Capacity of Patience

     I have searched for some time for that thing that will never fade. 1 Corinthians 13 states that nature of which love is created in. It shows me how vast love really is. It all seems so much farther then what this world deems it as. I can’t put these depths into words but yet I can understand them. But with something of this nature maybe feelings and outward emotions is the only thing that does it justice.

    *love is to develop and resonant

    *it is beyond this world

    *outside our comprehension

    *greatest of all things that are eternal!

There is great patience in this world. Love is not the only place that patience is our virtue. Our lives are mine fields. Patience is what keeps our lives going at times. But the only patience we find rest in is at the foot of the cross. I have seen a glimpse of the glory which I am enduring for WHILE I am on the actually journey itself. God said it was going to be hard and far from easy. He also calls for us to see a glimpse of heaven and His glory at any and every moment in life.

You could be patient your whole life but yet get no reward or further action from it. So how long do we wait to start taking actions? We need to first ask ourselves what we are waiting on. How we are waiting on it and who we are trusting with our patience…God or this world? Sometimes the context and manner of what we are waiting for makes the situation a totally different approach. We need to be able to step back and evaluate how we are seeking the Lord in what we want. It is such a fine line between what the Lord is telling us and what we think He is telling us for our benefit. We need the judgment and sight to know the differences between the two or else we could find ourselves delving in the situations and happiness of this world and not the Lord’s.

I have found that we can come to question how we can be able to wait at the foot of the cross. But yet to be able to tell when God is telling you it is time to step out in faith. Make sure you are making those steps with Him guiding your thoughts and decisions. My whole life I have thought that there would be some crazy sign that could practically smack you in the face from the patience that something is finally happening. I thought my heart would drop when I saw a man knowing he is “the one” and the rest is to be history. Sure God gives us signs and information about where He is taking us but sometimes we are a part of a beautiful mystery. And we are to step out and use our faith in and through our lives. Being patient and building up endurance is something we can always use. But taking chances is also how our hearts grow. Brokenness is actually an addition to our hearts.

“…our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.” ~2 Peter 3:15

*The capacity to endure*

Colossians 2:6-7 shows how a tree plants its roots in Christ Jesus. But something so meant to be takes time to become a foundation. Our faith and love in Christ (roots) need time to experience the capacity of life. It needs to endure these storms through patience to become full and prosperous (tree trunk). Our foundation of patience seems like something that will only make us stronger. Crazy enough that is what builds our branches of faith that reaches to the unreached.

Isn't it crazy to think that we can be patient with one area of our life but another part is well on its way. Patience is not stopping life though. Think of it as taking another route through your journey. This route may not be one you are familiar with but you trust your car to take you to your destination. It causes you to think but it gets you to the point at which you are called. The different routes and ways are what give us the experience. Of course it may take longer but we always get to the same destination and sometimes the detour is a lot better than the main stream view.

Being patient and being able to understand it is something that is not as common as we all think. Being able to sit back and watch the Lord take our lives the way He sees fit is a trusting factor that we all need in our lives. Being patient is in more than just love and relationships. It is everywhere we turn. I have been approached with how important it is how we deal with it. I challenge you to consider what you are waiting on the Lord for and ask yourself a series of questions. You might find out that you are acting on your own whims and not the Lords. Make sure you find your area where you know when God is telling you it is okay and the right time to make that step out in faith. Always go to the Lord with any request you want as well. Of course God knows what we want already but He wants us to humble ourselves and be the good and faithful servants He calls us to be.




Words of Wisdom: "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."
                                                                    ~Galatians 1:10

He Remains

"One Thing Remains"Jesus Culture
Higher than the mountains that I faceStronger than the power of the graveConstant through the trial and the changeOne thing… Remains
Your love never fails, never gives upNever runs out on me 
On and on and on and on it goesIt overwhelms and satisfies my soulAnd I never, ever, have to be afraidOne thing remains
In death, In life, I’m confident andcovered by the power of Your great loveMy debt is paid, there’s nothing that canseparate my heart from Your great love...


Have you ever gone before the Lord with a waiting heart? This is one of the rare times that I enjoyed the wait of something. It is normally in the waiting that we get rather annoyed and impatient because we want things right away. What do we really get out of that though? What good comes out of something rushed? I really cannot think of examples that glitter with excitement that took no time to become something.

Our waitings in our relationship with Christ are probably the most beautiful things. It is something that we can say we are staying still in but yet we are moving forward all at once. God has marvelous ways of working in our lives and that is His main intent. He wants us to know that yeah He does know what is going to happen but we are to still come before Him with requests. Our relationships with Him would be nothing if we sat back and watched Him do everything so things planned out perfectly.

It has been in my waiting that Christ has shown me how messy things are. I am so use to things being in order and making sense. He has a totally different plan for me. My mind has changed on what I want for my career and my thoughts. This past week God has finally cleared away the fog from my mind that has been sitting there for a year now. It is so confusing to know where to go when you feel as if you are not getting any direction. The thing is, you have to be looking to receive direction in order to get it and use it. God is always there even when we aren’t. Isn’t that crazy to think how many times we push God to the side thinking it is harmless but yet it is how we feel when we lose touch with a good friend. It is the same principle! We need to realize that WE HAVE ABANDONED our God!


