Whose the movie really about?

This week started out good. I slept in Monday morning, got all my Christmas shopping done, and had dinner with a good friend. I was feeling pretty good and was looking forward to the rest of the week. Then Monday night as I was working on some of the Christmas gift I had bought, I started feeling weird. I figured I hadn't drank enough water that day (sometimes if I get caught up doing things I'll forget to drink something) so I got myself a class of water. After I got the glass of water I still wasn't feeling too hot. By 9 o'clock I had a bad feeling about this sick feeling that had hit me and my bad feeling was correct. Close to 10 o'clock I met the toilet in the one way we all don't like to meet it. I continued to get sick all the way until 4 in the morning. I haven't thrown up or had a stomach bug since my sophomore year in high school but I'm pretty sure I made up for all that lost time within those 6 hours. I was absolutely miserable. The next day I thought I was feeling better but as the day went on I gained a mild fever and my stomach felt as if someone had hit it at least 10 x's. It's funny how your week can change so quickly. I also realized how much I take for granted my health. When my health is not together, I'm not together. Lesson learned about my character (funny how you never seem to stop learning new things about yourself).

Thankfully, I'm feeling much better. I can keep food and liquids down, I just have to eat bland foods, therefore my diet has consisted of Jello and crackers.

I've been meaning to blog lately about something I've been struggling with. I've been struggling with the concept that ultimately, everything is about God and everything we do needs to glorify him. I haven't doubted this and I believe it is true, but I've struggled with how to live that out. How do I prepare myself mentally for this kind of commitment? How does this work? What does this look like? How do I know I'm living a life that glorifies Him? The one scripture that I've read that really got me thinking and to be honest with you, scares me to death is Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’" Just the thought that in the end the Lord would say, "I never knew you" terrifies me! We can follow what we believe is the right way of doing something or we can use the name of Jesus to help other people, but if we don't do His will, He will say he never knew us. Really, just the thought of this shakes me to my core.

If you read scripture, God's ultimate will is for us to bring him glory. So this leads me back to my question... How do I do that? For starters, I know I have to be willing to let go of a lot of things. I can't physically tell you what those things are, but my spirit knows what they are. If I knew how to word it I would, but I don't, I just kinda know what that means for me. But to help myself gain a better mental picture of the situation I feel like the Lord placed an analogy in my head to help better understand what he means (you might think this is a crazy idea that the Lord would give me this kind of analogy but hey, Jesus spoke in parables the majority of time in scripture, in ways that helped the people at the time understand. Why wouldn't he do that for us now?) I pictured this much like a movie and we've been asked to be apart of this movie. After the movie has been filmed you go and tell EVERYONE about the movie. Of course you mention that you got to be apart of the movie. You're not the main character, you're not even a side character. You're just an extra, that just might show up in the background of a scene. So, as you're telling people about the movie, you're not just talking about your 5 second appearance (though of course your going to mention the experience and the excitement of it) you're talking about the over all impact of the movie and the message the story is telling. Therefore, you encourage people to see the movie, not just because your in it, but because you know that it could change their life forever.

We've been asked to be apart of God's movie. He wants all of us in it. We might be an extra, the sounds person, the costume designer, or any other part that helps make the movie happen but despite your part, you're mostly talking about the purpose of the movie. When we find ourselves focusing more about the purpose of the movie and not on our little part in the movie, that's when we're living to glorify him. If you ever watch the credits in the movie, many people are apart of making the movie happen, but when a movie wins an award only one or two people are recognized instead naming and bringing every single person who was involved to accept the award and you know what..... there has yet to be an out cry or an uproar made my anyone (the extra person, the costume designer, etc) that they were not verbally recognized when the movie they were apart of was given an award. You wanna know why? because they  knew that the movie was not about them. 

I guess it's about time that we wake up and realize that this life is not about us but it's totally worth living for the main purpose of it all.

Passion Killers

I am a passionate person. When I believe in something or I love something, my passion is easily displayed through conversations or actions. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, I'm just sharing what has been told to me by multiple people. It makes me very happy that people are able to feel my passion because when I am passionate, I don't want to keep it to myself. I want everyone in the WORLD to know how I feel. But there's one thing that can happen to passionate people, they can lose their passion by being around, what I call, passion killers. It's not a particular type of person, personality type, or individual. It's more of a group of people. Now it's not a group of people who you are around most of the time, it can be one group plus another group that triggers the passion killing. I hope your following what I'm trying to say here. I'm not judging anyone or any group because no one sets out to kill people's dreams (well unless you have a personality disorder which is only like 5% of the population so no need to worry about running into these types of people on a daily bases). What I'm trying to communicate is that if you are with a group of people who each time you hang out with them, aspiring dreams are never discussed or as a group you never plan to work together to support a members dreams, you are unknowingly becoming a passion killer to someone.


It's funny how this struck me. Like I said before, I'm a very passionate person and I tend to feel passion a lot but lately it's been something I've struggled with. The majority of the problem is spiritual. My passion is the one thing that satan is always trying to trip me up on. But I believe we have a choice and need to be aware of some of the enemies tactics. The other day I was in my non-profit class. Our assignment in the class was to create our own non-profit project and present it to the class. Tuesday I was in class listening to some of my colleagues present their dreams and passions. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to be amongst people talking about something they are passionate about. It changed the atmosphere in the room. After I left class, I spent half of my trip back home in tears because I was heart broken that I'm rarely in an environment like that. It has become so rare to be in a social setting where you can be vulnerable enough to express your passion and even if your brave enough to do it a lot of the times you get little or no response, therefore your passion that you have just expressed is left to wither instead of grow. This really makes me sad. My theory behind this is that most relationships with people are superficial. Sadly, some of the most superficial relationships are with people you calls friends or even a best friend. The other day I was on pinterest (such a baaad addiction!) and I found a quote that said, "The average person tells 4 lies a day or 1460 a year; a total of 87,600 by the age of 60. And the most common lie is: I'm Fine." And you want to know where my first thought went to after I read this, was church. I can't tell you how many times I walked into the church doors and I was no where close to being OK or fine but when I was asked "How are you?" my response was, "I'm fine". Its so refreshing to finally be at a church where this is no longer a problem.


