Face broken out in a plethora of little red dots turning my once olive complexion into more of a polka dot mess of redness all over my face. You could blame stress, bodily changes, climate, or all of the above...one way or another these little buggers were simply not going away. I tried everything, the strongest of strong with all the promises of zapping zits fast, and alas I found no relief. My next step to recovery of my face that was oh so tormented with acne was to try the oh so convincing Proactiv Acne System. Their claims are to zap zits never to return again. I watched the infomercials late at night, hear the testimonials from friends who found great success in this system. The claims seemed to be true. So overwhelmed with the excitement of finally getting rid of this thorn in my side of sorts I started using this system. The first night went by...the first morning...the next night.... I was faithful to the program. Never missed a morning or night because I was convinced of its power simply because of the testimonies I had heard.
What I began to notice the longer I used it, the more blemishes I found on my face... when I started the pimples were bad enough, but when I started this hardcore system more and more began popping up all over the place! Yikes! This is not turning out as I had planned. But upon a deeper research of the product I saw that this was just a sign that the product was doing its job. In order to clear out all the blemishes never to return all the dirt and filth from the very depths of my pores had to be brought to the surface. Nothing could be left lurking in the crevices that had become my pores.
This is much like the body of Christ. The Lord is coming back for a pure bride. A church without spot or wrinkle, no blemish in it. And maybe these blemishes in the church are not quite as easily recognized as a big red dot in the middle of your forehead, but the blemishes are that much more deadly. Eternity is at steak in these final days and we must get to the point where we are ready to surrender and finally clean house for the return of the King! Much like my face full of acne, the church is full of obvious sins....gossip, hypocrisy, pride, disunity amongst the body... but what about those hidden sins. Those nasty blemishes lurking just under the surface ready to erupt at any given moment. Once we start surrendering to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in and clean house we expect instant purity and holiness to come in. But the work of the Holy Spirit is much more thorough than all that. When he is finally given the go ahead, he will start in the depths and pull out the dirtiest of dirties! The most disgusting of sin will be revealed first in order to bring a holistic cleansing to the body! Its hard, not pretty, and very much uncomfortable. But the final result is way worth it. The final result is that clear luxurious skin that you have been seeking after. That pure bride Christ has been looking for! On this planet we will never achieve perfection...but we can always strive for a deeper level of purity and holiness than we now know... and that starts with pulling out the hidden sins. Because the most ironic thing about “hidden sin” is that nothing can possibly be hidden from God Almighty. He knows our deepest thoughts and motives, He is just waiting for us to come to him with our disgustingness and ask to be cleansed... thats His favorite! When His children finally recognize their sin problem is bigger than they are and come to Daddy God to clean them up and make them more pleasing to his sight...Take my dirt and filth and make me pure and holy as You are Daddy God....
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Do Not Awaken Love, Until The Time Is Right
Song of Solomon 3:1-5
“On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but found him not.
I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.”
I have been so troubled lately, asking God when the one that I can love and cherish will arrive? Does he have this man in mind for me? When will we meet? How old will I be? Am I one of those chosen to live as Paul, celibate for life?
All of these questions rolling around in my head and finally one night when i could not sleep because the questions were getting too loud to bear. I sat up and was directed to this passage of scripture. Often I have completely overlooked this book in my single-hood thinking that it would only weigh on my heart more and make even more evident my lonely state.
But God in his infinite wisdom drew me to this book to take a deeper look.... the poetry of it all is astounding and in some segments a bit graphic.....however it paints the most pure and beautiful picture of what loving another on this planet is intended to look like even down to the struggles and trials that couples will face inevitably over the years.
I was taken by the love that these two individuals felt for one another, and I asked God that my love story may look the same. That beyond the spiritual connection between the two of us, that when the time is right that we will be able to think of no other except that one who is our “treasure” “beloved”.
As I was reading through the book a second time to catch the beauty that I may have missed in this incredible love story recorded in scripture I stumbled upon the third chapter which I was surprisingly able to connect with on a totally personal level.
The chapter starts out as the young woman is awaken in her sleep and she is longing for the one she loves to be by her side. When she realizes he is nowhere to be found she goes out into the town on a search for him. She asks the guard if he had seen her lover, but alas he was nowhere to be found... then finally he appears and her heart is at peace because she has found her lost love.... then what intrigues me the most about this passage is the call to purity immediately following this story where the young woman urges the daughters of Jerusalem to not awaken love until the time is right.
This is precisely the season I am in as a single young adult. Waiting for my love, watching friends my age and even younger find their love...and wondering when my turn might be. I find myself being impatient crying out for one to love....knowing that there is one out there for me, just not sure as to who it might be. The young woman in scripture goes out on a search for her love....and isn’t that the story of every young person who has ever been on a date....we are all looking for love....but just when the young woman was about to give up, her lover appeared and her heart was content! This brings hope...in the search there may be good things one takes away from each relationship and there is bound to be some bad, but we as God’s chosen generation must guard our hearts and stay pure and not awaken love until the time is right.
