A Word to the Wise

"You won't persuade people by making them angry.  You'll only make them stick to their positions more stubbornly.  Think of an argument not as a battle, but a dialogue...both sides exchange ideas as they search for a solution." -Neva Schwartz

"Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!  Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.  For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land." - Psalm 37:8-9

Where the Spirit of the Lord is There is Liberty

There is a song that I have really grown to like this year.  It is Where the Spirit of the Lord is by Chris Tomlin.  Just the idea of finding freedom through the Spirit of the Lord gives me joy, but I feel like I didn't quite understand the type of freedom that the song is talking about.

What am I freed of through the Spirit of the Lord?  I am free from the bondage of sin.  What a bold statement that is (that was a pun).  But seriously.  Some may think of Christianity as a lack of freedom- a list of rules and restrictions.  Praise God that that's not what it is at all!  Rather, the Holy Father gives us freedom.  We are no longer held to sin, but we are forgiven by the Lord and called to bring him glory.  This is not something that holds us down, rather it is something that we are free to do and are excited to do.  What a beautiful and perfect freedom that is.

So, if we are free from sin- free to bring God glory in the way that we live- than why would we still be living in sin??  WE ARE FREE!  Let's live like it!

God, thank you for the freedom that you provide.
Thank you that I am free to live for you.
Thank you that I am encouraged and protected by your law,
rather than restricted by it.
Thank you that through your help I can say no to sin,
because of the freedom that you have given me.
Thank you for this Monday and a great start to my week.

Beginning Lent

Today is the beginning of lent.  I can't help but see this time as an opportunity to draw near to God and seek his face.  This year I am giving up my straightener and watching tv shows.

I thought that blogging would help me to really consider the goals I have for this season of lent.  Recently, I would say that I have been on a roller coaster ride with my faith and pursuit of God.  During church, BASSYCS, and chapels, I have been excited by God, overwhelmed by conviction, and motivated to change.  But in the distractions and disruptions of my life, I find myself losing sight of prayer and God's word.

My goal during lent is to be focused on why God put me here: for His glory.  I want to eliminate tv shows from my daily schedule so that I can choose to give that time to God.  I want to recognize the impact that these shows have on the way that I act and think, and I want to realize the person that I will be without them.  My goal in giving up my straightener is to be more comfortable with how God created me, and be less obsessed what I feel others may think about me.  My goal is to use this time to be more secure in him.

My biggest goal, however, is to be consumed by Christ.  I want my actions to be an overflowing of the Holy Spirit within me.  I want my choices to reflect the God who saved me.  I want to have a self-less faith.

Gah!  Pretty ambitious I am eh?  It's gonna take a prayer warrior to follow through with these goals!  Because I can only do these things through Christ's strength.  It's time to pray for God to watch over these 40 days, and really open my heart for what he's going to do.



God, give me strength and give me passion.
Help me to focus my heart and mind on you.
May my thoughts, actions, and words reflect you.
Teach me something amazing in these 40 days
and consume me with your burning fire.

You Hold My World in Your Hands

Me: God, can I ask You a question?
God: Sure
Me: Promise You won't get mad
... ... ... ..
God: I promise
Me: Why did You let so much stuff happen to me today?
God: What do u mean?
Me: Well, I woke up late
God: Yes
Me: My car took forever to start
God: Okay
Me: at lunch they made my sandwich wrong & I had to wait
God: Huummm
Me: On the way home, my phone went DEAD, just as I picked up a call
God: All right
Me: And on top of it all off, when I got home ~I just want to soak my feet in my new foot massager & relax. BUT it wouldn't work!!! Nothing went right today! Why did You do that?
God: Let me see, the death angel was at your bed this morning & I had to send one
of My Angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that
Me (humbled): OH
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that would have hit you if you were on the road.
Me: (ashamed)
God: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick & I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work.
Me (embarrassed):Okay
God: Your phone went dead bcuz the person that was calling was going to give false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered.
Me (softly): I see God
God: Oh and that foot massager, it had a shortage that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.
Me: I'm Sorry God
God: Don't be sorry, just learn to Trust Me.... in All things , the Good & the bad.
Me: I will trust You.
God: And don't doubt that My plan for your day is Always Better than your plan.
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, Thank You for Everything today.
God: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I Love looking after My Children

It's easy when we go through different trials to think "Why me?" or to think "Why this, God?"  I always think to myself, "couldn't God have chosen something else?"  But guess what? God knows what he's doing.  He has a reason for the trials that he's allowed in your life.  We might not see the point, and we might not see how it could possibly help us, but God does.

