Wow, I've posted three days in a row now! Quite amazing! I had something that I wanted to share (duh!); I read it a couple days ago in Streams in the Desert and was convicted.
Dear tested and tried believer, it is your mission to walk onto the stage of this world in order to reveal to all of heaven and earth that the music of life lies not in your circumstances or external things but in your own soul.
I felt convicted because so many times I give into complaining. I don't like my circumstances and I want to make sure everyone knows about it! I'm not playing my part very well on this stage.
I have realized a whole new meaning to the words "it is well with my soul." My heart can be hurting and crying out, things can be going wrong, and yet, it can be "well with my soul." The flesh is what is "unwell." The flesh is our old nature. My new nature can be at peace in turmoil. My soul can rest in Christ and be "well." The state of the soul is separate from the state of the heart. It's so easy to be deceived and think that my emotions have to rule my attitude. When Horatio Spafford wrote "It is Well" he was in an incredible amount of pain. He had just lost all his children in a tragic accident. So how could he say all was well? He knew the secret! God gives peace in the midst of sorrow. God gives our soul the grace to overcome our emotions. In other words, God gives our new nature the grace to overcome our old nature.
Which brings me to another well-loved hymn: "Come Thou Fount."
Come Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
When I heard this a couple days ago, a new meaning jumped out at me. Tune my heart to sing Thy grace. God is tuning my heart! An instrument doesn't sound very good before it is tuned, and doesn't really sound good while it is being tuned...but after it is tuned, it can produce wonderful sounds. I didn't "sound good" before God started working on me, and I know I don't "sound good" right now, but God is teaching me how to sing His praise. He is tuning my heart to sing to Him. And why shouldn't I sing His praise?? After all, His "streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise."
It was such a good reminder to me; I know I've been complaining a lot lately about things that are going on in my life. But I don't want to be tuned for complaining. I want to be tuned for praising. I need to be singing His grace to those around me.
Come Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above,
Praise His name, I'm fixed upon it,
Name of God's redeming love.
Hitherto Thy love has blessed me,
Thou hast brought me to this place.
And I know Thy hand will lead me,
Safely home by Thy good grace.
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God.
He to rescue me from danger
Bought me with His precious blood.
Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart oh take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Here's my heart oh take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
An email story
This is a story that I got in an email. I liked it and thought I would share it with the world. lol! jk :)
~Lauren
This will give you the chills...GOOD chills.
A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people?'
After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.
The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.' 'This is crazy,' he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, God, I will.' He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop.
He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something! , 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
'Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door. 'Okay God, if this is You, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If You want me to look like a crazy person, okay... I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?' The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.'
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.
This is so true. Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do, if we are obedient to what He's asking, we can hear His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13
~Lauren
This will give you the chills...GOOD chills.
A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice. The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people?'
After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message. Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'
As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home. But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.
The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli. 'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.
As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, 'Turn down that street.' 'This is crazy,' he thought, and drove on past the intersection.
Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, 'Okay, God, I will.' He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop.
He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.
Again, he sensed something! , 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.
'Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the door. 'Okay God, if this is You, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If You want me to look like a crazy person, okay... I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'
He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.
The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?' The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.
Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.'
His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'
The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face. He knew that God still answers prayers.
This is so true. Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do, if we are obedient to what He's asking, we can hear His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Tough Decisions
“I wish I could be a little girl again!”
I finally said what I told myself I would never say. I always wanted to grow up and be an adult, but at this stage in my life, it’s not very enjoyable. There are so many hard, hard decisions to make. So many unanswered questions. So many confusing choices. How does a girl know what to do?
Yes, I found myself wishing I could be a little girl again when my only cares were about doll clothes, crayon colors, and ice cream flavors. Ahh… the simple life.
But I’m in reality; I’m an adult; and there’s no looking back. Now I’ll get to the real reason for this post. All this reminiscing started with a tough decision my family was making last week.
You might remember me talking about a house we found (exactly three months ago today!) that we wanted to buy. However it was in foreclosure and wasn’t on the market yet, so we decided to wait it out. So we waited…and waited…and waited…and still no word. Dad finally started looking around again for more options, and a couple weeks ago, we found a promising house. It’s for rent and basically meets the long list of criteria we have. Long story short, if we had found it 3 or 4 months ago, we would have jumped on it in a heartbeat. But now we are hesitating because we have an amazing house that we would like to buy, we just don’t know how long it’s going to take. We thought about it for a while, and then finally discussed our predicament in great detail Wednesday night. The conclusion: we need to be together as a family; we need a house. So, Dad took the plunge and called the owner of the rent house. The owner is a good, Christian man of good standing in the community, and he is very understanding of our situation. Although he would prefer a one-year lease, he is fine with us moving in for a few months until our “dream house” comes on the market. Of course, if we aren’t able to buy that house (and we have no guarantee we will…hmmm…seems that’s how dreams go), then we will still have the rent house, and he even said he would be willing to sell it to us!
