As I was driving to work this morning, I heard the song What faith can do by Kutless and I was struck by the chorus:
I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
It's also funny, or rather, ironic that I've been reading the book You are a writer (so start acting like one) by Jeff Goins.
In the first few pages, he encourages you to admit to yourself that you are a writer and then as you say it and write it over and over, you begin to believe it...
If we don't believe, we have no basis of purpose.... we have no faith.
The Bible tells us in Luke 17:6 that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can move mountains...
There is a praise song, Nothing is impossible, and if you know the song, you know the message... take a look at the words:
Through You I can do anything
I can do all things
'Cause it's You who gives me strength
Nothing is impossible
Through You blind eyes are open
Strongholds are broken
I am living by faith
Nothing is impossible
I'm not gonna live by what I see
I'm not gonna live by what I feel
Deep down I know that You're here with me
And I know that You can do anything
I believe, I believe
I believe, I believe in you
Faith is not living based on what you can see... taking a leap of faith would be a whole lot easier if you could see where you would end up... Right?!
Jeremy Camp wrote the song Walk by Faith and the chorus reads:
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
In 2 Corinthians 5:7 it reads: We walk by faith, not by sight.
Take a listen to the song by Kutless and let be a blessing to you today!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Find out who you are and do it on purpose...
I read a friends blog post this afternoon and it was a letter written to her past self, knowing what she knows now.
As I sat reading it, I had to laugh because the session that I was filming tonight for my study was on peer pressure. In the video, I talked a little about my high school career and the growing pains that I endured.
If I were to write a letter to my past self, it would be the adventurous little second grader... before all the pressures of high school... when I would sing to my worn out mix tapes as I rode my bike. I probably would, however, advise against the bangs...
I have lived a life that has been riddled with the effects of peer pressure... becoming a chameleon so that people would like me... and when that didn't work, I embraced a darker version of myself. I pulled out a personality that bore the sign, no trespassing, and shut myself away from the people around me.
I pulled on a mask to keep people at arms length, sarcasm became my closest friend and biggest nemesis. In 2001, I met two of my closest friends... to this day, we still talk and keep up with each others lives. We all loved books and movies... and would sit and talk for hours. Gen taught me so much in those three years at William Tyndale... I honestly think that it was her influence that pulled me from my "I hate the world" mentality. Kristine gave me a love for books that I'd never read before... she pulled out my true inner nerd and helped it to flourish.
Both of these women are truly amazing and I thank God each day that he brought them into my life. Without them, I don't think that I would be where I am today.
Around the time my husband and I were committing our lives to ministry, I called Gen and we talked a little... she made the comment that I had changed so much... it only hit me a couple of days ago, that I am no longer that girl with a chip on her shoulder and a need to prove herself to people who probably don't even think about me anymore... My focus has changed from the world to the eternal... I have no desire to prove anything to anyone... and I know that I don't have to please anyone other than God.
I think if I were to have a conversation with my younger self, I would tell her to embrace her inner nerd, be unique and hold to God's promises... pray and read the word, even if it gets you labeled a "goody-too shoes". I definitely would have tried to talk her into a Literature degree instead of a music degree...
When it comes down to it, I wouldn't change a thing because I wouldn't have come to where I am today without thoses struggles and without those shortcomings. My two best friends helped me learn that about myself... but I didn't really start living my life until about two years ago when I started dating Stephen... it was through our relationship that I really started to "grow up". I began focusing on reading my Bible and really working to understand the things that I didn't understand. It was then that I really found who I really was...
Dolly Parton once said: Find out who you are and do it on purpose.
Who you are is not defined by what you wear or how you look... but what is on the inside...
1 Peter 3:3-4 says:
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
Have a great night!
As I sat reading it, I had to laugh because the session that I was filming tonight for my study was on peer pressure. In the video, I talked a little about my high school career and the growing pains that I endured.
If I were to write a letter to my past self, it would be the adventurous little second grader... before all the pressures of high school... when I would sing to my worn out mix tapes as I rode my bike. I probably would, however, advise against the bangs...
