One TRUE love

One True Love

Some find their one true love in high school

Others here online

Some find their one true love at camp

Or others in a pew near by

 But I found my one true love where no one would expect

He pledged to love me just where I was at

He’s my constant reminder of what love really means

For you see my one true love promises more than the world to me

For my one true love gave His life so I could live instead

My one true love is Jesus a man among many men

He will always fill my heart more than any man ever can.

We all fALL down

I was just thinking about the song " We all bleed red" it is an amazing song talking about how all of us go through life and sometimes we need a little help. IN the end we are all the same and as the song says we all bleed red and we all fall down and lose our way. Sometimes in life i really believe that God has given us a community of people because He knows that we can't do it alone. I know that some of the things in my life that i have been through i couldn't have made it through without the help of my friends. God has given us people like ourselves that the church. Sometimes we may get frustrated and aggravated at things that people do or the way that things are handled but the fact is that with out the community of our family this life is going to be a whole lot harder than it is now. No one likes to walk down a narrow street at dark alone. God tells us that narrow is the way to salvation and few there are that find it...so if that is the case then lets make a pack to hold each others hand as we walk through life together!!

I love you all and pray that you have a safe and amazing rest of the week!!

Bring on the RAIN

So this morning I was listening to the song my Mercy Me called "Bring on the Rain." This song means so much to me because through out life there have been many things in my life that just haven't turned out exactly how i expected them to. I have come to realize that i have NO control of what happens in life but rather i have the ability to choose how i react to those things. This song is a constant reminder that if we never had rain then there would always be a drought. When i think of that it kind of is a metaphor for life in many ways! If we never go through hard times in our spiritual life...If our faith is never tested then really what do we have to stand up for what do we have to challenge ourselves. If we never had rain or hard time then we would be stuck in a spiritual drought. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the death of a dear friend and as i look back on a year ago...I went through rain and i was angry with God and extremely upset. BUT as i look back on that i have learned so much from that experience. Some days there will be rain but if nothing else i have learned instead of dreading it...BRING ON THE RAIN!!

I love all of you and for everyone that was there for me during that rough time in my life...THANK YOU!!!

Joy That Overcomes the World

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything." In life we all have a choice to either make the most of what God has given us or sit and fall apart.  A wise person once told me that Joy is not the same thing as happiness.  Happiness can come and go but true joy is only found in God and it can withstand all kinds of hardships.  Joy is the little boost that God gives us to say that not matter how many times we fail or fall that He is not only going to catch us but he is going bring us through and we are going to be better for it.  For me joy was getting to a point where everything had fallen apart and i had no choice but to lean only on God.  In that moment of weakness God gave me a light and that light was called hope, but through hope came joy.  Any of you who know a joyful person...well you can tell.  When things go wrong they may be upset but you can still see that glimmer of hope and joy in their eyes.  I want to encourage all of you...if you haven't already to find the joy that only God can offer you.  There will come a time in your life that your joy is what will get you through so perfect it now!!

the birds and lions too...

Have you ever been in nature and you felt so in touch with God? Well i have news for you...that was God's intentions. In the end of the book of Job God names all of these wild and magnificent animals that still today humans have not been able to tame. God's underlying message seems to be that we can marvel at all of these animals just as we marvel at God's magnificence and all the amazing things that he does in our live. Sometimes i wonder if just as humans at times have forgotten about the the wild nature by tearing down their homes and hunting them to extinction. Have we perhaps also forgotten the untamable nature of God? Have we forgotten that God is in fact not a puppet of ours that we use when we need it but that we just toss in a box when we are done. Before i have often thought that maybe i have treated God in this way...But no more!! I pray that all of you will work with me and we will treat God how he deserves to be treated...reverenced and holy!! Continue to enjoy God in nature and be reminded of His underlying message to His children.

Who cares?

