Month: February 2011

Does anyone else write a blog and then later decide that they don’t want to put it up after all?
Well, if no one else does, I feel dumb because I do that all the time! HA =)
I wrote a blog during dinner time while eating my PB&J, iced chai, and banana. It was tasty, but I ended up not liking the post I wrote. So here I am writing another……

Today and this weekend consisted of some pretty great things. Here is a rather long explanation of my weekend:

Friday night, I got to see “The King’s Speech” with my friend Sarah Trout (Ex-RA, Friend, UP Women Staffer, [brown pants] Sunday Duty Partner, and so much more) and get chipotle! After that, we went to #2 Donuts and enjoyed some tasty treats! It was lovely and just what I needed after such a longggggg week. The Lord knows just what you need and always has it for you at just the right time!

Saturday, I woke up early (at least for a Saturday 😉 ) and went to Sam’s Club with my mom to shop for the youth event that night and to get some groceries for my apartment. I love her so much! That time is so precious to me! Then, I went from there to Church for the rest of the day! I had a Kitchen Crew meeting and we had lunch and discussed how to run the kitchen efficiently and apron making, to name a few things. For the rest of the day I got to hang out with the other youth leaders and with, a great add on, Andrea! =) It was such a great day! We cooked spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and french bread. It was so tasty and the youth ladies looked so beautiful in their dresses (and the two guys looked handsome in their suits and ties)! I was so blessed to spend yesterday with so many people I love at a place that is so close and dear to my heart, FBCN.

Sunday. One of my favorite days of the week. It is such an uplifting, encouraging, God-glorifying day! Sundays are just great! Today, I got up at 7AM and made it to church by 7:38AM to help cook the hot breakfast for Norco Cafe’. It was so great to once again get to cook and enjoy company with the people I love. I, for some reason, was very emotional today and so that was an interesting addition to the day. The message was about Prayer in the Psalms. It focused on a prayer of lament: Psalm 102. This was such a good message for me to hear (the Lord knows…always!!!)! There were a couple points that I loved and gleaned from the sermon today. 1) How we react and pray in a painful and hard situation shows others what we believe about God. 2) It also shows what we believe about mankind and ourselves and our relation to God. 3) This is one of the application questions he asked, “Do I celebrate the goodness and wisdom of God even in tears?”

These were all such great questions and points. Pastor Jeff had me thinking for a couple hours after. I was still very emotional. The Lord is working in my heart and restoring and redeeming some areas of my life, and with those things, hardship and pain and brokenness occur. The question, “Do I celebrate the goodness and wisdom of God even in tears?,” was a hard question to ask and answer. There are times in my life when, no, I do not celebrate the goodness and wisdom of God. So often, I doubt his goodness and wisdom. Then other times I am praising him for his faithfulness and his amazing grace in my life. This past week has been kind of like that: an emotional roller-coaster. One second, I am fine. The next, I am in tears. But through it all, I know that looking past the times of doubt and fear, I have trusted and I have been humbled and the Lord has given me so much JOY AND SATISFACTION!

~~~

My goal for the week:
1) To make my prayers echo my belief and faith in Christ.
2) To make my hardship become an opportunity to glorify the Lord.
3) To make my conversations with people be an encouragement of the Lords constant faithfulness in my life, constant joy in my life, and constant satisfaction in my life.
4)To view myself as I need to be viewed, as a sinful wretch in extreme need for a savior; to view God as he should be viewed, as creator of the universe, omnipotent God, all-knowing father, and loving and gracious savior.

My prayer is that of Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” I want the Lord to be glorified through this difficult time. I want the people around me to see that the Lord is glorified in my actions, thoughts, tears, joy, pain, exhaustion, excitements, prayers, time in the word, time with others, etc. I don’t want them to see those things for my own gain, but so that through my life, the Lord’s name may be known and that he may be glorified.

~~~

Anyways, that was church and that is a lot of what I am learning and what the Lord is teaching me today. After church, I was going to go to the beach or to a park or something to just relax and spend some time alone, but after being so emotional I decided to spend some time with my lovely brother and sister to get my spirits up again. I went to lunch at the Caf, then went to hang out in my brothers apartment. It was a great time and I love those two. I love being so close on campus and being able to spend time with them. Times like those are sweet because I know that my time with them is fleeting and sooner or later we will all (Hopefully) be married with kids living in different countries. So, God is good!!!

To end my night, I am sitting in the box alone (because Sarah is having her surgery tomorrow…be praying!!). Though I miss Sarah, I am glad to have this time alone for reflection and self-examination. The Lord is teaching me so much and I am so grateful to be able to be in a time of waiting on the Lord and trusting in him. It is hard, but it is SO good and the Lord is SO good!

P.S. Here is a link to a blog I follow. This blog was written for women who are married, but I think these points of advice can be super helpful to anyone in any relationship: friendship, dating relationship, engagement, marriage, etc. Enjoy!!!

To Be Continued… =)

The Lord is teaching me so much this week!!!!! I am so filled with joy in the midst of the storm because of it!!

