Tuesday, November 27, 2012
It's Okay to Cry.
Hey my friends! Apparently I haven't posted since March, which I know is terrible, but it's better than when I was expecting (last year, for example haha). For those of you who don't know, I go to a community college. My English teacher likes to challenge our beliefs -- and I always plan on returning that favor in my papers! Anyways, here is just a little something I came across and absolutely love. So I hope you guys enjoy this! (P.S. I'll try to write more honest, but let's be honest: I'M A PROCRASTINATOR. In fact, I'm procrastinating right now. But seriously I will try harder ...)
"I want to close on this and ask you this really just very simply. Have you ever just really cried out to Christ? You know you don’t have to hang back. He says, ‘Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace’. You’re not going to be turned away when you cry out to him. When you cry out you’ll find mercy for your sins, for your misery and you will find grace to help in time of need. I can guarantee you, by all the power of the testimony of the Spirit in his word, that when you cry out to Christ, he will hear you. Though all earthly friends disown and forsake you he will not. Though everything is stripped away from you he will not be taken
away. He will not take himself away and there will come a time, perhaps sooner, perhaps later, when we will have no earthly strength left, where all our bank accounts and anything else will mean nothing. Within an inch of our life we’ll be drawing our last breath. At that point, I suggest that the Priesthood of Christ will mean more to us than we could ever imagine. The great Shepherd-King knows his sheep and he calls us by name even through the valley of the darkness, to bring us to his Father’s kingdom." -- Rev. Dr. Noel Due, Baptist Pastor. [Due, Noel. “Christ Ascended for Us – ‘Jesus Ascended High Priest.’” Evangel Vol. 25 Issue 2 (Summer 2007): 58. EBSCOhost. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.]
Love you all! Remember, it's OKAY to cry. Xoxo.
Monday, March 19, 2012
What is Reality? Are you desperate for grace? Plus, Gungor concert :}
Ahhhhhhh where to start?! I've been learning a lot lately. The more you know, the more ignorant you begin to feel. Sorry for not writing since forever! :/ I have a lot to talk about, so I'm just going to jump in. I have much to write about, I just can't give my 20 page thoughts into one post! Nobody has that time!! Haha.
Well, first off, I saw Gungor in concert March 11th in Rocklin. THEY WERE AWESOME!!!!!! (Not to make you jealous or anything ........... Hahahaha.) Anyway, so Gungor had a speaker talk between their songs, and three things stood out to me.
1) Scars. The fact that Jesus let Himself be scarred to take away ours. Wow, have you ever thought of that?
2) Body. Michael Gungor actually said this part. He was saying how we, as the church, are the body and Christ is the head. We are the bride, He is the groom. So often, we ask, "Where are you, God?" when in reality, we should be asking, "Where are WE?"
3) Reality. This last one I want to spend a little more time on. The woman who gave about 5 minutes worth of encouraging word said that we often think of ourselves as what's real. Whereas God is some ghostly, far off, distant "thing" that somehow works in our lives. But she made us take a new perspective. What if God was reality? What if we are what's distant and ghostly? (Hence Gungor's "Ghosts Upon the Earth" album title.) This concept made me think ... Dictionary.com defines reality a few ways, one including, "something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive." If you believe in God, isn't He the one thing that stands? Isn't He what's lasting? Isn't He what's consistent and never changes? Think Inception. What's real lasts. What isn't real constantly changes. God is EVERlasting.
For King and Country has a song called "Busted Heart." I remember how the lyrics, "desperate for grace" stood out to me once. I thought, "Yes, we're all desperate for grace." Sometimes, when you hear something so often, you sort of become immune to it. Often, we become too content where we are and forget we are in need of grace. But for whatever reason, it really stood out to me: We're ALL desperate for grace. Why do we forget that? Not only that, but we never stop being desperate for grace! Eph. 4:26 calls us to "be angry." Not for the sake of being angry, but that we'd be passionate about what God is passionate for. I need Christ to rescue me from drowning in contentedness and set me on fire so I'd burn and be moved!
We break God's heart all the time. We push Him away. We chase after other things. We get tired of trying with God. We give up. We get lazy. We get too busy to even call on Him for a short bit. Even when we aren't busy, we go sit on a couch and watch TV instead of even letting God hear about our day. Think about the most awful significant other you could ever have: THAT'S YOU. That's me. That's every single person to walk this planet -- except Jesus. We cheat on God ALL the time, yet He CHOOSES us; loves us; pursues us.
You know, I want to stop feeling immune to the things that matter. I want to be a better me for Christ. Break my heart until it moves my hands and feet. I want to be Your hands and feet; I can't do that unless I'm attached to You! I want to think like Christ did while suffering for me and stop living for my selfish passions and start living for God's will (1 Peter 4:1-2). Let me delight in You and let me receive Your desires (Psalm 37:4). Encourage and strengthen me to renounce my worldly passions and show perfect courtesy to everyone, all the time, whether they see or not (Titus 2:11, 3:2-3)! Teach me to hate hating and love loving.