I know that when something bad happens to good people I often wonder as Job did...why do bad thing happen to good people? Why did my friend die in a tragic car accident or does God even care that all these people in Japan are affected in a drastic way by this earthquake? OR why did my best friend's aunt have to get cancer while she is at school? All of these questions come back to does God really care if we are hurting or even what he is putting us through.  Well there is only one way to answer this question...and for me it has proved decisive: JESUS IS THE ANSWER. In Jesus, God gave us a face. If you wonder how God feels about the suffering on this planet, look at that face. By no means did Jesus solve the problem of pain-he healed onl a few in one small corner of the world-but he did signify an answer to the question...Does God care?

Need a Friend

So as I was going about my week i realized the importance of having people to back you up even when you feel like your whole world is crashing down.  BUt when i started to think about that i realized something...GOD IS THAT FRIEND.  I think all too often i fail to remember that God is just as much real and just as easy to talk to as all of the people that i hang out with on a regular basis! God is never changing is always there and never has anything more important to do.  That is the beauty of the Lord! He always has our best interest in mind and He is the number one counselor...I know that in hard times or when you just feel like letting it all out God is the one to go to.  It is important to let others help you but God is the one who dries up all our tears and i know that he as dried plenty of mine and put people in my life that have been there no matter what!! God knows what he is doing so next time you need a friend...LEAN ON HIM!!

OUT of MY hands!

So this week i was really encouraged by someone who told me that contentment was more than just saying i have no control of what is going on...it was saying that i am going to be happy that i have no control!! Then i listened to the Matthew West song "Out of my hands." the chorus of this song is ..."it's out of my hands. It's out of my reach. it's over my head. It's out of my league. There are too many things that i don't understand. So it's into your will...and it's out of my hands." The song continues talking about us being helpless and God having to heal us. Anyway listen to it but i was a suddle reminder that I am not the one that should be trying to have control.  I have no power or even the slightest authority to try to drive the car of my life...I realized after this that it is by Grace i have been saved not of my self...so that NO MAN CAN BOAST. I was saved by God and he is the one that should be molding my life not me trying to control myself and others! So if you ever feel like you are trying to take control of your life...remember IT'S OUT OF YOUR HANDS AND INTO GOD'S!!!

Matthew 6:19-21

Well I can't find where I'm supposed to be one of the editors, but I'm finally committing to it. Anyway, I was reading Matthew 6:19-21. It's about Treasures in Heaven. But before you think you know what I'm gonna say here me out. Most preachers have emphasized the "where moth and rust destroy". Therefore, emphasizing that this earth is temporary, so don't store treasures here. However, the sentence really flows like this if you follow the commas along. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on heart but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The bit about moths and rusts is just helping clarify where each place is, grammatically speaking. All that said, Can we have a little treasure on earth? Or does that mean that a little of our heart is here as well? I've got money... Is my heart naturally with that? I've got nice decorations...Are my heart with those? I've got a computer...Is my heart with that? How much heart do I have? Who am I kidding? This doesn't matter, we don't take the Scriptures seriously anyway...

Romans 11:11-16

Paul here presents a rather complicated argument. Rather than going into the details, I am going to sum it up, and offer some encouraging words. The Jews rejected God- In "Jealousy" (righteous envy) God sent Christ to free all people- Now the Israelites and the Gentiles (US) can only be saved by grace. And that salvation, that heaven, will be so much more incredible than the riches of this world that were brought about, (salvation). Yes I just stated, that HEAVEN>Salvation, there is more to Heaven than being Saved. A thought that we need to be more real with at times. It is about worshiping God. It is about as Paul continues, being HOLY as the ROOT is holy. It's about being ROOTED in HIM. It's not about abusing Grace, it's not about "going to heaven" and it's definitely not about "not going to hell" it's about God! "THY KINGDOM COME ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" AMEN (let it be so)

Contentment

A lot of times being content is a very subjective matter... either it is being ok with the situation but you wish it would be better or accepting the situation as it is and forgetting about your expectations.  I fell like a lot of time the latter on is what is the hardest to do.  If you look at contentment in God's view what does He view it as?  Well personally i think that God views it as giving up what you wish it were and moving on. Saying this is what God's will is for my life and i will present each day with JOY!! But you say that is hard...why yes it is very hard.  Accepting that bad things happen to good people, accepting that people will let you down, accepting that people will hurt you, accepting that life isn't fair is just a part of life it is just a part of Christianity.  Sometimes things happen that we personally have no control of but we do have control of how we respond to them.  I know for one that i failed at this today and got extremely upset because I expected something that wasn't so....And that is what led me to right this to all of you!! I felt extremely sorry and it made me think about being content and being joyful even when things or people don't turn out the way you planned.

