3.21.11

"So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil & watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, & cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet" James 4 [The Message]

I'm having one of those days. I don't know why and that is more aggravating than anything else! The moment I woke up, I'm having issues...it's funny when I reflect back, but in the moment I was a huge cranky angry monster! Then I get to work and it's a day that requires patience...and let's just say that I don't have alot to give! (Thank you Alex, for your prayer for patience the other day! This ones for you!) I just feel overwhelmed...and I think I'm guilty of letting my emotions get over my mind. Yes, I know that we talked about that at church yesterday. Yes, I know that in life group I said that I would work on it! Well...here is the test! This is going to be one crazy week and I am feeling burdened by everything going on-even though it is all good stuff! Why is that? I am too emotional!

But, the great news is that I just spent my lunch break with Jesus and things are better and on the up and up. I cast my burdens to him (at least in my brain...I'm working on my emotions following my brain) and I'm trusting Him with this day. And the next day. And the next day. He is the constant in my life and the faithful one! I love that when you draw near to God, He will draw near to you. I experienced that today and although my problems are not gone, I can feel relief knowing that God has it under control. He is so merciful and good and I am so thankful for the grace that I have been given on this day. I'm totally underserving...to say the least. Thank you Lord for your love! Time to live out the rest of the day!

God of this City

Hearing alot about the tsunami in Japan this morning...and my heart breaks for the people affected by it. It is easy to just say that we will pray for them or say "man that is crazy!" It is easy to be fascinated with these natural distasters and forget about the people involved. As I read about it on twitter, facebook, and hear about it on the radio and news, I think about how these are God's people. Each one is God's creation, whom He loves so very much. It is sad to think about the pain that these people are experiencing through this time and the struggles that they will have in the upcoming days. Things like this do not get better over a couple days or weeks...they take months and years. The best part is that God is bigger than this tsunami and He allowed it to happen...why? Not sure. But we can take confidence that He is the ultimate healer, provider, and will see things thru to the end. The song "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin comes to mind. The hope and prayer would be that all involved would turn to Jesus and trust Him with their lives and future! "Greater things are still to be done in this city!"

3-3-11

Sitting at work...thinking...waiting on hold...why not blog right now?!?

The thing most on my mind today was from last nights youth service. We talked alot about how the choices you make today will determine where you are tomorrow. It seems obvious but few people look at their choices and how they will impact their future. So I'm examining this in my own life and looking at my daily "deposits" in life and what they will produce tomorrow. I was really changed last night by a girl that visited our youth group. I was asking her about life and what she likes to do for fun and in her spare time. My usual question is to students is to ask about sports and if they play any because that is something that I could have common ground with them on. She told me that she has a physical condition that prohibits her from playing sports that require running but she hopes to be able to play volleyball next year. I asked her what else she likes to do in her spare time, like shopping, hanging out with friends, or go to the movies (ya know-typical teenage girl stuff!) Her response caught me off guard! She told me that she enjoys using her extra time studying the Bible and getting to know the Lord better. She said that is her main focus right now in life.

Lets just say I didn't expect that response! It is so rare to find a student that has that heart...shoot-I'd like to meet some adults that have that heart! At first you want to say "That's odd!" But then I realized that there was something about this that was so awesome and I really admired. My extra time is sometimes so wasted. I was challenged by her response for sure! I know there are many times when I want to take a lunch break at work so I use the time to go shopping or run errands. How much of that little extra time in the day could I use to spend to get to know God better? This girl has some wisdom that I could learn from!