God calls us to do hard things.....

This is a list that my small group and I came up with at Bible study a few years ago when we were talking about being in the world and not of it and how the things that it takes to be different are really really hard sometimes. Its definitely a challenge to me. Since today is the day of prayer I thought it would be a good day to put out a challenge to myself and to all of you to do hard things!

1. happiness is easy. joy is hard
2. going is easy. staying is hard
3. gossip is easy. holding your tongue is hard.
4. immodesty is easy. modesty is hard.
5. lies are easy. honesty is hard.
6. silence is easy. speaking up is hard
7. judgment is easy. acceptance is hard.
8. frustration is easy. letting it go is hard
9. talking is easy. praying is hard.
10.watching a movie is easy. reading your Bible is hard.
11.spending is easy. tithing is hard
12.ignoring is easy. overcoming is hard.
13.friendship is easy. love is hard
14.distraction is easy. focus is hard.
15.stubborness is easy. compromise is hard.
16.secrecy is easy. confession is hard
17.pride is easy. humility is hard
18.amazement is easy. praise is hard.
19.jealousy is easy. gratefulness is hard.
20. complaining is easy. thankfulness is hard
21. exclusion is easy. inclusion is hard.
22. hanging out is easy. having fellowship is hard.
23. going with the flow is easy. having a higher standard is hard.
24. making a decision is easy, but making a good decision is hard.
25. acting is easy. living it out is hard.

Suffering Unit: The Great Conversation

"A religious man is a person who holds God and man in one thought at one time, at all times, who suffers harm done to others, whose greatest passion is compassion, whose greatest strength is love and defiance of despair."

I love this quote. I think that it puts quite simply the essence of what it means to be a follower of Christ. The phrase about holding God and man in one thought reminds me to treat the people around me in a way that reflects the fact that I am aiming to live for Christ, so my actions towards others should be lived out in regards to Christ and my faith. I feel that so often we get caught up in our own struggles and trials that we neglect to suffer along with others and if we would just make ourselves vulnerable to the pain all around us then we would begin to have a heart that is broken for others in much of the same way that Christs heart is broken for us. There's a line in a song that says "break my heart for what breaks yours, everything I am for your kingdoms cause..." I feel like we just need to step back and look at the circumstances of those around us and our own circumstances through Christs eyes. Finally, in the last lines he says that our greatest strength is in love and defiance of despair. Do we love those around us as Christ has loved us? Do I Defy despair? Sometimes maybe, but does that defiance break me enough to change me? I wish that I could say it did. Its my prayer that God would really open my eyes and help me see the things that should bother me, the things that should break my heart and the situations in which i need to be love to people who are hurting.

Psalm 8:3-6

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

A Day of Renewal

For me today truly was a day of renewal. God reminded me of so many wonderful things today, I guess I'll start with this morning around 3:30 am. I couldnt sleep so I got up to spend some time in the word. To be honest I must have been too tired to remember what was running through my mind but I ended up writing this on one of my notepads:

If as Christians our life is centered around God and God is love then in essence our lives center around love. Our speech and our actions should reflect love in the way that God intends it to be portrayed. Our priorities are often times the best way to examine what or whom we love or hold in the highest regard. Is God in that number one spot each day?

I may have been to exhausted to remember those thoughts this morning but what a challenge to myself. I need to keep God first and I need to make sure that Im setting aside that personal time to spend with him because i know that relationships dont grow unless you spend time together.

Tonight some of the students here got together for "Worship Under The Stars" my friends did a great job of putting it together. I've only known them all for 10 days some of them not even that long but i am so blessed to have them. What a wonderful gift to have friends that love God with their lives an in all they do. I was amazed and overjoyed at the number of students that showed up for the time of worship and prayer. I am so thankful that God led me to Gordon College. I can't wait to see what else he has in store.

God Bless you guys, Keep shining Gods light!

"Unanswered" Prayer

Yesterday, on a few different occasions the subject came up of "unanswered prayer". The Sermon that I heard asked why some peoples prayers get answered time and time again while others of us pray and God seems to "change the channel". As a believer I dont think that there really is such a thing as an unanswered prayer, now before you start thinking of all those times that what you prayed for didnt happen, think about this: God can say no. I think that often times we feel as though God doesn't answer our prayers because he doesn't answer them the way we want or expect. When it comes down to it Gods ways are higher than our ways and he has a reason for everything in this life. Take a second to think about this quote from Beth Moore "Trusting God doesn't mean you expect him to do what you ask it means trusting him to do whats best". Its very important as believers to realize that God always answers our prayers and also to remember that God knows best and if we're praying in accordance with his will he'll grant our request but as any good father would if we ask for something that isn't in our best interest he may not give us what we think we want. So I'll leave you all with a verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Dread....and Excitement!

Yes its true. I am dreading saying goodbye to my friends, my family and my amazing boyfriend. I keep reminding myself that its not 4 years all at once that I'll be away. Its truly only 4 months away then 1 month home. Then 4 months away then 3 months home. Then repeat the process 4 times. I know I'll survive and I know that God has amazing things in store for me out there. As the dread and apprehension increase so does my excitement to experience something new. I've already started getting to know so many amazing people that will be attending Gordon with me in the fall and i know that Im going to get along with them all splendidly. In all of this God knows my heart, my emotions, my setbacks and my hopes. The things I'll long for, the things I'll miss, The people my heart will ache to see. The new things that will make me smile, laugh, the new friends I'll make, the wonderful experiences I'll have and the spiritual growth i'll experience there in a thriving community of believers. So now at the end of my rambling I'll simply say that I know Gods in control, keep living for him :) God bless you!

Crossing the Finish Line

One day. Thats all that I have left in my time at Jefferson High School. And it feels GREAT! I am so ready to be done! Im starting a new adventure and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me! Theres so much to do though with finals, grad parties, graduation, baccalaureate, and honors night. The verse that God's been bringing to mind lately is Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." So my dear friends in all the business of wrapping up the school year take it one day at a time and remember that if its not worth praying about then its not worth worrying about :)