"Broke Your heart a thousand times, but You've never left my side. You have always been here for me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44DPMA5HnY).
Well, first off, I saw Gungor in concert March 11th in Rocklin. THEY WERE AWESOME!!!!!! (Not to make you jealous or anything ........... Hahahaha.) Anyway, so Gungor had a speaker talk between their songs, and three things stood out to me.
1) Scars. The fact that Jesus let Himself be scarred to take away ours. Wow, have you ever thought of that?
2) Body. Michael Gungor actually said this part. He was saying how we, as the church, are the body and Christ is the head. We are the bride, He is the groom. So often, we ask, "Where are you, God?" when in reality, we should be asking, "Where are WE?"
3) Reality. This last one I want to spend a little more time on. The woman who gave about 5 minutes worth of encouraging word said that we often think of ourselves as what's real. Whereas God is some ghostly, far off, distant "thing" that somehow works in our lives. But she made us take a new perspective. What if God was reality? What if we are what's distant and ghostly? (Hence Gungor's "Ghosts Upon the Earth" album title.) This concept made me think ... Dictionary.com defines reality a few ways, one including, "something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive." If you believe in God, isn't He the one thing that stands? Isn't He what's lasting? Isn't He what's consistent and never changes? Think Inception. What's real lasts. What isn't real constantly changes. God is EVERlasting.
For King and Country has a song called "Busted Heart." I remember how the lyrics, "desperate for grace" stood out to me once. I thought, "Yes, we're all desperate for grace." Sometimes, when you hear something so often, you sort of become immune to it. Often, we become too content where we are and forget we are in need of grace. But for whatever reason, it really stood out to me: We're ALL desperate for grace. Why do we forget that? Not only that, but we never stop being desperate for grace! Eph. 4:26 calls us to "be angry." Not for the sake of being angry, but that we'd be passionate about what God is passionate for. I need Christ to rescue me from drowning in contentedness and set me on fire so I'd burn and be moved!
We break God's heart all the time. We push Him away. We chase after other things. We get tired of trying with God. We give up. We get lazy. We get too busy to even call on Him for a short bit. Even when we aren't busy, we go sit on a couch and watch TV instead of even letting God hear about our day. Think about the most awful significant other you could ever have: THAT'S YOU. That's me. That's every single person to walk this planet -- except Jesus. We cheat on God ALL the time, yet He CHOOSES us; loves us; pursues us.
You know, I want to stop feeling immune to the things that matter. I want to be a better me for Christ. Break my heart until it moves my hands and feet. I want to be Your hands and feet; I can't do that unless I'm attached to You! I want to think like Christ did while suffering for me and stop living for my selfish passions and start living for God's will (1 Peter 4:1-2). Let me delight in You and let me receive Your desires (Psalm 37:4). Encourage and strengthen me to renounce my worldly passions and show perfect courtesy to everyone, all the time, whether they see or not (Titus 2:11, 3:2-3)! Teach me to hate hating and love loving.
"Broke Your heart a thousand times, but You've never left my side. You have always been here for me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44DPMA5HnY).
Friday, January 13, 2012
Pennies
I normally don't like these stories, but I liked this one and thought it was post worthy. Enjoy! :)
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about ...
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer.. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see.. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it," he said. "Read what it says." She read the words: "United States of America ..." He shook his head, "No, not that; read further."
"One cent?"
"No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?"
"Yes!"
"And ...?"
He explained, "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as my response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And God is patient ...
Have a lovely, penny-filled day!
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about ...
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer.. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see.. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it," he said. "Read what it says." She read the words: "United States of America ..." He shook his head, "No, not that; read further."
"One cent?"
"No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?"
"Yes!"
"And ...?"
He explained, "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him. Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as my response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!"
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And God is patient ...
Have a lovely, penny-filled day!
Friday, January 6, 2012
A Forever Friend
Well ... I'm back? Haha. Sorry for dropping off the face of the blogging world for a while. I've been busy, but more so lazy when it comes to blogging. So I'm sorry for those who have wondered what happened to me and my life and my blogging and my rhinoceros which I do not own. Anyways, here's a story that I hope causes you to think twice about your life and how you're living it.
