32 Search Results for "prayer"

• Stirring Stirring

  • From: HemmedIn
  • Description:

    There was a period of time prior to the full force of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 when things began to stir up. I would often beg my parents to let me go for a sleep over to my Grandmother’s house. Because of the unrest, a curfew was put in place all over Tehran. My parents would oblige, but then I grew so homesick that I would be driven home quickly before it was too late. And as reports of tanks and military patrolling the streets flood twitter today, these vivid memories come to mind again. My mom would sweetly tell me to smile and wave at the army men, in the same light and un-alarming tone I encourage my children to greet Firemen.
    
    That stirring began as protests, turned into riots and eventually a full force revolution that changed the face of a nation and its course in history.
    
    Today in Iran a new stirring has begun. Yet since the military, police and revolutionary guards are lurking the streets, it appears that fear may be creeping in as weariness and fatigue take their place.
    
    Disappointment, death and grief each on their own is enough to bring a person to despair. However our friends in Iran are experiencing all of this at once. Think about how breathless you are when you see footage of Neda dying on the street. The despair you would feel had you known you too were there, just a few steps away. Imagine the rage that would rise up if you couldn’t properly mourn for loved ones.
    
    Yet they still sit on roof tops each night chanting, “God is great” over and over again. God is great. God is great. God is great.
    
    It makes me wonder, what would cause me to sit on top of my house, calling out the greatness of God all night long?
    
    If you stop and ponder that for a few moments… the reality of the longing that is stirring up inside the soul of every person breathing those words just may set in.
    
    The strategies of revolutionary wars and international relations have changed since 1979. The message we send to the people of Iran when they hear us speaking up for them, when they realize our eyes are on them, and when they hear we are praying for them…this is fuel for the fire.
    
    The world is watching and when we hear words of despair, fear, increase in tension and increase in force, we should pray for the hope of the LORD to fill Iran. Pray for strength for the weary. Pray they would walk and not grow faint. Pray for courage to fight the good fight. Pray the destruction would cease, the oppressor be cast out and those who trample on undeserving people would be taken from the land.
    
    Then continue to pray and make way for the LORD.
    
    
    
    
    "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
    
    “Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness."

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• Blessed are the Peacemakers Blessed are the Peacemakers

  • From: HemmedIn
  • Description:

    1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
    3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    4Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
    5Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
    6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
    7Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
    8Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
    9Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called sons of God.
    10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    
    
    As a child of the 1979 revolution, all the scenes and images of what has been reported from Iran are eerily familiar. I am now a Iranian-American and completely immersed in my new culture here. But one never forgets where they came from.
    
    My perspective over the last 30 years is that most of the people born after the revolution have been raised or have become products of their environment and have generally been politically apathetic. Forgive me if I'm wrong here. But it seems that the general lack of morale, discouragement from their leadership, fear of getting in trouble have left people wanting to keep a generally low profile, living their lives to the best of their ability and staying out of the ways of trouble.
    
    President Obama is receiving a fair share of criticism for his hesitation to get involved in the situation. While the U.S. is known for coming to the rescue or meddling as some people put it, there may come a time for overt action. However, I think there is something to be said about waiting and allowing the Iranian people continue to rise up and find their voices that have been supressed for so many years. Two-thirds of the nation are under the age of 35. I am 35 and just begining to feel like I'm getting some gumption to do what God is calling me to do... I wonder for them, how long these feelings of oppression and captivity have been festering in the Iranian people and finally reaching a point of explosion.
    
    It's good to let them find their voice, THEY need to experience their own courage and recognize that what they want is GOOD.
    
    I also love how the U.S. is getting involved in less overt ways. That computer techs are helping Iranians get access to internet to let us know the cries of their hearts. I love even up until this year, when you heard the name Iran, it was associated with "axis of evil," "nuclear threat," etc. But today, the world is rallying around the people of Iran which is truly Iran. There is solidarity, compassion, support and love for people. We are seeing that the very things that we often take for granted like liberty, freedom, justice, our voices, our dreams and the realization of our visions are things worthy of fighting for.
    
