11:11

God and I have this thing going on. See, it seems that I look at the clock pretty much every time it reads "11:11." Whether it's in the morning or at night when I'm getting ready for bed, I seem to always see when those numbers pop up. I decided to ask God what He was wanting to tell me, and He told me that He wants me to be thankful for the here and now. As a college student it's so easy to always be looking towards the future-- "What will I do once I graduate?" "Am I going to go on any adventures?" "When will I meet the person I'm going to marry?" etc. etc. On top of that, God has said that 2012 is going to be a year of promise. I feel like I'm on the edge of something new with Him, and I'm so ready to jump into whatever it is. It's so easy for me to constantly be jumping ahead and wondering what's next. I firmly believe that the best is always yet to come and God's plans are always good so that gets me excited. BUT God wants to remind me, that He has something for me NOW. Right now. Right here. He has me in this place for such a time as this, and He doesn't want me to miss it. So for now, I'm letting 11:11 be my reminder to be all here now and to look for what He is doing around me.

Opinion From the Other Side...

Many of you responded to my twitter about my professor's discussion of Christian missionaries in Africa today. One hundred and forty characters isn't enough to explain so I thought I would link you all to my blog. My teacher is a Kenyan man who was a kid when what is known as the "Mau Mau Rebellion" occurred in Kenya. This was a native rebellion against the British colonial government. Both of his parents were what he called "devout Christians." While he has never shared where he stands, I have gathered that he is rather indifferent to religion. He doesn't seem bitter towards it or even opposed. He might even be a believer, but he just doesn't really discuss it so it's hard to tell. Today a student asked about what caused the divisions between Kenyans in the rebellion. Economic divisions are discussed most, but the student asked if there were more reasons. Jid (my professor) replied that it was a great question because while class differences were a big contributor, religion was also very influential. He went on to call himself a "product of missionary schools". He said that Christian missionaries have really helped African educational systems. Additionally, he pointed out that they have brought lots of medicine and helped the overall health of Africans. However, when the Africans wanted to build their own government and get out from under colonial powers (much as the US did a couple hundred years earlier), the missionaries often sided with the colonial government. This placed Christian Africans in an awkward place. Their leaders were telling them to essentially fight against their brothers, creating Civil Wars. For example, my professor had a paternal uncle fighting for the Mau Mau and a maternal uncle fighting for the British, much as we saw in our own Civil War. He said that this occurred not only in Kenya but in many other countries like Zimbabwe and Mozambique. True, in the case of the Mau Mau, Christians did not want to have to take the Mau Mau oath to kill, but that does not mean they wanted to fight for the cause of the colonial powers either. All in all, Jid seemed to feel that the pros of missionaries outweighed the cons, but it got me thinking... Why do we so often try to force our comfort zones onto natives? We should be supporting local governments and being a help, not a harm to them. Yes, colonial struggles are now completely over in Africa, but it is still up to us to aid in the building of strong and successful governments, not to create divisions amongst the people. That's really all that was said, but, at least for me, it was food for thought.



Did you know that after the horrors of World War 2, concentration camps were used throughout Africa (such as in Kenya, as seen below) where prisoners were tortured and thousands of women and children died of malnutrition and disease?

"W" Looking Pants

Tonight my family an I watched home videos. Last Christmas we had all of our videos put onto DVDs and I love watching them together. But tonight one of the scenes gave me something to think about... It opened to a 3 year old me crying and Mom talking to me. After listening for a moment you realize that I'm upset because in a picture I drew, the pants looked like a "W" so I got angry and "teared it up.". Both Mom and Dad are trying to make me feel better, reasoning with me that I draw very well for a 3 year old etc etc. However, you can tell they're trying not to laugh. Finally I just curled up in Mom's lap and wanted to be held.

I couldn't help but think about how God must see us and our problems. We act like the world is coming to an end, and may even feel that way. He isn't condescending or rude. He doesn't tell us to shut up because our problems are no big deal. Rather, seeing that we're making a fuss out of something that is going to turn out okay in the end, He reasons with us, speaks identity over us, asks us to go try again, and finally welcomes us when we go to be held. He knows it's going to be alright. He sees the big picture. He has a plan. He isn't stressing out about what to do or how he's going to fix our big mistake. All He does is listen and love. Man, that's a beautiful picture. I had to share. Hopefully it touched you like it did me. So if you ever feel like everything is going wrong, remember the "W pants" and run to Abba. He'll take care of it...

False Identity vs True Identity

So God led me to Daniel today and right off the back something rocked my world. I wanted to share...

"Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego." Daniel 1:6-7

So here's the fascinating thing about this. As I read that I began wondering what the Hebrew names and the new names meant. Gods been teaching me a lot about names lately (try asking God what He is calling you right now then look up the meaning of the name. It's fuuunn). So anyway I looked up the meanings and...

i. The name Daniel (meaning God is my judge) was changed to Belteshazzar (meaning Bel’s prince).
 
ii. The name Hannaniah (meaning Beloved by the LORD) was changed to Shadrach (meaning Illumined by Sun-god).
 
iii. The name Mishael (meaning Who is as God) was changed to Meshach (meaning Who is like Venus).
 
iv. The name Azariah (meaning The LORD is my help) was changed to Abed-Nego (meaning Servant of Nego).

Here's what I found fascinating. SATAN LOVES YOU SPEAK AN IDENTITY OVER YOU THAT IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT GOD HAS. If God calls you a prophet, Satan loves to curse your dreams and make you desire to be dreamless. When God calls you Beloved, Satan says "No, you need someone else to make you happy- to illuminate you." It's time to reject the false identities Satan is speaking over the children of God. It's time to live in the light!!

I Am A Soul

"You don't have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body."
-CS Lewis

I was thinking about this quote yesterday. The implications of it astound me. I feel like I'm often really vague on my blog, but sometimes it's just too hard to put my deepest thoughts into words on a blog. If anyone reads this and has thoughts concerning it. Please share!! For me it changes the way I approach my interactions with others and my priorities. What does it make you stop and think about?

Consequence of the Law

Here's something for you to chew on...

"For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Romans 3:20

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.... Then the eys of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the gardn. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?' And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.' He said, 'Who told you that you were naked?'" Genesis 3:5,7-11

[to be continued]

Stress and Blessings

Sometimes I've overwhelmed with where I'm heading... Not that I really know where that is BUT let me explain... So many days I miss being a child. The stress level was so low! I think about how I would spend Saturdays (or really everyday) playing computer games, reading, living in one of my imaginary worlds (I still live in some of them when I'm just in need of some good ole imagination), or playing with my toys. How relaxing does that sound?? Breakfast, lunch and dinner was always provided. You got recess. Man, what the life!! I think about how stressful life seems sometimes... Like right now when I'm enrolled in 19 hours, working around 15 hours a week, and trying to spend as much time with my family (both biological and Church) as possible. And then I think about how life is only going to get MORE stressful. That's a scary thought!! Then I stop... And realize that God gives us just what we need whenever we need it. He gives us strength for each day. He gives us friends who help to carry our burdens. He gives us mentors to help guide us. HE GIVES US HIS PRESENCE. He gives us moments of laughter. Peaceful rains. HE GIVES REST FOR THE WEARY. Mmm I'm so blessed by Him. I'm blessed to get to attend the school I do. I'm blessed with a family who loves me. I'm blessed with two amazing roommates. I'm blessed with more friends than I deserve. I'm blessed with a major that's perfect for me. I'm blessed to work with children who show me the love and heart and power of God. I'm blessed to be on this journey with Him... Living in this unbelievable love story. He leads me with cords of kindness (Hosea 11). He's so good. Blessings to anyone who reads this!!

His Lavish Love

Christmas is just around the corner (in 52 days to be exact), and today, God is painting me a beautiful picture of something. Ashley Lynch, who has recently begun discipling me, was asking whether I believed that God had an UNBELIEVABLE FUTURE in store for me. She went on to say that He is sitting on the edge of His seat and can't wait to show me what's next. Goodness gracious, after she said that, God just started speaking all sorts of His excitement to me. Here is the best way I can explain what He was saying to me... You know those kids who are terrible at keeping secrets because they're SO excited to give you the gift they've gotten for you (Yes YOU Chandler)? That's how I see God. GRANTED, He knows how to keep a secret, but He is giddy with excitement to lead you to all that He has prepared. He has a hope and a future. He wants the EXTRAORDINARY. Isn't that great?? It makes ME giddy, too. I hear United Pursuit's prophetic lyrics...

Come Away
by United Pursuit Band

Come away with me
Come away.
It's never too late
It's never too late
It's not too late for you.
I have a plan for you.
I have a plan.
It's gonna be WILD.
It's gonna be GREAT.
It's gonna be FULL OF ME.

