following

Holding On

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 01:40:10 +0100

"Come this way, Kat!" I called as 17 month old Kathyn walked directly opposite of where we were supposed to be walking, and on to the grass towards the flowers. She turned around with a smile and came waddling back to me! A little while later she turned off the path again and started walking towards the road. I walked behind her in arms length, ready to grab her at any moment, still beckoning her to turn around and follow me. I offered her my hand and we turned back around, back up the handicap ramp, and back on the path to our destination. What a joy it was to see Kat be obedient and have her grab my hand and smile up at me, somehow knowing that I was not asking her to do things because I am a mean old babysitter, but because I love her and didn't want her to get hurt.

As I babysat Kathryn, Saturday, my mind kept traveling to how my relationship with God is SO much like Kat's relationship was with me.

15 "Truly I(Jesus) say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all." Mark 10:15

Jesus wants us to come to Him like a child. Like Kathryn came to me.
She had such a childlike faith to trust me, knowing that I had her best interest in mind.
She took my hand and let me lead her.
I was right behind her for the times when she would go down a different path so I could be there to catch her when she would fall.
Just like God doesn't leave us when we walk down a different path.
He does have our best interest in mind.
He has WELL beyond our best interest, He has HIS best interest which surpasses anything we could imagine!
(However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 1 Corinthians 2:9)
All God wants is for us to trust Him, like Kathryn trusted me. She thought the flowers were her destination, but I had a different idea.
We see our destination in so many earthly things that will bring us satisfaction for a such a short time...but we're missing the point! God has SUCH great plans for us if we will just let Him lead us. We must deny ourselves the worldy satisfactions and be obedient to the calling He has put on our lives.
I don't know about you, but I STINK at trusting God like this. I feel like I know what's best for me and I try to manipulate the system to make it happen my way, not allowing God to lead me. It's time for this to be fixed.
What's your calling? Where is God leading you? Are you being obedient? Grab hold of His hand with all you have, He wants to take you down such an incredible path!
I'm hanging on for dear life...but actually, "For, to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21.
Hanging on,
Amanda

Faith

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:31:54 +0100

by, Mary

{Faith}

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this concept of faith, lately.

And that of {belief.}

They seem strikingly similar... if you ask me.

However I wonder just how often we might mistake these concepts, for that of {knowledge.}

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? … In the same way, faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14, 17

And so I want to start afresh. Live deeper. Know deeper. See more. And share more effectively.

{Because I believe in God.} Do you?

I'd like to challenge you with this starting point today.

I know there is a God. And you should know it too. His evidence is all around you.

And so...

Should this concept not by very definition imply that this great God be met, be known, be approached on your knees today?

I challenge you to start there with me today.

And I assure you, the blessing of living what you know daily will infiltrate every part of your life with Light.

{I know.}

Christ's Passion

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 17:44:33 +0100

I went to Shenandoah Baptist Church's Passion Play Saturday night with our teens from church. I have been in it for years and have seen it probably just as much. Yet this year it challenged me more than probably all other years combined. Once I stopped quoting and singing every word in my head, I really started to dwell on what happened that last week of Christ's life.

Jesus' teachings
1000's of people were there, some curious, some soaking it all in, some questioning, some furious. Most responding in some way to what He was saying. I think I would have been quiet and staring at Jesus; amazed at the fact THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE is HERE, close to me!! teaching ME. I would hope I would be soaking it up... We have a close relationship with Christ to where I can sit at His feet anytime I want to. Have I become desensitized by Him?? Do I truly care and LONG for what I KNOW to be true about Him??

The song 'One Life at a Time'
As I was listening, I was again staring at 'Jesus'. Jesus touches the eyes of this person, He holds the dead boy. He looks at the untouched. Yes, He also fed thousands, but He cares for individuals. He truly touched one life, and then another. Jesus cares for me as Kari, not me as just another christian. THAT amazes me!!

Jesus praying at Gethsemane
He seemed so human. He wanted to save us a different way, but He knew God's will was best even though it was difficult. What was He praying that night? He knew what was going to happen 15 minutes from then. Yes, He showed the perfect example by going to His knees instead of freaking out. He knew God was the best and only way to turn.

Judas seeking His friend Jesus out and betrays Him
This time I found myself staring at Judas as he walked toward Jesus. His nervousness over the crowds of people. He was probably thinking of all the times he had with Jesus. We don't know why Judas did it other that it seemed like selfish greed. We do know that Jesus accepted it, and STILL LOVED JUDAS. He still died on that cross for him!