    Pray for Iranians to continue to find their voices and let their voices be heard, pray for courage, boldness, protection for the innocent, justice for the oppressors. Pray for salt and light to show themselves in that part of earth so Light will shine. Pray for our President Obama, for him to have wisdom, courage, boldness, mercy when its required and heart that breaks for the things that break the heart of God.
    
    Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

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• Sitting, Waiting, Wishing Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

  • From: lmwilliams2009
  • Description:

    “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1 (NIV)

     

    I love this verse because it reminds me that God hears our cries and our desires. He is always there. It’s up to me to believe that He will answer my prayers. In James 5, the second half talks about of the prayer of Faith. Basically if we back our prayers with faith, God feels the sincerity of our hearts.

     

    I don’t like waiting. I never have. Right now, I am waiting to hear whether I made it into the Americorps Vista program. I’m not exactly sure when I will find out, but until then, I need to trust God that He has everything under control. If I don’t get in, I won’t be discouraged; I will just be looking for another job. The problem is that I am only planning on working in Lincoln for a year, and then I will be off for Graduate school. This coming year is a haze; I’m not use to that, because I have always had school to look forward too. But now I’m done at least for now. 

     

    I’m sitting. What do I mean by sitting? I mean I’m sitting instead of worrying about what is next. I’m listening for God and what he has to say.

     

    I’m waiting. I’m not going to be frantically running things in my head, but just patiently wait for the outcome of my situation.

     

    I’m wishing. I can wish, ok I’m going to change that word to pray. I’m praying for God’s Will to be revealed whatever the outcome is.

     

    As I sit, wait, and pray, I am thankful for everything God has provided for me!

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  • 1 year ago
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• Mountain Top Mountain Top

  • From: susanhlawrence
  • Description:

    I've been to the mountain top today. Literally. Figuratively, it's been more like a dumpster diving day...a little smelly and sticky.
    
    I've been surrounded the past couple days by gorgeous hills, building into the Appalachians. Covered with vibrant green trees and often skirted in mist. A friend and I trekked to a lookout point yesterday, and it was well worth the climb. I even decided to take another route to the same location later in the day. I wondered how many miles I could see from that vantage point. A lot. Funny how even when our perspective is expanded, we still have no clue how much, or how little, of the big picture we're actually seeing.
    
    God gave me a glimpse of the big picture today. My schedule was hectic, and the time in which I thought I could easily fit in a short hike suddenly flooded with trouble-shooting and adjustments. But God was beckoning me to spend some time with him. Because I was expected to soon be encouraging a large group of women, helping them laugh with each other and dance in God's presence, I knew that if I kept on my own course, I'd be zapped of energy and enthusiasm. So I did something I don't do often enough. I said "no" to an obligation and said "yes" to God. And I hiked to the lookout point I'd visited yesterday.
    
    The climb was steep. And I started thinking how being obedience to God is not easy. Obedience challenges me. But I do better with it when I'm well-equipped. For hiking, my map and water are musts. For obedience, constant communication with God. Through his word, prayer, worship. So as I climbed, I took each step for him. When I stopped to take a drink, I savored God's words to me. When a heard the sounds of the hills, I listened for his voice. When I reached the top and marvelled again at the complexity and beauty of his creation, I raised my face to his in worship.
    
    The hike down was just as challenging physically, and spiritually, God reminded me that I can go too fast sometimes and get caught up in the rush of everyday life. I was walking back to my obligations and daily life, but with renewed purpose. Only God knew the challenges waiting for me at the bottom of that mountain top, but I sure am thankful I chose obedience today, so he could prepare me in his providential way.
    