Bah!!! I just want to start dancing around here in the library... I'll try to refrain, but isn't that great?! He is SO GOOD!!!!!! How can I even try to focus on anything else when He's distracting me with His goodness?? This love story is the best of all... So I leave you now with a smile on my face hoping my joy has been contagious! Go ask Him to tell you how much He loves you. He's absolutely dying to = )

A Beautiful Inheritance

It's absolutely astounding how much one's life can change in just one year... It blows my mind away. I keep wanting to reiterate that in 28 different ways, but I'll stop. This day, 1 year ago, I thought would change my life forever. Perhaps it did. Just not in the way I expected it to. My verse for this month has been Psalm 16:5-6 specifically for this day. It says...

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance."

I LOVE this verse. In the past year, I have gone through some of, if not the HARDEST things I've yet experienced. But I've chosen the Lord. HE is my portion. He is my sustenance. He gets me through each day. He's broken my heart with His love. He's taken me through the fire but not let me be burned. He's only refined me. It also says He holds my lot. MY LOT-- all the uncertainties, all the gambles, all the hidden things-- He has them ALL taken care of!! And the most beautiful part of it all? Each night as the dust begins to settle, I see where the lines have fallen and I can say that they have fallen in PLEASANT PLACES. I have the BEAUTIFUL inheritance. He is good. All of Him is everything my heart can desire.

Yes, this year has been hard, but I wouldn't ask to change it if I was given the option. I am confident that all of this is for my good. It is for my best. His love never fails. He's my Shepherd. My Love. And I am His...

What He's Been Showing Me Lately...

This is a very interesting stage in my life but God is showing me some great things through it. Here are some of them...

1. There is a time for EVERYTHING.

I know I come back to this concept time and time again, but it just never ceases to speak to me. Right now it is encouraging to me because in the past God called me to remove some things- good things even- from my life so that I may go to the wilderness that He may speak tenderly to me as in the days of my youth (Hosea 2). Ecclesiastes 3 is a promise that God is going to renew those areas of my life in His perfect timing. For now, there is nothing better than to "be joyful and to do good" and remember that "He has made everything beautiful in its time." (Ecc. 3:12, 11)

2. He brings us to the wilderness to prepare us for His plan

Throughout the Bible there are examples of this. Moses is a prime example. He fled to the desert. There he was a shepherd. While the Bible doesn't give a lot of specifications of those years in the desert, I know God was preparing him for the day "I AM" would approach him and speak his destiny over him. I feel like I'm in the desert right now. Not in the sense that my life is dry but that I'm in a time of preparation. I refuse to rush through this season, but also look forward to what my future holds... All His ways and plans are perfect. He is the Author and Perfecter of all things.

3. He gives us talents so that we may prove our faithfulness

I keep looking at that sentence because I'm not sure I said that right. However, hopefully you will know what I mean. We must be stewards of small things before we can be stewards over more. The Lord asked me to step back from some of the things I was stewarding. Now we're starting over again on a much smaller scale. Sometimes I want to jump ahead, but I know this will help me to be much more faithful in the small things and over bigger things when they come. I'm thankful for everything He gives me to steward right now. May I always be grateful for such...

4. He reminds me of His faithfulness when I most need it.

Little example. Today I started a new job. I was moderately excited for this job... Well, mostly for the pay which I expected to be good. However, today turned out to be a very long day during which I made a total of around $15. Slightly discouraging to say the least. So I'm standing in Andy's Alligators in my neon yellow Party Pics polo typing out a text to my mom saying that I wish there was someone in the sorority I was taking pictures of that I knew so it wouldn't be so awkward when a girl walks up, reminds me of her name, and says she goes to Antioch. I just had to smile. Thanks God. Little things like that remind me that you are with me in the mediocre. You never leave my side.

5. Sometimes God doesn't work the way we think He would.

God has a perfect character. Of that, I have no doubt. However, I am convinced that He works in ways we don't/can't understand. I've been thinking a lot about that fact and sin. I have very much been thinking lately about whether His plan for us sometimes involves sin. I'm not sure if I'll be able to make myself clear, but I wonder if... Well it's a tricky tightrope between God allowing us to sin and causing us to sin/tempting us to sin. I believe He never causes us to sin or tempts us to sin. I'm just not sure I'll ever understand, but I am confident that His plan for us often involves the dark places. What that means, I can't say. But through the darkest places, I know He holds our hands and sees the light at the end of the tunnel even when we can't. He sees the good that will come from it- the wisdom we'll be able to pass along, the hurts we'll be able to help others through, and the habits we'll be able to help others avoid. A great verse to illustrate that is Psalm 37:23-24... "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand."

