Hello Beautiful.

Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God [Sheila Walsh]

This book was absolutely wonderful! I picked up this book not really knowing what it was about, but the title “Beautiful Things Happen When A Woman Trusts God” grabbed my attention. I was surprised I enjoyed this book as much as I did because I was afraid it was just going to be another dry memoir of the many dark times in the authors life. On the contrary, while it was a collection of stories about the authors life, every story seemed to pierce my heart and relate to me in some way (however far the stretch). It was a mixed bag of funny stories, sad stories, and personal trials--but I enjoyed the variety and the many lessons that had me reflecting on how beautiful God is. 

I have always had trust issues and have actually been working to overcome these in a recent Discovery-Training I have been going through. Sheila Walsh pieces together several experiences from her life to paint a beautiful example of what freedom looks like. She went from a patient in a mental health clinic to using her story to inspire other women who are trapped in their own insecurities. While I am young and have not dealt with any “mental illness” and don’t directly relate to a lot of the things she went through, she really hit home with me early on in the book which kept me reading.

I will recommend it with 4/5 stars because it is definitely above average, and definitely worth your time. 

www.booksneeze.com

Can You Feel It?

It's like a narrative, struggling with the reality of God, but then seeing that He's not just an antiquated idea in a book, or a distant guy in the sky, but He is here, right now. The Savior has come, He is here, He is everywhere. I can't wrap my mind around it.


Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The love in this place
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The grace in this place
Can you feel it?
Yeah

Life makes it so hard sometimes
To know what's real
Life makes it so hard sometimes
To know what's real
Oh, this life makes it so hard sometimes
To know what's real
Oh, this life makes it so hard sometimes

Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The love in this place
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The grace in this place
Can you feel it?

When I can't feel You there
When I can't see You there
When I can't comprehend that
You are there
You are there
You're everywhere
You are everywhere

Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The hope in this place
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The peace in this place
Can you feel it?
Yeah

When we can't feel You there
When we can't see You there
When we can't comprehend that
You are there
You are there
You're everywhere
You are everywhere

Our God is here
Our God is here
Our God is here
Our God is here

We believe You're here
We can feel You here
We can see You here
We believe You're here
You are here
You are here
[David Crowder]

After studying in depth for the past few months on the subject of love and God's perfect love and how we are called to love just as God loves....reading these lyrics just fill me with so much joy. I mean, as christians we are called to be like God, to be holy as God is holy, to love as God loves, and to reflect His love in our relationship with others. More than anything I long for the perfect love, and although we are not a "perfect" race, God has called us to strive for that perfection and that's what I long to do. I realize that these lyrics aren't anything more than just a few repeating lines to some of you, but if you can truly grasp the whole concept of God's grace and love then maybe you can appreciate this too. I love Crowder's lyrics. They are amazing. And this song, amazing. God's love, grace, peace...amazing.

It's far too much to fully comprehend. I want to love like this. I want people to wonder how I can love so peacefully and gracefully. I want to be all-understanding and all-loving. I want to love like God loves, just as He has called me to do. Oh, this life makes it so hard sometimes to know what's real. I want to be real, I want the love in my life to be real. You and I, real. [Even when you can't see me, even when you can't feel me..] I know that's hard sometimes to comprehend, but when I say "I love you" it's not just a feeling, it's a consious decision I make every day. God is teaching me everyday how to love you better, God is teaching me how to love you all better.

Can you feel it?

Awakening

I was awakened on November 4th when I not only witnessed, but experienced the powerful documentary by Hillsong, inspiring me to be something bigger than myself, to do something bigger than what I thought I could do. I was inspired and ready to spread the love. I left the theatre speechless, feeling helpless in the giant face of poverty, loneliness and deep need, but at the same time I was so full of hope for what could be. 

I was awakened on January 4th in Atlanta, Georgia when I sat in Phillips Arena at 2p.m listening to Louie Giglio and Marilyn Skinner talk about the children in the Watoto Village in Kampala, Uganda: The orphaned, the rescued child soldiers who no longer had a family because they were forced to murder them. At Watoto they were given a home and a family, they were given food and education, and they were given the love of Christ. Hundreds are being not only rescued, but nourished, because of the Skinner’s faithfulness to their calling. 

I was even more awakened on January 5th when Louie announced that 1.3 million dollars had been raised to overwhelm the goals of 12 organizations that had come with a purpose and a passion to Passion2010, which proved to be contagious to 21,000 college students.

Upon returning to Abilene in preparation for the spring semester I was awakened, broken and inspired: I was newly awakened to different things going on around the world, both inside of my country and outside of my country. I was broken for those who are unfortunate and mistreated, wishing so bad there was something I could do that would make even a dent of difference. But I was inspired to find something I could do to make a difference. 

I was knowledgeable, and no longer naive. Little did I know that being awakened to the great need in the nations would shake me to my core. I am constantly replaying the images I have seen in the videos, photos I have seen on the internet, and stories I have heard through many mediums. I keep researching, googling, trying to figure out something I can do from here in Abilene, or somewhere I could go for a short period of time after this semester ends. 

The earthquake shook Haiti on January 12th, just a few nights after I first read about this orphaned Children’s home called Danita’s Children. It’s been a month. And I have thought about those orphaned Children every day since then. I have visited Danita’s website every day since then. I have printed out a missions application to go to Danita’s children. 

Will I go? I don’t know. I sure hope I can find time this summer to fly down there for a week or two to love on these children. And while I have stirred up this high, this passion for compassion, this passion for the less fortunate and the unreached, I am having a hard time discerning whether or not there is a call. There is so much need, how can I not be called?

There is so much need in Uganda. 

