*cringe*
Don't you hate that word? CHANGE. I do. Or at least I used to.
CHANGE. It can be such a nasty thing. It can pull you out of your comfort zone. Force you to do something hard. Or even just slightly alter what is familiar.
CHANGE. It can be such a wonderful thing. It can show you what could be if you would just take a chance and trust God. It teaches you to have endurance. And even alters our perspective on things.
For me on a normal day if you ask me what I think of CHANGE, I'll probably point you to the first definition. I'll say it's a nasty thing. However, maybe it's not. CHANGE is hard, but I'm learning it can be wonderful.
Here's a silly little example: Anyone that knows me well knows that I am not athletic by any means whatsoever. Do you know what I just did? I ran. At 6:00AM. About a mile and a half. Have I gone crazy? Yes. I absolutely have. This is a huge CHANGE for me. Although that's a silly example, stuff like that is happening a lot to me. I realize there are ways to better myself, my relationship with others and my relationship with God. I've also learned that if you trust God to take care of things, the change won't be too bad even if it's hard. Just knowing that God's got a plan for whatever CHANGE is going on is a wonderful thing.
Therefore, stay walking in God's path and rest assured that whatever CHANGE comes your way, God will bring you through. There will be a lesson to learn. And in the end you will be stronger. Yes, CHANGE can be so good.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Awakenings
Have you ever found yourself in a hole? You may not have actually realized you were there until after someone helped you out or you were forced out. In there, things may have seemed dark and terrifying. Maybe you wanted to get out but could not.
However, you may have decided its quite cosy in there and even though there is so much waiting for you outside, you don't care. You deny the outside's existence. You are perfectly content to be comfy. But what happens when a storm comes? Little by little you are beginning to find yourself in a flood. You know you need to get to higher ground but you don't know how because you have not left this place in a very long time. The flood waters are rising. You're half covered in water. Lost. There is no way to escape. Not to mention you don't really want to leave, but you're drowning. There are no options but to leave or die. You don't want to recognize your own helplessness to the outside world, but there are no other options. You reach up your hand and suddenly another one meets yours. All of a sudden you are being pulled out. The water is at your thighs now. Ankles. Feet. You are out! You are free. Your rescuer is no where to be seen. You look around. It's nice out here. The stars are shining bright above you. But you miss the cosiness of your old home. You begin to walk around. The sky begins to lighten. Suddenly the sun starts to appear over the trees. You see the glorious rays shining down on you. You feel the heat pierce your skin. You look down. Grass. Beautiful green grass everywhere! Suddenly, your old quaint little home doesn't seem like much of a home anymore, but a prison.
Although you cursed it at first, you are now thankful for the storm. If there had been no storm, you'd still be stuck in that hole. So bless the storm. Now, you are free. Where to go now? Search. Explore. Find your rescuer and thank Him. See what else may be out there. Maybe somebody else is stuck and needs a rescuer. Or maybe you find somebody else to join you in your new adventure.
All you know for sure is you will never go back to the life you had before. If you can call it a life. Now, you can finally LIVE!
However, you may have decided its quite cosy in there and even though there is so much waiting for you outside, you don't care. You deny the outside's existence. You are perfectly content to be comfy. But what happens when a storm comes? Little by little you are beginning to find yourself in a flood. You know you need to get to higher ground but you don't know how because you have not left this place in a very long time. The flood waters are rising. You're half covered in water. Lost. There is no way to escape. Not to mention you don't really want to leave, but you're drowning. There are no options but to leave or die. You don't want to recognize your own helplessness to the outside world, but there are no other options. You reach up your hand and suddenly another one meets yours. All of a sudden you are being pulled out. The water is at your thighs now. Ankles. Feet. You are out! You are free. Your rescuer is no where to be seen. You look around. It's nice out here. The stars are shining bright above you. But you miss the cosiness of your old home. You begin to walk around. The sky begins to lighten. Suddenly the sun starts to appear over the trees. You see the glorious rays shining down on you. You feel the heat pierce your skin. You look down. Grass. Beautiful green grass everywhere! Suddenly, your old quaint little home doesn't seem like much of a home anymore, but a prison.
