For The Love Workshop

wow its been a long time since ive posted on here! been wanting to but you know how that goes... Im on the last chapter of Crazy Love and there was so much in there I wanted to share and then it reminded me that I havent even shared what God has been teaching me from my trip to Oregon for the For The Love Workshop.
I learned so much about making my business my ministry as long as thats what Hes calling me to do as a job- and right now it is- but I know that at any time He could call me to do something else and Im good with that- I dont know that Ive always been able to say this- but He has brought me to a place that I sincerely whole heartedly want to do WHATEVER He would ask me to do-not that it would be easy but I KNOW in my heart and in my mind that wherever He wants me is the absolute perfect place for me-and no plans of mine could ever live up to that..
One of the main focuses at the workshop was of course our photography businesses but it went so much deeper into the fact that we are here wherever we are to love others, to serve others as if serving Christ, to share Him with others and be a light that points others to Him. we spent a lot of time talking about how that is our focus and how we can make our business fit into that as opposed to the typical mindset of 'this is my business, my life, my passion and I really want to put God into it... '
We talked a lot about how all of our business comes from the Lord. He can give abundantly or make it go away in an instance-which is so comforting to me- but also- a challenge to make sure Im honoring Him with every part of it so that He can use my business to glorify Him.
The worship leaders Johnathan and Melissa were so incredible-God brought the perfect match together for this workshop as J &M were previously wedding photographers and knew exactly the thoughts and feelings we were experiencing and God used them to bring us close to Him and speak truth to exactly what we needed. the words to the worship songs they have written spoke so deeply to the thoughts of a photographer.
below are some quotes from either the leaders or the worship songs that I wrote down throughout the week that spoke to me.

The Lord has our plans, our worries, our struggles , our pride, our failures and insecurities

God drive us-our business our future, our life- drive us so we can admire your beauty in all You do.
Ive seen I AM and now I know that I am loved
Christ wants us to be, not what we do
Pictures are not the point-they are the tool. the tool to impact someone for eternity.
Our purpose is to honor Christ-serving and investing in others.

everything God does is creative-He is the Creator. We are creative beings

Be my vision, Be my wisdom
Love through me
Walk on my water-Ill meet you there.
theres no end to the affection that You have for me.

rooted and grounded in love or its out of focus.
Our satisfaction comes from the Lord not in success in business.

Lord grow contentedness in my heart that I dont need all these things

I was made for intimacy.

Thats all pretty random and it probably doesnt make sense- but maybe something will touch your heart as well..
Im challenged to really make my photography a ministry and not a job im trying desperately to be successful at... God's in control of that part and all I need to do is love on people and walk closely with Him.

heres a picture of what our mornings looked like as the fog would rise. beautiful creator

giving

Man- its been a while.... I knew I had been neglecting this blog but I didnt realize it had been over a month-Ill be honest theres been quite a few times that I felt led to do a post but I let work come before time after time! plus- the chapters have been pretty harsh on me- and that naturally makes me want to run and not think about it more than i have to- which is wrong but Im human!
One of the main points that God has been convicting me and challenging me with is the act of giving- not just money but also time and of myself... but the money thing is what gets me the most! Especially this last chapter-chapter 7 titled 'Your Best Life...Later'
I know first hand that God provides more than enough when you trust Him and have only Him to depend on-when Aydin was born Chris changed jobs to be home more-took a 30,000 a yr pay cut and I quit working to stay home! it was tight- but God provided and we got through it and adjusted... Now money isnt so tight and its nice-just being honest- its nice not to have to stress over bills and feel the freedom to buy a toy for Aydin when I see something he would like, or buy me a few more shirts for work purposes without stressing and arguing over not having money to do certain things... its nice!! But I want the DESIRE to choose to help others and give more than I can afford to give to in return have His closeness and miraculous provision when there seems to be no way. I found myself yesterday just giving up on in my head thinking I need to try harder... and just praying for His desire to be put in me- I dont desire those things but I want to desire them... and that desire and ability to do so can only come from Him... its not in me in and of myself- I need Christ to put that desire and give me the ability to give beyond myself.

quotes from Chapter 7
"these people were far from perfect, yet they had faith in God who was able to come through in seemingly dire situations."
"having faith often means doing what others see as crazy."
"Christians today like to play it safe. We want to put ourselves in situations where we are safe 'even if there is no God" But if we truly desire to please God, we cannot live that way. We have to do things that cost us during our life on earth but will be more than worth is in eternity."

"John clearly tells us that 'whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did' (i john 2:6) Are you ready and willing to make yourself nothing? to take the very nature of a servant.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."

How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ?

true love requires sacrifice. and our love is shown by how we live our lives. "let us not love with word or tongue but with actions and in truth."

one of the clearest ways we love 'with actions and in truth' is through giving to others.

As we love more genuinely and deeply, giving becomes the obvious and natural response. Taking and keeping for ourselves becomes unattractive and imprudent.

We are loaded down with too many good things, more than we could ever need, while others are desperate for a small loaf. The good things we cling to are more than money; we hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, our friends.

the concept of downsizing so that others might upgrade is biblical, beautiful... and nearly unheard of.

Mal 3:10 Test me in this.. and see if I will not... pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Deut 15:10

God wants us to trust Him with abandon. He wants to show us how He works and cares for us. He wants to be our refuge.