Oh! If you only knew how much this hurts my heart! I would give anything to smack the enemy in the face for messing up relationships the way he does. I've met multiple people who are so wonderful and so full of life, yet they are crawled up into the lie of "I'm fine", when in reality, I know they are about to explode on the inside. But, the sad reality is that when we are in a social setting our passion, our true feelings, our true selves are murdered and we are all guilty in some form or fashion. And trust me, I am guilty as charged. To be real is so foreign. I feel so blessed because I know people who are passionate and anytime I bring up something I'm passionate about they feed off of it, helping my passion to grow. Then, as they share their passion with me, I feed off their passion, and it also helps my passion to grow.


I don't want to be afraid to be real anymore. God created me in his image, therefore I have some of his qualities and I want to let those qualities shine, whether someone likes them or not. I don't want to feel numb to the passion the Lord has given me, I want to set it on FIRE! And I hope I can do the same for others, in whatever they are passionate about.

You Give and Take Away

To fully and whole heartedly follow Christ is not an easy task. "With much power comes much responsibility" This quote is very true when it comes to our relationship with Christ. The more He gives to us the more responsibility we stumble upon.


The Lord recently called me to make a sacrifice that I didn't want to make. I had my argument all laid out for Him and even tried compromising. But, the Lord told me I needed to fully make this one sacrifice. After finally giving in the Lord gave me a revelation. He told me that he's going to bless me greater due to this sacrifice, but he also revealed something else. He revealed to me that there are going to be season where he gives and he takes away. It's not always going to be in the same area, but for the rest of my life I'm always going to have to sacrifice something whether it's time with my family, money, relationship, etc.. Some might see this as God being mean and ask where is love if he's taking away these things that he knows are needed and precious to someone. I was then reminded of Philippians 4:12-13 where Paul writes, "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ,who gives me strength." The Lord gives us these season so that we can boast like Paul about being able to live in whatever situation we are given. We only learn how to live with little by living with little and we only learn how to live with much by living with much. 


So really, God is being exactly the type of loving person he claims to be by taking away. He know what's to come in the future if we are willing to follow Him and like any loving leader, he's preparing us for what's to come so that through Him we will be able to face whatever Satan tries to throw our way.


Despite what it may look like and despite what it may feel like, when the Lord takes something away know it's to help you.  He made the ultimate sacrifice and in reality he deserves us to be willing to sacrifice no matter the cost. He loves us SO MUCH, that when he asks us to make a sacrifice for Him, he showers us with blessings and will eventually give you back what you sacrificed 10x's over. He doesn't have to do that and we don't deserve to receive it but that's just who His is.


Oh...... HOW HE LOVES US!

Uh-Mazing

Sometimes when I read my Bible, I get blown off my feet on some of the passages of scripture I read and I want to tell everyone about it. This is one of those moments.

I'm reading the book of Daniel. I was reading chapter 3 where King Nebuchadnezzar had issued a decree that everyone should bow and worship the golden statue he had built when music played. The decree also stated that if anyone did not bow when instructed, they would be put to death by burning in the furnace. Well, word gets our that 3 men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not bowing and worshiping as they were instructed to. So the king summons the men to confront them on the issue. Here's where my mind was blown! The king ask the men if they have not been follow orders and they confess they have not. The king then offers them one more chance to bow or they will put placed into the blazing fire. Here is their respond, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18 NLT). 

WOOOOOAH! Did you get what I got?

If not here's another translation of the same verse. "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up." (MSG)

These men were facing death and their response is, God will save us. But not only that, they say that even if God doesn't save them from the fire, they still believe and worship him alone! These guys have more faith than I've ever had! I mean really, who says that nowadays? Who says, God will get me out, but if he doesn't I'm going to serve and worship him anyways. I don't know about you but I LOVE THIS! I love the intimacy and faith that these guys had with Christ. They didn't have to witness God pulling through (the way they would expect) they knew no matter what happened God was capable of saving them, He still existed, and God is still worthy of their worship and their sacrifice.

In this case, God did get them out (Daniel 3:19-30). But my question to you is...... in situations where your faced with a circumstance that possibly does not have a pleasant ending, are you willing to stand up and say, 'No matter what, I will serve my God.' Trust me, it's a question I'm going to be pondering on for a while.....

Who is God?

The title to my blog seems to be the best way to generalize the conversations I've had with multiple people lately. It's a question that we assume would come from someone who has never stepped into a church but I'm finding that this is not the case lately. The question seems to arise mostly from people who were raised in church or have spent a large sum of their life claiming to be a christian. Yet, after years of being in the church, people seem to be finding themselves walking out with the question, "Who is God?". 


It's almost like living in a home your whole life with someone who you call Dad, you have conversations with him, you tell him you love him, and yet you wake up one day going "Who is my Dad?".


Let me try to clarify my intention behind this question. I'm not asking the question as if you don't know who the person is (as if you couldn't identify them) but I'm stating the question in a more broad term such as who the person is in aspect of their character, their personality, etc. I would say the majority of the people who identify themselves as Christians could identify God, but couldn't give you a description of his character. It's really sad if you think about it. Not really knowing someone who you would identify as one of the most important aspects in your life. It's like being married to someone for years and finding out that when your spouse is asked questions about you all they can say is "Well, I've been married to them for a very long time and all I can tell you is that they are a good spouse." 