Okay, that probably got a little confusing there, so go ahead and read it again to try to make sense of it. I know it’s really complicated. Try living it out! lol!
So, I just wanted to pass along the latest word. We feel that God has given this rent house to us “for such a time as this.” We will probably be able to move in sometime next weekend (the 5th or 6th) and will stay for as long as God wants us there. If God never allows us to have the other house- my dream house!- I’m okay with that. sigh :)
What’s new in your world? lol!
I finally said what I told myself I would never say. I always wanted to grow up and be an adult, but at this stage in my life, it’s not very enjoyable. There are so many hard, hard decisions to make. So many unanswered questions. So many confusing choices. How does a girl know what to do?
Yes, I found myself wishing I could be a little girl again when my only cares were about doll clothes, crayon colors, and ice cream flavors. Ahh… the simple life.
But I’m in reality; I’m an adult; and there’s no looking back. Now I’ll get to the real reason for this post. All this reminiscing started with a tough decision my family was making last week.
You might remember me talking about a house we found (exactly three months ago today!) that we wanted to buy. However it was in foreclosure and wasn’t on the market yet, so we decided to wait it out. So we waited…and waited…and waited…and still no word. Dad finally started looking around again for more options, and a couple weeks ago, we found a promising house. It’s for rent and basically meets the long list of criteria we have. Long story short, if we had found it 3 or 4 months ago, we would have jumped on it in a heartbeat. But now we are hesitating because we have an amazing house that we would like to buy, we just don’t know how long it’s going to take. We thought about it for a while, and then finally discussed our predicament in great detail Wednesday night. The conclusion: we need to be together as a family; we need a house. So, Dad took the plunge and called the owner of the rent house. The owner is a good, Christian man of good standing in the community, and he is very understanding of our situation. Although he would prefer a one-year lease, he is fine with us moving in for a few months until our “dream house” comes on the market. Of course, if we aren’t able to buy that house (and we have no guarantee we will…hmmm…seems that’s how dreams go), then we will still have the rent house, and he even said he would be willing to sell it to us!
Okay, that probably got a little confusing there, so go ahead and read it again to try to make sense of it. I know it’s really complicated. Try living it out! lol!
So, I just wanted to pass along the latest word. We feel that God has given this rent house to us “for such a time as this.” We will probably be able to move in sometime next weekend (the 5th or 6th) and will stay for as long as God wants us there. If God never allows us to have the other house- my dream house!- I’m okay with that. sigh :)
What’s new in your world? lol!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
home
I got to go home this last weekend.
It was wonderful.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I knew I wouldn't want to leave, but when the time came to go, I discovered that I was okay with it. Or maybe I should say that God's grace made me okay with it!
I had a good visit with family and friends while I was home. My grandpa had been in the hospital last week with heart problems which was sad ;( but they put a pacemaker in and he seems to be doing well. I also got to have tons of fun with our friends from Texas who came up to escape Ike. We met them when they fled from Rita (who hit after Katrina three years ago). It's totally a God-thing. We are always sad when the have to come up to get away from hurricanes, but are glad to have the chance to fellowship.
I'm telling you, the air back home is different. When I stepped out of the car, I breathed it in deeply; when I fixed my hair, I could tell the difference. My hair had finally adjusted to the climate up here, and so it wasn't too happy about the change.
I've been so busy lately which is why I haven't posted in like a week! I hope to post again soon. I would like to say thank you again to every one of you special people who are reading this blog and praying for me. I appreciate it so much.
I'm posting an email that my sister sent out to some of her friends about a movie that's coming out this weekend. (I'm posting it in purple, since that's your signature color, Kaley!)
Dear friends (and family and acquaintances and admirers and whatever other category you choose to fall under),
Would you agree that a lot of the movies in theaters today aren’t worth watching? Would you like to stand up and tell Hollywood that we Christians don’t like seeing a lot of junk? Well, guess what, my dear friends… soon you’ll have the opportunity to do just that, and the neat thing is that it won’t take much sacrifice on your part!
I don’t know how many of you got to see FLYWHEEL or FACING THE GIANTS, but if you did, I’m sure you would agree that they were awesome movies. Sherwood Pictures recently finished their third film, FIREPROOF, a story about a firefighter whose marriage is going up in smoke. As he prepares for a divorce, he’s challenged by his father to try a 40-day experiment called “The Love Dare,” which sets him on a journey of trying to win back his wife’s heart.
