Hebrews 1: 3 -4
" The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the EXACT representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. AFter he had provided purification for sings, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs."

Hebrews 10:11 -14
" DAy after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sings. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God... because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

So I heard this AMAZING sermon at Central Wesleyan this past week. It talked about "What does it mean for God to sit down?"

The old testament talks about the tent and the tabernacle and how the priests were continuously moving with God. In these tents and tabernacles they had no stool, chair, or couch, only the mercy seat which was set for Jesus. The priests NEVER sad down because they were never done with their work. Jesus sat down, however, because through Him, all things were finished. Victory in Jesus! So as you can see form the passages above, we can offer sacrifices, but we can never take away sin. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice and there is nothing we can do to ADD to what Jesus has done. So rather than doing deeds FOR Jesus to love us, we need to do deeds BECAUSE Jesus loves us. There is NOTHING you can do to make Jesus love you. He loves you just as you are. All are welcome.

That's the jist of the sermon. It was just a very deep look at what seemed like such a simple passage, but in truth had such a HUGE impact on our Christian faith. To think Jesus is the only one who can truly say He is done... the only one worthy of sitting at the right hand of the Father and how foolish of us to think that we could possibly do something here on earth that would equal his grandeur.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Watch me!

Luck vs. Blessing

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001620.cfm

I just read this article on Boundless.org and thought it was great. Something I definitely had never thought about before and something I definitely need to be more conscious of in the future. When we say we're "lucky" we're taking our lives out of God's hands. When we say we are "blessed" it's a way of praising God for what He's given us. So I no longer want to be lucky. I forever want to be blessed.

A little CS Lewis for your morning....

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.


Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.

- CS Lewis

For that I am thankful...

So Thursday is Thanksgiving... the time we get together with family and/or friends and thank God for all of the blessings He's so graciously poured down upon us. I just wanted to take a little time to reflect on things that I'm thankful for this year.

1) Friends. No more needed to be said.
2) A job - two jobs. There are so many people who can't even find one job, especially in Michigan and I am so blessed to not have that problem.
3) My financial status. Though I don't have money for luxuries or a lot of entertainment, I have money to pay for shelter, food, and my necessities. Many people cannot say that.
4) Challenges. This past year has been filled with challenge, after challenge, after challenge, but I praise God for those challenges. It has forced me to grow. To look deep within myself. To pull closer to God.

What are YOU thankful for this year??



And then here are some quotes just to get you to think. Sadly I have no song lyrics today :)

'You won't realize how far you've walked until you stop and realize how far you've been."
- Unknown

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple."
- Dr. Seuss



And now for something COMPLETELY random. I was looking through pictures of me in the past like 3 years. I sure do change my hairstyle a lot :) Change is good though right?? I know... random.. that is me!

Single

Ok. Ok. I know I just posted something about singleness like 2 posts ago, but I have to get this off my chest.

I'm single! (Shock, awe, disgust, "What is wrong with you!?") Ok.. those are the responses I get anymore when I say that. Do I ever wish I could change my relationship status on facebook? Of course I do! What 22 year old woman doesn't dream of the day the love of her life will show up and sweep her off her feet. But I am getting exasperated by the continuous conversations that subliminally state that being single is bad, wrong, unexceptable. Who says that!? Who says that at 22, I have to be married or even in a serious relationship for that matter? I am COMPLETELY content in who I am, who I am in Christ, where I am in life. I do NOT need a man to validate me, to make me feel special, to tell me I'm beautiful. My friends are fully capable of satisfying that and I don't even need THEIR validation. Of course it's good to hear those things, to feel those things, but I know. I know without them having to say or do anything. And it took me 22 years to get to that point and you know what, it feels AMAZING.

I long for friendships where this isn't even a topic. Where we can be single and not have to discuss our singleness. Where we don't watch sappy love movies and yearn to be the main, female character. Where we don't talk about who's dating who and how many boyfriends so and so has had. Can't we just be content where we are in life? Can't we just give it over to the LORD and know that HIS timing is true and perfect?

Soundtrack of my Life

One of my friends posted something similar on their blog... a soundtrack of their life. And since I'm such a music fanatic and I always have a song running through my head, I thought it would be fun to go through my music and pick out the songs that I would put on my soundtrack of life. So here's the list folks... all GREAT music and I highly recommend it.

