Patience

Patience, is a word I think we all hate. It tells us to wait, it tells us to relax, it tells us to trust in something other than ourselves. I personally have a huge problem with patience.
I have a life plan for myself. And i'm gonna go ahead and explain it to you.
-graduate college and find mr. right
-work for a couple years
-start a family (be a stay at home mom)
-start working again when my kids are all in school
-travel when my kids graduate

That's an outline, each one is very specific and i have poured many thoughts into each one. The problem is, is that it is MY plan. Yes I do everything, or try to do everything for the power of God, but however; this is on my ideas. Psalms 75:2a says "God says, "At the time I have planned..." I love that, because it tells me one thing very specifically that it's HIS time not mine. So i am learning to have patience. To put my plan aside and trust in HIS plan, because obviously it's a lot better than mine.

So challenge: Are you being patient?

Next steps

Every day we face new things in life, we have to deal with. I like to see life as a a ridiculously long stairway. The deal is, we don't know when the next step is, we just keep walking, and trust that the step will be there for us. To explain this, I'll use my favorite verse in the whole Bible. "For we walk by faith and not by sight." -2 Corinthians 5:7.
In life we don't know what's next. We don't know who we are going to encounter, what we will encounter, or how we will encounter it. The thing is, we have somebody who does know, with us at all times. I read this verse everyday, because so many times I have a hard time not knowing what's next. If you don't know me, I have everything planned out to what I am going to wear the next week. lol. To be honest it's pathetic. Despite that I'm ridiculously crazy, I have learned I don't know what is going to be my next step, and I HAVE to rely on God to be my eyes.
I just started my sophomore year at college, and to be honest, I am not a big fan of college, and the stress of it. (now there are parts of it I absolutely LOVE) but anyways, it scares the living daylights out of me. I love going to class, but I don't like the chaos of it. Like if we will have a fire alarm, or will my professor let us out on time or will I have to sprint to class. Even though college does stress me out, I have learned it is a very exciting journey of my life. These next few steps I am going to take over the next few years, are crucial to the rest of my life. The problem is, I don't know what they are yet :). So I have to trust God, and live my life by faith, and stop trying to live it my way.

So challenge: How are you living your life? are you taking the steps on your own, or are you letting God be your guide and helping you up the steps? Because honestly we can't do it on our own. We will fall, trip, and stumble. Now granted we are human so we will do that anyway, but the journey is soooo much better when we do it with God, and let him be our guide! :)

testing faith

Every year, every month, every week, every day, every hour, and every minute we send up prayers. "We ask God for what we need, and we thank him for what we have", but then there are those occasions when our prayers don't get answered like we wanted them too. It is when that happens our faith is tested.

STORY TIME:: A young girl had her "prince charming" list made out, all the things she wanted in her husband. A list she had spent years praying over and knowing that, that man on her paper was the man she needed. She prayed and prayed. When she met the guy who fit the list, and it didn't work out between the two. Her faith was tested. How could God take something that seemed so right away? And why would he do that to that girl? It wasn't until about 6 month later, that she realized God had somebody who went over and beyond her idea of "prince charming"

STORY TIME:: A family lost their jobs. 3 sweet babies sitting at home, the threat of losing the home, and being tossed out on the street became very real. After months of praying and losing faith, they finally got a blessing in the mail, but it was 3 months of grueling heartache, and prayers not being answered like they wanted it too.


So when time gets rough and heart ache hits, stay positive. If prayers don't go YOUR way, then stay positive. Because the bottom line is ((God sees the big picture)) we're just seeing a few pixels of the big picture.

So challenge time:: when troubles get rough praise God instead of throwing a pity party. NOW with that said, I don't mean getting all sappy. My friend wrote a song, and he said "If I'm stuck in these trenches, I wanna be stuck with you" For the longest time I didn't understand those words, mainly because I was so mad at God myself, but as I started to listen to God, I realized that if things aren't going OUR way, and it's not how we want them to do, then being with God in our rut is the best thing in the world.

So relax and let God love you :)

Farmers, Seeds, Fruits

I had a long talk with my mom today, because I am just dumbfounded by my peers and people that I know. We were discussing fruit and I don't mean apples, bananas, pepinos, or peaches. I mean "The fruit of the spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23).

So many times as Christians we want the world to see what WE have done. What WE have accomplished, and who's life WE touched. In which we haven't done any of that at all. God through us has done that. Many people get discouraged or angry at God because they plant the seeds, and they want them to sprout into fruit, right then and there. (Now if you plant or no anything about planting, you don't get to plant a seed and turn right back around and see a beautiful plant.) Christians get so caught up with "Christian fads" or wanting to be seen, heard, noticed... that we no longer put God first but ourselves. We say everything in the name of God, but in reality it's all in the name of ourselves. That is not having beautiful feet.

STORY TIME:: A group went to Peru over Christmas Break, they painted doors, doors, and more doors, they never had any communications with locals, instead they painted doors for 6 days, of a Baptist Church Camp down there. Two months after they had left Peru, the camp was able to host 247 children, and many from an orphanage (they had never heard of Jesus Christ.) So because of the groups work on the camp, the camp was able to touch the lives of so many kids... THAT's PLANTING SEEDS!