Life is comfortable when you separate yourself from people who are different from you. But God doesnt call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesnt come through.

We are each given different gifts and talents by our master. The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else. What matters is that we spend ourselves.
And now little children, abide in Him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. 1 john 2:28

Lukewarm

Chapter 4 is about searching yourself and asking yourself the tough questions about if you are a lukewarm believer... there are a lot of questions and comments-all being straight from scripture regarding lukewarmness... way too much to type- please go check out this book and dive into it for yourself. if not- hopefully some of these quotes do reach out to you as they have to me!

"Doesn't His courting, luring, pushing, calling and even 'threatening' demonstrate His love? If He didn't do all of that, wouldn't we accuse Him of being unloving in the end, when all things are revealed?"

"The greatest good on this earth is God. Period. God's one goal for us is Himself."

"Do you believe that God is the greatest thing you can experience in this whole world? Do you believe that the Good News is not merely the forgiveness of sins, the guarantee that you wont go to hell, or the promise of life in heaven?"
"The best things in life are gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this : Are we in love with God or His stuff?"

"Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you? Do you really know and believe that God loves you, individually and personally and intimately? Do you see and know Him as Abba, Father?"

"He persists in loving us with unending, outrageous love. "

"He knew what what he had stumbled upon -the kingdom of heaven- was more valuable than anything he had, so he went for it with everything in him."
"A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions, or commitments are piled on top of it."
"Are you satisfied with being 'godly enough' to get yourself to heaven, or to look good in comparison to others? Or can you say with Paul that you 'want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death" Phil 3:10

"Would you describe yourself as totally in love with Jesus Christ? Or do the words halfhearted, lukewarm, and partially committed fit better?"
"Lukewarm people call 'radical' what Jesus expected of all His followers."

"Jesus didn't say if you wanted to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He said, 'Take up your cross and follow me."

"Jesus asks for everything. But we try to give him less."

Crazy Love of Christ

Crazy Love is such an easy read.. Ive already read 2 chapters since my last post and that's with me taking it slow and meditating on it during my quiet time with the Lord.
so this might be another long post- but I hope you keep reading and if you have already read the book-its still so important to re-read key points that he makes and really meditate on them! that's one reason why I'm thankful for this little blog- typing out my underlined points has been so helpful in remembering what I have read and trying to apply it.

The last of chapter 2 is entitled 'Thank God we are weak'
"If life were stable, I'd never need God's help. Since its not, I reach out to Him regularly. I am thankful for the unknowns and that I don't have control, because it makes me run to God."
"You never know when God is going to take your life. At that moment, theres nothing you can do about it. Are you ready?
"You could be the next person in your family to die, I could be the next person at my church to die. We have to realize it. We have to believe it enough that it changes how we live."

"Friends, we need to stop living selfish lives, forgetful of our God. Our lives here are short, often unexpectedly so, and we can all stand to be reminded of it from time to time. That's why I wrote this chapter, to help us remember that in the movie of life, nothing matters except our King and God. Don't let yourself forget. Soak it in and keep remembering that is is true. He is everything."

Chapter 3- Crazy Love
Just so you realize if you arnt reading the book- I skip a lot of the book... stories he tells that are really powerful are just way too much to type and I'm not good with getting points across... so if you haven't been intrigued yet-hopefully you will soon and go get the book for yourself! =)

"Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him-frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matthew 22:37-28
"The results are intimate prayer and study of His word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love.
"After reading Jeremiah 1, I meditated on it for the next four days. It spoke of God's intimate knowledge of me. I had always acknowledged His complete sovereignty over me, but verses 4 and 5 took it to another level 'The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born i set you apart."
"take some time to really think about it God knew you and me before we existed."
"Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we were created 'to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

"My existence was not random, nor was it an accident. God knew who He was creating, and He designed me for a specific work."
"When Jeremiah voices his hesitation and fear, God- the God of the galaxies-reaches out and touches his mouth. Its a gentle and affectionate gesture, something a loving parent would do. Through this illustration I realized that I don't have to worry about not meeting His expectations. God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine."
"This is the God we serve, the God who knew us before He made us. The God who promises to remain with us and rescue us. The God who loves us and longs for us to love Him back.

"Gods mercy is free, yet costly, gift. It cannot be earned. Our righteous acts, just like menstrual garments, certainly don't help us deserve it. The wages of sin is death. But because of God's mercy, sin is paid for through the death of Jesus Christ, instead of the death of you and me."

Crazy Love

I started Crazy Love by Francis Chan last week. Our Sunday School class has decided to go through it on Wed. nights as a small group bible study. I wish I was better at this blogging thing-truth is-it makes me nervous and it takes me forever to write one little blog post... not so much the part where I'm just typing the quotes but when I feel like adding my own words or this part at the beginning when I type to whomever may be reading... i reread it over and over! sometimes I wish I was a natural writer (funny thing is when I was little little I wanted to be a writer-that quickly went away as reality set in when I got just a little older) =) But this blog- almost like a journal is very freeing.. being able to express your thoughts even if they arnt very articulate.
I wish i would have blogged last week about the beginning of the book- its pretty good... its another book I would recommend to everyone! The website has videos that go along with it... Theres just something about watching and listening to Francis Chan speak and there is one video in particular that is really interesting and makes you think about how BIG God is. http://crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html

"I hope reading this book will convince you of something:that by surrendering yourself totally to God's purposes, He will bring you the most pleasure in this life and the next."
"the core problem isn't the fact that were lukewarm, half hearted, or stagnant Christians-the crux of it all is why we are this way, and it is because we have an inaccurate view of God."