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:22-25

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act." Psalms 37:3-5

Life...

...Is good. I'm so lacking in words for it right now. I feel suspended. I'm content and yet have a deep longing. I just want to sit in His presence and let Him explain what I'm feeling. I'm reminded of my heartsong from senior year. The words once again resonate deep within me...

I need words
As wide as sky
I need language large as
This longing inside
And I need a voice
Bigger than mine
And I need a song to sing You
That I've yet to find
I need You,
Oh, I need You
I need You,
Oh, I need You
To be here now
To be here now
To hear me now
To hear me now

"I Need Words"
David Crowder

That's all for now. I'm gonna go soak up some life from the Lover of my soul... He's so good to me. It amazes me yet never enough...

Today...

I've been thinking about an aspect of motherhood and how it applies today. I remember during various sermons I've heard (the ones that come to mind were by Dennis Newkirk and Mark Driscoll), pastors have talked about how a husband should help a wife out by helping them to get time alone with God despite the responsibility of children. While saying this, I remember them mentioning to wives that sometimes they may only get 5 min with God, but to take every moment possible and God would bless it. This concept didn't apply much, but I filed it to the back of my mind and it came up today. See, my family is town. God bless them, I truly love them, but I have trouble getting off to be alone when they're here. This is an understandable thing, but I find it hard to find time to just soak Him up alone. That is quickly very taxing on me. It reminds me of my need of Him, no doubt. Anyway, today I found myself briefly alone in the car. I turned off the music and just said, "Ok Abba, this may be the only time I get all day. Fill me up. I want to sit in Your presence." I immediately felt Him come over me, and I knew He understood. This has led me to think that the amount of time needed in His presence is related to how much our heart is seeking Him. If we have the time, the more time with Him, the better!! But on the days when getting alone seems almost impossible, He blesses the little moments. He knows our hearts. He knows that we are seeking Him despite chaos, and He blesses it. This has also given me a fresh perspective of the amount of time I spend with Him each day as a single (who is obviously childless). This is the time when I can spend a much larger portion of time alone and inhaling more and more. Much like in Proverbs when it says, "A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing." (Proverbs 20:4), I believe we can store up much in these periods of life for the times when it is just impossible to spend this much time with Him. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying that we can spend so much time with him now that it could last us a lifetime- by no means! I pray that I always press harder into Him! I will always need more and more of Him. I only mean that I hope that I will see this stage of my life as a time when I am not only free to serve Him in a way that only a single can, but also as a time when I can sow, plow, and store for later days when I wake up early only to find a 4 year old staring me straight in the eyes asking for breakfast and a 2 year old crying in their bed, etc etc, until I fall onto my bed exhausted later that night. So there's my thoughts for today. Motherhood and it's application in my life now...

His Perfect Timing...

I've just been thinking a lot about how perfect His timing is lately... I don't have much to say, just wanted to mention it...

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live..."

Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

The Whisper

Life is chaotic yet uneventful at the moment. Having been gone for the majority of the summer thus far, my to-do list is about a mile long. I feel like I'm constantly going. My room is yet to be completely clean since moving back from college (something I'm attempting to remedy before I go to sleep tonight), thank you letters need to be written to those who supported my trip to India, rooms need to be painted in my new house, furniture needs to be found, etc, etc... I don't mind it all that much except that all I really want to do is just soak up the presence. Martin Luther once said...

"I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer."

While I haven't quite gotten to the point of implementing that in my life, I'm beginning to understand it like never before. Christ has taken me on such a journey in the past seven months. I've grown more than I possibly grew in the 14 or so years of my walk with Him that preceded it. It's been the most incredible experience, but now I stand at a crossroads. In the past months I've made ME one of, if not my biggest priority outside of God. My main focus has been redirecting my life. I quit my job, made some big life changes, removed things temptations as far from me as I could, and just focused on how to grow the best way possible. The problem is that one can't live like this forever. Eventually, you have to learn to find a happy medium, a marriage between the old and new... Or at least I think so. I don't know; perhaps I'm only rambling. However, this is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. This implies that we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. While this definitely means we are to not consider ourselves to be greater than others and we are to being servants of all, I also think that we are called to care for ourselves in a way that perhaps Christians today have lost their grasp of. Why did God create the Sabbath? He created man with limits and needs. We need rest. We need Him. We are BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT as I've grown up learning in my wonderful home church. All three areas are interconnected and must be cared for. We can only care for others if we first care for ourselves. Much like on airplanes when we are instructed to first put our own oxygen mask on before helping others, we must first minister to ourselves. If we don't we will pass out from trying to help everyone around us. In the church today we strive to go, go, go. Serving and getting involved is without a doubt CRUCIAL, but can't become the first priority. I'll stop before I start talking in circles. I'm reminded of all of this because I've found myself longing for more of Him but trying to get everything else done first. I need Him first! I MUST HAVE MORE OF HIM. Without that, any of my other task will prove fruitless. I whole-heartedly believe this. I've seen myself burned out, and it is not a pretty thing. Depression is not a pretty thing. While thinking of this, I was reminded of the passage in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah is fighting depression. He has just seen God work through him mightily, but he then falters quickly under the threat of a vicious queen. Exhausted, he runs to the desert and just asks God to let him die because he sees himself as having failed despite all his efforts. What does Jehovah do? Man, He shows how multi-faceted He is!! He ministers to Elijah's BODY by giving him food and sleep. He ministers to his SOUL by leading him to the mount of God to meet with Him. There on the mountain, He exhorts him feeding his SPIRIT. I love the symbolism in the verse...