Sound cheesy? Maybe. But that’s only because I’m a poor writer. If you’re at all familiar with Stephen and Alex Kendrick, then you can testify that their movies are definitely not cheesy. You all probably know what a drama queen I am and how much I love the Kendrick brothers and their movies. If you ask me (or even if you don’t—it doesn’t really matter), I think FACING THE GIANTS was outstanding.
The bottom line: FIREPROOF is a Christian movie about God’s perspective on marriage—that it’s a covenant, not a contract that can be broken when things aren’t going so well. The film’s message is that although marriage isn’t always easy, it’s worth fighting for. With divorce rates in America as high as they are, I think we would all admit that this movie is relevant to today’s audience.
So what am I saying? Go see FIREPROOF in theaters on September 26th! If you can’t go opening night, at least go opening weekend (includes Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th). Why? Because the movie industry considers a film successful if it does well on opening weekend. If we really want to get the message out that FACING THE GIANTS and FIREPROOF are the kind of movies we would like to see, then this is the way to do it. So if it’s absolutely impossible for you to go on opening weekend, please encourage someone else to go. Check out what the FIREPROOF guys had to say in a recent e-blast:
"Hollywood is loading up a for a huge release weekend on October 3 with as many as seven films scheduled to open in wide release. That means movie theaters will have limited "real estate" available for holdover films.The films that will remain (and be able to expand into other cities) will be the ones that have extremely strong opening-weekend sales. With FIREPROOF opening in more than 700 theaters, there needs to be overwhelming support from you and your friends to get theater circuits to keep this film playing more than one week. Are you ready to surprise Hollywood?"
I am!!! So perhaps we should plan on going to see it the weekend of October 3rd, too! That would be so awesome… but it can only happen if we make FIREPROOF a huge hit the first few days.
So why did I say at the beginning that it wouldn’t take much sacrifice on your part? Because from what I’ve heard about the movie (and what I know of the Kendrick brothers), I believe this film will be totally worth your time!
And what do I get out of all this if you guys go see the movie? Nothing, really…except the chance to see God’s Word triumph once again!
I’m sooooo excited about going to see this movie! Who will join me in the theaters?
Are you ready to surprise Hollywood?
- Kaley
For more info (such as a list of theaters in your area) go to FireprooftheMovie.com
or my personal favorite, fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com
P.S. Ladies, I’ve heard that you’ll need to take some Kleenexes! And, of course, be prepared to laugh, too.
It was wonderful.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, I knew I wouldn't want to leave, but when the time came to go, I discovered that I was okay with it. Or maybe I should say that God's grace made me okay with it!
I had a good visit with family and friends while I was home. My grandpa had been in the hospital last week with heart problems which was sad ;( but they put a pacemaker in and he seems to be doing well. I also got to have tons of fun with our friends from Texas who came up to escape Ike. We met them when they fled from Rita (who hit after Katrina three years ago). It's totally a God-thing. We are always sad when the have to come up to get away from hurricanes, but are glad to have the chance to fellowship.
I'm telling you, the air back home is different. When I stepped out of the car, I breathed it in deeply; when I fixed my hair, I could tell the difference. My hair had finally adjusted to the climate up here, and so it wasn't too happy about the change.
I've been so busy lately which is why I haven't posted in like a week! I hope to post again soon. I would like to say thank you again to every one of you special people who are reading this blog and praying for me. I appreciate it so much.
I'm posting an email that my sister sent out to some of her friends about a movie that's coming out this weekend. (I'm posting it in purple, since that's your signature color, Kaley!)
Dear friends (and family and acquaintances and admirers and whatever other category you choose to fall under),
Would you agree that a lot of the movies in theaters today aren’t worth watching? Would you like to stand up and tell Hollywood that we Christians don’t like seeing a lot of junk? Well, guess what, my dear friends… soon you’ll have the opportunity to do just that, and the neat thing is that it won’t take much sacrifice on your part!
I don’t know how many of you got to see FLYWHEEL or FACING THE GIANTS, but if you did, I’m sure you would agree that they were awesome movies. Sherwood Pictures recently finished their third film, FIREPROOF, a story about a firefighter whose marriage is going up in smoke. As he prepares for a divorce, he’s challenged by his father to try a 40-day experiment called “The Love Dare,” which sets him on a journey of trying to win back his wife’s heart.
Sound cheesy? Maybe. But that’s only because I’m a poor writer. If you’re at all familiar with Stephen and Alex Kendrick, then you can testify that their movies are definitely not cheesy. You all probably know what a drama queen I am and how much I love the Kendrick brothers and their movies. If you ask me (or even if you don’t—it doesn’t really matter), I think FACING THE GIANTS was outstanding.
The bottom line: FIREPROOF is a Christian movie about God’s perspective on marriage—that it’s a covenant, not a contract that can be broken when things aren’t going so well. The film’s message is that although marriage isn’t always easy, it’s worth fighting for. With divorce rates in America as high as they are, I think we would all admit that this movie is relevant to today’s audience.