When the time is right, my love will find me and delight in me.... as I wait for that glorious day I will cherish each moment in the process..the longing....the searching....and the revealing....all go into this perfect love story God is orchestrating because he cares that much for me!
I challenge you daughters...and sons for that matter....do not awaken love until the time is right....its worth the wait.... don’t be too hasty and spoil the wondrous thing God has in store!
“On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him but found him not.
I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city
“Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I had brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her who conceived me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.”
I have been so troubled lately, asking God when the one that I can love and cherish will arrive? Does he have this man in mind for me? When will we meet? How old will I be? Am I one of those chosen to live as Paul, celibate for life?
All of these questions rolling around in my head and finally one night when i could not sleep because the questions were getting too loud to bear. I sat up and was directed to this passage of scripture. Often I have completely overlooked this book in my single-hood thinking that it would only weigh on my heart more and make even more evident my lonely state.
But God in his infinite wisdom drew me to this book to take a deeper look.... the poetry of it all is astounding and in some segments a bit graphic.....however it paints the most pure and beautiful picture of what loving another on this planet is intended to look like even down to the struggles and trials that couples will face inevitably over the years.
I was taken by the love that these two individuals felt for one another, and I asked God that my love story may look the same. That beyond the spiritual connection between the two of us, that when the time is right that we will be able to think of no other except that one who is our “treasure” “beloved”.
As I was reading through the book a second time to catch the beauty that I may have missed in this incredible love story recorded in scripture I stumbled upon the third chapter which I was surprisingly able to connect with on a totally personal level.
The chapter starts out as the young woman is awaken in her sleep and she is longing for the one she loves to be by her side. When she realizes he is nowhere to be found she goes out into the town on a search for him. She asks the guard if he had seen her lover, but alas he was nowhere to be found... then finally he appears and her heart is at peace because she has found her lost love.... then what intrigues me the most about this passage is the call to purity immediately following this story where the young woman urges the daughters of Jerusalem to not awaken love until the time is right.
This is precisely the season I am in as a single young adult. Waiting for my love, watching friends my age and even younger find their love...and wondering when my turn might be. I find myself being impatient crying out for one to love....knowing that there is one out there for me, just not sure as to who it might be. The young woman in scripture goes out on a search for her love....and isn’t that the story of every young person who has ever been on a date....we are all looking for love....but just when the young woman was about to give up, her lover appeared and her heart was content! This brings hope...in the search there may be good things one takes away from each relationship and there is bound to be some bad, but we as God’s chosen generation must guard our hearts and stay pure and not awaken love until the time is right.
When the time is right, my love will find me and delight in me.... as I wait for that glorious day I will cherish each moment in the process..the longing....the searching....and the revealing....all go into this perfect love story God is orchestrating because he cares that much for me!
I challenge you daughters...and sons for that matter....do not awaken love until the time is right....its worth the wait.... don’t be too hasty and spoil the wondrous thing God has in store!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Love What You Do....Live Intentionally
So I’m sitting in a Starbucks, its super hot outside, im drinkin my favorite iced beverage, studying the word, preparing for a great night in the house of the Lord. As I sit here I look around...observe the world around me....there are two girls inside studying, another fulfilling the training hours necessary to be named a Barista at the top, hands down, coffee establishment this nation has to offer ....well maybe im a bit biased....i really havent had every kind of coffee in America, so how could i ever make that assessment....anyway...then I look out the window and there is this group of what appears to be high school kids out chillin, one kid has a guitar and he’s just playin and singin his heart out....not a care as to who is around and who can hear....an emerging artist that seizes any and every opportunity to be heard, whether by choice or not...it matters not to this young artist because its what he loves to do....
There has been a lot of talk lately about doing what you love.... it has been said that if one does something he loves, then he will never work another day in his life! This is in reference to life calling...being totally in love with what you do, then you mind waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get to work on time, you wont care about the seemingly mundane work that must be completed each week, because your doing what you were put on the planet to do. you love what you do.
so often we as christians are guilty of not loving the task we were placed on the planet to complete. God has placed us here as his ambassadors....soul winner.....if we claim to be a christ follower it is our pleasure...highly esteemed honor...and duty to tell a world that is lost and dying that there is hope in Christ alone. That is our purpose. When Christ began his public ministry on this planet his main message was the same as that which John the Baptist proclaimed to the lost...”Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” (Matt. 4:17) This world is getting old.... there are growing pains left and right...the Lord is coming back soon! We are living in the last days, my friend, now is the time to proclaim the good news!
