Thursday, November 29, 2012
encouragement for the journey
Truth from the Philippians SheReadsTruth study:
We all have our little things that we want to be known for, patted on the back for, acknowledged of us...Don't be discouraged for a minute that you're not worthy or that all your work won't be noticed or that no one will ever see you. He has seen you before the beginning of time. He has adopted you before the wins and the fails, before the good and the bad. He has called you daughter...Look past today and the present to see how amazing your true identity is as a daughter of the King of Kings.
Rejoice because no matter what the day brings, it is not the end of the story.
You were made for so much more than all of this.
Monday, November 26, 2012
in the arena
I love this quote by Teddy Roosevelt. I feel my determination and courage rising everytime I read it.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and come short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
I will need that for the next year; it's gonna be a rough journey! I am currently enrolling in my senior year and I'm scared and excited all at the same time. The arena can be an uncertain and intimidating place (wish it was just an 8 second ride). Good thing the Creator of the Universe is on my side. Charge!
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and come short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
I will need that for the next year; it's gonna be a rough journey! I am currently enrolling in my senior year and I'm scared and excited all at the same time. The arena can be an uncertain and intimidating place (wish it was just an 8 second ride). Good thing the Creator of the Universe is on my side. Charge!
Monday, November 5, 2012
What Love Really Means
Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me. I don't know why You do, but I do know that I need You more and more each day. Thank You for staying with me and for wanting me. Your steadfast love is my everything.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
daring to love
Ephesians 5:21
Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 6:5-8
Slaves, obey your earthly master with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
These verses are very convicting to me right now. I should respect others and seek to serve them, not because they are worthy or have earned it, but out of reverence for Christ my Messiah. He is honored when I serve in humility.
I must dare to love...Love when I am not loved back. Love when I am rejected. Love on God's terms, not mine. Love without receiving anything in return. Love with reckless abandon.
It is very difficult for me to do that (understatement of the year). I think - I know - the motives of my heart are wrong. I am still being selfish and acting in the flesh. This season is revealing just how yucky my heart really is. The layers are being peeled back and it ain't pretty. The fleshly part of me is not someone that I like. At all. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
This makes me even more grateful for Christ's love for me. His love is constant, often the only thing I have to hold on to. His love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.
And I need it so desperately. Oh for more of Jesus, so there will be less of me!
Luke 6:27-30
But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 6:5-8
Slaves, obey your earthly master with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
These verses are very convicting to me right now. I should respect others and seek to serve them, not because they are worthy or have earned it, but out of reverence for Christ my Messiah. He is honored when I serve in humility.
I must dare to love...Love when I am not loved back. Love when I am rejected. Love on God's terms, not mine. Love without receiving anything in return. Love with reckless abandon.
It is very difficult for me to do that (understatement of the year). I think - I know - the motives of my heart are wrong. I am still being selfish and acting in the flesh. This season is revealing just how yucky my heart really is. The layers are being peeled back and it ain't pretty. The fleshly part of me is not someone that I like. At all. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.
This makes me even more grateful for Christ's love for me. His love is constant, often the only thing I have to hold on to. His love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.
And I need it so desperately. Oh for more of Jesus, so there will be less of me!
Luke 6:27-30
But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
Monday, October 29, 2012
a day with grandpa
If you go to Grandpa's house to watch a football game, he will want to take you to lunch
after it's over. If you go to lunch with Grandpa, he will want to go for a drive
in the pasture on the way home.
after it's over. If you go to lunch with Grandpa, he will want to go for a drive
in the pasture on the way home.
If you go for a drive in the pasture with Grandpa, he will want to show you the cattle
and the progress of the 20" pipeline that is going in.
and the progress of the 20" pipeline that is going in.
All of this will wear him out and he will want to go back to his house to watch another football game. He will invite you to watch it with him. And if you watch it with him, he will buy you dinner. :)
If you spend a day with Grandpa, you will have memories that will last long after he is gone.
Make time. The to-do list is not that important. It can wait - I promise.
Make time. The to-do list is not that important. It can wait - I promise.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
66 and counting
I have recently started working on school again...I was on hold for 5 months for various reasons (work, family, etc) but am going to give it another shot and see how far I can get. I honestly feel like I am taking it one day at a time at this point. Because of my responsibilities at work and things that are going on there, I can't control my schedule and have to remain flexible to change my plans at any time. That's scary for me, but I know I am learning valuable lessons in this hard process.
