LONG time, no update!

Life gets busy so fast, doesn't it?

In case anyone still remembers who I am, and maybe even wonders what happened to me, you can check out what's happening (and soon to happen in my life!) by visiting a new blog I have:

www.rachelchickimmersion.blogspot.com

<3

Transforming Thoughts

 Sherlock Photography

Last Saturday morning I drove to a town an hour away, where I knew essentially no one, nor was I familiar with the area. I pulled up to a church unbeknown to me and vice-versa. I walked in and was greeted by those who knew only of my name and information from an application.

Two months before this moment, my cousin prompted me with the idea of being a senior counselor for a well-known camp called Summer's Best 2 Weeks, a camp originating closer to central Pennsylvania. However, I was going to be a counselor for a camp at a church that was hosting their own similar version.

Do you really think you can be a camp counselor?

People aren't really going to like you.
Sports? You're not good at sports.
Teaching Bible? You'll probably mess up and the kids will learn nothing.
No one will understand you or care to.

Those were just a few of the thoughts in my head as I sat down at the table Saturday morning with a dozen strangers. I was so afraid. I felt like turning back. 

This isn't the first time God has pushed me into open fields of uncertainty. First it was attending a youth group where I knew no one. And then last summer when I made the decision to attend a mission trip to Ecuador including flying to Florida by myself and meeting up with 400+ strangers from all over the place. And now, again, He set me in a place where I was far away from comfort. 

This morning I read Philippians 4, what a great book it is.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (v.8)

I began to think about all the insecurities that I had been feeling last weekend when I arrived. Where those thoughts true? Were they noble or right? Were they excellent or praiseworthy?

Often I believe we view this verse as a command to purity, but after thinking about it, this verse speaks to so much more than that. It is obvious that God does not desire us to think negatively of ourselves, but how often do we truly believe and see ourselves the way God does?

What if I were to replace those thoughts that I previously mentioned? What if I were to recreate them as pure and noble, as admirable?
Do you really think you can be a camp counselor? becomes: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

People aren't really going to like you. becomes: Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (Romans 8:39)
No one will understand you or care to. becomes: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

Does your thought life need transformation?

P.S. So it turns out that I've been told I am at least a half-decent counselor, that people like me and do desire to understand me. The sports part.. well.. let's just say I'm still working on that! But it turns out, my insecurities were wrong as they usually are. If only I had read Philippians 4 sooner. :)

It's All about the Attitude

S.P.

My English professor shared this with our class recently, which was neat as my professor is not a Christian (and this piece is written by a well known Christian pastor), though is most certainly an admirable and respectable man who is a blessing to many. May it bless you.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

-Charles Swindoll

Everyone is Searching



S.P.



A woman, unhappily married. Unhappily married to a man who has no respect for her, who verbally abuses her, who certainly does not care for her best. Yet she does not want to be alone, so she stays. She is searching.

The boy bullied countless times in the hallways at school is ashamed of himself, embarrassed of who he is. He contemplates suicide. He is searching.

The young girl who made a mistake. And now she's pregnant. "But I thought he cared about more than just this body of mine" she says, after he leaves her. She is searching.

Searching for what?

"God IS love." 1 John 4:8

We are all searching for love. It's the core of all we do.
Often looked at is the struggles we face, or the sin we are constantly in battle with.
Instead we should go further than just identifying the sin. What makes us want to do those certain sins?
The easy answer is "Oh, it's just my sinful nature."
This statement is completely true, but there is so much more to it than that.

The core of all our hearts is wanting to feel and know that we are loved, a desiring to be known by others.

"God IS love." 1 John 4:8

Whether it's a woman starving herself because she doesn't feel beautiful enough,

Or the man that continues to look at pornography in secret,

Or the girl who will go to bed crying tonight because she has discovered the unfaithfulness of her boyfriend.

Or the boy who is only fourteen, but today he will endure 'hazing' in hopes that he will be accepted into the city gang.

All of these issues that individuals are faced with daily return to the same thought.

"I simply want to be loved. I simply want to be known."

S.P.



How about the Christian struggling with sin yet wanting to seek after God. The Christian who feels incredible weight to reflect the perfect standard that only Jesus has set and can match. The Christian feels not good enough. The Christian is searching.



The struggles we face are typically a side effect of the fact that we have a seemingly unquenchable desire to love, be loved, know, and be known.

