I am sure many of you have felt like you were right and others were wrong or maybe you had someone close to you tell you that you were wrong and they were right. It seems like a never ending battle that lends itself to casualties of war...
Relationships, in my opinion, have never ending conflict - good or bad. Conflict is generally viewed as bad to some people, but it doesn't have to be. There are a couple of key things to remember during conflict. (drum roll please) The term.....Naive Realism.
Naive Realism is a social psych term that means each person believes they see the world how it truly is. Everyone has a perception of the world and in their opinion they have the correct version.
What does this mean? How can it help?
In regards to relationship with your dad or anyone else, remember when they tell their opinion on a matter (unless they state they are open) they truly believe what they think is the correct answer to life. **It's okay to disagree** however, the point where conflict turns from good to bad is when the feeling (perception) of attack happens. I think it is natural to become defensive when you hear someone implement you are wrong and they are right. But keep your cool, because now you know they see the world how it is ;) and you see the world how it really is. This is the point of difference. It is good to hear other people's opinions about their perception of the world... it might change yours or help you understand where they are coming from.
Try not to jump the gun and defend yourself but listen with an open ear. Some people might be stubborn and don't want to hear your opinion because it is different than yours. Keep calm and make a decision to speak or not to speak. Sometimes actions can be better than words. Live out your belief to change someone's perception more than just telling them your opinion (as long as it lines up with the word of God!)
I believe [and I am right ;)] that knowing about naive realism can help people communicate and listen to each other better. Give it a try.... it's helped me.
Encouragement of the day: James 1:19 "...let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;" (english standard version) Really listen to what others are saying. They will see your authenticity and it will draw them to God. It will help flourish communication and relationships. Trust is developed when you can openly express your opinions to someone without defense. Be that for someone. This can especially be used if there was an argument in your family...everyone has a different perception of what happened.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
A Dirty Love
I hope my title caught your attention to read this post! I am trying to think of creative titles :) You are probably really curious why the title is "Dirty Love" especially in today's world. Take the time with me to revisit a story that can easily be skipped over. It's the story of creation...
Genesis 1 talks about how God spoke everything into existence and "It was Good." God thought of something, said a word, and there it was. Move ahead to Genesis 2 and we see how God formed man from the dust.
I want you to get the right image here, so visualize with me. God is forming man with His hands and creating man in His image. I wonder what words and songs God was singing or thinking while He was forming, creating man. Then God looks at His creation and breathes a breath of life into the man's nostrils (verse 7). To breathe into someone's nostrils you have to be face to face and with that breath of air man awakened to life. I wonder what that moment looked like when God saw his creation face to face, eye to eye and his creation looked back at Him. What a sweet, intimate moment. I wonder what their first words were. I wonder what happened in those sweet moments. How joyful God must have felt to see the longing of His heart living and breathing before Him. Then God placed man into the Garden of Eden.
You see, this image is so sweet because beloved, you are more than just a word spoken or a thought. God in His greatness took the time to form you. You truly are fearfully and wonderfully made. Take Genesis chapter 2 and pair it up with psalm 139 and get the right image of how much God loves you. I have to write out ps. 139 because it is too sweet to pass up. (for my notes on ps. 139 check out the post "my favorite")
Genesis 1 talks about how God spoke everything into existence and "It was Good." God thought of something, said a word, and there it was. Move ahead to Genesis 2 and we see how God formed man from the dust.
I want you to get the right image here, so visualize with me. God is forming man with His hands and creating man in His image. I wonder what words and songs God was singing or thinking while He was forming, creating man. Then God looks at His creation and breathes a breath of life into the man's nostrils (verse 7). To breathe into someone's nostrils you have to be face to face and with that breath of air man awakened to life. I wonder what that moment looked like when God saw his creation face to face, eye to eye and his creation looked back at Him. What a sweet, intimate moment. I wonder what their first words were. I wonder what happened in those sweet moments. How joyful God must have felt to see the longing of His heart living and breathing before Him. Then God placed man into the Garden of Eden.