So what am I saying? Go see FIREPROOF in theaters on September 26th! If you can’t go opening night, at least go opening weekend (includes Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th). Why? Because the movie industry considers a film successful if it does well on opening weekend. If we really want to get the message out that FACING THE GIANTS and FIREPROOF are the kind of movies we would like to see, then this is the way to do it. So if it’s absolutely impossible for you to go on opening weekend, please encourage someone else to go. Check out what the FIREPROOF guys had to say in a recent e-blast:
"Hollywood is loading up a for a huge release weekend on October 3 with as many as seven films scheduled to open in wide release. That means movie theaters will have limited "real estate" available for holdover films.The films that will remain (and be able to expand into other cities) will be the ones that have extremely strong opening-weekend sales. With FIREPROOF opening in more than 700 theaters, there needs to be overwhelming support from you and your friends to get theater circuits to keep this film playing more than one week. Are you ready to surprise Hollywood?"
I am!!! So perhaps we should plan on going to see it the weekend of October 3rd, too! That would be so awesome… but it can only happen if we make FIREPROOF a huge hit the first few days.
So why did I say at the beginning that it wouldn’t take much sacrifice on your part? Because from what I’ve heard about the movie (and what I know of the Kendrick brothers), I believe this film will be totally worth your time!
And what do I get out of all this if you guys go see the movie? Nothing, really…except the chance to see God’s Word triumph once again!
I’m sooooo excited about going to see this movie! Who will join me in the theaters?
Are you ready to surprise Hollywood?
- Kaley
For more info (such as a list of theaters in your area) go to FireprooftheMovie.com
or my personal favorite, fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com
P.S. Ladies, I’ve heard that you’ll need to take some Kleenexes! And, of course, be prepared to laugh, too.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
my cross
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34
"The cross that my Lord calls me to carry may assume many different shapes. I may have to be content with mundane tasks in a limited area of service, when I may believe my abilities are suited for much greater work. I may be required to continually cultivate the same field year after year, even though it yields no harvest whatsoever. I may be asked of God to nurture kind and loving thoughts about the very person who has wronged me and to speak gently to him, take his side when others oppose him, and bestow sympathy and comfort to him. I may have to openly testify of my Master before those who do not want to be reminded of Him or His claims. And I may be called to walk through this world with a bright, smiling face while my heart is breaking.
Yes, there are many crosses, and every one of them is heavy and painful. And it is unlikely that I would seek out even one of them on my own. Yet Jesus is never as near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it sumbmissively on my shoulder, and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.
He draws close to me in order to mature my wisdom, deepen my peace, increase my courage, and supplement my power. All this He dos so that through the very experience that is so painful and distressing to me, I will be of greater use to others."
~Streams in the Desert
God, I'm sorry that I have an impatient and complaining spirit. I once again humbly submit to your plans for my life knowing that You are in control of everything that is happening to me. You are more than able to handle anything that comes my way. There is no one else who could do a better job of orchestrating my life; I certainly could not. You hold the stars in place. You are concerned with the sparrows. You are taking care of me.
"The cross that my Lord calls me to carry may assume many different shapes. I may have to be content with mundane tasks in a limited area of service, when I may believe my abilities are suited for much greater work. I may be required to continually cultivate the same field year after year, even though it yields no harvest whatsoever. I may be asked of God to nurture kind and loving thoughts about the very person who has wronged me and to speak gently to him, take his side when others oppose him, and bestow sympathy and comfort to him. I may have to openly testify of my Master before those who do not want to be reminded of Him or His claims. And I may be called to walk through this world with a bright, smiling face while my heart is breaking.
Yes, there are many crosses, and every one of them is heavy and painful. And it is unlikely that I would seek out even one of them on my own. Yet Jesus is never as near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it sumbmissively on my shoulder, and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.
He draws close to me in order to mature my wisdom, deepen my peace, increase my courage, and supplement my power. All this He dos so that through the very experience that is so painful and distressing to me, I will be of greater use to others."
~Streams in the Desert
God, I'm sorry that I have an impatient and complaining spirit. I once again humbly submit to your plans for my life knowing that You are in control of everything that is happening to me. You are more than able to handle anything that comes my way. There is no one else who could do a better job of orchestrating my life; I certainly could not. You hold the stars in place. You are concerned with the sparrows. You are taking care of me.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Treasures in the Darkness
Sorry I haven’t updated for a while. I think the post about apartment life took the last ounce of humor that I had. I was pretty down last week. I don’t want my blog to be depressing, and I hesitate to post things that sound like that. But I also don’t want to be fake. So I’ll be honest.
