notes.

Anyone who knows me well can tell you this... I NEED to write things down. If I don't make a list, a calendar, a page of notes, well then its going in one ear and right out the other. Learning this about myself is one of the reasons that I tend to make good grades in school. I know that I can't read the text and listen to the prof lecture and pass a test. It just isn't going to happen. I've GOT to outline the chapter as I read. I have to highlight and take notes in my book. When the professor speaks I have to write things down. Even if I think I know what he/she said, it just make me feel much more secure if I can go back and look at where I documented all the important information that was provided.

This is also one of the reasons that I keep a blog. I'm always learning things about God, life, love, myself. I blog them so that I will be able to remember them later on when I need a reminder of how far I've come. I also keep a journal. Thats a little more random than the stuff that I write on my blog. Often times, several days/weeks worth of journal pages are synthesized into one of my blog posts actually. I usually write prayers in my journal. Its just sort of letters to God. Sometimes its serious stuff like sin I'm struggling with, things that I'm worried over, or something that a friend asked me to pray about, and other times its just my way of being thankful for small pleasures in life. I also keep track of sermon notes in the same journal. Pastor Steven is GREAT at giving points that are easy to record and remember and using phrases that will come back to mind throughout the week. Often times I find myself in a situation where I need guidance and I think back to a sermon I heard at Elevation and go back and hunt the notes in my journal.

Anyway, why am I saying all this? The one thing that I find it hard to record is my own personal Bible reading time. I have just never been able to find a format that really helped me capture what I was learning as well as I wanted it to. I wanted to be able to go back and recall the things that I learned from any given passage of scripture that I'd read, but writing big long paragraphs just didn't seem like the most effective way to do that. Anyway, I stumbled across this format on the internet (which isn't ALL bad haha) and its been working really well for me so far, so I thought I'd share.



Personal Bible study suggested format:

Passage:
Date:

1. What has God spoken to me about today through the reading of this section?
a. Concerning Himself?
b. Concerning my life?

2. What am I going to do about it (Ephesians 4:22-24)?
a. Ungodly habit of thinking or behavior to "put off"
b. Godly habit of thinking or behavior to "put on"

3. When do I plan to do it? (Psalm 1:1-3; James 1:23-25)... If ______ happens, then I plan (with God's help) to _______________.

4. What verse am I going to take with me today? (Look for opportunities to share this verse with someone today)

5. What can I pray back to God from this section (as a worshipful expression of praise and/or resolve)?

6. follow up for the next day: Did I follow my plan?_____If so, thank the Lord! If not, consider what happened, if necessary, seek God's forgiveness (James 4:17), determine what you need to do differently, asking God for wisdom (James 1:5).


I know that intellectual endeavors work a lot better for me when I can look at a plan and go step by step. As such, I decided to stop rummaging around God's word randomly hoping for insight and revelation and instead treat Bible study with as much respect as I treat studying for school. I'd NEVER start a paper without an outline, or read a chapter of text without a highlighter and pen on hand, so why should I be any more nonchalant about my approach to Bible study? God wants to speak to us through his word, but if we don't take the time to study it properly, then we won't learn anything.

Worry.

I got told today that I'm a worry wart. This, I suppose, is true. In spite of my best intentions I worry like crazy. My current worry is over some paperwork for my student loans that just is taking a lot more time and effort than it seems like it should.

I am seriously, legitimately struggling to eat and sleep at this point. People keep saying chill out, everything will be fine. THAT drives me insane and it only makes me worry even more. I HATE it when people act like what I'm worried about isn't important... the fact of the matter is that going to grad school is the single most important thing in my life right now, and I feel totally entitled to care about how things are going in that area.

HOWEVER...

"Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other."- John MacArthur

FACT... That one hit me HARD.

I've been reminded several times over the last few weeks that worry is a sin. We sugar coat it; even make it sound good. It like the better or more important your life is, the more entitled you are to worry about things. That's just not true. Worry focuses on the negative, and if you're a Christian, 1 Corinthians says you have 'the mind of Christ' ... and I'm pretty sure he didn't worry!

I couldn't sleep today (preoccupied with this school nonsense) so instead of sitting and worried, I decided to be productive (and there was nothing to clean). To be honest, the more I think about it, the more I worry about stupid stuff. I worry that I wrote down my work schedule wrong and I won't show up on a day I'm supposed to work. (It should be noted that my schedule never changes.) I worry that I'll forget someone's birthday/anniversary etc and cause them some undue sadness on a special day. I worry that I'll suddenly forget some inconsequential piece of psychological information (Piaget's stages of development? what the letters DSM stand for? Difference between id and ego?) and totally screw up a client. None of this even makes sense. Over the span of my lifetime, worrying accounts for hours and hours of time that I'll never get back. So, I have decided that I'd like to stop wasting my time (especially sleep time!).

If you're not convinced yet to give up your worrying, here are four biblical reasons not to worry.

Worrying Accomplishes Nothing.


Worry is a waste of time. As Pastor Steven put it recently... 'Work don't worry... cause worry dont work.' (poor grammar...good theology he said.) Have a problem? Work as hard as you can to fix it (like me doing all this WU paperwork and running all over campus) and then let God handle the rest. Worrying is just treating the problem like its too big for him... and that simply is not true!

Matthew 6:27-29 "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are."


Worrying is Not Good for You.

Worrying is destructive to us in many ways. It becomes a mental burden that can even cause us to grow physically sick. Goodness knows I don't need any help with that!!

Proverbs 12:25 "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up."

Worrying is the Opposite of Trusting God.


The energy that we spend worrying can be put to much better use in prayer. Max Lucado once said no one can pray and worry at the same time.

Matthew 6:30 "And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?"

Philippians 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Worrying Puts Your Focus in the Wrong Direction.

When we keep our eyes focused on God, we remember his love for us and we realize we truly have nothing to worry about. God has a wonderful plan for our lives, and part of that plan includes taking care of us. Even in the difficult times, when it seems like God doesn't care, we can put our trust in the Lord and focus on his kingdom. God will take care of our every need. Josh McDowell says is this way; "Knowing that God is faithful, it really helps me to not be captivated by worry. But knowing that He will do what He has said, He will cause it to happen, whatever He has promised, and then it causes me to be less involved in worrying about a situation."

Matthew 6:25 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life-whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing?"

Matthew 6:31-33 "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

1 Peter 5:7 "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."


Hope this finds you all well. If you're worrying, then I'm praying for you... and pray for me about this too. Its by far my biggest struggle.

