*Deep Breath*

Just thought I would add that I enjoyed posting that and felt my vigor return. Maybe blogging is kinda like exercising. When you do it, it releases a chemical in your body, which makes you feel good and happy and healthy...and it makes you want to workout more...I don't know if that's really true. I just heard that from somewhere. *shrug*

Anyways, good to be back. Missed it.

P31W: Grab Your Weapons

Guys, I hope you all will forgive me for being so long in posting. For some odd reason, I've just kinda put it off. I don't know why. Maybe I've just lost a taste for it for a while. I think I'm getting bored with this series. But, I'm not going to be a quitter. I'm going to finish it through. :) So bear with me. We are almost done. Anyways, sorry about the lack of posts.

Verse 21 of Proverbs 31 says,

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."

This is a verse on being prepared. For me, this hits home because I can be last minute and unprepared a lot and it causes, naturally, stress. I bring it on myself. I decide to put something off till last minute or decide not to look ahead and it causes serious problems, like fear, stress, worry or doubt.

Lets see what the Bible says about being prepared. Hebrews 11:7,

"By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

Rabbit trail: I don't know about ya'll but I love love LOVE how the Bible gives us examples of people who we can learn from. I mean, literally, everything we should be is pictured for us.

Noah, was commended for being prepared. Lets think about it, if Noah had say, "Pfft, God I don't believe You" and didn't build the ark, I wouldn't be writing this blog post. Mankind would have ended. And the Bible says, "Hey, look here! Here is a man who obeyed, and by faith built an ark. He was prepared!" And it points to the Proverbs 31 Woman as a woman to model because of her preparation.

Some definitions online for prepared are "to make ready beforehand" or "to put together". But, my person favorite is this, "to fit out; equip". I think that just sums what our Christian walk should be. We are in a war zone. The Bible calls us soldiers and instructs us to put on heavenly armor. Christians are constantly called to grow, equip and strengthen themselves for the hardships of Christian life. Why?! Why are we asked to do this? Lets look at Ephesians 6:11-12

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Picture this: There is an army of soldiers. They are on the battle field and the enemy is nowhere in  sight. So, they relax, unfold a lawn chair and maybe even bring out the quick tanning lotion. When they are all relaxing, the enemies crest the hill and they are all caught unaware. Wow. That would be totally lame and they would probably be obliterated before they could roll their sleeves down. What good are soldiers if they are not trained and prepared for war? What good is a gun if you have no gun powder or bullets? What good is a strong man if he hasn't been trained for battle.

Prepare. 

Jesus said in John,

"Remember the word that I said to you... If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you... because they do not know Him who sent Me."

We are promised hardship and battle in life. It would be foolish to go without our swords. I love the P31W. She is such a woman of courage. I'm kinda picturing her with a capital "S" on her shirt and a flowing cape or something. But, obviously, they didn't have Marvel comics back then...so thats not likely. Seriously though, why would she have to be afraid. It tells us that she wasn't afraid because she had faith that the scarlet clothing would keep her family warm. She looked ahead, knew it would get cold, and clothed her family with the best.

How are you letting yourself be overcome because you aren't ready? Has the enemy attacked you in little ways - maybe that you didn't feel were a problem at first, but then proved to be huge monsters? Have you allowed a little room for compromise? Have you not battled your sin when it was still under control? These are good things to think about. And we can flip the questions too. For example: How can I not be overcome? What ways can I cut all compromise out of my life?

Good news. These questions have answers. And, they are in the Bible. Like I mentioned earlier. The Bible has every answer for us. Just search it. Study it. Like you do school. You prepare yourself for that final exam, so prepare for the battle against our flesh, rulers, powers and spiritual forces. It's a life and death battle. We would scorn an army that wasn't prepared for battle, but we would be in no place to judge them if we were not ready ourselves. OUR battle is for our souls - the eternal stuff.

I think the Pledge of Allegiance to the Bible sums it pretty well. The Bible is our sword, our spiritual weapon. It's living, active, sharp and keep the enemy and sin away. It reads:

"I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God."

Making the Words of the Savior, Protector, Omnipotent Lord and King of Kings the lamp that guides are way, is the ultimate and only way to fearlessly prepare for the future.  

