P.e.r.f.e.c.t.

haha, just saying "acronym" makes me think of my Ochem professor...she pronounced it more like "uh-crow-knee-um".
=) love her.


So when I feel gloomy and/or frustrated, I'm quickly reminded that the only place I'll find truth/encouragement/the perfect perspective is in the Word.

Psalm 18:30
This God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

Philippians 3:12
[ Straining Toward the Goal ] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Hebrews 10:14
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.


One of my leaders also reminded me several weeks ago that God has the PERFECT plan for me.
(Why is it so easy to quickly forget such basic truths?)

Then today, I came across my perfect acronym:

Prompt (done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay: a prompt reply...ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands.)
Effective (adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result)
Righteous (Slang - absolutely genuine or wonderful)
Freeing (enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery)
Eternal (without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing ( opposed to temporal): eternal life.)

Complete (having all parts or elements; lacking nothing; whole; entire; full)
Trustworthy (deserving of trust or confidence; dependable; reliable)




Give Me Faith - Elevation Worship
I need You to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need You to open my eyes
To see that You're shaping my life

All I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what you say
That You're good and Your love is great
I'm broken inside, I give You my life

I need You to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need You to pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

All I am, I surrender

I may be weak
Your Spirit's strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God You never will

ps - Happy December! :-) Praying this Advent season will renew & rekindle affections for our Savior as we raise our expectations of all that HE is able to do.

Cause.

noun
1. a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result

¹⁵But He saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
and from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶So the poor have hope,
and injustice shuts her mouth.
-Job 5

Monday of this week brought me a conversation about child trafficking - from Atlanta to India.
I followed up the conversation with an email containing various organizations that I've gotten to partner with, and it occurred to me that even more people need to be in the loop. (and since this week is another FB fast :D blogging is the timely answer, woohoo!)
And before I had the trafficking convo, I was in Job Sunday night and Job 5:16 LEAPT off the page and has continued to sit heavily in my spirit...I believe it couples perfectly with child slavery and this truth could be made tangible in the lives of so many people --- if we're willing to DO SOMETHING.

(and now, the email.)


These are some local trafficking organizations that I've gotten to volunteer with/donate to before...hopefully you can find an easy way for you to plug in and help stop the demand! :)

Stop Child Trafficking Now (SCTNow)
http://sctnow.org/
I first heard about this organization back in January 2010 at a conference I went to. Then, a lady at my church actually stepped up to be the coordinator for the Atlanta walk/run in 2010 and 2011, so I was able to participate in a more tangible way than just donating money (which is STILL necessary & helpful & awesome, but it's different when you're physically doing something.) This is probably the organization I mention the most, because they're all over the U.S. Their focus is on raising funds to pay for private investigators to find and stop all these different sex trafficking rings.

Wellspring Living
http://www.wellspringliving.org/
This is an Atlanta-based organization that provides healing, restoration, and counseling for women & girls that have been sexually abused. They have also come and partnered with the SCTNow walks we've had in Atlanta. (another thing I SO appreciate about these trafficking organizations -they're so quick to combine resources & work together, because they all have the same goal!!) Wellspring has tons of different volunteer opportunities and easy ways to donate.

Do Something Now
http://268generation.com/passion2012/#!/do-something-now/
I will be attending Passion 2012 in January (a 4-day conference for 18-25yr olds -- all about making JESUS famous & combining worship with justice!), and each year (this will be my 3rd time going) they have a "Do Something Now" center. With 20-30,000 students in attendance, the past 2 years we've been able to help raise a couple million dollars for dozens of different causes (from water, to food, to trafficking, child sponsorship...).

THIS coming year, "During the four days of the conference, our goal is to raise $1 million to fund incredible organizations that are fighting to bring prevention, freedom, and restoration to those trapped in slavery." They have 6 different organizations listed that you can read more about and see if you're led to invest in one of those, too.

Honestly, organizations like these are the propelling force that makes me want to eliminate my student debt as quickly as possible, so I can pour any extra funds towards this need. Especially within the U.S., it's not like this is un-stoppable...it's absolutely heart-breaking, but it's not something that people can remain silent about once they're aware it's going on.

I'll stop now. :-) Hope this helps as you continue to pray & find an area to plug in!!


Truly and really - please DO something. Now.

Busy?

Yikes.

Surely I've had plenty of things to share since...May 25th, right?

Fortunately for YOU, I am still a journaling fiend (as in, "a person who is excessively fond or addicted to something"), therefore, I will now attempt to pick ONE word (or catchy phrase? hm..) to summarize each month...May - October.
Sound good? READYSETGO!

May ~ Held.