So who are we to blame? Who are we to point fingers at? Or do we blame someone else? Do we hold some else accountable for our lack of knowledge? I don't have the answers, all I know is these tend to be most people's typical reactions when they realize they are not as knowledgeable of something as they had originally thought they were. 


I can't speak for others but I can speak from my own personal experience. Who God truly is has been hidden and distorted in so many ways. It isn't God hiding it, it's me, you, others, the church, etc. Who God REALLY is gets buried by theology, pride, judgement, and anything else that is human. Then when you put a group of people together who are willing/ longing/ needing to see who God REALLY is, you begin to see His real power, His love, and it's INTENSE. And to be honest, it's terrifying. It's terrifying to realize the reality of how much power God has.You're never the same afterwards. But, you also find His love is ridiculous. Just from the amount I have experienced there are no words to describe the intensity. All I know, is that it's something that is not comfortable to experience at first because it almost seems unreal. 


I have truly loved a few people in my life. I loved them so much that it didn't matter what they did that hurt me I was still willing to take them back and I was willing (and still am willing) to go out of my way for them if I knew it would help them. Just to know that I am willing to experience this type of love blows my mind because I know that is an example of God's love. And in reality, that love is only a speck of an example of the love Christ has to give. 


I don't know if any of this makes sense to anyone but it's something that has really been on my mind lately. 


I guess what I'm trying to say is, if the God you have in your mind is hateful and judgmental you've been misled. Though he will judge us in the end, I have come to experience that judgement is his last resort and is therefore not WHO he is. He chooses to love first and he wants to love in an extravagant way. I challenge anyone and everyone to look for this loving God because scripture states that "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:13. This will be my prayer for anyone who seeks to find this loving God. I pray that you will find Him and see the God I'm talking about. But also know "If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!" Proverbs 11:27. If you set your focus on the bad, you'll find it but I promise it won't be God. The bad you will find will be the lies of Satan because there is nothing evil or bad in my God.


I want so badly for everyone to experience and know that God I'm coming to know and love SO MUCH! The process of changing your mindset is difficult but it's worth it. If you go back to my very first blog posting, you can read through and see the struggles that I've dealt with over the past 6 months. Has it gotten easier? No. But I'm finally seeing and coming to terms the struggles I have and there's a small comfort in knowing that despite the ugly truth I'm having to see, it's helping me and my relationship with the Lord and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

To judge or not to judge......

If you read my last blog, you know that I wrote on a picture that had been posted onto Facebook.  You can go back and read what I discussed if you didn't. There was a post made by the man who posted the picture and this is his response to all the chaos that has been stirred up by the picture, "Ok results are in for the Flip The Bird Social Experiment .
After the posting of a mildly offensive yet nothing compared to some , pic of Jesus flipping the bird and a we'll kill him again text . These are the results 16500 comments 3800. Likes 400. Friend Requests ... Over 3000 death threats . At least 10,000 Burn In Hell threats . Which brings us to the conclusion that Fundamental Christians are no different then Radical Islamics . Both will threaten death and promote violence and hatred to anyone that jokes about their imaginary friend .

Hang your heads Christians . You deserve to feel ashamed "

Whether his research is valid or not, I think the point is made clear here. The amount of hate and judgment that this guy received is ridiculous. But, Christians are human too and I believe many of the death threats and comments were a knee jerk, human, response. Peter did the same thing John 18:1-10 "After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.  Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples.  The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.
 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.
   “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.)  As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!  Once more he asked them,“Who are you looking for?”
   And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
  “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.”  He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.”

  Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave."

Peter's first reaction to stand up for Jesus was with slashing off the right ear of the high priest's slave. Even though his intentions were to show his love and compassion for Jesus, Jesus gracefully responded with “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” Jesus knew what was to follow and I believe he didn't want violence to be the answer. 

As Christians, we have no right and ZERO responsibility to judge non believers. In 1 Cor. 5:9-13, Paul writes, "When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, 'You must remove the evil person from among you.'"

Instead we are called to love, Romans 12:9-10 "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other."

This whole thing has reminded me that we need to be careful in how we react to offensive behaviors, words, or actions of those of non-believers. Our knee jerk reaction is to fight because we want to stand up for Christ, but he's telling us to make our knee jerk reaction to be love, because that's what he's all about.

Also, we need not take offense when people don't understand what we believe. It says in 2 Corinthian 3:12-15 "Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.  We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away.But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand."

Therefore, I believe it's our responsibility to love and wait patiently for the Lord.

I Will Carry Your Name

It's near the end of the semester, I'm up to my neck in assignments, and I cannot find the motivation to get everything done. I don't know why I do this to myself. I always put it all off until the last minute and then I'm stressed out due to the amount of work I have to complete. 


This month has flown by. I feel like I blink and a month is gone. Is this what it's like to grow up?


Earlier on Facebook, a Facebook friend had commented on a picture. Therefore, since Facebook likes to let you know EVERYTHING someone does it showed the picture on my news feed (some of you might have seen this same picture). The picture was of Jesus holding his middle finger in the air and it had two captions to it. 1st caption: "HE IS COMING And if he's doing this we're in trouble" Then the second caption read "LET HIM COME, we'll just kill him again." Yeah, my eyes about popped out of my head when I read this too. So me being me, I clicked on the the picture to read the comments below (at the time it had about 600 comments, but that number is growing as I type). The person who posted the picture made a comment below that says, "This photo was posted yesterday and due to the fact that im getting christians telling me to kill myself , this proves that it deserves to be posted again ." This comment made me more sad than the picture itself. 


