Like a Child

"Isn't this just the best day ever?"

He whispered up at me with the biggest, bluest eyes you can imagine.

An hour earlier he had been rolling on the ground in tears. Half an hour spent outside playing in the snow and making the tiniest, most adorable snowman you've ever seen and 15 minutes in the kitchen making hot chocolate for all the siblings born in between us had turned the day right around. (three year olds are the best.)

You know, everyone talks about having faith like a child.

But I remember one time a pastor talking about having a child like *delight*.

He talked about pulling up in front of his house everyday after work and seeing his three year old with her face pressed up against the window of the house waiting for him.

Then the joy and giggles and squeals and shrieks of delight that ensued when he walked in the door.

If we are God's children, why don't we always greet His presence the same way a small child greets the presence of his earthly father?

Shouldn't we treat every tiny blessing He gives the same way a three year old treats making hot chocolate on a snowy day?

"This is the best day ever."

I know I could go a lot deeper into this idea... And into how we should find joy in God whether we see the "blessings" or not... But this was just my thought of the day. :) (yesterday)

Remember Who You Represent

There seem to be a bunch of popular themes ... And they're all similar. "Remember who you are". "Be yourself".

And while "to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you anyone else is one of the greatest fights you ever will fight"*, I do believe that there is something greater than to simply be and represent yourself.

*I've seen similar quotes attributed to numerous people... That's the trouble with quotes on the internet, it is difficult to determine if they are genuine. - Abraham Lincoln. hehe*

I don't want to just be... me.

Because when the only thing you have to stand up for is yourself... you don't really have much of a purpose, do you?

Yes, I do believe you should be yourself... Stand outside the giant melting pot of society...
But when when Paul wrote to the Romans and told them, "Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2)
I don't think he was implying that man can stand alone against the patterns of this world - rather, if you surrender to someone greater and wiser, He can and will transform your mind.

Because let's be honest here... I'm not that great. You're not that great.
I've done stupid things... You've done stupid things. And I'm sure we will both continue to do so.
But that's not the reputation I want.

My pastors at my church always pray before their sermons that any words they speak that are from them, that they will be forgotten, but the words they speak from God would be remembered.
That's being a representative of someone greater.

Today while doing math homework, watching the snow fall and swirl outside leaving me stuck inside with no need or want to go out, I was mindlessly listening to ibetheltv's Youtube channel - playing various songs sung by various worship leaders... (all while furiously studying math, I promise. hehe) When one of Jeremy Riddle's "spontaneous worship" moments caught my ear.

"Now I have a purpose. Now I have a destiny. You've made me for Your glory, You've made me for Your glory."

Remember who you represent. In Him is your purpose. In Him is your destiny.

(Not the same song as the above quoted spontaneous line... But I thought this one was fitting nonetheless. :)

Prayer and Soaking (pt.3) Discipline

Well this got neglected and sat in my drafts folder forever... Oops.

Discipline.

It sounds like a bad word, doesn't it?

We cannot discipline ourselves to be better and make God love us more.
Nor will a lack of discipline make God love us any less.

HOWEVER.

Don't you think good stuff comes from discipline, too?

"God doesn't care about the work and the discipline you put into it. He doesn't love you for what you do, He loves you for who you are."

Okay, yes. God does love us. Unconditionally. That means that nothing we do or do not do will make Him love us less.

BUT.

Have you heard the phrase "Faith without works is dead" ? (James 2:20) Maybe... Just a little bit... It IS about the discipline. 

Soaking feels great. To quiet yourself and listen.

But there needs to be both...

Discipline will not save you, but neither will sitting and simply believing.

See what I'm getting at?

God can and does speak directly to us, but we shouldn't just sit and wait for Him to do so.

We need to seek and pursue with all our hearts - put in a little effort.

Eric Samuel Timm posted something on Instagram the other day that I loved. I didn't agree with some of the ideas presented, but the main message was to be an intellectual Pentecostal - devoting your passion to both the intellectual pursuit as well as the emotional response.

Isn't that what we should strive for?

Awaken Love

If I could have a soundtrack to my life, all of September and most of October would have been Tides. (Bethel Music)

There's one chorus that goes, "Lord God, come awaken love. Come stir my heart to long for all You are. I'm desperate just to have more of Your heart. Come awaken love."

I love that.

I love the idea of asking God for a longing.

Lately, I've been finding myself in that situation more and more often. "God, make me hungrier."

My word writing ability is lacking. I fell asleep this afternoon after finishing school. I'm not a napper... And it kinda ruined me for the rest of the day.

Enjoy Hunter Thompson.

Night

"Why do you cry when you pray?" he asked, as though he knew me well.

"I don't know," I answered, troubled.
I had never asked myself that question. I cried because... because something inside me felt the need to cry. That was all I knew.

"Why do you pray?" he asked after a moment.

Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe?

"I don't know," I told him, even more troubled and ill at ease. "I don't know."


Taken from Night by Elie Wiesel.

Words.

I'm a words person.

Maybe that's why I can't usually enjoy secular music.
Sure, she has a pretty voice... But those words... Catch in my throat.

I can't get these lyrics by Audrey Assad out of my head.

Yeah, maybe she's not your style...

But there's no way that you can say her words aren't lovely.

Scripture based, worship based, prayer based...

And I'll take that over the most talented musician singing about money, lust and highs.

From the love of my own comfort
From the fear of having nothing
From a life of worldly passions
Deliver me O God

From the need to be understood
From the need to be accepted
From the fear of being lonely
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

From the fear of serving others
From the fear of death or trial
From the fear of humility
Deliver me O God
Deliver me O God

And I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

No, I shall not want, I shall not want
When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

When I taste Your goodness I shall not want

Prayer and Soaking (pt. 2)

Soaking in the Presence of God feels good. Doesn't it? To let His Spirit wash over you is such an amazing feeling.

But I think we need to talk about the dangerous stuff, too.

God's voice, though we'd like it to be, is not the only "supernatural voice" out there. And if you sit and soak and listen... Yes, you'll hear God. You will hear good.

But there's also someone who can, and will, make bad sound pretty dang good, too. We need to know that.

And we need to know who God is.

Just "following your heart" and relying on your instinct and wisdom is one of the most dangerous things to do.

Do I believe that God can and will speak directly to you when you choose to listen? Yes.
Do I believe that an evil, crafty, sneaky liar will also try to get your attention? Again, yes.

And how do we discern which is which?

When you hear such a strong voice saying words that sound good... It's SO easy to jump to the conclusion that it's the Holy Spirit. But what about when it's not?

How do we know?

I heard a speaker the other day who had a lot of good things to say. Things about spending time in God's presence, being a real friend of Jesus... All good things. But, in my opinion, he kind of down-played the value of scripture.

He didn't say it wasn't important... But he forgot to say it was.
And it scared me for all the new believers that were listening.

One of the biggest thing my mentor has taught me is to compare things with the Bible.

No matter how good something might sound, if it contradicts anything in the Bible, it's not from God. Because He'll never contradict Himself.

All this is NOT to say that listening for God's voice and simply letting yourself *be* in His presence is a bad thing. Farthest thing from.

I think that it is immensely valuable. To sit. And listen. And be. And soak.

But you can't be completely blind, either.

(There IS a part 3 coming. Sorry for dragging it out. ;)