A week ago, I passed two exams which put me at 66 credits total. I celebrated by stopping by Pops on Route 66 on my way back to work, and grabbing some authentic Route 66 soda. :)
I am now into my business classes, which I am really enjoying! They have been pretty easy so far so maybe I can make up for lost time. I will soon be enrolling in my accounting classes, so I am finally getting into what I am actually going to school for. yay! :)
A week ago, I passed two exams which put me at 66 credits total. I celebrated by stopping by Pops on Route 66 on my way back to work, and grabbing some authentic Route 66 soda. :)
I am now into my business classes, which I am really enjoying! They have been pretty easy so far so maybe I can make up for lost time. I will soon be enrolling in my accounting classes, so I am finally getting into what I am actually going to school for. yay! :)
Friday, October 12, 2012
day 4
Day 4 Ephesians 2:11-22
vs. 12 - [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.
Separated. Exluded. Outlawed. A foreigner.
I think back to times in my life when I have felt like that, at least to some degree. All the times that we moved...I've been "the new girl" most of my life. Ever get tired of explaining who you are, where you came from, and what you are doing in their territory? What about that invitation you didn't get to the big event? Or the awkward moment when you are un-invited to something. How about being the last one picked for a team? Ever visited a foreign country and felt like you were an elephant in a giraffe exhibit? (no? okay moving on...) Remember what it's like in an old western when the outlaw gang comes riding into town? I'll give you a hint - the music gets low and menacing, the women and children clear the streets, and the sheriff looks down his nose at the dusty lawbreakers.
Hopefully you get my point. I'm sure everyone one can relate at some point in their life.
None of that compares to the massive chasm that separates us from God and His sacred covenant and promises. Wait, no...separated. Don't miss the past tense.
vs. 13 - But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
And then, get this...
vs. 14 - For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us.
So here is the question:
What are walls that I see and perhaps abide by in my life?
Here's what I wrote in my journal: what other people think of me. Judgment, hostility, misunderstandings, expectations. I let it bother me wayyy more than it should. I should be more focused on what God thinks about me. I don't need all those dividing walls in my life.
Dear Jesus, tear down the walls of expectations and pressures that I feel around my life - whether they are actual or only perceived. I want to be free to follow Your calling on my life, not bound by views of others. I cannot base my value on what society says I am worth according to their standards. Their books are gonna get audited someday and it won't be pretty for them! I choose You.
vs. 12 - [Remember] that you were at that time separated (living apart) from Christ [excluded from all part in Him], utterly estranged and outlawed from the rights of Israel as a nation, and strangers with no share in the sacred compacts of the [Messianic] promise [with no knowledge of or right in God's agreements, His covenants]. And you had no hope (no promise); you were in the world without God.
Separated. Exluded. Outlawed. A foreigner.
I think back to times in my life when I have felt like that, at least to some degree. All the times that we moved...I've been "the new girl" most of my life. Ever get tired of explaining who you are, where you came from, and what you are doing in their territory? What about that invitation you didn't get to the big event? Or the awkward moment when you are un-invited to something. How about being the last one picked for a team? Ever visited a foreign country and felt like you were an elephant in a giraffe exhibit? (no? okay moving on...) Remember what it's like in an old western when the outlaw gang comes riding into town? I'll give you a hint - the music gets low and menacing, the women and children clear the streets, and the sheriff looks down his nose at the dusty lawbreakers.
Hopefully you get my point. I'm sure everyone one can relate at some point in their life.
None of that compares to the massive chasm that separates us from God and His sacred covenant and promises. Wait, no...separated. Don't miss the past tense.
vs. 13 - But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.
And then, get this...
vs. 14 - For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us.
So here is the question:
What are walls that I see and perhaps abide by in my life?
Here's what I wrote in my journal: what other people think of me. Judgment, hostility, misunderstandings, expectations. I let it bother me wayyy more than it should. I should be more focused on what God thinks about me. I don't need all those dividing walls in my life.
Dear Jesus, tear down the walls of expectations and pressures that I feel around my life - whether they are actual or only perceived. I want to be free to follow Your calling on my life, not bound by views of others. I cannot base my value on what society says I am worth according to their standards. Their books are gonna get audited someday and it won't be pretty for them! I choose You.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)