2 Corinthians 1:21-22 states “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”


We often focus too much on the wait that we fail to realize that something remains there the whole time. Christ. Christ is the ONLY thing that will remain when we don’t stand firm. He has enabled us to be able to with stand anything for Him. So why is it so hard to stand firm for our commission? Because everything in this world suppresses and avoids the idea of a father in heaven. We must not fall into this lie because God has called us His own by putting the Holy Spirit within us. He promises us things that no boyfriend or even parent could ever bring us the glory that Christ gives us.

As I had mentioned before, God has finally lifted the fog from my eyes these past few days. This revelation is something that I have been waiting for a while now. It took a couple steps to get to the better state I am in now.

     1) Sitting in God’s beauty in silence. Don’t bring anyone or anything (No Electronics!!) and just sit there. The amount of awareness and peace I gained from this was outrageous. I have never gotten this much breath from my quiet times with the Lord. For once I was able to just breathe. Just to live through Him. The one problem I have found is that believers fail to see that we can take that time to not be surrounded by other believers. God wants alone time with you and you only. He loves you so much and He actually gets jealous when we give our hearts to the things and ways of this world. Give Him the time He has made for you because the things you will find out in the silence is more than you hear in the noise.

    2) Relief prayer. Praying can be a difficult thing when we are praying for things that are constantly asked for. It becomes dangerous when our prayers say “Lord help me…” a lot. We should be asking God to move through our lives and not make it sound like we are running our own lives. Our relationship with Him is a lifestyle and something that is to be constant. This love calls for a constant and daily conversation with the Lord.

3) A changed lifestyle with different actions through growth. As I look back through my journal I realized it is all marked up and I tell myself there is no way I was not under the hand of the Holy Spirit. The Lord was in my life this whole time when I thought I was not with Him. Those journal entries are something we call a relationship with Christ. A relationship is a two way street and when it involves the Son of God and a human it can get rather rough. Our relationships with Christ are not meant to be all rainbows and butterflies. It is okay to be confused!! Things actually don’t have to make sense 24/7 and if they did then what would we be pushing for? Change in our lifestyle is through growing. In order to grow you have to experience things that don’t take you the way you planned. If we don’t learn and experience then we will only know one way and we will always assume that is right.

These next few weeks focus on what your fog is. What is holding back your eyes from seeing what your next step is. For me, it was taking time to step all the way back to the root of the problem. In a matter of 20 minutes my mind was cleared and I was given the avenue to see the Lord’s face again face to face. My prayer of relief was clear and reached the Lord. Instant grace and relief had taken over my heart. The path and ideas on which I was following had taken a change. My heart screamed to help those around me back home to be able to talk to someone about our Father. I was given a job that I had all the chance in the world to do back home for 18 years. It took me moving to a different state to realize that God has been speaking to me this whole time. I realized that I could sit back and put shame on myself for all the time I have wasted or I could act. And I am acting. It is not easy but then yet it is worth it. So what are you acting on?


Consider the following passages for reflection times this month:  Psalm 77Galatians 5 Ephesians 6:10-20 Philippians 3:12-21 2 Timothy 2:1-14 Hebrews 4:1-13 Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Liberty Way

    So as you have noticed, I have found that spare time really isn't a thing in college. I guess I thought that I would actually have time to sit down and write my blog the first Sunday of every month. I also thought 'wow I will have so much spare time to think about what to write about and I will have new and fresh ideas to publish since I will be a big time college student.' While that might not be exactly the case, I do have some things to share with you about my experience so far here at Liberty University.

    The days and months leading up to my departure for LU was kind of a waiting game. I found myself waiting around to start school so I could start 'living the next part of my life.' That was probably the weirdest stage of my life and it still is. Graduating High School and saying goodbye to everything in it is a good thing, sounds weird right? Well yeah it sounded weird to me as well. But the things I have learned through so many confusing and enlightening things in these past few weeks in my freshman year that I actually have to step back to tell myself I have at least three more years of this!

     It was the week of August 10th that I had to bite the bullet on packing for my college experience. Fellow college students and well graduated personnel laugh while the upcoming college students sit back and fear for this part of going to college. Especially being at a school that isn't too far from home but far enough that a vastly dressed young woman like myself cannot go home every other weekend to swap out cardigans or sandals for boots. Packing not only your clothes but life up is a hard thing to do and yeah it took me a couple of days to do that. It was that week of move in day that I was so busy with thinking about what was ahead that I forgot what I was leaving until almost two months. Saying goodbye, for now, to these types of things wasn't a huge breaking in my life but it caused me to think about things more than ever. It felt like that time of leaving my little town in PA would never come but at 3 am on August 14th came like a gasp of breath.

    I found myself in the back of our family car packed to the top with my life possessions, my sister next to me and my parents manning the front seats. It sunk in slowly then all at once. Of course sleep is such a beautiful thing on those 4 to 5 hour car rides. But as soon as I woke, it was time. Next thing I knew the student leadership was surrounding our car to get all of my belongings and the kitchen sink up to my dorm. I quickly discovered I would have a joyous time going back to my room every night being on the fourth floor, but I was beyond grateful God didn't make me become super active by being on the sixth! But once I had gotten settled in I had to realize there was a need for me to not only get accustomed to my roommate but about 50 other girls living on the hall. There was a small fear in me of how I was going to make friends. It sounds depressing, I know...but all through grade school those friends you make just seem to come. Sure I can think of times where me and my good friends now had met. I was suddenly thinking Am I going to make any friends? What about a boy? I mean it is my time for that now. I am expected to have tons of girlfriends in pictures with me drinking lattes every weekend labeled ' Glad I have met these girls' and sooner or later a picture with a Godly boy that is ' the one'.

