January 2012
1 post
He > me.
Today I am praying the declaration of John the Baptist. “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
This is so hard for me, and I think for a lot of us, because we have so much excitement about our potential. Sometimes that’s not even in a cocky way. I discovered just a few short years ago that I love to sing, and I’m not terrible at it. I love to write and...
December 2011
4 posts
Jonah and the midnight train
Throughout Scripture, God parallels nations with individuals. For example, the whole Old Testament is the story of Israel, God’s chosen people, and how they continue to rebel and how He continues to show grace. This parallels the way He cares for and pursues each of us individually. The book of Jonah is no exception. If you’ve heard of the story of Jonah, you probably are thinking...
the Bible is full of cases that prove that we can’t be good without Jesus.
so why do Christians still try?
why do I still try?
Food, sex and God Himself.
I believe that I was made to write. Many people are. When I feel thoughts welling up, I immediately feel the need to pass them on. What I should probably do is keep them hidden until they are book-sized, instead of spending these thoughts here and there, but nonetheless, I feel the compelling urge to share with whomever may stumble across this blog post the things that God has been teaching...
Healer
Just a little seed of thought.
In the New Testament, specifically Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (the books that catalog Jesus Christ’s time on earth) we see several instances of people— blind people, sick people, hurting people, paralyzed people, and yes, even the family members of dead people— approaching Jesus frantically asking for healing. And most of the time, He responds...
October 2011
1 post
alter-ego.
The other day I read a quote by Beth Moore about how God definitely has a plan for each of our lives, but so does the Devil. To make Satan out to be unwise or ignorant is a very grave mistake. Not only does he know Scripture and twist it, but he knows what our weaknesses are. He’s got you down to a science. And what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for in persistence.
So I got to...
September 2011
4 posts
Lean harder
Jesus is so crazy. In a good way. He’s been revealing to me in my devotionals recently that in response to our sins and weaknesses, He doesn’t say, “put that away. Be stronger.” He says, “lean harder on me. I can help you overcome this.” Isn’t that nuts? The God who hates sin, the God who has every right to disown me for running back to habits and...
patrickmichaelchin:
“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” - Saint Augustine
Oh, how I often wish You would stop. Stop revealing my sin. My imperfections. How quick I am to assume I know best, when, in light of You, what do I dare to say that I know? You know me. Please let that be enough for me. As painful of a process as it continually is, through my poor...
Good, pleasing, and perfect will.
one of the coolest things about Scripture is that you can take just one simple verse and study it for years and find a million ways that it’s applicable and relevant and meaningful.
Well, Romans 12:1,2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God— this is your true and...
I am always amazed at the character of God. There is a passage of Acts 8 that I don’t think I’ve ever read before.
Here’s the scene: Jesus has died and resurrected and the disciples are spreading the Gospel and people everywhere are coming to the knowledge of Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit calls Philip, one of the disciples, to travel in a certain direction to a certain road....
August 2011
4 posts
2 tags
this is awesome.
dictionaryofobscuresorrows:
furosha
n. the eerie tranquillity of fast-moving clouds, who pass through your patch of sky like a wind-weary drifter stepping into your entryway to warm up for a minute, ruffling the ice from his beard before he nods his gratitude, closes his ragged coat and youthful eyes and turns back into the air.
if life’s situations offered only one outcome, there would be no victory. if not for the possibility of failure, we would never know the mercy of overcoming.
no offense to Tim.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
This is not about winning football games.
But it is about:
-loving people we don’t feel like loving.
-overcoming addictions, whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.
-resisting sin.
-growing to a point where we are ever less and Christ in us is ever more.
-not letting our sinful nature dictate our actions or...
July 2011
5 posts
wit's end.
i found old church notes that were urgently prodding me to test myself and ensure that i’m not chasing the benefits of God instead of God Himself. His actual heart.
oh crap.
Jesus carry me.
a smarter pen.
The pastor of my family’s church back home once said, “your purpose is not found in yourself. And as we all know, no matter how hard you look for something, if you’re looking in the wrong place, you’re never gonna find it.”
This thought was cute and obvious when I first heard it, but I had no idea how often I try to find my answers within myself and then just...
“Worry implies that we don’t quite trust that God is big enough, or powerful...”
– Crazy Love by Francis Chan (via ramrigells)
the alarm system
I am not taking credit for the topic of this post, as it is inspired by something I read in my Bible’s notes a long time ago, but I definitely did want to pass it on to whomever may read this.
