Full of Wonder

I love nights like tonight. I think they don't happen as often as I would like... Man! There are so many things running through my mind right now. This post will probably be more of a ramble so sorry if it gets confusing or seems unorganized! Okay so tonight I hung out with my family... we just sat and talked. We talked about the wonder of our God, this earth and universe, the heavens, the Bible, and history. It's so crazy to think about, and truly fills my heart with praise and yearning to know and understand our Creator more. This is time that I feel is of true quality. So often our time is spent in a kind of wasteful way to be honest... watching movies or playing card games. I don't think those are bad necessarily, but like I said.. maybe just a waste of time in some cases. I guess I just don't know how to find the balance. Is it important to have fun? What is important? What are the things we need? How can we even define what those words mean? I have so many questions... and am truly amazed at how God continually reveals small truths to me. 

This story we are a small part of... is so perfect. It's a mystery wrapped up in a love story. Our minds can only begin to comprehend it. I like to look at the big picture of things... and I say that a lot... But I'm realizing that what I understand to be the big picture... is still only a small portion of the real big picture. I think that Almighty God is the only one that knows what that is. I can't wait to keep learning. 

I am so blessed to have the family that I have. The unity that the six of us have is so beautiful. It hasn't always been this way, but I believe that our bond has only gotten stronger. I know it is because the foundation of each of our lives is in Christ. His love is what binds us. I was thinking about it when we were all sitting and talking...what an amazing gift that my family is. I love that we can sit and talk about the things we do. I love how strong of a connection that we all have. It is so crazy to see where God has taken us and what He has been teaching us over the years. My dad is full of integrity and passion as the leader of our family. My mom is truly a woman with a gentle and kind spirit, her beauty is true and noble. It is so inspiring! I don't want to in any way brag about them. I know that this is a rare blessing. I'm not saying that my family is perfect either. It breaks my heart to see families broken apart and family members betrayed. There are such horrific things that happen in this world, but God desires to save us. He is the perfect Father. The very definition of love, beauty, and truth. And He loves you! He thinks you are beautiful and wants so badly for you to see the truth. But we have the choice of whether or not we will open the door and invite Him in. It is our choice to develop that relationship with Him- a relationship that is true and wonderful. 

There is so much wonder. Our God is full of a never ending amount of it. I wonder if, when we get to heaven, if we will have all the answers, or if we will continue to learn throughout eternity. I wonder what is beyond our universe. I wonder what is in the unexplored depths of the seas. I wonder what my purpose is in this story. I wonder what it will really be like in the throne room of God. I wonder about the beauty and creation that I have yet to see...what colors and design and music will surround us in heaven. 

AH it blows my mind. 

Let praise come from my lips all my days, your love overtake me and flow through my veins! Let heaven on earth be reality here; let your kingdom come and your glory draw near!

I love nights like tonight. I think they don't happen as often as I would like... Man! There are so many things running through my mind right now. This post will probably be more of a ramble so sorry if it gets confusing or seems unorganized! Okay so tonight I hung out with my family... we just sat and talked. We talked about the wonder of our God, this earth and universe, the heavens, the Bible, and history. It's so crazy to think about, and truly fills my heart with praise and yearning to know and understand our Creator more. This is time that I feel is of true quality. So often our time is spent in a kind of wasteful way to be honest... watching movies or playing card games. I don't think those are bad necessarily, but like I said.. maybe just a waste of time in some cases. I guess I just don't know how to find the balance. Is it important to have fun? What is important? What are the things we need? How can we even define what those words mean? I have so many questions... and am truly amazed at how God continually reveals small truths to me. 

This story we are a small part of... is so perfect. It's a mystery wrapped up in a love story. Our minds can only begin to comprehend it. I like to look at the big picture of things... and I say that a lot... But I'm realizing that what I understand to be the big picture... is still only a small portion of the real big picture. I think that Almighty God is the only one that knows what that is. I can't wait to keep learning. 

I am so blessed to have the family that I have. The unity that the six of us have is so beautiful. It hasn't always been this way, but I believe that our bond has only gotten stronger. I know it is because the foundation of each of our lives is in Christ. His love is what binds us. I was thinking about it when we were all sitting and talking...what an amazing gift that my family is. I love that we can sit and talk about the things we do. I love how strong of a connection that we all have. It is so crazy to see where God has taken us and what He has been teaching us over the years. My dad is full of integrity and passion as the leader of our family. My mom is truly a woman with a gentle and kind spirit, her beauty is true and noble. It is so inspiring! I don't want to in any way brag about them. I know that this is a rare blessing. I'm not saying that my family is perfect either. It breaks my heart to see families broken apart and family members betrayed. There are such horrific things that happen in this world, but God desires to save us. He is the perfect Father. The very definition of love, beauty, and truth. And He loves you! He thinks you are beautiful and wants so badly for you to see the truth. But we have the choice of whether or not we will open the door and invite Him in. It is our choice to develop that relationship with Him- a relationship that is true and wonderful. 

There is so much wonder. Our God is full of a never ending amount of it. I wonder if, when we get to heaven, if we will have all the answers, or if we will continue to learn throughout eternity. I wonder what is beyond our universe. I wonder what is in the unexplored depths of the seas. I wonder what my purpose is in this story. I wonder what it will really be like in the throne room of God. I wonder about the beauty and creation that I have yet to see...what colors and design and music will surround us in heaven. 