Although you cursed it at first, you are now thankful for the storm. If there had been no storm, you'd still be stuck in that hole. So bless the storm. Now, you are free. Where to go now? Search. Explore. Find your rescuer and thank Him. See what else may be out there. Maybe somebody else is stuck and needs a rescuer. Or maybe you find somebody else to join you in your new adventure.
All you know for sure is you will never go back to the life you had before. If you can call it a life. Now, you can finally LIVE!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mere Mortals
Psalm 9:20 "Strike them with terror, LORD;
let the nations know they are only mortal."
let the nations know they are only mortal."
I was reading through the Psalms this morning when I came across this verse. In context, it is about King David singing to the Lord for Him to be victorious over his enemies because He is God and is far above any mere mortal humans.
Sometimes we need to be reminded of that too. In one way, maybe we're getting too big of a head and need to cool down a bit. However, I find that more often for me I get so busy that I need a good reminder that I am only human - I can't do everything. Fortunately, I have not found myself in this spot recently, but it does happen. Sometimes I (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) I get so overwhelmed with everything going on that I feel stuck "with terror". In the long run I am glad because it brings me back to the Lord and remember that God is bigger than our business and problems. He can handle what us "mortals" can't.
So trust in the Lord. Don't be overwhelmed by life so that you have to be reminded of your weakness. Instead, trust God to handle it and take you through it.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Chapter 1: Gabriel
Mary and the Mute
Gabriel
“Gabriel!” roared the Lord of heavens. I say roared, but that is only because of His greatness. The “roaring” is always accompanied by a gentle tone of kindness. I immediately dropped what I was doing and went straight to Him.
“Yes, my Lord?” I said as I bowed before his heavenly throne.
“It is time for me to go into the world. I will send My Son and he will be the Savior of the Lord. So now, I need you, my messenger.”
He has been talking about this even before Adam and Eve gave in to Lucifer. Somehow, He knew they would turn away from Him, just as so many of the angels did. Yet, He gave them the opportunity to choose to do right which of course didn’t happen. The rest is history. So now He decides to save the humans. I used to try to object. They turned away from Him. Why should He save them? And above all why should he be tortured, endure pain and die a painful death for them? However, I have learned not to object. His love is so immense that He even loves the part of creation who, as a whole, don’t love Him. So even though I don’t understand it, it is an honor for Him to ask me to help.
“Of course. What message would you like me to carry and to whom shall I deliver it to?”
“My priest, Zechariah. I have allowed the lots to be cast on him to enter my sanctuary in the holy of holies. There he will perform the most blessed priestly duties. You will meet him in there. You will tell him that I have heard the prayer he has prayed about a child. His wife Elizabeth will bear him a son and he will name him John. He will be filled with joy because of his son and he is great in my eyes. John is to never have any sort of alcohol and will be filled with My Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring the people of Israel back to me. In addition to that, he will go before My Son like Elijah to bring parents joy in their children. He will bring the wicked to the wisdom of righteousness. He will prepare the people to receive My Son.”
I haven’t seen Him talk about a human like this since the prophet Malachi which, in human terms, is nearly 400 years ago. This is clearly who he spoke to Malachi about. It’s almost word for word. He has a tendency to quote Himself, but it only reiterates the fact that He certainly has a plan. But I wonder who will bear Christ. Surely it will be someone like Zechariah and Elizabeth- a godly priest of the Lord Most High and his godly wife.
“Now, go. I will give you your next message while you are on earth.”
I immediately took off. There is no time to lose. Lucifer is always making sure it is difficult for us messenger angels to get to earth. But as strong as he and the other fallen angels are, they are no match for the Lord of Hosts. And since I am on His side, I will prevail.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Women of Faith
Today and yesterday I attended the Women of Faith conference in Atlanta. It was fantastic to say the least.