Even Jesus looked for a different way when he asked God in the garden of Gethsemane if this cup could be taken from him, but God had a plan (Luke 22:39-46).  There was not another way for Jesus to overcome our sin and death itself.  So Jesus died for us.  He endured the pain of a horrible and hateful death, because God was in control and God loved us.

Is God not trustworthy?  I think he's proved not only through Christ's death, but also through the many situations in the Bible, and through my own experiences.  Because God clearly is trustworthy and in control, I am called to trust him, no matter what trials he chooses to allow me to have.  I can rest and find peace in God's perfect plan.  "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Although the cartoon above is full of small things that are maybe insignificant, I think that this is a perfect example of the fact that we often just blame these things on God, when he really is working in some way that we are not aware of.

God, teach me to trust.
Allow me to see how you're working in my life.
Give me peace, joy, and rest in your word.

Idolatry: Where is My Heart?

Tonight at BASSYCS we talked a little bit about idolatry.  The girls couldn't stop laughing at the fact that people would worship a golden cow.  One girl went on a rant, "All the cow does is just sit there! It can't hear you or do anything!"  They couldn't wrap their minds around the fact that humans would put their hope in something so unsatisfying and insignificant.

In reality, we do this all the time.  Now, the things that we may put our trust and hope in may be significant, but nothing should be of more importance than Christ.  We should not look to anything above God our Father, and we shouldn't spend more time focused on ourselves and the things we want than we do with God. To put hope in things that are not God is ridiculous, because nothing else is worthy of our complete focus.  Nothing else can satisfy and grow us like God can.

As I look into my own life, I see that it is full of idols.  And by idols I really just mean idol.  My idol is myself.  What can I do for me, me, me??  I don't want to go into the full thought process, because frankly, it's embarrassing and I'm ashamed of it.  The point is: I want God to have my full and complete attention, and I want to value him above all else.


Lord God, show me your majesty.
Make You and only You my biggest concern.
May my first thought every morning be of You.
May I aim to please You and impress You over anything or anyone else.
Be my everything, Lord.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  What a wonderful day to just give thanks for the ones we love.

I know that I sure am thankful for today.  I get to celebrate a relationship of nearly 9 months with my boyfriend, Joshua Bate.

Our relationship has grown so much within the time that we've been together.  We've had awesome times of laughter and fun, and we've also had some times of serious growth.  Through it all, God has had his hand on us.  He helped us understand each other and taught us how to encourage each other.  Something that has had a big impact on our relationship are the 10 ways to love:

1. Listen without interrupting 2.  Speak without accusing 3.  Give without sparing 4.  Pray without ceasing 5.  Answer without arguing 6.  Share without pretending 7.  Enjoy without complaint 8.  Trust without wavering 9.  Forgive without punishing 10.  Promise without forgetting

God has used this list to show us our selfishness and one way thinking.  Through the reality of selflessness and care for each other, Josh and I have really enjoyed our time together.

On this Valentine's Day, I'm so thankful for Joshua.  I'm thankful for the time, love, effort, money, energy and so much more that he has poured into me.  I'm thankful for the patience and grace that he's given me.  I'm thankful for all of the wonderful memories that we've created.  I'm thankful for the tough things that God has helped us overcome.

Thank you God for all you've given me.  Thank you for the gifts that keep on giving.  Thank you for Joshua Bate.

Into Marvelous Light

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

I once was fatherless
A stranger with no hope
Your kindness wakened me
Awakened me, from my sleep

Your love it beckons deeply
A call to come and die
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take Your life

Sin has lost it's power
Death has lost it's sting
From the grave You've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

My dead heart now is beating
My deepest stains now clean
Your breath fills up my lungs
Now I'm free, now I'm free

Sin has lost it's power
Death has lost it's sting
From the grave You've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

Sin has lost it's power
And death has lost it's sting
From the grave You've risen
Victoriously

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

Into marvelous light I'm running
Out of darkness, out of shame
By the cross You are the truth
You are the life, You are the way

Lift my hands and spin around
See the light that I have found
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light, marvelous light


Marvelous Light
Songwriters: Hall, Charles Eugene

Feeling Thankful

Today, I couldn't help feeling thankful.  The longer I'm alive, the more I find that God has given me to be thankful for.