"God IS love." 1 John 4:8

Maybe you are wondering why I continue to mention the verse above.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

If God IS love, and we were made in HIS image, then it is certain that love and loving is a huge part of being human. And consequently, this love we desire can be found in God. Before we can work on any of the issues we have, we must first believe that we are known and loved by a God who IS love. The sin we deal with daily, or even the insecurities we face are the consequence of not realizing the limitless and unconditional love of God.
Dear Christian, or may I even go further to say, Dear soul, you are loved.

So we Depend on Him

"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 

2 Corinthians 1:8-9

S.P.

A few things have happened in my life recently, and sometimes I wish they would all just go away. I'm sure you know what I mean. Sometimes I look up toward Heaven and I ask God, "Do I really have to deal with this?" or "What do you want me to do? Because I sure don't know!"

I came across these verses in 2 Corinthians and it was a reminder to me to stop relying so much on myself, and that maybe the situations in my life are to redirect my focus and source of strength to God. I think we all need that sometimes.

Be encouraged, that despite whatever may be happening in your life, or whatever difficulties you may be feeling, that God is there letting you know that you can depend on Him! Much like we cannot raise the dead, we cannot fix all the things wrong in our lives. But God, he can raise the dead, and He makes all paths straight.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand,
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6

All the Things we want to Erase ~ Part 1

• To learn:
  Permanent change in behavior or mental processes due to practice or experience.

Recently in my Psychology class we were discussing this. I was fascinated by the fact that once you learn something, you can never be rid of it. Whether learning how to play an instrument through practice, or learning by experience that touching something hot will burn you, this is information that can never be erased from memory.

My mind ventured farther to question: What about the experiences that we don't want to remember? What about the habits that we have learned? All the things we do that we dislike, or even hate... what do we do with those?

Beyond the scope of simple things such as riding a bike, or knowing not to touch something hot, sometimes I wonder why God created us to never forget certain things - like certain experiences. Perhaps, though we may dislike them, it is actually for our own benefit.
 


Think about it: Experiences are essentially what make up who we are.

If we lacked the experience of pain, could we ever truly experience joy?

If we lacked the experience of fear, could we ever truly experience security?

If we lacked the experience of uncertainty, could we ever truly experience real faith?

If we had it our way, we would most likely choose to erase the hard things, the things that weigh us down. I know I would. Who wants to feel the things they don't like? No one.





While there is value in recognizing the things we desire to erase or forget, there is an alternative to this seemingly dead-end street. It's called replacing.



What's that? Come back soon when I have it a little more figured out and I'll tell you. :)

For now, think about the things that you desire to erase. The things you desire to forget.
God can teach through all things, through all experiences, through all circumstances.

In fact, these are exactly where He enables growth and maturity the most.

It is ironic that the most disliked things about the human condition are the some of the most valuable things about the human condition. That although in our human condition we are so incomplete, we are also made whole, through His grace.

James 1:2-4

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I meant it when I said 'Come back soon'! There will be a second part to this post which will relate to the alternative of erasing - replacing.

Loved - Are we? Should we be? CAN we be?

I know, I know. It's Valentine's Day, so that means EVERYONE is making some status or post or blog on love. This also involves the mention of wonderful things like hearts, flowers and chocolate.
Okay, don't get me wrong, I totally agree that God is our first love and He makes us whole even if we're single, etc. BUT, I didn't want to just throw out another one of those speeches.

 I think most ladies (and gentlemen) have heard that speech a countless amount of times. They want to believe it. They want to be able to think and believe that even though they have no physical, human lover, that they are still complete and satisfied. It is true that they are complete. But are they truly satisfied?
For a long time, I thought I loved myself. You know, a healthy amount of love for one self.
You take care of yourself, your dress yourself nice, you feed yourself, you are responsible with your body, you have friends, you have a good church community, and the list goes on and on.

But recently I have come to realize that it's not so much that I don't love myself, but that I don't believe I should be loved, or worse yet, I can't be loved.. Anyone out there feel me right now? Somehow I just know, whether verbally spoken or not, in some of your hearts, you feel this too.

This is not to say that "Ah mah gosh! I am SO wonderful, who wouldn't love me?! I DESERVE to be loved!" This is more along the lines of... "Look at me. At all my imperfections. Does God REALLY love all of this? Does He REALLY want this relationship with me? I mean, look at me, I can't do anything right. I shouldn't be loved. I can't be loved."