AH it blows my mind. 

Let praise come from my lips all my days, your love overtake me and flow through my veins! Let heaven on earth be reality here; let your kingdom come and your glory draw near!

One Who Sees

Genesis 16... There are a few different things I could share from this story but I just want to focus on the thing that really stood out to me. 

I imagine when Hagar found out that she was pregnant, she must have realized that Sarai had used her in order to build a family. I think I would feel pretty bitter about that as well. It is an awful feeling to be used for other's selfish motives. Anyhow, I can only imagine the thoughts and emotions filling her during that time. It became so much that she must have thought that she could not face it anymore, so she ran away.

Here's the awesome part of this story... God didn't abandon her, in fact, He did the opposite. It says that after an angel of the Lord came to Hagar, she used another name to refer to the Lord. She referred to Him as "the One who sees me." This is a great picture... Go back to speech class. Remember learning the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is just the ability to sense a sounds, while listening is being able to interpret that sound. Listening is a conscious effort... something that requires an interest in order to understand. I view looking and seeing in that same way. You can look at something, but not really see it for what it truly is. Now think about a painting. You can look at a painting, and even see some of the thought that went into it... but only the painter can truly see the complete purpose and meaning of it. Only when you go to the source and ask the painter what he/she was trying to portray will you begin to understand it. Even then, you won't just understand right off the bat. It takes thought and some digging into our emotions. 

God, our creator, sees us wholly and completely. He understands every detail about our being. I just find the greatest amount of comfort in knowing that I'm understood and seen by the One who made me... the One who knows me better than I know myself. 

I'm the first to admit that I have a difficult time seeing. I don't constantly or truly see- whether it is others, myself, or God. But I want to be intentional about trying to. I want to sincerely seek my sight from the sure source! 

Genesis 16... There are a few different things I could share from this story but I just want to focus on the thing that really stood out to me. 

I imagine when Hagar found out that she was pregnant, she must have realized that Sarai had used her in order to build a family. I think I would feel pretty bitter about that as well. It is an awful feeling to be used for other's selfish motives. Anyhow, I can only imagine the thoughts and emotions filling her during that time. It became so much that she must have thought that she could not face it anymore, so she ran away.

Here's the awesome part of this story... God didn't abandon her, in fact, He did the opposite. It says that after an angel of the Lord came to Hagar, she used another name to refer to the Lord. She referred to Him as "the One who sees me." This is a great picture... Go back to speech class. Remember learning the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is just the ability to sense a sounds, while listening is being able to interpret that sound. Listening is a conscious effort... something that requires an interest in order to understand. I view looking and seeing in that same way. You can look at something, but not really see it for what it truly is. Now think about a painting. You can look at a painting, and even see some of the thought that went into it... but only the painter can truly see the complete purpose and meaning of it. Only when you go to the source and ask the painter what he/she was trying to portray will you begin to understand it. Even then, you won't just understand right off the bat. It takes thought and some digging into our emotions. 

God, our creator, sees us wholly and completely. He understands every detail about our being. I just find the greatest amount of comfort in knowing that I'm understood and seen by the One who made me... the One who knows me better than I know myself. 

I'm the first to admit that I have a difficult time seeing. I don't constantly or truly see- whether it is others, myself, or God. But I want to be intentional about trying to. I want to sincerely seek my sight from the sure source! 

A Poem and a Prayer

It is super late right now. By the world's standards (and honestly by my standards)...I should be sleeping, but I think God wants me to write this while these thoughts are fresh in my heart. Let me just say that I think sleep is really important to your health... and that we should have regular sleeping patterns and get about eight hours of sleep a night. But God is our sustainer, and if He is keeping you up, I am sure there is an important reason, and he deserves to be your first priority. 

So, I have begun to read the Bible. At first my goal was to just read it through in order to get the big picture. I wasn't going to focus on all the details; I just wanted to get through to have a greater understanding of this crazy, amazing history book. I wasn't really expecting that God would reveal a whole lot in the details... but things are never what I expect them to be. It's a beautiful thing, really. 

I'm making a commitment to reading the Bible this year, and to journal about what I learn/what God reveals to me. Since this blog is to help keep me accountable, I figured this is a good place to do it. 

Anyway, I'm reading in Genesis, and the story of the flood hit me like never before... If God has the ability to cleanse this entire earth from impurity, how much more will He cleanse our hearts if we ask Him? Just like this world, our hearts are full of wickedness and it brings such grief to our Creator. 

Genesis 6: 5-8
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air- for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

Our wickedness fills God with pain... But He looks on us with favor when we cry out to Him. He will flood our hearts with His unending love. Let us make our Creator proud, let us bring joy to His heart. Let us ask for renewal. Let us die to our self, and let us find the true purity of salvation. 

Here's the poem:

Open your floodgates; pour into my heart.

Fill all of me, God; make this temple clean.

And while my heart waits, Your will do impart.

Lord, take me out of this deep, dark ravine.

This young soul it longs, for a love so pure,

all that I need, Lord,  your love so serene.