To be honest, its audience is more directed and middle aged women, but this is one of the reasons I know God was there: I learned something too!! From every lesson, even the ones that were more for moms, I learned something. At the very least I saw this overwhelming joy on the faces of all the women who spoke and sang. It made me go, "I want that joy". You hear what they've been through and you may think, "How do they still have faith? How do they still believe and have that joy??". Well, that's the power of Christ's love right there. Amazing.
The theme was imagine from Ephesians 3:20, "Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us." (CEB)
That's so cool. I like to imagine. I like to imagine what I can accomplish in college (not just academics), what God can do through me for His glory, what heaven will be like someday. I like to think about what could be. Now, that's not to say that I don't enjoy life. I do. I enjoy everything I can in this life and try to take advantage of every opportunity. But hey a girls gotta dream a little.
So, it's amazing that God is able to do FAR BEYOND all I could ask or imagine. His plan and His will is soooo far above me. I guess this is where trust comes into play. Sometimes we are faced with situations and decisions that are terribly hard or maybe just seem plain crazy. However, he sees the bigger picture and can see far beyond what I want. I just need to listen, follow and obey. He really will take care of everything. Even in the storm.
Thank you, God for teaching me that. I'm not going to go into details, but this "trust" issue with God has been a battle. I know it's not over, but I'm not going to let myself fight God anymore. I'm just going to trust Him. For example, I couldn't decide whether I was going to blog about this tonight. I almost didn't write cause I didn't feel like it. Now, I am glad I did because what I just described, I was learning as I typed it. God is helping me piece together what he's been teaching me RIGHT NOW. Praise be to God alone.
To be honest, its audience is more directed and middle aged women, but this is one of the reasons I know God was there: I learned something too!! From every lesson, even the ones that were more for moms, I learned something. At the very least I saw this overwhelming joy on the faces of all the women who spoke and sang. It made me go, "I want that joy". You hear what they've been through and you may think, "How do they still have faith? How do they still believe and have that joy??". Well, that's the power of Christ's love right there. Amazing.
The theme was imagine from Ephesians 3:20, "Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us." (CEB)
That's so cool. I like to imagine. I like to imagine what I can accomplish in college (not just academics), what God can do through me for His glory, what heaven will be like someday. I like to think about what could be. Now, that's not to say that I don't enjoy life. I do. I enjoy everything I can in this life and try to take advantage of every opportunity. But hey a girls gotta dream a little.
So, it's amazing that God is able to do FAR BEYOND all I could ask or imagine. His plan and His will is soooo far above me. I guess this is where trust comes into play. Sometimes we are faced with situations and decisions that are terribly hard or maybe just seem plain crazy. However, he sees the bigger picture and can see far beyond what I want. I just need to listen, follow and obey. He really will take care of everything. Even in the storm.
Thank you, God for teaching me that. I'm not going to go into details, but this "trust" issue with God has been a battle. I know it's not over, but I'm not going to let myself fight God anymore. I'm just going to trust Him. For example, I couldn't decide whether I was going to blog about this tonight. I almost didn't write cause I didn't feel like it. Now, I am glad I did because what I just described, I was learning as I typed it. God is helping me piece together what he's been teaching me RIGHT NOW. Praise be to God alone.
**PS. Please comment. I want to know what you think. :)
I honestly don't care how well I know you or if I know you at all. Thanks!**
Friday, July 15, 2011
LaGrange Student Orientation
5 classes
4 people in my Orientation Room
3 days in LaGrange
2 new friends
1 roommate
To say the least, orientation was amazing. We signed up for classes and learned a lot about the school. I'm going to be in Calc II, General Chemistry, Honors English, and Choices in Film and Lit which is about the choices that characters have to make in 4 movies and 4 books. Sounds like my kind of Lit class! We also have to have a 1 month pass/fail class for freshmen. So between Calc II, Chem Lab, and that pass/fail class I have an 8 or 8:30 class every day for the first month. Boo. But hey it least I don't have to drive the 20 minutes to school I did for high school! I'm very excited about the class.