Take this simple phrase, one which we are all so familar with: "God loves you."

It's almost so overused that we are jaded towards it.

But if we truly believed this in our heart of hearts, how would our lives look?

How different would we be?

If we truly believed that God loved us, that we do not have to constantly beat ourselves up over our sins, our imperfections, that we do not have to try to have everything together, and be the "most spiritual Christian", wouldn't we be so different?

It's not Valentine's Day itself that makes people feel miserable. It's the fact that it's a huge reminder to ourselves of our deep feelings of not being loved, a reminder to the fact that we feel like we should not or cannot be loved. It becomes such a large gap in our hearts because at the heart of every individual is the desire to be truly loved and truly known.
If we believed that God truly knows us and still truly loves us, then I think we would feel and think quite a bit differently about ourselves.
Why?
Because what you think about yourself reflects what (1) God thinks and (2) what you think God thinks of you.

• "I should/can not be loved." = "God does not love me/God is not capable of truly loving me because He does not truly know me."
• "I cannot forgive myself." = "God cannot forgive me."
• "I am not complete." = "God cannot complete me."
• "I am alone." = "God does not understand me."
• "I am trapped." = "God cannot free me."
• "I feel so burdened." = "God cannot carry my burdens."
• "I am worried." = "God is not in control of this situation."
• "I cannot let go of this situation." = "God is not trustworthy."

Those are just a few examples that show the reflection of our true state of relation with God and our satisfaction in Him.
And the truth is, whether you are single today or not, you can still be facing this dilemma in your life.

Someone wise recently told me that "God is not against us, He is against our sin."
Let's reverse it. God is for YOU! God wants to make you whole, He wants you to know and feel that you are loved. He has come to remove the shame, the guilt, the feelings of not being good enough or measuring up to someone elses opinions or ideas.

So today, remove the roses, the chocolate, perhaps even the special someone, and ask yourself: Should I be loved? Can I be loved?

God does love you. He wants you to know you are loved and you are known. Of course you can read this and still not truly believe. It's a long process but a life changing one, for sure. It's a process I am still working through. But every now and then I catch a glimpse of its beauty.

By believing this truth then it will not only effect what you think of yourself, but what you think of others. But that's a post for another time. ;)

That concludes my ramblings. Hope it made sense. Now I will go enjoy some chocolate myself... ;)

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Like the photos? Check out my photography blog!

A Man of Sorrows

He was despised and forsaken of men,   

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, 

Smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isaiah 53:3-4

As I was flipping through my Bible recently, I came across these verses and they hit me in a way they had not before.

Sometimes when I look at the Christian world, on the surface I see polished people trying to hold it together. I see people trying to maintain a certain reputation, a certain facade.

As Christians, a message we hear a lot is that we should be the most joyful people. We should be the most satisfied people. We should never have a bad day, an irritating moment, or any reason to be upset. Of course the Bible does say rejoice always, but I think too often, whether we realize it or not, we take this message we hear and it skews our openness. It confuses us. We become less of humans, and more like models on magazine covers. 

I know the struggles of my own heart, I know the pain I face daily. I know my own sorrows. Surely, every other Christian out there shares in this with me. Yet something does not seem quite right.

Our Christian reputation concerns us more than our ability to be vulnerable and honest, our ability to be real. Truth is, the only perfection and genuine 'Christian reputation' that has ever changed anything or anyone was that of Jesus. We don't need to be perfect - because HE is and was that for us.

I understand the desire of wanting to be something, the aspiration to meet goals relating to success or character, especially in the sense of spiritual maturity. Nevertheless, before we can focus on where we want to be, we need to realize where we are. And sometimes looking at where we are is one of the most painful things. Looking at where we are forces us to look at our mistakes, our failings, our regrets, and our seemingly never ending struggles. It means we must FEEL something, rather than maintaining that 'put-together Christian' facade. However, if we do not realize those feelings, if we do not open ourselves up to the painful parts of our imperfections, of our struggles, then we can never truly grow.

And I encourage you to feel, because of all people, Jesus felt the most. He was a man of sorrows. He felt every kind of pain. He was acquainted with grief. And He knows the pain you feel - because He carried our sorrows, including yours and mine.