As I was reading my bible before bed, I know it was not an accident that I read Ezekiel 36:16-24. My Bible has little side captions to go with some verses and there was one for this one that read " Why did God want to protect his holy name- his reputation? To allow his people to be destroyed by their enemies would lead other nations to believe their nonexistent gods were victorious (Isaiah 48:11). Yet the people of Israel had the responsibility to represent God properly to the rest of the world. Believers today have that same responsibility. What would people learn about God by watching you?"


People are going to slander christianity, it's been predicted (John 16:33, 1 Peter 4:12-19). The real trial is how we handle it. When you decided to carry the name of Jesus, you're representing Christ. How you behave and what you do in troubling situations such as this is so important. It breaks my heart that this person, whoever they may be was told to go kill himself for posting that picture. If God wanted him dead for that, well I'm pretty sure he would have taken care of that for him. But that's not who God is. He is a merciful God, he, "isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:9) And as christians (including myself) we must not forget what God says about us! In Ezekiel he promises to “...sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations."(36:25-27) but he also says, "But remember, says the Sovereign Lord, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!" (36:32). We are no better than the person who posted or created that picture, the only difference is that God has cleaned us and that cleansing was done through mercy not because we did anything to deserve it.

"My Soul Longs For You"

I've been reading this book that my stepmom gave me that has been so wonderful! It's called The Bondage Breaker by Neal T. Anderson. For those seeking a deeper more free relationship with Christ, I highly recommend it. There is a statement/ prayer that he wrote that I wanted to share. For me, when I read it I wanted to jump up and down because it's EXACTLY what I long for from Christ and it just made me so happy. I hope it will do that same for others. :-)

" I recognize that there is only one true and living God (Exodus 20:2,3), who exist as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that He is worthy of all honor, praise, and worship as the Creator, Sustainer, and Beginning and End of all things (Revelation 4:11; 5:9,10; Isaiah 43:1,7,21).

I recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). I believe that He came to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8), that He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15).

I believe that God has proven His love for me, because when I was still a sinner Christ died for me (Romans 5:8). I believe that He delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to His kingdom, and in Him I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13:14).

I believe that I am now a child of God (1John 3:1-3), and that I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies (Ephesians 2:6). I believe that I was saved by grace of God through faith, that it was a gift and not the result of any works on my part (Ephesians 2:8).

I choose to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (Ephesians 6:10). I put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3), for the weapons of my warfare are not of the flesh (2 Corinthians 10:4). I put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17), and I resolve to stand firm in my faith and resist the evil one.

I believe that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and that He is the head over all rule and authority (Colossians 2:10). I believe that Satan and his demons are subject to me in Christ because I am a member of Christ's body (Ephesians 1:19-23). I therefore obey the command to resist the devil (James 4:7), and I command him in the name of Christ to leave my presence.

I believe that apart from Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5), so I declare my dependence on Him. I choose to abide in Christ in order to bear much fruit and glorify the Lord (John 15:8). I announce to Satan that Jesus is my Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3), and I reject any counterfeit gifts or works of Satan in my life.

I believe that the truth will set me free (John 8:32), and that walking in the light is the only path of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Therefore, I stand against Satan's deception by taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). I declare that the Bible is the only authoritative standard (2 Timothy 3:15-17). I choose to speak the truth in love ( Ephesians 4:15).

I choose to present my body as an instrument of righteousness, a living and holy sacrifice, and I renew my mind by the living Word of God in order that I may prove that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 6:13; 12:1,2). 

I ask my heavenly Father to fill me with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), to lead me into all truth (John 16:13), and to empower my life so that I may live above sin and not carry out the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). I crucify the flesh (Galatians 5:24) and choose to walk by the Spirit.

I renounce all selfish goals and choose the ultimate goal of love (1 Timothy 1:5). I choose to obey the greatest commandment, to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind, and to love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-39)."

May the Lord bless you  even more abundantly than He has done for me :-)

I need your help

Oh life is happening! Each minute is being put to good use in my life. Tonight I stayed home to reboot emotionally and physically.


One of the most difficult gifts to have is the gift of empathy. To be able to take on the emotions of other people is exhausting and draining. I've been working diligently with a family to hopefully help them get back on the right track. The mother is emotionally and physically unstable with 4 kids living in her home. The home is a mess and they are always under constant stress and in constant conflict. Why would I keep trying to help? Because the Lord has called me to. I have no doubt that I will spend the rest of my life helping families like this one. It's exhausting dealing with families that are in constant crisis but someone needs to help, we can't just turn a shoulder because it's hard.But I'm again reminded of Romans 15:1-2 that says, "Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?'"


So I'm asking those who are strong to help me if you can. This family's home is being foreclosed. They have to be out of the home by the end of November and have not found a place for them to move into. The mother is on a fixed income of about $1200 a month and has 4 kids. If anyone knows of a place in Hamilton County or North GA that establishes rent based on income, your information would be of GREAT help. I know the Lord has a home for this   family and I pray He brings it to them soon. He's already provided help when they move, so I have no doubt he's going to provide a home! Right now the family is struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel and things seem to continue to get worse for them. If you don't know of anything that is fine, please just keep this family in your prayers and pray the Lord gives them their home soon.


I easily become overwhelmed because I try to do a lot on my own without asking for help. But as a Christian, we're suppose to work as a body and not take on every task by ourselves. That  is why I'm asking for your help. In 1 Corinthians 12:18-26 its says, "But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.  How strange a body would be if it had only one part!  Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."


Even if your job is to pray, I want you to know that you are HONORED in that task. The Lord is going to bless this family and he will honor all those involved, whether it's through prayer or actions. 


Thanks you all for your prayers and help :-)

Unity.