I rise up with songs, for Your grace is sure.

And I soon start to grasp the things unseen.

Here's the prayer:

Holy Lord, 

I need you alone. Send your flood into my heart, to put to death every last tendency that I have toward wickedness. Father, I am sorry for the selfishness that invades my thoughts. Forgive me, make me new. I long to be pure and blameless in your sight. Teach me your ways, that I may be a true reflection of you. Thank you so much for your forgiveness. I don't deserve it at all. Thank you for the love and favor you have shown to me. Help me Father, to never go back. Remind me of the pain that my old life brought, and remind me of the hope and joy that you have so freely given. My heart is yours. In the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

It is super late right now. By the world's standards (and honestly by my standards)...I should be sleeping, but I think God wants me to write this while these thoughts are fresh in my heart. Let me just say that I think sleep is really important to your health... and that we should have regular sleeping patterns and get about eight hours of sleep a night. But God is our sustainer, and if He is keeping you up, I am sure there is an important reason, and he deserves to be your first priority. 

So, I have begun to read the Bible. At first my goal was to just read it through in order to get the big picture. I wasn't going to focus on all the details; I just wanted to get through to have a greater understanding of this crazy, amazing history book. I wasn't really expecting that God would reveal a whole lot in the details... but things are never what I expect them to be. It's a beautiful thing, really. 

I'm making a commitment to reading the Bible this year, and to journal about what I learn/what God reveals to me. Since this blog is to help keep me accountable, I figured this is a good place to do it. 

Anyway, I'm reading in Genesis, and the story of the flood hit me like never before... If God has the ability to cleanse this entire earth from impurity, how much more will He cleanse our hearts if we ask Him? Just like this world, our hearts are full of wickedness and it brings such grief to our Creator. 

Genesis 6: 5-8
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth-men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air- for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

Our wickedness fills God with pain... But He looks on us with favor when we cry out to Him. He will flood our hearts with His unending love. Let us make our Creator proud, let us bring joy to His heart. Let us ask for renewal. Let us die to our self, and let us find the true purity of salvation. 

Here's the poem:

Open your floodgates; pour into my heart.

Fill all of me, God; make this temple clean.

And while my heart waits, Your will do impart.

Lord, take me out of this deep, dark ravine.

This young soul it longs, for a love so pure,

all that I need, Lord,  your love so serene.

I rise up with songs, for Your grace is sure.

And I soon start to grasp the things unseen.

Here's the prayer:

Holy Lord, 

I need you alone. Send your flood into my heart, to put to death every last tendency that I have toward wickedness. Father, I am sorry for the selfishness that invades my thoughts. Forgive me, make me new. I long to be pure and blameless in your sight. Teach me your ways, that I may be a true reflection of you. Thank you so much for your forgiveness. I don't deserve it at all. Thank you for the love and favor you have shown to me. Help me Father, to never go back. Remind me of the pain that my old life brought, and remind me of the hope and joy that you have so freely given. My heart is yours. In the beautiful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I've got this JOY!

Do you guys remember that song? I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart... Where? Down in my heart to stay! Wow brings back some childhood memories... anyways, this song is echoing in my heart right now. I have this deep abounding joy, and it is unlike anything imaginable. God is so good. If you haven't heard that song, go check it out here, its cute. And everyone should check out this video... because its awesome. Anyhow...

Let me share about a moment I had with God. Okay for starters, I had an amazing conversation tonight. It's so great how much joy you can get just from communicating! After this conversation I didn't want it to end so I started talking to God and thanking Him for...well a lot of things, and listening to what He had to say as well. I was driving home, and as I pulled into my neighborhood I couldn't help but smile. Just thinking about God and what I know about Him is incredible, and I can't help but smile and feel so much joy when I do. So that is when this song pops into my head. I start to think about joy- about what it means, and why I have it. My heart begins to sing to its own tune "I've got this joy so deep in my heart, down in my heart to stay..." So as I am singing this song and pulling up to my house, there is a random car parked in front on the street, and I happen to look at the license plate which reads "JOY4GOD". As I realized what just happened, I sat there with Him in my driveway for a minute... soaked in the joy... laughed with Him, and worshiped Him. I love the little things God does to affirm my faith. I cherish that moment with Him, and am filled with even more joy knowing that He did that for me. Some people may just say that is a coincidence...but I've realized that there is no such thing. God speaks to us all the time, and how often do we step out of this world in communion with Him and listen? I could have easily thought about other things and become distracted (which I don't doubt has happened many times in the past). I probably wouldn't have thought about that song, and maybe not even noticed the license plate. But when we seek God, and put the smallest amount of effort to be with Him, He reveals Himself.

All this talk of joy reminded me of one of my favorite verses...

1 Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I'm so happy, so very happy, I have the love of Jesus in my heart!

Do you guys remember that song? I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart... Where? Down in my heart to stay! Wow brings back some childhood memories... anyways, this song is echoing in my heart right now. I have this deep abounding joy, and it is unlike anything imaginable. God is so good. If you haven't heard that song, go check it out here, its cute. And everyone should check out this video... because its awesome. Anyhow...