I have lived a life that has been riddled with the effects of peer pressure... becoming a chameleon so that people would like me... and when that didn't work, I embraced a darker version of myself. I pulled out a personality that bore the sign, no trespassing, and shut myself away from the people around me.
I pulled on a mask to keep people at arms length, sarcasm became my closest friend and biggest nemesis. In 2001, I met two of my closest friends... to this day, we still talk and keep up with each others lives. We all loved books and movies... and would sit and talk for hours. Gen taught me so much in those three years at William Tyndale... I honestly think that it was her influence that pulled me from my "I hate the world" mentality. Kristine gave me a love for books that I'd never read before... she pulled out my true inner nerd and helped it to flourish.
Both of these women are truly amazing and I thank God each day that he brought them into my life. Without them, I don't think that I would be where I am today.
Around the time my husband and I were committing our lives to ministry, I called Gen and we talked a little... she made the comment that I had changed so much... it only hit me a couple of days ago, that I am no longer that girl with a chip on her shoulder and a need to prove herself to people who probably don't even think about me anymore... My focus has changed from the world to the eternal... I have no desire to prove anything to anyone... and I know that I don't have to please anyone other than God.
I think if I were to have a conversation with my younger self, I would tell her to embrace her inner nerd, be unique and hold to God's promises... pray and read the word, even if it gets you labeled a "goody-too shoes". I definitely would have tried to talk her into a Literature degree instead of a music degree...
When it comes down to it, I wouldn't change a thing because I wouldn't have come to where I am today without thoses struggles and without those shortcomings. My two best friends helped me learn that about myself... but I didn't really start living my life until about two years ago when I started dating Stephen... it was through our relationship that I really started to "grow up". I began focusing on reading my Bible and really working to understand the things that I didn't understand. It was then that I really found who I really was...
Dolly Parton once said: Find out who you are and do it on purpose.
Who you are is not defined by what you wear or how you look... but what is on the inside...
1 Peter 3:3-4 says:
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
Have a great night!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live...
In the first installment of the Harry Potter novels, Harry finds a mirror... a mirror that lets you see what you most deperately want. Because he has never known his parents, they are who he sees... standing behind him, hands on his shoulders, and smiling at him. Harry continually visits the site where the mirror is and stares into the depths, dreaming about his parents. Dumbledore comes upon him one night and tells him that "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
Don't get me wrong, I am all from being a dreamer... but there is a fine balance that must be kept... if you're not careful, you'll arrive at the end of your life and realize that you never truly lived.
Oscar Wilde wrote “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
Live what you love and love how you live... If you're at that point in your life... maybe God's daring you to move... In February of this year, I was dared to move... well, more like pushed off the ledge. I lost my job and for about a month I was stagnant and frustrated. Then with the help of friends, family and God... I was able to push through, finish my Bible study and really take a step towards what I really want to do with my life. After four months, God has brought a job my way... and it may not be a forever job, but it is stable employment. Jeremiah 29:11 has always been an encouragement to me when I feel like I am focusing on dreams rather than life... God pulls me back to reality and reminds me that he has a plan and purpose for my life... and instead of just dreaming about it, he's daring me to grab hold of those dreams and make them a reality.
Switchfoot wrote the song Dare you to Move, and its been one of my favorite songs... When you are dared to move... what will you do?
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Good Life
There is a song out by OneRepublic that I have been listening to a lot lately en
titled: Good Life... the chorus reads: Oh, this has to be the good lifeThis has gotta be the good life This could really be a good life, good life
I say, "Oh, got this feeling that you can't fight"Like this city is on fire tonight This could really be a good life, a good, good life.
Now i realize that this is a secular song and the meaning is not what the writers meant it to be... but really... when you think about it...
How many of us can raise our hands and say tha about our lives? We were created for one purpose... to be drawn to the one who created us and worship Him. But how many times are we distracted by the bad things that happen around us or to us? We forget that our joy is in God... that our joy comes from He who created us... when we look at the grand scheme of our lives, how many of the "big problems" are very small in the grand scheme of things.