 "Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.  He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us."
Ephesians 2:11-18


When I read this passage it made me sad. Here's Paul, writing about how Jesus was crucified and tortured so that everyone may have peace. Jesus suffered so that we could all work as one body together to serve him. The part that makes me sad is I don't see this happen very often in the christian community. We're too busy trying to convince people to come to this one particular church or this one particular denomination instead of helping one another as we discover who Christ has made us to be and how he's created us to serve him in a unique and marvelous way. Why don't different denominations unite with one another? Is it just me or does this passage state that Christ died so that we could have unity. Unity must be extremely important if Christ was willing to do what he did so that we may have it. It's just easy to let pride and interpretation to create barriers that do not benefit in furthering the kingdom of God. Success comes with unity. Jesus was right, it is important. Too bad we take advantage of our freedom and choose not to unite. Just imagine, if we all worked as one body like God intended us to. The results would be epic.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act." Psalm 37:7

Today I had a break before class started. We have a new professor over the school counseling department and he has made an effort to take each school counseling student to lunch to get to know them better. So I had just had a wonderful lunch and was left with a little break. I was in the upstairs sitting area about to attempt my mid term exam for one of my classes when a fellow classmate of mine walked into the area. We have a class together but had never really talked. She walked up and introduced herself stating that she figured we would finally get to know each other since we have class together, plus I see her on campus pretty often. We ended up having along wonderful discussion! She's in the school counseling program too and has some very similar loves and passions as I do. It was really awesome to discuss many of our idea's and beliefs. One thing that she said that stuck out to me was how society tends to create systems that show instant results. No matter whether it's a social work system, school system, or any other type of system, we want the one that shows instant results. We were both in agreement that when working with humans and changes, there's no such thing as instant results (well, without the Lords help that is).

I've been reading Ezekiel before I go to bed at night as my nightly devotionals. It's one of those chapters in the bible that's really confusing and not fun to read, but I'm in a relationship with God and a part of being in a relationship is knowing everything about someone. After I read the few chapters tonight, I felt the Lord place on my heart to read Psalms 37. Once I got to verse 7 I was reminded of my conversation with my classmate earlier today and the Lord gave me some wisdom. Our society has caught the Willy Wonka girl syndrome. You know, the girl who "wants it and wants it now." But the thing is, that's not how God is and that is certainly not how he intended us to live. He'e constantly having to remind us to "be patient". I can't even begin to count how many time scripture says this. But patients is a foreign concept to us. We've become so adapted to instant results, that patients has become a lost art. I for one really struggle with this. I'm bad about wanting things instantly as well. But I'm growing to learn that this " I want it and want it now" is not of God. He has certainly not put this in us. Therefore, feeding into this is not being "Christ like" which is what he has called us to be (2 Cor. 2:15, Ephesians 4:15)

Looks like I need to find more ways to be "be still...... and wait patiently"

"If You are the sun then I wanna be the moon. I want to reflect the light that shines from You"

This weekend was fantastic! I got to spend much needed time with wonderful friends, see old friends, and made new friends. Therefore, this weekend was awesome!


I went to a conference in Athens on Saturday called "Love Life" with Mark Driscoll. It was REALLY good. To sum up the conference, it was about relationships and how God intended us to have relationship whether it's a dating relationship or a marriage. Courtney and I were not able to stay the whole time but I will highlight a few interesting things I learned.


1. Girls are talkers and Guys are doers- I've never really gave it much thought before how girls and guys build relationships differently. When girls hang out with one another, the night is filled with dinner and coffee and LOTS of talking. We are very content with this and this is how we build relationships with one another. Guys on the other hand tend not to spend their evening doing this, they tend to go play some kind of sport or go hiking. They build relationships by doing something rather than talking. Mark stated that it's important for guys to spend time talking with their girlfriends or wives because this is how women build relationship. Girls on the other hand need to be sure and do something with their boyfriends or husbands such as watching a football game with them or doing something with them that they enjoy because this is how they build relationships. It's definitely a two way street lady's and gents.


2. Friendship is key. In order to build a healthy relationship, it's important to build a friendship with your significant other. My mother has always told me that you need to marry someone who is your best friend, I've always agreed with her. It was really cool for Mark to talk about how the Bible backs up this theory in the Song of Solomon. He made a comment during his lecture that confused me, he stated that he had been married to his wife for 10 years before he found out she was a rape victim. I was so puzzled on how he could have dated her 5 years and been married 10 and had not known this. Later, he began to discuss how when relationships become physical it brings in different emotions into the relationship. The emotions that are brought in are not apart of the friendship building process. He later confessed that him and his wife were having sex before they were married, this made everything make sense. He stated that him and his wife struggled for the first 10 years of their marriage due to this decision, because they had not been able to build the friendship God had intended them to build first.


3. Confidence is attractive. When a christian man is confident enough to approach a woman and pursue her, woman finds this attractive. A woman also has great respect for a man who is willing to understand that she does not want to be pursued by him and gracefully and respectfully backs off. Not to mention that a women is more likely to recommend you to her friends if you're willing to respect her like this (just throwing that out there guys). I personally already knew this one, but I just thought I'd share it anyways :-)


Overall, it was a great weekend! I want to share a few verses I ran across in my quiet time. I think they might be encouraging and greatly needed for some people.


Love you all! :-)


"For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow." Lamentations 3:31-33

"But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, 'Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!' Yes, you came when I called; you told me, 'Do not fear.' Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:55-58

"It's getting better with the seasons."

Fall has finally made it's way in. It is beautiful outside and the temperature feels amazing. But along with the fall comes something in the air that creates a rebellion in my body that prevents me from breathing through my nose for about 3 days and causes my head to weigh about 10 lbs. But once my body decides to accept the fact that is is fall, it will go back to normal and I will be able to enjoy the weather more.