I’m struggling. I’m not enjoying life right now. It’s meaningless to me. When I try to look into my future, I see nothing but more of what I’m facing and fighting right now. And I want to go home. I don’t mean to some place here on earth, because in reality, I don’t feel like I belong anywhere. I want to go to my Real Home…in Heaven…with Jesus. Escape all these trials and hardships. Yeah, I had great plans for my life, and things I wanted to do before going Home. But now with those dreams slipping away, I find myself staring into nothing. Well, I’ve said enough about that, and I’ll spare you the rest of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But I would like to share something else.
I’ve been trying to read a book called “Prepare for Rain” by Michael Catt. It’s the story of the church that produced the movie Facing the Giants and the soon-to-be-released- in-theaters Fireproof (it opens September 26th and you have to go see it!!!). I haven’t gotten very far in the book because I haven’t had time for reading recently. But I found some time the other day when I was in line for the bathroom. Yes, you read that right. You see, another apartment story in itself is the fact that we only have one bathroom. And my family came to visit last week. Do the math. Seven people (five of them girls)…one bathroom…what do you come up with? A long line morning and evening and at certain intervals in between. In fact, I had to skip Sunday School this morning, because I was sitting in rush hour traffic in the hallway. But anyway, back to the book. As I was waiting in line one night about 10:30, I pulled the book out to keep myself from going crazy. I was reading along in chapter 4, and the author started talking about Isaiah 45 (you should read it sometime!). Here is what Michael Catt had to say:
“Sometimes we can’t imagine God working outside our box, our denomination, our theology or our system. I have to admit that it sometimes bothers me that God blesses people I disagree with. I, like the Israelites, would have to say I struggle when God uses someone like Cyrus. But He isn’t bound by my thoughts about how He should work. It bothers me that God uses problems to perfect us. It would be so much easier if he would just zap us with microwave spirituality. I would certainly never vote for God to use a Cyrus. I would never call Cyrus 'God’s anointed.' I had to learn that God is in charge and I’m not— or, as Martin Luther put it, 'Let God be God!' Embracing those four words would revolutionize the way we view life and circumstances beyond our control.”
A couple things stood out to me when I read this. First of all, what he said about Cyrus reminded me about the elections coming up. It’s reassuring to know that God can use a “Cyrus” to accomplish His plans. I hope we elect godly leaders this November, but whatever happens, God is in control. God is in control!!! *exhaling with relief* It also reminded me of the many times I’ve questioned the prosperity of unbelievers. “Why is everything working out for them while life is so hard for me??” Once again, God is in control, and He has different things in mind for them.
The second thing that stood out to me was what he said about God not working in our box. “…we can’t imagine God working outside our box…He isn’t bound by my thoughts about how He should work. It bothers me that God uses problems to perfect us. It would be so much easier if he would zap us with microwave spirituality…I had to learn that God is in charge and I’m not…’Let God be God!’” I often wish I could just skip all these hard lessons, but look at what Isaiah 45:3 says, “And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.” God has treasures for me in this darkness. He has hidden riches in this secret place He has brought me to. That promise gives me the strength to move on, keep trying, continue fighting. I can only take it one day at a time. Don’t look at the future. Just face today. And look for the treasure in the darkness…even when I'm waiting in line for the bathroom. ;)
I’m struggling. I’m not enjoying life right now. It’s meaningless to me. When I try to look into my future, I see nothing but more of what I’m facing and fighting right now. And I want to go home. I don’t mean to some place here on earth, because in reality, I don’t feel like I belong anywhere. I want to go to my Real Home…in Heaven…with Jesus. Escape all these trials and hardships. Yeah, I had great plans for my life, and things I wanted to do before going Home. But now with those dreams slipping away, I find myself staring into nothing. Well, I’ve said enough about that, and I’ll spare you the rest of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. But I would like to share something else.
I’ve been trying to read a book called “Prepare for Rain” by Michael Catt. It’s the story of the church that produced the movie Facing the Giants and the soon-to-be-released- in-theaters Fireproof (it opens September 26th and you have to go see it!!!). I haven’t gotten very far in the book because I haven’t had time for reading recently. But I found some time the other day when I was in line for the bathroom. Yes, you read that right. You see, another apartment story in itself is the fact that we only have one bathroom. And my family came to visit last week. Do the math. Seven people (five of them girls)…one bathroom…what do you come up with? A long line morning and evening and at certain intervals in between. In fact, I had to skip Sunday School this morning, because I was sitting in rush hour traffic in the hallway. But anyway, back to the book. As I was waiting in line one night about 10:30, I pulled the book out to keep myself from going crazy. I was reading along in chapter 4, and the author started talking about Isaiah 45 (you should read it sometime!). Here is what Michael Catt had to say:
“Sometimes we can’t imagine God working outside our box, our denomination, our theology or our system. I have to admit that it sometimes bothers me that God blesses people I disagree with. I, like the Israelites, would have to say I struggle when God uses someone like Cyrus. But He isn’t bound by my thoughts about how He should work. It bothers me that God uses problems to perfect us. It would be so much easier if he would just zap us with microwave spirituality. I would certainly never vote for God to use a Cyrus. I would never call Cyrus 'God’s anointed.' I had to learn that God is in charge and I’m not— or, as Martin Luther put it, 'Let God be God!' Embracing those four words would revolutionize the way we view life and circumstances beyond our control.”