Thanks.

I've had a larger than normal number of views on my blog this week.... perhaps connected to the fact that I've posted? haha. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for reading. I struggle through life just like everyone else, and its nice to have a place to post my triumphs, tribulations, and everything in between. I'd like to think that my small (but loyal) audience is praying with me when things get hard, and thanking God along with me when he does amazing things. Just thought I'd take a little time to show some appreciation. Oh, and if you're writing and sharing your life on a blog, thanks for that too. Its encouraging to see other people's ups and downs.

Closing this short post with whats been encouraging me over the last several day. Happy Friday everyone. =)


2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Boring.

I read this article online and was really moved. I just wanted to share it with those of you who might like it. Understand that the rest of this post wasn't written by me... =)

We all long for a radical calling, but monotony can be its own mission.

I was sure God was telling me to quit my landscaping job. I was bound for something more important. The horizon beckoned. So I turned in my notice and embraced unemployment as a divine calling. I spent my hours reading Scripture and praying over maps, nobly trusting God for my provisions. I had a fever of 360 degrees—I wanted to travel the globe. All of it. Four months later I told my girlfriend that the next time I saw her I would ask her to marry me, then I pulled myself out of her arms and boarded a plane. I had some funds, but only for 180 degrees of my round-the-world trip. God would provide.

Six weeks later I was stranded in Southeast Asia with a depleted money belt and the gnawing suspicion that I had missed God somewhere along the way.

Radical is in my resume. Radical is part of our calling. But radical can be dangerous. With seven years of working with college students (and with a personal penchant for the extreme), I offer a couple warnings to complement the needed exhortation to be radical.

Romanticized Discipleship
“What are you doing this summer after classes?” a college student asks his friend late in the spring semester.

“Well, I’m working with an electrician.”

“Oh, OK.”

“What about you? What are your summer plans?”

“I’m actually gonna be living in an orphanage in Africa, loving on those kids and doing some community development stuff.”

“Oh ...”

In conversations like this, it is likely that the 20-year-old working with the electrician will feel spiritually inferior to the 20-year-old who has plane tickets in hand for Kenya. There is also the tendency for the guy with the ticket to feel as though he is a bit more sincere in his devotion to Jesus.

Believe me, I do not wish to discourage young people from boarding flights to Africa. But I also do not wish to disparage electrical work as spiritually insignificant.

Scripture calls us into radical service—but that does not allow others to eviscerate tedious, less “spiritually” glamorous tasks of their meaning in God’s Kingdom. Scripture also calls us to embrace the mundane and ordinary as holy and beautiful: “... aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

Many of us want to do something awesome, something epic. We tend to think that the more normal, the less “spiritual.” So it is quite possible that our aspirations to be radical stem from dangerous ambitions to perform biography-worthy feats of global glory.

But radical discipleship is not adventure tourism.

Following Jesus is not to be romanticized through impressive Facebook status updates or photos of exotic places on our blog. Discipleship is often ugly, messy and painful. Faithful service will regularly lead us into dull labors and bewildering struggles that would make unexciting press. To romanticize social justice or cross-cultural evangelism is to promote an idealism that will be inevitably vaporized on the field, inadvertently leading to burnout and cynicism.

The first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit for a task in the Bible was not commissioned to lead a battle or to prophesy over Israel. Bezalel (ever heard of him?) was filled with the Spirit to build stuff. To make art. To carve, mold and weave. He was the guy God commissioned to build the tabernacle and its accoutrements (Exodus 31.1-5).

Spirit-anointing does not always propel us into radical action. Instead we may find ourselves entrusted with tedious, meticulous handiwork that feels ... well, boring.

Spiritualized Escapism
I was 20 years old and wracked with angst. I was on my knees with a heart burning so fiercely with passion to serve Christ overseas that I felt I could not go another day without a global assignment, without a divinely issued itinerary in hand.

This was my prayer that day. And I meant every word: “Lord, just whisper a country, and I will walk to it I don’t care how far it is. I don’t care what it costs. Just whisper a place and I will go.”

Had the country been overseas, I would have secretly boarded a cargo ship as a stowaway. I just knew there were more urgent tasks out there than doing my statistics homework.

But I think I was much more interested in a radical leaving than a radical going. The heart behind the prayer was not so much, “Let me serve you, Lord” but, “Lord, get me out of here.”

I wanted to escape the unexciting “local” for the exotic “global.” I wanted freedom from the tedious tasks of the daily grind for the thrilling speed of travel and for the gratifying buzz of experiencing something new. I did not want to do statistics homework—I wanted to fulfill the great commission. I did not want to dig another ditch as a landscaper in the summer heat—I wanted to preach the Word on a distant city street.

As a former college student and a current college pastor, I know it is so difficult for a young person to see how doing their accounting project will glorify God. It is hard to see how finishing the research paper on 18th century art forms can contribute to God’s Kingdom work. Staring at spread sheets, calming grumpy customers or chasing a toddler down all day don't seem like tasks that will make any kind of eternal impact. Aren’t people dying out there from lack of clean water? Aren’t the lost dying without the Gospel?

Yes, but an untested 20-something without the work ethic required for completing the annoying accounting project or the boring research paper will likely be of little help in dire situations overseas. Those assignments can actually be effective training for the arduous labors of missional service. “What ever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). Remember how Jesus calls us to faithfulness in the small things (Matthew 25:14-30).

Aching for yonder shores and longingly scanning the distant horizon may well be God’s call on our lives. But it also may be our impatience with the monotonous minutiae of the daily grind. Escapism is not fulfilling the great commission.

Regardless of our location, abroad or at home, all ministry is inescapably local. Every worker in a global context must embrace the monotonous minutiae of a new daily grind after the plane lands—figuring out the postal service, dealing with the cell phone company, conjugating verbs in the slow and tedious study of the language. If we cannot be faithful to do our statistics homework or collaborate with our coworkers, then we may lack the strength of character required for dealing with the meticulous annoyances of a more radical life beyond the romanticized horizon.

Andrew Byers [who wrote this article] leads University Christian Fellowship and is the author of Faith Without Illusions: Following Jesus as a Cynic-Saint (Likewise Books / IVP). He blogs at Hopeful Realism.

Asking.