You see, this image is so sweet because beloved, you are more than just a word spoken or a thought. God in His greatness took the time to form you. You truly are fearfully and wonderfully made. Take Genesis chapter 2 and pair it up with psalm 139 and get the right image of how much God loves you. I have to write out ps. 139 because it is too sweet to pass up. (for my notes on ps. 139 check out the post "my favorite")
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it...
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb.14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, Andthat my soul knows very well.15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You...
God placed Adam into the Garden of Eden because He made him in the secret place and adam was skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Just like all of God's children. From the beginning God was showing us how much He loved us by how He created us. This psalm is so dear to my heart because of the passion and love exuberayting from it.
Encouragement: I pray you would reread this love story of how God created man and you would see your story in it. You would see how much God is in love with you and how much He desires and cares for you. You aren't just a word or a thought but formed by the very hands of God. Everything God makes is good. You are good. You are created in His image. You are created in Love. You are created for Love. You are created to walk with God. He is a good Father. He loves you.
Monday, January 9, 2012
What does it mean to be a child?
I am sure you all are wanting to know more about my book. So this post will be more on topic of the book.
"...Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Mark 10:14-15 (emphasis mine)
A father cannot be a father without having a child. So we need to really see ourselves as God as our father and us as His children. Now, I don't know about you but I have always wondered what it meant by receiving the kingdom of God like a child. I love being around children they are a lot of fun. One thing I noticed about children is that they will believe anything you tell them! Have you ever wondered why they will? It is because of innocence they believe. A young child's brain hasn't developed to understand the difference between reality and fantasy or abstract thoughts: They don't analyze a situation. They trust and follow because of love. I really believe God is looking for us to have pure innocence before him to trust and follow Him because of love. Because He loves us.
Innocence means to be free from moral wrong. Jesus gave us back our Innocence when He died for us. It is by his blood that we are made clean and pure. You can't earn it. It is a free gift, called grace.
Because of Love, Jesus gave us grace. Grace gives us innocence. Innocence lets our minds be pure from evil and moral wrong so we can believe. Belief allows us to trust. Trust allows following. And we follow because of Love. God is always the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and end. He is LOVE. Love will always be the beginning and the end. It was for Love God made man. It was for Love God gave Christ to redeem us. And it is for Love He is coming again. Everything He does is Love because it is who He is.
Have you ever watched little children imitate their parents? It is because they love and admire them so much and they want to be just like them. Think back to the authorities you had in your life growing up. The ones who showed you genuine love and respect were so much easier to listen and obey and you wanted to be like them and not disappoint them. I think that is why Jesus always did what He saw the father doing because He wanted to be just like him. Love is the greatest key to life. Love is why we exist. It was all for LOVE and will always be.
Love gives grace, restores innocence, causes one to believe and trust which leads to obedience and following what their father does.
Encouragement for the day: Know the Father loves you. You are His and He is yours. You are His child. He longs for you to spend time with Him. How do you spend time? Read His word, meditate on it, and worship. Listen and be still and know GOD IS IN LOVE WITH YOU. He doesn't see the mess ups and the screw ups. He sees His sons' blood washing over you because you are HIS. You are pure and innocent before Him because He loves you. So... "Fall in Love with the Love of God today!"
"...Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Mark 10:14-15 (emphasis mine)
A father cannot be a father without having a child. So we need to really see ourselves as God as our father and us as His children. Now, I don't know about you but I have always wondered what it meant by receiving the kingdom of God like a child. I love being around children they are a lot of fun. One thing I noticed about children is that they will believe anything you tell them! Have you ever wondered why they will? It is because of innocence they believe. A young child's brain hasn't developed to understand the difference between reality and fantasy or abstract thoughts: They don't analyze a situation. They trust and follow because of love. I really believe God is looking for us to have pure innocence before him to trust and follow Him because of love. Because He loves us.
