something borrowed.

 

I read a blog today from neue ministry that stood out to me and  really inspired change in my own life.  I thought I’d share the insights.

 

 

 

“You and every person on the planet desire the same things: love, peace, freedom, fulfillment, purpose, worth and contentment. You and every person on the planet are currently seeking these things in one way or another. Some people seek love through sex, freedom through financial independence, worth through physical appearance and peace through an endless number of ways of escape. Then there are those who seek these things by accomplishing some huge thing for God. Either way, you are depending on the wrong source for your foundational spiritual needs, and it will lead to suffering.

The underlying problem of all the above motivations is that they are tuning in to the wrong frequency to fulfill what you most deeply want in life. Jesus laid out all the essential truth when He said, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” First, Jesus identified the only source for abundant life: the “Kingdom of God.” Then He showed us its location: “within.” Jesus’ point is not that spiritual reality is like a magic ball floating somewhere inside our human body. He’s saying that the frequency for love, peace, freedom and contentment is an immaterial and invisible transmission that exists in an eternal dimension. Jesus wanted people to be aware of this dimension, and to tap into it through an inner awareness, knowing or feeling.

Let’s break this down practically. What is the “Kingdom of God” within you? The “Kingdom of God” within you is the continuous flow of spiritual abundance—love, peace, contentment, freedom, life, worth, beauty, compassion, creativity and fulfillment. None of these attributes are dependent upon circumstances, accomplishments, things, people or anything else outside of you. The source of spiritual abundance is on another frequency—a frequency, by the way, you can tune in to if you choose to. We each have free will to participate in the present reality of the Kingdom of God.

You can be content even if your latest efforts as an innovative leader go nowhere, because your source of contentment is not dependent upon the outcomes of your ministry. You can be at peace if your team abandons you, because your source of peace is not tied to how other people respond. You can live in joyful freedom even if your impact is never recognized, because your source of worth and identity doesn’t fluctuate with the size of your results.

The Kingdom of God within you and you choosing that Kingdom makes “staying inspired” a way of life. An uninspired life or ministry is symptomatic of tuning in to the wrong frequency for the spiritual resources necessary to live and lead with love, wisdom, creativity, compassion and determination.”

-Jim Palmer

To read the whole blog on staying inspired in life and ministry; http://www.neueministry.com/2009/06/staying-inspired/

rain.

i love the rain.

there is something about it that is so calming.

for some reason on rainy days I can’t help but stop and realize that I need to take some time for myself.

maybe its the sound it makes, or the fact that the wet and cold make me want to lay around in a warm blanket and do absolutely nothing. 

the rain reminds me that no matter how busy I am and how many things are on my to do list somehow I need to slow down and pace myself.

the rain brings renewal, refreshment, rejuvenation and calm in the midst of chaos.

take the time on this rainy day to pause and reflect.

relax, recuperate and remember the refreshment the rain brings.  

pick and choose.

 

I am notorious for being a picker… just let me explain that. One of my worst habits is picking out all of the “good stuff” from cereal and trail mix. My family hates me for it because I will be the first one to open a new granola cereal, just to pick out the big pieces of granola.  I do the same thing for trail mix…I will first pick out the chocolate pieces, then the yogurt covered pieces and then work my way down from the best dried fruits and then leave all the nasty stuff in the bag.  Although everyone probably takes this approach in food picking, I believe that I really am the worst.  

 

                                 Life is kinda like a big bag of trail mix.

When eating my trail mix, I always start with the best tasting elements (the chocolate and yogurt covered raisins to be exact) work my way to the next best thing (banana chips and pineapple) and then just leave the gross stuff in the bag (like the almonds and dates). I then realized that often times I only want to pick out the “good stuff” in life.  If I had my choice I would only experience the good times where I didn’t have a care in the world and life was just plain enjoyable.   