I've been thinking a lot lately. I want something really specific and I am just not sure if its ok to pray about it. I don't want to put limits on God's plans for me. At the same time, I want to talk to God about my desires. I want him to know how I feel. Praying about my feelings makes me feel better. I want to tell him just how I feel about the whole situation. I pray regularly. I have an internal dialogue with God going on almost all the time. Admittedly, sometimes its not the nicest things. There are times when I'm complaining, nagging God, trying to get my way, so don't think I'm above average in the holiness area... I struggle too. But I'm pretty much always talking to God these days. That was something that I used to reallllly struggle with. Now, I'm presented with a new dilemma. What exactly do you ask God for? How specific is ok?

Do I ask God to bless me? Is it ok to ask for good health? Should I pray that my head feels better when I have a headache? I just don't know how specific its supposed to be. Is it even alright to ask God to bless me? I'd feel selfish and guilty to even think such things. Of course, I had to investigate this. Honestly, its been driving me crazy. If I want something can I just ask for it? Well, here's what I came up with... Scripture about asking God for things.

Matthew 7:7 – 8 (ESV)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 7:11 (ESV)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 21:22 (ESV)
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

John 14:13 (ESV)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:16 (ESV)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

John 16:23 (ESV)
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

So, you may be asking … “where’s the catch?” What do I have to do to make all this happen? Well scripture answers THAT too...

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God tells us to SEEK HIM FIRST … and then, He will meet all of our needs. This is true with all of our asking. We first need to align ourselves with God’s Will and then he will meet all of our needs. So if you're prayers aren't getting answered, then this MIGHT have something to do with it. We have a God who loves us more than anything we can imagine – which means he wants what is best for us. We have a God who knows everything, sees everything, and who is able to do anything because He is all powerful … it only makes sense that I would want the things He wants me to have because those things will be what is best for me. So … yes, we can – AND SHOULD – ask God to bless us. We should seek to be in line with His will and pray as He leads us to pray.

However, you and I both know that we do not always get everything we ask for. Why not?

One reason is that sometimes we do not put God first in our lives. Jesus told us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). We must put God first in our lives if we expect Him to answer our prayers.

Another reason our prayers aren't always answered is that we sometimes ask out of selfishness. In James 4:3 we read: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." Before we ask God for anything, we should ask ourselves what we are going to do with the things God gives us. Will we share with others? Will we acknowledge God's blessing in our lives? Will we praise him for what he blessed us with?

Finally, sometimes we put God first, and we ask intending to share with others, but we still do not receive what we want. Why? Because God knows what is best for us. Paul had a serious medical condition. He asked God three times to fix his problem, but God never did (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). God said it was best for Paul not to be healed. God knew what was best, even though Paul may not have understood it at the time. So, I'm not limiting God when I pray for specifics. He understands that we don't always know what best for ourselves. We just have to understand that HE always does.

So if you want something from God, put Him first in your life, put others' needs before your own, and keep asking Him. If it is best for you, then God will give you what you desire. He knows what he's doing... and not only does he not mind, he WANTS you to ask!

The meantime.

So... Its been a while since I've posted an in depth blog. I'll be getting back to that starting well... now.

Since I've started on third shift I've gotten to know some new people. At night obviously the patients are asleep and there is sometimes not that much to do. As such, we talk to each other... a lot. Topics range from current events (Casey Anthony has been a big debate topic lately), personal preferences, hypothetical situations, would you rather, and all sorts of other things. One of the things that seem to come up the most is future plans. Constantly one of us is saying "When I get to.." or "After _____ is done...". My go to phrase of this nature is "When I get finished with grad school...". I know this isn't specific to me or my coworkers, but its just something that I've noticed in our conversations. We all look forward to the future. Everyone has a milestone that they are looking forward to... for some its a graduation; others look forward to a wedding, a baby, or a promotion. whether its something with a specific date, or just an event that we want at some point, everyone is anticipating something. And while we're at it, lets be honest... we HATE to wait. We reserve tables at restaurants, get movie tickets in advance, and buy things online to avoid waiting in crowds.

Anyway, all this talk about future plans got me to thinking... what do you do in the mean time? How do you make the most of right now while still looking forward to what's to come? I've been chewing on this question for a while now. Partly because this anticipation seems so rampant through casual conversation, and partly because I struggle with the issue myself. I've read a little bit and I came up with a few ideas about making the most of the present while anticipating the future.

Do not boast about [what you’re going to do] tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

The truth of the matter though, is that no matter how worried we are or how much we hate to wait, God operates at HIS pace. We can't rush him or slow him down. God knows what he's doing and he operates at a certain pace for a reason. The 'wait time' we experience can be a valuable time to grow and learn life lessons.

Even when it doesn't seem like it, God is in control of the situation. Sometimes we feel like he's doing nothing, but the truth is that he's not doing anything we can SEE. Its sometimes difficult to trust, but God tells us that he is always at work, and some of his handy work we wouldn't even believe:

"Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it” (Habakkuk 1:5).

I read an article about waiting recently that was really interesting. Its important to remember that some of the most prominent figures in the Bible had to wait for God's blessing too:Abraham waited 25 years before his wife Sarah gave birth to their first child. Joseph slogged through 13 years of betrayal, false imprisonment and abandonment before assuming the leadership of Egypt. Moses spent 40 years tending sheep before God called him as a deliverer of His people. David spent 14 years before he took the throne of Israel that had been promised to him. And in Jesus’ own ministry, He often told His disciples, “My hour has not yet come.” We aren't the only ones waiting...

We're so anxious for that “next step,” that we don't enjoy the present. We just ruminate on what we yet have. But James 1:4 reminds us to “let patience have her perfect work.” Just because we are technically waiting doesn’t mean we can’t be accomplishing valuable things. Times of uncertainty and doubt are useful periods in which we can draw into God, hone our skills and prepare for the time when that big thing comes along! So, in these times what should we be doing? The Bible offers a couple really good ideas about handling an uncertain future.

1. Let God set your goals. It’s silly to make any plans without first consulting God. He’s the only one who does know the future, and he’s eager to guide you through it. So, why wouldn't we talk about the future with him as much as possible? The Bible says “We may make our plans, but God has the last word” (Proverbs 16:1). In other words, planning without praying is presumption. This is never a good idea. Start by praying, “God, what do you want me to do?”

2. Live one day at a time. While you can plan for tomorrow, you can’t live in tomorrow until it arrives. Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future, they have no time for today! Commit to making the most of each moment every single day. Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too." So, the best course of action is to live one day at a time. (Matthew 6:34).