Starteling Reality

Have you ever noticed just when you are about to give up God sends something to intervene.  Well in case you haven't that happened to me on my car ride back home.  I was so frustrated and thought that i would never be seen eye to eye but it was just then that God took hold of the steering wheel and said hey look you can go to my Word and find all that you are searching for.  God answers prayers and opens doors when you have every intention of just giving up....so i want to encourage all of you to not give up to keep on fighting and to continue searching for God in your lives.  God has not intention of giving up on you and in fact He might just shove it in your face and help you realize what his will is for your life!!

Unending Joy

Someone once told me that joy passes when you are first and everlasting when you are last. What an interesting concept we try to tell our selves that we are joyful when in reality we are just happy or satisfied with where we are right in that moment.  Joy (and i mean true JOY) is only found in the Lord.  I don't know about many of you but there are times in my life when i am so down and it seems like nothing is going my way and of course that shows for everyone to see.  But i have also learned that in those time is when i realize that I have not been asking God to bring me joy unending joy.  Joy is the source of all kinds of things such as contentment and just plain old happiness.  If you have deep underlying joy it shows in how you treat people and how you love people.  God calls us to be joyful so what is stopping us from receiving His joy.  I know that many of you have heard the Joy of the Lord will be my strength and if you haven't well you should listen to it!! But as i was saying Joy brings about a strength that can only be found in the Lord so that when temptation strikes it is the Lord that is the only one who can comfort and bring you Joy.  If you do not have genuine joy when those troubles come not only will your faith fade( which i have experienced) but you will not be able to put on that true smile which makes you YOU!!

So my challenge for you today is to ask God to give you Joy!!

life just happens...

So today I learned that life isn't as fair or as convenient as I want it to be.  Yesterday I talked to yall about the aspect of change in our Christian walk with God.  But today I learned that change is a big part of any relationship no matter what that might be. Sometimes things pull friends apart based on distance or time.  Sometimes changes pull the people you love the most away from you just a little at a time.  In life there are not promises that things are going to work out exactly how you imagine them to (in fact for me they didn't). But the reality is that there has to be a reason that we change(for the good or bad). I honestly believe that God has full control of everything that we do and no matter what happens in our life to change who we are that God has a plan for that.  When we think of change effecting other people it really didn't seem to be that impacting ( or what i could see).  A lot of times when we change God has a specific out come that he has in mind and I encourage you to hold on to that outcome even when it seems like life is throwing you all around and even when people you care about act different or feel like they are hurting who you are trying to be.  Stay strong because in the end God is holding the remote...he can click people in and out of your life but he is never going to click the power button and leave you hanging.  Life is not fair and change is part of any situation we are faced with, but it is how we react to that change that really makes all the difference.  SO don't be afraid of change(or at least try not to be like i am). I guess i am asking all of you to believe that what has happened in your life and the changes you have encountered are what is best for you and if they aren't God is going to break them down!!! SO trust God

with the love of the Lord

Lena

this is going to hurt but i am going to do it anyway...