Innocence means to be free from moral wrong. Jesus gave us back our Innocence when He died for us. It is by his blood that we are made clean and pure. You can't earn it. It is a free gift, called grace.
Because of Love, Jesus gave us grace. Grace gives us innocence. Innocence lets our minds be pure from evil and moral wrong so we can believe. Belief allows us to trust. Trust allows following. And we follow because of Love. God is always the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and end. He is LOVE. Love will always be the beginning and the end. It was for Love God made man. It was for Love God gave Christ to redeem us. And it is for Love He is coming again. Everything He does is Love because it is who He is.
Have you ever watched little children imitate their parents? It is because they love and admire them so much and they want to be just like them. Think back to the authorities you had in your life growing up. The ones who showed you genuine love and respect were so much easier to listen and obey and you wanted to be like them and not disappoint them. I think that is why Jesus always did what He saw the father doing because He wanted to be just like him. Love is the greatest key to life. Love is why we exist. It was all for LOVE and will always be.
Love gives grace, restores innocence, causes one to believe and trust which leads to obedience and following what their father does.
Encouragement for the day: Know the Father loves you. You are His and He is yours. You are His child. He longs for you to spend time with Him. How do you spend time? Read His word, meditate on it, and worship. Listen and be still and know GOD IS IN LOVE WITH YOU. He doesn't see the mess ups and the screw ups. He sees His sons' blood washing over you because you are HIS. You are pure and innocent before Him because He loves you. So... "Fall in Love with the Love of God today!"
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Time keeps on Going
I can't believe it is 2012! It seems as a kid time went by SOOOO slow but now it is as if time flies by with or without you. As I was falling asleep last night thinking about the day ahead of me I realized,
"Time waits for no one."
It was a weird thought, but true. Time is valuable you can't buy it, you can't earn it, it's just there and if you don't make the most of it, it will keep on going without you. Sometimes I get to the end of the day and realize, "What did I do today, and where did the time go?"
It's funny to me how time goes at the same pace day in and day out, it never changes (unless for daylight savings). But to us it can either go by fast or slow, yet it is the same seconds, minutes, and hours throughout life.
I started thinking...
"Time waits for no one."
It was a weird thought, but true. Time is valuable you can't buy it, you can't earn it, it's just there and if you don't make the most of it, it will keep on going without you. Sometimes I get to the end of the day and realize, "What did I do today, and where did the time go?"
It's funny to me how time goes at the same pace day in and day out, it never changes (unless for daylight savings). But to us it can either go by fast or slow, yet it is the same seconds, minutes, and hours throughout life.
I started thinking...
- What am I doing with my time?
- How effective am I being?
- Am I putting God first?
These are good questions to ask yourself. Remember "Time waits for no one," it will leave you behind, right on schedule or even ahead if you use it wisely.
And Speaking of time, my book begins the first stage of production in 'copyediting' for the month of January. I won't hear much from the editors this month. They will be looking at grammar, punctuation and spelling. In February they will begin Conceptual Editing which will be for the flow of the book. So time will continue and remain slow for me in the month of January on my behalf with the book. Until next time, Be blessed and know you are deeply Loved by God!
Encouragement for the day: Make the most of the time you have been given and spend it with people you love, get to know someone new, and work on restoring broken relationships. Relationships take time. They don't form or fix in minutes but with patience, prayer, and positive thoughts.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Food for the Soul
I came across this just now in my notes and thought it was really encouraging, so I will share it!!!
(This is collaborated from Isaiah chapters 49, 50, & 51 along with Psalm chapters 100, & 101 different versions too amplified, NKJV, NLT, NIV) Oh and the Italicized words are definitions :) I withheld from going deeper into this because I just wanted it to encourage you as you read it :) !