June ~ Pizza.

July ~ Blur.

August ~ Adventure.

September ~ Release.

October ~ Cleanse.

November ~ TBD.

Coming soon.

So much to share!

(God is saying a lot these days - and I'm finally listening.)

But, it's bed time.

and there is more Organic Chemistry that I have yet to study. o.O

Sleep it is! =)
(I don't know what I would do without emoticons.)

Currently: started reading through Psalms with the little sister.
tomorrow is chapter 3...sitting in verse 5:
⁵I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

New.

(note! previous post = last minute scholarship entry)

I feel, surprisingly refreshed, rejuvenated, re-focused, re-motivated.
Weird - feeling rested after a break? ah, such a concept. Hallelujah.
I'm wondering lately, what do I spend my time talking about the most?
Is it me?
Is it what I'm doing?
Is it my family?
Is it complaining?
Is it encouraging?
Am I professing Christ before man?
I don't know.

Reminded that I need to be thinking about the thoughts I think.
More intentionality, purpose, focus.
(you know?)
I want that.
and I can!
Do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Not desiring to be "normal" any more, because I think I'm finally accepting (again) that God has not called me to be "normal."
(or, perhaps I need to line up my definition of "normal" with His.)

Striving to take His Word as a command, not a suggestion.
And not be offended by His commands - He knows who He is and what He wants.
How comforting for such an indecisive, flighty person like myself.
thankful that God is BIG.
and that I can't fully comprehend/wrap my mind around who He is and what He does. glory.

Free to Fail (and get back up)

***THIS BLOG POST IS IN RESPONSE TO MICHAEL GOODWIN'S "FREEDOM TO FAIL" VIDEO***


"If you don't aim for anything, then that's what you're going to get every time." The other night, I was dialoging with my mentor, and this phrase came across her lips. As I reflect on decisions that I have made and the varied courses that I have seen friends pursue, I keep arriving at the conclusion that the "freedom to fail" is more internal than external. While there are portions of Goodwin's observations that I agree with, and will soon expound on, I believe the concept of failure lies within individual perspectives. Personally speaking, if I trace back from moments where I had "failed," it typically stemmed from areas where I had already felt inadequate or was ill-equipped for the situation. As much as someone believes they deserve to succeed, it is just as contorted to suppose that they deserve to fail.

Concerning Goodwin's viewpoint, there are current areas within my county's school system that cause me to concur with him. I am not certain if other states have attempted this project, but in various Georgia counties, they had (rather unsuccessfully) tried to condense their high school math curriculum by replacing traditional mathematics with the recently created Math I, II and III. This smorgasbord approach proved to be difficult both for the teachers to instruct and the students to understand. My mother has an independent tutoring business where she has been able to correct and redirect multiple students by supplementing their textbooks with more thorough resources. Thanks to the resourcefulness of high school parents, the diligence of my mother and the hard work from her clients, I believe an excellent capitalistic picture has been painted here. Rather than the parents choosing to attack the school board or individual teachers, they have used this opportunity not to pacify their children, but to guide them into cultivating behaviors for success.

I remember hearing Goodwin make the statement that, "without failure we can't succeed." Yes, there is some truth to that, but I believe that it goes deeper still - if we do not DO anything, we cannot succeed. Case in point - this scholarship essay. I only discovered this opportunity a few days ago, and my initial response was to not even try, because I thought it would give the appearance of laziness by submitting my response so close to the deadline. My own false assumption gives voice to my belief, that as long as we have the capacity to cognitively form our own decisions, we do not lack the freedom to fail.

100%

Isn't that the grade you want to see at the top of every test?
Just some solid, academic proof that your hours of diligent studying really did pay off?
Then, when you DO receive that validation that comes from 100%, your heart is lighter, the air is fresher, your professor suddenly doesn't seem so dreadful and God is worthy to be praised!


But -

What if you did not receive 100%? What if it was only 82%? (fact: it was) All of those hours you spent pouring over texts and watching far too many Youtube videos about photosynthesis and cellular respiration suddenly seemed fruitless and pointless. Could your heart still be light and the air still be fresh? Could you still speak blessings over your instructor and find something to thank God for?


I had been wrestling with this, particularly by the time I received my third 82 (haha, seriously?! bizarre. Now, it makes me chuckle & praise Jesus for extra credit.) My attitude at the time? Sheer chagrin:

–noun

1. a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation.