But we as the church are what some might call a sleeping giant! we are a passion-less people that is not in love with what they do...we either look at it as a job, something that can wait until tomorrow, or simply something that is no longer relevant. Now is the time to fall in love with the higher calling that is placed on those who believe, to the point where we dont even have to think about it anymore....its who we are...its how we live.....its like eating or drinking...its natural and must be done each day...on several occasions! We can no longer survive as spiritual binge eaters....i’ll eat one meal but skip the rest.... because what happens to the physical body when one does that is first the desire for food slowly but surely goes away, but also the body becomes weak and incapable of functioning at full capacity. I’m afraid that is what is happening to the church and their hunger to see souls saved and transformed because of the miracle power of the Holy Spirit..... we are simply not hunger for it anymore....
Fall in love with the call! im not just talking about the ...”So what do you feel called to do with your life?” call...im talking bout the call sent from God to go and make disciples of all nations! No matter what you call your profession, or you life’s work, what you wanna be when you grow up, or your job... that doesnt matter.... what maters is when we made the covenant to follow Christ we also signed up to be his ambassador and share the Gospel with a world that would not hear it unless some people who are in love with the call step up and spread the word no matter what the cost!
Let boldness take root and be lead by the Spirit!
to fall in love with the call we must fall deeper in love with our creator, the author of our cause, Savior, life giver, ransom for many, precious lamb of God, lover of your soul......the list goes on and on....i can never run out of reasons to love, serve, and praise my God....He has been too good to me to take any of it for granted.
So now is a call to action....to be even more in love with the call than ever before!
There has been a lot of talk lately about doing what you love.... it has been said that if one does something he loves, then he will never work another day in his life! This is in reference to life calling...being totally in love with what you do, then you mind waking up in the wee hours of the morning to get to work on time, you wont care about the seemingly mundane work that must be completed each week, because your doing what you were put on the planet to do. you love what you do.
so often we as christians are guilty of not loving the task we were placed on the planet to complete. God has placed us here as his ambassadors....soul winner.....if we claim to be a christ follower it is our pleasure...highly esteemed honor...and duty to tell a world that is lost and dying that there is hope in Christ alone. That is our purpose. When Christ began his public ministry on this planet his main message was the same as that which John the Baptist proclaimed to the lost...”Repent, for the kingdom of God is near!” (Matt. 4:17) This world is getting old.... there are growing pains left and right...the Lord is coming back soon! We are living in the last days, my friend, now is the time to proclaim the good news!
But we as the church are what some might call a sleeping giant! we are a passion-less people that is not in love with what they do...we either look at it as a job, something that can wait until tomorrow, or simply something that is no longer relevant. Now is the time to fall in love with the higher calling that is placed on those who believe, to the point where we dont even have to think about it anymore....its who we are...its how we live.....its like eating or drinking...its natural and must be done each day...on several occasions! We can no longer survive as spiritual binge eaters....i’ll eat one meal but skip the rest.... because what happens to the physical body when one does that is first the desire for food slowly but surely goes away, but also the body becomes weak and incapable of functioning at full capacity. I’m afraid that is what is happening to the church and their hunger to see souls saved and transformed because of the miracle power of the Holy Spirit..... we are simply not hunger for it anymore....
Fall in love with the call! im not just talking about the ...”So what do you feel called to do with your life?” call...im talking bout the call sent from God to go and make disciples of all nations! No matter what you call your profession, or you life’s work, what you wanna be when you grow up, or your job... that doesnt matter.... what maters is when we made the covenant to follow Christ we also signed up to be his ambassador and share the Gospel with a world that would not hear it unless some people who are in love with the call step up and spread the word no matter what the cost!
Let boldness take root and be lead by the Spirit!
to fall in love with the call we must fall deeper in love with our creator, the author of our cause, Savior, life giver, ransom for many, precious lamb of God, lover of your soul......the list goes on and on....i can never run out of reasons to love, serve, and praise my God....He has been too good to me to take any of it for granted.
So now is a call to action....to be even more in love with the call than ever before!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Embracing the Here and Now
the main reason I started this blog was to a) have an outlet to let out some creativity b) keep people updated on what is going on in my world and c) to share this journey of the Christian walk I am currently on and motivate others to follow the same. Just thought I would throw that one out there in case anyone had any reason to wonder... I know I would :)
In a few short hours I am going to embark on a new journey and I am not yet sure how I feel about it. I am going across the country for a summer internship where I will be serving in a church working with the Children's ministry and the Youth ministry. I am very excited about what the Lord is going to do this summer...however, nervousness is setting in. I am going to a strange land with people I am familiar with yet still do not know very well, I am doing the work of the Lord, and that is the only familiar territory.