    A day after move in day was my 19th birthday. It was weird not being able to celebrate in the comfort of my home I felt...old. My parents and sister came out to lunch with me to celebrate but I was just overcome not by sadness that they would be leaving shortly after the lunch but I just knew change was coming. I realized, well...this was it. I have been looking up to the time where I would be out of grade school and my hometown to face the reality of being a young adult. It was a good but weird uncomfortable feeling several people can probably not explain in words. Because when you see your family drive away to not see them for more than a month and to see you future the only way forward is a shock. It's weird and scary at times but it is the biggest promise in this next step for me and those around me. It's the way, in this case...the Liberty Way.

     There is this thing at Liberty that well, could come as quite a shock to you. It's this rather funny slogan called 'ring by spring'. You will get a glimpse at how only being a student here you see how we know that we have boundaries on dress code or PDA and religion and what not. Sounds like a correctional center more than a college right? It is far from that and now I see these 'restrictions' as more of future guidelines I first worried that I was being brainwashed of the Liberty Way. Sounds crazy because it makes my school sound like a really awesome place to be right! (Sarcasm inserted) But the ring thing. So there is this rather ironic joke that is apparent to all students here. Being a Christian we are called to carry out our morals from our faith into our relationship aspect. So more than half of the students have been through that trusting period of life where we just want to date that guy or girl because well, we want to be a teenager. And its our turn for love! A lot of young adults besides religious ones often wait for college to have that true chance at love. It is just the time where we are truly in the real world which calls for, real relationships. So when you step onto the LU grounds you will be surrounded with several good looking children of God. It's true. But no mom and dad I didn't just come here to get my Mrs. Degree. These people are the Christian Mingle applicants in person, people!! And we have our pick at them being a student here. Because well, we have all waited patiently through Christ to bring us that one person. But wait...you find that one person. That beautiful girl in Evangelism class that your professor interviewed in class to find out then advertise that well...she's single!! Or that boy that sings like an angel and plays the guitar perfectly plus loves the Lord is at your reach everyday. If you snatch up one of these well you better hold tight because there better be a ring by spring. 

    Okay, LU is not some school that is a huge relationship hunting ground. That is one thing that I truly love about this school. We realize the assumptions made about our school and mission so we take that to embrace it. The students as well as the professors embrace the jokes about this school. We all know that we can't kiss on campus or wear shorts to class. To other people that makes our campus sound like a strict penitentiary but to us, it is the way or the Liberty Way. Yeah some of the rules stink sometimes and are different from what we are used to but it makes you think about what God see's as something acceptable. And no I am not defending these things because I have been brainwashed by LU, I have seen both sides of the world. I have seen the difference between Christians and Christians. Sounds dumb and judgmental but I have seen the extremes of what faith or religion or the love of Christ looks like beyond my home town.

    The amount of opportunity beyond LU or any college campus is so astounding. We wake up every single day to have awesome chances at our reach. But the sad thing is...people don't reach for them. I think when we are able to come to the point where we recognize the impact we encounter in these circumstances are approaches change automatically.  Below I am going to recreate some of my journal entries while being here and what the presence of the Lord is doing in my life so far on this journey.


8-25-14: "Priceless Value of Knowing Christ"
    -once what was my valuable is worthless because of Christ
    -just knowing Him is more than any worth
    -"I become righteous through faith in Christ"
I do not realize that people are being killed for their faith. I need to take the chance I have to worship the Lord and run with it. Being in the word daily with reflection is such a downfall of mine and I hope and pray that becomes my life. That there isn't  day that I don't praise the Lord. And I also hope to see the day where people do not know of exile. 
    ~Phil. 3:1-11


8-26-14:
    -we don't have to perfect everything in order to push on for we will never fully complete everything
    -God is calling us to run the race so we will receive the prize He has
                              "We must hold on to the progress we have already made."
    -He will restore a new power within us
 When I think about trying new things and making progress I think that I need to start over. But I now see and marvel at how I must hold on dearly to the progress not only I have made but the focus on the body of Christ. This can often be confusing and weird to locate. But pushing on to finish the race is the best story we could ever be a part of. 

9-1-14: Because of God's grace...
    - your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing
    -the endurance and faithfulness when in hard times is seen
 "And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of this kingdom, for which you are suffering."  ~2 Thessalonians 1:5
    -He provides rest
    -He will receive glory on "the day" and praise as we go home with Him
    -Pray: For you and others to live a life worthy of His calling
    -your faith prompts you to do good things
    -He is honored by the things we do and we are honored along with that because it displays the ultimate image Christ tended to be

9-8-14:
    Everything here is different. A good kind of different. it is as little weird to go to other churches where the police come with flashing lights to direct traffic into the parking lot. being in other churches, classes beside high school, a room other than my own...it's different but it's my life. It is a beginning of something else. I look around to see people I don't know but I know the love of Christ is all around me. it's weird to think they are all in the same spot as me even if they are an upperclassmen. We are all figuring out life beyond what we have known. being in a Christian university people question and state that I live in a bubble. But I couldn't feel more alive in a bubble that has burst. Yeah religion aspects are around me daily but He is what we are living for. I realize life has things like jobs and mortgages in reality. This is my reality. Ministry is my reality. It may not be crystal clear right now but life isn't set to have a map telling us where to go. There are so many things ahead of me that could start off "the dream" I just hope I take them by the horns. I have seen faith, God, religion, worship in so many different lights that are not matching up to my mind. It is all similar but it's not which is a good thing I guess. I see and hold the ability to great things.
    
