is the name of God the sound of breathing?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4657662595934098105#
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
redemption
God has been reminding me how dysfunctional this life is without Him.
nothing we do works. it is a broken shadow of what it could- what it should be.
and we are aching for redemption. which can only come from Him.
nothing we do works. it is a broken shadow of what it could- what it should be.
and we are aching for redemption. which can only come from Him.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
"Agape doesn’t love somebody because they’re worthy.
Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love.
Agape doesn’t love somebody because they’re beautiful.
Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.”
-Rob Bell
This is the love we are shown and the love that we should strive to convey to the world.
Agape makes them worthy by the strength and power of its love.
Agape doesn’t love somebody because they’re beautiful.
Agape loves in such a way that it makes them beautiful.”
-Rob Bell
This is the love we are shown and the love that we should strive to convey to the world.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
youth
i am home. the mission trip was awesome. a lot of the time on youth trips i didn't leave feeling like we'd really helped someone so much as just wasted a lot of time hammering or doing whatever else they put in front of us. but this year we got to work for a family, CJ and Faye, and we got to understand their lives and their struggles a little. we got to know that we were building a wheel chair ramp that they desperately needed. and when our contractor wasn't there and we painted Faye's lawn gnomes, even that felt meaningful. Faye cried when she saw them she loved them so much. we connected with them and gave what we could, honestly and earnestly, and it was undoubtably God's work. it was the church working like it should, which gives me indescribable hope.
and to be on the other side of the trip was so incredible. we have thirsty youth- youth that recognize that there is something huge and magnificent to this God thing. youth that are learning about God's glory and their purpose in making His name famous throughout this earth. and watching them start to stagger toward a waiting and loving savior and knowing that someday they will see Him clearer and learn to run toward Him was perfect. i got to witness a lot of spiritual and emotional healing and was able to pray with so many people, God totally spoiled me on the last night.
the only discouraging part of the trip was coming home and realizing that we live in a world that does not live to enjoy God and bring Him glory. looking at the parents gathered in the parking lot, i knew that most of the kids that had so clearly witnessed the glory of God and heard His precious voice, would not be going home to a family that was sold out for Christ. that they would not be asked by their parents to describe how God had moved, or how their faith journey had changed because of their week. this was disheartening to say the least. these kids are so hungry for God, but they need spiritual leadership, and the knowledge that their parents are not spiritually mature enough to offer that is disappointing. we have church members, what we need is more disciples. because without disciples showing the way, we can only expect youth that attend church, instead of youth that have surrendered their lives to proclaiming the glory of God. and that's the kind of youth i want in this world.
and to be on the other side of the trip was so incredible. we have thirsty youth- youth that recognize that there is something huge and magnificent to this God thing. youth that are learning about God's glory and their purpose in making His name famous throughout this earth. and watching them start to stagger toward a waiting and loving savior and knowing that someday they will see Him clearer and learn to run toward Him was perfect. i got to witness a lot of spiritual and emotional healing and was able to pray with so many people, God totally spoiled me on the last night.
the only discouraging part of the trip was coming home and realizing that we live in a world that does not live to enjoy God and bring Him glory. looking at the parents gathered in the parking lot, i knew that most of the kids that had so clearly witnessed the glory of God and heard His precious voice, would not be going home to a family that was sold out for Christ. that they would not be asked by their parents to describe how God had moved, or how their faith journey had changed because of their week. this was disheartening to say the least. these kids are so hungry for God, but they need spiritual leadership, and the knowledge that their parents are not spiritually mature enough to offer that is disappointing. we have church members, what we need is more disciples. because without disciples showing the way, we can only expect youth that attend church, instead of youth that have surrendered their lives to proclaiming the glory of God. and that's the kind of youth i want in this world.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
a prayer
my prayer for the church is that we would seek God relentlessly, the way He seeks us.
that we would rejoice at the opportunity to praise Him, be it for 15 minutes or 20 hours.
that we would pray long and pray hard, fortified by our glorious God.
that we would open ourselves up to and expect miracles.
that we would not hide from the glory of God, but that we would seek it with our lives.