A couple things stood out to me when I read this. First of all, what he said about Cyrus reminded me about the elections coming up. It’s reassuring to know that God can use a “Cyrus” to accomplish His plans. I hope we elect godly leaders this November, but whatever happens, God is in control. God is in control!!! *exhaling with relief* It also reminded me of the many times I’ve questioned the prosperity of unbelievers. “Why is everything working out for them while life is so hard for me??” Once again, God is in control, and He has different things in mind for them.
The second thing that stood out to me was what he said about God not working in our box. “…we can’t imagine God working outside our box…He isn’t bound by my thoughts about how He should work. It bothers me that God uses problems to perfect us. It would be so much easier if he would zap us with microwave spirituality…I had to learn that God is in charge and I’m not…’Let God be God!’” I often wish I could just skip all these hard lessons, but look at what Isaiah 45:3 says, “And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name.” God has treasures for me in this darkness. He has hidden riches in this secret place He has brought me to. That promise gives me the strength to move on, keep trying, continue fighting. I can only take it one day at a time. Don’t look at the future. Just face today. And look for the treasure in the darkness…even when I'm waiting in line for the bathroom. ;)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I Will Never Forget...
In respectful remembrance of those who died this day seven years ago, and with heartfelt thanks to those who have served and are serving in our nation's military. You are not forgotten...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
This is Reality
I moved away from home three weeks ago. I can’t say I love it; and I can’t say I hate it. But I can say I’m where God wants me so I have His peace which makes me fine with it.
My new life feels surreal. At times it seems like I’m watching a movie of some other girl’s life. Sometimes I just stop and think “What are you doing here???” I often wonder why I’m here, and why I have this life. It’s hard to believe my old life is gone and my new one is here to stay. I think of what I would be doing if I were back home. I still feel like this is just temporary and I’ll be back where I belong later. But no, I’ve really said goodbye, and I might not ever see some of you again. This is nothing new to me, so why do I still have trouble grasping it?? Sorry for my jumbled thoughts, but I get in this reflective/contemplative mood a lot.
Here’s something I read a couple days ago. I know I quote a lot of books and other people, but sometimes I just can’t verbalize what I’m thinking inside. So, here is a good point on prayer:
“Some people say, and many more believe, that as soon as we meet all His conditions, God will answer our prayer. They teach that He lives in an eternal now, that with Him there is no past or future, and that if we can fulfill all He requires to be obedient to His will, immediately our needs will be met, our desires satisfied, and our prayers answered.
“While there is much truth in this belief, it expresses only one side of the truth. God does live in an eternal now, yet He works out His purposes over time. A petition presented to God is like a seed dropped into the ground. Forces above and beyond our control must work on it until the actual accomplishment of the answer.”
from The Still Small Voice
Okay, this is a change of pace, but I just remembered a funny story that I thought I would share. It’s one of those make-do-with-what-you-have stories. You see, here at the apartment, we don’t have luxury items such as butcher knives for cutting watermelons. So when my dad brought home the above mentioned fruit that my brother had grown back home, I had to figure out how to cut it open so we could actually eat it. My first thought (as much as I hate making messes) was to throw it down on the ground so it would break open, hopefully in small enough pieces for us to eat. But the mental picture of me trying to bite into a gigantic hacked-off piece of watermelon didn’t appeal to me, so I came up with a different plan. Enter the paring knife. You might not realize it, but that 2½ -inch blade can work wonders. My supportive sister, Kaley, stood by and laughed as I stabbed the 8.25 lb watermelon (okay, so we didn’t weigh it before we ate it, but it was no melon midget) and began “paring” away. After a bit of effort on my part, the tiny knife produced manageable slices and we were able to enjoy the “fruits” of my labor. Of course, my brother, Chris, gets some credit too since he grew it.
That is just one of the many humorous stories we have of apartment life. We do have some unusual luxuries here, like a crock-pot, but have you ever tried cooking alfredo noodles in that?? I haven’t either— I just went out and bought a saucepan. Oh yeah, and then there’s the chocolate chip cookies we made without chocolate chips…or vanilla. Dad said they were the best cookies he had ever eaten (but Kaley and I had different thoughts on the matter). Time would fail me to tell of other occurrences and dilemmas such as:
• The Local Ghost Light (we caught it on film!!!!!)
