No place to land my feet

The school year is over and I am in the process of moving out of the CRU house/into my home/into the apartment.  At this point I have not heard about internships and am walking with full faith in the direction I believe I am being led.  The Lord will not steer His children astray if they are asking Him for direction.  


I will keep posting occasionally over the summer.  I believe God has huge things planned, and I want to report on them periodically.  Now I am getting ready for work at Max & Erma's, where God has been moving in great ways.  Over and out!

Summer

Is almost here... which is hard to believe (per usual.)  My plans are still up in the air and I am ok with that. I just so happen to know someone who has everything mapped out, and it will all happen as scheduled.  My roommate Lauren and I are sitting in the CIG, which I geniusly nicknamed the CHIG.  She is doing homework, and I am attempting to start a final portfolio project.  Since that is being delayed I'll write about last Sunday.


Easter was awe-some this year.  My plans to go to the Catholic mass were changed when my grandma decided she wanted to come to my church (NEO Church) with me.  The service was great and she got to meet some of my church family.  Afterward, my sister found out she didn't have to work, so she joined the family for brunch.  Later in the evening I saw the second half of The Passion of the Christ.  Jesus' physical suffering was horrendous, but his spiritual suffering was even greater.  We'll never know what it was like for Jesus to be completely disconnected from his Father.  Seeing the disrespect, lashes, thorns, nails and asphyxiation helped me to remember the cost of my sin.  I'll never experience that punishment...  It seems too good to be true, but it's the foundation of Christianity.   


Tonight is another event in this year's Killing the Giants series.  It's called "Balance" and will explain how to manage faith and schoolwork as well as keeping the fire lit through summer.  Thursday is an internship interview, and Friday is a VOP concert, which I am so excited for!  Next week is finals...  I should be finding out soon after that what my plans are for summer.  God's timing doesn't always seem convenient for us, but He's never late!

If you asked me for directions to Canada and I gave you 5 sets that all take different roads, would they all take you to Canada? NO!

Relativism.

There aren't many things I hate, but relativism makes no sense.  How can we say that all beliefs are right when they contradict each other?  Logically, there can only be one right answer.  And we all think we have the right answer.

Look, this is a matter of life and death.  One day I'm going to die.  You're going to die, too.  Death is mysterious, scary and unnatural for humans.  We all have different beliefs about death; mainly to suit OUR desires.  Where do you get your beliefs about death?  Scientific evidence?  Religion?  Atheism?  Humanism?  What view about death makes you feel the best: that there is no afterlife, that everyone goes to heaven, or that heaven and hell exist and our default destination is hell?  Certainly not the third one.  And why would anyone believe something so scary?  

After all, doesn't society promote self-esteem and doing what makes you happy?

About the birthday dinner

When I got to work yesterday, my friend Patty told me she was working for me!  It was a total surprise, and I got to be with my sister at her birthday dinner.  So there I was all distressed, and things worked out!  God is good.  :)

Blessed are those...

...who put their trust in Him.  -Psalm 2:12

My sister is 20 years old today, but it's looking like I won't be able to attend her birthday dinner.  It's been impossible to find someone to work for me; probably because we're hosting a double-benefit.  I'm sad about this, and am wondering what I can do to make it up to her.

Meanwhile, summer plans are still unsettled, and I'm having trouble keeping schoolwork on my priority list.  Life has felt like a drag recently, but that's ok!  My hope is not in my strength, intelligence, happiness, etc.  It's in the Lord.  He makes all things work for the good of those who love Him and are called to His purposes.  (Romans 8:28.)

"Let not the things of this world ever sway me."

Brooke Fraser is a beautiful and talented singer with a particular song that I loved called "Lord of Lords."  I posted the video.  If you like it and want to hear more of her music you can click her name, which will take you to her website.  

The Greatest Story Ever

Visions of Jesus

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend, and she told me about countries in the Middle East, Africa, and many other places where people are accepting Jesus- in large part because of visions! Jesus is presenting himself to people through dreams and visions; in places where believing in Christ means persecution as horrible as death.  Most of these people are Muslim and before these experiences want nothing to do with the Christian faith.  Below is an article about these happenings, and how God is doing a huge change in peoples hearts all around the world!




http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/onlinediscipleship/understandingislam/Visions.aspx

He is...