Let me share about a moment I had with God. Okay for starters, I had an amazing conversation tonight. It's so great how much joy you can get just from communicating! After this conversation I didn't want it to end so I started talking to God and thanking Him for...well a lot of things, and listening to what He had to say as well. I was driving home, and as I pulled into my neighborhood I couldn't help but smile. Just thinking about God and what I know about Him is incredible, and I can't help but smile and feel so much joy when I do. So that is when this song pops into my head. I start to think about joy- about what it means, and why I have it. My heart begins to sing to its own tune "I've got this joy so deep in my heart, down in my heart to stay..." So as I am singing this song and pulling up to my house, there is a random car parked in front on the street, and I happen to look at the license plate which reads "JOY4GOD". As I realized what just happened, I sat there with Him in my driveway for a minute... soaked in the joy... laughed with Him, and worshiped Him. I love the little things God does to affirm my faith. I cherish that moment with Him, and am filled with even more joy knowing that He did that for me. Some people may just say that is a coincidence...but I've realized that there is no such thing. God speaks to us all the time, and how often do we step out of this world in communion with Him and listen? I could have easily thought about other things and become distracted (which I don't doubt has happened many times in the past). I probably wouldn't have thought about that song, and maybe not even noticed the license plate. But when we seek God, and put the smallest amount of effort to be with Him, He reveals Himself.

All this talk of joy reminded me of one of my favorite verses...

1 Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I'm so happy, so very happy, I have the love of Jesus in my heart!

Seek and you will find- A devotion.

This is a devotion that I wrote awhile back... but it has been good for me to re-read it and I figured it would be good to share on the blog as well! 

Where to start? This is always the first question I have when I begin to write anything. I want to make a first good impression to my readers. To get them hooked. But I've been learning that I can’t keep focused on making my intro perfect. In fact, this is true with most anything in life. In most circumstances you have to “just do it” as Nike would say.

I think it is the same in our relationship with Christ. As Christians we should strive to grow closer to our God. To learn more of His wisdom and to discover the truths He wants us to know. In a way, we already have our intro. We know He is our Savior, and we have accepted that gift. But where do we go from here? Of course going to church is important, but for so many of us, that becomes our only form of worship. God desires us to worship Him in every part of our lives.

There are a few ways we can have a growing relationship with God. Unlike this world’s way of thinking, our relationship with God is our ONLY form of true peace. The world tells us we can make our own peace. By yoga, meditation, drugs, sleep, diet…you get the picture. While some of things can definitely be relaxing and peaceful, without keeping God in the picture, there will still be a form of emptiness. It scares me to think that even as Christians, we forget how perfect the peace of God is. That throughout our days we aren't aware of His presence. It happens to all of us. It is my desire that in having a closer relationship with God, that He will be our peace, and that we can find rest from Him in every situation. That He will truly become the center of everything we do.

That brings me to the different ways that we have to connect with our Father. It really comes down to seeking Him. The Bible says “If you seek Him, He will be found.” (1 Chronicles 28:9) So it is rational to say that if we are looking for God in the situations we face on a day to day basis, we will find the peace of God, the love of God, the strength of God, the truth of God, and every other perfect thing our Father has to offer us.

The power of prayer is something that is talked about quite often in Christian settings. We know it is our way of talking to God and we have seen Him answer our prayers in ways we could never have even dreamed of. I think even prayer is something that we can take for granted though. We pray for some pretty specific things sometimes, and during specific times of trouble or of need. But it is such a great gift to realize that God knows our situation. During those times we don’t have to lay out a plan for Him, all we really need to do is go to Him. To pray for His will, to ask for His rest and for His help, and to listen. How do I listen? That is something only God can answer. Ask Him these things, ask Him how you can find rest, and ask Him to show you his will. Ask for wisdom and understanding. Give thanks.

The other way we have to connect with God is through the Bible. This is our only weapon of offense against the devil. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 (right now!:):) …even if you've already read it before). You’ll see that the armor of God is mostly defensive, but the sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon. It must be extremely powerful if that’s the only weapon we need to fight against Satan. It can be hard to feel motivated to read the Bible at times…to read anything for that matter. But fight against the flesh and dig into His word. It will become easier as you seek God. It will become less of a chore and more of a desire. Read verse 18 again. 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 your brothers and sisters in Christ. This is somewhat of a paraphrase but it is definitely a verse to live by…there are many though, and hopefully you will find many more as you begin to dig more and more into God’s word. My hope is that these devotions will help me as well as my friends to grow and learn more about our amazing Father.

There is always more that we can learn-always more knowledge and more wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I never want to stop learning! I want all the tools I can to live a life that is pleasing to God. I don’t want to be ignorant. I want answers. I want confidence.

Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Before you read on farther…take a minute to really think about those verses. Reread them. If you want to, write down what those verses say and mean to you. Pray that God reveals something through those verses.

-

I learned in my college study skills class that reading something and then writing or saying it aloud in your own words really helps your mind to process the information and keep it in your memory. So I would encourage you to do that.

Here is what those verses mean to me:
I am not perfect. I haven’t learned everything there is to know…but want to keep learning as much as I can. There is no use dwelling on my past and how fun things used to be…because God has an exciting future planned out for me. I want to focus my attention toward and strive to make the most of every day and fulfilling His plan in my life. His prize is better than any earthly treasure. God has given us this knowledge… and because we are mature, let’s not forget where our focus should be. If we keep Him at the center of our lives, he will make things clear to us. But we have to live out what we know. We have to live out the knowledge that He has given us.

