual milestones and breathroughs I have experienced with my sweet Jesus. I don't want to go too heavy into those things over this blog, well at least not yet, but I do want to share a magnificent verse that was my prayer for a very long time. It was recently spoken over our choir before our service began, and it brought me back to that place of brokeness where God was delicate and sweet with me, and how He helped me survive that dark place in my life. This verse is powerful and any of you who are sitting there wondering where God is in the midst of the rubble... take this verse, claim it, take refuge in Him....
Psalm 31
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me,
for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;
I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,
for you saw my affliction
and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy
but have set my feet in a spacious place.
9 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction, [a]
and my bones grow weak.
11 Because of all my enemies,
I am the utter contempt of my neighbors;
I am a dread to my friends—
those who see me on the street flee from me.
12 I am forgotten by them as though I were dead;
I have become like broken pottery.
13 For I hear the slander of many;
there is terror on every side;
they conspire against me
and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."
15 My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and lie silent in the grave. [b]
18 Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you,
which you bestow in the sight of men
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from the intrigues of men;
in your dwelling you keep them safe
from accusing tongues.
21 Praise be to the LORD,
for he showed his wonderful love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
22 In my alarm I said,
"I am cut off from your sight!"
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints!
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the LORD.
I dont know about you, but as I talk to more and more girls about life it seems that life has gotten more and more complicated than when I was theire age. There are more and more things to distract us, bring us down, put us down, lie to us...this information is coming faster and louder than ever before. I talk to more girls in abusive relationships, more girls with eating disorders, more girls from broken homes...more girls looking for hope in the midst of this crazy thing called life and not sure where to find it.
Even when you are a believer we have these doubts, as I talked about in last week's post. My challenge to you last week was...Do we really think God is who He says He is? If our whole world crumbled like Job's.... would we still think He was sovereign? Do we truly think that He is perfect in our weaknesses and His grace is sufficient?
Now, I don't know if you have gotten to that point where you feel like you can truly answer yes. If you haven't, this challenge might help facilitate an answer, and if you have then this challenge will hopefully affirm that yes in you.
How has God shown up in your life? Big and small. What struggles or trials has he brought you through? When? Where? How?
Reflecting on that evidence tonight has given me this unreal confidence that I serve a breathtaking Savior. Who has never left me. Ever. That's My King....
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Revelation Song....
Hmm... this is odd. I'm writing a blog. This was not on the agenda today, but neither were alot of things that happened today...
Today, I had no control, I mean absolutely none. School, my arch nemesis, called me stupid, the mirror called me ugly, the scale called me fat.We've all had these days, especially if your a woman, where you feel these lies being whispered, or in my case, shouted at you. I was battling with God in my head...."Ok God, I know that I shouldn't feel these things...you created me... you love me....blah blah blah." I was trying to sell myself on why God was better than what I had in mind. How come I didn't know that already? It's not like God is this creepy vacuum salesman, and I'm wondering whether to let him into my house, so he demonstrate how fast a vac can suck up a pound of dirt...HE'S MY GOD, MY MAN, MY SAVIOR!
I had spent all night wrestling with doubts and talking to God....trying to make a deal with him..."Just give me a little control...if you make me skinnier, healthier, smarter, prettier, etc... don't you know I'll be happier!"...we all think this at some point.
But....What if I have no right to be those things? Would His glory still be shown, would I want to live His word...claim His love...lead worship....mentor high school/college girls? ... and the answer I came to was obvoiusly...duh!
2 Corinthians 12:19 says, "But he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."...
This verse rocked my world...I just wept...my sweet, wonderful, merciful, graceful, Jesus laid down His life in one of the most painful ways I could ever imagine... to free me from sin, and no matter my past or my future...He still loves me. He loves me no matter what view I hold of myself. He loves me when I don't love him.
So I guess from all that...here is the challenge: Do we really think God is who He says He is? If our whole world crumbled like Job's.... would we still think He was sovereign? Do we truly think that He is perfect in our weaknesses and His grace is sufficient?
Today, I had no control, I mean absolutely none. School, my arch nemesis, called me stupid, the mirror called me ugly, the scale called me fat.We've all had these days, especially if your a woman, where you feel these lies being whispered, or in my case, shouted at you. I was battling with God in my head...."Ok God, I know that I shouldn't feel these things...you created me... you love me....blah blah blah." I was trying to sell myself on why God was better than what I had in mind. How come I didn't know that already? It's not like God is this creepy vacuum salesman, and I'm wondering whether to let him into my house, so he demonstrate how fast a vac can suck up a pound of dirt...HE'S MY GOD, MY MAN, MY SAVIOR!
I had spent all night wrestling with doubts and talking to God....trying to make a deal with him..."Just give me a little control...if you make me skinnier, healthier, smarter, prettier, etc... don't you know I'll be happier!"...we all think this at some point.
But....What if I have no right to be those things? Would His glory still be shown, would I want to live His word...claim His love...lead worship....mentor high school/college girls? ... and the answer I came to was obvoiusly...duh!
2 Corinthians 12:19 says, "But he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."...
This verse rocked my world...I just wept...my sweet, wonderful, merciful, graceful, Jesus laid down His life in one of the most painful ways I could ever imagine... to free me from sin, and no matter my past or my future...He still loves me. He loves me no matter what view I hold of myself. He loves me when I don't love him.
So I guess from all that...here is the challenge: Do we really think God is who He says He is? If our whole world crumbled like Job's.... would we still think He was sovereign? Do we truly think that He is perfect in our weaknesses and His grace is sufficient?
Thank you God for meeting me at the end of my resources... Thank you for putting Vonda D in my life for leading me to this wonderful revelation I experienced with you. Thank you for showing me that control is not what I need, but what I need is to surrender my flesh and trust that you are who you are... and... in the words of JR....so big time!
Tonight was all about revelation, and the words in this song are just a beautiful description of our God. If you don't know this song, listen to it, be still, and praise God for being freakin awesome.
Revelation Song:
Worthy is the, Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You
Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything, And – I - will - adore You!
Filled with wonder, Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery
Yeah... Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything, And – I - will - adore You!
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