that this world would not be enough- that nothing would compare to Him.
that we would blush at the sound of His name, thrilled by the mention of our lover.
that His kingdom and life with Him would be IT. our reason for living, our everything, and that we would live like that is true.
that we would rejoice at the opportunity to praise Him, be it for 15 minutes or 20 hours.
that we would pray long and pray hard, fortified by our glorious God.
that we would open ourselves up to and expect miracles.
that we would not hide from the glory of God, but that we would seek it with our lives.
that this world would not be enough- that nothing would compare to Him.
that we would blush at the sound of His name, thrilled by the mention of our lover.
that His kingdom and life with Him would be IT. our reason for living, our everything, and that we would live like that is true.
let's grow up christians.
“I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.”
Hebrews 5:11-14 The Message
the Christian community is soft. we let each other off the hook all the time. we ask little of ourselves and ask little of each other and end up asking little of God. this habit we have gotten into of complacency and belittling needs to stop. we can not see God’s glory if we’re telling him to be quiet. we can not trust in his sovereignty and live as we were created to, trusting completely in him, if we’re too busy worrying about our financial security. the word radical means the root- we need to get back to the root of the early church and the root of God’s plan for us- we need to get more radical. we need to break the box we have put around God and we need to grow up and to start asking Him to raise our expectations- to blow them through the roof! then we can be sure that He will be faithful and we can live lives basking in the full glory of God instead of in the glory of our TV sets and IRAs.
Hebrews 5:11-14 The Message
the Christian community is soft. we let each other off the hook all the time. we ask little of ourselves and ask little of each other and end up asking little of God. this habit we have gotten into of complacency and belittling needs to stop. we can not see God’s glory if we’re telling him to be quiet. we can not trust in his sovereignty and live as we were created to, trusting completely in him, if we’re too busy worrying about our financial security. the word radical means the root- we need to get back to the root of the early church and the root of God’s plan for us- we need to get more radical. we need to break the box we have put around God and we need to grow up and to start asking Him to raise our expectations- to blow them through the roof! then we can be sure that He will be faithful and we can live lives basking in the full glory of God instead of in the glory of our TV sets and IRAs.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
God Speaks To Each Of Us
God speaks to each of us before we are,
Before he’s formed us — then, in cloudy speech,
But only then, he speaks these words to each
And silently walks with us from the dark:
Driven by your senses, dare
To the edge of longing. Grow
Like a fire’s shadowcasting glare
Behind assembled things, so you can spread
Their shapes on me as clothes.
Don’t leave me bare.
Let it all happen to you: beauty and dread.
Simply go — no feeling is too much —
And only this way can we stay in touch.
Near here is the land
That they call Life.
You’ll know when you arrive
By how real it is.
Give me your hand.
Rainer Maria Rilke
i recognize my immense flaws in the representation of grace and in my stewardship of God's love, but just so you know,
you matter to God. and you matter to me.
i am always here to help.
Before he’s formed us — then, in cloudy speech,
But only then, he speaks these words to each
And silently walks with us from the dark:
Driven by your senses, dare
To the edge of longing. Grow
Like a fire’s shadowcasting glare
Behind assembled things, so you can spread
Their shapes on me as clothes.
Don’t leave me bare.
Let it all happen to you: beauty and dread.
Simply go — no feeling is too much —
And only this way can we stay in touch.
Near here is the land
That they call Life.
You’ll know when you arrive
By how real it is.
Give me your hand.
Rainer Maria Rilke
i recognize my immense flaws in the representation of grace and in my stewardship of God's love, but just so you know,
you matter to God. and you matter to me.
i am always here to help.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
quotes and zooey deschanel
"my addictions and worries and regrets and shame are not just "bad", they are identity crises. who i am is love, who i am is Christ."
in other news,
this is so cute.
in other news,
this is so cute.
you remind me
there is so much more than what I have seen.
http://www.mediafire.com/?m0yjzmkdkgt
i am so excited for the rest of my life, for the people i will meet, the places i will go, the person i will become.
HELL YEAH GIRLS!
i am a very firm believer in the power and necessity of women to create social change. check this out.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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