So faithful!  I have two interviews for a summer and a fall internship.  Pray me luck :)

Coincidental Events

I chose the above title for this post because "coincidental" circumstances are always appearing in my life.  For example, last Thursday I had a great opportunity to read Scripture with my roommate Danielle for Alan Kolp's message in the Chapel.  The passage I read was Luke 4:1-13, and Danielle read Ephesians 2:4-10.  Yesterday morning I was praying about something all women struggle with: body image.  And my devotional for the day was Ephesians 2:10 "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works."  Here's Charles Stanley's commentary on this verse:

"We have a multibillion-dollar clothing industry in the USA, and it is built upon the premise that looking good is important....  We get anxious about our appearance and performance in life.  In other words, many of us worry about how we stack up....  Jesus tells us that our heavenly Father's opinion about who we are is all that truly matters.  If He approves of us, that's all the approval we need.  He gives us our identity and an inner beauty that far surpasses anything related to what we might wear, own, drive, or live in."

It was really coincidental that this verse and devo message were the same morning of my prayers about body image.  I believe God hears our prayers and sometimes answers them right away.  He does this a lot through my devo and through His Word- just a couple of the many ways I see Him work in everyday life.

Funny!

As Promised...

Isaiah 53.  This book is dated as far back as 1,000 years before Christ walked on earth...

1Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?  2He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  3He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  4Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  8By oppression and judgment he was taken away.  Yet who of his generation protested?  For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.  9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.  10Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.  11After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.  12Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.

Click here to be forwarded to a fairly decent website on messianic prophecy...  Enjoy!

Prophecy

Merriam-Webster defines prophecy as "a prediction of something to come."  Why does it matter?  Well, it gives us undeniable evidence of the divine nature of Jesus!  How so?  The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies; many of which have been fulfilled by Jesus when he lived on earth.  The chance of one person fulfilling all of these predictions are astronomical, yet alone impossible.  Do you get to decide which family line to be born into, or which geographic location to be born in?  These and several other prophecies have been fulfilled by Jesus.  I will include some OT prophecies in my next post, but for now I have to go to Alpha!  Tonight we are serving fresh fruit smoothies with Vita-Mix and healthy snacks.  If you haven't been to an Alpha meeting yet, they are still happening until the end of the semester.  :)

Internships

I'm trying to update this blog at least every other day, but I'm not sure what to write about today.  The first thing that came into my head was summer internships.  God promises to be faithful to his children.  That does NOT mean I'm expecting him to provide me an internship, but the point is that he knows what we need before we even ask.  

I am completely trusting the Lord to place me where he wants me to be.  My trust is in God, not my own strength.  (That usually doesn't get me very far.)  God listens to our prayers and answers them according to HIS will.  What does that mean?  Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will."  His will is good, pleasing, and perfect!  What more can you ask for?  As we surrender our lives to Christ, he steadily renews our minds and replaces our selfish desires with the desire to glorify God.  That's why I can't shut up about Jesus, I can't help it!  If you realized that you were guilty of the death penalty, but someone took your place so you could live, how would you respond?  (Which is the Christian belief about Jesus.)  When we pray, we ask things to be done in God's will, so he may receive the glory.  Plus, he knows us so much better than we know ourselves.  I'd have him decide what's best for me over my own judgment any day!

Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John Mark McMillan

My friend Kyle Paxton, who is an awesome man of God, recently posted a song to his Facebook that I want to share.  It's called "Death In His Grave" by John Mark McMillan.  It describes how Jesus took my place and your place on the cross.  He robbed hell of death.  It's an awesome fact that is beautifully illustrated in this song!  I hope you like it!

"Your eye is the lamp of your body."

This morning I read Luke 11, and was meditating on verse 36:

"Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you." 

The Bible seems irrelevant to society because it was written so long ago, but the wisdom Jesus spoke 2,000 years ago still applies to our daily lives.  I know how it feels to walk in darkness.  There are always certain things you have to hide from certain people.  Parents can't know what you did last weekend.  Friends can't know what you did with that guy.  (Fill in the blank with your own situation.)  That was life, and since I didn't know anything else, it was normal for me.

We don't know how good something is until we understand how bad it was.  When I walked in darkness, it was fine because it was all I knew.  Now that my eyes have been opened to darkness AND light, things are much more clear.  No more secrets or hidden things...  It gives me so much freedom.  Jesus made me right with God- it was nothing I did on my own.  That produces a peace that flourishes through trial and temptation.  If darkness is all we know, then it doesn't seem dark- until light is revealed to us.  I remember a long time ago thinking, "If God was watching me, what would He say?"  Now I realize that He was speaking conviction into my heart.  I finally decided to stop ignoring it and start responding to it.