   

Condemnation v. Conviction

    

    Whenever we do something wrong either God or the devil has something to say about it right? But the way they handle it is totally opposite. It is the vast difference between condemning and convicting.

Condemn: express complete disapproval of, typically in public

Convict: declare to be guilty of a criminal offense by the verdict of a jury or the decision of the judge in a court of law

    So which one do you think is the devils and which do you think is God’s? Well God should only have the right of them both but they aren’t. The first is God’s and the second the devils. They both recognize the wrong that has been done but God is the only one that has a say in it. But it sadly doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes we give into that temptation and sin that we get to a point that we feel like going to God is shameful which cause the devil to have the strongest hold on us. The scariest part about this is that we don’t realize it! We often do not notice that we are giving the right of punishment to the devil until it is too late.

    God condemns us. He realizes our wrong doing and automatically gives us that forgiveness when we just ask for it! So like the definition states, God does disapprove of our wrongdoings but He understands it and realizes what has to be done to fix it. Now it is often not done in public but we can make it public when we confess our sins. But did you notice that the devil convicts us? He treats us like we are criminals that should all get the death penalty. He treats us like a law case that needs to be settled in business matters. Not once does it give us a glimpse of forgiveness and restoration. And not only does God recognize our wrongdoings and then forgives them He also helps us grow from that mistake! So wait…He takes us back when He shouldn’t even give us the time of day and then helps us move forward!? God did these kinds of things even in extreme measures. Genesis 15 talks about Abram and is desire to have descendents that He looks to the Lord to give Him. And towards the end of the short chapter God tells Abram that his descendents will be slaves for 400 years in a foreign land. But I (Lord) will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.

    You have heard it. We have to go through the hard times to get the good and that God gives those great wealth who struggle. He holds such a promise in that which we need in our lives to survive as a child of God. But there tends to be a fine line between God having the restoration and the devil having the punishment for our sins. So how can we tell if we are being punished or actually growing?

1.      Have you actually labeled your sins as life problems?

2.      Do you often feel like that sin is always there and is never fading?

3.      Do you feel like the victim?

4.      Can your sin be washed away by God’s forgiveness and restoration?

5.      Do you feel in control of it?

    So what happens if all these questions are true with my sins and problems? That means the devil has a hold of me!!?? Of course every situation is different but these are to get you thinking about your wrongdoings and the things to come. When we start off by letting our sins slip to the devil it will continue like that until we are able to get out by the grace of God. Now this may be a little confusing when you think of why and how we sin. Yes we are an imperfect world deemed by sin because of…Satan. The one that we don’t want to give our sins to. But wait isn’t he the problem here? That is the thing with sin. It is something we don’t want to be a part of but yet we do it without even knowing it at times. For “evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.” (Proverbs 11:21)

    “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” Hebrews 12: sounds kind of crazy right? God is the ultimate guy really, and when we loves you and accepts you He disciplines and punishes us! Say what! But I would much rather have His eternal stamp than be seen as a criminal under Satan. For God calls us “…don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12) So I wonder if the Lord even looks at it as punishing us? He isn’t out to totally rag on us and to see how much weight we can carry. God involves Himself in our lives when we allow Him. He doesn’t just barge in, we let Him in because we want to see the amazing work He does. And when we mess up or hit that bump in the road He knows that something has to change which brings the restoration into play. He is the only one that can restore or souls and minds. He doesn’t want to set us behind bars to continue to think about all the little things we messed up on because they aren’t worth it. Our sins are not worth the attention so don’t give it to them!

“Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.”

~Lamentations 3:39-40

John

    By His love we are called His children. Not by our world. Not by the people in it. Not by the things in it. Or by the things we love and consider our passions. We are called His by His love. He is the ultimate example for us. If we never had Him as the very first example then we would have nothing to go off of except for this world. People go off of this world only, a lot of the times but where are their lives leading?

                                                   

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.”

    It sounds kind of snobby right? People that don’t believe in Christ don’t see our faith? I saw this verse in a light of how much we are truly transformed by Christ. Yes there is a truth that those that don’t believe do not have that other world a part of their lives. They are missing out on several things but it’s the point that they don’t know that because they don’t know any differently. This just seems to be a really weird and touchy topic to bring up. Because either way you say it, it sounds like we are above those that ‘just don’t get it’. In this lesson we are going to look directly at how the love of Christ is the central message. Notice that the beginning of this chapter starts off by telling us that the God of the universe loves us so much that He literally claims us! And having that seal of awesomeness adds a whole new dimension to our lives. We go from a person of this world to a child of God. Both types of these people are special and made in their own ways but the depth of each differ by a lifetime.