Planting Seeds does not mean you are gonna personally see the fruit, it does not mean you get the credit, and it does not mean that if you don't see it, it doesn't happen.

Many times we wanna see results right then and there, and it is when that occurs that we lose insight of what we are really doing. We are not here for ourselves PEOPLE. Who gives a care if we get to see what our work did. As long as the seeds were planted then we have done our job.

Planting seeds does not mean you have to go to a 3rd world country, or to the roughest part of your town. It simply means you have to let God live through you. Live the life of a servant to God. Whether that be a smile to the kid who nobody likes, helping a mother of 5 get to her car out of the supermarket, helping a homeless stranger by giving them some crackers....Simple things that show the fruit, and plant seeds. We are not here to SHOVE God down peoples throats we are here to SHOW people God. Bottom Line:: IT IS NOT ABOUT US!!!


So challenge:: Look at your life, is it for your name, or God's? Do your beautiful feet come from everyday living? We do not need a huge mission board, a church, a big group event to plant seeds. It happens everyday. At the Sonic, Walmart, Gas Station, Work Place, and Home. So lets do some planting! :)

Cry

Have you ever just walked into a public place and cried? Have you ever really looked around and seen more than just people? Have you ever opened your eyes to what is really in front of you?

Today I was walking to and from class and wanted to fall down and cry... i did make it to my car before is started crying though. But here is why i cry.

All around me i can hear the f-bomb, party talk, how to get "laid"....and things that I do NOT want to hear, but since i live in the world i hear it....and i realized that half the time we turn a deaf ear to it, and turn the other way. the little phrase "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" is crap if i say so myself. We can't not hear it...We can't not see it...now we don't have to speak it.

If we were not to see it or to hear it...OMG this world would be perfect RIGHT?!?! But get real folks it's so evident, and the more we ignore it and the more we choose not to get out there with our beautiful feet, the farther the world gets from knowing God as their personal Lord and Saviour.


SO next time you're in public look around and see the lost, and reach a hand out. Whether that means, you give a homeless person a cup of coffee, help an elderly woman across the street, or give a meth addict a ride.......start reaching out, and don't be too afraid to cry..Cry for them, but don't just leave it at that....GO and help! :)

Reach the UN-churched

So if you don't know me, my daddy is a pastor of a new church in Mineral Wells, Brazos Pointe Church. My dad's best friend from college also started a church in Conroe, Texas called Conroe Community Church. I am involved in a church start in San Angelo, Texas,San Angelo Church

Those are three churches that I have watched sprout from the ground. Each on of these churches are nothing like a "normal church". For example, most churches want you to "dress up", "speak the lingo", and are more worried about the people in than out of it. Each one has an idea of what a church should be.

Some of their main core values are simple, easy, and really important.
1. Look up (Seek God first)
2. Look out (Look at your dying community)
3. Look in (then look at yourself/and the church).


Many times i think we get this list backwards...we look 1.up 2.in 3. out or sometimes we get so caught up with the "Christian Lifestyle" We look 1. in. 2. up. 3. out.

So this challenge is start looking out. Whether you are in a church or not, whether you are shy our outgoing. Whether you have screwed up more that did life right. LOOK OUT!

Seriously people, we have to reach outwards. I don't wanna make you have the idea that i am always looking out, and that i have my life sooo together, because thats a bunch of bull honkey. I have screwed up just as much as anybody, and many times i forget to look out more than I look in. But it's time for us to change.

So look out this week! What can you start to do, what conversations can you have, and who can you help?




SIDE NOTE::

I do not mean to crash the "Christian Lifestyle" I am not hating it or think it's stupid. Actually i love the life as a Christian; however, it is when it becomes self-righteous, looking inward, and no longer worried about non-Christians, when i cannot stand it! Just clearing some stuff up! :)

No Distance to Far

So I am sure many of us are familiar with the story of the man, who was lowered in from the roof to see Jesus, because his friends knew Jesus could help. Right? It's found in Luke 5:17-25

I think we are slacking... It's a bold thing to say, but hey someone has to make the observation. Look around your little world. I have a few questions as you look around.

1. Is it just Christian friends?
2. Have you locked yourself inside a mindset, that you should be inside a building surrounded my Christians all the time?
3. And finally, when was the last time you went the extra mile to help a friend see Jesus?

If you answered yes to the first two and I don't remember to the third. REALITY CHECK TIME!!!

Here is my challenge, look around your world and go that extra mile to show the love of Jesus to your friends. Now that does not mean being self-righteous or pious, it does not mean quoting scripture on Facebook, or talking the "Christian lingo".

It means be real. Relate to them, show them that you are no better than them. We are all sinners and by God's grace we are saved, and that even as Christians we still screw up, and no we shouldn't, but since we are human, we do...and God forgives us.

We need to tear down roofs and bring our friends to know Jesus Christ. We surrounding our-selfs in a Christian world is stupid. Yes, we need Christian friends. In the body of Christ that is how we get encouraged, get helped, but we also learn to be disciples. And with that call of duty we cannot lock ourselves in a life that is fake. The world is HUGE, and we as Christians need to get out and go to the world and serve, and lower our friends down from the roof of a building to see Jesus Christ.

There is no distance to far for us, or at least there shouldn't be. So when was the last time you went the extra mile?