I've created a new blog!

Due to my recent purchase of a beautiful camera, the Canon Rebel T1i, I've decided to make a blog based solely on practicing my photography skills.

It's called 366 Days with Sherlock.

Essentially, I will be taking pictures every day for the year of 2012 and posting one for each day.

Right now it is in the making and not completely set-up, but it's getting there.

I hope you check it out and enjoy! :)

The Cussing Christian

It was sixth grade and AOL's Instant Messenger was the new big thing. My friends and I all had our own 'Buddy' lists of our friends. It was then that I began to take a real notice for cussing. A lot of my friends were doing it. A little piece of my sinful heart began to wonder about it.... Should I do it too?!


I knew it was wrong. Neither of my parents ever said a cuss word. I had learned from my older brothers to not say certain things simply because they were no-no's. In my young age, I was ignorant of what the words even meant. They were just things people said when they were angry... or simply because it was another word to insert into a sentence. After so long of witnessing it, I gave in. Only virtually, that is. During IM conversations I would blurt out one of those words. It made my sinful self feel better.. I felt like I fit in a little more.


What is it about cussing that causes people to take part it in anyway? Is it because those words actually mean something? Is it because it's just what 'everyone' does? Is it just one of those bad habits? Does cussing even mean very much anyway?
Should we be concerned?

It turned out that my God-given and never waning conviction turned the tide in my wrestling with cussing. Shortly after, when the guilt became too much for me, I admitted my little online chatting mistake to an older brother. That was the end of it for me.


Since that time so long ago, I've had a variety of conversations with many people about cussing and whether or not it's right. Some say it's just words. Some don't do it just because they know it's forbidden. Some do it only if they believe their emotions are so heightened that it then gives them the O.K. to blurt out a word or two.

Truthfully, the cussing Christian is one that has always had me baffled. Why do Christians do it? And why do they think it's okay? For those who know me exceptionally well, they know cussing is something I feel strongly about, and something I never waver to (Partially because I've already had my brief experience with it, which was more than enough, and also because, thankfully, God has given me an overwhelming amount of grace to keep me from it). The idea of a Christian cussing simply perplexes me.


I've seen Christians in all areas of my life who cuss. Church. Work. School. Close friends.


Not too long ago, I was inquired by someone about a certain word that is typically deemed a cuss word. They questioned whether or not I believed it was a cuss word. Without a doubt I said yes. Their response was somewhere along the lines of... It's not so bad or as bad, and their use of it is only when necessary. Strangely enough, this wasn't the first time the word had been brought to my attention in a question form.


With so many mixed feelings in the air, what is a Christian to do?
Here are my thoughts, take 'em or leave 'em.
(Skip straight down to #4 if you want to be straight and to the point).

1. Words do matter. They show the state of the heart.
One of the biggest arguments is that cuss words mean nothing. It's just a word, they say.
Well that can't be true. Otherwise we could all say God's name in vain and it would be no big deal. Right?

Luke 6:45

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Matthew 15:10-11
"And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”

Talk to a person for a little while. Simply by what they talk about, you'll know a lot of what they value and care for. You'll be able to tell at least a little about where their heart is. Does cussing reflect a heart that is saying "Jesus is Lord over my life and in all things I want to serve and glorify Him"?

2. Speak with intention.
Matthew 12:36-37
"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Often times, cuss words are spoken vainly and without much thought. They are thrown out simply because they can be. Does this show a desire for wisdom? Or does it show a lack of self-control through speech? Speak not carelessly like the above verse mentions, but instead speak with intention and purpose.

3. Speak only words that edify you and others listening.
2 Timothy 2:16
"But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,"

Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Ephesians 5:4
"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."

As long as I can recall, I have yet to hear a cuss word spoken in joy, in thankfulness, or in a positive way. Cuss words are infamously known to reflect negative events, people, experiences, objects, etc. Would God encourage His followers to use these words to build ourselves and others up?

4. Be honest with yourself: Does cussing glorify God?

1 Corinthians 10:31 says,
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."


While the other points I mentioned above are important, they all lead to one main point: Does cussing glorify God?
It is the most simple yet most important question. If I am to be straight to the point about the topic of cussing, that is the question I would ask.


And it is not a question just for cussing, you should ask that question in regards to all the things you do in life. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and to be satisfied in Him, then whatever goes against that, we should not do, or at least not desire to do.


