presence

Last night I went to midweek service at Highlands. It was just an ordinary night, just another service when I entered the building. As the service started and I began to worship, I could feel something was different. I could tangibly feel the presence of the Lord in the room. The Holy Spirit was on the move. I experienced worship unlike anything I’ve ever known before. His presence literally took my breath away. For an entire song I sat and just experienced peace and love that was being poured out on me.

I found this quote from C.S. Lewis and it completely describes what I experienced last night.

“It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.”

As you go throughout your week, I pray that you experience worship like you never have before. May God reveal to you His presence and love.

truth

If we really love Jesus we will increasingly love what he loves.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.
– 1 John 4:16

waiting

It’s always weird when you are in a position of waiting on God, and you don’t know what’s next in His plan for your life. These transitional periods always drive me crazy, and it takes everything within me to keep my mind focused on my purpose and His plan for my life. There is a verse that keeps coming to my mind, and I know it has some major significance in what’s going on in my life right now.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

Dwell on that verse for a while. See what the Lord has to say to you about it. He has plenty to say to me!

encouragement

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Trust it. Live it. Believe it.

seasons

We have all learned about the different seasons throughout the year. We learn about them in elementary school: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Everyone has their favorite season. Some like summer because it is warm and sunny, some like spring because of the beauty of new growth, some like fall because the trees change colors, and some like winter because it’s cold and every once and a blue moon it snows here in Alabama.

Well, just like there are seasons in the year, there are seasons in our lives. I believe that God takes us through these seasons to teach us different things. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” Has anyone else noticed that it has either rained or been completely overcast for the past week? This can have such an effect on my mood if I let it. I could sit back and say, “well, the Lord is just taking me through a rainy season in my life right now.” I could sit back and complain about everything that’s going wrong, or I could step up, push through this season, and learn what God has to teach me.

I just wanted to write a quick encouragement saying that if you are in a tough season right now, you can make it through. Find some Godly friends that will lift you up, get in the Word, pray about it, and let God teach you what He has in store for you to learn and you can come back stronger than before. That’s what I’m believing for in my life, and that’s what I know God wants to do in your life too!

patience

This is a post from a long time ago on a different blog, from a different time in my life. As I was reading it, I was just inspired to share it.

I know if you are anything like me, patience is a hard thing to come by. I heard a quote today that actually inspired me to write this blog. It was by a woman named Margaret Thatcher. She said, “I am extroidinarily patient provided I get my way in the end.” Thats so true for me.

But what about when I dont get my way? What about when I’m patient, and the end result seems to suck just as bad as it was to begin with?

Well, thats where I am right now. I’m being patient. Waiting on God. Waiting on life. Waiting on something. I can’t put my finger quite on it, but I think that waiting isnt enough. I dont think God wants me sitting around reminding Him about how patient I’m being, because that’s not actually patience at all. I dont think God wants me complaining to Him about everything I’m waiting for.

So I’m sitting here thinking, and the fruits of the Spirit come to mind. Galations 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law” So I did a little Bible study and I looked up patience, or makrothymia in Greek. It says, “longsuffering, forbearance, slowness in avenging wrongs.”

Patience doesn’t mean “waiting”?? What?! Patience means longsuffering? Slow to avenge wrongs? Crap. That’s not what I signed up for..

But then again, that’s exactly what’s going on in my life right now.

Maybe He’s testing my patience…

Maybe He’s testing yours too…

free

I was thinking today about how rarely we ever feel completely free. I’m talking about releasing all your inhibitions, everything that holds you back from what you are truly thinking, feeling, wanting. What is it that makes us restrict ourselves from feeling free? I went on a photoshoot yesterday, and as I was editing pictues, I came to this one..

I began to think to myself about that feeling of freedom. Look at the joy in her face, her arms high in the air. This is free. What is keeping me from this? What is keeping you from this?

I want to feel free more often! I want to let loose, and have fun with life!

emotions

I was talking with a friend about a week ago, and she turned to me and said, “you know, sometimes you are just so hard to read.” I really enjoy it when a friend is close enough to call me out on something. I have been thinking about why I can be “hard to read” lately.

I think there are several reasons why a person can become like that. For me, I grew up wearing every single emotion on my sleeve. It was easy to tell if I was happy, angry, content, annoyed, dissatisfied, telling the truth, or trying to tell a lie. Over time, wearing those emotions became a way that people could easily take advantage of me… and they did. Its crazy how this world works, it really is a kill or be killed, survival of the fittest world. I found if a hid my emotions it was easier for me to get by from day to day. A downside to doing this is that I tend to bottle up those emotions that I hide every day… and everyone knows that’s not good. So that’s something that I continually work on because I am such a non-confrontational person. 

Anyways.. Update on life: next week is the christmas production, and christmas itself so that should be fun. Fingers are still crossed for the new year.. We’ll see what it holds for me.

accept

“We accept the love we think we deserve.”

Sometimes quotes stand out to me, and I spend my day thinking about every possible meaning of the quote, and whether I think it’s true or not. This quote is brilliant. What is it about a person that makes them think they dont deserve a certain amount of love? Why is it so hard to accept love that we think we dont deserve? 

Tonight is the dream team banquet, and I’m really looking forward to it. I feel like I should be working it somehow tho. Its going to be sort of weird to go up to the church to just enjoy a fun night. Who knows, I might get my hands on a little work before the night’s over!

update

tonight was the switch leaders christmas party. not only was it really great to hang out with tons of friends, but it was awesome to hear of the amazing things God is doing in switch, and the huge vision they have for the student ministries in the near future. i love getting pumped up about God! He really is in motion, and He really is touching and changing the lives of people around me every day. 

im excited for a lot of things. im excited for highlands, im excited for christmas, and im excited for my future… whatever that may hold.