I also met my roommate! I met her through a facebook app and it's finally officially that we are going to room together! She is a really cool, fun girl who loves the Lord and music. I know this year is going to be fantastic and I am looking forward to it. I know God is going to grow me in new ways and I'm excited to see what is down this road!
4 people in my Orientation Room
3 days in LaGrange
2 new friends
1 roommate
To say the least, orientation was amazing. We signed up for classes and learned a lot about the school. I'm going to be in Calc II, General Chemistry, Honors English, and Choices in Film and Lit which is about the choices that characters have to make in 4 movies and 4 books. Sounds like my kind of Lit class! We also have to have a 1 month pass/fail class for freshmen. So between Calc II, Chem Lab, and that pass/fail class I have an 8 or 8:30 class every day for the first month. Boo. But hey it least I don't have to drive the 20 minutes to school I did for high school! I'm very excited about the class.
I also met my roommate! I met her through a facebook app and it's finally officially that we are going to room together! She is a really cool, fun girl who loves the Lord and music. I know this year is going to be fantastic and I am looking forward to it. I know God is going to grow me in new ways and I'm excited to see what is down this road!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The "If God is Good..." discussion
I was on the internet tonight and found an interesting article about the goodness of God from an atheists perspective, "if" there was one that is. (in her mind)
Read this article FIRST before reading the rest of my blog.
http://thefeministbreeder.com/this-is-no-way-to-convert-me-to-christianity/
I agree, that lady did a pretty bad job of wanting to convert her to Christianity. I get the motive, but that is an incredibly bad way to do it. It hurts me to see other Christians talk like that. Is it true? Yeah. Is it productive to use it as an argument for coming to Christ? No.
Now let's discuss what she said.
"Can you imagine if I told someone “You should really consider breastfeeding because if you don’t you will BURN IN HELL!!!” (<—-notice my tongue planted firmly in my cheek there.)"
Okay girl. Maybe I'm crazy, but breastfeeding verses other ways of feeding your child are a *little* different than God vs No God. Just a thought.
"I know that I’m a good person."
You either have the best confidence I've ever seen or the biggest head. I'm not sure which.
"Besides the fact that I have people sending me 3-5 email reminders each week telling me what a good person I am, I am a constant do-gooder. Always have been. Even when I was drinking and staying out all hours of the night having premarital sex with total strangers, I was still a good person."
Umm...ok. I don't get it. You say "just because I do these things doesn't mean I'm bad -- in fact I'm still good."
Going on a rabbit trail here, but so many of us think that way! "Yeah I mess up some times, but basically I'm good." Sorry, chica (or chico). Even as Christians we try to earn our way into heaven. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47
We have a much easier time understanding the weight of our sins AFTER we do something huge, but for those of us who haven't done anything "big", it's easier to say we're good people. And it's easier to point the finger at those who don't. I could easier point the finger at this lady because she's spiritually sick. (It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick Mark 2:17) Yes, I'm poking holes in her argument, but I'm not hating on HER, just what she's saying. No, she does not have the same values I do because (duh) she's not a Christian. I gotta love the sinner and not judge her. I bet we'd get along just fine. Besides, I'm a sinner too. How dare I not love and respect her?
Ok now that I've chased that rabbit trail lets move on...
" I don’t cheat or steal because I believe the universe has an energy that, when disrupted, carries negativity back to that person. Some call that Karma. I sometimes think of it as Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart. Call it what you will, but that’s about as spiritual as I get."
Again, call me crazy, but I think that takes more faith than believing in God. Dictionary.com says energy is "the capacity for vigorous activity; available power". So... the "available power" of the universe defines morality. Last time I checked, energy doesn't reason. It's used and transferred. That doesn't even make sense.
"And to me, if there were a God, he wouldn’t be sending Good People like me to burn in hell for all of eternity just because I don’t believe in him."
Wow woman, ego!
"But I’m going to be honest with you, it’s stuff like this that makes me really scared of Religious Types. Seriously. I’m more terrified of a group of religious fanatics than I am a dark alley filled with gang-bangers in my old drug-infested neighborhood. At least the gang-bangers don’t creep into my inbox telling me I’m going to burn in hell forever."
