On Sunday at church I was given the opportunity to go to Haiti for a couple of weeks this summer. Going to Africa last summer my eyes were opened up to so many different things of this world and my heart longs to reach others in all the nations. I found out about Haiti kind of last minute and slung the idea upon my parents that I wanted to go. I was supposed to make my decision by Wednesday and felt compelled to go, but wasn't sure if it was really where the Lord wanted me. After praying boldly I still felt the urge to go, but my parents were not at peace about it. My dad kept saying "You can serve at home." Don't get him wrong, he thinks there is a great need for people in Haiti, but there is also a need here. If the Lord wanted me there then he would have allowed it to happen.
Just today in my discipleship, my bible study leader and I were discussing evangelism and how we are called to share the gospel ALWAYS. We talked about the Great Commission.
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20
I was convicted because often times it takes me to "GO" somewhere to actually share my faith. I forgot that there are lost souls around me. The Lord has another great opportunity for me that I just don't know about.
Katie shared three simple words for how I should live my daily life and they are:
Win others for Christ
Build them up
Send them out
Through this I have learned that both my Heavenly Father and Earthly Father know what is best for me. I am truly blessed because they both care for me so much.
Please continue to pray for Haiti. That is one of the most powerful ways that you can help!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Living in the Present
Being a planner that I am, I always seem to jump ahead. I seem to always think about the future and what the Lord's plan for my life will be. I think that it is safe to say that any girl can be guilty of doing this. We begin to a timeline as to when things will happen and God laughs. He laughs because he has it all planned out and we don't have a clue.
It was yesterday that I realized that I had been focusing way too much on the future and not being content in the present. I have realized that what the Lord wants to do with my life is all his. I want to do it all in his timing and not mine. I realized that I need to stop planning and to start listening.
So...
Today I am rejoicing in this beautiful weather. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the warm weather has started to approach us. I am going to sit and listen to what the Lord has for my life. I spent the morning embarking on this wonderful life that the Lord has blessed me with and read his word. He has continued to teach me that being with him is all that I need.
Right now in my life he has blessed me with the opportunity to go to college. In my textile design class we are getting to design our own fabric and have it shipped off to be made. I am so excited to be doing that. My inspiration for my fabric is this fun apron found at Anthropologie.
The Lord has taught me to be content with the present and not get wrapped up in the future.
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom... Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all of our days." Psalm 90:12-14
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Put on the Full Armor of God
This video is a clear depiction of our daily walk as Christians. Satan is constantly throwing some form of temptation in our direction. Like the song says, "You are all I want, You are all I need, You are everything, You are everything!!!" As much as we yearn for the Lord, we are constantly being knocked down which is why we need to be prepared.
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Ephesians 6:11-18
I pray to be more prepared and to put on my FULL ARMOR OF GOD...each day!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Real or Fake?...you choose
On Sunday, Derrick and I celebrated dating each other for ONE year. It has truly been the best year of my life. The Lord has allowed for me to grow more in walk with him, along with Derrick. I thank the Lord so much for our relationship because the Lord has been the complete foundation through it all. I think it is just so neat that I am completely in love with the Lord and Derrick. Derrick is such an added bonus to my life!
One of the best things about the day was that Derrick got me my very own pair of REAL pearl earrings. I love them. After the past few years I had always loved wearing my FAKE pearl earrings, but they wouldn't last. They would either turn my ears green, the coating would start unraveling only reveal the plastic ball below the surface, or the glue would break it off.
Today I was reading a book my sister got me a while ago called "And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity". There was a passage in there that talked about the value of pearls and it says "We just don't get the value of pearls since we live in a culture that creates them. Jesus lived in a culture that knew their true value. Did you know that when He was on earth the only way to find a pearl was to dive into the ocean and find mollusks...not one but thousands. In fact, a man had to open up to 15,000 mollusks to find just ONE pearl, and it may or may not have been one of great value. How many did he have to pry open to find that precious pearl of great value? So rare was the valuable pearl that often a man did have to sell all that he had--his land, his livestock, his servants, his home--to have enough to buy just one pearl of great value. I wonder if we will pursue Christ with such a passion?"