Useless, Useless

On occasion, I fall off the face of the blogging planet. Now, is thus. For some reason I haven't had the motivation to write at all. I'll come around eventually. Actually, I had every intent of blogging this evening, but I had to write an English paper. I had one complete one written by 11 this morning, but I deleted it. Yep. The whole thing. I'm pretty hard on them. If I don't like a paper....its gone. Lol. So anyways, I had to write a whole other one, which leaves me very sick of typing and staring at the computer. Yeahhh.

So, anyways, I'm going to completely bore you. I'm going to post my paper. I'm pretty desperate for something to post, so feel free to read or skip it, whatever you like. It's about Leo Tolstoy and vanity in life and all my papers have a Biblical application, at least a little bit. It's not one of my best, but...*shrug*

“Useless, Useless”

   

      The bullet severs his spinal cord, paralyzing him. The man begs to see his hands one last time. Someone raises the dead-weight hands to his face. Glancing from one to the other, he says, “Useless, useless.” John Wilkes Booth utters these famous, last words when he realizes the vanity of his life. As the sun appears over the horizon, Booth passes away, sealing his reputation as the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, forever. Multitudes of people come to the end of their lives, only to find precious time wasted. King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Solomon argues that life is unsatisfying, unless lived for Jesus Christ. People long to possess a higher purpose on earth than just living and dying. Leo Tolstoy, a Russian writer pens a few short stories about the commonness and futility of life. These tales are very depressing, but each raises a popular question: how can we live our lives with purpose? Although Tolstoy does not present a direct answer to that question, he gives the reader examples of behaviors to avoid for a brighter future. His true-to-life accounts illustrate the result of misplaced values and self-gratifying wills. Tolstoy’s stories provide insight on emotional and spiritual diseases, such as greed, complacency and hatred, which start small in our hearts, but eventually bring minds and even bodies captive.

     First, greed is fatal because it is never satisfied. Leo Tolstoy’s story “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” tells the tale of a peasant, Pahom, who is never grateful for what he has. Starting out farming on rented land, Pahom goes through a cycle of constant upgrading. Each time he hears of someone with bigger and better property, Pahom grows restless and buys more land. Just when the reader thinks Pahom has finally settled down for good, he uproots his family yet again to pursue wider fields. Eventually, an Indian chief promises to give Pahom all the land he can run around before sun set. Pahom establishes a high goal – 35 cubic miles in one day. Upon achieving this with only moments to spare, Pahom dies from exhaustion. Pahom learns that greed is never quenched when it is already too late. Ecclesiastes 2:22 reads, “What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?” Pahom places his worth in mere materials which cost him his family, his bliss and his life.

     Second, complacency “drains the brain”. The daily periodical, Bits and Pieces describes complacency as, “a blight that saps energy, dulls attitudes and drains the brain.” In “The Death of Ivan Ilych” Tolstoy provides a frightening example of what complacency looks like. Ivan Ilych has a disease called complacency. He lives his life enjoying simple pleasures. Ivan develops an unremitting habit of playing bridge, cards and working incessantly. He marries a woman he does not really love because she is attractive, proper and brings him pleasure. On his premature deathbed, Ivan evokes his existence and recognizes his lost potential and wasted life. Ivan was contented to leave things the way they were, never attempting to improve himself, his marriage or engaging in his children’s lives. He perishes with many regrets. Proverbs 1:32 reads, “The complacency of fools destroys them.”

     Third, hatred seeks to kill. Tolstoy’s final tale, the “Kreutzer Sonata” is the most tragic. It is a story of a man named Pozdnischeff, who marries his wife for her beauty only, and they hate each other. After suffering almost twenty years of miserable marriage, his wife has an affair with another man. Pozdnischeff finds his wife and the man together. Raging, he grabs a blade and stabs her under the ribs, murdering her. Recalling the incident with regret, he confesses, “It was only when I gazed upon her dead face that I realized what I had done.” The action destroys his life. With tears, Pozdnischeff retells his story to a man on the train. Knowing his life will never be the same, he warns his listener not to make the same mistakes. Hatred is a flame that starts small and, unchecked, will reign. Pozdnischeff knows this truth first hand.