"11 And He said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak..."

One thing I find interesting about this verse is how it contrasts with Isaiah 43 which explicitly says that God walks with us through the fire and flood. 1 Kings 19 is not saying that God abandons us amidst our trials. I just love imagining the scene. The Spirit of the Lord passes by and the earth responds tumultuously towards it's Creator. It recognizes Him. Elijah, sees it all and recognizes the power of the Lord. He has seen the power before. I don't think He had forgotten what God had done on Mount Carmel a few chapters back. He was just exhausted and in need of personal ministering. Overwhelmed by the power of God and wrecked by the sweet, low whisper of his PROVIDER, HEALER, CREATOR, and I AM, Elijah wraps his face in his cloak and walks to the mouth of the cave. I've been there. So hungry for His presence that when I encounter it I just have to hide my face and weep. It's such a beautiful, cleansing, overwhelming feeling. That's where I am right now. I'm starting to get exhausted, but I refuse to continue without being wrecked by His Spirit. Lord, I want more and more of You...

Response to "Real Men Watch Chick Flicks"

So, my cousin Michael asked me to write a response to a blog post of his to explain what I meant by a comment I posted on his blog. His blog (http://findingmanhood.wordpress.com) comments on various aspects of what makes a man. One of his recent posts reads...

A real man is willing to see a chick flick with his wife and/or his daughter.
He realizes that just because he’s a real man, it doesn’t mean he can’t sit down with the woman he loves or the daughter who adores him and enjoy an activity that they like from time to time.
A real man doesn’t complain about watching the chick flick either. I’m not saying he has to be enthusiastic about it, but he does show a genuine appreciation to be spending time with the important women in his life.
Now, like all great axioms, this characteristic of a real man does come with a caveat of sorts. While a real man is willing to see a chick flick with his wife and/or daughter, it is OK for him to not be willing to see the same chick flick with a woman who is merely his girlfriend.
In fact, it is recommended that he NOT see a chick flick with a woman who is not either A) wearing a wedding ring that he purchased or B) the product of his relationship with the woman who is wearing a wedding ring that he purchased (see scenario A above).
A man who sees a chick flick with a woman who he has not yet made a lifetime commitment to is treading on thin ice. There are just some things in life that are best reserved for the sacred bonds of marriage.
While there’s nothing inherently wrong with chick flicks, once a man starts sitting down to watch them with a woman who he has not yet committed his life to, he is on a slippery slope. If he’s not careful, it won’t be long before he’s wearing a mud mask facial, getting a pedicure, while a petite woman in a white smock waxes his upper lip… all the while daydreaming about the next opportunity he’ll have to tune in for a Lifetime movie.
So… the next time your wife or daughter wants you to go a see chick flick, if you want to be a real man, just do it. Not only will you get to enjoy quality time with someone who is very important to you, but (selfishly) you’ll also be accruing points for the next time you want to take her to a football game, the bowling alley, or a remote stream for a little trout fishing.
Along those same lines, the next time a woman who you have yet to take the vows of holy matrimony with suggests that the two of you watch a chick flick together, you’ll be doing yourself and the relationship a favor if you kindly (remember, a real man is kind) but firmly decline. To preserve diplomacy in the relationship, you might even trying following with an offer to try an activity together that’s a little more gender neutral. Something like skeet shooting, or bowling, or trout fishing.