^“Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.  And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”

    You didn’t think I was going to let you act all cocky did you? That you have the longer end of the stick being a child of God? Well you do. You have the eternity of God’s love which is something that this world could never buy. But notice that you still don’t have all the details being His child. There are a good bit of nonbelievers that think we have it all together and that we know what tomorrow holds. The end has not come yet and the new beginning hasn’t either so how can we predict what He is fully like and what we are fully like?

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”

    Our hearts and minds have the ability to push Christ out of the picture. That is pretty scary to think since we are also told how much power we have in comparison to the holder of the universe. Our hearts, when filled with hate or jealousy or greed or anything of this world, can and will push Christ right out as if He never belonged there in the first place. When we allow the wrong feelings into our hearts they fill us up and they will eventually set themselves as the foundation. Once this is rooted into our hearts then where does Christ have to go? It won’t allow Him to survive in us.     

“This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.  So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.”

~Lesson based off of the book of 1 John 3~

Yourself

This may sound weird and kind of rude to hear. That we need to focus on ourselves. Yes I said it…ourselves and nobody else. Now this is coming off pretty bad, right? I mean, our whole lives we are taught how to always be looking out for others. Because nothing ever comes from being selfish! God tells us in Philippians 2:4 “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” So it does say to look out for ourselves but others as well, in an equal state of mind. So where exactly am I going with this focusing on ourselves thing? Well…has your faith ever been in such confusion that you can’t find the answers?

            We are all put into these times when we can’t make sense of our own relationship with God! These times are hard to work through but most importantly they are hard to face alone. He has meant for us to never be alone. Even when this world and the people in it abandon us the Lord never does.  But think back to the last troubled time that you had and what your first action was. Chances are you probably went to someone you trust to give you the advice you either need or want to hear. Or you will go to the Lord for guidance. But most of the time I think we notice us going to Christ second.

            I have heard this guilt trip several times to run to Christ for the ultimate guidance. But have you ever heard to trust yourself? To think about yourself and not others? I also bet that when you think about this concept you don’t think about God being included in it?

            Try to think about a busy driven life. You are constantly surrounded by life and commotion. This drains on you and even being in a awesome Godly group you sometimes have to get your own space. I am not trying to say that God wants your worship to be secret and to yourself. He calls you to discover things with your brother in Christ then to spread that through missions or evangelism but He also has different things you get when it’s just you and Him. Having to be able to both of these things equally will create a good balance in your life because you are able to understand yourself a part from everything else.

            I remember back to my second Dominican trip and realize how I was surrounded by so many of my missions team but how I was so close to just God. When there was mass worry and chaos around us I had looked up to the sky that night to notice the moon and how calm it was and the stars as they had shown their beauty. It sounds corny I know! But that is where I found Him. It was in that moment that I knew I wasn’t sure of who was returning home from our team but one thing I did know was that I wouldn’t return the same. And I was more than okay with that because it was in that time that I was able to tune out the chance of extreme disaster to find myself and it was there that I found Christ.

            There is a part of your mind that you can actually hear yourself. To actually look at yourself as well…yourself. Being able to understand what your feeling and what God is showing you. And what you want or need and just what you are going through. This is such a freeing sense of mind. Think back…do you ever remember a time where you were just alone with, you? Sounds like some channeling your inner peace and that yoga would be easier. But as cheesy as it sounds, this is rather important. If you can’t find yourself a part from what worldly things you are in than what are you? If you aren’t able to sit back and just reflect with yourself then how can you find God? He is based at the central heart of your body and that is where you can find yourself without any other voices. This creates an image of yourself being one with Christ and that is the best picture you could ever imagine.  

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

~Romans 12:2

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.”

~Matthew 6:6

            It is not that we can’t be real around other people it is that this world distracts us. It takes away our focus often and it will twist what we think we are asking for in the first place. Challenge yourself this week to take a walk with nothing but you and God, your dog can come. Or sit back and relax with just yourself. Or go to that beautiful park you always pass and just sit with yourself. You will start to find out that being alone isn’t as bad as you think. Don’t think of this as a typical quiet time, though you should still do them! Think of it as not only chilling with friends but it is just you and the Lord to ultimately listen to what your heart has to say.

Experience It

    God gives us so many awesome things as a child of well, Himself. He calls us to glory here and in heaven. All of which He wants us to embrace the fact that He wants us to have these glories. We are loved constantly and perfectly by Him every single day. Some of us might be thinking that well, we don’t deserve that much pampering. But Christ calls us to experience the riches of our salvation. Of course none of these literal and figurative riches will come without salvation through Christ. It is just such an amazing thing for others to see how truly awesome it is to be a child of God. He calls us to enjoy those things but to not boast with the wrong intentions.

  “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” ~Ephesians 2:7-8

     He wants us to wake up every morning to look ourselves in the mirror to see nothing but himself. For if we only see ourselves and the ways of this world discouragement will come along. And this will cause us to want to constantly correct ourselves when that is for us asking for forgiveness and God granting that. This also causes us to blow past all that He has given us. The world is so disastrous that we tend to forget how amazing it is. If you stopped and asked everyone to explained the world in one word it would most likely be ‘horrible.’ Now I am not saying most people are nonbelievers and that they don’t see the good in God. Because some Christians would say the same thing. It is all in the matter of our ability to stop and look what is truly around us and how much of it is from God’s will.