"Heaven"

We all wonder about the "after life."  Everyone has a different view of where you go when you die, and how you get there.  Death is terrifying to humans, because we don't fully understand it.  I have been reading a book called "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.  The Bible tells us that if we know Jesus we will experience a temporary heaven, and an eternal earth- our home, without the curse.  It will be infinitely more beautiful than it currently is.  There will be no more death, sickness, tears, etc., because there won't be sin.  Our bodies will be glorified- we'll be able to perform physical and mental feats that are not possible in this life.  Why do we often feel so limited?  A knowledge of something much greater has been hidden in our hearts.  Scripture tells us we have something to look forward to and put our hope in.


Heaven will not be a vague, disembodied dimension where we float on clouds, but our home: a new earth that has been redeemed.  No more curse, truly a paradise.  And even though this sounds great, it will be nothing without one person: Jesus.  He's the reason we long for the next world, and he gave us the hope for it.  Acts 4:12- We can't get there without him.  And why would we want to?  Would you want to spend eternity with someone you didn't know?


I highly recommend this book to anybody, no matter what your beliefs are.  It will open your eyes and challenge you.  We all wonder, and assume we can't know.  But we really can!  Revelation 21:1-4.

Birth Pains

...The second major way God revealed himself to me over break was on Thursday.  While surfing the web, I stumbled upon a religion called "The Baha'i Faith", which is a culmination of the world's major religions.  It is founded on the teachings of the "messengers of God" which include Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Christ, and Muhammad.  Jesus was not a prophet.  Here are our three options for what he was: a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.  The logic behind this reasoning comes from looking at the claims he made about himself.  He told people that he was God.  If he wasn't, then he either thought he was, making him a lunatic, or he was intentionally lying, making him a flat-out liar. 

After reading about the Baha'i faith, I said a short prayer in which I asked God to reveal his truth to me.  Directly after that I opened my Bible, and the passage in front of me was Matthew 24.  In this chapter, Jesus teaches about false prophets who will come in the end times.  The world has several false prophets, and will continue to see more until the end. 

Another indicator from Matt. 24 is the increase of earthquakes, famines, and other natural disasters.  The craziest part of this whole experience was that the very next day Japan got hit with a horrific earthquake and tsunami.  Jesus called these events "birth pains" because they indicate something new to be born.  We all have to make a decision about who we perceive Jesus to be.  Is he a liar?  Is he a lunatic?  Or is he truly God?

Oh hello blog, oops...

It's been a while since I've blogged.  I flew home from Florida last night, and before last week I was behind on blogging due to procrastination and mid-terms.  Spring break was a wonderful opportunity for some R&R.  I layed by the pool, went to the beach, went out to dinner, watched some beautiful sunsets, and most importantly spent time with Jesus!  Not enough though.  Nevertheless, he was faithful and revealed himself to me in a number of ways.  


For example...  Being completely oblivious to the start of Lent, I randomly chose to read through Genesis and Luke.  On Wednesday morning, I was on the fourth chapter of Luke, which happened to be the account of Jesus fasting in the desert for 40 days while being tempted by Satan.  And guess what?? It was Ash Wednesday!!  Despite me totally forgetting about the start of Lent, the LORD didn't forget, and He surely reminded me.  Really, out of all the books I could've chosen to read, I chose Luke, and on all the days I could've read chapter 4!  WOW.


Anyways, I hope everyone who had a spring break came back refreshed and ready to finish the semester.  Only one week until spring officially starts!

I don't want to give up what I like doing

This was one of the biggest issues I used to deal with.  I was afraid of leading a boring life and missing out on my college years.  (The best four years of my life, right?)  But if I already assumed I'd have to give up some things, I already knew they were wrong.  I believe in absolute truth.  We all know right from wrong- it's in our conscience.  If your desires are holding you back from surrendering your life to Christ, don't let them stop you!  Life with Christ means freedom and purpose!  It means experiencing a love that this world simply cannot provide.  We're all looking for the same thing, and we're searching in all the wrong places: boyfriends/girlfriends, sports, good grades, jobs, social status, food, shopping, whatever else.  How do we find what we're looking for? John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly."


To put our desires before the truth of Christ is to buy into the age-old deception.  "We don't need God- we can be our own god."  It's a matter of putting your will before God's will.  This is so appealing to us.  But you don't have to live in the world for long to realize that its' promises are false, and its' paths to happiness and salvation are also false.  James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  Even though I was scared to give up the things I wanted to do, I knew that this life is just a rat race.  Always running, never arriving.  Getting filled up while running empty.  It's a continuous cycle.


http://carm.org/apologetics/objections-and-answers/i-dont-want-give-what-i-doing


This article is from the website www.carm.org, which is a Christian Apologetics website.  Apologetics means "defense of the faith."  Apologetics offers logic and reasoning behind faith in Christ.  If a person truly took time to do the research, s/he would see how much faith it takes to not believe.