Looking back on BASSYCS this week and past sins, I have been thankful for the forgiveness that God gives.  We do not deserve it at all.  Jesus --on his way to the cross; being spit upon, mocked, and beaten-- chose to forgive us.  We can still live our lives for him and have eternal life, because God forgave us.

Not only that, but God gave us the strength and determination that we need to overcome sin.  He gives it continuously and does not ever give up on us.  His word is there to support us and encourage us in doing right.  I am so thankful for that.

I'm thankful that God places a fire in our hearts and a longing for him.  He fulfills us like no one else can, he gives us a joy that is found no where else, and he will never leave us.

I'm thankful for a wonderful college, a phenomenal boyfriend, an awesome wing, an incredible roommate, and a crazy great wing retreat!

God, I have so many other things to thank you for.  These are the things that have been the most prevalent in the past week or so.  Continue to show me blessing upon blessing, and do not let me ever forget to thank you.

No One Said it Would Be Easy

This week was Spiritual Renewal at Taylor, and Rodney VanSolkema preached through the story of Joseph and his brothers.  I learned a lot about conquering pride and temptation.

As you might know (if you have kept up with my blogging), I struggle a great deal with pride.  I was so thrilled to hear new ways to conquer my pride.  His example came from Genesis 37, where Joseph is proud of his coat and dreams.  Rodney shared that Joseph could not overcome pride without being in the pit.  Joseph could not have overcome his pride unless he had been thrown into a pit and sold into slavery.  This is too true.  It is easy for me when I undergo stressful situations or what I feel to be hopeless situations to feel like I don't deserve it.  What an example of my pride! I don't deserve the pit? Yeah right!  God has given me pits, so that I can find humility.  I need to recognize that I deserve the pit and nothing else!

As for temptation, Rodney gave the example in Genesis 39 of Joseph running from Potiphar's wife.  She threw herself at him day after day, yet he still refused her.  It was not easy, but he had to say no.  He knew what was right, and he chose to follow Christ over his own desires.  Psalm 119 talks about loving the Lord's commands, rather than just grudgingly following them.  I want to choose to say no to temptation, no matter how difficult it is.  I want to love the Lord's commands and long to follow them always.  Temptation, bring it on!  God's on my side, and he can transform me.

God, only through you can I overcome my pride.
Only you can help me flee from temptation.
Give me confidence and security in you.
Help me to fall in love with your commands.

Life is Bigger than Me

Yesterday, I came to a realization that was not in any way new, but it struck me as something I don't think about much.  My life and how I live is completely to please myself.  I know what I want, and I live for what I want- what's comfortable, cute, and fun.  Sure, that's all great for a little while, but living like that just leaves me feeling empty.  It leaves me wanting something more and constantly striving to make myself a more likable person and to satisfy my wants.

But when I can get my mind off of myself and my wants, I realize that there is something so much bigger going on here.  I live in a world created by God, and without him, I would be dead.  When I think about it, my wants really do not make me alive.  Christ and living for him is what makes me alive; in fact, it is what I was created for.  So if I'm just sitting around, looking to fulfill myself by things other than Christ, I am completely shutting out God's purpose for me, and I will never find satisfaction.  It is only through living my life for God that I can feel fully satisfied and fulfilled.

In BASSYCS last night, we recited Mark 16:15, "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'"  This is what we were created for- to bring glory to God and share our faith with others.  My group talked about how this might not necessarily always mean going up to friends or strangers and asking, "Do you know Jesus?"  We can be a witness to others in the way that we act, we can pray for others, and we can love others the way that Jesus loves us.

Am I doing that?  Is my goal to live like Jesus did and bring him glory?  When I look at how my life is right now, I will honestly say no.  I've become so caught up with making my life perfect and doing the things that I want that I lose sight of why I'm really here on this earth.

The time is now to turn my focus to my creator.  The time is now to live for God and not myself.  The time is now to satisfy myself in prayer and worship with Jesus.

Praise God for loving us no matter what.  Praise God for using us in his great mission.  Praise God for changing our hearts.


Make me a living sacrifice for you, Lord.