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession”   ~Hebrews 3:1

    So consider these verses and ask yourself..how do I look at myself in the mirror? If it isn’t with the ideals of God’s amazing works then what is it with? Challenge yourself to understand all that God has you to experience for His good. If that is misunderstood or even hard to understand in your life ask for it at the feet of the Lord because you may be missing more than you think.




    So I want to apologize for not posting these on the right times and what not. I just have a huge lack of motivation because not only do I feel like my audience is dwindling but that I no longer have blog ideas. Starting in August I will be doing one blog a month on the first Sunday of every month. This is due to my college schedule coming up and the fact that I have been struggling to write these. If any of you have ideas for post please respond below!! I need your help! Also feel free to respond your opinion below as well. Thank you all for reading. And stay tuned for the next year or so for an extended version of Rooted opened to the whole world. Leaked details to come soon…

“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”  

~Psalm 34:5

Power-LESS

            I can’t help to think of the recent movie The Fault in Our Stars as I sit down to write this week’s lesson. The main character Hazel Grace is dying of cancer as she meets a guy named Gus in the same support group. As the camera views around the circle you see the kids that buy into the whole ‘support’ thing while others show that their parents made them come. Gus had bumped into Hazel giving away the hint that he would make sure he got a date with the beauty that caught his eye despite the cancer. And once the meeting let out he made the move but with a wrong first impression. He reached for a cigarette acting as if he was about to smoke it next to a girl that carries around an oxygen tank because of her cancer. She had proceeded to flip out and say how he was doing so good and he ruined his chances with her before he could explain himself. He had never even lit the thing that could slowly kill him. He had told her that he has the most dangerous thing he could have in his mouth but how he never gave it the power to kill him. 

            I have heard on so many occasions that we can’t really stop some things from happening to us. Now things like age or work are things that are inevitable unless you are swimming in money and are a vampire. I would have to say the one thing that got to me the most while in school was people saying that when you are in the moment with a guy you just want to give into it so badly despite your morals. I realize the temptations here but I also realized the lack of strength. Of course we all fall short and can’t keep it together 24/7…but what if we did? I don’t think we would be perfect. Because things are meant to be messy and confusing but only if you put up a fight.

            We can surround ourselves with powerful things all of our lives and then we wonder when things get out of our hands. There have often been times where I set up so many things and people around me with enough power to bury me. It seems almost impossible to set things up in your life to last with power without it coming back to haunt you. This my friends is the result of power being given its power. Sounds dumb right? Giving power its own power to rule our lives sounds like a completing statement. But going back to Gus and the cigarette. We are called to bring big and heavy things in our lives such as a dream or a relationship. But there are things in our lives that when they are given power they will leave a trail of destruction. And when most people see this possibility they run for the hills because of that chance. If we don’t have things that have unbelievable possibilities we don’t set ourselves up for something amazing to happen.

            This might seem all jumbled and confusing or even pointless. But think back to Gus with the unlit cigarette in his mouth. He felt as if he had the authority. Something that could kill him could not kill him because he did not give it the power or the chance to fulfill that. I am not saying in any way to push God aside and become your own authority. He calls us to follow His every word and actions but He also calls us to take action. God is not physically here to make a step for us. He is not physically here to push that metaphorical cigarette out of our mist. We have to stand up and decide what is going to have power in our lives and what is going to remain with less power or none at all. These limits are a must or else we will find ourselves drowning in our own powers.

            Now some of you might be saying “Well what good are these things in our lives if they don’t have their full powers?” That would be like saying what good is God in our lives if we can’t physically interact with Him. These words are beyond the mere idea and logic of having faith. Sometimes the presence of things do better works than their actions.

     "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." 

                             ~Job 28:28

'Everlasting' After the Excitement

There have been very few times where I skipped to the last page to read the ending of the book. And those very few times I did that, I actually regretted it. I had to then go all the way back to the beginning to push through the novel to see how the events lead up to the ending that I already knew. It is a huge spoiler. Some people like to know the road ahead of a novel or movie then some run to cover their ears when people try to tell them the ending to a movie they have already seen. But isn’t knowing more information a good thing? It is helpful to know what is to come and to be able to prepare for it. What if there is to be no preparation time?

Growing up I had the mind of a typical little girl. I had the most ridiculous and awesome princess hat. It was one of those tall pointy ones that looked like a huge snow cone that medieval princesses would wear. I loved that thing because well it was pink and sparkly plus it had ribbons and a sheer train coming out of the top. Thinking of it now, I kind of wished I still had that cause well…who doesn’t want to feel like a princess!!?? I would wear that thing around with fake high heels to make me feel like I was on top of the world as a princess. Just thinking that I could one day be a princess gave me the sense that I would fulfill the feeling of “having it all”. Then I got older and realized that even princesses see that life past the crown may not be all it says it is.

Clearly being a princess isn’t quite the fad nowadays but being a singer or actor may be. I also had an awesome karaoke machine that I would absolutely love to sing into. And I really have loved to sing all of my life because it makes me feel as if I have something I can use to go beyond myself. I always thought as a child that I would be able to be able to stand up on stage and get the things I wanted. To be famous would be the best thing in the world and I could work with Ariel and the creators of the Disney movies. Man that was the dream… and then the reality of life later one. These things would still be awesome dreams come true as a young adult but a lot less harder because I have the aspect of reality starring me in the face. The time and effort to learn musical instruments to go into the Christian music industry is taxing and quite frankly, a slap in the face. It will still remain a dream of mine and hopefully it comes true in the very near future but as I look back on not only my childhood but my life as it grows is that I put a lot of focus on one thing.