What are you doing on Sunday nights?

Join us at The Rising! :)
www.neorising.com

Peace and Justice!

This is one of my favorite pastors- Mark Driscoll.  Comment and share what you think about his message!  I'll probably post more clips of his sermons.

"How I yearn for you all"

Philippians 1:8 "For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus."

The author of Philippians is Paul of Tarsus (formerly known as Saul.)  Saul was a persecutor of Christians.  He hated them.  He witnessed and supported the murder of Stephen for his faith in Christ.  Saul had studied the Scriptures thoroughly, and he did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.


One day, Saul was on the road to Damascus to continue persecuting those following "The Way" (Christians.)  It was then that Jesus literally stopped him in his tracks and asked, "Saul, why are you persecuting me?" in which Saul responded, "Lord, who are you?"  From then on his life changed entirely, and he became a devout follower of Christ.  Paul wrote 13 books of the New Testament, and spent the rest of his life proclaiming the Gospel.  


Only the Lord can change hearts.  I did not have the same care and compassion for people that I do now; especially people I have never met.  It's an indescribable joy.  Where does that joy come from?  It doesn't come from an earthly source.  It comes from a supernatural source- Christ.  He's alive, still changing hearts and still drawing people to himself.  I can testify to that, just like Paul did.

Those Bear Grylls posters...

If you go to BW, you have seen the blue posters with a picture of Bear Grylls and the caption, "Is there more to life?"  Alpha is a program that starts THIS Tuesday, February 15th, at 9:00p.m. in the S.A.C.  The purpose of Alpha is to explore the meaning of life.  All BW students are being encouraged to check it out, and here are a few reasons why:


1.  FREE food is offered at every meeting.
2.  It is a chance to meet new people with different life stories.
3.  You get to have open, non-biased discussion about the basic questions of life.


This program starts with broad questions, and as the weeks continue, starts to look at who the person of Jesus Christ actually is.  What does he stand for?  Why did he say he was the truth?  After all, IF God really did exist, what would you ask?

Great Morning

Weather.com just told me it's 5 degrees and sunny, but feels like negative 8.  If you know me... I HATE being cold.  But it's interesting how the sun is always shining on the coldest days.  I see it as the Lord showing us his faithfulness.


Ok, here's why mornings are great: I get to wake up and spend time with Jesus.  The next great thing about mornings: COFFEE.  The next great thing: mornings happen every day.  There's something about seeking the Lord before all the stresses of the day start piling up.  My mind is clear, and I can focus on the only thing that really matters.  The world changes every day and we can't find stability in anything.  When it comes down to it, not even in family and friends.  One of many reasons I love the Lord is because he offers consistent love, joy, peace, and hope.  And instead of disappearing when times get difficult, that's when these attributes actually flourish!  That's how I know God is real.  He's always there.  He's always watching us.  Not because he's waiting for us to mess up, but because he's madly in love with us.


Anyways...  Here's the verse from my devotional this morning:

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

I don't know how people live in this corrupt world without a living hope, but I am thankful to have found something I can rely on and put my trust in.

Psalm 4:8

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.


I am a person who happens to have bizarre dreams all the time.  They're not always scary, but they bother me to some degree.  If you have weird or scary dreams a lot, something that helps me is praying before falling asleep.  When I pray I get the best sleep, it's so peaceful.  Seriously try it- the Lord is faithful.

My First Online Prayer

Father, thank You for the opportunity to share my faith with anybody who cares to read this blog.  I pray that as people read they would see Christ, not me.  Make clear to people how You met me, turned me around, and showed me the way home.  Reveal to them the difference between religion and a relationship.  Let this be done in Your will and for Your glory.  In Jesus' name- Amen.

This blog is a testimony to the transforming work of Jesus Christ.  I will be writing about my personal walk and various related topics.  They will include how I became a Jesus freak, how God works through my life, Scripture, prayer, relativism, apologetics, etc.  My desire is for people with ALL beliefs to participate, and I look forward to receiving feedback.  If you want a specific topic covered or a question answered, please let me know.  (Keep in mind I am not a scholar on any given topic- the point of this blog is to express my thoughts and personal experience.) 

Hopefully this will be interesting and thought-provoking.