"This is why we are called to worship Him. His art, His handiwork and His creation all echo the truth that He is glorious. There is no other like Him. He is the King of Kings, the Beginning and the End, the One who was and is to come. "
"In our world, where hundreds o things distract us from God, we have to intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of Him."
"To say that God is holy is to say that He is set apart, distinct from us. And because of His set apart-ness, there is no way we can ever fathom all of who He is"

God is eternal.
"everything, that is, but God. He always has been, since before there was an earth, a universe, or even angels. God exists outside of time, and since we are within time, there is no way we will ever totally grasp that concept.

God is all-knowing.
"Hebrews 14:13 says' Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.' This is the God who takes the time to know all the little details about each of us. He does not have to know us so well, but He chooses to."

God is all-powerful.
"Collossions 1:16 tells us that everything was created for God:'For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him."
"Don't we live instead as though God is created for us, to do our bidding, to bless us, and to take care of our needs?"

God is fair and just.
"God never excuses sin. And He is always consistent with that ethic. Whenever we start to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin."

"He cannot be contained in this world, explained by our vocabulary, or grasped by our understanding"

If you haven't already- go check out the awe factor video.

Ch 2
"On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves. On the average day, we don't consider God very much. On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor"
James 4:13-14
'Why, you don't even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.'

Frederick Buechner writes "intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives we go on forever."

"When I am consumed by my problems-stressed out about my life, my family, and my job- I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a 'right' to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities."

"Both worry and tress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we wont be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed."

"so many of us think and live like the movie of life is all about us"
1 Corinthians 10:31 says 'So whether you ear or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

"to be brutally honest, it doesn't matter what place you find yourself in right now. Your part is to bring Him glory-whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04 a.m. so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four month old take a nap."

"THE POINT OF YOUR LIFE IS TO POINT TO HIM"

"Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."

Im debating on if I should keep typing or not... I have a million thoughts running through my mind- Am I pointing others to Him? Am I doing what He wants me to be doing? Should I be serving over seas as a missionary in order to serve Him better? Does my life as a photographer point to Him? Has growing up in church made me ungrateful to how big God is after hearing it my whole life?
For what I think is the first time ever Ive had doubts in my mind- not my heart but in my mind.. His vastness and the fact that He has been since before time is mind boggling and incomprehensible and for the first time I find myself saying-how can this be? is God real? it just doesn't make sense that He would create us on this tiny little planet where all we do is sin and forget about Him and that He would even desire to know us personally and when we are just a vapor that He spent time with us, caring for us, comforting, protecting, guiding us....it just doesn't make sense!! then I hear His still small voice reminding me of His love, His Spirit inside me-speaking to me-how Ive felt Him hold me and have seen Him work in ways that cannot be explained by any other way. How grateful I am for His peace that surpasses understanding!

Sarah

So Ive finished going through Forgotten God and Im really looking forward to starting Crazy Love on Wednesday nights with our small group... Francis Chan blows my mind!
I got some new bookcases and am putting my old ones in a garage sell this weekend-come take a look if your interested =) I realized I have a ton of books!! a lot of which I have not gone through or didn't go through entirely... One that caught my eye is Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda... Its pretty interesting to read and learn in depth about each woman and so Ive kind of started reading it during my quiet time with the Lord.
Today's couldn't have been any more perfect for me and where Im at. I actually cant believe Im about to type what Im about to type... some of you might know already- that Chris and I have been 'trying' (trying as in not preventing) to get pregnant again for coming up on a year now. I don't talk about it because I dont want people asking me 'are you pregnant yet' or trying to give me advice on 'how' to make it happen.. Ive wrestled with God and I know He has a plan for us and whatever it is I whole heartedly trust Him that it is perfect.

Today's section was over Sarah and Genesis 17:1-22
"But it is heartening to realize that God accomplishes His purposes despite our frailties, our little faith, our entrenched self-reliance"
"How hard it was for Sarah (and is for us as well) to remember God's promises and to wait for Him to fulfill them. God's promises are revealed and fulfilled in His timing, which is often on a calendar different from our own."
"Waiting patiently for God to work may be one of the most difficult experiences of our Christian walk. We live in an age of the immediate. We think waiting, and doing so quietly, is somehow less worthy, perhaps even a bit lazy. Were great 'do-it-yourselfers' and we often get in God's way when we take things into our own hands"
"Whatever the circumstances, God's timing is the best timing. When your tempted to step in and make things happen on your own, think of Sarah. Her attempts to fulfill God's promise of a son through her servant Hagar had disastrous results. REMEMBER THAT GOD HAS HIS OWN TIMETABLE, AND REST IN THE ASSURANCE THAT HE LOVES YOU AND WILL FULFILL HIS PROMISES TO YOU."

