Greater

Went to a ladies' MS support group for the 3rd time this evening...mostly to keep spreading the word about Refuge's Dance for MS class, and put some faces with the group of people that I'm learning to embrace. I love that they're (almost) all there with the hope of perhaps not building each other up, but at least gaining some helpful insights & information to help them in their own lifestyles.
But we don't need special medicine or drugs or exercise or diets or insurance or medicare or disability pay or pity.

We need Jesus.

I know (that I know, that I know!) that God works all things together for good, because I love Him and I'm called according to His purpose...and not all of these ladies know this for themselves. =/ It breaks my heart to see this mental battle, how some disease is able to trap, twist and control someone's mind. As I'm listening to these ladies share various stories and struggles - it should be so easy to get discouraged. But the entire time I could feel the Spirit whispering, "I Am GREATER."

oh Lord, You are!

I want to be bold, but with gentleness & respect. Father, please teach me.

Romans 12...

Love

⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

I have to be careful, because I'm not too prone to mourn with those who mourn (why not jump straight to rejoicing?!). Seems that the answer is to focus all of my fervor and zeal towards serving the Lord and allow Him to funnel my words/actions...hallelujah for the grace to remain joyful, patient and faithful.

Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece!

ps - I have orientation for the next 3 days at Life University! =D Getting excited and organized...and reminding myself that I asked for this, haha. Glory to God. :)

Caught up

(that's not "caught up" in a beneficial way - like I was behind, but now I'm caught up - rather, "caught up" in thinking/stressing about circumstances or future events that I have little to no control over. awesome.)

I didn't think September has been an especially busy month - until I realized there are only 7 days left, yikes. BUT, because God is so merciful, I realized where I've been getting hung up - I haven't been taking life one. day. at. a. time. It's been more like I've looked at the entire week ahead of me and decided to plunge right into it...all the while counting down & planning for other events that are at least a month away. No wonder I've been feeling stressed out...I'm all for calendars and planning ahead, but this morning's new mercies are meant for September 23rd - not October 23rd. (You know? Like I've got grace for today's to-do list...not next month's.)
What makes me tremble, is that being too forward-focused has caused me to miss out on opportunities God had for me to bless someone else. But now, there's no time and no need to wallow in self-deprecation and regret...because my Father has a better way!

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹ I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

² I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

³ When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

⁴ May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

⁵ May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

⁶ Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.

⁸ The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

praise the Lord...thankful that the people aren't perfect, but His plan is!
AND, still chewing on Revelation 2:5 (from our Beth Moore study yesterday)~ *spoiler alert: these are some pg20 fill-in-the-blanks* ;)

Revelation 2:5 (NIV)
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Remember --> Repent --> Return to those first things

Thank you Jesus for the process of Your plans. As I walk in patient, joyful, perseverance - open my eyes, ears and heart to grasp Your larger picture, and how You desire to love others through me....keep me flexible according to Your Word! (haha, and thank you for the evident reminders that I just asked for that!)
Another timely word - found this morning on a friend's blog, regarding God's desire for us to "un-clutter" our lives.

"Now is the time to push back the clutter and distractions of life that are occupying your time and space and draining away your energy. God is asking His people to unclutter their lives where His Spirit can set down and do extraordinary things. Remove the clutter and distractions and welcome the coming of the Lord."
- Garris Elkins

Not weak....and, thankfulness re-mixes perspectives

<sup>*September 16th*
Yikes. It's been a minute since I've shared.
Actually started to post a week ago with this...

*September 9th*
19</sup>He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, ²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4)

Refuge had our 2nd Dance for MS class last night, and this passage is hitting me hard/significantly today. What serves as a more constant (and possibly discouraging) reminder than our own bodies? A piece of glass cannot be the only mirror we're looking into on a daily basis...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*back to September 16th*
I'm tired...and I know it stems from not taking sufficient time to be still in His Presence - because it's when we're still, that we know He is God.
One of those days/weeks/seasons. lots going on, but I don't feel like I've been doing that much. Like I'm wayyy too focused on future events. *example: I nearly threw out a coupon yesterday because I thought it had already expired...the expiration date said 10/02/10. ((yikes))
and it's just little things that I've allowed to bug me!!
---3 days of orientation
---3 days of missing work/no pay
---guy I used to like trying to get back in touch, ew. =/
---guy that I still like but can't really talk to - Facebook pics popping up everywhere. cool.

THERE MUST BE MORE NOW, JESUS!

TOO MANY other GOOD things:
-Ginster having a breaking moment :)
-Jess feeling pursued
-Lady at church we've been praying for is no longer a lesbian!!!!!!!!!!
-gumbo
-flashmob
-ebb & flow
-my coworkers, family, friends
-Jamestown trip
-PD Atl!
-goody bags
-laughter, hugs, love
-Passion 2011 Live Link
-3 days of orientation & not having to worry about work, but blessed enough to focus on this new season of school...gain more clarity and excitement and purpose for my next few years of life at Life. :-)
-what a blessing to respond in love to dude I used to like...love my mom's initial comment, "Hm, it's amazing what a little bit of light can do for someone that's been walking in darkness."
-continuing to pray for my friend. God is so gracious to have his pictures keep popping up...just lifting up what my Father drops down.

thank you Jesus...start thanking & praising - see the complaints turn into opportunities and blessed, divine appointments by the grace of God. =)
hallelujah.
time to RE-set my mind on the things above, and not on earthly things. GREATER is HE that is in me. Pinkberry with my momma tomorrow. :) her first time! too fun. praise the Lord.

ASK

hm. I hesitate entirely too much.