Read Matthew 7: 7-8.

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When we want to be closer to God… He is there. We just have to seek Him. Think about the word seek. I think of it like searching…when you are searching for something…you are actively moving around looking behind and under things. You aren’t sitting on a couch hoping that it just appears right in front of you. We must seek God. If we just think, “I want to be closer to God, I want to feel His spirit”, but we don’t do anything about it, we will be in the same spot without ever growing. But if we are actively and intentionally looking for wisdom and seeking His will. He promises that we WILL find Him! We are blessed in this country to have such freedom in doing so. We can attend a worship service or even watch a sermon online. We have access to the Bible…hardback, paperback, online, New International Version, King James Version, New Living Translation… We have Christian friends and mentors. God has really given us many ways in which to learn more and gain more wisdom. It is up to us to make the most of what he has given us. Like the parable of the talents… Okay read one more thing and then I’ll wrap up!:

Matthew 25:14-30

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God gives each of us a gift…a talent. For some that is singing or playing an instrument… to others it is leadership or kindness. It is up to us what we do with that gift. Will we have that gift, and never use it, or will we make the most of that gift and experience how God wants to use that gift in out lives?

Okay so I just want to ask a few questions… Think about these questions… like literally, take time and focus directly on them. And as you think about them, ask yourself how your response and thoughts will shape how you live out your day. Pray that God will reveal something in your life that you maybe hadn't considered before. Pause between each question…really think about them! I know how easy it is to read something without really applying myself, without really trying or wanting to learn anything… I mean that was my life in high school... b:ut I hope that you can lay aside distractions and do a little digging into your thoughts and heart on these… Okay so here they are:

Am I doing everything I can to seek and find God in every situation in my life? (Really focus on this one, I know it is something I personally struggle with…don’t we all? This world offers a lot of distractions.) Think about particular situations and things going on in your life right now. What could you change?

Do I desire God above anything else in my life? What does that look like?

What types of things do I desire that I sometimes push their way up to the top?

My prayer:
Father, Please speak to my heart. Give me a stronger desire to seek you. As I begin to seek, I pray that you would reveal things in my life. Reveal destructive patterns in my life. Help me to let go of everything else. God, I want to run this race for you, I want you to truly be my one focus. Please continue to show me what that means. Help me change. I want to change and be closer to you more and more every day. You are an unending source of knowledge of wisdom and I want to take advantage of that! I want to use the talents and gifts that you have given me. Please help me to be aware of the opportunities that you place in front of me to do so. Mold me to your image. Thank you for your love-for your sacrifice and the freedom that brings me. I love you, In Jesus’ name, Amen!

This is a devotion that I wrote awhile back... but it has been good for me to re-read it and I figured it would be good to share on the blog as well! 

Where to start? This is always the first question I have when I begin to write anything. I want to make a first good impression to my readers. To get them hooked. But I've been learning that I can’t keep focused on making my intro perfect. In fact, this is true with most anything in life. In most circumstances you have to “just do it” as Nike would say.

I think it is the same in our relationship with Christ. As Christians we should strive to grow closer to our God. To learn more of His wisdom and to discover the truths He wants us to know. In a way, we already have our intro. We know He is our Savior, and we have accepted that gift. But where do we go from here? Of course going to church is important, but for so many of us, that becomes our only form of worship. God desires us to worship Him in every part of our lives.

There are a few ways we can have a growing relationship with God. Unlike this world’s way of thinking, our relationship with God is our ONLY form of true peace. The world tells us we can make our own peace. By yoga, meditation, drugs, sleep, diet…you get the picture. While some of things can definitely be relaxing and peaceful, without keeping God in the picture, there will still be a form of emptiness. It scares me to think that even as Christians, we forget how perfect the peace of God is. That throughout our days we aren't aware of His presence. It happens to all of us. It is my desire that in having a closer relationship with God, that He will be our peace, and that we can find rest from Him in every situation. That He will truly become the center of everything we do.

That brings me to the different ways that we have to connect with our Father. It really comes down to seeking Him. The Bible says “If you seek Him, He will be found.” (1 Chronicles 28:9) So it is rational to say that if we are looking for God in the situations we face on a day to day basis, we will find the peace of God, the love of God, the strength of God, the truth of God, and every other perfect thing our Father has to offer us.

The power of prayer is something that is talked about quite often in Christian settings. We know it is our way of talking to God and we have seen Him answer our prayers in ways we could never have even dreamed of. I think even prayer is something that we can take for granted though. We pray for some pretty specific things sometimes, and during specific times of trouble or of need. But it is such a great gift to realize that God knows our situation. During those times we don’t have to lay out a plan for Him, all we really need to do is go to Him. To pray for His will, to ask for His rest and for His help, and to listen. How do I listen? That is something only God can answer. Ask Him these things, ask Him how you can find rest, and ask Him to show you his will. Ask for wisdom and understanding. Give thanks.