Promises in Scripture:
Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7

"Father, thank you for loving me despite the fact that my soul still contains shadows and sometimes block the light of your Spirit. As I grow older, may I trust you more completely for the dreams you've implanted in my soul, the promises you've made to me. Like Sarah, may I be surrounded by laughter at the wonderful way you accomplish your purpose despite my wickedness."

needy

Ive been out of town a lot this last month or so and yesterday morning we were finally at our church together as a family after missing a couple weeks in a row....It was sooo good to be worshiping together with other believer's!!! Even though I read almost every morning and listen to praise music-its just not the same!
The Holy Spirit spoke to me and refreshed me and Im just so thankful for a place to worship together on a regular basis.
We sang this song... not sure on the title or the exact words but what really rang out to me was "You are stronger, You are stronger, Satan is vanquished, You are risen! ....You are Lord of All..." (like I said not sure on the exact song or words but something like that)
I couldnt help but cry as I sang those powerful words proclaiming Christ being stronger than all and Lord over everything.. I need those words ringing in my head all day every day- Christ's strength over the sin and troubles in my life!!

The last few days Ive been opening my bible to John 15-16. John 15 about the Vine and the Branches is my all time favorite passage in scripture... I could read it every day and be encouraged and challenged each and every time. If your not familiar with it you should go read it... its all about remaining close to Christ and how apart from Him we can do nothing. Every time I neglect to spend time with Him for a long time period-Im always drawn back to this passage. Im just so thankful that Hes finally brought me to a place in my life where its 'easy' for me to spend time with Him. I can recall numerous times throughout my life where I struggled to find a good time to set apart to be spending time reading and praying... Not a morning person- so waking up early never seemed to be successful (snooze button was way too easy) and stopping in the middle of the day was hard for me to focus, before bed I was too sleepy and would fall asleep in the middle of it.. excuses, excuses..... Now.. I wake up when Aydin gets up... fix him up with drink and food, make me some coffee and we go outside to play and I sit there and read... its not the most uninterrupted time but I sit there till Im done before I start working and running around. Preschool is about to start and Im praying this schedule of ours still works well.... and Im not rushing to get us ready for school.

Routine

Good morning blog- please forgive me for my inability to write well and write often. =)

Some of you might know that I was in New York and New Jersey this past weekend.... I honestly missed my routine... as lame and as boring as it is... I missed being home, waking up to Aydin telling me to wake up =), drinking my coffee outside (with peppermint mocha creamer) and reading the bible and/or study book, sitting at the computer and returning emails, editing pics, getting work done and running errands with Aydin... missed it very much!

New York was great and it was neat to see but Im definitely not a city girl... I love spending the evenings at home on the couch watching a movie with my hubby or hanging out outside on nice evenings... thats my kind of enjoyable... boring I know- but thats ok!

Tuesday was the first morning waking up in my bed for me and I busied myself and didn't sit down to spend time with the Lord.. and I knew if I don't do it first thing in the morning... it wont happen. I say ok I will read when Aydin lays down for a nap... not so much.. by then Im completely wrapped up in my work and checking facebook =)

Yesterday morning I did spend some time with the Lord reading Psalm 119 and I was going to write on here about it but when I sat down at the computer I didn't go directly to the blog I checked mail, facebook, and started orders... If i don't do something like this first thing in the morning or right when I feel the need to do it- it wont happen!

Listening to the Holy Spirit is the same way- when I hear His promptings I must right then say that I will do it if its something that will come later or right then and there do it or make preparations to do it.... We were at Carmines in NYC and if you arnt familiar with them- they serve family size portions... (didn't know that going in) Lauren and I split a Lasagna and of course there was a huge piece left over... the HS gave me the idea to take it with us and give it away to someone who needed it... so Im walking around the Times Square area carrying a to go sack with food looking for a homeless person who would be blessed to have this amazingly good food... funny thing- there wasn't anyone around!!!! I guess they have to have permits in order to sit on the street and ask for money- kind of nice but I was actually wanting to bless one! We finally saw one that had a permit and asked for money so I gave him the food- hope he enjoyed it!

Yesterday I was reading in Psalm 119... love this chapter! it always puts a desire within me to want to draw near and read His word.
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stay from your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." Psalm 119:9-11

oh how I need my routine and how frustrating it is when I don't follow it and therefore neglect to spend time with the lover of my soul.

Dependance

Ive been meaning to write this post for a while now... and I actually have no excuse other than I let everything else in the world come first and distract me- which is exactly what I let happen with my relationship with Christ... I'm sure I'm not alone- I hear a great sermon that speaks volumes to my heart and then the next day its almost as if I hadn't heard it all...
Ive been re-reading the last chapter of the book trying to ingrain it into my brain and also remind me to blog about it! its a good one- i just kept putting 'work' and stuff before. But now I am sitting here making myself write it =) part of me is pulling away because I have a list of things I need to get done before I leave town this afternoon but this is a long time coming so here we go!

Chapter 7-The Supernatural Church
this chapter speaks a lot about churches and not relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and lead... The parts that I underlined are more specific to me personally not relying on the Holy Spirit.
so that's what I will share...