3. Don’t procrastinate. Procrastinating is a subtle trap that sooo many of us (including me) fall into on a regular basis. Procrastination wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow. We promise ourselves that we will do it “one of these days,” but then days continue to come and go and our tasks remain unfinished. Id we want to get to the big thing, then we have to get started on the little things now. The Bible says, “Do not boast about [what you’re going to do] tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

What have you planned to do that you haven’t done yet? When do you intend to start working on it? Is it what God wants you to work on? It seems that these are the key to making the most of the meantime.

Test.

Tonight I was in the first session of my developmental psychology class. Dr. Crews emailed us the first reading assignment a few weeks ago and I knocked it out immediately. Tonight he uttered those dreaded words... please put everything away except a pen.

After a pop quiz which killed the spirit of the entire class I did better than many people around me, but nowhere near where I'd like to preform on my first test of grad school. Dr. Crews began to speak. He said that the grade didn't count and that we could retrieve our aper after class. He said that he didn't want to pass out the papers and see the grades at all.

Dr. Crews spent the next minute talking to us about our purpose in grad school. He told us that the only people in our program that care about grades we us, the students. Our professors care about facilitating our learning and leading us on the path of learning about ourselves and discovering how to be effective counselors. He assured us that we would have academic successes and failures while we were at Winthrop, but that those weren't the most important aspect of our experience. He told us that he was going to give us just enough information to make us dangerous as a counselor. Its our responsibility to make the most of our learning experience and to work toward being a responsible, competent practitioner.

Throughout this encouraging talk I kept thinking of a passage in Colossians...


Colossians 3:23 (The Message)
22-25 Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible. Being a follower of Jesus doesn't cover up bad work.



How hard is it for us to remember to do everything as if for God when we are forced into doing things we do not like? I mean sometimes you just don't feel like finishing the dishes, getting up on time, heading in to work, reading another chapter before class. This is especially daunting for those of us who like to be in control. The simplest task can become enormous when we dislike it. But, when we approach the task from a different place-- when we do it out of love for the Lord, we often find that the task is not as bad as we thought.

For me, things aren't difficult because I don't like them... but no matter how much you appreciate school or a job, sometimes you'd rather just get some sleep or see your family. I'm finding that sacrifice and discipline are easier when you keep in mind why you're doing what you do. Even in the midst of suffering, if we approach it from the standpoint that there is a purpose in it from and for God, we can endure anything.

I found encouragement in an unexpected source today, and just wanted to share.

Blessings.

Hey guys. Happy Friday... at least I THINK its Friday. Since I've started working nights I'm a little confused about what day it is. haha

Anyway, I've been thinking about some things and I'd really like your input. There were several things that I've been praying for since the beginning of 2011. These mainly included getting promoted at work to a job with more hours each week, getting into grad school, finding an apartment once April got married, and paying for school. God has blessed me beyond measure as each and every thing I prayed about has happened. I really am just in awe of the way things have happened in 2011 so far.

Ok, so here's what I'm concerned about. Working nights is really taking a toll on me. I am getting plenty of sleep, but I'm not at all into a routine. I've not seen family or friends much. I didn't make it to small group last week either. I've slept, read for class, and worked this week. I really don't want to neglect people or things in my life... especially the people who so diligently prayed and supported me while I was in the process of getting to where I am now. I'm praying that I'm able to fit everything new into my life without sacrificing any of the people or things that I already love.

Ok, so this is where you come in. I've been looking for some scripture or a blog or maybe a sermon about making the most of God's blessings in your life. I've spent a lot of my life thinking about where I wanted to be... and God is really providing a way for me to get there. I'm really passionate about making all of this work together. So, if any of you readers can provide some words of wisdom I'd be GREATLY appreciative!

Love you guys!

Sadness and security.

Happy Good Friday to everyone. I've been on hiatus for a while now. My new apartment didn't have a steady internet connection until today. It was nice to take a break, but I have really missed blogging. Lately I've been reading in Lamentations. Previously, it was a book I avoided, but I finally decided to take a crack at it in the last week or so. Its a sad book, but really beautiful. Here's a little synopsis of what I've taken from the first part of the book.

God’s kindness will never cease. Its is new every SINGLE morning. He never runs out of generosity. EVER. Just when we think He could not possibly give us more, its morning and we get another healthy serving of his grace and mercies. They never cease – they never fail – they always work – they always accomplish their mission. There is no failure with God. He always completes what He has set out to do. Great is His faithfulness.

Short and sweet blog today. I'm gonna get back to enjoying my Friday. If you've never ventured into Lamentations, I encourage you to check it out.

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

Second Chances.

I'm sitting in my room. Just thinking. I'd REALLY appreciate some words of wisdom here.

What do you do when someone who hurts you wants a second chance?

Some people in my life are quick to say NO. Run the other way. Don't even think about it. Break all contact. I appreciate those people more than they know. Why? Because I know that they are saying those words out of genuine love and worry for me. I know that they worry for my emotional well being. I know they want the absolute best for me. I know they are trying to help me avoid getting hurt any further. I thank God for people in my life who love me so unconditionally. Such a blessing.

But... then I think about my relationship with God.

Matthew 6:14
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

He's forgiven me every single time I've ever asked. He didn't have to think about it. He didn't consider. He didn't hesitate. He opened his arms and welcomed me back into his embrace. He didn't just forget about what I'd done, he restored my relationship with Him to what it was before I ruined things. And all of this in spite of the fact that I don't deserve it. Every wrong in our relationship was MY FAULT. Yet he chooses to forgive. He loves me with a limitless love. He also loves the people who wrong me with a limitless love.

All this just makes me think... who am I to refuse to extend that same forgiveness to others. I know that it might put me in a position to be hurt again. However, I also know that if I do hurt I have a God who is the ultimate comforter. I also know that I don't want to miss out on God's blessings because I was afraid of being hurt. Even so, I see my concerned friends point of view.

So, what do you think?

Power.

This weekend at Elevation, Pastor Steven started a sermon series on the book of Ephesians. His first sermon was from the first chapter of Ephesians, and focused on the power of God working in our lives. I've also been reading Ephesians on my own, and recently focused some reading/study time on the same passage. Anyway, it was so good that I HAD to share a little of it with my wonderful, be it small, blog audience.