The funny thing is that while we eat all the “good stuff” first, thats the stuff that provides little to no nutritional value.  Yeah chocolate is one of the best things in the entire world, but if we all just ate chocolate all the time we would probably not be in the best of shape or best of health.  It’s the somewhat “nasty stuff” that does provide us with the nutrients to grow and make us healthier.  Take that into life..while we all want just the good things to happen to us, those good times provide little to no growth in us, they don’t challenge us, make us stronger or allow us to gain new insights.  The bad moments in life, the moments that we would rather “leave in the bag” are the times that allow us to learn, grow and mature.  

Many people wonder why God “gives” us bad times in life and struggles that literally knock the wind out of us..but has anyone stopped to think that these times are actually better for us than the good times? That in those moments of struggle, we can actually be gaining more insight than we could from any good moment in our entire life?  While we should enjoy the good times in life, we should also be aware that the toughest moments are often where the lasting nutritional value is found.  

the grass is always greener…

 “The grass is always greener on the other side. The truth is, the grass is greener where it’s watered. So start watering your own grass.” - Doug Fields

We exert so much energy every day comparing ourselves to other people….we want what others have and we want to be what others are.  Jealousy often consumes us in this pride driven world where bigger is better and happiness is often bought with a pretty hefty pricetag.  

But why can’t we be content with the things that we have, the way that we are and the way that we look?  Instead of playing this whole comparison game, we should use our energy effectively, use it to better ourselves.  Focus less on comparing and focus more on self improvement, being the best you that you can be.  Time is ticking away…are you wasting time looking to be something you’re not or getting the newest and greatest thing…or are you going to invest in yourself and improve what you already have? 

Like he says…start watering your own grass.

 

 

11.02.09 can’t you come any sooner!?

 

Funny thing…I go from insightful thought provoking blog entries to this. But I can’t help myself! I’m just too excited!! 

11.20.09- The sequel to Twilight, New Moon, comes to theatres.  How can you not be excited?!?! The only thing wrong with this picture is that this book/movie is the hardest one to get through, as the trailer sort of hints at…(if you read the book you know what I’m talking about!)   Also just to comment on the whole Jacob vs. Edward thing..come on now, they are both gorgeous, you really can’t choose between the two!  But really…we all know who really wins out in the end…

Be Nice.

Do we ever really take the time to think about what we are saying or doing? In my attempts to be a more optimistic person, I’m becoming increasingly aware of the negative things that I say.   

Seriously, thinking through the day, how often do you find yourself saying something negative or acting in a negative way?  The funniest thing to me is when I’m in my car listening to Hillsong worship music, praising and singing, but then someone will come out of no where and cut me off, where I then proceed to yell at them and probably shoot them a look or honk my horn.  Now that probably isn’t the best example of Christian behavior, but you have to admit that there are times when we all act like that. (and I also have to admit that these sort of occurances are becoming less frequent!)  Negativity sneaks in our lives in the littlest ways, and if gone unnoticed can have a major impact on our lives.  So that is where this whole “Be Nice” idea comes in.  I think we should all examine our lives and our everyday actions.  Take the time to think about what you are saying and doing, and label your actions as positive or negative.  Although the negativity will slip in there once and awhile..challenge yourself to be positive…strive to Be Nice…you don’t know how much a simple smile or encouraging compliment may impact another person’s life!

heart ache.

Heart ache; there are two kinds: the kind that sparks passion in you and the kind that puts out your passion.  I’ve got both.

My heart aches to be whole again, to sum it up quite clearly.  I’ve had this ache inside of me for months, lingering and building to what it is now.  I’ve experienced my fair share of “heart break”, but this isn’t what I’m referring to.  I’m talking about the sort of heart ache that leaves you gasping for air and drowning in loneliness.  My choice of “relationships” has left me with scars that cause me to question my own worth and value.  I question whether or not I am really worth a fight, whether I am ever going to be good enough or if I am really that “great catch” that people try to convince me I am.  How could I not feel this ache inside when time after time I have only been proven that the only thing I’m good for is a quick drop to the side. And in that case… I wonder if I’m too nice, or if I just plain easy to walk all over.  I’m drowning in these kinds of thoughts, longing to know why this keeps happening to me and why I even bother to keep hope in finding a worthwhile relationship.  Am I worth it…am I valuable…Will I ever mean anything to anyone, ever…

..but then it hits me…another ache…but this time its different.

