Sometimes.

Do you ever feel like you're traveling, but you don't know where you're going?
Really, metaphorically, not physically... (However, you might have felt this way when you were traveling physically as well if you find yourself "directionally challenged" .)
But, seriously, have you, DO you ever feel that way?
Like, one day, it's okay - the way things are - just trekking...
And then the next day you feel like you're standing still, or moving very slowly. And there's so many more things inside of you, but it feels like nobody knows. You feel like you're just standing where you are, and you don't want to stand there so long that you get stuck! You don't really, truly feel apart of any of it... Things are okay, but you just feel there's MORE.

I know I've posed this question before, "should I stay or should I go."
I never want to be someone who goes off to new places over and over, just to get that clean slate feeling, just to repeat the same old cycle -- cause then, it's would become just running away.

It can be so unsatisfying when you don't know where you should be.

How is it that a person can have such mixed feelings about things? It puzzles me exeedingly.
I want fellowship and relationship, but I'm fine being "alone". I don't have people outside of my family who are close to me. It's not the way I would necessarily want it, but it's just the way it is.Either the other people around me either aren't ones I would want close to me, or they're not interesting in pouring into a relationship. I've just accepted that without constantly stuggling against it.
I want to be here at home, but I want to go away. I want to be on-my-own, but I want someone to share it all with.
Such mixed feelings.

Some things are hard. Sometimes you feel the tears crawling up, tickling the inside of your nose... and it's not because your heart is broken, it just feels good to let it - whatever IT is - out.

I know God wants to be in fellowship with us all the time. I know we're supposed to be totally, really, truly "at home" with Him. You know how good it feels to just let your hair down and be YOU. When you're at home, you don't have to care what you look like, or sound like. When you're alone you could be 30 yrs old running around the house in a superman cape and no one would know. It's just freedom with out feeling judged by other eyes, without worrying about looking stupid. That's the way it's supposed to be with God. He's there ALL the time anyway. We're supposed to be AT HOME - all the time, ANYWHERE cause He's there. He's our shelter, refuge, security, our Home-away-from-home...



btw: it's the end of January.

Reality

I feel like movies we are fed with that are labeled: "real-life" movies are never close enough to home. They can be about some catastrophe in Africa or someone being trapped under the World Trade Center after 9/11. Now, i'm not trying to discount the trama or very "realness" that any person in those experiences goes through. But, the average American "Real-life" movie is about some affair, slick villian, stupid person. Life turned comedy, drama, thriller. And there may be an added value or moral to the overall story, but really, is there any answers, any REALITY??
seriously here!

I'm so impressed with To Save A Life, this movie does that job and then some.
I was really speechless when I left the theater.
How can we every really live fulfilled unless we live for someone else? That's a foreign concept to us "westerners" to be sure. hmm
So, something's gotta change.
What's the first step gonna be?

do we realize what we're forsaking?

So, President Obama who " cites that he prays in private and he doesn’t feel the need to observe the day at the White House" cancels the National Day of Prayer observance in Washington...
If the head of the entire country will not humble himself in public and admit that he cannot govern alone - that WE as a people cannot survive alone, than I wonder how much longer we WILL survive.

Don't you DARE tell me this is old fashioned.

Slowly but so surely freedom of religious expression is being closed in on. How much longer will we be able to even observe a National Day of Prayer?.....


To the God who will always have a remnant, we pray in the words of President George Washington,
"since thou art a God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto thee,
who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools,
nor hear sinners who tread in thy courts,
pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east
is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ,
that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers
may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee
in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word,
that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me,
Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. "

Do Everything...

What would it look like if we were a people who did
"everything without complaining or arguing"?
Philipians 2:14
Complaining - (murmurings in KJV) in the greek, speaks of murmur, mutterings; a secret debate or displeasure not openly avowed.

Arguing - (disputings in KJV) The meaning of this word are: the thinking of a man deliberating within himself, inward reasoning; questioning about what is true; hesitation, doubting; disputing, arguing

The original meanings of both of these words speak of not just an outward reaction, but of inward struggle and quiet words...

I feel like we all fall so easily to complaining. I have yet to be in any type of work environment where the people DON'T seem to feed off of complaining behind someone's back. Have we nothing better to say? It's so easy to join in a "secret displeasure". I so desire to be a person who does not slander others - even slightly!
Also, within ourselves we can allow anger to fester, muttering words of hatred and angst against another. We kill our own health and we're are in violation to the word of God! Wow!

Arguing (disputings) also speaks of this inward battle. The mind can be run away with itself and needs to be taken under the control of the Spirit of God.
Our mouth will speak out of what spills out of our hearts. Many times the word HEART, in our Bible, references the MIND.
We are to bring thoughts against the truth under captivity to Christ "casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" 2 Cor 10:5 NKJV

One of the definitions of arguing was - doubt -
James 1:5a-7 "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God... but when he asks he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord"

...Oh, that we could become a people who surrender their thoughts and words to the Lord so much so that we could become a people who do "everything without complaining or arguing"...

- It is ONLY through His power, we can do nothing of ourselves.
The desire and ability come from above
v.13 "For it is God who works in you to WILL and to ACT according to His good purpose"

- Then after we're told to be a people who do everything without complaining and arguing... " , it stays:
"SO THAT you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that you may boast in the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." v. 15-16

The only way we'll make a difference is by looking like Jesus...
Help me, Lord.

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Phil 1:27

- this study is a result of an amazing message given by Louie Giglio at Passion 2010 :)

Peace of God

There is a peace, everlasting
it stands within my soul.
There is a peace, overflowing
it fills me up to the uttermost.

Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,"
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted,
I will build you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with sapphires. Isaiah 54:10-11 NIV

They (the man who delights in the Lord's ways) are like trees planted
along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:3

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels Isaiah 61:10 NASB

This is my story, this is my song!

a mighty fortress...

"A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You
So we can set our hearts on You
Lord we will set our hearts on You." - Christy Nockels

without that step...

"Things great have small beginnings.

Every downpour is just a raindrop;

every fire is just a spark;

every harvest is just a seed;

EVERY JOURNEY IS JUST A STEP,

BECAUSE WITHOUT THAT STEP

THERE WILL BE NO JOURNEY;

without that raindrop there can be no shower;

without that seed there can be no harvest." -William Wilberforce