As Christians we should not dabble in things that are worldly, even if it's just a little bit - like my friend asking me what I thought of a certain cuss word. We should not say, "Well I think it's OK to go this far, because it's not really crossing the line, and it's really not that bad..." Saying that doesn't show a genuine concern for what pleases God. It shows a concern for how far we can go without entering major sin yet still pleasing our sinful desires.

As Christian's, we are representing the name of Jesus Christ. If someone honestly looks cussing straight in the eye, can they say that it pleases and brings glory to His name?

My goal in this blog post was not to condemn or to make people feel guilty. I realize that once someone has cussed for so long, it is a very difficult habit to break... as they say 'Old habits die hard.' The goal in all of my blog posts is to make people think, to make people connect their life and what they think and do, even the simple things, with their relationship with God. My goal is to encourage and motivate readers to be willing to sacrifice things or make changes, whether easy or hard, small or big, in order to be closer to God and glorify Him more.


As Paul says,
Romans 7:22-25
"So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;  but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Are you loving?

A few weeks ago, I finally picked up the best seller Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In one of the chapters, it presented a great exercise that I never thought of before.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I would say most of us, if not all, are quite familiar with this passage of scripture. Here's a new way to look at it. Every time you see the word "Love", replace it with your name. I.e. "Rachel is patient..."
When I did, I was really convicted of the ways I struggle with regarding love.

Let me know what you think!

Note: Crazy Love is a great book, if you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out! The exercise I borrowed comes from chapter 5.

His Unconditional Love

"...to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law, and this is my solemn vow."

Recognize these words? They are probably some of the most said phrases, being said in some form or fashion at nearly every wedding. Over this past weekend, I had the joy of attending my uncle's wedding. It was beautiful and I'm so happy for them!

However, as I sat there admiring the picturesque scene of two people pronouncing their love for one another, I had a thought.

When two people get married, they essentially pronounce their unconditional love to one another. Saying that, in their union, they will love each other no matter what happens, whether good or bad.

In Ephesians 5, Paul shares about the comparison of how a husband is to a wife as Christ is to the church. Here comes my thought... 

Something we struggle with as Christians is remembering that God loves us, every part of us. Even the parts about ourselves that we hate. God is not pleased with the bad parts of us, of course, but He knows the sinful state we are in and promises a way of deliverance.
If as humans we promise our spouse our unconditional love, then why do we struggle so much with the idea that Christ promises this too, especially when He promises it with heights and depths of infinity and eternity?

Romans 8: 37-39
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Personally, I have trouble understanding how God could love someone like me, a wretched sinner with nothing to offer besides mistakes, regrets and selfishness. But that is where the unconditional love kicks in and is most beautiful.

I think a lot of Christians out there need this reminder:
God does love you, all of you. Through better spiritual times, and worse spiritual times. Through when you're feeling spiritually rich and spiritually poor. Through spiritual sickness and health. NOT until death do us part, but in fact, especially in death, when we are reunited and made brand new. Instead of running away from our darkest parts because we have the assumption that Christ "can't handle them", we can know that God will meet us even in those dark places, be with us through them, and provide the way out.

Psalm 139: 11-12
"If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
   and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
   the night will shine like the day,
   for darkness is as light to you. "

Note: I know wedding vows are not necessarily biblical, but I think the general idea presented can be considered truth.

Are YOU a Trader?

This past Sunday in church they showed this video. Check it out!

WOW! Would you look at the time?!

OH.
So I just happened to notice that my very first blog post was exactly one year ago this day.
UNBELIEVABLE! It's crazy to reflect on that post and see where I was then compared to where I am now.
God certainly moves and works, and is still working in the seen and unseen.

I wanted to say thank you for all the views, comments, and follows. I'm glad to know that God can use someone as imperfect as I to inspire and motivate others!

Much love to you all! ♥

And if you are curious, you can read my very first post by clicking right here!
Enjoy :)

The Man Next to Me

I wonder if he even remembers me, but he sure did his part so that I would remember him.
It was 8:30 in the morning and I had just boarded the airplane. I was exhausted.
I had gotten back into the United States earlier that morning, arriving in Flordia around midnight. By the time I had gotten to the hotel and fallen asleep, it was nearly 2AM. Asleep for only four hours, I was woken up again at 6 to head back to the airport to return home.