God.  He’s all I need, all I want.  Its not that I had forgotten Him standing there right beside me all these months, but I kept hoping that my happiness and my aching heart would be cured by another relationship.  A new relationship to cure the heartbreak from an old relationship..makes sense, right? (um..no, in the end more heart ache is bound to occur) I put God off to the side not truly believing that my entire happiness could be filled by just Him or that He could take away these new fears and questions that I was facing.  But somehow now my heart is aching to know Him completely and experience Him as I never have before.  I realized that He is the only one that will never “drop me to the side” or leave me with scars to be healed.  In fact, He is the only one that can fix my scars, save me from my drowning and allow me to breathe again.  As I take him in I begin to feel whole again and something greater than anything I’ve ever experienced.  Not only an ache for God, but for his children; to show them His Love.  This ache has sparked my passion.  As my “bad” heart ache is being filled by God, He is allowing me to experience a new ache..the ache that He feels for his people.   God longs for us to love others the way that he loves us; unconditionally and unselfishly.  I can feel with every bone in my body and every inch of my being this DESIRE to be his HANDS, his FEET, his LOVE.  I am overwhelmed by how much this passion has taken hold of me and how easily it has taken root in my heart.  I live now for God. I live to fill the passion that’s growing inside of me and to act upon this ache that consumes me.  While the ache is still there, the reason is changed, transformed and renewed.  Through Christ I have found my purpose and my drive; my ultimate heart’s fulfillment.

So these aches and pains of mine have been transformed.  It’s funny, even if my scars still exist years from now, I can still rest assured knowing that God is at work in me, giving me new and more uplifting aches to live for.  He can change the aches in your heart…His HEART will change your heart and His LOVE will change your love…if you only let him prove it to you.

we’re all going to go through aches in life. what are you aching for?

Its like a sneeze reflex…

I have a major problem with the phrase, “I’ll be praying for you.”  Its not that its not wonderful and hopeful and supportive, but I often see it as a letdown and another empty promise.  Now, there are many Christians who do pray for people when they say they are going to, but I bet that most don’t.  I admit, I’m guilty here, but isn’t everyone? My problem lies in the fact that “I’ll be praying for you” has become the Christian fall back phrase, like when you hear someone sneeze, you say “God Bless You”..well, when we hear about someone’s problem we say “I’ll be praying for you.”  Its like the heart has been taken out of prayer and we just go through the motions, its pure habit.

I think that we need to start really praying… and not just praying…but praying BIG…expecting something bigger of ourselves, the world around us and our lives!  God wants the best for us and he says that if we ask we will receive, so WHY AREN’T WE ASKING?

I’m challenging myself to start praying now. Not later. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Now. When someone has a problem or is facing a huge life circumstance, don’t you think that it would be so much more powerful for you to say “lets pray now” instead of “I’ll be praying for you”? Don’t you think that they will feel so much more loved and encouraged when you come together in that moment to ask God to be working in their life? (No excuses here of not having time…prayer doesn’t have to be long…1 minute will do, and 60 seconds won’t break your day!) As Christians we need to start building each other up, coming together and showing LOVE and ENCOURAGEMENT! Prayer is the perfect way to do that! And while we’re at it…we shouldn’t just pray the “Lord if you just…” prayers…pray the “Lord make this big” prayers.  Pray in the moment and expect something more from God than “just” what you need.

Lets break the “sneeze reflex” response and just do it now.

Unexpected Inspiration.

I feel like this semester I have been given the greatest opportunity that I could have ever hoped to have, to work as an intern through my Youth Ministry at my church.  I am so excited to be “a part of the action”, especially since it has been on my “wish list” since I was a sophomore in high school! Its so crazy to think that I am actually doing it, right now. 