• The Clothes-Eating Dryer (um, unfortunately, we have evidence for this too)
• Phantom Noises from The Underworld (a.k.a. the neighbor downstairs)
• Sophisticated Burglary Systems (i.e. seriously squeaky stairs)
• The Perilous Back Balcony and Treacherous Three-story Descent
• The Hyper-Active Oven that knows no heat limits
• The undetterable characters next door who voraciously weed-eat their lawn at 10:30 AT NIGHT!!!!
• Tea bags + Frozen Grape Juice + Lemonade Mix + One Lonely Pitcher = assorted containers of beverages occupying our refrigerator shelves and continuous pitcher-washing!
Ah yes, this is reality. ;)
My new life feels surreal. At times it seems like I’m watching a movie of some other girl’s life. Sometimes I just stop and think “What are you doing here???” I often wonder why I’m here, and why I have this life. It’s hard to believe my old life is gone and my new one is here to stay. I think of what I would be doing if I were back home. I still feel like this is just temporary and I’ll be back where I belong later. But no, I’ve really said goodbye, and I might not ever see some of you again. This is nothing new to me, so why do I still have trouble grasping it?? Sorry for my jumbled thoughts, but I get in this reflective/contemplative mood a lot.
Here’s something I read a couple days ago. I know I quote a lot of books and other people, but sometimes I just can’t verbalize what I’m thinking inside. So, here is a good point on prayer:
“Some people say, and many more believe, that as soon as we meet all His conditions, God will answer our prayer. They teach that He lives in an eternal now, that with Him there is no past or future, and that if we can fulfill all He requires to be obedient to His will, immediately our needs will be met, our desires satisfied, and our prayers answered.
“While there is much truth in this belief, it expresses only one side of the truth. God does live in an eternal now, yet He works out His purposes over time. A petition presented to God is like a seed dropped into the ground. Forces above and beyond our control must work on it until the actual accomplishment of the answer.”
from The Still Small Voice
Okay, this is a change of pace, but I just remembered a funny story that I thought I would share. It’s one of those make-do-with-what-you-have stories. You see, here at the apartment, we don’t have luxury items such as butcher knives for cutting watermelons. So when my dad brought home the above mentioned fruit that my brother had grown back home, I had to figure out how to cut it open so we could actually eat it. My first thought (as much as I hate making messes) was to throw it down on the ground so it would break open, hopefully in small enough pieces for us to eat. But the mental picture of me trying to bite into a gigantic hacked-off piece of watermelon didn’t appeal to me, so I came up with a different plan. Enter the paring knife. You might not realize it, but that 2½ -inch blade can work wonders. My supportive sister, Kaley, stood by and laughed as I stabbed the 8.25 lb watermelon (okay, so we didn’t weigh it before we ate it, but it was no melon midget) and began “paring” away. After a bit of effort on my part, the tiny knife produced manageable slices and we were able to enjoy the “fruits” of my labor. Of course, my brother, Chris, gets some credit too since he grew it.
That is just one of the many humorous stories we have of apartment life. We do have some unusual luxuries here, like a crock-pot, but have you ever tried cooking alfredo noodles in that?? I haven’t either— I just went out and bought a saucepan. Oh yeah, and then there’s the chocolate chip cookies we made without chocolate chips…or vanilla. Dad said they were the best cookies he had ever eaten (but Kaley and I had different thoughts on the matter). Time would fail me to tell of other occurrences and dilemmas such as:
• The Local Ghost Light (we caught it on film!!!!!)
• The Clothes-Eating Dryer (um, unfortunately, we have evidence for this too)
• Phantom Noises from The Underworld (a.k.a. the neighbor downstairs)
• Sophisticated Burglary Systems (i.e. seriously squeaky stairs)
• The Perilous Back Balcony and Treacherous Three-story Descent
• The Hyper-Active Oven that knows no heat limits
• The undetterable characters next door who voraciously weed-eat their lawn at 10:30 AT NIGHT!!!!
• Tea bags + Frozen Grape Juice + Lemonade Mix + One Lonely Pitcher = assorted containers of beverages occupying our refrigerator shelves and continuous pitcher-washing!
Ah yes, this is reality. ;)
Friday, September 5, 2008
Hello out there
Hey Everybody! I’m excited because I get a TWO DAY WEEKEND!!! YAY!!! Just thought you’d like to know… :p
This fall weather is amazing, but alas! I’m not ready for it and not really able to enjoy it because I don’t have fall clothes with me! They are still packed away in boxes back home. ;( I may get to go home next weekend, so if I can just shiver my way through the rest of this week and next week then I can be happy in some comfy autumn attire. lol!