:-)

Eventually, I worked my way towards "Ok, Father...I know that from You and through You and to You are ALL things...so howww am I supposed to glorify you through this failure??" (maybe not FAILURE, but still. you get it.) But this was honestly my question - this is what happened, so there has to be a way for God to still receive glory through this...just a matter of getting my own attitude out of the way.
So, in an effort to decrease myself and increase my perspective of God in this situation (as petty & fleeting as it is in the grand scheme of life), I did what anyone else would do: since I made an 82, that must mean I should read Psalm 82!

(you think I'm kidding.)
Nope, totally did it.
What did I gather? A broader viewpoint - Rescue the Weak and Needy.
humbled. convicted. Yet, still not satisfied & prone to whine.

"But God, what if I had made 100? What would you say THEN?"
(so thankful for His patience...I would've slapped me by now.)

Psalm 100? oh nothing, just A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS.

"Don't wait to thank Me. Don't wait to praise Me. Yes, I will show you how to better prepare, but test grades aside - I AM worthy to be praised. Worthy to receive thanks. Period."


ahh, and just because God IS so very patient and gracious and relentless and wonderful, I met Psalm 50 the other day. (thankfully, not because of a test result this time.)

verse 23~ "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!"


That's the latest.
also, Psalm 126:5-6 = encouraging.
God is in control. He knows.


Love!

Happy 2011. (forreal this time)

It seems like this happened the last time I struggled to (find time) pull a post together...2 were started with clever titles, but never completed...

~January 25, 2011: "11 months 'til Christmas!"
----Going back through my journal entry from this day, looks like I had (and still do have!!) plenty of songs running through my head/sitting in my spirit from Passion 2011. *see Mountains Move & Beautiful Things.* Had just completed my first "real" week of school after our blessedly wonderful ice storm & was working to get my groove back...
*Proverbs 25:4~
Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel.


~February 8, 2011: ""studying""
----haha, I do have another journal entry from this day as well, but I mostly remember joking that I would finally 'commemorate' my 21st birthday 2 months late. (please. do you know me?? better believe I spent that night cramming for my chem test the next day.)
....oh snap. Just realized this was only one week ago?? ahahaaha, wow. I should be sleeping right now.
Beginning to realize in all of my asking for wisdom (James 1:5), that OF COURSE God gives wisdom generously...wisdom is constantly calling out & inviting me!
*Proverbs 8:5~
O simple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, learn sense.

Repeatedly humbled, repeatedly broken when I realize how natural (and sinful) it is for me to assess each day in my own strength & time parameters & expectations...Google Calendar should only do so much. Also, I felt rather lazy & not incredibly productive last week. (plenty of petty reasons, but I know it all boils down to not getting to bed on time & choosing to let that dictate my actions & responses....pleasant demeanor = the grace & mercy of Jesus!)



~February 14, 2011: "Happy 2011. (forreal this time)"
----it IS a happy 2011! =D Kind of nuts if I stop to realize that we're officially half-way through February now...but O, what the Lord has done in just the past month and a half! I pray that I'm not the same, but being made more like Him, more into a vessel He can use.
(yes, you need to click on "vessel")
Been reminded from the Word and confirmed through others, that I am constantly in the palm of His hand. (and so are you!) It's such a sweet place of rest, security and satisfaction --- and according to Jeremiah, this is the same place where I'm repeatedly crushed, re-formed, re-shaped, renewed, adjusted...yet I know the One who's doing it & that's how I'm able to rest.

After what felt like an out-of-whack week & an exhausting (but so wonderful!!) weekend full of dancing, I finally took a moment (which turned into an hour) to just sit on my bed, pour out my heart, and listen to His voice. (please try it - best Valentine's Day gift I've ever received...though daddy's chocolate covered fortune cookies run a close second.)
What I am prone to forget, is that "all things new" can happen every. single. second. His mercies don't run out, His Love never stops and I can't exhaust His patience through all of my finite struggles. I constantly wrestle with knowing that I'm human yet striving to be Holy as He is.

*1 Peter 3:13-16
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

I know that life is cyclical and I know that I'm at a higher level...but I get so tired of arguing with myself over the same issues & behavior patterns...surely someday I'll truly walk this life like I believe all of His promises.
But then, He so gently reminded me how He sees my heart's desires and motive, and struggle to pursue diligence - which is apparently happening whether I can believe it or not. glory!
Thankful for the reminder that I shouldn't have everything at once..

*Proverbs 13:11-13
Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Whoever despises the Word brings destruction on himself,
but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

little by little...thank you Father, for building habits and creating patterns in Your perfect timing - that the seed I'm sowing would not be choked out, but be repeatedly weeded, watered and fertilized within Your Presence. Thank you for loving me, for choosing me, for giving me the choice every single day to die to my flesh, that I may pick up my cross and follow You.

=]
let's go.
Happy New Year!