Sunday, September 26, 2010

Life's Little Detours

I saw these on someone's blog and thought they were so true! :)

Life Lesson's:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

Love Letters Pt. 3

My Beloved,

Victory is in me and I live in you. I have everything that pertains to life and Godliness and I give it to you. All spiritual blessings are in me and I give them to you. I give you all the grace you need for every good work. I cause every earthy blessing to come to you in abundance, so you lack nothing. When negative circumstances loom big in your natural life remember I am a supernatural God. I have all the answers. The Holy Spirit that raised me from the dead, by His mighty power lives in you. The same spirit lives in you. Ask Him for His solutions for every problem that comes up. He has all the solutions. He wants you to know more than you want to know. Just ask Him! He is waiting for you. When you need my words, it is in me speaking to you as if I were right there talking to you and looking at your sweet face. I am always looking at your sweet face. Don't try and face the challenges of life alone. Don't worry, fret, and get blogged down. Don't let self-pity, despair, or discouragement have any place in your heart or mind. Run to me! Keep your eyes on my word. Say it out loud and drown out the voices of the enemy on your own fleshly thoughts. As you speak the truth, hear the truth and meditate on the truth. Victory will become established in your heart. Know that I am always there. Night and day. I am keeping you close to my heart.

Your Healer, Friend, and Keeper,

Jesus


This was the last love letter. I am so thankful my mentor gave these to me. They are truly amazing to see how the Lord is always pursuing after us. For we are His, and He is ours. The Maker of the universe is your keeper.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Have a blessed week!
Em

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Elizabeth Elliot Quotes

"God never witholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful- "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better."
— Elisabeth Elliot

"God is God. I dethrone Him in my heart if I demand that He act in ways that satisfy my idea of justice. It is the same spirit that taunted, "If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the Cross." There is unbelief, there is even rebellion, in the attitude that says, "God has no right to do this to five men unless..."
— Elisabeth Elliot (Through Gates of Splendor)

"This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience - it looks for a way of being constructive.
Love is not possessive.
Love is not anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own ideas.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage.
Love is not touchy.
Love does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that stands when all else has fallen."
— Elisabeth Elliot (Let Me Be a Woman)


"God is God. Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to."
— Elisabeth Elliot


"Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God's story never ends with 'ashes."
— Elisabeth Elliot (These Strange Ashes)

Love Letters Pt. 2

My Beloved,

Come and sit with me and hold my hand and tell me all thats on your mind and in your heart. You know I 'm always waiting for you. There's no one else like you. There's no one with your smile, your face, your eyes, your specialness. I made you, you know, just the way I wanted you. I custom designed you for today, at this very hour and time to be with me. I am very near and I need you.
Your slightest breath touches me, I'm so close to you, my breath touches you. My ears are turned to you, just like a mother can hear the smallest whimper of her baby, my ears are more tuned than that. If you can't call, just whisper.
Walk with me. If you feel like you can't even take a step or don't know how, lean on me, and I'll guide you. Nothing is too hard foe me. Nothing! I know everything about you and I like everything about you. Oh, some things you have done, said, or thought aren't pleasant to me. But nothing shocks me or surprises me. All you life I've known you. Walking or sleeping, I love you. Just come to me and lay down all the stuff that bothers you. I'm bug! I can take it so you'll never be bothered by it again. Trust me, I made all of heaven and earth and everything in it. I can be trusted, I make things excellent!
Dance with me. When you are weary, dance with me. When you are confused and lonely, dance with me. Do you think I'd ever leave you? I said in my love letter to you...I'll never leave you. Please believe me. Come let's dance and sing, because joy is your strength. I want you to be free. I have set you free, but in the world heaviness has tried to come and steal your freedom, your joy, your peace. I gave all that to you. Will you take it? Receive it everyday. Let's dance!

I will always hold you in my arms, I will uphold you in my right hand,
Jesus

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Love Letters Pt. 1

A lady who I look up to so much in her walk gave me these letters that she had taught to her Sunday school class. There are three letters, but I will spread them out because each one is so amazing and needs to be taken in as you read it. Enjoy and imagine this as a love letter from the Lord...