So there I was, sitting in the somewhat comfy seat, receiving a blanket and pillow from the friendly flight attendant. The seat next to me remained open... I always wonder who will sit next to me. A man? A woman? Young? Old? Quiet? Extrovert?
As I watched many file in through the thin aisle, he finally came to my row. He was a middle aged man, certainly the business type. Suit and tie.

"This should be interesting..." I thought to myself.
He sat down and seemed relatively quiet. We exchanged some smalltalk and what happened next, I wouldn't have expected.

For the next two hours of the plane ride he talked up a storm. From books, to China, to why George W. Bush was a bad president, why suburbs led to obesity and isolation, and why I should probably change my window panes. This man was a riot. I felt disrespectful for not having much to say, though truthfully his knowledge was out of my league and made keeping my eyes open even more difficult.

I wasn't terribly fond of the man. He didn't have the most respectful attitude towards the mission trip that I was returning from. But hey, he was an environmentalist and didn't like the idea of 400 people flying planes to another country when we could just send money and have people there do the work. Yet there he was sitting on a fairly large sized plane, ironically.

While most of the conversation remains a blur to me, there is one specific moment in the conversation I remember. He told me that in all of life, I should always remember two things: Proximity and Ultimately.

He told the story of a family member who was satisfied with their job in proximity, but ultimately, it wasn't quite what they wanted. He told me that no matter what I do in life, make sure it is ultimately satisfying and worth all my time and efforts.

How many things in life feel satisfying in proximity but ultimately add up to nothing?

How many things do we do in our every day life that aren't really worth our time, worth our life, worth our thoughts, worth our money, worth our breath to speak of, worth space in our heart?

Consider what is important in your life right now. At the end of your life, do you think you will look back and say "That is what really made a difference in my life, in others' life, in the world!" Especially for the sake of God and His glory.

Dear Christian out there,

Do you value time? Do you really value time?

Like everything else, time belongs to our Lord.

That means you're borrowing something of His.

How do you take care of something you've borrowed?

Certainly the gentleman I sat next to wasn't necessarily the most pleasant person to converse with, but he sure got me thinking. And any person who can make me truly think, deserves some respect.

I am thankful that even on that long, tiring morning, God provided someone that didn't know Him to help me know Himself better.

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Ephesians 5:15-16

P.S. Happy early Thanksgiving! :)

The Pursuer

They were exposed and afraid as they heard Him coming in the midst of the garden. Once perfect, and now with shame. It was the day they died spiritually.

If you didn't guess yet, this is the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

As most know, following their disobedience was their overwhelming shame and consequent hiding due to their being naked. They had sinned and they felt it. With that, they instantly began to fear the Lord.

The greatest irony is that in the moment of our salvation, we acknowledged our sinfulness and admitted the incurable flaw within us. We lay down all that we are and speak our need for God, for His redemption and grace. However, once past this point, most Christian's forget that all of the rest of life is returning to the Gospel - the fact that we need God's grace everyday and not just the day we began our relationship with Him.

How many times do Christian's run away from God in their sin rather than going straight to Him?

How many times do Christian's think that they need to fix themselves up, that now it is their responsibility to make up for their constant faults?

Living that mindset causes the inevitable. Perhaps you've heard the common phrase:
"If you feel far from God, who moved?"
The obvious answer is that the person did.

Like Adam and Eve, in the middle of sin and struggle, we hide, we run, we disconnect.
Often times due to believing the lie that perhaps God doesn't truly love us, that He hasn't truly forgiven us fully, or that we need to better ourselves first.

Let's return to the Genesis story and see what happened next.
Adam and Eve had decided to hide, shortly after there was the sound of someone coming. It was Him. God. "Where are you?" he called out.

Did you catch that?

He came looking for them.

He pursued them in the midst of their sin.

He pursues us in the midst of our sin. I've been learning this recently and I know so often I forget, so often we forget. God knows our weaknesses, He understands our life-long battle with sin.

God never left Adam and Eve despite their sin.

And God will never leave you despite your sin, in fact, He is pursuing you. Stop running.

Matthew 18:12-14
“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish."

What if it was just you and God? (Vlog!)

It's been a while!

I Just Don't Feel like It

Photo credit belongs to my amazing and lovely friend Laura Kindness © Eternity Photos

Love. Say that word a few times. It's powerful, isn't it? Love.