Last night, I picked up my two cousins from church. On the way to their home, Thomas (who is 4) decided that the we needed to ride with the windows down. I agreed so I roll the windows down and we enjoy the lovely weather on the ride to their home. On the way Thomas noticed something out the window. I hear "OH MY GOODNESS!" I asked him what was wrong. He continues by telling me, "Someone has their tismas(aka Christmas) lights up!". He then continues with, "don't they know it's not timas time yet?!". He then begins to yell out the window, "People! It's not tismas time yet, it's halloween! Don't have your tismas lights out yet!" I throughly enjoyed this moment, it was the best moment of my week! After he was finished informing everyone that it's not Christmas time, I thanked him for being kind enough to remind everyone that it was time for Halloween, not Christmas.


I have a MAJOR praise! I received a call this afternoon that I have been hired at the Creative Discovery Museum. I am SO EXCITED. The Lord literally threw this one in my lap. I wasn't even looking that hard for a job and he gave this one to me with little effort on my half. God loves doing these things, He loves giving us the best when we least expect it. It doesn't happen all the time, thats why it's so exciting when it does! I'm coming to learn that times of waiting are well worth the wait. When we put our boxing gloves away and accept the fact that God wants us to wait, the blessings he has to pour out is incredible! The best part is, the only thing we had to do was wait, he takes care of the rest. If you're in a time of waiting, ask God to help you accept that that's where he wants you. Trust that he will give you the answer you are looking for in time. Because the truth is, just like the seasons, what's going to happen is going to happen. We can't walk around in shorts and a t-shirt in winter because we're ready for summer. It doesn't matter what you do, winter will stay as long as winter wants to stay. By wearing your flip flop's and swim trunks isn't going to rush the winter to move into spring. I feel like that how I handle waiting periods. I try to do something to change the situation I am in, to make it go by faster. But I've learned it doesn't matter what I do, a season's a season and I just need to find a good winter coat to help me until it's summer time. FInding content in EVERY situation is the solution for many of our problems.


"I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philipians 4:12-13

To You our hearts are open, Nothing here is hidden

I've never been a 'natural' runner. I started running in high school to lose weight and to get in shape. When I started out running it was a challenge just to run a half a mile without feeling like I was going to die. The first time I ran a mile non-stop, it took me about 13 minutes, but I was SO PROUD of myself. It was a huge accomplishment. I kept in the habit on and off through out college getting a little better. At one point I was running about 3 miles every other day, at about 12:00min per mile. But I'm a busy body and my social calendar became filled with events to the point that running was put on the back burner. I would run maybe once every other week. After I graduated college with my undergraduate degree, running was rarely happening. Then once I started my job at Youth Villages, the thought of running only made me laugh inside because I had ZERO energy to do it. After I quit YV, I decided to reintroduce myself to the treadmill in our home, the same one I use to run on in high school. For those who have ever started running then quit, then tried starting back, you know that you have to start back to square one. So lucky for me, I was back to barely running a mile without feeling like was I dying.


I'm telling you my running history as an introduction to my running experience I had tonight. I've been doing fairly well lately and had run 1.5 mile last night without stopping. I had planned to do the same tonight. But tonight was different from the past nights I've been running. Tonight, I walked into the room with a heavy weight on my shoulders. Loneliness, disappointment, and discouragement had crept it's way in on me. As I stepped onto the treadmill, my heart felt heavy. I plugged my ipod into my head phones and cranked up "All My Fountains" by Chris Tomlin. I started the treadmill and as my legs begin to run at the set pace, so does my mind. As praise and encouragement flow into my ears, my mind is throwing everything that is weighing me down. "This dry and desert land I tell myself, 'Keep walking on' Hear something up ahead, Water falling like a song. An everlasting stream, Your river carries me home."


All the thoughts of disappointment, confusion, and loneliness are pounding in my head, but I keep running. I promised myself at the beginning of this day that I am going to PRAISE my God, despite what I feel, despite what I see, and despite what my circumstance may look like. I decide at this point that I'm going to listen to the whole Passion Album instead of my set running list, I need Jesus to help me right now. More songs pour into my ears while every thought possible is trying to over take the truth that is pouring into me, I turn up the volume on my ipod. I've almost reached a mile at this point, I begin to pray, "Lord, let me sweat all these discouraging thoughts out of me." I keep running.


At this point, I begin to tell all the negative thoughts in my head the promises the Lord has given to me. He has PROMISED that he will send someone into my life that will work along side me in the journey he has laid out before me. He has PROMISED me that he will show me the ministry he has set out for me, he will tell me how it's to be run and what steps I need to take. He has PROMISED that he will never leave me, he will never forsake me, and the work he has laid out for me will not be done in vain. He PROMISED that he will use me to help uplift troubled souls. I've reached 1.5 miles at this point, but I'm not stopping, I keep running. 


The Lords plan is bigger than mine and his love for me and his children is far beyond my comprehension. I have to trust him. He has always, ALWAYS shown to be faithful. I was reminded of Jeremiah 29:11-14 that says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Right before this verse, in verse 10 it says, "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again."


He said it would be 70 years before his promise will be fulfilled, BUT he said IT WILL BE FULFILLED. HE WILL COME!!!


Sweat is pouring down my face now. I can feel it all down my back and my arms. The weight doesn't feel as heavy anymore. As I reach the 2 mile mark, I'm reminded that the Lord will fulfill his promise, it just might not be in the timing I want. I pray that it won't be 70 years like in Jeremiah, but even if it is, I will praise him, because no matter how long the timeline might be he will be at the finish line with the ultimate prize. We might have sweat pouring down our faces but we will finish and his promise will be there with Him saying, "Well done my child, you pushed through the trials, and trusted that I would be faithful. Here is what I have promised. By the way, it's even better than I had originally stated and I decided to add a few other blessings on top of it."


