Gospel
Shifting Our Focus
A lesson on choosing to see the good.
Every time I look at the bright blue sky, I see a swarm of tiny, black gnats. As I shift my eyes left and right, they follow me. It’s as if each oddly shaped little bugger is fighting for the spotlight in the center of my vision. It’s distracting; it pulls my focus away from cloud gazing and onto the annoyance of the squiggle that interrupts my line of sight.
Are We Changing the Culture?
...or is the culture changing us?
The average woman in the United States lives for about 29,565 days (or, rather, 81 years). I just turned 26 yesterday, so I'm approximately 9,491 days into my life - already about 1/3rd of the way there.
You Are Not Weak
You know how seeing a picture can bring back memories?
I saw a photo recently that reminded me of a time in my life where I felt my lowest. It was a photo of myself and a few friends the day after I had a major anxiety attack. At the time the photo was taken, I had been living in Southeast Asia for almost 4 years as a missionary. I was involved in wonderful ministries, had amazingly encouraging friends, food to eat, a place to live, etc. Life was good. From the outside.
Single Women of the Bible
I'm sure you saw the title of this post and thought, "Great, another blog post about how Ruth is the epitome of singleness in the Bible." I'm happy to report that that's not what this post is about. I love the book of Ruth. I think it can definitely be helpful to single women, but sometimes, and maybe this is just me, it reads to me of the story of a girl who lost her husband and throws herself at the first available man. Obviously, I'm taking things WAY out of context, and there's a lot more going on in the story than that.
"Come, Follow Me"
Do you ever struggle trusting God’s plans? Or find it difficult being joyful with the callings He's placed in your life? Me too. Questions of how, when, where, and why flood my head and my heart.
Recently, I asked God to speak to my unbelieving/struggling heart, and as a faithful God, He spoke through the book of Mark at a church service, encouraging me to be faithful in living a life that's glorifying and all-devoted to following Him. The passage, and message, taught me there's three aspects of a servant's call, all of which begin with Jesus.
Sharing God's Love
I am a huge foodie. I have been my entire life.
So much so that, when I was younger, my mom always thought that I would become a food critic when I grew up because I enjoyed every meal that she lay before me. Friends who know me well know how much I love food because of how vocal I am whenever I eat a good burger or how excited I get when I talk about a good meal I've had at a new or favorite restaurant.
Volunteering: ❤ in Motion
With my hair pinned back in curls, half-inch heels tightly strapped to my feet, and a flowing red gown draped over my small frame, I was ready. As a wide-eyed 11 year old, I couldn't wait to wow the judges with my wit, charm, and fake eyelashes. I knew they would adore me.
Stepping into the interview, I smiled big (braces and all), introduced myself, and gave the three pageant judges a little wink. With only three minutes on the clock, I couldn't waste a second.
Why "Doing You" ≠ Happiness
Happiness; a word that holds so much meaning, yet people spend their entire life endlessly searching for anything that will fill them with that warm fuzzy feeling. At times, happiness can be found, but always temporarily, waxing and waning like the moon, never to stay in one place for long. How can one find true everlasting happiness?
"But God Told Me So"
I was crazy about him. I had never met someone who understood me so well, who loved God so passionately. Everything about it was perfect. But we broke up, and now I’m so confused. God kept giving me all these little signs—like everything about it was right—and I was so sure he was going to be the one.
So why didn’t it happen?
Reading through the email from a blog reader, I nodded along—because I understood the spot she was in all too well. I’ve been there.
Growing Your Self-Confidence
When we first begin our relationship with God, it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit becomes our guide and teaches us how to become more like Him. For me, I never realized how much I lacked self-confidence until God started to reveal my identity in Him. I am still learning what it means to live and walk in freedom, but I’ve learned a few life lessons along the way about how to be my true self or my Christ-confident self.