     The characters in Leo Tolstoy’s stories are overwhelmed with greed, complacency and hatred. Tolstoy does not offer direct answers on how to live life purposefully, but he hits the nail on the head by displaying greed, complacency and hatred as poisons that once injected into our lives, maim and destroy. For the Christian, purpose in life is found in following Christ without reserve. Happiness is only obtained when all materials and vanities in our lives are surrendered for the cause of the Savior. For every vain and idle word or deed we will be judged. Solomon sums it well: “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14) May we purge ourselves of any fervent greed, lazy complacency or burning hatred which seeks to take away our joy and divest us of our purpose. John Wilkes Booth serves as an example for us all. God forbid it that a Christian should come to the end of his or her life and say with conviction, “Useless, useless.”

Reminisce With Me

This will only mean anything to those who have been there. I have been contemplating past EI experiences and miss some of the friends I made terribly. They are special people and this post is for them. Not to mention that some great great people from my church were a part too. Peace and love to Tennesseeans too. Friends reminisce with me as I post pictures from 2009-10. I miss all of you.

                                                                  2009

Becca and I with our adopted brother, Atsen. 

My team. It had Iain on it. He is back there somewhere. We thought we were going to dominate at everything....we didn't.

Spoons. Yes, we stooped that low.

Love this pic...but look at me....wowzers.

Captures us. Completely. Love you Nomes.

Aww...sweet girls.

I MISS YOU GIRLS!

heh...heh. Love you two.

Uh, this pretty much sums our relationship....Jk.

A day at the lake.

Riding the waves...

Evangelizing down town...this is one of my favs.

The soo priceless play. You remember it?

A random guy someone took a picture of from the van window. Point? None.

                                                                    2010

My hangout group. I miss you two!

The winning team....not mine, btw.

Most hysterical skit in history. I thought I  was going to die.

Gotta love those Johnsons. Man, I miss them.

My Hopie!

This is Nathan and Brian being...Nathan and Brian?

Me and my big bro again!

My team (Nathaniel was on it! Yay!). I've never had as much fun. We didn't win, but made some gooood memories.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

An english proverb says,

"All good things must come to an end."

As depressing as that quote is, I found some comfort in it today. I was contemplating what that really means. Everything good is eventually going to end. All money, power, fame, sensual pleasure, "love", youth, or even something as trivial as good grades or rhythm.

Kinda depressing. I don't know about you all, but I find a lot of my happiness from day to day in these things. Not like they are my "everything" or anything, but so much of what I do and aim for is revolved around them.

I dream of having a wonderful husband one day, but even that, eventually, will end. By death or tragic separation or even the return of the Lord. Dream with me here...what is it that is important to you? What brings you happiness from day to day? Lustful desires? Your family? Or entertainment?

I love this quote by John Piper in his book, "Don't Waste Your Life",

Only one life will soon be past, only whats done for Christ will last.

I was strangely comforted. I thought about my petty "joys" ending and rejoiced over the fact that there is one source of happiness, one good thing that will never EVER come to an end. My Savior. Revelation 1:9 says,

I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

And because of this we can have a joy that outlasts everything! In John 16, Jesus is telling His disciples how He is going to die and they won't be able to see Him anymore. They were all very upset about it because they didn't know the plan that God intended. Read through verses 20-22:

Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

Rejoice today! Good things will die away, but we have a Savior who is risen and coming again! Forever we will rejoice with Him. And "no one will take away our joy." What a promise!

Baby, Baby, Baby, OH!

It's an expecting mothers flash mob! This is the sweetest thing! I hope I get to do something like this if I ever get to be a mom! I TOTALLY WOULD! Lol. Praise the Lord for moms who are celebrating the lives of children and their motherhood!

His Little Princess

To all the girls out there:

(please don't read this if you don't like movie spoilers.)

Sara was orphaned. Her mother died and her father was lost in war. She lived in the attic at Minchin's Seminary School for Girls as a servant. And the mean schoolmarm Miss Minchin just took her most valued possession, a locket with pictures of her father and mother inside.

I've seen this movie many times and cried *again* tonight while watching it. I think the movie holds a lot of truths. Okay, some things are totally not true, but otherwise I think it offers good ideas and the heart wrenching scenes move me to tears every time!

Sara grew up in India where she was told that every girl is a princess. Her father called her princess and she viewed every other girl as a princess - special in their own way. It was unconditional. No matter what they looked like, were going through, how much money they had...they were all still princesses.

One of my favorite quotes in the movie is this:

Miss Minchin: Don't tell me you still fancy yourself a princess? Child, look around you! Or better yet, look in the mirror.
Sara Crewe: I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he? 