"I don't want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn't be doing this by my own power. I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come through. That if He doesn't come through, I am screwed."
"I believe He is calling me-and all of us- to depend on Him for living in a way that cannot be mimicked or forged. He wants us to walk in step with His Spirit rather than depend solely on the raw talent and knowledge Hes given us."
"God cares about whether people are lovers of Him." "Perhaps I can talk people into praying a prayer, but I cannot talk anyone into falling in love with Christ. I cannot make someone understand and accept the gift of grace. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. So by every measure that actually counts, I need the Holy Spirit. Desperately"
1 Kings 18 about Elijah
"they were stunned by God. They wee in aw of His power. They knew that what they experience could not have been manipulated by Elijah. They experienced the power of God"
"Even in our daily lives we can look more like the prophets of Baal as we live our lives, running about in a frenzy, trying to fix our problems, not stopping long enough to call on the power of God Almighty. Yet as children of God, we are not called to trust in our idols or ourselves. We are made to be like Elijah, who did not question whether God would show His face that day. He prayed and asked for help and God sent down fire from heaven in response."

"whatever you need, the point is that God is aware of you and your circumstances, and He knows what you really need. He is able to bring these things, people, and circumstances into your life."
"But God is not a coercive God. and though He desires for His children to know peace and love and to have wisdom, I have noticed that often He waits for us to ask. "
"He desires to do more than 'help out' a bit. He wants to completely transform us. He wants to take a timid heart and set it ablaze with strength and courage, so much so that people know something about supernatural has taken place- life change just as miraculous as fire coming down from heaven. He wants to imbue us with His wisdom because He is the 'spirit of wisdom and revelation' (Ephesians 1:17)"

Galatians 5-fruits of the Spirit.
"You may have the list memorized. But look over those traits right now and ask yourself if you possess each to a supernatural degree. Do you exhibit more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons you know? do you have more self control than your Muslim friends? more peace than Buddhists? more joy than atheists? If God truly lives in you, shouldn't you expect to be different from everyone else?"

"I don't know about you, but I cannot simply muster up more love. I cant manufacture patience just by gritting my teeth and determining to be more patient. we are not strong or good enough, and it doesn't work that way. None of us can 'do goodness' on our own, much less all the other elements that make up the fruit of the Spirit."
"But despite our inability to change ourselves in this way, to simply become more peaceful or joyful, we expend a great deal of effort trying. We focus on what God wants us to do and forget the kind of people He wants us to be."
"Instead of mustering up more willpower, lets focus our energies and time on asking for help from the One who has the power to change us. Lets take the time to ask God to put the fruit of His Spirit into our lives. And lets spend time with the One we want to be more like"

"It is safer to avoid situations where we need God to come through then to stake it all on Him and risk God's silence. If Elijah has not had the courage to face down the prophets of Baal that day, if he hadn't prayed, fervently and courageously, then he would not have experiences God's power in such a profound way."
"This is certainly not a call to demand that God prove Himself in each and every circumstance that we manufacture. But it is a profound reminder that God delights in showing up when His people are in desperate need of Him, because that means no one else can steal His glory."

"God wants the praise for what we do in our lives. Bit if we never pray audacious, courageous prayers, how can He answer them? If we never follow Him to positions where we need Him, how can He show up and make His presence known?
"But when I am living in a way that requires me to depend on the Holy Spirit, people respond by praising my Father in heaven"
"If you have not known and experienced God in ways you cannot deny, I would suggest that you are not living in a needy and dependant way. God delights to show up when His children call on His name and when they are trusting fully in Him to come through, whether that is in relationships, in battling sin, in strength to make sacrifices, or in endurance to be faithful in daily life. "

"without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of people who make up this kind of community."
"I spent years asking God to be part of whatever I was doing. When I read the book of Acts, I see people privileged to play a part in what God was doing"

"No matter where you live and what your days look like, you have the choice each day to depend on yourself, to live safely, and to try to control your life. Or you can live as you were created to live- as a temple of the Holy Spirit of God, as a person dependant on Him, desperate for God the Spirit to show up and make a difference."

Living Water

At a recent bridal shoot this summer I took a picture of a waterfall... such a reminder of Jesus being the Living Water!

Take up your cross pt 1

"And He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

today's post comes from part of the chapter titled "Forget about God's will for your life' but to me the title of the post fits better with the rest of the chapter!

"God wants to see His children stake everything on His power and presence in their lives."
"Nowhere in Scriptures do I see a 'balanced life with a little bit of God added in' as an ideal for us to emulate." "People who have, in a sense, asked Him to join them on their life journey, to follow them wherever they feel they should go, rather than following Him as we are commeanded. The God of the universe is not something we can just add to our lives and keep on as we did before. The Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is not someone we can just call on when we want a little extra power in our lives. Jesus Christ did not die in order to follow us. He died and rose again so that we could forget everyting else and follow Him to the cross, to true life"

"If all you wanted is a little Jesus to 'spiritualize' your life, a little extra God to keep you out of hell, you are missing out on the fulness of life you were created for."
"You only need the Holy Spirit's guidance and help if you truly want to follow the Way of Jesus Christ. You only need Him if you desire to 'obey everything' He commanded and to teach others to do the same (Matt 28:18-20). You only need the Holy Spirit if you have genuinely repented and believe. And you only need the Holy Spirit if you understand that you are called to share in Christ's suffering and death, as well as His resurrection (Rom 8:17, 2 Cor 4:16-18, Phil 3:10-11)

"If you truly belive and have turned from the way you were headed and joined a different Way of living, then you desperately need the Holy Spirit. You know you cannot live this Way without the Spirit in you."