Pastor Steven pointed out something (as he regularly does) that I know, but I've never really devoted significant thought to. We already have all of the power of God in us. As verses 7-10 in the first chapter of Ephesians say: (and I'm quoting from The Message... a modern language translation of the Bible that I like to use in my personal reading time.)

"Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for EVERYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY NEED, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth." (emphasis there was my own.)

God provided us with all the power that we need... the same power that raised Jesus from the DEAD for crying out loud (see verse 20) but we choose to live in weakness. And yes, I say WE because I fall into this category PLENTY of times. Pastor Steven likened this to potential and kinetic energy. I googled to get a little refreshed on that as physics wasn't my best subject in high school. The fact of the matter though, is that all that power, the power that raised Jesus from the dead and sat him at the right hand of God, is just potential in our lives until we make it WORK in our lives through trust, faith, ACTION. We got all the power we'll ever need the moment we became a Christian, but we waste it and forfeit God's blessing when we choose not to act.

Here's the part of this that really gets me... Paul points it out in verse 19. I worry SO much about my strength, what I'm capable of. But it has NOTHING to do with my ability. NOTHING. It all hinges on God's authority... which we know very well never changes, dwindles, struggles. NEVER. But somehow I still worry that I can't do it. Its my perception of power and strength thats the issue. His power never changes... my confidence in his power to be exerted though me... THATS what varies, and that's what causes me to miss out on things that He has for me.

I had a professor in college who used to tell us that "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called." Its sometimes hard for me to think this way, but when I refuse to, I'm underestimating God's power. If God can raise people from the dead, part seas, make the sun stand still in the sky, why in the world am I so arrogant to think that my issues are outside his realm of expertise? As I write that sentence, doubting sounds utterly ridiculous, and yet I find myself behaving that way more often than I care to admit. To express it a different way, as Pastor put it (after making a GREAT analogy about Apple products... which made this Mac lover smile) we use the equipment God gave us FAR beneath its potential.

After hearing about the sermon series coming up at Elevation I decided to devote my own Bible reading time to Ephesians for the next couple of weeks. Rarely do I spend so much time in one place in the Bible, so I thought it would be a nice change of pace. The thing that stood out to me initially... and then REALLY hit home after hearing Pastor's thoughts is the following...

In verses 15-19 Paul says (again quoting from The Message)
"That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!"

Paul prayed for the believers that he cared for in such a beautiful way. When I read "intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally" I thought WOW, that, more than anything I could say, sums up EXACTLY what I'm looking for in my relationship with Christ. Thats just what I want. I can't think of anything better than gaining intimacy with the Father and gaining intelligence and discernment that will allow me to better love and serve those around me.

This week I'm working on tapping into God's power through my prayer, faithfulness, action. I'm praying Paul's prayer for myself... and I'm praying it for you too. I'm asking God "to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do..."

Quenched.

I read a lot. I really like to read Christian nonfiction. One book that I go back to again and again is "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It is a years worth of devotionals that was published in the USA in 1935. I've read all of the entries multiple times. I pull it out when I need a little word from God, a little inspiration, a little encouragement. Anyway, today I flipped to one that I really like, and I wanted to share it... everything after are Chambers' words.

"Do not quench the Spirit —1 Thessalonians 5:19

The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. The sense of warning and restraint that the Spirit gives comes to us in the most amazingly gentle ways. And if you are not sensitive enough to detect His voice, you will quench it, and your spiritual life will be impaired. This sense of restraint will always come as a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12), so faint that no one except a saint of God will notice it.

Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” If you have put your “hand to the plow” and are walking in the light, there is no “looking back”— the past is instilled into the present wonder of fellowship and oneness with God (Luke 9:62 ; also see 1 John 1:6-7). If you get out of the light, you become a sentimental Christian, and live only on your memories, and your testimony will have a hard metallic ring to it. Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). When-ever the Spirit gives you that sense of restraint, call a halt and make things right, or else you will go on quenching and grieving Him without even knowing it.

Suppose God brings you to a crisis and you almost endure it, but not completely. He will engineer the crisis again, but this time some of the intensity will be lost. You will have less discernment and more humiliation at having disobeyed. If you continue to grieve His Spirit, there will come a time when that crisis cannot be repeated, because you have totally quenched Him. But if you will go on through the crisis, your life will become a hymn of praise to God. Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be."


If you want to read more of these timeless, inspirational words, check out www.utmost.org
Thanks for reading. xoxo

Prayer and trust.

Its friday, which means I would normally be making a fun post. I think I'll get around to that in a few minutes, but first I just wanted to post something that I read the other day and have been thinking about since.

“One evening I left my office in New York, with a bitterly cold wind in my face. I had with me, (as I thought) my thick, warm muffler, but when I proceeded to button-up against the storm, I found that it was gone.

I turned back, looked along the streets, searched my office, but in vain. I realized, then, that I must have dropped it, and prayed God that I might find it; for such was the state of the weather, that it would be running a great risk to proceed without it. I looked, again, up and down the surrounding streets, but without success.

Suddenly, I saw a man on the opposite side of the road holding out something in his hand. I crossed over and asked him if that was my muffler? He handed it to me saying, ‘It was blown to me by the wind.’ He who rides upon the storm, had used the wind as a means of answering prayer.” — William Horst

I've been thinking over this a LOT. I've been praying over things a lot. A lot of my prayers have been answered. But with each answer comes something else to ask for. I got into grad school. Now time to pray about paying for it. School's payed for. Now time to pray about time for studying, passing tests, etc.

So what have I been learning lately? Prayer doesn't stand alone. Like in the little story above... God uses natural circumstances to supernaturally answer prayer. Prayer isn't an isolated duty or independent principle. It lives in association with other Christian duties, is wedded to other principles, is a partner with other graces. But to faith, prayer is indissolubly joined... to steal a line from Mr. Frank Sinatra, "They go together like a horse and carriage... can't have one without the other." Faith gives it color and tone, shapes its character, and secures its results.

So, my prayers don't seem to have the substance they normally do at times. The problem, I've come to realize... faith. Sometimes my faith feels flat, like its just not working... the problem there I'm beginning to see... prayer. For one to work, the other needs to be working too. This seems to be the biggest struggle in my walk with Christ at the moment.

