January 2012
1 post
October 2011
2 posts
“When life caves in, you do not need reasons- you need comfort. You do not need answers- you need someone. And Jesus does not come to us with an explanation- He comes to us with His presence.”
—Bob Benson
NIV Worship Bible
NIV Worship Bible
I praise You every season of my soul
September 2011
2 posts
“When we are faithful in keeping ourselves in his holy presence, keeping him always before us, this not only prevents our offending him or doing something displeasing in his sight (at least willfully), but it also brings to us a holy freedom, and if I may say so, a familiarity with God wherein we may ask and receive the graces we are so desperately in need of.”
—Brother Lawrence if the Ressurrection
August 2011
6 posts
Gratefulness
It’s amazing what perspective can do.
NIV Worship Bible
In Ruth we see that there are no “mere coincidences” in the lives of God’s people; His fingerprints can be found on even the most seemingly trivial events.
NIV Worship Bible Prayer (Luke 7:44-47)
Lord Jesus, You did not come for people who insist they are good but for people who know they are not. Deliver me from self-righteousness. Forgive me for being too stubborn to repent, too proud to fall at your feet. Help me to remember the depths from which you You saved me. Help me to remember that I am not worthy of Your grace. May I never be a stumbling block for anyone who is reaching out to You. And God forbid that I should ever chase off the ones You came to save.
“I no longer want to just hear about you, beloved Lord, through messengers. I no longer want to hear doctrines about you, nor to have my emotions stirred by people speaking of you. I yearn for your presence.”
—Saint John of the Cross
Jesus, You’re BEAUTIFUL
“It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.”
—Corrie ten Boom
May 2011
3 posts
“As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ.”
—Gregory of Nyssa
“True spirituality manifests itself in:
The desire to be holy rather than happy.
The desire to see the honor of God advanced through [your] life.
The desire to carry [your] cross.
The desire to see everything from God’s viewpoint.
The desire to die right rather than live wrong.
The desire to see others advance at [your] expense.
The desire to make eternity-judgments instead of time judgments.” —
The desire to be holy rather than happy.
The desire to see the honor of God advanced through [your] life.
The desire to carry [your] cross.
The desire to see everything from God’s viewpoint.
The desire to die right rather than live wrong.
The desire to see others advance at [your] expense.
The desire to make eternity-judgments instead of time judgments.” —
A.W. Tozer
Insomniac
You are all I want
You are all I ever think about
You have changed my heart
You have transformed my ways
You have defied my laws
You have formed my beliefs
You are beautiful
You are magnificent
You are flawless
You are Holy
You are divine
You are addicting
You are overwhelming
You are all-consuming
You are life changing
You are life giving
You are leading me
You are loving me
You are all I want
January 2011
2 posts
Pre Brasil
So after 3 months of my DTS I have finally decided to start a blog. Typical of me, I know. To summarize what I learned during my lecture phase of DTS is love and fullness.
Oh, love. Everybody wants it, yet it seems so hard to find. True love, that is. Before my DTS began, I didn’t really know what love was to be honest. (It’s a good thing I win cheesiest opener award. But if you actually realize this as a reality, it’s quite tragic.) That’s the only commandment Jesus really calls us to follow: love. All the rest fall under this great commandment. Love God, love others. To love others though, you are to love your neighbor as you love yourself. I, however, had no idea how to love myself and if I never loved myself, then how could I have possibly loved others?
As I have sought after God, I have found that He, in turn, has been seeking after me. Through this time He has shown me who I really am and what my identity is in Him which has completely altered my previous perceptions of myself. As I have learned to love God, I have learned to love myself. And now that I love myself I have fallen in love with God. I have actually fallen in love with Him. I understand now when people say the church is his bride. It’s not meant to be something literal, it’s metaphorical. It’s true love. It stands for the relationship between the bride and the bridegroom. It stands for the beauty of being completely in love with one another. Both the bride and the bridegroom just want one another and all the rest of the world falls into place around them. It’s about seeking each other’s hearts. It’s about intimacy. The only way to gain any of that, is to get to know one another. During this time I have been learning the characteristics of what my God is. And as I learn WHAT my God is, I discover WHO my God is. It has made God personal and has brought a complete transformation to my relationship with Him. I no longer spend time with Him because I feel I have to, but because I long to continue getting to know Him. I want to know all He is and all He has to offer. I am in love and I love it.
Fullness. It’s hard to explain, but wonderful to experience. It’s not a destination, but a journey. It’s overwhelming, and yet somehow you can never quite get enough. It’s the fullness of God. It’s a good thing God is indescribable because that makes this that much easier to explain… Well, for me, experiencing the fullness of God has been just that: indescribable. That’s probably why I have put off writing a blog for so long. I feel like all that I have been through in these past few months will take me a lifetime to even partially comprehend and then to come to the realization that I have a lifetime more of this… shoot. How do you explain getting completely “blast-face-ted” every day by the insane revelations and encounters that come from seeking complete intimacy with the Creator of all things. And the fact that I even have to explain what the term “blast-face-ted” means to just about everyone that reads this makes me laugh at myself for attempting this. But here I go. The fullness is the most radically wonderful journey you can embark on. It’s falling in love with Jesus and then getting to experience everything God has to offer you. I have always known that the Holy Spirit dwells within me, yet I never really acknowledged all that that entails. I now feel like I am living in a new reality. Fullness is Freedom. It’s exhilarating. It’s actually living.
To experience true love and fullness, just get to know God. It’s just. that. simple.
“Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.” —
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers righteousness on you.” —
Hosea 10:12