"How does He desire that we live? The fact is we were called by Jesus to give up everything. His call is to come and take up the cross (luke 9:23) 'Taking up my cross' has become a euphemism for getting through life's tyical burdens with a semi-good attitude. Yet life's typical burdens-busy schedules, illness, bills, hard decisions, paying for college tuition, losing jobs, house not selling, and the family's dog dying- are felt by everone, whether or not they follow the Way of Jesus."
"When Jesus calls us to take up our cross, He is doing much more than calling us to endure the daily, circumstantial troubles of life. It is a call to radical faith. Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business, those who have spread nasty rumors about is.... His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total surrender"

"His call means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness, that when we are weak we are also strong (2 Cor 12:9-10).

(too much goodness to share: to be continued)

take up your cross pt 2

So I posted these backwards so that if your scrolling through and reading it will be read in order =) i was going along typing in all the quotes I underlined and going ohh yes that's good and ouch yep that hurts and didn't realize how long the post was getting already... and if anyone reading this is anything like me... if i see a long worded post.. i tend to skip =) so maybe this will help splitting it up! My prayer is that by me just posting quotes from this book and other books in the future that it will touch someone else's life too... This book is so harsh with the straight to the truth talk-theres just nothing I can add to it!

(continued from pt 1)
"What if you could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and He asked you to literally give everything you owned? What is He asked you to sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor? Could you do it? Before you start explaining why He would never ask that of you, take a moment and answer the question honestly. Its not out of His character to ask for everything"
"I say I want to give it all to God, to truly submit myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. But I wont lie; sometimes the reality of what that means leaves me wanting to hold back a little."
"To submit and give up everything truly is radical and terrifying. However when I think deeply about it, walking in my own wisdom, contrary to the Spirit's leading, is even more frightful"
"The crux of it, I believe, is realizing that being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time act. walking with the Spirit implies an on going relationship.Being filled with the Spirit is not limited to the day we first meet Christ. Instead, throughout Scripture we read of a relationship that calls us into an active pursuit of the Spirit"
"He typically asks us to play an active role in the journey toward wholeness. He doesn't need our help but invites us to participate. Often this journey to freedom takes time, sometimes a very long time. and it takes perseverance. It takes participation on our part. We have to get on the treadmill and run-merely looking at the workout machine doesn't do a whole lot. (see also Rom 12:11 and 1Thes 5:19)"

"Because of the fact that is you were in step with the Holy Spirit, listening to and obeying Him, you wouldn't sin (Gal 5:16)
"This doesn't mean that if you sin, you didn't have the Holy Spirit or aren't a follower of Christ, It does mean that when you are sinning, you are not simultaneously submitted to the authority and presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. He is still present, but you are most likely suppressing or ignoring His counsel"

"Take some time to think about areas in your own life where you tend just to do your own thing, heedless of the Spirit's will and call."

"Living by the Spirit implies a habitual, continual, and active interaction with the Holy Spirit. While this sounds exhausting, it really isn't because all of this living and action is done in the power of the Spirit. It is not by your own strength"
"If we never responded to God, if we never acted based on what He has done for us, there wouldn't me much of a relationship thee. God is all real and moving, but at some point we have to respond and act because of what He's done. Like yeast and flour are both necessary to bread, both God's action and our response-action are necessary in this relationship with God."
"In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul says in one breath 'Work out your own salvation' and in the next, 'it is God who works in you' The both-ness here doesn't allow us to escape with a simple conclusion. Yes it is God who works in you. and, yes, there is work for you to do. Yes, the Spirit empowers you to do the work. and, yes, you do the work."

"It requires continual engagement and wrestling and discovering how to live a Spirit-filled life today. Not ten years from now. Not tomorrow. But right now, in the particular time and place He has put us. As we 'work out our salvation' and as 'God works in us' Let us keep in step."

Forget about His Will for your life

I just got done reading just the intro to the 6th chapter of Forgotten God...I couldn't go any further- even though it was extremely good and I cant wait to continue reading to see what all he has to say.. but I was afraid I wouldn't internalize it if I kept going and get too much info in my head.
This intro screams at my heart because I know I'm so so guilty of it but i don't know that I have ever heard it put this way before-

a little warning: i underlined almost the entire intro-yeah-its that heavy!

"And to expose our hearts to truth and consistently refuse or neglect to obey the impulses it arouses is to stymie the motions of life within us and, if persisted in, to grieve the Holy Spirit into silence." A.W. Tozer

"How many times have you heard someone say, "I just wish I knew God's will for my life?" (I'm soooooo guilty) "I know Ive longed for this before. But now I see it as a misguided way of thinking and talking" (Intrigued? you should be!)

"Few people in scripture received their life plan from God in advance. Consider Abraham, who was told to pack up his family and all his possessions and start walking. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know if he would ever be back. He didn't know any of the details we consider vital-his destination, how long the venture would take, what the costs/rewards would be whether he'd receive a 401k or health insurance. GOD SAID TO GO AND HE WENT, AND THATS PRETTY MUCH ALL HE KNEW."
"I think a lot of need to forget about 'God's will for my life'. God cares more about our response to His Spirit's leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today's decisions"
"Its much less demanding to think about God's will for your future than it is to ask Him what He wants you to do in the next ten minutes. Its safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day"
"We forget that we were never promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises multiple times in Scripture never to leave or forsake us."