At 2 miles, I slow the treadmill down and hear the words of David Crowder say, "When all seems lost. When we're thrown and we're tossed, We'll remember the cost. We're resting in the Shadow of the cross."


I know that won't be my last run, I'll keep running until I reach that over flowing fountain. I'm going to keep running the race no matter the struggles that may come with it because I know that in the end the weight will be gone and I will struggle no more.

I'm waiting for the real pearls.

I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I have the ability to break any car that I have. Since high school I have had 5 cars, all of which have had something random break on it. Thankfully the majority of the issues are usually minor. But, the trigger to any of my car issues is when my parents go out of town. No joke. Almost every time they leave for a certain period of time, something always happens to my car. This weekend they went to pigeon forge for the weekend, when I went into my car to meet a friend for lunch the check engine light came on. I wasn't about to take my chances with my history of car issues when they're not in town. So I'll be driving my mom's car, just to be safe.

This weekend has been pleasantly nice. Last night and tonight I have spent my time home alone. I've watched many movies and have taken on some much needed rest. 

Last Sunday at church the pastor spoke on faith. He gave an illustration that has been in my mind all week. He told a story about a little girl and her father. The father had given the girl a pearl necklace. The girl loved the pearls and cherished them very much. One night, the father comes into the young girls room to put her into bed for the night. When the father walked in, he asked the young girl to give him her pearl necklace. The young girl was very troubled by this and refused to return the necklace to her father. The father did not argue and said the prayers for the night and put the girl to bed. For the next couple of nights, the father continued to ask for the pearl necklace and the girl continued to refuse. Each time the girl refused the father would proceed with their nightly ritual and put the girl to bed. Finally, the father walked into the girls room as usual and found his young daughter with tears in her eyes and the pearl necklace in her hand and handed the pearls over to her father without him asking. The father takes the pearls from the young girl and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black bag. He hands the bag to the girl and she reaches in to find a REAL pearl necklace.

When he told this story, I couldn't help but see myself as that little girl trying to keep the first pearl necklace. 

When it comes to relationships I've always been very picky. I've always been cautious of who I date and I've only dated those who I cared deeply about and saw a future with. Much like the little girl and her first pearl necklace, I loved very deeply the few relationships God gave to me. I wanted to keep them and never give them back. But like the father in the story, God came to me and very patiently and lovingly asked that I give them back. I am very much like the little girl, I was stubborn and I didn't want to give up what he had given me. I loved what he had given me, why would he ask me to give them back? But my story is a little different from the little girl, I came to God with tears in my eyes and gave him back the pearls he had given to me except I returned a broken necklace. See God knew it would break, he knew that I needed to give him the weak set of pearls. He held me when I cried because I had not listen to him and I had broken what he had given me. He wiped the tears from my eyes, he told me how much he loved me, and how he wants to give me so much more. He never yelled at me. He just held his arms open and loved me. I don't deserve a real set of pearls, I mean, why would he give me the real thing when I could barely handle the one's on loan. But God is merciful, He's loving, and despite my stubbornness, he still  wants to give me the real pearls he has picked out for me.

It's hard to be at a place in life when everyone around has found someone they can spend time with and enjoy their company. People tend to either over look the one's who are alone or anxiously try to find someone for the lonely so they don't have to be alone anymore. Loneliness is seen as the ultimate torturous situation in our society. But really, it's just like anything else that is difficult in life, the longer your in it the more you grow in learning how to handle it. Don't get me wrong, it's not always easy, but isn't that the same for relationships? There not always peachy and easy to handle. 

I'm on this topic because I'm running into a lot of situations where people are struggling with loneliness. I see multiple people trying to find a relationship just so they don't have to be alone and don't have to have someone feeling sorry for them because they haven't found a significant other. I tried running from it, I tried holding on to relationships just so I wouldn't have to be alone. The result? I think the previous illustration of the broken pearls can answer that question. If you're reading this and you are alone, I can't sit here and say that God will send a significant other your way soon because I honestly do not know if that's what he has in store for you. But I can promise that he has something MAGNIFICENT in store for you. If he hasn't given it to you yet, it might be because your still holding on to the first set of pearls he has given you. If your wise, you'll go ahead and hand them over to him so that he can give you a better set of pearls. If you don't, the first set of pearls will break, causing a bigger mess. Looking back, I wonder what would have happened if I had just given him the first set of pearls back when he asked me to. The truth is, I can't hold onto the "if's". God is faithful. He has promised me and you real pearls. Each of our real pearls might resemble something different but I believe God has the BEST in mind for all of us, no matter what it is.

So keep holding onto the promises he has given us. Keep patiently waiting for he is faithful to follow through with the words he has given us. And despite the difficulties that come with the waiting the Lord is using those difficulties to build us and make us strong. I'm leaving you with this quote a friend gave me. Enjoy :-)

"Your focus will determine what you believe. 'When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do, but on what God said He would do.' God is not slow in keeping His promises, but the enemy will try to attack you in the interim as you wait. Don't get focused on the negative. Don't let fear overwhelm you. Even Jesus was tested by satan with the question, "If...", but Jesus did not focus on Himself, He focused on what God said about Himself. Like Jesus, we have a defense to guard our hearts and our minds and stand firm in faith – the true Word of God's promises."

Wondergirl Won't Save Your Life

I really don't like saying, "the Lord is good". The reason is because I do not think the word 'good' is sufficient enough to describe how God really is. I prefer to use words such as magnificent, extravagant, or awesome. I mean think about how you use the word 'good' in an everyday context? When we like something or we're not displeased, we say it's good. So, I'm not saying the word 'good' is a bad word or a negative word, it's just not sufficient enough for me to use when describing my God. Because the reality that I'm coming to realize is that when God does something in my life my heart beat increases, I feel as if I've just earned a million dollars just by cleaning a floor. Usually when God does something in my life I want to go shout it and dance on a rooftop because of the joy I experience. Therefore, considering my definition of the word 'good' is to describe something likable or pleasing, I want to use stronger words that can better describe the multitude of joy I experience when He intervenes in my life.