Wow what a question...
Just like REAL pearls, a relationship with Christ is something of great value that is something to be cherished. In life we try to find things that will fill the void of Christ in our hearts. Those FAKE pearls always simply reveals the real person at the core. I am constantly striving and to keep the Lord as my focus of my life.
When Derrick gave me my pearls, he also gave me a Care Card that gave specifics as to how to care for my pearls. It gave specifics as to what to do and what you should avoid. It also said on the care card "Pearls can keep their luster for a very long time, when cared for. Proper pearl care is not difficult, as long as you remember that these gems are organic by nature, grown in water from living cells of a living creature."
When caring for my relationship with the Lord I think of this simple care card. Just as pearls can keep their luster for a a long time, I can have a relationship with Christ for eternity and you can too. Having a relationship with Christ is not difficult, as long as you remember that God sent his one and only son to die on the cross for yours and MY sins. If we simply seek him, he will guide us the rest of the way.
I think it is so neat that the Lord always finds a way to relate my focus back to him. Being excited about my new pearls, I now have a daily reminder of the Lord in my life.
One of the best things about the day was that Derrick got me my very own pair of REAL pearl earrings. I love them. After the past few years I had always loved wearing my FAKE pearl earrings, but they wouldn't last. They would either turn my ears green, the coating would start unraveling only reveal the plastic ball below the surface, or the glue would break it off.
Today I was reading a book my sister got me a while ago called "And the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity". There was a passage in there that talked about the value of pearls and it says "We just don't get the value of pearls since we live in a culture that creates them. Jesus lived in a culture that knew their true value. Did you know that when He was on earth the only way to find a pearl was to dive into the ocean and find mollusks...not one but thousands. In fact, a man had to open up to 15,000 mollusks to find just ONE pearl, and it may or may not have been one of great value. How many did he have to pry open to find that precious pearl of great value? So rare was the valuable pearl that often a man did have to sell all that he had--his land, his livestock, his servants, his home--to have enough to buy just one pearl of great value. I wonder if we will pursue Christ with such a passion?"
Wow what a question...
Just like REAL pearls, a relationship with Christ is something of great value that is something to be cherished. In life we try to find things that will fill the void of Christ in our hearts. Those FAKE pearls always simply reveals the real person at the core. I am constantly striving and to keep the Lord as my focus of my life.
When Derrick gave me my pearls, he also gave me a Care Card that gave specifics as to how to care for my pearls. It gave specifics as to what to do and what you should avoid. It also said on the care card "Pearls can keep their luster for a very long time, when cared for. Proper pearl care is not difficult, as long as you remember that these gems are organic by nature, grown in water from living cells of a living creature."
When caring for my relationship with the Lord I think of this simple care card. Just as pearls can keep their luster for a a long time, I can have a relationship with Christ for eternity and you can too. Having a relationship with Christ is not difficult, as long as you remember that God sent his one and only son to die on the cross for yours and MY sins. If we simply seek him, he will guide us the rest of the way.
I think it is so neat that the Lord always finds a way to relate my focus back to him. Being excited about my new pearls, I now have a daily reminder of the Lord in my life.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Excited. Joyful. Blessed. Giving Thanks.
Thus far I have had an amazing start to my semester...
After forgetting where my confidence remained and where my focus should be, the Lord has continued to do so many wonderful things in my life.
I am excited.
I am excited for school. By the end of my fall semester, I was ready to drop out of college. Of course my parents would not allow that so I began to make the most of it. This semester I am taking many great classes that involve lots of creativity/designing and I love that. I think my favorite has been my Clothing and Human Behavior class. Funny thing is that its my online class, but I am intrigued by the reading. This Friday I had to write a paper on the cultural ideals of beauty! A coincidence, I think not! I learned more and more about the lies that this world is teaching many females. God is so great!
I am joyful.