The thing he is teaching me is gentleness.

What does that mean? How do you be gentle?

I was really struggling last night about what gentleness meant in my life and when correcting or even speaking with someone, how gentleness took its role in those things. I kept asking people, what gentleness means and how they have applied it to their lives. No one had a definitive, clear-cut answer. I got back to my room and me and my roommate started looking up verses regarding gentleness. Here they are:

1 Corinthians 4:21 “What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?”

2 Corinthians 10:1 “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!”

Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Galatians 6:1 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.”

Ephesians 4:1-7 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”

1 Timothy 1:6 “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

1 Timothy 3:2-7 “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”

2 Timothy 2:24-26 “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

Titus 3:1-7 “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

James 4:16-18 “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. “

1 Peter 2:18 “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.”

1 Peter 3:1-6 “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 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. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

~~~

Gentleness most always deals with speaking and talking with someone. It most always deals with a form of correction or speaking truth into someone’s life. It most always deals with how one lives their life and their conduct.
Looking through these verses it is often coupled with: HUMILITY, MEEKNESS, QUIETNESS, CARING FOR SOMEONE, AVOIDANCE OF A QUARREL, BEAUTY, AND GOODNESS.

My freshman year of college we had to take a personality finder called Strengths Quest. It was a great thing and once you take the quiz, you are given your top 5 strengths. One of my strengths is “Developer.” This means that “[I] see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all [I] see.” The danger in this is that I often get discouraged when I don’t see the change occurring. This leads me to be a nagger or annoying. I can try to encourage so much that I over encourage and over nag. I get to the point of no longer being gentle because I get frustrated in not seeing change.

This is why learning how to be gentle is so important in my life! I want to be more like the Lord and follow him in every way! Jesus says in Matthew 11 that he is “gentle.” I want to be gentle. I want to see the potential in others and draw it out with gentleness, not harsh, nagging, annoying, irritating, meanness. I want to be gentle as the women in 1 Peter is gentle. She is so gentle that she leads her husband to the Lord without word. That is true gentleness!! I want to love others with the unconditional love that Christ showed. Sometimes that means “bearing with one another.” Sometimes that means “Long-suffering.” That means that I will have to not try to change a behavior that happens once in a blue moon, but change a pattern of sin. That I will have to bear and long-suffer right with them. Look to the sins in people that are ongoing and be gentle in calling them out in those and not in the one-time mess ups. And when those one time mess ups happen, I need to show grace that the Lord has given me by dying on the cross for my sins even though I am a wretched sinner. That is how I am supposed to live, not in a nagging, annoying, destroying way. I am called to build others up, not tear them down.

I am still learning so much, and this was a terribly long post, but the Lord is good and he is teaching me so much that I had to share! =) I will share more about gentleness as I learn more.

For all you women out there, whether single, dating, or married, this is a great blog post about how to build up the man in your life with words: One way how to be gentle: Affirming Your Man

To Be Continued… =)

It Is Well  

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 

when sorrows like sea billows roll; 

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 

It is well, it is well with my soul. 

 It is well with my soul, 
 it is well, it is well with my soul. 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, 

let this blest assurance control, 

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, 

and hath shed his own blood for my soul. 

My sin, not in part but the whole, 

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, 

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! 

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 

even so, it is well with my soul. 

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
  and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
  and you have healed me.
  O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
  you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
 
 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
  and give thanks to his holy name.
  For his anger is but for a moment,
  and his favor is for a lifetime.
 Weeping may tarry for the night,
  but joy comes with the morning.
 
 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
  “I shall never be moved.”
  By your favor, O LORD,
  you made my mountain stand strong;
 you hid your face;
  I was dismayed.
 
 To you, O LORD, I cry,
  and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
  “What profit is there in my death,
  if I go down to the pit?
 Will the dust praise you?
  Will it tell of your faithfulness?
  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
  O LORD, be my helper!”
 
 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
  you have loosed my sackcloth
  and clothed me with gladness,
  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
  O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
 (Psalm 30 ESV)

Today is a hard day, the rain has come, but the Lord is still on the throne even still!!

 

So, I lied. Woops.

I said that the last post that I made would be my last post till March. Well, surprise, I found some time on this Friday afternoon to sit down, just think, and write. It’s currently 61° and raining. It is really refreshing.

After a nice rain, I always feel like I can breathe again. I feel as though the world I was living in is getting washed away. I feel as though I need to start building an ark and screaming to the people to repent and turn to Christ (Just kidding! 😉 ) But, I do feel that way in my life. Rain is such a great thing.

In my life, I wonder what I would consider rain to be a symbol of?