Jesus beaten
He took it. He watched the scorners, He saw the people that He is dying to save spitting and furious and calling Him names. He took it all in, and still went through with it. What was He thinking? His heart was broken I'm sure of it. How could it not have? He was betrayed. People that loved and following Him for years, betrayed Him. I HATE that we treat Him like that often. :(

Jesus in heaven
HE conquered the grave. My God is a living God. Jesus went through so much torture, so that sinful me could live with Him forever. Crazy.

I know there was more I was thinking about. Those were the highlights. Jesus is so good!! :)

How Many?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:28:16 +0100

By, Kari Hunsley
So I heard a song this weekend that really spoke to me. It convicted me of the fact that God has sacrificed EVERYTHING for me and yet I don't spend my day in worship to Him. He is the only true King, I can be in complete communion with HIm... and yet I fail... Well today, like almost every day, I have to get back up and fall back in step with Him...It's not easy sometimes, but SOOOOOO worth it !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iSivQmzJ_w (Or see above)

How Many Kings By: Downhere

Follow a star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we've projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl
Just a child,
Is this who we've waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts?
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn Savior
All that we have whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for His honor and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross He'll suffer
Do you believe, is this who we've waited for?
It's who we've waited for.

How many kings do you know like that? I only know one. His name is Jesus. :)

How's That Workin For Ya?

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:10:54 +0100

Dear ~~Diary~~ ~~Blog~~ Friends...

I started blogging and then well. I stopped.

I'm sorry.

Please don't misunderstand my sorrow to be interpreted as fear that my blogging has been desperately missed. :) I apologize because as soon as I decided to Journal online well.. somethings in my life turned... not so pretty.

And that's ok. And I've been fighting and wrestling, but most of all I've been learning. And it's really ... really exciting. :)

Something I've realized often throughout the last few months is that I often find myself in the same cycles. Up, down. High, low. Same attempts. Same plans. Same lists. Same ideas.

Same results.

[Start over.]

Same attempts. Same plans. Same lists. Same ideas.

Ya feelin me?

I literally laughed out loud when I heard someone recently say that one defintion of insanity is "repeating the same behaviors and expecting different results." Oops.

I don't know about you.. but um. Some things apparently aren't workin to well for me that way.

I don't know about you, but even through my small (and sometimes circular) attempts, I sure have seen some mind-blowing glimpses of my God. And I'm so hungry for more.

I want to see more of the God who leads us to victory over any enemy. Who gives abundant life and limitless peace and joy. Who moves mountains, parts seas, and makes the lame walk. That's my God.

And He stays the same. He's already with us. He's already given us access. He's already shown us where to find the "Promised Land." And I'm afraid I may have spent some time wandering in the wilderness relearning things.

Don't get me wrong here. God has used those times to teach me more.
To take me deeper.

Praise the Lord!

Another important disclaimer: I'm NEVER suggesting that we try to shake things up and "try something new" that is outside of the bounds and guidance of Scripture. After seeing the reality of God, well, that's just crazy talk. :)

What I AM saying... is that in taking the time to step back... to simplify to what I KNOW.. has brought the strength and power of Christ into my life where my own strength and ability has run dry.

And it's far exciting, abundant, fulfilling, and victorious than anything I can do on my own.

What I AM saying is that rather than running to refer to a list, to a "way", to a method, I have learned to GO DEEPER.

And I mean that literally.

I have learned to hit my knees and wrestle with God and tell Him that I want to hear His voice. That I'm willing to stay on my knees until I know I've met with Him.

You see I don't need to run harder, move faster, or be better... I need to go deeper to the source of answers, of life, and of victory.

Because He's already there. Waiting for me to stop running in frantic circles. To hit my knees and look up... "I lift my eyes to the hills (that'd be above the valleys... by the way...) from whence cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord... the Maker of heaven and Earth!" (Psalm 121).

Here are the things that we should always keep the same. That are our CORE. The are our FOUNDATION. They are our STARTING POINT:
The things that we know about Christ Himself.
We can dig deeper into them, but we should never compromise them. We should never move them.

We should stand on them.

The Bible tells us over and over ... and over... again... that we should sing a "New Song" unto God. The God who is the same from beginning to the end. The God who we read in Hebrews is the same "yesterday today and forever". The God who Psalm 121 says "never slumbers or sleeps."

Same God.
New song.