There is so much need in Haiti. 

But what about the need in Abilene? 

I want to do something now. I don’t just want to sit around with a passion to do something, I want to actually do it. 

"Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." James 1:26-27

Lord, I don’t want to be religious. I want to be a servant. I want to be a disciple. I want to be your hands. 

Use me? 

Follow You

"And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10

Good song--inspiring! You should take a listen :)

Be Lifted or Hope Rising

Job Chapter 1. It is amazing. Read it. I know, I know you know the story.

Read it again. Go deeper.

It is life changing.

In the first chapter in Job it says: "Now there was a day when the sons of God [angels, perhaps] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' Then Satan answered the Lord and said ' From roaming about on the earth and walking around it.'" (6-7)

First of all, we just read in Job that Satan is roaming around the earth among God's people looking for oppertunities to be a hinderance. (On the same note, 1 Peter 5:8 also says: "Be of sober spirit, be on alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls arund like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.")

Then in verse 8, scripture says: "The Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.'"

I think this is neat, in His own almighty way, that God initiated the testing of Job. It is mind blowing, to me, that such a gracious God would initatie such a thing, but in a way these trials we are put through are a gift, using suffering to purify us and prove us faithful. This ultimately should make our faith stronger so that we may delight in the Lord. It's a hard concept to grasp, but it is so neat.

In verse 11 Satan tells God: "..he will surely curse You to Your face." which is so awesome because Job doesn't. He rejoices in verse 21: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"!

The devil, the world, they would LOVE to see us fall. They delight in our struggles. But if we keep faith and use those struggles to ultimately make our faith stronger, they lose...Satan loses.

What is even more mind blowing is that in verse 22 it says that through everything he went through, Job didn't even sin! Can you even imagine?!

If you know me well enough, you probably know that one of my favorite chapters in scripture is James 1. Verses 2-4, which I'm sure you will hear me refer to a million more times in the years to come, says: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Here we have it--the result of endurance is PERFECTION. And just in case you didn't know, the Greek word translated as perfect in the passage means "mature, developed fully." Which I think is a neat way to think of God's meaning of perfection as "fully developed" and not our own worldly idea of perfect.

Another of my favorite passages is Romans 5:1-5 and it says "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (and here's my favorite part...!) And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, know that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

I LOVE that. So basically in a nutshell:

Tribulation --> Perseverance --> Character --> HOPE (that does not disappoint!!)

I don't know if it's just me, but I think this verse is so cool. Because GOd assures us that we can have reason to hope.

So I know this was really long, but these passages never get old to me and I always can find encouragement with them, so I thought I'd share the wealth.

Holiday

Christmas Break is already 1 week old, and I have spent 1 week with no To Do List and have survived quite nicely. Shocker? I think so. However, I think I am going to go nuts without some sort of goals for the rest of the break. So rather than a "To Do List," I will make a list of goals:

1. Finish the book I started, "The Hole In Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns.

2. Lose 6 pounds (Is that even possible to do between Thanksgiving and New Years? I guess I'll find out.)

3. Spend some time writing: Send out letters, journal, and perhaps even write a blog or two.

4. Sell something semi-valuable on Ebay. Easy money.

5. Play tennis. "It's too cold" is a really great excuse sometimes, but it shouldn't stop me from playing.

6. Art. I want to make some art to sell at Discovery. Or to give as gifts. I just want to make use of all the useless crap I compulsively buy at Hobby Lobby.

That's a start. And without mentioning my goals for Mario Kart. Oh wait..

Tear Down The Walls

Hillsong United, a group of worship leaders who have led and inspired millions across the globe, got it right tonight: “If what we do inside these 4 walls doesn’t make a difference in the streets we travelled to get here, we’ve missed the point.”

I walked out of the theater almost 3 hours ago and I am still trying to process everything I saw tonight, everything I felt tonight. One thing I do know is that God has broken my heart in all the right places tonight.

One of the things I was awakened to tonight was that Jesus didn't die so we could experience religion, He died so we could experience love:

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!” Amos 5:21-24

“And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10

“What you do unto the least of these you do unto me" Matthew 25:40

"Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." James 1:26-27

It is so easy to put myself, my self-seeking ambition, above all else in life. So far, my success has been the most important thing in my life 99% of the time. Another truth revealed tonight is this: "The human race is no race at all- its not a competition..."
What would it look like if our eyes were open to the fact that we’re not in a racing to beat the other guy. We are all in this together. Living life and glorifying God is about living in community and in fellowship, about loving and helping out our brother and our neighbor.

One question asked in this film was this: “When you ‘help’ people, do you pull them up from where they are... or do you sit down with them?”

This was convicting. And humbling. Because for the people who are even qualified to answer that question (am I? who have I helped lately?) I imagine a majority could honestly reply with the first answer, myself included. I tend to have a “know all” approach to most things in life, when there is a lot I really don’t know because I have been blinded. It seems that my eyes have been closed to the reality around me. But growing up in church my whole life by no means result in knowing everything. In fact, I have been highly naive to what has been going on in the world. How have I missed this all this time?

“Christians are known for the things we stand against but the things we stand against are so petty compared to everything going on in the world.”

I know that I am suppose to do something amazing with my life, what a life changing film. I am inspired and ready to spread the love. I left speechless, feeling helpless in the giant face of poverty, loneliness and deep need, but at the same time I am so full of hope for what could be.

It is time that I get out of my comfort zone and do what is commanded of me. Nelson Mandela once said that “bravery is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it.”

So long status-quo, I think I just let go. You make me want to be brave. (Nichole Nordeman)

Basically...I'm excited, humbled, ready, open, heartbroken and hopeful.

(Written on 11/4)