The other way we have to connect with God is through the Bible. This is our only weapon of offense against the devil. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 (right now!:):) …even if you've already read it before). You’ll see that the armor of God is mostly defensive, but the sword of the Spirit is our only offensive weapon. It must be extremely powerful if that’s the only weapon we need to fight against Satan. It can be hard to feel motivated to read the Bible at times…to read anything for that matter. But fight against the flesh and dig into His word. It will become easier as you seek God. It will become less of a chore and more of a desire. Read verse 18 again. 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 your brothers and sisters in Christ. This is somewhat of a paraphrase but it is definitely a verse to live by…there are many though, and hopefully you will find many more as you begin to dig more and more into God’s word. My hope is that these devotions will help me as well as my friends to grow and learn more about our amazing Father.

There is always more that we can learn-always more knowledge and more wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I never want to stop learning! I want all the tools I can to live a life that is pleasing to God. I don’t want to be ignorant. I want answers. I want confidence.

Philippians 3:12-16
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Before you read on farther…take a minute to really think about those verses. Reread them. If you want to, write down what those verses say and mean to you. Pray that God reveals something through those verses.

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I learned in my college study skills class that reading something and then writing or saying it aloud in your own words really helps your mind to process the information and keep it in your memory. So I would encourage you to do that.

Here is what those verses mean to me:
I am not perfect. I haven’t learned everything there is to know…but want to keep learning as much as I can. There is no use dwelling on my past and how fun things used to be…because God has an exciting future planned out for me. I want to focus my attention toward and strive to make the most of every day and fulfilling His plan in my life. His prize is better than any earthly treasure. God has given us this knowledge… and because we are mature, let’s not forget where our focus should be. If we keep Him at the center of our lives, he will make things clear to us. But we have to live out what we know. We have to live out the knowledge that He has given us.

Read Matthew 7: 7-8.

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When we want to be closer to God… He is there. We just have to seek Him. Think about the word seek. I think of it like searching…when you are searching for something…you are actively moving around looking behind and under things. You aren’t sitting on a couch hoping that it just appears right in front of you. We must seek God. If we just think, “I want to be closer to God, I want to feel His spirit”, but we don’t do anything about it, we will be in the same spot without ever growing. But if we are actively and intentionally looking for wisdom and seeking His will. He promises that we WILL find Him! We are blessed in this country to have such freedom in doing so. We can attend a worship service or even watch a sermon online. We have access to the Bible…hardback, paperback, online, New International Version, King James Version, New Living Translation… We have Christian friends and mentors. God has really given us many ways in which to learn more and gain more wisdom. It is up to us to make the most of what he has given us. Like the parable of the talents… Okay read one more thing and then I’ll wrap up!:

Matthew 25:14-30

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God gives each of us a gift…a talent. For some that is singing or playing an instrument… to others it is leadership or kindness. It is up to us what we do with that gift. Will we have that gift, and never use it, or will we make the most of that gift and experience how God wants to use that gift in out lives?

Okay so I just want to ask a few questions… Think about these questions… like literally, take time and focus directly on them. And as you think about them, ask yourself how your response and thoughts will shape how you live out your day. Pray that God will reveal something in your life that you maybe hadn't considered before. Pause between each question…really think about them! I know how easy it is to read something without really applying myself, without really trying or wanting to learn anything… I mean that was my life in high school... b:ut I hope that you can lay aside distractions and do a little digging into your thoughts and heart on these… Okay so here they are:

Am I doing everything I can to seek and find God in every situation in my life? (Really focus on this one, I know it is something I personally struggle with…don’t we all? This world offers a lot of distractions.) Think about particular situations and things going on in your life right now. What could you change?

Do I desire God above anything else in my life? What does that look like?

What types of things do I desire that I sometimes push their way up to the top?

My prayer:
Father, Please speak to my heart. Give me a stronger desire to seek you. As I begin to seek, I pray that you would reveal things in my life. Reveal destructive patterns in my life. Help me to let go of everything else. God, I want to run this race for you, I want you to truly be my one focus. Please continue to show me what that means. Help me change. I want to change and be closer to you more and more every day. You are an unending source of knowledge of wisdom and I want to take advantage of that! I want to use the talents and gifts that you have given me. Please help me to be aware of the opportunities that you place in front of me to do so. Mold me to your image. Thank you for your love-for your sacrifice and the freedom that brings me. I love you, In Jesus’ name, Amen!

When life hands you lemons...

Make lemonade! But seriously. Lemons are sooo good for you, and some fresh lemonade made with the juice of one lemon and about a teaspoon of raw, local honey will bring some peace into any situation. More on that later... I want to focus on how I, as a Christian, believe we should handle the tough situations that life throws our way and how we can find true peace in the midst of them.

Whether we are going through a horrifying, stressful, depressing, or confusing situation, I have no doubt that God is there during those times. He doesn't want us to feel worried or burdened. He wants us to find rest and peace in knowing that He is in control. That can be extremely hard at times, and usually is not our first reaction. Personally, my first reactions in those situations are to be upset, scared, and just plain confused! I really dislike not having control over what goes on in life.

Not only does God want us to find peace during those times, but He also desires that we are strengthened during those times. James 1:2-4 says- My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of troubles. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all God wants you to be.