"but when I lost it all, that's when my life truly began
and I found myself secure in the palm of Your hand"
(my mom KEEPS bringing this up - I'm in the palm of HIS hand. never left there, actually...)

asking is bold.
it's taking a risk.
because I already know what I think I want the answer to be.
will I still be joyful/confident/secure if the answer is opposite of what I thought?
yes.
in Jesus' Name, I will be. I am. Because HE is the I AM.
=)
hallelujah.
I'm feeling so delightfully unattached from everything else...when I'm resting in the knowledge that my soul clings to Him as His right hand upholds me (psalm 63).
hallelujah x2.

Call For You – The Side Project....

....

Whenever I’m sad and lonely

I’ll call for you

Whenever I’m sad and lonely

I know just what to do

....

Cuz’ we don’t need

A rocket scientist

Just your love

Is all I’ll ever need

I said your love

Is all I’ll ever need

....

So throw in the towel

And just release

Well my heart it bends

And it bleeds

And forget about

What society believes

Cuz’ this is about

Just you and me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(song that Whitney used at her Ebb & Flow class last week - first time I was able to go!)

Receiving His REST

it's that time again - putting together another mix. =)
*soon to be heard exclusively in the office at Liberty Church*

14 songs. (7+7=doubly perfect?!)
haha, totally just came up with that. awesome.

Almost time for another countdown list, too - He has declared NEW things & they're all springing forth! =) woot. I perceive it! It would be so easy to be apprehensive and doubtful when I'm about to start new things...new people, new places, new lessons...new mercies & new grace, too! :)
But - never, will He leave me. Never, will He forsake me.

Exodus 33:13-15 (New Living Translation)

¹³ If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

¹⁴ The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.

guess what? --> He's going with me. In fact, He's already paved the way. *just insert 'Emily' where it says "Moses" in verse 14. :) (omg! againn with the #14!)

1 Kings 8:55-57 (New Living Translation)

⁵⁵ He stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire congregation of Israel:

⁵⁶ “Praise the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises he gave through his servant Moses. ⁵⁷ May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us.

(can I be part of that "entire congregation of Israel?") mm, "not one word has failed!!!" Yes and amen...He is only finishing the GOOD work He's already started. hallelujah. goodnight.

Window of weakness

Alrighty...jotted down these initial thoughts about a week ago - time to share! :)
(I'm also finally filling out my FAFSA paperwork online, and it's taking a while to "process your (my) information" at one part...so I'm distracting myself.)

So I've recently realized, that when I'm meeting someone new or catching up with an old friend, one of the first topics I bring up is my weaknesses. (mostly MS, because God is continuing to unfold His purposes through it, and reach out to more people than I ever thought possible! Also, various broken bones/torn ligaments...hehe, I have plentyyy of stories. praise God.)
But really - why is it so easy to talk about my physical imperfections & weaknesses?
*enter, Sarah Young's Jesus Lives devotional (p326, to be exact)...

"Actually, the very things that trouble you most - your weaknesses and wounds - are of greatest use to Me in helping others, for I have shone into your heart the Light of the knowledge of My Glory. This much Light and Glory simply cannot be contained within you! Your wounds and weaknesses provide openings through which some of this glorious Light spills out of you into the world. By letting your humble, hurting parts be exposed, you allow My Light to sine through you into others' lives. Thus, your neediness and hurts, consecrated to Me, become treasures in My kingdom."

((GLORY to God!))
Reminds me that a friend asked me a couple months ago, "Why do you think you've been injured/hurt so many times?" and I didn't have a very succinct/thorough answer...

Well, it all makes sense now!

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

weakness - cracked - clay pot - light seeps out - power belongs to God...
We can all relate to some form of weakness...if we can simply be humble enough to let it be a window that God can come through! (ps - this process hurts. and is pretty humiliating. and kinda long, now that I think about it. but WORTH. IT.)

Also, I know that I'm not worried about what I say, because (as I continue to abide in Christ & seek Him first!) it's the Holy Spirit that's speaking through me...=)

Now I know. ((hallelujah))

REJOICE that we get to be clay pots! Jesus, come break and shake whatever You can! dude...I am SO incredibly blessed! (do you love how God can be so LITERAL sometimes??) :)

ahhhh, that EVERY DAY I could be a Light that shines Your Name!!!! (Hillsong...love it.)


***also! Just now discovered Psalm 94 today (last week)?! amazing. ESV this morning, AMP tonight. love ittt.


¹¹The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vain (empty and futile--only a breath).

¹²Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whom You discipline and instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law,

¹³That You may give him power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the [inevitable] pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.

¹⁴For the Lord will not cast off nor spurn His people, neither will He abandon His heritage.

¹⁵For justice will return to the [uncompromisingly] righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

(annnnd my favorite 2 verses for today/yesterday/forever):

¹⁸When I said, My foot is slipping, Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, held me up.

¹⁹In the multitude of my [anxious] thoughts within me, Your comforts cheer and delight my soul!

sheesh...just a pot full of vain thoughts - yet, He loves me. =)

Current thoughts =)

(Psalm 57) NLT (for Mary! ;)

⁷ My heart is confident in you, O God;
my heart is confident.
No wonder I can sing your praises!
⁸ Wake up, my heart!
Wake up, O lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song.
⁹ I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
¹⁰ For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.

Alsooo, excerpt from C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves (read it if you haven't already...hehe, might need a dictionary beside you, but it's worth it!)~

"Need-love cries to God from our poverty; Gift-love longs to serve, or even to suffer for, God; Appreciative love says: "We give thanks to thee for thy great glory." Need-love says of a woman "I cannot live without her"; Gift-love longs to give her happiness, comfort, protection - if possible, wealth; Appreciative love gazes and holds its breath and is silent, rejoices that such a wonder should exist even if not for him, will not be wholly dejected by losing her, would rather have it so than never to have seen her at all." - C.S. Lewis


Today, I'm feeling appreciative, humbled, and blessed beyond all measure.