Warning to all Christians -- this is how we are perceived a lot of the time. Don't fall into that category. Stay close to God and speak HIS words. If it comes just from you, this could be the outcome.
Conclusion: God is good. He made us, we screwed up, and he helped us out of the deep hole we've dug. If you're alive and breathing, you're a sinner. The reason He is so good is that he gave us 1 opportunity to get out of the eternal punishment for our sin! If that's not good, what is? We deserve hell, yet he gave us a way out. Amazing.
Read this article FIRST before reading the rest of my blog.
http://thefeministbreeder.com/this-is-no-way-to-convert-me-to-christianity/
I agree, that lady did a pretty bad job of wanting to convert her to Christianity. I get the motive, but that is an incredibly bad way to do it. It hurts me to see other Christians talk like that. Is it true? Yeah. Is it productive to use it as an argument for coming to Christ? No.
Now let's discuss what she said.
"Can you imagine if I told someone “You should really consider breastfeeding because if you don’t you will BURN IN HELL!!!” (<—-notice my tongue planted firmly in my cheek there.)"
Okay girl. Maybe I'm crazy, but breastfeeding verses other ways of feeding your child are a *little* different than God vs No God. Just a thought.
"I know that I’m a good person."
You either have the best confidence I've ever seen or the biggest head. I'm not sure which.
"Besides the fact that I have people sending me 3-5 email reminders each week telling me what a good person I am, I am a constant do-gooder. Always have been. Even when I was drinking and staying out all hours of the night having premarital sex with total strangers, I was still a good person."
Umm...ok. I don't get it. You say "just because I do these things doesn't mean I'm bad -- in fact I'm still good."
Going on a rabbit trail here, but so many of us think that way! "Yeah I mess up some times, but basically I'm good." Sorry, chica (or chico). Even as Christians we try to earn our way into heaven. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.
"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47
We have a much easier time understanding the weight of our sins AFTER we do something huge, but for those of us who haven't done anything "big", it's easier to say we're good people. And it's easier to point the finger at those who don't. I could easier point the finger at this lady because she's spiritually sick. (It's not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick Mark 2:17) Yes, I'm poking holes in her argument, but I'm not hating on HER, just what she's saying. No, she does not have the same values I do because (duh) she's not a Christian. I gotta love the sinner and not judge her. I bet we'd get along just fine. Besides, I'm a sinner too. How dare I not love and respect her?
Ok now that I've chased that rabbit trail lets move on...
" I don’t cheat or steal because I believe the universe has an energy that, when disrupted, carries negativity back to that person. Some call that Karma. I sometimes think of it as Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart. Call it what you will, but that’s about as spiritual as I get."
Again, call me crazy, but I think that takes more faith than believing in God. Dictionary.com says energy is "the capacity for vigorous activity; available power". So... the "available power" of the universe defines morality. Last time I checked, energy doesn't reason. It's used and transferred. That doesn't even make sense.
"And to me, if there were a God, he wouldn’t be sending Good People like me to burn in hell for all of eternity just because I don’t believe in him."
Wow woman, ego!
"But I’m going to be honest with you, it’s stuff like this that makes me really scared of Religious Types. Seriously. I’m more terrified of a group of religious fanatics than I am a dark alley filled with gang-bangers in my old drug-infested neighborhood. At least the gang-bangers don’t creep into my inbox telling me I’m going to burn in hell forever."
Warning to all Christians -- this is how we are perceived a lot of the time. Don't fall into that category. Stay close to God and speak HIS words. If it comes just from you, this could be the outcome.
Conclusion: God is good. He made us, we screwed up, and he helped us out of the deep hole we've dug. If you're alive and breathing, you're a sinner. The reason He is so good is that he gave us 1 opportunity to get out of the eternal punishment for our sin! If that's not good, what is? We deserve hell, yet he gave us a way out. Amazing.
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