This upcoming Wednesday is a huge marker in my life…I will be giving my first message ever to middle schoolers! This month is the whole “love, sex and dating” theme, or as we are calling it “Lovebug”.  I was so nervous to come up with something to say to these pre-teens, especially about the topic of dating.  I have been praying about what I could possibly tell these students that I really believed to be true about the whole idea of relationships at their age.  Currently I am reading the book, Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley (which I highly recommend for anyone in ministry, it’s an incredible book).  But Stanley talks about how inspiration can come from anywhere and it will just hit you out of nowhere.  Turning this concept into action, I opened my ears and my eyes to look for what God had planned for my message. 

It all hit me in the weirdest of places…I was putting my sneakers on, getting ready to run on my treadmill, while my mom had the tv on and suddenly a yellowbook commercial came on.  (As shown below) It hit me right then and there! My first message idea! So here it goes… 

“Everyone is looking for relationships, but really are searching for acceptance.” (Get the tie in from the commercial!?) Every student/girl/boy/person is looking for acceptance, and unfortunately we all search for it in dating.  We want someone to know us inside and out, and still accept and love every piece of us.  But the thing is, no one can love us and accept us like God can.  He knows everything about us (the good, the bad and the incredibly embarrassing…)and yet still loves us unconditionally, its absolutely incredible when you take the time to think about it.  It even says in Psalm 139: 1-4, 13-14,

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely…For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

God is the only one that will ever search us fully and know every single thing about us…even the words that we have yet to speak and still accept us.  No man, woman, girl or boy can ever promise to always and forever UNCONDITIONALLY love us, that is a promise that only the King of Kings can make.

And so I say again, “Everyone is looking for relationships, but what they are really searching for is acceptance.”

Now that is something that I can speak from my heart.

 

the reality of death.

So I think that it is pretty sad that my first official blog entry is about death, but what can I say, it has been on my mind.  Everyone has heard about the unfortunate plane crash that happened last week, but does anyone know about the death of a Muslim woman, Aasiya, last Thursday?  In short, Aasiya was brutally murdered by her husband in their family’s radio studio right down the street from where I live. But this woman wasn’t just any women, she used to own the 7-11 near my house, which my mom and I were frequent customers of for their coffee.  We spent so much time talking with her and her absolutely beautiful children.  She was no doubt one of the kindest women that I have ever met with the sweetest children you could ever hope to meet.  When I heard that her husband brutally murdered her, I literally sat in my car with my mouth open staring into space.  Shock would be the closest thing to describe my state, but somehow doesn’t speak for the true intensity of it. My first thoughts, how could someone do that to the person that they committed to love for their entire life!? Although they were getting a divorce, what could seriously be going on in a person’s head to give them the realistic thought to kill someone…I just don’t get it!

Yesterday, on the way to Holiday Valley to do some snowboarding, I was admiring the beautiful scenery that God had made for us to enjoy and it hit me out of no where..Aasiya was Muslim, not Christian, therefore not saved, therefore, this kind woman who had her life taken from her was quite possibly in Hell.  This epiphany made me rethink my whole concept of Heaven and Hell.  Now, I still believe that there are such places, obviously, because we need the saving Grace of Jesus Christ to redeem us and allow us to enter Heaven, but how can such a kind person go to Hell?  Its like the Catholic belief that all you have to do is be good to go to Heaven, your good actions will make up for the wrongs that you do and your sinful nature.  But I don’t believe that…I never have…so now in the midst of this horrible situation, I have such a hard time accepting that Aasiya is in Hell.  I’m in a place of contradicting thoughts, on one side I firmly and unchangingly believe that we all need Jesus Christ’s for our salvation, but on the other hand, how can genuinely good people go to such a horrid and evil place as Hell?  What if they never had the opportunity to be saved? Or what if they were brought up with another religion that was forced upon them? So then to bring the issue home…how far as a Christian do I go to witness to those around me.  The Bible teaches us to love one another and accept one another, but how can we let those we love and care for continue to live lives without Christ? How do we balance loving acceptance with the saving message of Jesus Christ? 

Wow, there is so much here to think about and so much to really take into consideration.  What do you guys think about all of this?  What have you adopted as your “balancing plan”, if you have one?