I’ve really felt a burden lately for some friends who are going through tough times. Having been through rough waters (and still experiencing them), I know how overwhelming life is. I wish I could have the perfect words to say to comfort them. I so wish I could somehow make their pain and troubles vanish, and make life easy for them. But I know that God has reasons for things that happen in our lives, and I know that if we didn’t experience the shadows, we wouldn’t appreciate the sunshine. These seem like such empty words to someone who is hurting and depressed, but I want you to know, there is a reason. You are not struggling in vain. God has a plan, and His plan is for your good and not for harm; He will get you through this.
Does Sorrow lay his hand upon your shoulder,
And walk with you in silence on life’s way,
While Joy, your bright companion once, grown colder,
Becomes to you more distant day to day?
Run not from the companionship of Sorrow,
He is the messenger of God to thee;
And you will thank Him in His great tomorrow—
For what you do not know now, you then will see;
He is God’s angel, clothed in veils of night,
With whom “we walk by faith” and “not by sight.”
Streams in the Desert, 2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV
This fall weather is amazing, but alas! I’m not ready for it and not really able to enjoy it because I don’t have fall clothes with me! They are still packed away in boxes back home. ;( I may get to go home next weekend, so if I can just shiver my way through the rest of this week and next week then I can be happy in some comfy autumn attire. lol!
I’ve really felt a burden lately for some friends who are going through tough times. Having been through rough waters (and still experiencing them), I know how overwhelming life is. I wish I could have the perfect words to say to comfort them. I so wish I could somehow make their pain and troubles vanish, and make life easy for them. But I know that God has reasons for things that happen in our lives, and I know that if we didn’t experience the shadows, we wouldn’t appreciate the sunshine. These seem like such empty words to someone who is hurting and depressed, but I want you to know, there is a reason. You are not struggling in vain. God has a plan, and His plan is for your good and not for harm; He will get you through this.
Does Sorrow lay his hand upon your shoulder,
And walk with you in silence on life’s way,
While Joy, your bright companion once, grown colder,
Becomes to you more distant day to day?
Run not from the companionship of Sorrow,
He is the messenger of God to thee;
And you will thank Him in His great tomorrow—
For what you do not know now, you then will see;
He is God’s angel, clothed in veils of night,
With whom “we walk by faith” and “not by sight.”
Streams in the Desert, 2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Welcome to the Real World
I had to work on Labor Day.
Not only that, but all my family was back home, so this was my first time to spend a holiday all by myself and working. And it was a long, hard day at work, too. Yeah, I can hear some of you now, “Well, welcome to the real world, Lauren!!” Thanks, I’ve been officially welcomed. I never would have made it through the day on my own, especially since I was feeling sick (I don’t know if it was because of homesickness or stress or what), but once again, God’s grace was enough to get me through the work day.
The holiday wasn’t a complete tragedy though lol! I went to see my best friend on Sunday; they are like my second family, and I’m so glad I’ve got someone up here that I know. I’m not all alone in this big world after all. :)
God has closed another door on our house situation. Dad and I went to look at 3 houses last Friday, and he was seriously considering renting one of them, even though there were some cons involved. However, we got a call on Sunday that the owner decided to rent it to someone else. I was actually relieved, and that once again confirmed to me that God is in control and has a plan. Somewhere out there, there’s a home waiting for my family. Someday we’ll get a call that will solve all these problems. Somehow all this chaos will melt away.
“This is what God is teaching us, and He has to keep results that are encouraging away from us until we learn to trust Him without them. Then He loves to make His Word as real to us as in actuality it is in our faith.”
~ A. B. Simpson
Not only that, but all my family was back home, so this was my first time to spend a holiday all by myself and working. And it was a long, hard day at work, too. Yeah, I can hear some of you now, “Well, welcome to the real world, Lauren!!” Thanks, I’ve been officially welcomed. I never would have made it through the day on my own, especially since I was feeling sick (I don’t know if it was because of homesickness or stress or what), but once again, God’s grace was enough to get me through the work day.
The holiday wasn’t a complete tragedy though lol! I went to see my best friend on Sunday; they are like my second family, and I’m so glad I’ve got someone up here that I know. I’m not all alone in this big world after all. :)
God has closed another door on our house situation. Dad and I went to look at 3 houses last Friday, and he was seriously considering renting one of them, even though there were some cons involved. However, we got a call on Sunday that the owner decided to rent it to someone else. I was actually relieved, and that once again confirmed to me that God is in control and has a plan. Somewhere out there, there’s a home waiting for my family. Someday we’ll get a call that will solve all these problems. Somehow all this chaos will melt away.
“This is what God is teaching us, and He has to keep results that are encouraging away from us until we learn to trust Him without them. Then He loves to make His Word as real to us as in actuality it is in our faith.”
~ A. B. Simpson
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