Have you ever stopped to think of the sheer coolness that we can ALWAYS sing a NEW SONG... to the SAME GOD?!? David had a song to sing. Moses had a song to sing. Peter had a song to sing. And so do I. And it's not finished yet. I have MANY songs to sing... and I have new giants in my life. I have bigger giants in my life. And I KNOW who my God is.

I'm all in. And you can hold me to it.

I can't wait to see how God will change me. How God will reveal Himself. How God will choose to glorify Himself. And to see how He takes down the giants that are the hardest of all. Not just my circumstances that sometimes steal the focus and seem overwhelming. Nope. They'll change. They'll move. (Or.. something.) But the giants of fear. God's whooped that one outta the ball park for me when I couldn't do it myself. So many giants that we can't defeat ourselves... God is our song in the night.

Another giant for you too? Well. That's just another invitation for a miracle. Just listen for his voice.

I doubt he'll tell you to defeat a giant or feed a multitude.

He'll probably send you to the creek for some rocks or ask to borrow your lunch.
The miracle is guaranteed. So is the presence of God.

Let's just make sure that we're listening for His voice.
Love, Mary

Super Convicted

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:06:10 +0100

As I dawn yet another hormonal week (you ladies know what I mean) I feel sooo convicted. Recently it has been really tough for me to battle these crazy times. I have just been very opinionated and irritable, especially to my husband. Of corse I have been blaming it on hormones, which truly is a big part, BUT they are not to be used as an excuse.

Today I came across the chapter that tells us what true love is . . . that’s right you guessed it, I Cor. 13! Anyways in the ESV verse 5 it says, “Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” This is HARD CORE convicting and I’ve had to chew on it for a bit. I want to be love, ESPECIALLY to my husband. Our lives are measured, both by God and by people, by how we love. Love. That is my mission this week. Pray for me and for patience for my husband. J

Have an amazing day!

Love & Peace,

Katey

Staying Focused - Today

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:29:10 +0100

This month has been a huge test of being content with Christ alone.God has been reminding me every day that 'godliness with contentment is great gain' (1Timothy 6:6). The more I focus on Christ and being like Him, the more I will be content in my situations. Ultimately, being more like Christ is the only thing in this life that truly matters. I am at a church where there isn't anyone close to my age there. A lot of my free time is spent on youth activities. But God has called me to this church, just as he has called each one of us on an AMAZING mission outside of ourselves. Being a selfless servant that goes wherever God wants is hard. It will get harder as we see people around us settling in to the comfortable, routine life. My prayer is that I will truly see how being uncomfortable but in the exact spot where God wants me, is SOOO much better than coasting through life. I must stay focused on being exactly where God wants me for today... and nothing more.

Love, Kari

Fear Not

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:36:17 +0100

Hebrews 13:6 The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.

So Yesterday I spent some time looking through journal entries that I had written while I was living in Spain. I think it is very important to take time to look back at ways that God has been faithful in the past, and re-learn the important things He has taught. While I was doing this, I stumbled across a cool short study I did, and I decided I would share it with you guys.

The idea of the study was to look through the Bible and see all the times God has said “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid”. Think about it! It seems like He’s constantly saying that. SO the way I see it, God is powerful enough that if He says something once, we should listen, and if He repeats something, it is probably because we need the reminder. The point of all this was for me to study other “fear not”s in the Bible, and then make my own “Fear Not” that would remind me to trust in Him.

As I studied all the examples that I could find, God made certain things clear to me. He usually said “Fear not” first and then continued with one of 7 things: I have, I am, I will, or You have, You are, You will, or You must. (I encourage you to write these 7 short phrases down, leaving some space between each one.) The great thing to me about these 7 phrases was that I found He used phrases beginning with “I” more than twice as much as He used ones that began with “You”. Many took the form of Genesis 15:1, where God says “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” Our fear should be put away because of who God is, and who He has proven Himself to be; it doesn’t depend on who we are, our circumstances, or anything we can do for ourselves. Then in Isaiah 41:10 and 43:1-2, God adds an “I will” to the “I am” and “I have” statements. Not only can we trust in who God is, and who He has been, we can trust in His promise for our future. Now, here’s what I want you to do: Take some time in prayer and fill out what “I am”, “I have”, and “I will” you think God would say to you right now. Feel free to praise Him a lot for the way He glorifies Himself in all three of those ways.

…

Now here comes the even more personal part. There are other times where the Lord (sometimes through the voices of angels) says “Fear not” and then continues with a “you” statement. In Daniel 10:12, God continues by talking about what Daniel has done in the past. In Isaiah 43:1, God reminds Israel of who they are. And in Acts 27:24, God continues with a “you must” for Paul. There are other times when God just simply takes the time to give his children a glimpse of what they will be (Luke 1:30). God loves you. What would God say to you about who you are, what you have done, what you must do, and what does He say you will become?