    Send out your light and your truth;let them guide me.Let them lead me to your holy mountain,to the place where you live. - Psalm 43:3 (NLT)

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• Where has Your Vision Gone? Where has Your Vision Gone?

  • From: ljpowers
  • Description:

    I spend my days immersed in a generation clinging to a temporary mindset. I am a statistic. I'll admit, there are days that I'd much rather text message than talk in person, watch tv than read a book, and listen to music on my iPod than pull out my guitar. Yes, I too have spent hours on Facebook looking at the updates of people I haven't talked to in months, sometimes years. And where does this so often lead me? I crave more.

    Sometimes that "more" can't even be defined, but it's there. It often leaves us feeling so empty, so confused, and for what cause? Are we really getting to know ourselves, or in some cases others, more through those types of interactions? Or are we fooling ourselves by living out our days vicariously through other mediums that really have no profitable end?

    I've often heard that one of the main ways that the devil immobilizes the Church is through monopolizing their time with useless things. Most of the time, we don't realize that it's even happening. We live our lives without purpose, without vision, "barely making it through" this day until we can wake up to the next.

    How much valuable time do we lose every day because we have no vision?

    Has God birthed a seemingly impossible dream within you, that you've ignored for long enough?

    Or maybe you haven't had a God-given vision birthed inside of you just yet, but you know within your very being that because of His promises, God has something amazing planned for your life?

    It's time that we throw off the distractions that we've been clinging to, and seek out the vision that God has for our lives.

    So pray your heart out, because God has yet to leave a prayer unanswered.

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• Iniquity of Rejection Iniquity of Rejection

  • From: 75daisies
  • Description:

    Ok...I read this article, "Hitler paintings 'go under the hammer' in Germany".  See link if you are interested in reading it.  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090416/ennew_afp/germanyhistoryhitlerartpainting

     

    After reading this I saw Hitler differently...he had a root of rejection.  The same root as Cain.  (of Cain and Abel).  After Adam and Eve rejected God by hiding...the iniquity came in Cain as a root of rejection.  Had he embraced what God said to him about his sacrifice and dealt with it....imagine the difference it would have made!  (Read Genesis 3-4 for this story)

     

    I found it fascinating that the man responsible for millions of deaths, and starting World War II had a root of rejection.  He wanted to paint and be an artist....but instead of dealing his disappointment and persevering, instead of dealing with this root and creating beautiful...he became one of the most destructive people who ever lived.  He was responsible for starting many innovations in Germany...yet they were used for destroying not building.  He left a wide path of destruction in landscapes, buildings, and worse that he destroyed lives.  His negative impact still echoes in my family...and no doubt plenty of families who contain veterans of WWII.  (Proverbs 18:21, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.")

     

    Hate is a powerful thing.  Hitler bred hate.  He chose an enemy to destroy instead of dealing with his own issues.  He blamed Jews and Gypsies and others for Germany's woes and set out to destroy them.  He actually was quite brilliant to do what he did.  But he lived out of a wounded place and was truly a blind man.  He missed the boat on the calling for his life, because someone with that much salesman power should most definitely have been an evangelist!  You know what I mean!  Seriously!

     

    You can still see the fallout from this in Europe today.  I was in England in 1996.  I was shopping with my friend Thomas (from Berlin), and a sales woman refused to wait on him because he's German.  WHAT?  WWII was like 50 years ago.  Thomas pulled me out of the store and explained that this happened to him a few times, and that it was ok.  She's an older lady and probably lost her husband or son in WWII....and it's ok.  I was like this is not ok....you were born in 1972...this has nothing to do with you.  He just shrugged. 

     

    I didn't understand why people hated this (really really cute and ) sweet German young man for something that happened fifty years ago.  It made no sense.  Kinda like God when He looks at the grudges I've held for petty things for stupid reasons against people around me.  It's the same thing...just a sunshinier face. 