1. "Unashamed" - Starfield
"I have not much to offer you. Not near what you deserve. But still I come because your cross, has placed in me my worth. Oh Christ. My king of sympathy whose wounds secure my peace. Your grace extends to call me friend, Your mercy sets me free. CUZ I KNOW I'M WEAK I KNOW I'm UN WORTHY TO CALL UPON YOUR NAME. BUT BECAUSE OF GRACE, BECAUSE OF YOUR MERCY I STAND HERE UNASHAMED."

2. "My Wish" - Rascal Flatts
"My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to your dreams stay big, your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold and while you're out there gettin where you're gettin to, I hope you know someone loves you and wants the same things to."

3. "What Have I Done?" - Adie Camp
"What have I done, LORD Jesus, to deserve Your endless love? What have I done, LORD Jesus, to worthy of Your grace? What have I done, LORD Jesus, to be standing here with You. What have I done, LORD Jesus, to be worthy of You. FOR I AM NOTHING YET YOU LOVE ME AND I AM NO ONE YET YOU CARE."

4. "Beautiful" - Bethany Dillon
"I wanna be beautiful. Make You stand in awe. Look inside my heart and be amazed. I wanna hear You say who I am is quite enough. Just wanna be worthy of love and beautiful."

5. "If you Want me to" - Ginny Owens
"The pathway is broken and the signs are unclear and I don't know the reason why You brought me here. But just because You love me, the way that You do, I will walk through the valley if You want me to. BECAUSE I'M NOT WHO I WAS WHEN I TOOK MY FIRST STEP AND I'M CLINGING TO THE PROMISE YOU'RE NOT THROUGH WITH ME YET."

6. "Walk by Faith" - Jeremy Camp (It wouldn't be my soundtrack without him :) )
"Will I believe you when You say, Your hand will guide my every way. Will I receieve the words you say, every moment of every day? I will walk by faith even when I cannot see. Because Your broken road, prepares Your Will for me."

7. "Light" - DC Talk
"The disease of self runs through my blood. It's a cancer fatal to my soul. Every attempt on my behalf has failed to bring this sickness under control. Tell me what's going on inside of me. I despise my own behavior. This only serves to confirm my suspicions that I'm still a man in need of a savior.... Oh Lord be my light and be my salvation cuz all I want is to be in the light."

8. "Broken World" - Across the Sky
"Promises shattered. Answers don't come. Friends say Goodbye. Plans come undone. Dreams get crushed. Lies get told. Words can turn cruel. Hearts can grow cold. In a broken world where we cry to feel some hope that helps these hearts to heal. You're my strength. You're my refuge. In a broken world, Jesus, I'm holding to You."

9. "Average Girl" - Barlowgirl
"No more dating. I'm just waiting. Like sleeping beauty my prince will come for me...cuz God is writing my love story.... If you get tired of waiting until he comes, God's arms are the perfect place to run."

10. "Worthy of my Praise " - Selah
"I will follow You through green pastures and sing Hallelujah to Your name. I will follow You through dark disasters and sing Hallelujah through the pain. Even in the shadow of death, I will praise you. Even in the valley I will sing."

11. "Be Like That" - Three Doors Down
"If I could be like that, I would give anything just to live one day in those shoes. If I could be like that, what would I do?"

12. "Have you ever?" - Shawn McDonald
"Have you ever wanted to be someone else? Have you ever wanted to be someone? Have you ever wanted to reach your dreams? Have you ever wanted life to be more than it seems?"

13. "I'm not who I was" - Brandon Heath
"I wish you could see me now. I wish I could tell you how I'm not who I was. Used to be mad at you a little on the hurt side too, but I'm not who I was. I found my way to forgiving you sometime ago, but I never got to tell you so."


14. "East to West" - Casting Crowns
"Don't wanna end up where you found, and it echos in my mind, keeps me awake tonight. Lord you cast my sin as far as the east is from the west.... But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away from you leaving me this way."

15. "For you to notice" - Dashboard Confessional
"I'm starting to fashion an idea in my head where I would impress you with everything I said. But for now I look so longingly, waiting for you to want me. For you to need me. For you to notice me."

16. "Special Friend" - Jordan Hill
"Every now and then you find a special friend who never lets you down. Who understands it all, reaches out each time you fall, you're the best friend that I've found."

17. "Everything" - Lifehouse
"Find me here. Speak to me. I want to feel You. I need to hear You. You are the light that's leading me to the place where I find peace again. You are the hope that keeps me walking. You are the hope that keeps me trusting. You are the light into my soul. You are my purpose. You're everything."