"The Lord has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He has named my name. And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me & made me a polished arrow; in His quiver {a case for holding or carrying arrows} has He kept me close & concealed me. And the Lord said to me, You are my servant, _(your name)_____ (who strives with God & with men & prevail) in whom I will be glorified. For the Lord God helps me; therefore have I not been ashamed or confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint {something hard and unyielding}, and I know that I will not be put to shame. I will listen to the Lord almighty, as I follow after rightness & justice. I will seek and inquire of the Lord. I will look to the rock from which I was hewn & to the hole in the quarry from which I was dug.
For the Lord will comfort me. In His arm shall I trust and wait with hope, because my heart is set before the Lord, with His law & instruction written on my heart. I will not fear the reproach of men neither will I be afraid or dismayed at their revilings {speak abusively}
I will sing of mercy & loving kindness & justice; to you, O Lord, will I sing. With my whole being body and soul I will shout out to the living God who gives me life. That I may truly know (percieve, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord IS God! It is He who has made us, not we ourselves {and we are His} We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. I know that you favor and delight in me because my enemy does not triumph over me. You have upheld me in my integrity and set me in your presence forever. I will hope in God and be waiting expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my help and my God.
Be Blessed! You are deeply Loved by God :)
(This is collaborated from Isaiah chapters 49, 50, & 51 along with Psalm chapters 100, & 101 different versions too amplified, NKJV, NLT, NIV) Oh and the Italicized words are definitions :) I withheld from going deeper into this because I just wanted it to encourage you as you read it :) !
"The Lord has called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He has named my name. And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me & made me a polished arrow; in His quiver {a case for holding or carrying arrows} has He kept me close & concealed me. And the Lord said to me, You are my servant, _(your name)_____ (who strives with God & with men & prevail) in whom I will be glorified. For the Lord God helps me; therefore have I not been ashamed or confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint {something hard and unyielding}, and I know that I will not be put to shame. I will listen to the Lord almighty, as I follow after rightness & justice. I will seek and inquire of the Lord. I will look to the rock from which I was hewn & to the hole in the quarry from which I was dug.
For the Lord will comfort me. In His arm shall I trust and wait with hope, because my heart is set before the Lord, with His law & instruction written on my heart. I will not fear the reproach of men neither will I be afraid or dismayed at their revilings {speak abusively}
I will sing of mercy & loving kindness & justice; to you, O Lord, will I sing. With my whole being body and soul I will shout out to the living God who gives me life. That I may truly know (percieve, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord IS God! It is He who has made us, not we ourselves {and we are His} We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. I know that you favor and delight in me because my enemy does not triumph over me. You have upheld me in my integrity and set me in your presence forever. I will hope in God and be waiting expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my help and my God.
Be Blessed! You are deeply Loved by God :)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
My Favorite
I have MANY passages in the bible that I love but I think my favorite chapter would be Psalm 139. I absolutley LOVE that chapter! I copied this from the New King James Version and used www.youversion.com by the way youversion.com is an excellent FREE resource for multiple translations of the bible AND Devotionals!!! Check it out!
I am going to break this chapter apart and insert my notes :) When you read this ,though, I want you to think about every word and what that means to you. Take your time reading this chapter and put yourself in it, like if you were the one telling this to God. !
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off. I really love this, God knows you. Sometimes we don't know ourselves, but God KNOWS you. He knows the depth of your heart and what you long for. AND he even understands your thoughts! In the New Living Translation 'afar off' is similar to when you are far away. You may not even feel like you were as close to God as you once were but He still understands your thoughts! I like to think of it as God is always listening to us!