             I always thought that there were so many things that I could experience and I have so little time to do so. Trying to make all my dreams come true at once has caused me to skimp out on my aspirations. But then I considered something I never stopped to think about. If I spend all of my time with a narrow view towards things I want for this life and actually achieve them I will have an awesome amount of excitement. The willingness and ability of what I have achieved will be such a relief to have. It would be kind of life Christmas though. Months of celebration and season greetings lead up to it and Christmas day is just awesome. You get to celebrate the day of your savior as well as spending time with family and festivities all day. That night settles down and the next day comes as a huge depressor. Sure you have your gifts to play with or the vacation to look forward to but the hype is gone. You saw the amount of fulfillment there was and pushed towards it then there was nothing but reality on the other side.

            I found myself not only doing this as a child but now, every single day. I set awesome road marks in my life and of course I hope to fulfill them but I find myself consuming myself with just that. Looking forward to those things are not a bad thing in anyway but I found that I had not created mountains for my present day. Waiting to live is probably one of the worst things we could do. And the second worst thing we could do is build it up so much that none of the effects extend beyond its arrival. Christ calls us to find joy after the excitement. For if we create milestones to just be reached and then passed then what good have they done to our lives? Why look forward to something so much to only watch it pass without leaving any evidence that it impacted your life?

            I challenge you to go out a make two sided mountains for yourself. One that looks beautiful as you approach it. That has an awesome journey reaching it and an impact while climbing it. With so much excitement and things to look forward to but also one you can outstretch your arms at the top. That will be exciting and unknowing to climb down the back and experience the same thing all over again within the 

excitement of your life.

The God-Given Task

^“What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end (What a beautiful mystery!). I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.”

~Ecclesiastes 3:9-15~

Those Around

Whenever we think of being an influence on others we think about positive things. I mean is it not a good thing for your ideas and values to be continued through someone else’s life? Being able to convince someone on your side of the story so much that they want it as their own may be the most powerful tool we can get our hands on. People say that we often do not realize the impact that we have on others. This is where the fine line between model behavior and being full of ourselves tends to disappear.

    The one thing we might not even think about is that in order to be a model to others you must first be a confident one to yourself. If do not see ourselves as leaders then what leaders do you think we come off as to those following us? People will still follow us even though we might not be the best example out there and this may be the scariest thing. Not knowing that people closest to you are looking at what you are setting forth as an example while you look back to say “What did they pick up?”

    I explained my weird stage of life in last week’s lesson which sets the stage for this story. I have had several people come to me and tell how much I impact them and others through Christ. A part of me is happy and overwhelmed to hear this but yet I feel a sense of guilt. I don’t get angry with people for telling me this but I feel ashamed because my relationship with Christ and my effort towards it has been anything but perfect. For the longest time I thought that people looked at me and thought that I have it altogether because I write my own Christian blog. I am sure they don’t think I am perfect but it is the matter that people out there read my blog or watch me from the outside. The weird thing is I want a huge amount of followers as I go into the world of management through ministry but I seek that I follow the right path of which others will be led down.

    The things we do in our lives daily define who we want to be. We can pray and pray but the actions we take is going to be by how fast our legs move. Of course Christ allows that to happen but Christ says that He will protect us but He isn't going to stop us from doing something we already know is against His words. This becomes a trap when we can’t realize that there are others following us in the path of life. It is so easy to get lost on a daily task let alone remembering to look behind or beside us to know there are others around us.

“I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn't work. Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.”~Ecclesiastes 7:23-25

    Most of our lives we are told that wisdom grows with age and that we truly can’t a life altering impact until we have a few years under our belt. I think that is the problem with most teens stepping out to make a difference and the sad case is for most adults. We often think that we find wisdom in our experiences we have been in or the rough times we can say that we are a survivor. Although these stories are powerful the most impact is going to come from the things learned and adapted through Christ. We can learn so many things from the early times of how Christ led His followers. His example will allow us to be the ultimate example for others. It is a fact that others will look up to us and follow what we do but we will also do the same. This is the time where we have to step back and ask ourselves, is what I am doing a good thing for others to adopt? And are those I am following doing things that I should be adopting?

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”  

~Romans 2:1

Stuck

    For the past few months. Actually for a really long time I feel as if I have been stuck in my faith. Where I am not growing significantly and I just feel as if nothing really makes sense. At some point I told myself that it was all after I got baptized that the devil was just tugging that much more at my heart. While that might be the case, I feel as if there is so much more to it. I realize that I am going through such a weird stage in my life. Not only am I saying goodbye to my high school and the rest of my grade school career but everything I have ever known. Graduating is one of those steps like getting a new job or marriage or starting a family. There is just something about that next step forward that is so mysterious and unknowing. We have all been through the matter that God will let things happen as He sees fit and He allows things to fall into place when He recognizes the time. But what happens when we can't accept that? Are we rejects? Wow, does that mean that this faith I have isn't all that strong? Is it even real?

    These few months have been stepping stones that have led virtually nowhere for me. And as I talk to those around me going through the same process of leaving this stage of life I learned that they feel it too. That nothing seems certain anymore and we all realized that our faith is rather...transparent and fading quickly. I had scared myself in the past few months about what I truly wanted and what I really felt in my heart. And man can I tell you what it felt like to have the floor beneath you disappear. It feels as if I have been dropped in a desert blindfolded with no direction.