18. "Falling off the Face of the Earth" - Matt Wertz
"Stay away from me, I'll be gone soon. It's just so hard to let go once we've grabbed hold. It's nothing that you've done. You're not the only one. I'm just learning to be in twenty-three places. Cuz I've falling off the face of the earth, crashing into bridges I've burned."

19. "Bring the Rain" - Mercy Me
"I can count a million times people asking me how I can praise even after all that I've gone through. The question just amazes me, circumstances possibly change who I forever am in You? Maybe since my life was changed long before these rainy days it's never really ever crossed my mind to turn my back on You oh LORD, my only shelter from the storm."

20. "In Better Hands" - Natalie Grant
"It's hard to stand on shifting sands. It's hard to shine in the shadow of the night. You can't be free, if you don't reach for help and you can't love if you don't love yourself. Cuz there is hope when my faith runs out, cuz I'm in better hands now."


There you have it. My life in 20 songs :)

"I wanna set the world on fire until it's burning bright for You. It's everything that I desire. Can I be the one You use? I, I, am small but You, You are big enough. I, I am weak, but You, You are strong enough to take my dreams. Come and give them wings. LORD with You, there's nothing I cannot do. There's nothing I cannot do. I wanna feed the hungry children and reach across the farthest land and tell the broken there is healing and mercy in the Father's hands. I, I am small but You, You are big enough. I, I am weark, but You, You are strong enough to take my dreams. Come and give them wings. LORD with You, there's nothing I cannot do." - Britt Nicole

New love of my life... this song!! It just speaks VOLUMES about how I feel right now. I really want the LORD to use me and I feel like He is. The other day at work, it was 6 in the morning. I had slept 4 hours the day before and now had been up for 14 + hours. Inside all I wanted to do was be home, in my bed. But I knew that I still had my job (and another job to go to) to do. And suddenly I was rejuvenated. I walked into each room on last rounds with a huge smile on my face and enthusiastically greeted each resident. As simple as it sounds, my bright attitude in the morning probably set those people up for a good day. Would YOU want to be woken up by someone who's super grumpy!? No...... So LORD use me.

Another thing on my mind right now... friendships. For those of you who know me well, you know that I don't take my friendships lightly. Reason being, my friends are not just fleeting relationships to me. My friends are my family. THEY are the ones I go to in weakness and in strenght. The ones I want to celebrate with and cry with. I am not sorry that this is the case. God has blessed me time and time again with AMAZING friends. And I was reminded of this once again while at lunch with one of my nearest and dearest. To hear her say how proud she is of me and that she can see how much I've grown, almost brought me to tears.
I'm really evaluating friendships right now... wondering who's going to grow with me and who's going to grow from me. And in that process I've needed a lot of guidance, prayer, and reassurance. Here's something I found that really helped....

http://www.allaboutgod.com/true-friendship.htm

And last but not least on my mind.. I am in constant need of a reminder of how beautiful I am. I do not mean that in a vain way. What I mean is God created me. Therefore I am beautiful. I am forgetting that lately as I only wear jeans and scrubs and pajamas, do absolutely nothing to my hair or by means of makeup. But it doesn't matter. It DOES NOT matter. For I am beautiful in God's eyes, no matter what I'm wearing or how I've prepared myself for the day. I do not need my friends, a guy's, or strangers' approval.

While others lament over the absence of a spouse, I praise God for my singleness. Uninhibited by fleeting relationships, I can ferverently pursue God and His Will without obstacle or consequence. This independent quest for God has deepened my knowledge and exponentially multiplied the love I have for Him and myself. In place of a romantic relationship, God has provided an abundance of brothers and sisters who hold me accountable, challenge my mind, body, and soul, and love me unconditionally. I delve into each relationship with every ounce of myself., committing my time, energy, and love to each one equally. Though often exhausting, I wouldn't trade the time, the laughs, even the drama for anything in this world. Each of these people has been lovingly placed in my life by God to play a role whether for a day, a season, or a lifetime. Admittedly I long to be swept off my feet by Prince Charming, but I find myself too preoccupied with loving my Heavenly Father and living life to the fullest to be concerned with my bare left ring finger.


My single life in 200 words. TAKE THAT Western Seminary :) Now 200 words on my spiritual life, 200 words on my family, and 200 words on my goals and passions. Ey yi yi!!