     

    We are called to love.  We are expected to forgive.  Those are the weapons we have in the war against hate and the world's culture.  Love may not look like much of a big deal staring into a tank barrel...but it's helping people and being there for people that changes them.  It's not beating them over the head with a stick.  This may sound like a 3rd grade explanation to world problems....but it's what I see.  What our soldiers are doing currently in Iraq and Afghanistan- protecting people so they can learn and see that there is another way to live, is SO important.  The news talks about casualties and money and oil.  But truth says that those people have been bitter over sibling rivalry going back to Father Abraham.  Do I hear rejection iniquity issues? 

     

    God's been really working on my own rejection issues and maybe this is why this impacted me so strongly.  I have lived much of my life as to avoid being rejected.  I lived in a box trying to be everything my Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Siblings, teachers, youth group leaders, pastors and friends wanted me to be.  And I had no idea who I was or what I wanted.  It took a lot of counseling and steps classes and prayer and MTS and CTS and crying and people pouring love and hope and more love into me for me to realize that it's ok to be who God made me to be.  It doesn't matter whether or not people accept me...it matters that God made me and already knows me and loves me.  Not everyone is going to like me...not even in the church.  And that's ok.  We won't like everyone.  But we do have to love them.  Love matters.  Fulfilling God's call on our lives matters.  Lord knows, I've caused enough destruction in myself and those around me...it's time to build.  It's time to pour out.  It's time to plant and water and grow.

     

    What legacy do you want to leave behind?  A legacy of building and kindness and hope and love...or a legacy of destruction.  The choice is yours.

     

    Some scripture for you, to help you settle some things.  NIV, courtesy of www.biblegateway.com

     

    Number 1:  Get to Know God (The book Praying the Names of God REALLY helped me with knowing God) 

    Ephesians 1:17-23, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

     

    Number 2:  God Made You.  He knows your strengths and weaknesses.  He wants to go beside you and help you get where you need to be.

    Psalm 139:14-16, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

     

    Number 3:  You were created with purpose and that purpose can only come to pass when you seek God wholeheartedly with all you are!

    Jeremiah 29:11-14. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD."

     

    Number 4:  God does not reject you!  It has been people who have rejected God, yet He gave His only son so you can be accepted. 

    Romans 11:1-2, I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew."

    Acts 7:38-40, "He (Moses) was in the assembly in the desert, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers; and he received living words to pass on to us.  But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don't know what has happened to him!''

     

    Number 5:  People are people.  They speak without thinking.  They will offend you.  They will reject you, but remember they rejected Jesus too. 

    Luke 6:22-23, "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets."

     

    Number 6:  God will be with you wherever you go.  You aren't alone, ever.

    Joshua 1:6-9, ""Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

     

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• lavieenvogue

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  • Since: 1 year ago

• Deceitfully Wicked Deceitfully Wicked

  • From: Gabrielle
  • Description:

    Jeremiah 17 :9 -  The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked;
    Who can know it?

    As a Christian single woman the biggest issue I face is the one dealing with my heart. If there is anything I don’t understand about myself it would be my heart, the most fragile and confusing part of my being. I ask myself why? Why is it that the very essence of what I experience and return love with also the same thing that causes me such pain and joy? Why does it seek to trick and make a fool of me?

    He said he was in love with me, so my heart told me I loved him.  He spoke of us marrying and my heart told me he was the “one.” It got me filled with hope and excitement of future possibilities. Foolishly I listen allowing it to blow up the whole situation in my mind, making it larger than it really was and like a foolish girl I fell for it.

    How is it that our hearts have so much power? The heart  is our source of spiritual life. It functions at the center of our mind, will and emotions guiding the inner workings of our intentions and motivations. It is the driving force  behind our life decisions. It is the one thing that can either cause us to live or die spiritually depending on the choices we allow it to make. The heart exposes who we are. It is where true character is formed.