I really encourage you guys to spend some time answering what God is teaching you right now in each of these 7 categories; I know it really helped me search some stuff out with God.

I love you guys!

I’m praying that this will bless you all as it did me!

Love, Betsy
--
Mis ojos están puestos siempre en el Señor, pues sólo él puede sacarme de la red. Salmo 25:15

Take a Deep Breath

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:19:50 +0100

SO here’s a thought:

Recently I have been struggling with wanting things I don’t have. This sounds like idolatry, pretty cut and dry, but honestly, it isn’t that simple. What if the things that I want are GOOD things? Some desires are sinful, but others, I would argue, are good desires, and even sometimes God-given desires. What if the things I want are things that are important, and What if they are in line with what God created me to desire? What if the thing I desire is to have a healthy, loving relationship with someone in my family? What if the thing I desire is a God-fearing husband? What if it is a baby? What if it is a safe house in which my kids can grow up? These are good things right?!?

Yes, those things are good desires, but here’s the speed bump:

Philippians 4:6- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

When I read this verse, I was instantly convicted. There’s my problem! I crossed the line from WANTING something good to being ANXIOUS about something good. Then I thought about what being anxious implies… and then I had to make an apology to God… Being anxious implies that I no longer just want a good thing, but that I want it my way and soon. In other words, it implies a lack of trust in the God who wants perfection.

Well, I feel like this is a long post, but I don’t want to leave out another conviction I had about that verse. Notice also that it says “with thanksgiving”. I was not only convicted about the anxiety that my desires reflected, but also the lack of gratefulness my prayer life has had recently. God has given me so much, and I need to always be mindful of that.

So, in conclusion to my lengthy post, take a deep breath and then feel free to let it out in a sigh of relief. Remind yourself to not be anxious, to trust God (who made you, loves you, and has a plan), and finally, to be thankful! I know that reminder was much needed in my life today!

Love you guys! Keep growing!

Betsy

Conviction Alert!

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:15:14 +0100

I'm just getting back to school after having an incredible weekend! I went up to Snowbird the Christian Youth camp I worked at this past summer) and worked a winter ski retreat! It was so awesome getting to reconnect with the amazing staff that works up there year round and working with my home church who had came up for camp! I'm so thankful for the Snowbird family who always welcomes with open arms and my church from home that continues loving me from a miles away while I'm away at school! There were such great times of worship, fellowship, and messages throughout the weekend!

There were many AWESOME messages, but the one that really struck me the most was about "Idols."

I have never really taken the time to think about what I have in my life that may be an idol. The definition he gave us for an idol was, "anything you love and pursue in place of God. Something other than God that we set our heart on, that we pursue and serve." and also "something that we spend more TIME pursuing than our Savior."

OUCH! I don't know about you guys, but there are many things in my life that I spend more time pursuing then Jesus. I felt so convicted as I sat down with my small group of girls that I was leading and talked to them about what kind of "idols" they had in their life. Almost EVERY ONE of the "idols" these girls mentioned were a problem for me as well...

Computer
Facebook
Cell Phone
Friends
Food
Family
Shopping(not really a problem for me...not really a shopaholic!)
Sports
School

(Don't get me wrong, these aren't bad things. The problem arises when these things are pursued ABOVE Christ.)

I pursue so many of these things above my relationship with the Lord. I don't feel like I cherish them more, or I love them more, but the time I spend pursuing these things TOTALLY exceeds my time spent pursuing Jesus.

This is a problem. Most people don't spend their time doing things they dislike...they spend their time doing things they LOVE! By the looks of how much time I spend pursuing each of these things, it would seem as though my love for these earthly things is greater than my love for my Savior.

I walked up to the prayer chapel a little bit after this and the first verse I see on the wall is this, "15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:15-16

I'm not to love the things of this world. They are going to perish away!!! The only thing I have to hold to for eternity is my RELATIONSHIP with the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, MY JESUS!

So, in conclusion, I have lots of changes to make in my life. There are many times slots that need to be filled with my pursuit of Christ, NOT the things that so often grab my attention.

Now it's your turn. What are idols in your life that are competing with your time for your Savior? How do we put these things to death?

I'm SO thankful for my INCREDIBLE Jesus, who shows grace and love regardless of how much we show towards him!

Much Love,
Amanda