One scene that makes me bawl (Okay, don't judge me! I'm sappy! Deal with it!) every time is when Sara goes to buy a pastry with a little extra money she has (if you haven't seen the movie, she is a servant and is very mistreated - so this is a treat). She sits down to eat it and spies a mother and her three children standing in the cold trying to sell flowers. They were obviously homeless and hungry. Sara looks down at her pastry and back at those girls. Slowly she walks over and hands it to them. They - naturally - were delighted. After Sara walks away, they catch up and give her a flower. The mother says, "For the princess."

I love that part! I think we are all princesses. We don't have to have tiaras. gowns, perfect make-up, good grades, a nice car, tons of friends or even family. We are all princesses. It makes me think of Psalm 139:14

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."

Read this verse! This one excites me so much!

Romans 8:14-17 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

If your father is a King, you would be called a...a princess! I like to think of it that way. I have a heart that God cares about, that He loves and cherishes. Is it possible that when He looks at me He thinks of me as His little princess?

Girl-out-there-reading-this-post, you are so special! Do you realize that? I don't care who has set what to you, you are made just the way God wanted you to be and He is a loving, caring God. If you don't know Him, I would contact someone and talk to them about Him. He is a Daddy worth pursuing. A King! I mean, what girl hasn't wanted to be a princess at some point in their lives?

You are a princess with a fragile, precious heart. One that only a King could really protect with His mighty army and unending love.

Chick-Fil-A See You On Monday

This made me laugh hysterically! They are amazing! My favorite part is when he is petting the Chicken Minis. I about died!

Random Music

Hey, I have a I-pod application down on the blog somewhere. I've set it to play automatically. I like it that way, but if it annoys you guys, let me know and I'll switch it, okay?

P31W: Skippers and Compassion

Sorry about the long wait on a post. The next two verses of Proverbs 31 we are going to skip for now because they pretty much discuss the topics we have already been over. And one verse touches on a topic that we will go over. I'll post them so you can read them!

Proverbs 31:18-19 "She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle."

Verse 20 is so good and its what I'm going to be talking about today. 

"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy."

The Proverbs 31 Woman was known for her compassion and generosity. She looked out for people and met their needs.

I know that I could do so much better at this. I am not moved enough by the pain in this world to do something. I admit that the Spirit has moved me to give to someone before and I have ignored Him. I can think of so many ways that I can reach out to people. And no they don't have to be homeless or needing clothes. We can reach out to the needy in our church. Some people just need prayer, a friend or a hug. Some of the older people just need to be shown that they are special.

I'm stingy. I don't give enough to people. I'm stingy with my time, emotions and my possessions.

I can't help but think of Christ's perfect example. People were flocking around Him everywhere He went. Jesus was healing people and they loved Him for it! they followed Him and never left Him alone. If He wanted to be alone, He had to literally sneak away from the multitudes. He did this to pray. I would be so annoyed with people touching me and taking from me constantly. Remember, Jesus was a man. That would be exhausting! But did He ever lash out, complain or send them away? No. He loved them, healed them, and even fed them a couple times!


  

Matthew 14:14 "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick."

Can I ever learn to be that self-less? That giving? That sacrificial? What an example! You know, a P31W needs this type of love and compassion. She has to be ready to give of herself all the time. I mean, having a family and dealing with people takes patience and sacrifice.

I have a friend who has a very compassionate heart. It's beautiful to watch. I've seen it in my friend since we were little kids and often its been an example to me. People who watch out and genuinely care for others stick out - majorly. Most people don't take the time to stop and think about how others are feeling or what they might need.

I liked the definition of compassion that dictionary.com gave. "A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering."

 
I've always had the feeling that compassion was a spiritual gift and I just didn't have it like other people. Now, some people may have it more naturally or better than others - no doubt about that - but its a command in the Bible.

1 Peter 3:8-9 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."

I've never really thought about it like that. Its brings me back to the verse that tells us to "weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice!" Yes, that is what we are called to do as Christians. We need to be compassionate to others because God was compassionate! Our goal is to be like Him!  

How can you be more compassionate today? Are there people in your life you could bless with your generosity? Are there people you should be weeping with? Are there people who you tend to "shoo" who you ought to just spend some time loving?
  

"I Could Sing of Your Love Forever?!?"

I've noticed that I will be the first to say, "I love talking about the Lord!" or "I love singing praise songs!" or something like that, but this verse stopped me in my tracks today.

