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Sharing God's Work

In my personal quiet time with the Lord I'm studying Acts right now.
I love how when I diligently seek after the voice of the Lord, He speaks to me.
I had never thought very hard about this particular passage before.
Acts 10:30-33 --> And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Earlier in Acts 10 the Lord gives Cornelius the vision to send for Peter. Peter has a vision about eating unholy and unclean animals then God tells him to go with the men that come to find him.
If you think about the time and the persecution of the church, it would be kind of scary to give yourself up in case they might be there to put you to death. Also, Peter defies social norms by inviting them in (Jews would never invite Gentiles in, especially Roman soldiers). Cornelius was the first gentile believer, so it would have been weird for Peter to regard a Roman solider (the enemy) as a fellow brother in Christ.
Wow, the trust that Peter had in the Lord that he trusted that these Roman soldiers were not there to kill him.
This particular passage really stuck out to me today - how cool is it to share what the Lord is doing in our lives? How exciting would it be to recount how God brought Peter to meet Cornelius and stay with him? I can just imagine the joy that Cornelius had as he recounted for Peter what the Lord had said to him and how it all fell into place. Wow. God is cool. Thanks, Lord, for sharing this with us.

Also, in verses 34-43 Peter realizes that "God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation for man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." This is where God's heart for the nations really starts to piece together. God doesn't just love His chosen people, but He desires a relationship with people from every nation.

How cool would it have been to hear the first hand experiences of the disciples that followed Jesus? How awesome would it have been to listen to Peter as he described the miracles that Jesus did in vivid detail, because he was there? Or to hear of the teachings of Jesus from John? To even sit in the company of one of the apostles for an hour to glean insider information into the inner workings of Jesus' heart. Wow. How powerful would that be? And Cornelius got that chance through Peter.

Sunshine Makes My Heart Smile

I didn't realize how much I'd missed the sun until today.
I stepped outside to put some letters in the mail when...BAM!
A wave of warmth and brightness washed over me like a tidal wave.
Praise the Lord for the sun!
I can't believe that it's 60 degrees outside at the end of January.
Jan.U.Ary.
Foreal. That's insane!
So I ran my errands with my windows down.
I also forgot how much I love driving.
Thanks God for giving me a hug via the sun today.
The sun genuinely makes my heart sing.
It also brings on spastic giggle attacks while i'm driving.
Thanks God for the Joy that can be found only in your beautiful creation.
#breathetaking

The Journey

I used to hate car rides.
We'd get all packed up, and the anticipation would build as the long stretches of road seemed to go on forever.
I'd do anything to pass the time.
I'd watch movies, draw, attempt to sleep, listen to music, or whatever else I could do to try to stave off the excitement.
Somewhere in between high school and college, my frame of mind switched.
No longer do I dread the 4 hour drive between Minnesota and home.
Now, instead, I welcome it.
I long to stare out the window at the beautiful fields whizzing by.
To take a couple hours to just breathe in the beauty of God's creation.
I revel in those moments of closeness with the Lord as I gasp at the wonders to behold.
Who knew the glories that could be found in a corn field?
Or the magnificence of the sun hitting the hills covered in snow just right?
Or the way the sun shines down through the clouds in visible rays?
I scarce can take it in - my heart pounding in my chest in delight.
You see, somewhere in between high school and college it clicked.
I shouldn't be wasting those beautiful hours.
I shouldn't be counting down time.
Because, by counting down until I graduated, or the next break, or to the weekend -
I lost the precious time in between.
That time is what makes up life.
Without the week days, what would weekends be?
Without the school year, we wouldn't enjoy summer.
They would lose their golden hue and shine if they were everyday.
Life isn't just the highlights.
Life is the journey.
The trip that you take to get to the destination.
So many times I wish I could just fast forward.
To skip the boring parts of life and move on to the future.
But, in reality, it's the every day that makes life so special.
It's the long stretches of road in between.
It's those quiet and serene moments when the world stands still.
Life is the messy bits.
Life is the highlights.
Life is everything in between.
Life is the journey.

Random Thoughts of the Morning

The world is right and agreeable in my eyes today.
Sure, it could be kicked up a notch if the sun was shining and the snow was gone,
but snow just makes me appreciate the beauty of life even more when it comes back.
11 hours of sleep, and I feel like I'm walking on a cloud.
Who knew that sleep could change your outlook on life so drastically?
Talking to God just restores my heart.
He pours into me, even when other people aren't.
He gives me love to then in turn give to others.
Like His promise to Abraham.
He didn't just bless him so he felt blessed,
He blessed Abraham so he could bless other people.
In the same way, God pours into me.
Saturating me in His love and affection,
so that i can turn around and share that love with other people.
Smiling, caring, pouring into them, and praying.
Mmm. I love God's love.
He is oh so patient.
He truly restores my soul.
I am eternally grateful.

Coming back to the heart of Worship

Worship.
So often I think about worship as Sunday morning.
The band on stage, the congregation raising their hands, eyes closed.
Worship - just for Sunday mornings.
But, in reality, worship doesn't end there.
Worship can be many things, not just singing.
Worship can be the way we encourage someone.
Worship can be our quiet times with the Lord.
Worship can be thanking God for His creation on our way to class.
Worship can be making God priority throughout your day - constantly looking for ways to honor Him in actions or words.
Worship can be so many things.
Our attitudes can worship God.
We can worship God through the most mundane tasks.
At the end of the day, worshiping God is our reason to live.
It is through worshiping God that people are saved.
It is through worship that we have compassion on others and show them God's love.
Worship should be the focus of our day, and ultimately our life.
So where is my heart?
Is it centered around worship?
at the end of the day, was my chief goal to bring glory to God?

{It's all about You, it's all about You Jesus. I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it. It's all about You, it's all about You Jesus.}

Porcupines & Cars without Hoods

Vulnerability.
It makes me feel like a porcupine flipped on its back. No more protective needles to keep its soft underbelly from the harsh world.
It makes me feel like a knight without armor.
It makes me feel like a car without a hood.
It makes me feel like a house without siding - leaving my soul bared to those I share it with.
But more so, it makes me feel like a woman. Emotional, broken, and soft.
Vulnerability.
it's something I've run from for so long.
But God can use my weaknesses. My openness. My vulnerability.
May He be glorified.

Lesson

Lesson of the day: Surrender my heart to God - He knows what He's doing, and He'll protect it.
The end.
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) -- Above all else guard your heart, for it determines your course in life.

You Unravel My Heart

"You Unravel My Heart"
Today I was thinking about things to draw. Because I love drawing, and this is what i ended up with. This picture kind of sums up J-term for me and the journey God has taken me on.
It's been crazy. It's been good. It's been crazy good.
It hurts, because unraveling your heart is painful sometimes.
It means being vulnerable.
It means going through scar tissue that you'd rather ignore than remove.
But in the long run - it's so, so worth it.
God is patient, that's for sure. It hasn't been a quick process - and I've backslid a couple times.
But each time I turned to run from the pain, He was right there.
Opening His arms, ready to catch me when I fell, and console me when I cried.
And for that, among all other things, I am eternally grateful.
I can't even begin to explain the journey I've been on.
Through my past, through the present, through the future.
Thinking through things that I've pushed back for so long.
And finally, reaching a place where I feel like my heart is whole again.
Where, even if there are traces of scars where it's been stitched up, it at least resembles a heart.
Restoration. Redemption. Healing.
God has unraveled my heart.

Life

God is good.
I am not worthy.
He loves me anyways.

That pretty much sums up life right there.
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