All Things New

Thanksgiving was last week, so it almost seems like this post is a bit late. But really, thankfulness is becoming a theme of my life lately, so why limit it to a single holiday? I am thankful for so much, but there are a few things that are really on my heart... I am thankful for the generosity of the people around me. I have been overwhelmed by the giving nature of some people I know. There are those who give financially - many have supported me in raising funds for my trip overseas this Christmas. They have given without hesitation. And what's even cooler is that they are giving how God leads; for example, one of my friends wrote out a check for an amount that he felt God was leading him to give. It ended up being almost exactly what I needed to meet a certain goal. Not a coincidence. Then there are those who give their time. And for me, time is almost just as valuable as money. I have friends that continually make time for me in their busy lives or let me pop into their live...

I've been going through Romans recently with my friend Chelsae, and the past 2 weeks we've been studying one of my favorite chapters -- Romans 8. There is so much truth and hope in that passage, so I was excited when we finally got to it. I've always clung to verse 28, loving that fact that God promises that He is working things for good . But this time, it was the verses preceding it that encouraged me in a big way.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For  we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is  the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27 How incredible is that? We know that believers in Christ have been given the Spirit, but we often don't think about what it actually means. The Spirit is interceding on our behalf. That's amazing...

Have you ever become frustrated with superficial conversation? How many times have you spent an entire day at work, school, or with family and friends and never got below the surface? Or perhaps an entire week, or even months?  It's so normal to live a surface life, maybe because it's so safe and easy. What do I mean by surface life? Well, for me, many times it looks like this: Spend a day in class --> talk to classmates, but really only about projects and papers, how crazy the professor is, and maybe what we are going to do over the weekend.  Go to work --> talk to coworkers about crazy job situations, class, the weather (earthquakes!), and the usual "When are you graduating/what's your major/where are you from" questions.  Head home --> hang out with roommates, talking about the busyness of the day, the homework you should be doing, the movie you watched last night, when you are going grocery shopping, etc. Time with friends --> talk about sch...

Today at church, my pastor talked about the perfection of God's timing. In Mark 5, Jesus delays on the way to see Jarius's very sick daughter. Jesus is "late", and the girl dies. However, Jesus gives Jarius way more than he bargains for and resurrects his daughter. Even though things didn't happen the way Jarius planned or on his schedule, I'm sure his faith was incredibly strengthened by seeing what Jesus did. Jesus was right on time; He knew exactly what He was doing.  We all know that 1000 years are as a day with Christ, and that His ways are not our ways. But we still very much struggle in trusting His timing. Why is that? It could be that we simply don't trust that God is good and will do what He says He will. It could be an issue of control or fear. Or it could be that we simply can't see God's greater purpose and bigger picture. So what do we do during those times that we can't see the bigger picture, when we don't know or can...

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 root 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. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:7-10 My heart is sick, and it is definitely deceitful. It elevates my pride or lowers my self-esteem. Many times, my emotions trick my head into believing a lie. Or often, my heart refuses to listen to reason. And even sometimes, my heart flip-flops back and forth between different things or chases things I know are harmful or that I really don't want. I certainly don't understand my heart; I don't understand why it lets my desires for other things outweigh my desires fo...

A few months ago, I wrote this when I was trying to understand how to trust God even when my plans were dissolving and my desires weren't being met. I wanted to understand why God was doing what He was doing, but was frustrated that He wasn't revealing that to me. I needed to see that He had something planned for my life and that He was the only person worth following. Although I'm growing in how to trust, it's still a long process. Even though I wrote this a while back, I found it in my journal and it's a big encouragement (and challenge) to me this week.  Between my desires and my plans, there is trust.   Trust in You. Trust that You have plans for me. Trust that Your ways are not my own. Trust that You are good. Trust that I am already loved.  My heart fails me. I work so hard to trust You. I work. Instead of letting You. I don't always understand. I don't always want to let go. I don't always see clearly.   But what does that matter?  You are...

My last post " Give Them Jesus " was a bit intense. I realize that I spent a lot of time telling about how not to respond to people. I did mention that Jesus is what people need, but I don't think I expounded enough on that truth! The reason we don't have to have all the answers or have the ability to "fix" someone is because Jesus has already done that. The song "Take Heart" by Hillsong has a line that says, " In death by love, the fallen world was overcome - He wears the scars of our freedom. " I absolutely love that line. We are free because of Christ's death! He has overcome all of our failures, fears, insecurities, and sins. That is why we need to give people Jesus. We need to understand that even though we are incapable of fixing a person or giving them what they need, Jesus has already died for them and has made things right. And sure, it's great to encourage someone, pray with them, and even give them Spirit-led advice. ...