Psalm 31:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Whoa. David sets a high standard here. "All times" and "continually". I don't give enough thought, praise, worship, acknowledgment, or discussion. I was trying to imagine what my life would look like if His praises were really continually on my lips. Why aren't they?

I serve an infinite God. So huge that I can't wrap my mind around even the tiniest portion of Him. He is too big for me. The stars bow before Him and the earth is His footstool. I am His servant, worthy of death, yet He brought me into the light and gave me life. He is my Rock and Shield. A Strong Tower when I am afraid. He is my Comforter. He is the Lover of my soul, who loves me with an intimate, unending love - the true kind that lasts forever. He brings me joy in the simple things of life. He is that constant friend that I can talk to when I wiping down tables at Chick-Fil-A. No matter where I am, He is. He always listens. He is not the type of friend that doesn't understand. When I cry, He does too, because He knows what I'm going through. He knows because He suffered the temptations and bore my sin, as His OWN, on the cross. When I laugh, I laugh with His joy, because it is firmly planted in everything I do.When I sleep, He doesn't - because He is always watching out for me. When I throw up half-hearted prayers, He still hears. when I fail Him for the 1,000,000th time, He still forgives me and takes me back into His arms.

What wondrous love is this! Why am I not going crazy at the magnitude of it all and screaming it from the roof-tops? Lord, forgive me for taking Your truly-awesomeness lightly!

Psalm 34:3 "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!"

I was too tired to come up with a P31W post tonight - so I just went on a little rant - but be expecting one in the near future. :)

P31W: Extra Pounds - A Deeper Meaning?

This post might seem mean. But hey, I can't argue! It's in the Bible! I am constantly amazed by what the Proverbs 31 Woman is noted for. Every thing about her was noble and pure that even little things, like strength are mentioned!

Strength. 

I don't know about you all, but a lot of times I don't feel very strong (in any of the "allies"). For a physical example, at work, I cannot lift the tea thing! We make sweet tea in this BIG tub, and then we have to lift it over our heads to pour it in the vats. Well, all the girls are pros. But when I try, I shake really bad and it splashes EVERYWHERE! I poured it all down me, the drive-through counter, and the cups and....it was embarrassing. They all laughed (good natured-ly)! One girl said, "Girl, we have to toughen you up!"

Shes right. I'm not very tough.

Listen to this verse:

 31:17 "She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

Discipline. Oh no...the dreaded word. Yes, I think this all boils down to discipline! If we are letting the condition of our bodies slip do you think God is pleased? No. I don't. Not because He wants us to be body builders, but because He wants us to be disciplined. In this verse Paul is talking to the Corinthians about sexual immorality, but I think we can apply it to every area of our lives.

1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything."

When we lay around and let our laziness and fatigue control us, I just can't see how God can be pleased with that. Now, I understand if people can't be active because of a health complication. But to be honest, I wonder if extra pounds could just be a sign of a lack of discipline. It takes discipline to be fit! Thats whats so hard about it!

Take America as an example. Discipline has declined. People are going nuts just because they have no boundaries and haven't been taught how to train/restrain themselves from things. Now, 1 in three teens are obese. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I'm trying to visualize the P31W. Would she be the type of woman who kinda lazed around and didn't really do much? She had extra pounds from sitting on the couch too long? NO! I think of a woman who works by the sweat of her brow. She has strength in her arms and doesn't have to have a man to help her with every little thing because she doesn't have the strength. This woman is NOT controlled by her eating habits.

The point is not "be skinny and beautiful". But don't be controlled by your body! We need to bring our bodies in submission to ourselves! Do we think we can run a Godly family if we give in to food every time it calls or can't pick up our children because we never toned our muscles?

Not likely.

That being said. Next time you feel that sudden "urge" to eat or skip the work out, don't follow! Not because you are going to get fat, but because its good to say "no" to your body to remind yourself that you are in control of it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

 A lastly, its good to take care of your body. Its the Lord's. You represent the Creator. So be the artwork He created you to be. Don't let your fitness slide. No, no, no. You don't have to freak out about it or anything. The LAST thing I want to do is put that stress on you. Just make healthy choices.

 Don't let laziness hinder you from being the beautiful, complete woman He created you to be. He created you to not be enslaved to anything (or anyone). So don't be!