That is so encouraging! It is through the hard situations in life that we become mature and that God completes His work in us. It doesn't matter the situation, how big or how small it may seem... There is always something we can learn about life, ourselves, and God. Our part in that is to trust Him! What does that mean? I think it means that even when we feel that stress, that we talk to Him and tell Him how we feel. That we ask for help... That we pray for wisdom and discernment... That we let go of all the details and just take one step at a time.

So to bring this down to a personal level, let me share what has been going on in my life this week. Okay this situation is not horrifying and really not even a huge deal, but it has taught me a few things. Basically, I was stressed about money, about my job, and about future plans...trying to figure out what I am going to do about going home for Christmas, about my dog, about getting time off for work and having money while I'm back home. So I looked at my work schedule this week and saw that I was only scheduled 6 hours. I was having thoughts like "Did I do something wrong? Am I really supposed to be working here? I wish I had a better job." ...Things like that. Well, I prayed about it, and I knew that I needed to talk to my boss, but I felt scared for some reason. God totally answered my prayers though, and today I felt completely confident and motivated to figure this all out. I wasn't going to let fear win. So I decided that I am going to take this week off as an opportunity to travel and visit a family friend in Asheville. Life handed me some sour lemons, and I'm taking them and going to make some delicious lemonade! So I'm going to take a little road trip and get that out of my system. Then I will come back and work hard in order to save some money for traveling home.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe this is what God intended all along- A little break so that I can refocus. I also think I will have some good opportunities to share my testimony with my friend in Asheville. Please pray that a seed will be planted or nurtured through this. I believe there is a reason for me going, even though I may not even see it right now.

So anyways, by seeking God in all of this, I have been able to see the bigger picture instead of being stuck in worry, fear or stress. The moral of this story: Take deep breaths. Live in the moment. Don't worry about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Listen to what God has to say and where He is leading you. Take one step at a time, and of course, make some lemonade.

Tell me a story of a tough situation you have been through and what you have learned from it!

Make lemonade! But seriously. Lemons are sooo good for you, and some fresh lemonade made with the juice of one lemon and about a teaspoon of raw, local honey will bring some peace into any situation. More on that later... I want to focus on how I, as a Christian, believe we should handle the tough situations that life throws our way and how we can find true peace in the midst of them.

Whether we are going through a horrifying, stressful, depressing, or confusing situation, I have no doubt that God is there during those times. He doesn't want us to feel worried or burdened. He wants us to find rest and peace in knowing that He is in control. That can be extremely hard at times, and usually is not our first reaction. Personally, my first reactions in those situations are to be upset, scared, and just plain confused! I really dislike not having control over what goes on in life.

Not only does God want us to find peace during those times, but He also desires that we are strengthened during those times. James 1:2-4 says- My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of troubles. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all God wants you to be.

That is so encouraging! It is through the hard situations in life that we become mature and that God completes His work in us. It doesn't matter the situation, how big or how small it may seem... There is always something we can learn about life, ourselves, and God. Our part in that is to trust Him! What does that mean? I think it means that even when we feel that stress, that we talk to Him and tell Him how we feel. That we ask for help... That we pray for wisdom and discernment... That we let go of all the details and just take one step at a time.

So to bring this down to a personal level, let me share what has been going on in my life this week. Okay this situation is not horrifying and really not even a huge deal, but it has taught me a few things. Basically, I was stressed about money, about my job, and about future plans...trying to figure out what I am going to do about going home for Christmas, about my dog, about getting time off for work and having money while I'm back home. So I looked at my work schedule this week and saw that I was only scheduled 6 hours. I was having thoughts like "Did I do something wrong? Am I really supposed to be working here? I wish I had a better job." ...Things like that. Well, I prayed about it, and I knew that I needed to talk to my boss, but I felt scared for some reason. God totally answered my prayers though, and today I felt completely confident and motivated to figure this all out. I wasn't going to let fear win. So I decided that I am going to take this week off as an opportunity to travel and visit a family friend in Asheville. Life handed me some sour lemons, and I'm taking them and going to make some delicious lemonade! So I'm going to take a little road trip and get that out of my system. Then I will come back and work hard in order to save some money for traveling home.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe this is what God intended all along- A little break so that I can refocus. I also think I will have some good opportunities to share my testimony with my friend in Asheville. Please pray that a seed will be planted or nurtured through this. I believe there is a reason for me going, even though I may not even see it right now.

So anyways, by seeking God in all of this, I have been able to see the bigger picture instead of being stuck in worry, fear or stress. The moral of this story: Take deep breaths. Live in the moment. Don't worry about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Listen to what God has to say and where He is leading you. Take one step at a time, and of course, make some lemonade.

Tell me a story of a tough situation you have been through and what you have learned from it!

Introductions

When I write, I always spend way too long thinking of an introduction. And since this is my first blog ever, I don't even know how to begin. So, I am just going to get right into it and introduce myself. I will try to keep it somewhat short.

For those of you who might not know me, my name is Stephanie. Here is what I'm all about and what I am most likely to write about: 

My Savior Jesus Christ. - He has broken my chains and bandaged my heart. Now my heart beats for Him. I want to spend my life in total surrender and complete devotion to Him. Because that's where true life is found. In losing my life for Christ, I have found LIFE. What is different about the life Christ offers? His life is truth, hope, purpose, peace, fulfillment, rest, strength, and confidence. I could keep going... but hopefully you get the point. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. I know this with everything in me. 