As I sit and ponder this great adventure I am reminded of how Esther must have felt when she was about to leave her Uncle's house and live at the Palace. Her she was, still a young girl who had known nothing different than here day to day living as a commoner and just like that she is sent to live in the palace to compete with thousands of women in a huge beauty contest to be the next Queen! Talk about culture shock!!! The amazing part of this story to me is her willingness to go...she knew all that was at stake and yet still went with a willing heart to serve her people and her God.
Now I am not being thrown into this situation without my concent, and this journey I am going on will by no means make or break a people group, however, this journey I am headed on has the capacity to either influence a great many or be wasted because of human pride and selfishness. Esther had that same choice. She could have been satisfied with just making it alive day in and day out, not really making an impact but not doing anything wrong. But rather than live in such a self-centered manor she chose to make every day count no matter what the cost! And isn't this the kind of life Christ challenges us to live day by day? Shouldn't we live in such a way that we are constantly influencing those arround us for the good? As one who claims to be walking with the Lord my challenge and my desire is to draw people to the cross on a daily basis whether it be through my words, my actions, or simply by the way I carry myself throughout the day.
My prayer for this summer is to become an individual of such faith and obedience that I influence the life of another each day that I have breath in my body. I was placed on this planet for such a time as this and I would hate to get to the end of my life and wonder what I did with these precious hours I was given to glorify the Lord.
The here and now is a precious place....rather than waste it on thinking about how you can make it better for yourself....lets try making it better for those around us...
"....for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve."
In a few short hours I am going to embark on a new journey and I am not yet sure how I feel about it. I am going across the country for a summer internship where I will be serving in a church working with the Children's ministry and the Youth ministry. I am very excited about what the Lord is going to do this summer...however, nervousness is setting in. I am going to a strange land with people I am familiar with yet still do not know very well, I am doing the work of the Lord, and that is the only familiar territory.
As I sit and ponder this great adventure I am reminded of how Esther must have felt when she was about to leave her Uncle's house and live at the Palace. Her she was, still a young girl who had known nothing different than here day to day living as a commoner and just like that she is sent to live in the palace to compete with thousands of women in a huge beauty contest to be the next Queen! Talk about culture shock!!! The amazing part of this story to me is her willingness to go...she knew all that was at stake and yet still went with a willing heart to serve her people and her God.
Now I am not being thrown into this situation without my concent, and this journey I am going on will by no means make or break a people group, however, this journey I am headed on has the capacity to either influence a great many or be wasted because of human pride and selfishness. Esther had that same choice. She could have been satisfied with just making it alive day in and day out, not really making an impact but not doing anything wrong. But rather than live in such a self-centered manor she chose to make every day count no matter what the cost! And isn't this the kind of life Christ challenges us to live day by day? Shouldn't we live in such a way that we are constantly influencing those arround us for the good? As one who claims to be walking with the Lord my challenge and my desire is to draw people to the cross on a daily basis whether it be through my words, my actions, or simply by the way I carry myself throughout the day.
My prayer for this summer is to become an individual of such faith and obedience that I influence the life of another each day that I have breath in my body. I was placed on this planet for such a time as this and I would hate to get to the end of my life and wonder what I did with these precious hours I was given to glorify the Lord.
The here and now is a precious place....rather than waste it on thinking about how you can make it better for yourself....lets try making it better for those around us...
"....for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Path in Which I Choose
The Pathway....
there are several different ways on can go when is search of a ground and place to walk upon.
the already paved road
the already paved road is solid
it is set in its ways
there are cracks in it
but it will always be there because, after all, it has been there for so long thus far....
it is easy on the foot...
on may trip, but that is simply because of the man made cracks along the way....
the unpaved road
covered with grass in a lush area
covered in gravel in an area where there has not been growth for a while
there is room to grow
life is encouraged to happen....
transformation comes from this lush surface
new trees, grass, flowers,... it is harvest ready!
which pathway shall i follow on the journey I have been placed on?? the one that has already been paved for me to tread upon... it is sturdy.... it is secure.... it is unchanging...but yet solid. i have no fear that it will withstand the weight that it needs to... there may be a breaking point, but it has proved itself mighty thus far.
the unpaved territory... it has not even been thought of as of yet.... there is hope...anything is possible...the only thing holding it back is lack of vision and dream.... no limitations have been placed on it as of yet, new life can flourish... however, because it has not yet been tread upon there are many bumps along the way...i may fall, i may get tripped up from time to time because of the uncertainty of this unpaved way...but the lushness of the grass brings comfort when i find myself on my face yet again, and this pushes me to go that much farther... what have i to lose at this point....
pride?
selfish ambition?
certainty?
stability?
what might i gain from this?
destiny?
higher calling?
purpose?
reason in life?
all because of the the chance i am willing to take by taking the road that is yet to be paved....
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