"Under the Gun"

Anytime I have ever said "I'm busy!" seems little in comparison to what my life looks like right now. please pray for me! Tomorrow I get up at 5:00 to get ready and go to work. I work 8 hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'm...nervous to say the least. I'm praying that God will miraculously show me how to prioritize and manage work, school, music, church, my walk with Him, friends and everything else I do....I know I can do it. It will just have to be an adjustment. But it could be a painful one.

Adjustment #1: Going to bed early: I'm posting this at 9:21 and going straight to bed. I haven't gone to bed before 9:30 in a looooong time.

On the bright side, I had a wonderful resurrection Sunday as I hope you did too! I rejoiced with the body of Christ and praised our great Lord!

Be watching for a P31W post soon. I hope to get one out....tomorrow or Tuesday maybe?

Rejoice always!  

I Will Be Quickly Changed

Everything that happened, all things that came to be, had been specifically designed and planned for this moment - the moment in time that would give history a meaning and life a purpose.

Jesus rose from the dead! Over death Christ conquered. We live because of this moment. Because God defeated death and made an escape! I will not stop and talk about the details of the resurrection, most of you know them and 90% of blogs are talking about it today.

But I don't want to forget. Sometimes, the resurrection becomes common place to me, and I don't allow it to stir me like it should. I should JUMP with joy with every thought of what my Savior did for me. I forget though.

I had the blessing of going to a cantata last Sunday. I love them, they are often so worshipful. One spoke of the second coming of Christ and said something along the lines of this. "The dead will be brought up and those who remain will be quickly changed."

"Those who remain will be quickly changed." When I heard those words, I prayed, "God, take me or come quickly. I want to experience that change." What a beautiful thought. When God returns, we are going to be changed into a heavenly form and we will be with Jesus!

I'm ashamed to say it, but I value my life on earth too much. At times I have thought, "God, I want you to come back and all, but, I mean, I'd like to get married, travel a little...ya know? Like fun stuff." How dumb of me to think that anything on earth can compare to 1 millisecond in the presence of Christ. How silly of me to believe that one minute longer on earth is going to benefit me! No, its not wrong to want marriage, but to value it that much? I think there is a problem.

God convicted me of this. What am I waiting on to happen? I felt like I could relax a little because "there is no way God could come back now -I haven't even lived my life yet". Sadly, I've known young people who barely made it into high school before their lives tragically ended. It could be the same with mine or Christ could return.

Prayer. I ask God to excite me about meeting Him. Boy, He listens to prayers. (FYI, don't think God doesn't hear. I'm always amazed by incredible results from Him. Believe and expect Him to listen and answer.) I am overwhelmed with joy at the thought of my risen Savior coming to get me. I mean, that is the ultimate love story! He is going to come and gather me in with the rest of His loved ones. I'm going to be in ETERNITY with God forever! I can't wait to hear Him speak my name. No one can say it like He can, I bet. :) He is going to set me on His throne with Him. He is going to give me a new name.

I can not wait. Sometimes the thought of death scares me, and I'm sure it will from time to time, but now I can say with Paul, "For me to live is Christ and to die is GAIN!" Whoo! COME GET ME LORD! I wonder why I ever let death get to me. Maybe this readiness to see the Lord is due to the season, I mean, we are celebrating the resurrection of the Lord. Or maybe its just come with a stronger relationship with God and maturity.

Are you excited about meeting the Lord? Get ready! Because you could face eternity at any moment. God makes a lot of promises, but tomorrow is not one of them. Are you waiting for the Lord and preparing yourself? Is it going to come up on you too quickly?

And finally, are there things in your life that you feel you can't meet Jesus without experiencing/doing? Like marriage, money, travel, or something? We all have things we want to accomplish, but I encourage you to give those to Him. He knows the timing and will give you peace that those things will happen when/if they are supposed to. I believe I have missed out on the joy of preparing for the Lord's return because I worry He will come back too soon. Don't make that horrible mistake!

Too soon? There is no too soon for God. He knows. And I rest.

God's Love and Drugs: A Strange Analogy

Has anyone told you how much you mean to them recently? With all sincerity? Man, nothing feels better. This happened to me the other day, it was random too; I almost cried. It feels so good to be appreciated and loved.  I mean, humans are about love and relationships. And although this applies to romantic love, this is for anyone.

What about being hugged? Not a "hey-how-ya-doing-I-haven't-seen-you-since-yesterday" hug but a real one that shows that someone cares about you. Sometimes those make my day in ways people can't imagine. I love being hugged!