    By this time most of your are probably saying "Well, I know where this is going. She is going to tell us how she is going through a tribulation and how she sees God's light at the end." I wish I could sit here and write this blog out like all my other weird and quite times but I can't. That has to be one of the scariest parts about this, is knowing that I can't see how it ends. The road ahead of me is totally blank. The steps I take are up to me. The relationships I engage in is all up to me. The path I choose to carve...is ALL up to me. But isn't the load and burdens of this world to be shared with the Lord for He gives us rest? I would like to believe that this is going to happen and to some extent I do. I just have a constant questioning going on in my head and a sick feeling in my stomach of unknown waters ahead of me.

    You know that desert I mentioned earlier, well this is it. When I think about moving on to not having the same thing set before me everyday THIS is what I see. Just a blank area that I will most likely get utterly lost in. But there is something about this picture that gives off a hope. The beautiful mountains in the back show me the true glory of God and his grace of how he can take such a mess like myself to turn it into something beautiful. I thought that everything ahead of me is going to be completely blank, well it is actually...to me. As crazy as it sounds, God looks down on me right now and realizes my struggles eating me inside out. But He doesn't get a bit worried because he knows that it is working out for His glory. And what makes Christ happy should make me happy right? I know it does but I can't put that into words because my understanding of Christ is so unknown and crazy weird but in a good way. I am so twisted by the idea of how awesome He is.

    Another thing that I seemed to not realize before was that it isn't just an empty scene. There is so much life when you look up close. The sky looks breath taking and the land is so open that adventure is right at your will. The shrubs and branches seem as if they are dead or withering away but they still stand don't they? There is something about this picture that tells me a blank canvas is what I need to see. It is actually something we all need to see. Sometimes knowing what is ahead is worse than creating your own path. Knowing that the road ahead is empty and uncharted is a future with more plans than I have ever had. My faith survives in this storm it will continue to crawl when it has no balance like now. Somehow I will walk out of the darkness because light cannot be defeated by the dark. I am the tiniest light compared to the world and all of God's wonders but yet I am the biggest. Put me in a cave of sin or a storm of trials and I will find my way out by the light.

    Knowing that this is going to happen and I will suffer a lot but I will get through it. The relief and air at the end is something beyond words that I will not be able to describe with mere words. Even though I feel as if my life right now is barren and stripped of its ideas as well as any sense of direction. I have no clue where I am going but it is the point that I know that I am going somewhere. I realize that I need to connect to Christ more and pray more but that is not it. I need to realize and understand what He is truly thinking in this silence. I may have just made a huge contradiction but God is going a million miles per hour while I am at a stand still. But the awesome thing to notice is He is gonna stop along the way and clue me in on what is to come. Something even better, He will not stop His love of eternity in all of that.

    Sometimes it is good to be stuck because you will be found that much more all over again. And I pray everyday that the Lord himself finds me where I lie.

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown, where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep, my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed, and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours, and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior 

I will call upon Your name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

I am Yours, and You are mine

Hillsong United - Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Holy Spirit Series Part III: Final Wrap

It is the matter of us all being able to be filled with the Holy Spirit that gets me. I look around at everyone in this world to see that we are to all carry the word of Christ but yet not everyone chooses that. We are all called to recognize the Lord and all He has to offer but that doesn't exactly work. But what if everyone did believe. Do you think churches and mission's trips would be as important anymore? I think that a lot of times we often forget that we are a soul with a body and not a body with a soul.

    The importance and understanding of the Holy Spirit is often swept under the rug. But it was the times that I encountered the Holy Spirit that was truly life altering. On one of my missions trips to the Dominican Republic I was able to feel the presence of Christ as I was in a foreign place. It was then that I was able to truly feel the grace of Christ in something that I was so unsure of. Now that doesn't mean that you need to go to a foreign place on a missions trip to encounter the Holy Spirit you just need to accept it.

    We have touched base on what the Spirit is about and what characteristics it withholds. But what happens when we understand all of those things but yet we don’t experience it? There are several times where Christ is quite but yet do you know that he is always there? It is often in the times of silence that the biggest things are happening in your mind as well as God’s.

   It is in the ability to recognize that the Spirit wants us and that God wants to use us for good. But it is another thing to accept that. So make sure that those around you receive this good news as well as yourself taking that leap. Allow Christ to fill your every thought and every action and every word that another will hear. Let Him flood your mind and watch what miracles will come of it.

God says, “Rebuild the road!

    Clear away the rocks and stones

    so my people can return from captivity.”

The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,

    the Holy One, says this:

“I live in the high and holy place

    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.

I restore the crushed spirit of the humble

    and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

For I will not fight against you forever;

    I will not always be angry.

If I were, all people would pass away—

    all the souls I have made.

 I was angry,

    so I punished these greedy people.

I withdrew from them,

    but they kept going on their own stubborn way.

I have seen what they do,

    but I will heal them anyway!

    I will lead them.

I will comfort those who mourn,

 bringing words of praise to their lips.

May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”

    says the LORD, who heals them.

“But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,

    which is never still

    but continually churns up mud and dirt.

 There is no peace for the wicked,”

    says my God.

~Isaiah 57:14-21