I know that when I was in high school, I wished for the day that I would graduate and be in college, then when I was in college, I was wishing for the day that I would be a part of the real world... When I came to Nashville to go to grad school... I partly wanted to go because it was a goal I had... and partly because I was a part of the real world for one year and it scared the crap out of me... I've been out of grad school for about seven years now... two of those I spent hating my life... I was miserable, because I was in a job simply for the purpose of keeping me in Nashville. I didn't think I was living a good life... looking back, the word formative comes to mind... I am stronger, I am wiser and I am more joyful.
The joy of the Lord is my strength... let those words reverberate in your heart and let this life be a good life... after all what do really have to complain about?
We are taken care of, our needs are met, and we are loved by a God that was willing to sacrifice his only son for us... we are no longer sentenced to a life of sin and lack of purpose... we have a purpose! Rejoice and say it with me... It's a good life!
Have a great day!
titled: Good Life... the chorus reads: Oh, this has to be the good lifeThis has gotta be the good life This could really be a good life, good life
I say, "Oh, got this feeling that you can't fight"Like this city is on fire tonight This could really be a good life, a good, good life.
Now i realize that this is a secular song and the meaning is not what the writers meant it to be... but really... when you think about it...
How many of us can raise our hands and say tha about our lives? We were created for one purpose... to be drawn to the one who created us and worship Him. But how many times are we distracted by the bad things that happen around us or to us? We forget that our joy is in God... that our joy comes from He who created us... when we look at the grand scheme of our lives, how many of the "big problems" are very small in the grand scheme of things.
I know that when I was in high school, I wished for the day that I would graduate and be in college, then when I was in college, I was wishing for the day that I would be a part of the real world... When I came to Nashville to go to grad school... I partly wanted to go because it was a goal I had... and partly because I was a part of the real world for one year and it scared the crap out of me... I've been out of grad school for about seven years now... two of those I spent hating my life... I was miserable, because I was in a job simply for the purpose of keeping me in Nashville. I didn't think I was living a good life... looking back, the word formative comes to mind... I am stronger, I am wiser and I am more joyful.
The joy of the Lord is my strength... let those words reverberate in your heart and let this life be a good life... after all what do really have to complain about?
We are taken care of, our needs are met, and we are loved by a God that was willing to sacrifice his only son for us... we are no longer sentenced to a life of sin and lack of purpose... we have a purpose! Rejoice and say it with me... It's a good life!
Have a great day!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Be yourself...
Everyone else is already taken.
I love this quote by Oscar Wilde... it's been one of my favorite quotes since college. We may all be created in God's image, but we are not cookie cutters. God is amazing and unique in and of himself... so it just goes without saying that his creations would be too...
We all have different talents, gifts and abilities... Our lives are intricately bound together like the one of a kind snowflake... each one its own unique design.
When we form relationships or friendships, our uniqueness shines through... I'm not good at math, but my husband is.... I'm very musical, he's a little more analytical. We make a good team because our weaknesses are strengthened by the other.
Psalm 139:13-18 reminds us: For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.
We are God's craftmanship, and as I've mentioned before... God doesn't make junk. So whether you're a bookworm, a science geek, a mythology lover, a techy, whatever your strengths... you were made to be special... and God doesn't make mistakes.
Have a blessed Monday!
I love this quote by Oscar Wilde... it's been one of my favorite quotes since college. We may all be created in God's image, but we are not cookie cutters. God is amazing and unique in and of himself... so it just goes without saying that his creations would be too...
We all have different talents, gifts and abilities... Our lives are intricately bound together like the one of a kind snowflake... each one its own unique design.
When we form relationships or friendships, our uniqueness shines through... I'm not good at math, but my husband is.... I'm very musical, he's a little more analytical. We make a good team because our weaknesses are strengthened by the other.
Psalm 139:13-18 reminds us: For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.
We are God's craftmanship, and as I've mentioned before... God doesn't make junk. So whether you're a bookworm, a science geek, a mythology lover, a techy, whatever your strengths... you were made to be special... and God doesn't make mistakes.
Have a blessed Monday!
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