What about a promise? Has anyone made a promise to you? A special one?

If you want to show me that you care about me, there are a lot of ways to do it. I'm pretty easy to please, but nothing can compare to the love I receive from Jesus Christ, my Daddy and Savior.

Yesterday, someone said some very kind words to me. Ones that almost brought tears to my eyes. That person doesn't know what it did for me. But, when I read a scripture from the Bible, God opened my eyes (again) to how that love, tenderness, happiness and care from other people PALES in comparison to His. Yes, without the love I get from my relationships, I don't know how I would survive, but I KNOW I could NOT survive with out the Love of Jesus pulsing through my life.

My friend almost made me cry, this verse - this awesome promise from God - literally broke me down. Listen!

Psalm 30:4-7a "Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.” LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;

Praise the Lord! I love the "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning". WHAT FALLEN HUMAN BEING CAN MAKE THAT PROMISE? Who can promise to always calm our fears? To always bring joy, bless, and healing for broken hearts? Who? None. Just my Jesus.

No matter who leaves hand prints on my life, who shares love with me, who impacts me and promises good things to me, my Jesus will always out-do them. Well, He doesn't have to, He already has. All He does is remind me who He is when I'm silly enough to forget for a moment. Earthly love brings me so much joy, but the Heavenly, unbeatable love is what we should be looking and searching for. That's the stuff that gives life true meaning and purpose!

When I was in the ER about a week ago, I had a little I.V. I noticed that everything the nurse put in there affected my body in some way. The morphine eased the pain and made me feel weird and I tasted the saline solution he pushed in. Strange, huh? He told me I would, and as soon as he said it, I thought, "What the heck is that taste?" It was SO GROSS! Contact solution? Yeah, thats what it tasted like.

But I thought it was neat that it all had an affect on me. That's the way God's love is (except the affects aren't disgusting). God shoots His love into our hearts and it should pump out and affect every portion of our lives! God's love needs to be constantly rushing through our veins, giving us life and strengthening us! Is it possible that we can live on the Love of God so much that we can taste it? *laugh*

I'll end with this verse. The end of the previous Psalm:

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."

I want to declare God's name and glory. It is a blessing, a gift and a shame - if kept to myself.

P31W: Goal-Setter and Goal-Achiever

Do you have any goals in life? I know I do. But sometimes I feel "goal-less" like I'm just floating here and there, doing school, going to church but not really accomplishing anything. Do you ever feel like that? Am I alone there?

I have things I'd like to accomplish, but I never really have "set out" to do them. I haven't put my best foot forward to make it happen. In the Bible, the Proverbs 31 Woman is commended for her determination and her goal-setting and goal-achiever . Listen:

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31:16)

 Whoa. You can tell from this verse that the P31W knew exactly what she wanted. She had money saved, considered, bought and field and then planted a vineyard. I wish my life was a little more like that. A step by step process. First thing to remember: consideration. She looks at all possibilities. She ponders, and mulls things over before making a move. One of the first things we should do in considering something, is pray:

James 1:5“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

God is the source of ALL knowledge, so naturally, thats the place to start. Then, seek counsel from the older and wiser:

"Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory." (Proverbs 11:14)

 I can see her now. She drives by on her donkey and sees a for sale sign on a field. She knows that she can help her husband a make a profit on that field. So her wheels start turning. She mentions it to her best friend, her mom and husband. She prays for wisdom and listens to advice given to her.

She gathers her saving and buys the field.

This may seem elementary, but I have noticed that some people fuss and whine about decisions they have to make without making the decision. They put it off as long as possible and don't want to deal with the consequences of making the wrong choice. Yes, there are consequences for making the wrong decisions, but really, we can't know them all. Consequences for decisions are part of life! As long as it doesn't rebel against something in God's Word or puts someones life in danger its okay to just make a decision and whatever happens, happens. Dealing with results of choices is something that will mature us spiritually, whether the results are good or bad. (See Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung for great help on this.)

Buying the field wasn't a morally right or wrong decision the P31W had to make, so she took advice, prayed for help and bought it realizing she would have to handle the bad results with Godly character just like she would handle the good ones. :)

This is how it needs to be in our life. Goal making and then doing. We sit around to much. Find something you want/need to accomplish and do it. If you want to learn to knit well, pray that God will help you learn and bless you, get a book and KNIT! Even bless people with it by making blankets for Crisis Pregnancy Centers or something. If you feel like you aren't doing enough, do something. It takes discipline to learn a skill or help others or take on a responsibility, but discipline creates character in a Proverbs 31 Teen,  so we can't be afraid of it. It may require hard work, but the P31W sets a great example of rolling up her sleeves and diving into every task she encounters.