    Proverbs 4: 23 - Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

    Guarding my heart from sin is a difficult task, because it doesn’t want to be guarded. It is deceitfully wicked. It would rather ride the emotional roller coaster of love, experiencing the temporal pleasures of romance and fulfilling its physical desires. God created my heart to desire to love and to be loved and at times it wants that too much.

    It gets to the point where my emotions and wants override what God desires for me and I put it before anything else, even Him. My thoughts turn to questions of, when, how and why not now? My focus is turned and my heart becomes selfish, forgetting what my heart really needs and that this to be loved by God. My patience wears thin, my heart looses it’s peace and I find myself standing alone wondering what happened. How can I guard my heart when so many other things vie for its attention?

    Phillipians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
    will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

    The peace of God, it is our heart’s true guard. When we are not anxious and our hearts are focused on God,  whom we put our complete trust and satisfaction in, then comes peace. It seems so simple. Why not trust in the One who loves us? The One who sacrificed His life, whose love is so  so pure. A love that is unconditional and embraces us wholly and freely. I wonder, how could we want anything more? How could our hearts ignore and forget a love so perfect, so pure? I don’t understand the heart. I’m not sure I ever will.

    Your search for love is over,
    when you find Jesus.
    That’s when love begins,
    that’s when you are free.
    Everything you could ever want
    or need,
    all in one Man,
    Jesus

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• Missions Missions

  • From: kate
  • Description:

    I recently returned from a missions trip to the Dominican Republic and words cannot describe how amazing the experience was for me.  Maybe I've been so bogged down by the rat race in Washington, D.C. that the slow pace, intentional service, prayer, listening, sharing my faith and God's love, relationship-building with team members, etc...experienced during that week changed my perspective in a dramatic way.  It made me realize that there is SO much more to life than the type of things that I would stress out about before.  I do think that some people are called to serve in the business world, secular non-profits, etc.  But as an employee for a secular non-profit, where I don't feel comfortable sharing my faith to people in the office, the one-week mission trip felt like the most meaningful week that I have had during the past year-and-a-half of living in Washington, D.C. 

    I have always had a heart for international work, specifically health-related work.  God has blessed me with a nice, well-paid non-profit health-related job, but since that trip I've prayed more and have felt called to serve internationally in a greater capacity, in a more long-term commitment, such as one year.  It seems so wrong on so many levels.  Give up my job?  Give up warm showers?  Give up my nice mattress?  And so many other creature comforts that I have come to know and love?  I'm so blessed and it's so easy to forget.   

    If I did this one-year missions opportunity, I would be turning 30 during the course of the year, and this also makes me a little uncertain.  I'm really fine with roughin' it (I hope), 30 is just a number.  My back can take it, sleeping on cots, on the floor of mud huts, etc.  But I guess I struggle with where I would hope my life would be at that mile-marker.  But God is faithful, and I believe that He provides for our needs and listens to our heart's desires.  In my life, I've witnessed where He has given me more than what I ever could expect for myself.  So why not follow Him in the great unknown and serve whole-heartedly as a rugged missionary for His glory? 

    I'm done wrestling with myself and ready to give it to God, and see where He leads. 

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• Danger! Book Hazard Ahead Danger! Book Hazard Ahead

  • From: jamiebg
  • Description:

    I was picking up some books for an upcoming Bible study and decided to browse (no harm in shopping in God's bookstore, right? It's similar to tithing.) As I was moving around the store, I noticed this sign wedged under a book.
    
    

    My photography skills not withstanding, it was a warning. The full text read like this: "This book may contain thoughts, ideas, or content that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology. Therefore we encourage you read it with extra discernement."
    
    As the assistant manager wandered over (I'm sure I had been sighted on the security camera snapping photos of copyrighted materials) I asked him what he thought. He stated he didn't quite understand it, but he does what he's told. I asked him what other books were included and he said "Normally The Shack would have the sign, but it's on sale on the front, so we pulled its sign."