I spent some time thinking about this. Rain, in my life, is the trials. Some times rain can be scary. It can be damaging. It can wash things away. It can create floods. It can cave roofs in. In the storm, the wind can blow trees down onto cars, homes, and buildings. The thunder and lightning can be loud and frightening. It can cause fires and even electrocute and kill people. These things are scary and damaging.

BUT-Rain can be so good!!

Psalm 147:8
“He covers the heavens with clouds;

Isaiah 45:8
“Shower, O heavens, from above,

Here is Psalm 30. Read and be encouraged:
“I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
        and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
     O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
        and you have healed me.
     O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
        you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

    Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
        and give thanks to his holy name.
     For his anger is but for a moment,
        and his favor is for a lifetime.
    Weeping may tarry for the night,
        but joy comes with the morning.

    As for me, I said in my prosperity,
        “I shall never be moved.”
     By your favor, O LORD,
        you made my mountain stand strong;
    you hid your face;
        I was dismayed.

    To you, O LORD, I cry,
        and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
     “What profit is there in my death,
        if I go down to the pit?
    Will the dust praise you?
        Will it tell of your faithfulness?
     Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
        O LORD, be my helper!”

    You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
        you have loosed my sackcloth
        and clothed me with gladness,
     that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
        O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!”

To Be Continued… =)

Blogging before February ends might not be an option past this entry. My life is crazy until March. =(

On a more positive note, Valentines Day was really nice. Even though only an hour was spent with Drew, it was so great! He surprised me and got Olive Garden To-Go, a dozen red roses, and a 6 pack of reeses (my FAVORITE!!). When I wasn’t with Drew, I got to spend time with one of the lovely freshmen that I meet with every week: Jordan. It was so nice and the Lord is so good! Spreading the love that Christ gave me is such a blessing. I so look forward to a year from now to see what the Lord is going to bring me and how he is going to work in my life. I feel like in just a year soooo much has happened and I have grown so much! The Lord is good!

This passage was such a breath of fresh air for me this week and really encouraging:

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
        but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
 (Proverbs 12:18 ESV)

I really want to strive to be a person whose words bring healing! Sometimes I look back at the things I say and I am shocked that something so “rash” could come out of my mouth! Something so hateful and so wrong. I really hope and pray that we can all be someone who is wise. That we can speak with wisdom so that we bring healing to the others around us!!

To Be Continued… =)

Today, yesterday, and this whole week, the Lord has been bringing up His Glory. It has been such an awesome and all encompassing thing that I am totally filled with joy today. I find myself randomly smiling and wanting to laugh, like when I would like a boy in elementary school and he would talk to me. (HAHA So awkward) Anyways……

Yesterday night was youth group. It is something I thoroughly enjoy going to every week, but this week was parent night and I got to talk to Pastor Jeff about his daughter and my other youth girl and I got to just really enjoy that time. Then, Brandon is starting a series on Marriage, Singleness, Dating, and Sex! Last night’s talk was on marriage. Not just the typical, “Man meets Woman. They date for a year or so. They get engaged and get married 6 months later. They Live Happily Ever After. The End” Story.

This was about the GLORY OF THE LORD being the sole focus of that union. It was not something I have never heard before, but it was definitely one of the first times I really “got it” and really understood it. The Lord made man in the beginning, then made woman because it was not suitable for them to be alone. THEN, he made them to be one flesh. This was all to bring him Glory by taking care of the earth! (Genesis 1)

Today, in chapel, Josh Thompson from Harvest spoke. I thought it was going to be just another gospel message and alter call (not that that is a sin or bad, but I was just expecting that to happen). It was good that I was wrong, because he not only gave the gospel message, but he gave why and what we are supposed to do as believers. The message was focused on 1 Corinthians 10:31(ESV):

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

He talked about how Christ calls us to follow him. And to really think about what that commitment means before we give our lives to him. If we are calling ourselves Christians, we need to BE CHRISTIANS! And to be a Christian is to “do all to the glory of God.”

He used examples of eating at a restaurant, going to starbucks, going to class, studying, kayaking, etc. Doing all of those daily things to the Glory of the Lord.

Later, after chapel, I walked to class thinking about this subject and what that means in my life. I get to class and the title on the screen for today’s lecture is “God’s Great Purposes For Us: The Meaning of Life.” Dr. Lewis goes on to explain that everything we do as Christians and followers of the Lord are/should be focused on “The Great Objective” and that great objective is held up by three great mountain peeks: “The Great Mandate,” “The Great Commandment(s),” and “The Great Commission.”

Through those things, we are to do the things listed in these verses.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Ephesians 5:15-17
Psalm 19:1
Revelation 4:11
Revelation 5:11-12
Genesis 1:26-28
Isaiah 43:7
Ephesians 1:9-12

The main subject for all these verses is : Whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God. Everything is about bringing Glory to the Lord. Eating. Drinking. Sleeping. Worshiping. Living. Breathing. All of it should be done to the Glory of the Lord. And giving Glory to the Lord is simply reflecting his nature.

What a great week it has been so far! WHATEVER WE DO, DO IT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD!!!

There is no greater purpose than that, and living for anything less than that would be living less than our purpose here on earth.

Let us Love God, Love others, Be fruitful and multiply, go to all the nations preaching the gospel, the good news, Let us Glorify Our Father In Heaven!!!!

“Soooo, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV).

To Be Continued… =)