Imagine you have a train coming towards you. Normally, that's no big deal, right? Right. Trains come rushing toward you at high speeds all the time. The catch is, you're tied up in ropes on the train track so there's nothing you can do about it. As the train lights shine blindingly into your eyes, it's as if they see right through you and all you've done, and flashes of your life pass you by like an old movie film. In moments, you'll be dead, but you feel like time has suddenly stopped so you can watch your life. Suddenly, the most awful things you've ever said that you'd purposely blocked from your memory come swarming back to haunt you. The happiest moments that you never thought you could relive again seem almost reachable. But your wrong trumps the good, and all the hurtful words, ignorant actions, and evil thoughts stab you with a pain that makes you wish you'd literally been stabbed instead. You wish you'd been more thankful, giving, gracious, loving ... So you squeeze your eyes as tight as you can hoping everything will just go away. And then, you hear the train blare it's horn, and boom. Death was quicker than you thought. Only, nothing feels like it's changed. In fact, the impossible happened: You were saved. A man risks his life and swoops you up out of nowhere. The train zooms by and you can feel the blast of air coming beside the train. You barely made it. You're afraid to open your eyes. Was this real? The fear grips you that you might be in heaven -- or worse, hell -- but you hope it's heaven. Then you hear a deep, reassuring voice, "Are you alright?" and you'd never heard words sweeter than honey come from someone's mouth. In your shock and gratefulness and fear, you mumble words that you don't even understand yourself. So he squeezes your hand lightly, scoops your hurting body up, and carries you to the nearest hospital to fix you up. All the while, holding you tight, never letting go, never slipping, never stumbling, despite the pouring down rain. And then, as you recover, you always have a new, fresh bed of flowers by your bed by this mysterious, life changing and life saving man.
Sounds lovely, doesn't it? The women scream "Ahh, my hero," and the men groan wondering why they paid $10 for a movie like every other chick flick. The women have unrealistic expectations and the guy has to meet these impossible expectations. Nobody wins. But you know what? He exists. Jesus is His name and people call him Emmanuel. He's the one guy who walked this planet who DID do exactly what everyone wants: A Savior. If someone saved our life, like in the story above, you could never thank him enough. You'd do anything you could to help him out to return the greatest favor of saving your life. Well, if Jesus is that guy, why don't we give him credit where it's due? Or better yet, how can we go a single day without recognizing, "Wow, I'm alive because of Christ." How do we go a week without remembering He saved my life! And your life. He does this heroic act by saving our lives again and again by dying on the cross for us. And ever sin is like a nail pierced to His heart. Troops die for us everyday, and we give them our reverence. Shouldn't we do the same for Christ? We persecute Jesus in our actions, our words, and even our very thoughts every hour because we're sinners. Yet, He never leaves. He is a forever, faithful friend.
Find Him more important than the things you find important. And most importantly, how can we just stand and watch loved ones get hit by a train? Food for thought ... (I'm guilty of it too.)
Imagine you have a train coming towards you. Normally, that's no big deal, right? Right. Trains come rushing toward you at high speeds all the time. The catch is, you're tied up in ropes on the train track so there's nothing you can do about it. As the train lights shine blindingly into your eyes, it's as if they see right through you and all you've done, and flashes of your life pass you by like an old movie film. In moments, you'll be dead, but you feel like time has suddenly stopped so you can watch your life. Suddenly, the most awful things you've ever said that you'd purposely blocked from your memory come swarming back to haunt you. The happiest moments that you never thought you could relive again seem almost reachable. But your wrong trumps the good, and all the hurtful words, ignorant actions, and evil thoughts stab you with a pain that makes you wish you'd literally been stabbed instead. You wish you'd been more thankful, giving, gracious, loving ... So you squeeze your eyes as tight as you can hoping everything will just go away. And then, you hear the train blare it's horn, and boom. Death was quicker than you thought. Only, nothing feels like it's changed. In fact, the impossible happened: You were saved. A man risks his life and swoops you up out of nowhere. The train zooms by and you can feel the blast of air coming beside the train. You barely made it. You're afraid to open your eyes. Was this real? The fear grips you that you might be in heaven -- or worse, hell -- but you hope it's heaven. Then you hear a deep, reassuring voice, "Are you alright?" and you'd never heard words sweeter than honey come from someone's mouth. In your shock and gratefulness and fear, you mumble words that you don't even understand yourself. So he squeezes your hand lightly, scoops your hurting body up, and carries you to the nearest hospital to fix you up. All the while, holding you tight, never letting go, never slipping, never stumbling, despite the pouring down rain. And then, as you recover, you always have a new, fresh bed of flowers by your bed by this mysterious, life changing and life saving man.
Sounds lovely, doesn't it? The women scream "Ahh, my hero," and the men groan wondering why they paid $10 for a movie like every other chick flick. The women have unrealistic expectations and the guy has to meet these impossible expectations. Nobody wins. But you know what? He exists. Jesus is His name and people call him Emmanuel. He's the one guy who walked this planet who DID do exactly what everyone wants: A Savior. If someone saved our life, like in the story above, you could never thank him enough. You'd do anything you could to help him out to return the greatest favor of saving your life. Well, if Jesus is that guy, why don't we give him credit where it's due? Or better yet, how can we go a single day without recognizing, "Wow, I'm alive because of Christ." How do we go a week without remembering He saved my life! And your life. He does this heroic act by saving our lives again and again by dying on the cross for us. And ever sin is like a nail pierced to His heart. Troops die for us everyday, and we give them our reverence. Shouldn't we do the same for Christ? We persecute Jesus in our actions, our words, and even our very thoughts every hour because we're sinners. Yet, He never leaves. He is a forever, faithful friend.
Find Him more important than the things you find important. And most importantly, how can we just stand and watch loved ones get hit by a train? Food for thought ... (I'm guilty of it too.)
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