Precious One,

Sweet girl! Always look at my face. I am always looking at yours. Toy are never alone. I've said I'll never leave you nor forsake you. Even in the night hours I watch over you and send my mighty angels to cover you. I give you sweet sleep. Believe in ME!

Lean on me. As a lover leans on the one she loves, lean on me. You are my precious Bride. I love it when you lean. When opposition comes, lean in close and keep your eyes on me. I know EVERYTHING. I know your desired. I know your heart and I care about everything you care about. I want the best for you, not just the good.

Remember when you lean you are leaning on your lover and the creator of the whole universe. I have greater power than you can imagine. NOTHING is too hard for me so ask. I will always answer you. I will give you my plans. I will give you my joy, my strength, my peace.

Lean in close and give me your heartaches, burdens and hurts. I can handle it. Believe me!

I love you, your lover, your friend, and redeemer,
Jesus

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Give me eyes to see, more of who You are, may what I behold, still my anxious heart.

Anxious: Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried.

Why is life consumed by anxiousness of the everyday life. Of thoughts, patterns of the world, and practices, why are we worried constantly for ourself and the people around us?

The Lord is showing me more and more who I am through Him, and not through everyone around me. When you solely focus on the Lord and his principles and desires, He is sure to fill us with what He longs for as well.

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret-for it only leads to evil." Psalm 37:8

"O God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon YOU." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Satan is the accuser and confuser. He has no purpose other than to throw fiery darts of worry. He has no hands, he cannot touch you, only try to pull and poke. How great it is to know that we, with Christ's power, can overcome him. He never will win!

Jeremy Camp has an awesome song out called Overcame:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqXZD_z3eCc

Give me eyes to see, more of who You are, may what I behold, still my anxious heart.

Anxious: Uneasy and apprehensive about an uncertain event or matter; worried.

Why is life consumed by anxiousness of the everyday life. Of thoughts, patterns of the world, and practices, why are we worried constantly for ourself and the people around us?

The Lord is showing me more and more who I am through Him, and not through everyone around me. When you solely focus on the Lord and his principles and desires, He is sure to fill us with what He longs for as well.

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath, do not fret-for it only leads to evil." Psalm 37:8

"O God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon YOU." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Satan is the accuser and confuser. He has no purpose other than to throw fiery darts of worry. He has no hands, he cannot touch you, only try to pull and poke. How great it is to know that we, with Christ's power, can overcome him. He never will win!

Jeremy Camp has an awesome song out called Overcame:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqXZD_z3eCc

Monday, September 6, 2010

Clinging to the cross or to rocks?

"God’s purpose for my life was that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion."
— Jonathan Edwards



As the title goes about what the Lord has placed on my heart, it seems to be a strange title, but in reality it is a perplexed question that we all need to answer for ourselves.

We all have life experiences that change us for the good, but there are also things in life that happen that scare us, scare us to the point to the state of clinging. Clinging can be a good thing but it is not a very comfortable position to be in.

Today, I went to the lake with a group of my closest friends. It was so fun! But to get to what I am trying to illustrate is different than me spending time with my friends or having fun at the lake. We went to a large rock that is famous for people jumping off of it, I think the name is Chimney Rock? Not sure about the name, but it will do! Anyways, we went to this rock and now thinking about it, it can be looked at in many different ways. I am reading a book call Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and it had something in there that sparked my thinking. Today, when I was climbing to get to the top of the rock to jump off, I froze. It was a scary, clinging position that was so uncomfortable. All my friends had gone before me, and were waiting for me to climb to join them. Something about the slippery rock and the fact that we were 60 ft in the air was not very comforting.
The illustration that is best shown by this occurrence is that I was so scared to let go of the rocks, which could be worries,troubles, anxiety about a situation, etc. Do we constantly hang on to the rocks in life? Scared that we will slide off or fall for that matter? When in reality all we have to do it jump off and into the water and life that the Lord wants us to have all along.

But unfortunately, most of us, I know I do, we all struggle to let go of the rock or rocks. We are so scared of what it will be like to hit the water from that far up. It is a fear that is unnecessarily the most troubling thing in anyone's life and spiritual walk.

So do we cling to the cross? Or just to the rocks?

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalm 37:23