Trust. It is faith become absolute, ratified, complete. There is, when all is said and done, a sort of risk in faith and its exercise. But trust is firm belief, its faith in full flower. And, to be honest, I (and I'm sure plenty of other believers) often times pray without really having that trust. Trust is a conscious act, a fact of which we are aware. It is a feeling of the soul that has to do with trust. How luminous, how distinct, how conscious, how powerful, and more than all, how Scriptural is such a trust!?! I'm beginning to think of this trust as an act of obedience to God. It really seems to be a way to worship him. Its one of the ways of worship that I struggle with most, but still... worship.

How different is this from many forms of modern belief that are so feeble, dry, and cold. So many beliefs bring no consciousness of their presence, no “Joy unspeakable and full of glory” results from their exercise. They are, for the most part, rules and regulations. There is no safe, sure trust in anything. The whole transaction takes place in the realm of maybe and perhaps and possibly. As Christians though, we don't HAVE to deal with that. And yet, sometimes we choose to anyway. So senseless.

Trust sees God doing things here and now. It rises to a lofty eminence, and looking into the invisible and the eternal, realizes that God has done things, and regards them as being already done... it recognizes that the battle has already been won. IT doesn't worry over things that God has already conquered. Trust brings eternity into the annals and happenings of time, changes the substance of hope into the reality of fruition, and changes promise into present possession. We know when we trust just as we know when we see, just as we are conscious of our sense of touch. Trust sees, receives, holds. Trust is its own witness.

Yet, quite often, our faith is too weak to obtain God’s greatest good, immediately; so it has to wait in loving, strong, prayerful, pressing obedience, until it grows in strength, and is able to bring down the eternal, into the realms of experience and time.

To this point, trust masses all its forces. Here it holds. And in the struggle, trust’s grasp becomes mightier, and grasps, for itself, all that God has done for it in His eternal wisdom and plenitude of grace.

In the matter of waiting in prayer, mightiest prayer, faith rises to its highest plane and becomes indeed the gift of God. It becomes the blessed disposition and expression of the soul which is secured by a constant intercourse with, and unwearied application to God. Jesus Christ clearly taught that faith was the condition on which prayer was answered. If I don't trust, then my prayer isn't going to be answered. When God had cursed the fig-tree, the disciples were much surprised that its withering had actually taken place. It was then that Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God.”

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Trust grows nowhere so readily and richly as in the presence of prayer. Its development is rapid and when a prayer life is well kept. When these engagements with God through prayer are hearty and full and free, trust flourishes exceedingly. The presence of God gives vigorous life to trust, just like presence of the sun make fruit and flower to grow... a cheesy, but nonetheless, true metaphor.

Ideas like “Have faith in God,” and “Trust in the Lord” form the keynote and foundation of prayer. Primarily, it is not trust in the Word of God, but trust in the Person of God. Trust in the Person of God, I've found, must precede trust in the Word of God. The trust which God points to as a condition of effective prayer, is not of the head but of the heart. It is trust which “doubteth not in his heart.” Such trust has the assurance that it shall be honored with large and satisfying answers. The strong promise of our Lord brings faith down to the present, and counts on a present answer.

Honestly, I'm still struggling to put all this into practice. I'm praying. I'm trusting. I'm exercising faith. I read a quote recently that I think is a great closing thought...

"When our wagon gets stuck in the mud,
God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push
than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer
—no matter how eloquent the oration."

I don't recall who said that... but In "Sun Stand Still" Pastor Steven shared the same sentiment, saying that we should push while we pray. Or, As one of my favorite authors Hunter S Thompson said... "Call on God, but row away from the rocks..." In addition to all that other stuff, we've got to act. (I discussed this in a previous post called Help... look back a few posts for that one.) And I'm finding that the acting... the stepping out in faith is what reinforces the trust. When I step out and push while I pray, God moves. Then I trust him a little more. Its an amazing (yet at times, terrifying) process.

In The Market.

Hello everyone. First, a brief update:

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start. I have a sinus infection, so mine is moving kind of slowly. I laid around most of the day today. Hopefully, that rest started me on the road to getting better. My day off did give me time to FINALLY make a custom layout for my blog. I've been using generic layouts from blogger until now. It took me a while to get the hang of the html stuff, but by the end of my project I got pretty good at it. So, if anyone wants their own blog header let me know. I'll make you one, or show you how to make your own!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the week. Hopefully, I'll be getting better. I should hear about grad school this week (keep praying!) and April's bachelorette party is Friday night... which means I get to see all my girls! I got an apartment which I'll be moving into when my lease with April is up, and Saturday my mom and I are going to get some fabric to start on curtains for my new place! All in all, an exciting few days are coming up. Plus, its supposed to be 80 degrees Saturday!

Anyway, I've been a little slack with my blog lately, but I've been wanting to share some of the things that I've been thinking about lately.

A few weeks back, Pastor Steven spoke on the topic of honor at Elevation. He laid out a very easy to understand, practical method for increasing the amount of honor that we show to other people. The part of the series that really spoke to me was about honor being a lifestyle. He spoke about leading a lifestyle that you always do more than you have to. In my head I've started referring to this as the "and then some" mentality. I'm going to do what someone needs me to do "and then some."

Often times, I don't take advantage of opportunities because I simply don't notice them. This is the case with honor and with plenty of other things. Pastor Steven pointed out that we should be "in the market" for opportunities. For example, when I bought a yellow car I started noticing other yellow cars a LOT more. So, now I'm actively working to see opportunities to do positive things! The more and more I live for Jesus, the more I realize that its the little things that matter SO much. One little negative behavior starts a landslide that can take someone right back into the depths of their sinful nature. But on the other hand, one little positive, encouraging, honoring action can give someone the strength they need to keep going.

Just something to think about. =)

help.

This is another one of those posts that spawned from something thats been floating around in my head. I won't go into the details of the situation, as the specifics are irrelevant to the idea that I'm thinking about.

Anyway, do you ever hear quotes, phrases, ideas about God that aren't from the Bible? I do from time to time, and I wonder how applicable they are. I certainly believe that new wisdom about God surfaces all the time. Truth can be found outside the Bible itself. At the same time, we have to be discerning about who and what we listen to.

Some examples I've had on my mind as of late:

"God helps those who help themselves." - Benjamin Franklin

"Call on God, but row away from the rocks." - Hunter S Thompson

In fact "God helps those who help themselves" is probably the most often quoted phrase that is not found in the Bible. This saying is usually attributed to Ben Franklin. Whatever the original source of this saying, the Bible teaches the opposite. God helps the helpless! Isaiah 25:4 says, "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat..." Romans 5:6 tells us, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."