Often in life I have learned that things do not stay the grand ole way that I want them to.  In order to be the best Christian, friend, and girlfriend that I can be things have to change.  When we are talking about Christianity there is a constant struggle to want to stay in the same place ( like a spiritual high) but what i have come to learn is that sometimes trying to stay in the same place actually hinders you from what your ultimate goal in life is.  Christ calls us to be followers and in order to follow you and I have to be willing to constantly experience different thing such as pain and trial.  I have often been the one to say well i am tired of things changing all the time and often i am actually the one afraid of change.  If any of you are like me you know that change is scary and often causes uncomfortable feelings.  I honestly believe though that those feelings are exactly what we need if we never experience something new or try something different then we are in the same position as millions of other religions that just stick to their old traditions and aren't willing to open up and experience the new view on God's amazing life he has planed for you and for me.  Often i have learned if i will open up some of the most amazing things have changed my life for the better.  SO this week I challenge all of you to open up to a conversation (a deep conversation) about what God is doing in your life and think about how you too can become more open to change (even if it is in a minor way that you look at people).  Lets help each other to not become so comfortable with our lives and dare to change because it could become the most amazing thing you have ever done( i know it has been a blessing to me).

Just think...

I have this wall canvas in my room  that says:

JUST THINK,
you're are here not by chance, but by God's choosing.  His hand formed you and made you the person you are. he compares you to no one else-you are one of a kind.  You lack nothing that his grace can't give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill his special purpose for this generation.

Roy Lessin

Have you ever had this feeling yourself. Have you ever looked around you and see that there is a specific purpose for something or someone in your life. Well if you haven't, I did today.  Today i realized for the first time why i am where i am and why exactly God put me here...why everything that has happened in the past year happened when it did and it is an amazing thing!! Each one of us God has a detailed plane of what we can be and who we can become. I know that for some of you this is so confusing but if you have ever had this feeling IT IS AWESOME. Getting the feeling like you are exactly where God wants you to do amazing things...it gives you shivers!! i know that if you haven't had this experience that hopefully one day you too will feel that.  But if you have never before felt this let me encourage you to remember fully that God has amazing thing planed for you but you have to first open up your heart to hearing not only Him but those around you(like i did).  Without people around you encouraging you and going though this with you!! Life is not all that it could be.  We have our loving Christian family as a backbone of solid support...if you are going through something then i pray that you ( as well as myself) will find someone to help...because no one has to go through it alone!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Lena

A true Community of love

Paul Tournier- "There are two things we cannot do alone, one is to be married and the other is to be a Christian."

As i was reading this today I realized that all too often I try to take things into my own hand instead of turning to my brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are to be God's new community on earth but how am I doing that when I fail to tell my spiritual family what is going on in my walk with God? Maybe some of you are like me and you just don't want to talk to people when things go wrong.  Well from my experiences it doesn't end up well in many situations I end up holding it all inside until I just simple explode with anger and resentment.  Maybe that is why God told us to CONFESS OUR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER... I know that I fail at this every single day but I can't help but picture what our churches and our relationships would be like if we were open with each other.  What if (just stick with me for a minute)we came to church and instead of putting on the everything is great what if we really told people how we felt. What if I walked up to you and told you that I was so stressed out ( which is true) because I didn't feel like I had enough time to do everything.  Just by my being honest would you be honest too?  We are a group of people who have been remade in Christ's image and as those new people we might have many things differences but our identity is the same CHRISTIAN! So I challenge you this week: find someone in your faith circle that you can talk to and really tell them what is going on in your life. Really explain to them how you feel and take your guard down( I will be doing it too). If you are really brave you can even comment on this and tell us how you feel...the first step in our community is to learn to love each other as who we are and then work to make each other better!!


In the love of the Lord,

Lena

Hey there...

Hey there everyone,

This blog idea came about as God completely flipped my world upside down. To return the favor I'd like to shake Christians out of our everyday humm drum life (which I admittingly was stuck in) .  A lot of times I get so focused on what I had to get done I forget to take time out of my day for God. This site is designed to bring that focus on our Creator and the one that we whole heartedly love!! (I'll admit writing is partially to focus myself) As we go day by day I hope that all of you will be as encouraged as I was to remember all that God has done for our lives. As everyday we delve into His heart, I hope that we will be drawn closer to God and hopefully closer to each other as well.  At any time you can comment and say what is on your heart or just what you would like to know or study together!! This site is for all of us and I pray that through it everyone's life will be blessed!!!

With Love in the Lord,

Lena