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Sometimes I wonder if we would change the way we talk if we knew Jesus was visibly there with us in person? Would your vocabulary change? Would your conversation go another direction? Would you still Gossip about that girl or talk bad about your parents? It's a crazy thought! Even though Jesus might not be visible to us, He is still there.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. What a great Dad, a protector. I love this because I know that wherever I go God is watching over me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. This is powerful stuff!!! Have you ever made your bed in Hell? I know I have, I like to call them pity parties. OR if not pity parties, moments or days of despair. I think it is interesting to note that it isn't anyone else who makes the bed but yourself. And no matter where you choose to make your bed God is still there!!!!! I love it.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Fun thought: what would it look like to take the wings of the morning? I imagine it would be beautiful and breathtaking! To see the sun rise and be in the clouds taking in all the beautiful colors that light up the earth!! To dwell in the deepest part of the sea, now that would be scary!!! I would much rather be in the sky lol.
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. The author is showing that no matter where we are we are never to far from God.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You. I love how the darkness and light are the same to God! isn't that mind boggling! I love it. There is nothing Greater than God!
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. I love knowing God formed us, created us exactly how He wanted us. Nothing was hidden from Him. I also love the fact that we were made in secret. Far away from destruction and negativity. It was just you and God. I love holding newborn babies because I look into their eyes and think, you have spent 9 months starring at the face of God and now I can hold you and look into the eyes that have gazed upon God.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! These two verses get me everytime, God saw everything about you. He even wrote a book about you! He saw it ALL and yet He is captivated by you. His thoughts are precious toward you. He doesn't look at all the mess ups we make. Whenever we ask for forgiveness Jesus' blood covers our sins and washes us clean!! CLEAN---God doesn't remember them!!! It's difficult to comprehend because we are the ones who still remember our sins but Jesus took our sin and SHAME on the cross, so we could live in righteousness (being right before God).
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies. I don't think this could have been a psalm without talking about the enemy lol. I think these passages show the authors passion toward God. You know the feeling whenever you hear someone defy (deny, criticize) the name of God. Something rises up within you.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties; ...and to close us out, the prayer of opening up our lives to God to teach, guide and cleanse us.
So now you see why Psalm 139 is my absolute favorite chapter in the bible. It shows the definition of How much God loves you and this was written even before Jesus came to die on the cross for you!!! God loved you from the beginning!
As a christian we will never understand who we truly are until we understand that we are deeply loved by God, not because we love Him but because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
I am going to break this chapter apart and insert my notes :) When you read this ,though, I want you to think about every word and what that means to you. Take your time reading this chapter and put yourself in it, like if you were the one telling this to God. !
Psalm 139
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. O Lord, You have searched me and known me.2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off. I really love this, God knows you. Sometimes we don't know ourselves, but God KNOWS you. He knows the depth of your heart and what you long for. AND he even understands your thoughts! In the New Living Translation 'afar off' is similar to when you are far away. You may not even feel like you were as close to God as you once were but He still understands your thoughts! I like to think of it as God is always listening to us!
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. Sometimes I wonder if we would change the way we talk if we knew Jesus was visibly there with us in person? Would your vocabulary change? Would your conversation go another direction? Would you still Gossip about that girl or talk bad about your parents? It's a crazy thought! Even though Jesus might not be visible to us, He is still there.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. What a great Dad, a protector. I love this because I know that wherever I go God is watching over me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. This is powerful stuff!!! Have you ever made your bed in Hell? I know I have, I like to call them pity parties. OR if not pity parties, moments or days of despair. I think it is interesting to note that it isn't anyone else who makes the bed but yourself. And no matter where you choose to make your bed God is still there!!!!! I love it.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Fun thought: what would it look like to take the wings of the morning? I imagine it would be beautiful and breathtaking! To see the sun rise and be in the clouds taking in all the beautiful colors that light up the earth!! To dwell in the deepest part of the sea, now that would be scary!!! I would much rather be in the sky lol.
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. The author is showing that no matter where we are we are never to far from God.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You. I love how the darkness and light are the same to God! isn't that mind boggling! I love it. There is nothing Greater than God!