In terms of salvation, we are all utterly helpless. We are all infected by sin (Romans 3:23), and condemned as a result of that sin (Romans 6:23). Nothing we can do on our own can remedy this situation (Isaiah 64:6). Thankfully, God is the helper of the helpless. While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus paid the penalty that we were incapable of paying (2 Corinthians 5:21). God provided the "help" that we need because we could not help ourselves.

I know all of this, and I TOTALLY believe it to be true. HOWEVER...

Apart from salvation, I think there is a way that the concept "God helps those who help themselves" is correct. I'm pretty sure its a smart move to "call on God, but row away from the rocks." For example, if you were to ask me to help you make dinner and then sat and watched as I did all the work, then I'm not really HELPING you. I would be doing the work for you. To help implies two bodies working along side each other.

Many of us as Christians fall into the trap of inactivity. We ask God for help, but then expect God to do everything Himself. We excuse this by pointing to the fact that God will provide according to His will and in His timing. I DEFINITELY think that God provides in the manner that he sees fit. However, this is no reason for inactivity.

As a specific example, if you are in need of a job, ask the Lord to help you find a job - but then be active in actually looking for a job. While it is in His power to do so, it is highly unlikely that God will cause employers to come looking for you.

A friend once told me not to try and catch the right fish, but to worry about becoming the right bait. God will help you, but you've got to put in work too. Similarly, a few weeks back Pastor Steven spoke of praying for rain in a drought from the following passage of Scripture:

And he said, “This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. - 2 Kings 3:16-17

The armies of Judah and Israel were out in the middle of the desert with no water and they were getting scared. They were on their way to Moab but now they were concerned that they were not even going to make it to the battle. They talked to Elisha the prophet and this was the word passed to them from God through Elisha. Obediently, they dug the trenches and one morning they looked and saw water coming from Edom and filling up their trenches. They had plenty of water to drink. If you ask me, this speaks directly to the idea that Ben Franklin came up with... God helped the armies of Judah, but they helped themselves too... Here's how.

1.Go to God: Note what they did with their problem – they went down to a prophet of God, Elisha, to find out what God was going to do in this situation. I think that was definitely the correct decision. If you’re facing a giant of a problem, remember that God is the biggest giant of them all.

2. Prepare for the blessing: Now the prophet told them to do something strange; he told them to dig a bunch of ditches in the middle of the desert. This might seem like a pointless exercise to you and it might have seen pointless to them, too….but they did it. They were obedient to God and dug the ditches. They had to believe that God was going to give them the blessing and they had to put in some hard work to prepare for it.


Just something I've been thinking about... I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Math.

Fact: Life is hard.

So is math... well for me at least. English was always my strong point. Hence blogs and not algorithms.
Even so, I want to throw out a math analogy.

Life is difficult. Math is difficult (for me at least).
But both have answers.

When math got hard for me in school I got someone who was really good at it (most often my REALLY smart friend/math teacher Kelly) to help me. When life is hard, I try remember that the Creator of all life is always there to help figure out the answer.

Don't you sometimes say that life is tough? I know I do... ore often than I care to admit. Honestly though, its not really complaining, and its more than a phrase. It’s a truth. Life is hard... a LOT of the time. things don't go the way they are supposed to. Plans fail. Plans change. People let you down. You know it. I know it... and guess what? God knows it. He even TELLS us.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

Well, if you're inquisitive, curious, or just downright nosey like me, that verse leads your mind straight to another question. WHY? Why is life so hard? (I know I ask this... and am asked this by my patients at work on a daily basis.) The answer? One word. SIN.

Life is only difficult because of sin. Don't believe that? Let's take a look back. Before sin, life was perfect. Seriously, it was. Go back and check out chapter 2 of Genesis. PERFECTION. Then, sin enters the world in chapter 3 of Genesis and literally all hell breaks loose.

Look at the first command from Jesus.
We are told to love God with all our heart, mind and soul.
In reality, that’s simple, it’s just not easy. (A distinction that we sometimes fail to see.)

Why is it so difficult? Well, it all comes down to one thing. SIN. Because of sin, we put ourselves before God. Because of sin, we love ourselves more than God. Because of the sin that we allow and even, at times, seek out in our lives... and because of sin in the lives of those around us.

But, let’s suppose for a moment that we actually did live out this commandment and that life was just this simple. Let’s assume that we did our best to love God first and foremost. THEN everything would be easy, right? Easy, no. Simple, yes.

What about that second commandment: loving our self and our neighbor?

This is really just a math equation. Basically, this commandment is 1 + 1 = 3

Three? Yep... three. (And no, this isn't my struggle with mathematics rearing its ugly head again.) Let me quote Jesus…”follow me”. I'm going somewhere with this. Promise.

You see, when Christ gives us that second command to love self and neighbor, He is assuming that you are already following that first command to love God first and totally. Because if you don’t love God first, than your love of self is selfish. If God is first, your love of self honors Him as His creation and those things you don’t “like” about yourself or are not proud of about yourself are put in proper perspective.

And, if you don’t love God first, than that whole “love your neighbor” thing won’t work either…without God you’ll only love those who love you, not those who it is difficult to love. (See my post called honor for some enlightening thoughts on loving the unlovable.) Anyway, if you only love when you receive love, you're giving a counterfeit love. Its not sincere. I mean if we need God to help us love Him and ourselves, OF COURSE we need him to help us love OTHER people.

No, if you (or I) want our love to be sincere, the answer is simple…it’s just not easy. Before you try to love yourself or others, you have to love God (and let Him love you back).

And that’s the beginning and end of our math lesson…1 + 1 = 3.
If you love God and have Him number “1” in your life, and then you join your love to His (another “1”) the effects of your love will spread to another person (#3).

Still can’t wrap your head around that math? That’s because love is a decision, but not only a movement of the head. Its a sacrificial reality of the heart. Don’t think about the equation; pray about it. The same goes for scripture. Don’t just read Scripture…pray it. Live it. There's a BIG difference there. Before you know it, 1 + 1 = 3 will make more sense to you than the worldly, logical notion of 1 + 1 =2.

My prayer, and one of my biggest desires for my life is that such finite love will die at some point. Only the infinite love of God is forever. Its so simple... but so far from easy. Even so, THATS what I'm really after.

Ebenezer.