Here are some ideas:
-Memorize scripture
-Start a Bible study
-Have daily devotions
-Learn a skill or take a skill you have to the next level (this is great! Don't be satisfied using your talents half-way for the Lord!)
-Study something
-Have a yard sale to un-junk your house
-Get a job
-learn to cook

Seriously? I could go on forever. Whatever it is you feel like god has placed in your path to do, tackle it. Set a goal and accomplish. You may think you can't but God tells us that His people are "more than conquerors." What a promise!

Q4U: What goals are you setting out to accomplish and how do you plan on doing it? Just don't talk about it, draw a map of a step-by-step plan to get it done!

You Beautiful Girl - Never Forget It

Sometimes, a Proverbs 31 Teen just needs to be reminded how beautiful she really is. I was watching the gals at our school (that sounds totally creeper, but its not) and I realized how EVERY ONE OF US is beautiful. Yeah, some might be picked for the cover of a magazine before others, but I can't find a girl in our school who doesn't have some gorgeous quality about them. Isn't that awesome? God has made us so perfect and wonderful. And He loves us - for our beauties and imperfections!! That makes me want to scream with joy! We should praise the Lord for the beauty He has placed on earth and the creativity of His hands. We should glorify Him because He knows the hairs on our head and "it is good" in His sight.

I love this verse:

Revelation 4:11“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

Praise the Lord!

I'm going to remind this young lady how beautiful she is. Not because of her outside (even though it is beautiful) but because of who God has created her to be and because of her character that will last eternally when used for Christ.

I might do this every once in a while, to practice my skills on Corel Draw and just to remind us. Because we girls get to caught up in trying to be the next model, when really? We can just be ourselves...it who we are meant to be.

Sis, don't forget how beautiful you are.

P31W: The Danger of Snoozing (Part 3)

Proverbs 31:16 "She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens."

 We've talked about how the Proverbs 31 Woman rises early and denies herself to serve others. We've talked about how she plans her sleep and has been noted in the Bible for it (wowzers).

I think there is yet another point that the girls of the 21st century can get from this verse about the P31W. So let's see...

Did you know that you can spiritually snooze? Not literally "sleep", but be spiritually deadened and unaware.

When we are physically sleeping, we don't hear the noises we would recognize when we are awake. We don't heart he clock strike 2a.m. and think, "Oh, it's two o'clock in the morning." We don't react to the refrigerator's ice tray emptying very loud, whereas when we are awake, we might jump. This is why, typically, robbers come at night. To take people off guard.

Can we be this way spiritually? I think so.

We can "snooze" when it comes to our walk with Christ, serving and seriousness of our sin. We can become unaware of things going on. And worst of all, not prepare for the day of Jesus Christ's return.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 "for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

We must be looking forward to, and readying ourselves for the day of Christ's return and not let it sneak up on us like a thief. We MUST live like Christ will return any second and be waiting for Him!

Here is a powerful verse from Mark 13:

35-37 "Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Another great translation, KJV says, "I say unto all, watch!"

Obviously, God isn't telling us to physically stay awake. That would be a bit impossible. So He must be referring to spiritually sleeping. We must not fall asleep spiritually because we will not be ready for the Lord's return and we will find that we have done nothing with our lives or worse, that we never prepared for Him and have to spend eternity away from Christ. (See the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. This is a great illustration, but I don't have the room in this post to talk about it!)

So, this brings a question: What is deadening us or making us "fall asleep" spiritually? What is working against us in our journey of purity and Christ-likeness? The answers may come immediately to you. For some it's boy obsession, beauty, facebook, movies, or laziness. For others, it may be harder to pin-point exactly what is distracting us. It could be our selfish pride fooling us into believing that we don't need prayer time in the morning. Whatever it is, me must recognize it and make sure that they don't get higher priority in our lives than God.

The day of Christ's return is coming fast, so we have to watch for Him, making ready ourselves and telling others of His return as well. We don't know when it will be, so don't be lazy and let time sneak up on you! Be waiting and don't be distracted!