    I felt something rise up in me. I then began a calm, but higher pitched soapbox dance with Mike, the manager. I argued the sign should be on the front door, since everything in the store should be read with discernment, including the B-I-B-L-E. I claimed with passion that there should be a yellow hazard tape around the 5 shelves of Christian romantic fiction convincing God-fearing women that men like Michael Hosea from Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love exists. And don't get me started on Southern Gospel music.

    However, Lifeway has the right to sell or not sell anything they want. And I appreciate that they aren't necessarily choosing censorship, but let's apply scripture to all we read, watch, and listen.

    
    Philippians 1:9-10 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,..."

    Rant complete.

    Read more obsessive compulsive treats at jamiebg.blogspot.com.

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• 24-7 prayer 24-7 prayer

  • From: ohhelovesus
  • Description:

    I know that Ihop (International House of Prayer) has 24-7 prayer and worship going all the time!! 

    non stop for Jesus!!

    If your interested in starting one, I suggest starting small, doing a 10 hour thing, then 24 hours which is cool, when my church has done it in the past we have had people sign up for time slots and had a room set apart for individual prayer, it has a map to pray for countries, stuff to draw with, a guitar, worship cds, and lots of comfy pillows and blankets and stuff i

  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 79
  • Forum: Faith...

• (Well-Side) Lamentations (Well-Side) Lamentations

  • From: annamariehope
  • Description:

    I'm a missionary form london currently posted in california. I have found myself, through the years, as a child of missionaries, drifting from country to country, church to church. A member of a global community and yet a dweller of none.

    This year saw me turning 30 in the USA. About as far away from my sparse handful of girl-friends as I could ever be. Enter mid-life crisis of severe proportions and eatingdisorder-anxiety-depression relapses. I was heartbroken. I lamented.

    No husband in sight, no children, no 'real' friends, no hope?
    
    Much like Krista's blog entitled "Meet Me at the well", I too, have made the decision that my hope awaits me at the location of the well.

    That my relationship with Jesus must be/IS sufficient for me in this stage of my life. And that my struggles, though significant for me, are not nearly the size and capacity of others that i intercede for daily. I try hard to cultivate gratitude - I am grateful - but i also acknowledge my heart.

    You see, I love Jesus with all my heart. His sacrifice for me so I could enter into relationship with my Father is the greatest gift anyone could ever give me. It inspires me, drives me, makes me want nothing but to go throughout the world proclaiming His gospel for all to hear and see.

    And when i examine it, I truly 'want for nothing'. I have no possesions. Only myself.

    I see my life as a missionary - this delicate calling - as a beautiful letter being written from the Father to His daughters, through me. I am humbled, honored, that he would ever think to send me.

    And yet, I long....

    In the stillness of my bed at night, I look up and wonder which stars my future-husband sees when he lifts his own eyes? I whisper a prayer for him, shyly, embarrassed that i think so much of when we'll meet. I wonder how his life will mesh with mine, how we will ever meet when i travel so frequently and have nothing of substance to my name or person?

    Only Christ.

    As I lay there, contemplating, lamenting how things could/should/maybe never-would be, I realize that I am not alone. That someone else is beside me.

    His presence cannot always be seen, but it can always be felt. He doesn't compete with my thoughts for my attention. Instead, he waits patiently for me to turn my face and see. And when I am brave enough, stop long enough to open my eyes,

    He offers me a drink.

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• Not a hater. Not a hater.

  • From: livingamazed
  • Description:

     

    I am not too much to handle. You were wrong when you told me that.
    
    I'm no longer believing that lie, sir.
    
    Girls are told they are too much yet not enough...all at the same time. For far too long I have been my worst enemy and convinced myself I am too much and "just a dumb girl." And in believing that myself, I've given others permission to think that, too. The past few weeks I have begun to see myself as a woman of God, with an unending list of things to work on, but a woman of God all the same. I claim that name. I claim my life for Him. Like the David Crowder song says "You make everything glorious. What does that make me?"
    
