Embracing Smallness

I'm reading this book called "i am not but i know I AM" by Louie Giglio. Its radically transformed the way I think, the way I see myself and God, and ultimately the way I live. Its about living with the heart knowledge the you are not, and God IS I AM. HE is everything! You are nothing, a little tiny microscopic human being! God doesnt need us, but He chooses to use us and dwell inside of us! Thats the amazing thing. He says, "Humility is the instant sightsizing of me that occusr with just one eyeful of His majesty. True humility (not the false kind that ends up being about us at the end of the day) is not a sign of weakness, failure, or inability, but rather a sign that we are getting to know God and have glimpsed His glory. And once we see how glorious His glory is, we realize that all other glory is futile and fading, and totally inconsequential in the grand scheme of things." Then... "When you get right down to it, trading in the little story of me is not really all that big of a sacrifice at all. Who wouldn't want to abandon a script you could fit on the pointed end of a pin for a chance to get in on the glorious epic that is so enduring that its screening will require all of eternity. Glimpsing His glory makes me want to say, "YOur name and renown are the desire of my soul." Seeing His true fame makes me want to live for a bigger purpose, doing everything I do in such a way as to shine the spotlight on Him." In feeling small we get a glimpse of His glory. When you abandon the story of me and join in on HIS-story, its so much greater than anything you could ever imagine. When we are small, He can become BIG in our lives and His power big in our hearts. I challange you to seek Him out and look for how BIG HE is and how small you really are. Remember everythime pride tries to get in your heart that you are a miniscule little person, and GOD IS GOD, THE GREAT I AM! MASSIVE! HUGE! LIve small, embrace your smallness and shine the spotlight on the King.

Amazing Story!

SO last week at _Tag (the high school group at New Life), at the very end when we were about to dismiss, one of our pastors came up and told us about a situation and we needed to pray. A family of a _Tag student, the father had backed into their 19 month old daughter with his truck, he didnt know she was there. Well we stretched our hands towards the city and prayed heaven down, not knowing much. Well they did all these tests, CAT scans, MRI's, and said that the girl was non-responsive and basically dead, she wasn't going to make it. Her body was crushed, destroyed. The doctor said that around 9:05 she woke up and started responding. That was the time we prayed at _tag. The next morning she woke up, and all she had was one cracked rib. She went from having a completely crushed and broken body to having one cracked rib. Isnt that amazing? The doctor told them, "I am a man of science, I go by the books...but this is nothing short of a miracle." Wow. Why doesnt this happen more? Where is the authority to lay hands on the sicj and see them healed, to see life come back into dead bodies? Jesus said all authority on heaven and earth was given to Him, then He gave it to us. Not everything is God's will, but everything can be turned around to give glory to His name. Have faith, believe, and miracles will happen.

Hey friends!

Hello friends! Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but I have been uber busy with life! Heres the scoop: First of all, I got a job! I blame my sister, Mel, for getting me the job cause she made me apply and told me about her experience as a caddy. Yes, I am a caddy at Safeway, its lame and quite pathetic...but I love my job! It fun, most of the time. Lol. Next, I graduated high school! I was uncontrollably excited that night when I was at church, I was freaking out and screaming and dancing around the theatre. tee hee. it was fun. I feel so old at my high school group now, I'm a college student now. AH!!! Thats even scary to say. I was really freaking out about the future, but God has given me peace...even though I dont know what is coming, He does and I trust Him. My best friend Aly has been in Africa for the past two weeks and I have been trying not to go crazy not being able to talk to her. She comes home tonight and I am so incredibly excited! I need an Aly hug so much! Me, her, and Mariah are best friends...we even call ourselves sisters or "tripelets". MAriah and I werent getting along for the time she's been in africa, and she wouldnt talk to me...but I sent her a confrentational text and all is good now! =) I got a 8gb Zune mp3 player for my graduation present, its sweet! I have all my music on it and its pretty great! I'm listening to...you guessed it Mel...Josh Turner, Your Man! He's gorgeous, and He loves Jesus which makes him more hott! Well thats whats going on with me. Some mo all I got right now. Some more serious posts will follow soon, I will be posting on my days off...promise. Much love, God bless! =)

Thoughts- -Love of God or the World?

1 John 2:15-17
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For 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. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Man cannot be in love with the world and be in love with God at the same time. You cannot love two things that are in opposition with each other. If you love the one, then the only other option is to be an enemy of the other. The love of one will make the other to be put in second place adn in a role of less importance. So man is left with a choice to make. Will he choose the most incredible love and grace that is too much for him to even imagine; or will he choose to live a life of sin and distance from the God who loves him to have some short-lived "fun"? Man's life must be transformed so that he may be holy and pleasing before God. If he lives a life that is of the world, his life is faulty, adn void of any meaning or purpose at all. He has not found a life that has been planned out for him since before the dawn of creation, the life that is better that anything he could plan out on his own. The man that lives for himself will boast about his accomplishments, his strengths and what he has done- out of his own pride. The man that lives his life before God, in surrender, brokeness and humility will boast about what the Lord has done in him and what the Lord has so graciously allowed him to be used to do, the surrendered man longs to bring glory to the name of Jesus, and not of his own. When a man can be used to bring glory to the name of Jesus, to expand the Kingdom of heaven- then his life is of more value and honor than the man who is well known in the eyes of men for his own talents and what he has done on earth. You're given gifts and talents so that you may respond to Jesus and use them to His glory. Those gifts and talents that God gave us are totally meaningless if not used for His work. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of the Lord lives forever.

Thoughts on Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61:1-3
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor."

In effect, what He is describing is the human condition and the need of every man- which is to be fulfilled by Jesus. Every man is in someway poor. We all experience brokeness of heart, we all at one point in our lives are captive to something; every human being without Jesus is a prisoner to sin and the flesh and living in darkness. We all grieve, mourn, have shame and guilt that needs to be erased and healed. Man is desperate for an answer to their problems, and the answer is Jesus- He is the only answer, the only way. This passage is about healing- mentally, emotionally, and well as spiritually and physically. When we come into contact with Jesus a great exchange takes place in the Spirit realm. He gives us everything He has and is- and we are supposed to give Him not only everything we are, but even what we are not. He takes our weakness and gives us strength. We give Him our sin, and He gives us His righteousness. He is willing to give us beauty for ashes, but we must be willing to give up our ashes. We cannot live in the past and press into the future at the same time. Isaiah 61 is a prophesy that was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and was later fulfilled in Jesus. In Luke 4:21, it says, "Today this scripture is fulfulled in your hearing." To fulfill is to make something complete, finished, done with. All of these things were completed and fulfilled by Jesus. No longer is there any reason for us to live in fear, captivity, anxiety or shame- the work of Jesus is done, forever and always. We can live in the fulness of God's love and heart. To live in His favor means that He will bless you even though you do not deserve it, if you put your faith in Him. God wants us to enjoy life and live in His abundance. With His favor, we will walk in right standing before God and men. His people will be symbols "oaks" of strength and righteousness. Standing firm, and planted by God to display His glory.

Whooo!!!

I have recently developed a mild obsession with country music, its pretty great! I have a bunch of it on my playlist at the bottom of this page, you should have a listen!