The purpose of pain in the human body is to let us know something is wrong. While all of us have heard hyped-up exercise junkies say “feel the burn,” (and i’m sure all of us have...
one of the many reasons why people hate christians is because we don’t listen to Jesus in this:
He is not only able to separate a person from their sin, but He also desires to do so.
In ezekiel 36, He says, “I will DELIVER you from all of your uncleannesses.”
He can take us and wash away the sin and deliver a new human being from the wreckage.
He is able to look at us and not...
June 2011
2 posts
one of the main reasons why we are unable to trust God is because unconditional love doesn’t make any sense to us. we understand walking on thin ice to keep someone’s love. we don’t understand someone giving it endlessly despite everything we are.
Jesus, let me learn to be loved.
your problem is with religious people, not with...
May 2011
2 posts
my sister and watson are en route to meeee
it's funny how when you're finally being obedient...
i think i’m on to something.
April 2011
6 posts
i believe in Jesus.
i believe that He is in control.
i believe that He is good and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
i believe that He has saved my soul in spite of all the filth i am.
i believe that He listens.
i believe that He answers prayers. not to appease our short-lived desires, but in ways that provide for and protect our heart’s deepest needs.
i believe that miracles are...
"my heart will sing no other name. Jesus. Jesus."
oh, that this would be true of me.
rouse.
So I’m trying to blog more. Because I love to write and I love to ramble about things and I love to talk about Jesus. So hopefully one of those three things will appeal to someone and hopefully they’ll be encouraged and challenged by the things that have encouraged and challenged me.
Lately Grace has been a really frustrating thing to wrap my mind around. I have heard my whole life that God gives...
chipmunk style.
When I was little, my mom said she would find me with my cheeks stuffed full of cheerios two or three hours after she’d fed them to me. I would pretend to eat the food, but really would just harbor them inside my cheeks for later. Just in case. She laughed because never had she given me a reason to believe I wouldn’t be fed. I’m not sure if in my little diva toddler head I thought had to stock up...
"the strength of our faith is in direct proportion...
suck it, fear.
this is something i’ve been wanting to write about for a while, but since i only have a few minutes to sit down and write, it will probably just write a little preview.
it’s been on my heart lately that i have been mentally protecting certain people from my beliefs, as if saying “oh, yeah that person’s awesome, but they wouldn’t think Jesus is for them. they...
March 2011
1 post
but peter, peter.
Many of us have heard the story of when Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed on the morning nearing Christ’s crucifixion. However, as I was reading this morning in Luke, I read something about that event that I’d never seen before.
Jesus forewarns Peter (also called Simon) that he was going to deny Jesus, and Peter says, ‘oh no, I am ready to go with you...
February 2011
3 posts
scabs.
So i’ve been frustrated with myself lately, and i can only think of one good way to describe what’s been happening.
Two years ago, my dad had some skin cancer on his cheek and the doctors said, ‘ok well we can try a new ointment that would bring all the cancer to the surface and kill it… or we can just dig it out and keep digging until we don’t find anymore. The bad...
shameless plug
hello all :)
I am making a very important announcement :) (I’m using tumblr because, for some reason, I’ve been told by a few people that they are following my blog, which is very humbling, because I’ve only recently begun using it as an actual blog.)
But, that’s not what this post is about.
I’m here to challenge you and possibly embarrass my boyfriend.
If any of...
January 2011
3 posts
octopus spine.
So… I got a new job. Working with 2nd graders in an afterschool program.
If you know me well, you know I’m not the most child savvy girl you’ve ever met.
I’ve been amazed with how much personality and attitude these kids have.
One of my favorites always likes to ask people: “How you did that?… How you did this? No seriously, man, how you DID that??”
It...
do wurkkk.
As I was reading this morning, I came across a passage in Matthew that I’d never seen before. Here Jesus speaks to a crowd of hypocritical religious people.
“A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but then afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son...
November 2010
2 posts
Jesus is good. all the time.
October 2010
5 posts
He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.
how good it feels to finally know that this is true :)
September 2010
4 posts
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in...”
– 2 cor 1:20
August 2010
1 post
July 2010
1 post
excerpts of amazing.
I Give You Back
by Joy Harjo
I release you, my beautiful and terrible
fear. I release you. You were my beloved
and hated twin, but now, I don’t know you
as myself. I release you with all the
pain I would know at the death of
my daughters…
I release you, fear, because you hold
these scenes in front of me and I was born
with eyes that can never close.
I release you,...
June 2010
2 posts
read ephesians 1. read colossians 1. you are...