I am joyful of my free time. I love feeling like I am in college again. Last semester I was literally running from one thing to the next and not having any free time. I love getting to go on random escapades with my roomates or just sitting in the apartment and doing silly things like eating a Triple Layer Pancake (that is a story in itself). I will also get to spend time getting to know my freshman bible study girls. I unfortunately did not get to devote time to them last semester.
I am blessed.
I am blessed for the loved ones in my life. I would be no where today if it was not for my family and friends who support me and challenge me spiritually. I am delighted by the ones who will call me out on my sin. I am encouraged by the ones who are always listening to me and could care less to say a word. I am humbled by the ones who pray for me. I love each and everyone of you who are actively involved in my life.
And finally I give thanks.
I give thanks to my Lord who sent his one and only son to die on the cross for my sins so that I may live
After forgetting where my confidence remained and where my focus should be, the Lord has continued to do so many wonderful things in my life.
I am excited.
I am excited for school. By the end of my fall semester, I was ready to drop out of college. Of course my parents would not allow that so I began to make the most of it. This semester I am taking many great classes that involve lots of creativity/designing and I love that. I think my favorite has been my Clothing and Human Behavior class. Funny thing is that its my online class, but I am intrigued by the reading. This Friday I had to write a paper on the cultural ideals of beauty! A coincidence, I think not! I learned more and more about the lies that this world is teaching many females. God is so great!
I am joyful.
I am joyful of my free time. I love feeling like I am in college again. Last semester I was literally running from one thing to the next and not having any free time. I love getting to go on random escapades with my roomates or just sitting in the apartment and doing silly things like eating a Triple Layer Pancake (that is a story in itself). I will also get to spend time getting to know my freshman bible study girls. I unfortunately did not get to devote time to them last semester.
I am blessed.
I am blessed for the loved ones in my life. I would be no where today if it was not for my family and friends who support me and challenge me spiritually. I am delighted by the ones who will call me out on my sin. I am encouraged by the ones who are always listening to me and could care less to say a word. I am humbled by the ones who pray for me. I love each and everyone of you who are actively involved in my life.
And finally I give thanks.
I give thanks to my Lord who sent his one and only son to die on the cross for my sins so that I may live
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Falling Face Down
"For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." Mark 12:44
In this passage the scribes gave out of self righteousness, whereas the widow gave humbly to her Lord. She had nothing more than a penny to give, but she trusted her God and gave him everything because he was her everything. The scribes gave to gratify nothing but themselves. Their intentions were simply to make themselves look better and to flaunt what they had.
Our sermon at church yesterday was taken from this passage and I could not feel nothing but the Lord at work in my heart. This past week of classes I had been extremely comfortable and saw my relationship with the Lord as something I was supposed to do. I was trying to attain goals for myself not for the Lord. Not just this past week, but for a while.
I have been living a life as a scribe.
I have been living my life comfortably and selfishly.
I think about the widow who had nothing and how she surrendered her life completely for her Lord because she trusted him.
From this scripture there was a warning and encouragement...
The scripture WARNED me to...
NOT show Partiality
Guard my Heart from material riches
NOT pray flashy prayers
and
ENCOURAGED me to...
Live DANGEROUSLY for the Lord
Trust that God is able and faithful
After living for myself I was overjoyed with delight of the Lord at work in my life.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21
I am blessed.
I am blessed to be constantly challenged when I walk in Christ Fellowship.
P.S. If you are looking for a church in Bowling Green, I encourage you to check out Christ Fellowship.
http://www.christfellowshipbg.com
From this scripture there was a warning and encouragement...
The scripture WARNED me to...
NOT show Partiality
Guard my Heart from material riches
NOT pray flashy prayers
and
ENCOURAGED me to...
Live DANGEROUSLY for the Lord
Trust that God is able and faithful
After living for myself I was overjoyed with delight of the Lord at work in my life.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21
I am blessed.
I am blessed to be constantly challenged when I walk in Christ Fellowship.
P.S. If you are looking for a church in Bowling Green, I encourage you to check out Christ Fellowship.
http://www.christfellowshipbg.com
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