So, as I noted in my last post, Elevation's 5th birthday was last week. To celebrate they made a documentary about the history of the church. When I heard about the documentary I thought it was SUPER cool, but to be honest I didn't quite know why that was the chosen method to celebrate. Well, in true Elevation style, there was an awesome story behind it. Pastor Steven called the documentary "This is How We Change The World" our ebenezer for the first five years.





I LOVE this concept. It really is (and has been for a while) one of my favorite concepts in the old testament. I first heard it in good old number 400 of the Baptist Hymnal "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing..." (The lyrics are SO lovely that I included them all. The part thats pertinent to my post tonight is verse 2.)

1. Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.


So, what's an ebenezer anyway? Obviously, being that its a biblical concept, scripture is the first place to look for that answer.


"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel; the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites." - 1 Samuel 7:12-14


After a long period of problem and discord (a consequence of Israel's disobedience) the Israelites repented under the leadership of Samuel. God restored their security and the people committed their hearts and minds to their Lord again.

Samuel put a large stone at the place where this restoration began. He publicly dedicated it as a monument to God's help, God's faithfulness, God's eternal covenant. As the people got on with their lives, the stone stood there, visible to all who passed that way, a reminder that God judged them. A reminder that God loved them. A reminder that God forgave them. A reminder that God restored them. The Ebenezer stone represented a fresh beginning, a reversal of course for God's people. It also said something important about God: his mercies are everlasting; his covenant is forever.

This concept is SO beautiful to me. I can't express it enough. We even preach this idea to the children I counsel at work. To know where you're going, its SO important to know where you've been. One good example of that idea:

Members of AA can tell you how long they have been sober. They keep alive the memory of the last drink they took, and with each new day they move farther down the road of sobriety. AA is on to something important. Do they ask their members to count the number of years spent in drunken waste? No. They count the days spent walking in a new direction.

I to beat myself up about mistakes I made way back. I don't forgive myself, even though I accept the fact of God's forgiveness. Perhaps you can identify with me. But that's not what God wants from me... or from you.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

This is a lot of the reason why I've come to enjoy keeping this blog. This is also a lot of the reason that my blog has moved from just writing about life to chronicling my walk with Christ and the things I learn about faith. On a day that I'm feeling down or lost or just not good enough, I can look back at my ebenezer and see that I serve a wonderfully faithful blog. This is the same idea Elevation employed with the documentary, and if you ask me its a GREAT one.

Some of the things that God has blessed me with lately follow. I know that at some point I'll be down again, and I want to remember how faithful he is.

- I have a grad school interview in a few days! I am beyond excited at the opportunity to get into a Master's program and ultimately be one step close to being a licensed counselor.

- I got cards in the mail today from my baby sister and from my niece and nephew. I really have the most wonderful family in the entire world.

- This weekend I have a dinner date with three friends from my early days at North Greenville. I am already so excited about spending time with these girls. God has continued to provide me with some of the best friends I could ask for. I can't wait to catch up and fellowship with them.

- Several people I love (most notably, my mom!) have birthdays this week. I'm so thankful that all these wonderful people were able to see another year, and that I'm able to enjoy them in my life.

- I always thought that Elevation was the best church in the world (and it is) but joining an E Group has provided a whole new world of blessings in recent weeks. The women in my group are caring, Godly women who never fail to challenge and encourage me. I LOVE being a part of their group.

- Love Week 2011 is coming up at Elevation. I'm going to get to serve like CRAZY, love on all kinds of people and spend time with my E Group girls... it doesn't get much better than that!!

- Yesterday was Valentine's day. I spent the evening with the most caring, selfless guy I know. He spent the entire day at the hospital encouraging his sick Grandpa (who could use your prayers, if you don't mind), and then spent his evening doting on me and making sure that I felt special on Valentine's day. I went through SO much pain and heartache in past relationships, and all that is making me even more aware that God has REALLY blessed me with Harrison.

I will stop for now, but truly I could keep going and going... God really is faithful. He loves us.

We should all set up an ebenezer, if you ask me, to serve as a continual reminder that we are forgiven, that we have chosen a new life, that God has made a permanent covenant with all who put their faith in him.

Samuel was a smart guy and he had a good idea. He, and Pastor Steven (and the documentary makers) for that matter are in touch with one of the short comings of human nature --- we're forgetful. At Ebenezer, Israel could stand next to that big old rock and remind themselves, "Yes, we serve a living and faithful God, whose mercies are everlasting." When I get down, I can read back over this and say MY GOD IS SO FAITHFUL!

Get some stones! Build your ebenezer.

more lyrics.

I know I just posted lyrics recently... but I keep hearing this song, and its just SOO good. Normally, I'm not a fan of contemporary christian music at all. The message is great, but its just not my style musically. This song keeps touching me though, so I had to share. These lyrics talk about being faithful through hard times. That's something I have been trying to do over the last six months or so... and something that I'd never really done before. And I have to say, even though I'm not completely sure about everything yet, all this has been SO worth it. Every day I realize more and more that God puts me where he wants me for a reason, and that all things work out for the good of those of use who love him (Romans 2:8). Yeah, some situations in my life have been so hard. Yeah, sometimes I have no idea why God puts me where he does.... but I know that I am so blessed. God is good. Last Sunday Pastor Steven said "When you want what God wants for the reason God wants it, you're UNSTOPPABLE." So, I'm praying that I'll be in one accord with God, even if that means I have to endure a little rain...


Mercy Me - Bring The Rain

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days

When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

perseverance.

Heard this quote today. I think its going to be my mantra from now on. =)

"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there."

When you fall down (and you will) get back up. I've always heard this idea, but I never really listened until recently. I love jesus, but I'll be the first to admit that a lot of times life still stresses me out. My job drives me nuts. Bills are annoying. I never get enough sleep. I'd LOVE to know if I'm going to get into grad school. Sometimes worldly stuff just gets me in its grip and its hard to focus on Jesus. And I HATE when I complain all morning and at 2 or 3 in the afternoon I realize I've not thanked God nearly enough that day. So, I've been looking up some scripture about perseverance. Its easier to get through all that day to day worldly junk when you know what Jesus says about it... so I thought I'd share.


James 1:12
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

2 Thessalonians 1:4
Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Hebrews 10:36
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Hebrews 11:27
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance.


I'm working hard to persevere. I'm praying you are too.

ALWAYS.

Pastor Steven opened Elevation's worship experience with this passage last weekend, and its been on my heart since then.

Habakkuk 3:17-19
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."

He's always with me. He's always with you too. ALWAYS.