Love is who hung himself on a tree for my sake, for our sakes.
Love is what rescued us from sin.

Most of us, if not all, are familiar with the 'Love Chapter' of the Bible.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Emotions are incredible, aren't they? They allow you to feel out of this world happy or excited. On the other hand, they can allow you to feel extremely depressed or lonely. And then there are days when you may feel nothing at all. Most come to realize that emotions can be incandescently beautiful yet also have the potential to be deceptive and unstable all at the same time.

On fire for Jesus. You've heard that one, right? Yeah, me too. It's the coined phrase for any believer who's on a roll spiritually, gaining more and more momentum towards Christ. It's an encouraging sight!

But what about those who.... just don't feel like it?

What about those times when your emotions or feelings have hit rock bottom. You're not so much "on fire" for the King as you originally were. Life can get busy. Good habits start to fade. Christ gets crowded out. And suddenly a burning fire is quenched to an occasional spark, a faint glimmer.

I started out this post with the mention of love because that is what should continually push us towards Christ. Not an emotion, a fleeting feeling or hype from a moment. Why? These can be good for the moment, but that's it - just the moment! They cannot sustain you for any longer than that.

When we come to know Christ, we die to ourselves. We look past the distractions, and say that we choose to love Christ, to love His commands, to love His will... All with His help of course!
In those moments when we do not FEEL like it, then we need to remind ourselves that true love is not a feeling, but it is something you do. It is sacrifice.

For all of you out there, who perhaps just don't feel like it. That's okay.. we all get there sometimes. It just comes down to what you do with the situation you're in. Read God's word even more, pray even more.

Perhaps you are the one whose raging fire has now reduced to an occasional spark or flicker, well let me tell you, an occasional spark is all it takes to reignite the fire.

Proverbs 8:17
"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me."

Do you worship God completely?

As you should know by now (if you've read my past posts), I consistently follow the Lies Young Women Believe blog. They are starting a new series about a book called "Uncompromising" by Hannah Farver, a young 20(?) year old who has written a book!

I was fortunate enough to have won two copies, to read along and share with a friend, as the discussion continues. Today was the launch of the series, and with it they posted a soul stirring video!

Even if you are a guy, PLEASE check it out! Anyone and everyone could and hopefully should benefit from this video! It'll get you thinking about things. :) Enjoy!

What it's like to be Lost

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."

Last week my Mom and I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting my brother, Gabe, who was graduating from basic training in the army in Georgia. We were so proud of him and couldn't wait to see him after the long 10 weeks it had been since he departed us.

We were only down there a few days, one of the days was a family day and then the next was his official graduation. Unfortunately, my Mom and I, though seemingly confident, had gotten the location all mixed up. Instead of realizing that the day was family day, we thought it was graduation, and so we spent a whole two hours going all over the place and missing the entire ceremony on family day. It was extremely frustrating and hard to maintain a calm attitude when everyone was telling us so many different places.

We had gone to one place, for another to tell us it was somewhere else, there was even a point when a kind gentlemen directed us to a place by driving us there. But even then we were still in the wrong. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointing it was and simply endless seeming. Were we ever going to get there?

It reminded me of the guidance that I have in knowing Jesus. It made me realize what millions, actually billions, of people feel like everyday. Spiritually, they are lost. Even some Christian's today are so far off from God that they too are lost in some senses. They are lost just like my Mom and I are, wandering from place to place, whatever another person told us, is where we went. And just like the world, these people are lost, they continue traveling from place to place, desiring to find what they have been searching for for so long, for all their life. Do they ever find it?

It gave me such joy and gladness to know that I have a Shepherd, that I have someone there to direct my path. And while sometimes in life we may feel so lost, or unsure of where to go, we must remember and be encouraged that by knowing God, we are far from ever being lost! We can be so thankful in knowing this, and live life in that confidence! :)

And to end the story happily, we did miss the 30 minute ceremony, but I got to see my favorite brother ever AND, we knew the area so well after being lost for two hours that we made it perfectly on time to the graduation with a good seat and view! :D

P.S. If any of you readers live in the south.. I just wanted to tell you you're all wonderful! I will never get over how friendly southerner's are! I might just have to move south someday!

Gabe and I after his graduation :)