Friday, August 30, 2013

The Dog Days Are Over

Today was full of talk. It was full of laughter. It was full of promise -the promise of a new season.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Two of my friends and I are starting a bible study/book club/pray meeting. Last year the three of us, along with some other girls, came together to fight against something we believed was wrong. Through that we came to the idea of starting a bible study. But we didn't want to do a fill-in-the-answer type of bible study, so we decided to pick a figure in Christian history to read about, in addition to reading a book written by this person. We chose Francis Schaeffer. We have not completely settled on which books but we are looking at:

Francis Schaeffer: an Authentic Life by Collin Duriez



True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer



The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer



The Mark of the Christian by Francis Schaeffer



Thursday, May 30, 2013

Grateful

I want to always be grateful. 

To be grateful for the good things. And to know, truly, that they are good. 

To be grateful for the bad things. Because God works all things for good. 




I want to travel and visit beautiful cities and new countries. And though many doors have opened God has not yet provided a door stopper for this city. 

Grateful. 

But that does not mean I will not be traveling in 2013.



"Concrete jungles where dreams are made of"

Andddddddd as of now I will be seeing Big Ben the Elizabeth Tower in person this fall. 


Saturday, April 27, 2013

Broken

"What if your blessings come through rain drops,
What if Your healing comes through tears,
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near,
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise"


My heart has been broken. It breaks for those who heard about the 'Jesus Rain Drops' but never felt them. It breaks for those who hid, afraid of condemnation. It breaks for those who were turned away. 

We are told to not to conform to the ways of the world (Romans 12:2), but as soon as those words come out of our mouths we become hypocrites. There are obvious things that we are not supposed to do as they are of the world -lie, cheat, drink excessively, take drugs, have sex before marriage, etc- but what about the areas of the world that are not so black and white -or rather, visible? 

Charles Spurgeon said, "Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right." 

Often, we as Christians pride ourselves on not being of the world because we have rid ourselves of the visible alterations caused by the world. From the outside we look "good" but what about the inside? What about our attitude towards the world? Do we think we are above it? If so, this not only comes in conflict with God's commandment of making disciples throughout all the world (And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15), but it also can affect other Christians around us through how we treat them. 

Do we want hiding and hurting hearts, caused by us, among our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we turn them away at the door because of the trials and burdens they carry?

Are these actions brought on by the love of Christ in our lives or by the world which we continue to carry in our hearts?



Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dear Four Story Wood House,

 You are large, not small. You are wood, not brick. My childhood has mostly been spent on the third floor. My bedroom walls were white -left blank for the imagination- until I decided that I wanted to live in the clouds. Blue. The carpet is gray. Long and soft. It was the same throughout the house, except for the deep magenta in my parents room. Wallpaper lined the walls throughout the living room and kitchen. Now the wallpaper has left is for good. Replaced by sunny days. Always full of books, enough books to fill a library. Memories will always line your walls and fill your holes and cracks.


One of My Favorite Things...

One of my favorite things is spending time with my family, with laughter bouncing off the walls. 
Outside my window a woodpecker pecks on the side of the house. 
I am thinking about how I am undeserving of His grace. 
From the kitchen comes food from love touched hands. 
I am wearing beauty on my sleeve to hide my imperfection. 
I am reading ten books about Theodore Roosevelt, all telling the same stories ten different ways. 
I am hearing my cat scratching at the door. 
I am hoping for lifelong friends. 
Around the room books are everywhere. 
I am going to be okay, because God is good. 
I am thankful for the unconditional love my parents have given me.