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. I love knowing God formed us, created us exactly how He wanted us. Nothing was hidden from Him. I also love the fact that we were made in secret. Far away from destruction and negativity. It was just you and God. I love holding newborn babies because I look into their eyes and think, you have spent 9 months starring at the face of God and now I can hold you and look into the eyes that have gazed upon God.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! These two verses get me everytime, God saw everything about you. He even wrote a book about you! He saw it ALL and yet He is captivated by you. His thoughts are precious toward you. He doesn't look at all the mess ups we make. Whenever we ask for forgiveness Jesus' blood covers our sins and washes us clean!! CLEAN---God doesn't remember them!!! It's difficult to comprehend because we are the ones who still remember our sins but Jesus took our sin and SHAME on the cross, so we could live in righteousness (being right before God).
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies. I don't think this could have been a psalm without talking about the enemy lol. I think these passages show the authors passion toward God. You know the feeling whenever you hear someone defy (deny, criticize) the name of God. Something rises up within you.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties; ...and to close us out, the prayer of opening up our lives to God to teach, guide and cleanse us.
So now you see why Psalm 139 is my absolute favorite chapter in the bible. It shows the definition of How much God loves you and this was written even before Jesus came to die on the cross for you!!! God loved you from the beginning!
As a christian we will never understand who we truly are until we understand that we are deeply loved by God, not because we love Him but because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Why?
"I was out on Mid-night outreach one night, which is a ministry in St. Louis for prostitutes and others who are on the streets at that time. We would pass out roses to the women and pray for them. One particular girl had to be around my age then, 19. I was talking with her and I asked if I could pray for her. While I was praying I gave her a hug and she clung to me and started to bawl in my arms. I just held her and prayed for her for almost 5 minutes. She looked at me and told me she didn't know when the last time she had a genuine hug from someone. My heart melted. Here she was on the streets lost in selling herself looking for acceptance and love."
From that encounter with that girl I realized how fatherless our generation is becoming. I look around at our society and I see young girls selling their bodies everyday by the way they dress and talk to others. I see them like that young girl looking for love and acceptance. When was the last time the daughters of this generation had a genuine hug and felt like they were valuable not just for their appearance but because of who God made them to be?
There became a cry in my heart to reach out to the daughters and let them know they are valuable and loved deeply by a God who delights in them.
Growing up, I didn't have the best relationship with my dad, especially as a teenager. After I graduated High school I became an intern at the St.Louis Dream Center Church. I learned so much during my internship about who I was and how much God loved me. I knew I was suppose to go back home and restore my relationship with my dad. It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make, to go back to a place I said I would never return. As I went God spoke to my heart to write a book about my journey and the lessons I would learn from it. So I wrote "Cookies and Milk, from One Daughter to Another". It has been a long journey writing and learning but I am finally here. This blog is dedicated to the daughters who are looking to deny the lies this world has given us and reclaim truth. My prayer is that it will be encouraging and edifying to you! Now you know the origin let's begin....
From that encounter with that girl I realized how fatherless our generation is becoming. I look around at our society and I see young girls selling their bodies everyday by the way they dress and talk to others. I see them like that young girl looking for love and acceptance. When was the last time the daughters of this generation had a genuine hug and felt like they were valuable not just for their appearance but because of who God made them to be?
There became a cry in my heart to reach out to the daughters and let them know they are valuable and loved deeply by a God who delights in them.
Growing up, I didn't have the best relationship with my dad, especially as a teenager. After I graduated High school I became an intern at the St.Louis Dream Center Church. I learned so much during my internship about who I was and how much God loved me. I knew I was suppose to go back home and restore my relationship with my dad. It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make, to go back to a place I said I would never return. As I went God spoke to my heart to write a book about my journey and the lessons I would learn from it. So I wrote "Cookies and Milk, from One Daughter to Another". It has been a long journey writing and learning but I am finally here. This blog is dedicated to the daughters who are looking to deny the lies this world has given us and reclaim truth. My prayer is that it will be encouraging and edifying to you! Now you know the origin let's begin....
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