In a way this truth is encouraging and comforting to accept that God might not/most likely wont reveal our life plan to us... we can stop stressing over it- day to day trusting Him to lead us but the hard part in my opinion is asking what He wants each day, throughout the day and following and obeying. to be honest- it scares me more to ask 'what do You want me to do right now' when I've got a list in my head of things I need to get to in the next few minutes-such as paying some bills, finishing up an order, checking my mail... He gently reminded me that He is more important and those things can wait.. He always has my best interest in mind and if I sincerely want to walk intimately with Him and be used by Him then it calls for day to day, throughout the day seeking "who can I love for You today, or right now', 'what would You like me to do right now'


"My hope is that instead of searching for 'God's will for my life' each of us would learn to seek hard after 'the Spirit's leading in my life today.' May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now."

A Real Relationship pt2

John 15 The Vine and the Branches story is my absolute favorite passage in the Bible. I could, need to, and should read it every single day! Francis Chan stopped in the middle of the chapter about having a Real Relationship and asked us to read John 14-16. Its such a powerful section... If i was really good at typing I would type it all out for you-especially chapter 15.. but maybe you can find a moment to go read it on your own and be blessed because of it.

"if you have received by faith the promise of the Holy Spirit, you are also His temple. As you drive your children to school. As you go to work every day. As you embark on a new, unknown season. As you go to school. As you face tragedy and pain. As you buy groceries. As you give of yourself in relationships. As you walk the dog. As you make decisions. As you live your life, the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you."

"Christ redeemed us from the curse we were under so that we could receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. The 'promised Spirit' is not a small promise. Jesus suffered a grueling death so that I could have the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit. How dare I take this for granted?"
"its not about having an impersonal guardian who looks over you. Its about having a parent, the best parent there ever was or will be."
"The Spirit speaks to our hearts, such as 'there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:1) and 'nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus'(Romans 8:39) and "He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins'(1 John 1:9) These are verses we could probably spout off, but often we need reminding of the power and veracity of them. And one of the Holy Spirit's roles is to do this reminding."
"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14
"Ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to set everything else aside right now so that you can seek Him wholeheartedly. Tell God that you want intimacy with Him, no matter what, even if it necessitates suffering on your part. When this relationship with Him is as it should be, there is nothing more satisfying or meaningful"

I love the last comment about how there is nothing more satisfying then closeness with the Lord. I desire that so much! I want to walk through the day with Him and obey every prompting by the Spirit to love on others or share Him in some way... Its frustrating that at the end of the day I look back and about 10 minutes after I read my bible and a section of this book I got completely distracted and I have a hard time returning throughout the day. Im looking forward to the Fall and Aydin being in school part of the week and maybe just maybe I will have uninterrupted time with the Lord.

A Real Relationship pt 1

I hope if you've been reading the last couple blog posts I may have convinced you to go out and buy the Forgotten God book for yourself... I am in no way able to explain fully and share enough of the book to get the real message across. God has used Francis Chan in amazing ways and sharing God's message in this book is one of them!
Chapter 5 is all about God's incredible, indescribable love for us and His desire to have a real relationship with us.
"theres nothing better than being absolutely sure that the most powerful Being in the universe adores you as His own child. This is precisely the confidence the Holy Spirit offers us."
"Though I do not believe God gives us His Spirit solely for our personal benefit, it undeniable that one of the greatest aspects of being in relationship with the Holy Spirit is the intimacy, security, and encouragement He brings us. It is when we can serve God as a beloved child rather than a stressed out, guilt ridden slave."

2 things Fancis Chan mentions that can get in the way of being intimate with God and the Holy Spirit is being too comfortable and life being too loud. both of which I know get in the way for me!
"it is those who put their lives at risk and suffer for the gospel (Phil 1:29) who will most often experience His being 'with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matthew 28:20)" "The Bible says that the Spirit comes through in situations where we would normally be afraid (Luke 12:11-12)"
Chan shares a story about some missionaries who were imprisoned and how they never felt closer to God then in that time and how they desire to go back to that! I can recall several times in my life when I was scared, doing what I knew God was wanting me to do even though it meant having no friends at one instance, no boyfriend for a period of time, and while I was in China as a missionary for the Summer- to name a few.. I felt closer and had a more intimate relationship with Christ during those times than any other- I was leaning solely on Him because He was all I had! Sadly being comfortable has a way of taking away that dependence on Him

"Our lack of intimacy often is due to our refusal to unplug and shut off communications from all others so we can be alone with Him" (Mark 1:35)
"I don't know exactly what it will look like for you to be still before the Lord. But I do know that no matter what your personality it is a spiritual discipline to be still, to listen, and to cut out the distraction and din of our world. And as we practice this stillness, this waiting, this being, it is then that we can experience deep intimacy and relationship with the Holy Spirit"

"Who do You want me to love for You today?"