Speaking of God intervening in my life, He's been doing a lot of that lately. He's been popping up in the most unexpected places and bringing on new opportunities. Through these interventions and opportunities He's been teaching me much about myself. For example, He's taught me that I have a servants heart. I really enjoy helping people in any possible way I can. Because of this gift and passion the Lord has placed many opportunities where I get to serve other people and I've been throughly enjoying it. But, I'm learning that I enjoy helping and serving other's so much that I tend to try and go above and beyond all too often. God has been reminding me that He want's to use me to serve others and to help them but I need to only do as he tells me to do. I tend to be in a situation where I'm helping someone and will suggest helping them in another way that he has not instructed me to offer the help. I do this because I want to do everything I possibly can to help someone, especially if they are in a rough situation. I know God know's my heart and intentions are true in the matters but He's teaching me that I can't help EVERYONE. As much as every inch of me wants to be available to help everyone in there time of need, he did not create me to serve every person on this planet. I was created to serve Him and to serve Him in a way that brings him glory, honor, and praise. But I'll find myself in a situation where I'm helping in a way that is hurting them. I'll allow this person to become dependent on me and this is not want God has created us for. He created us to be dependent on him. Looking back, I realized that this is what caused me to become so burned out in my job. I wanted to say yes to everyone when they asked for my help. I just care so much about people that when they ask me for something I wanted to do it to show them that I really do love and care about them and that I hear their needs. Plus, I knew I would complete the task.This isn't reflecting God's love and it's not really loving people, especially if what you are doing is crippling them into believing they are not capable of completing the task. Our prayers are not always yes from God, because He loves us enough to see the bigger picture and whether he would be crippling us by saying yes. 

I want more of this love, the love that knows when to say yes and when to say no. My prayers is that He will help me in discerning whether I need to complete a certain task for someone, show them how to complete the task themselves, or to basically say no. I know that by discerning in this way, God is going to be able to use me in a bigger way and more beneficial way.

‎"Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.I have called you by name; you are mine.When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.When you walk through the fire of oppression,you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you......because you are precious to me.You are honored, and I love you." Isaiah 43:1-2, 4

Rational Vs. Irrational

Labor day weekend = a success!

I had fun camping with the family. My parents camper is pretty snazzy (definition- to describe something extremely awesome!) It took us 5 hours to get home this afternoon. About 2 and a half hours of that was leaving Pigeon Forge, it was a little ridiculous. 

Not only was today Labor day but it was also my sister and brother in law's 2 year anniversary. Happy 2 years! May many MANY more years continue to come for you two :-)

God loves to get my attention when I least expect it. After returning home today, I decided to indulge the remainder of my evening in one of my newly favorite shows, Criminal Minds. As I was sitting and loving every minute of this show, God placed a revelation on my heart. I began to think about rational vs. irrational. I became more aware of how people (myself included) tend to rationalize things ALL THE TIME. Especially when we feel God has placed something on our hearts, whether it's to confront a friend, call a long lost friend, or it could be as random as talking to the stranger next to you in a nail salon. I don't know what the random event that might magically pop into your mind or a close friend has suggested, we tend to rationalize why we should NOT do the random task that has been placed before us. We think things such as " Well, my friend will not understand why I'm confronting them. They'll think I've lost my mind." Or "That long last friend does NOT remember me. They probably don't even have my number so they won't answer a number they don't know." I could go on and on about the list of rationalizing things.

As I sat watching criminal minds and thinking about rationalization I began to realize how much Satan LOVES rationalization. It's probably one of his most favorite tactics to use against us because it's so easy and it WORKS the majority of the time. Our rationalization becomes "a truth" to us, therefore we cannot complete our original task because that is not 'real' it's not 'rational'.

But if we really knew God, we would know that he does not work rationally. If he did would Luke 1:37 exist? How about Luke 18:27? God likes making the the irrational become rational, because when the impossible become possible, people's reactions are WAY more entertaining. Isaiah 52:15 says, "And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about." I mean, to make a King speechless is waay more awesome than having a group of people say, "Oh, this was completely rational. I understand why this took place." 

When reading Isaiah 53, I became so over taken and awestruck at how much God loves us. He loves us so much, that he allowed his PERFECT son to be punished and beaten for us. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is not rational to the thought process that we know as rational. But it WAS rational for God (Isaiah 55:8-9), because it means he gets to have US. WE are HIS due to this completely irrational behavior. 

"He was oppressed and treated harshly,

      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
 ⁸ Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
 ⁹ He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man’s grave.
 ¹⁰ But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
      and cause him grief.
   Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
      he will have many descendants.
   He will enjoy a long life,
      and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
 ¹¹ When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
      he will be satisfied.
   And because of his experience,
      my righteous servant will make it possible
   for many to be counted righteous,
      for he will bear all their sins.
 ¹² I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
      because he exposed himself to death.
   He was counted among the rebels.
      He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels." Isaiah 53: 7-12


If you're reading this blog now, I believe you are reading it for a reason. Maybe you have never read it before and randomly came across it on a news feed. Or you might just be a wonderful friend who randomly likes to see what I have to say. Either way, these words are not mine, they are God's. In my flesh I'm not bold, I'm insecure, I'm incapable of any form of wisdom. But with GOD, he makes all these things possible. I'm a firm believer in Deuteronomy 29:29 "The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions." Don't ignore what God is pounding on your heart to do. I PROMISE it will be an experience of a lifetime and one you will never regret.