Remember, remember

Hey y'all! Today I'm writing from the beautiful city of Stillwater, Oklahoma, where I'm visiting my amazing younger sister. So far I'm having a great time, but I didn't want to forget about this because I wanted to share some thoughts about what I've learned this week!

On Tuesday nights at Vintage, we are watching a video series on the Christian worldview called The Truth Project. You should check it out if you can, because it's really good! I've learned so much and I haven't even been able to see all of them. So there's my plug for the Truth Project.

This past Tuesday, we learned about History. In high school, I loved history (I even considered being a history teacher, but instead I decided on English teacher). I loved learning about people and how their actions somehow affected the world enough to be put into text books. But a lot of times, we forget how exciting the history of the Bible can be. There are books and books about God's people and how God moves among them. Not only are the facts more credible than any text book, but the inspiration of what God does for his people is incredible.

But the Bible is also full of God's people forgetting what God has done for them. They believe lies and are deceived, much like we are. And much like them, we have little excuse for forgetting. They had firsthand experience of God's wonders, but we have firsthand experience, as well as the written word of God!

One of the major points of the video was that we need to remember our history, or His Story, because otherwise, we're lost. We as a people have no identity, and no wisdom to address the future. Life becomes meaningless when we only think of ourselves. But when we remember our history, God's story, then there is a past that we can learn from and apply to the future.

So, remember what God has done for us for centuries. Remember the mercy. Remember the suffering and love of Christ. Remember how he brought you out of sin and gave you a new start. I was thinking about my testimony because it's my turn to share it at our Sunday night dinners. And it reminded me of how much I owe Him. It reminded me that just "doing the right thing" isn't good enough. These things we know, but we don't always remember. So remember. Remember how far God has brought you. Look back in his word to remember His story and the beauty of the God we serve.

Peace, y'all!

Sought Out Surrender

Nothing Like

Lately, I've been realizing how much I've taken for granted in this life. There are still so many things that I don't realize just how blessed I am to have them. Food. Water. Money. Home. Family. Friends.

I have the best friends. They are absolutely incredible. And it pains me to think of life without them. I don't know exactly where I'd be without them. When I was young, I was hurt so badly by my friends that I was alone. Except for God. And when I turned to him, he gave me one friend. I don't find my identity or my foundation in my friends, but when I turned to God, he has in turn blessed me incredibly.

My friends, in turn, have brought me so much closer to God. They've shown me their weaknesses and their strengths and lent me strength in my own weakness. They are a blessing from God that I do not deserve. They are my sister by blood, my sisters in Christ, my brothers in Christ. They aren't just friends; they're family. And I know that I can count on them to help me through hard times. I think of how much God has used them in my life. I know that with God, I am never alone, and he has provided companionship and friendship for me through them .They are the best friends. And someday, our relationships might change with time and distance, but I know that our bond in Christ will hold us together no matter what might come our way. Friendship isn't easy, but it's worth it. It's worth every humble apology and painstaking conversation. So, the other day, I wrote this for them. About them. Love, the kind that Christ showed, is what keeps this world afloat in times of grief, sorrow, pain, suffering. Only he is truly capable of loving the way that love was made to be, but in loving like Christ as best we can, we can affect the world, one friend at a time.

Nothing Like

There's nothing like the pain
of this world,
that seeps through every crack
just like the inevitability of rain.

There's nothing like loss-
losing what you took for granted-
and it's gone, just like anything,
while gravestones hide under moss.

But then, there's nothing like the song
my heart sings-beautiful harmony
when laughing with friends
in hours short we wish were long.

Through the pain, what sets us free
is the love of One that suffered more,
and the love of the ones who know
when I want to laugh and still cry with me.

Unfailing Love

Can you believe that God first sought us out? That we love him because he first loved us? My love for God is not of my own doing, but out a responsibility to love the One that loved me enough to die for me.

At prayer tonight, I came across Psalm 33:5 which says "The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is filled with his unfailing love." God stays the same, no matter what. He is constant and unchanging, and his love never fails. As humans, we sin and fail all the time. We let down the ones we love and hurt them. I've hurt people. I've let them down. I've turned my back on God and refused the good things that he had for me out of selfish ambition and selfish desires. And yet, he still loves me. He fills the earth with his unfailing love.

And so because of his unfailing love, he sent his Son to die for us. He sent him to teach us and to save us. We are called to follow him, because he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And so we are called to emulate him.

Once upon a time when I played soccer, (like when I was twelve) my coach told us that he set the bar so high for us not because he wanted us to reach his extremely high expectations for us, but because when we tried to reach for his expectations, we exeeded our own. This is like what Christ does for us. Christ being perfect in every way, we can never meet his standard. We are a fallen people. But when we adhere to his laws and seek after him wholeheartedly, we give ourselves a higher standard than we could have ever thought of on our own.

So, I was also encouraged today to read 2 Timothy 2:23-24. "Don't have anything to do with foolish or stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. and the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."

We must strive to not hurt those around us by stupid or foolish arguments and petty fights. They only tear each other down. Jesus had the most humble spirit ever, and even though he was right, he never fought with others. He only spoke the truth, and let them decide whether or not to follow him. This is what he does for us as well. His word, the Bible, is truth, and we must accept our responsibility to turn to the one that has sought us out first.

Adios con amor,

Sought Out Surrender

Rainy Afternoon Beginnings

Well, welcome to my blog! I really don't expect anyone to read this, but just in case you happen to stumble upon this page, I should let you know that this blog is just a compilation of the random thoughts, ideas, and wonderings of this summer. What is so special about this summer? Well, maybe nothing, but I am doing a summer program with my church and wanted to record and put all my thoughts about all that I'm learning together and voila! blog.

So perhaps I should start at the beginning. Not very long ago, my pastor encouraged us to look for a specific promise from God for the summer. God promises us many things, but in this instance, he wanted us to look and pray and search out what God specifically promised us for the summer. And, like I always do when God has something really good for me, I hid. I hid from the conviction to open up my Bible and my heart and really seek out what God wanted to give to me. But I was not to be left alone, and was encouraged by my roommate sharing her promise with me. So I began to pray, and ask for a promise to be revealed to me. It might sound strange, but God works in mysterious and wonderful ways.

Well, I ended up looking back through my journal and found a verse jotted down from a few months ago, that I had actually forgotten I had written down. And this time, in the midst of confusion and loneliness and simply desiring to trust God, I found Isaiah 62:12, which says, "They will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought Out, a City No Longer Deserted." And I knew then that this was my promise from the Lord. That he would not leave me, but instead the opposite. The promise was there that He would not only not leave me, but he would seek me out and never let me go.

He promises this to Israel, his chosen people. And I am one of his daughters, because of Christ. Because Christ came to fulfill this promise that Jerusalem would no longer be a deserted city, but Israel would be restored and rescued. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, this was accomplished! We are not left stranded, separated from God any longer, but it is recorded that the temple curtain was torn. Through Christ, we are redeemed, if we accept him as our Savior, and we become heirs of the kingdom of heaven and brothers and sisters with Christ. Which is why I say that I am a daughter of the King, and how I know that this promise is for me, and he has fulfilled it and will continue to fulfill it. When I feel most alone, or that no one really seeks out my heart, I know that God continually reaches out for me and wants me to turn to him.

So, begun on a rainy afternoon, (and ended in the sunny evening) I conclude my first blog post ever! Well, since Xanga at least...

Signing off for now!