This morning's blog post is from yesterday's reading and this mornings. It might be a little long but I hope you keep reading through the whole thing. Yesterday's was titled When the Spirit Leads. It mainly talked about how its not easy following the Spirit... "Often, walking with the Spirit is an uphill trudge through all sorts of distractions and difficulties. But while the path is winding and difficult, you are constantly moving in a particular direction, and that direction is set by the leading of the Spirit."
Not sure about you but that statement is so comforting to me... through being a Christian for majority of my life I have gone through long periods of time of being distracted and neglecting the Holy Spirit... and even in the times when Im striving I swear Im the most distracted person- I read these amazing books that the Spirit speaks so loudly to me about and Scripture that rings in my heart and then at the end of the day... I probably couldn't remember exactly what it was I learned that morning.
Later on in this section Francis Chan starts talking about Paul's letter in 1 Corinthians 13 (the Love chapter)
"In addition to becoming like Christ in His holiness, being led by the Spirit will result in becoming like Christ in His love."
"The Holy Spirit is the one who fills believers with God's love and the one who enables us to love one another"
Ephesians 3:16-19
"May we know this love hat surpasses knowledge-the mystery of this great love-by the strengthening power of the Spirit"
"and like our Savior, who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurt. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and acts in and through us in ways that on our own we are not capable of. This is our purpose for living. This is our hope" 'And hope does not put us to shame, because God;s live has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5

It seems through most chapters at the very end Francis Chan will use a specific person in history who lived out through the Holy Spirit. At the end of Chapter 4 he talked about Esther Ahn Kim who was imprisoned during WWII for not bowing down at shrines all over Korea and Japan. She ate rotten food in preparation for being in prison and memorized hundreds of chapters of the Bible since she wouldn't be able to read in prison.
"Her obedience to Christ only increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and consequently filled her with overwhelming love for the people she came in contact with."
"When she was eventually taken to prison, God used her in countless ways. One night a young Chinese woman convicted of killing her husband was brought in...It was this woman that God called Esther to love and reach out to. Esther held the woman's feet at night to warm them, even though the woman was covered in her own excrement. Though food rations were small, Esther gave up her portions for three days to this woman. Over time the Chinese woman began to respond, carrying on conversation and eventually accepting the good news of the gospel. The woman was later executed for her crime, but she went to her death alive in Christ."

"She was ready every day and every moment, asking God, "Who do You want me to love for You today?"

I teared up as I read the story of Esther this morning and I just kept asking God to help me ask that question daily, throughout the day, every moment. Since I do get distracted so easily with the silly day to day activities I need to hang the words off my head and in front of my face all day. To be honest- those words scare me as well... who will He have me love, how will He ask me to do so... But I pray as He shows me who that I will be joyfully obedient and rely on His love that He has filled me with because in and of myself I lack the love and concern for others...
Ill leave you with the quote again (if you have made it this far in reading this =)

"Who do You want me to love for You today?"

Followers or Leaders?

I am almost always going through a book or a study during my personal time with the Lord because well that is the only way I can stay focused and go deeper than flipping through my bible reading random Scriptures... its just the way I work....
Right now our Sunday School class is going through the book 'Forgotten God' by Francis Chan. It is so good and is kicking my butt! Which is what is leading me to start this new blog. I wanted to post a quote on facebook but there was way too many quotes to share! My prayer is that I can share what Christ is teaching me personally and by sharing it through here it may speak to at least one other person as well... Im not sure how often I will post and what it will be about but I believe Im being obedient and praying this is helpful to you as much as it is me.

Im already on Chapter 4 and theres been so many other things in the previous chapters I wish I could go back and share with you but I think you all should go out and get this book... it is really challenging because Francis Chan just says it how it is... and in my opinion he is right on. The section from chapter 4 in today's study is titled 'Followers or Leaders?' Pretty much the entire blog post will just be quotes that I underlined as I was reading and praying this morning because theres nothing I can add to it.

"Desiring the Holy Spirit means we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. By definition, it is ridiculous to desire the Holy Spirit for our own purposes."
"the Spirit is not a passive power that we can wield as we choose. The SPIRIT IS GOD, a Being who requires that we submit ourselves to be led by Him. Do we really want to be led?"
"I honestly believe that most os us-while we might say we want to be led by the Spirit- are actually scared of this reality"
"the fact is God is calling. The Spirit is beckoning. The real question is will you follow? Will you listen"
"The truly startling thought is that by not submitting and totally trusting the Holy Spirit, I am not submitting to or trusting God. this is not a small matter."

The next quotes are about considering and thinking about if you are called to be Where God has you at this very moment. These questions and comments might be what hit me the hardest since I as Im sure many others believe we are where God wants us to be.

"Maybe you are called to be where you live-But If you say you are called to be in the place you are , a few questions need to be considered.-
What would your church (and the worldwide church) look like if everyone was as committed as you are? if everyone gave and served and prayed exactly like you, would the church be healthy and empowered? or would it be weak and listless?"
"Do I believe the church needs me like a body needs a mouth"

"As part of the Spirit's work through us for the 'common good' He empowers us to be His witnesses. If you are a teacher, have you thought about how you impact the students in your classes? if you are a coach, what sort of influence do you have on your team? What about other coaches you interact with?"
Big star next to this paragraph in my book- "If you are a businessperson, how do you conduct yourself towards your customers and co workers? Do they see a person who lives according to the Way of Jesus or someone who does business according to the capitalistic and self-centered standards, just like everyone else? If you are a stay at home mom, how are you forming your children into lovers of Jesus? How are you reaching out and ministering to the neighbors God has placed around you?" Can I say OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"He didn't call you there so you could settle in and live out your life in comfort and superficial peace. His purposes are not random or arbitrary. He has something for you to do. He placed us on this earth for purposes that He orchestrated long before we were born (Eph 2:8-10)"
"Do you believe you exist not for your own pleasure but to help people know the love of Jesus and to come fully alive in Him?"