Health. - What comes to mind when you hear this word? For me, I think of food/nutrition, herbs, sleep, movement, and emotions. I think about preventative care and natural care. I don't believe that drugs are the answer and I think they cause a lot of problems that earn pharma a lot of money. I think the American "health care system" has it all wrong, which is pretty apparent considering the disease rates in this country. I won't start to rant on that yet... There will be time for that later... :P

Food. - This kind of goes hand in hand with health, but its separate enough to have its own category :) ooo let me tell you my favorite foods! In no particular order: sweet potatoes, cucumbers, quinoa, lemons, avocados, bananas, spinach, buckwheat, okra, broccoli, cauliflower, plums, almonds, lentils, chocolate, mangoes, spaghetti squash...anyways this list could go on awhile. The foods I don't like to put in my body? Wheat, dairy, soy (unless organic and fermented), corn (unless non-GMO), processed sugar,  preservatives, pork, and conventionally raised farm animals. 

Nature. - One of the ways I can really enjoy who God is and the peace that he offers, is through His creation. Oh, the feeling of sitting atop the mountains and seeing the lakes, rivers, trees, sunsets...

Honest Communication. - This is just so crucial in so many different ways. Don't ever let fear, doubt, anger, or anything keep you from communicating. It can solve so many things and open up so many doors.

Learning. - There are so many great things to learn about. I have no time for boredom! So many books, documentaries, wise people... Seek wisdom my friends :)

Truth. - It's hard to decipher these days. I don't want to be led astray or fooled. So I look at all the perspectives I can and don't just accept conventional ways. I've found that there is not a whole lot of truth to be found in them. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and oftentimes it takes some digging to find it. 

I think I'll stop there for now. This should hopefully show you a little bit of who I am. 

Before I conclude this post... I want to explain my title for this blog. With action, in truth (in reference to 1 John 3:18). This is how I want to live out my life and my love. I strive to be active in fulfilling my purpose on this earth, and I want to do so in truth- not being ignorant of the deception and warfare going on around me. I want the blogs that I post to be more than just words on a page... If I make a goal, I want to live it out. This is to keep me accountable. To keep me honest and real. To keep me active and truthful. 

Thanks for reading :D

When I write, I always spend way too long thinking of an introduction. And since this is my first blog ever, I don't even know how to begin. So, I am just going to get right into it and introduce myself. I will try to keep it somewhat short.

For those of you who might not know me, my name is Stephanie. Here is what I'm all about and what I am most likely to write about: 

My Savior Jesus Christ. - He has broken my chains and bandaged my heart. Now my heart beats for Him. I want to spend my life in total surrender and complete devotion to Him. Because that's where true life is found. In losing my life for Christ, I have found LIFE. What is different about the life Christ offers? His life is truth, hope, purpose, peace, fulfillment, rest, strength, and confidence. I could keep going... but hopefully you get the point. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. I know this with everything in me. 

Health. - What comes to mind when you hear this word? For me, I think of food/nutrition, herbs, sleep, movement, and emotions. I think about preventative care and natural care. I don't believe that drugs are the answer and I think they cause a lot of problems that earn pharma a lot of money. I think the American "health care system" has it all wrong, which is pretty apparent considering the disease rates in this country. I won't start to rant on that yet... There will be time for that later... :P

Food. - This kind of goes hand in hand with health, but its separate enough to have its own category :) ooo let me tell you my favorite foods! In no particular order: sweet potatoes, cucumbers, quinoa, lemons, avocados, bananas, spinach, buckwheat, okra, broccoli, cauliflower, plums, almonds, lentils, chocolate, mangoes, spaghetti squash...anyways this list could go on awhile. The foods I don't like to put in my body? Wheat, dairy, soy (unless organic and fermented), corn (unless non-GMO), processed sugar,  preservatives, pork, and conventionally raised farm animals. 

Nature. - One of the ways I can really enjoy who God is and the peace that he offers, is through His creation. Oh, the feeling of sitting atop the mountains and seeing the lakes, rivers, trees, sunsets...

Honest Communication. - This is just so crucial in so many different ways. Don't ever let fear, doubt, anger, or anything keep you from communicating. It can solve so many things and open up so many doors.

Learning. - There are so many great things to learn about. I have no time for boredom! So many books, documentaries, wise people... Seek wisdom my friends :)

Truth. - It's hard to decipher these days. I don't want to be led astray or fooled. So I look at all the perspectives I can and don't just accept conventional ways. I've found that there is not a whole lot of truth to be found in them. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and oftentimes it takes some digging to find it. 

I think I'll stop there for now. This should hopefully show you a little bit of who I am. 

Before I conclude this post... I want to explain my title for this blog. With action, in truth (in reference to 1 John 3:18). This is how I want to live out my life and my love. I strive to be active in fulfilling my purpose on this earth, and I want to do so in truth- not being ignorant of the deception and warfare going on around me. I want the blogs that I post to be more than just words on a page... If I make a goal, I want to live it out. This is to keep me accountable. To keep me honest and real. To keep me active and truthful. 

Thanks for reading :D