There are parts of this I agree with and others that I don't. Now granted, I know that the whole post is peppered with sarcasm, but here are my thoughts regardless. First, I must say that he didn't take it where I expected him to. I agree that it is good to do things that the other wants to do. Love puts others' desires before its own. Plus, as he mentioned, what goes around, comes around. But chick flicks are a category all of their own. A category, which I might add, I would never want to share with my dad no matter how much I adore him as I wouldn't feel comfortable watching it with him. Chick flicks are an interesting genre. I've heard them called pornography for women, and I have to say that I see the validity in the accusation. They give girls false ideas of what a relationship will look like emotionally, which, as we all know, is the where the female is prone to struggle. However, perhaps some girls can stay away from the mindset that love will actually play out like a chick flick, yet still, are chick flicks healthy to watch? As a single, 19 year old girl, I've recently cut back on the amount of chick flicks I watch. They just don't promote a healthy mindset for me. They cause me to live in the future instead of today. And I'm not even getting into the sexual aspects of chick flicks. That's a whole OTHER ballpark-- one that should probably be addressed but I don't know how I feel about doing it over a blog.
Now I come to the topic of boyfriends watching chick flicks with their girlfriends. This is where the blog took an unexpected turn. When Michael called it "a slippery slope," I agreed. Watching a chick flick while dating could be considered a bad idea. Like he said, perhaps not inherently bad, but definitely a slippery slope. What kind of mindset and environment does a chick flick create? It's no secret that some boys use chick flicks for this very purpose. Those who are more respectable, may not be intending on this, but it can definitely create an atmosphere of vulnerability. So boys, I suppose it depends what sludge puddle you're more afraid of sliding into. I highly doubt that watching a chick flick is going to result in your girlfriend expecting you to take a spa day with her so I wouldn't be worried about that. The bigger concern is whether you are going to lead in protecting your relationship. Are you going to encourage vulnerability or try to strengthen the purity of a relationship? Perhaps that is the slippery slope an unmarried, yet taken, guy should be more worried about...
As for those who are married, while watching a chick flick with your wife may be thoughtful, try doing little things to make her feel like she is living in a chick flick (in a non-cheesy preferable). I can guarantee it will mean more in the end, and grow your relationship more... Not to mention that then you can skip the movie all together!

Jeremiah 17...

Wow... Sometimes God is just so obvious. Allow me to tell a sub-story of my past semester. Beginning of my semester was rough-- no secret. Jeremiah 17:5-8 was really involved with the whole situation. While the passage had previously been a favorite of mine, I got to the point that I didn't even really want to open up the book of Jeremiah. I felt betrayed by God. I felt like He'd used it against me. Vessel #1: Allison Harms texted me one day and said she felt like I was supposed to read Jeremiah 17:7-8. She felt like it'd be encouraging to me. I remember saying, "That's funny because..." Vessel #2: A few weeks ago I received a letter from Lana Kelley. Part of the letter was a drawing of a big tree with roots with Jeremiah 17:7-8 written under it. She explained how she saw it playing out in my life. She also had no idea the irony of it. Vessel #3: Tonight during India training we were with the Equip team. Ashley Lynch came up to me and said that she had been asking God what He wanted her to share with me and she had heard Him say, "A verse in Jeremiah. It's underlined." It wasn't her usual Bible, so when she flipped through, the only verse underlined was Jeremiah 17:7-8. Uncanny, huh?? When I heard the reference come out of her mouth I started laughing and crying at the same time. She said that I had deep roots in Him, and as I go into India, He will be my refreshment. He's going to continually pour Himself upon me. He will overflow onto me! I explained the significance of the verse in my life and we both just started laughing. We talked about what God might be wanting to show me through the verse and she prayed clarity concerning it over my life. Man, it was so weird. I also had some other great words spoken over me that were so encouraging but this is the one that left me thinking the most. Father, what are you wanting me to glean from this?? I ask for more refreshing water of life and I pray that I may indeed have fruit even in the midst of a desert. You are GOOD! Thank you for renewing this part of Your love letter to me in a way no other could...



“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8

Contemplations from an Evening Walk

During my time at OU, I've grown to really enjoy walks. Now that I'm home, I still want to go on them. They're so relaxing. They provide the perfect time for praying and just letting God overwhelm me. Today I took my first walk at home. Here are some pictures I took as I walked and thoughts they inspired...

My walking buddy...


"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103





"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
-Robert Frost

Packing

My packing has begun. I desire to see something picturesque and say something worth reading, but I'm all out of words. I move home a week from today. For now I'll just enjoy life... Laissez faire...