    I am glorious. I am beautiful. I am capable. I am strong. I am worthy. I am loved.
    
    Ladies, claim yourself for Him. Don't give anyone permission to treat you as less than you deserve. We have become our own worst enemies. Why has this "girl hater" label become the new thing? Love each other. We all know how often men break our hearts and let us down. [don't be offended, fellas] We're all we've got if we aren't depending on guys. So why is it hard for us to build each other up? Little comments about girls in the gym, loud girls in class or awkward girls who like things you don't are what constantly keep us from building each other up. Stop insulting. Start encouraging. Instead of laughing at her for wearing too much make-up or wearing something she shouldn't, say a prayer for her. Pray God brings a smile on her face or that she feels encouraged in who she is.
    
    I pray as your eyes read these words you are encouraged to love. I pray God opens your eyes to girls in your path that you can love and encourage. I pray you are convicted of areas you can work on.
    
    I love you, sweet girls.
    
    Hallelujah.

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• 24/7 Prayer/Transit 24/7 Prayer/Transit

  • From: sheyduh
  • Description:

    I've been in a few things involving the program... but, I have a few close friends doing Transit currently.  I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  They LOVE it and have new stories daily about the things God is doing.  I highly reccomend it.  Wish I knew more to tell you but all I have is "Do it!"  I'll be praying. ;)

  • 1 year ago
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• Israel in the News Israel in the News

  • From: kate cremisino
  • Description:

    RELEVANT recently posted an article online entitled, "Is Israel Always Right?" Please check it out here.

    The article has great insight & thought-provoking words. The issue is this. Do we support Israel because it is Israel, even when it makes wrong choices? Some think we should give 100% backing to Israel, while saying that if you disagree with a decision it makes, you are anti-semitic.
    
    Here is the way I see it: As a parent, you love & encourage & honor your child always. But you do not always agree with their actions. You still love them & want the best for them, while teaching them to be strong, wise, moral, just. We can love Israel, but that does not mean we support all its choices. And in doing so, we are not anti-semitic. We are PRO-ISRAEL. We do not give up on them, but love them through the mistakes. Would a parent truly be OK with everything their child does and turn a blind eye? If they didn't express concern to mistakes they made, would not you think they are a bad parent???
    
    There is a vast different between anti-semitism & Godly wisdom.

    And I cannot help but remember the times in history when Israel made decisions the rest of the world did not understand, because they did not know God or understand His reasoning. I have no idea if God is directing political moves in Israel today, but I have to remember that if He is, He works in mysterious ways, seeing the big picture.

    So regardless of the motives behind recent or future conflict, let's continue to honor God's chosen people, supporting them in prayer, friendship and wise counsel.

     

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• slowing communion slowing communion

  • From: brianna millett
  • Description:

    ast night i invited my students into an evening of prayer and rest. as i prepared the teaching and asked for insight into the needs these teenagers, it was undeniably clear that what they were craving was a space for which they could come and simply be. so, that is what i offered to them. for 45 minutes we entered into quietness; personal conversations with god, different prayer exercises, and for some (this was so great to see!), a nap.
    

    
    
    prior to engaging in their own time of prayer, i spoke on the prayer life of jesus. throughout scripture we are bid to come and see, and learn from the quietness of jesus's heart.
    
    
    "at daybreak jesus went out to a solitary place."
    ~ luke 4:42
    
    
    i have often been caught up in this passage. it seems like an incredibly intimate piece of information about the communion between jesus and his father. here we are literally looking at the very way christ embraces time with god. i imagine that this priceless content is situated perfectly in the midst of jesus's exhaustion. for he withdraws himself just after the healings of many hurting people, after driving out evil spirits, and after being penetrated with temptation by the devil during his time in the wilderness. so now, he escapes to a solitary place to receive. i love this text! and this is only one of the many examples portrayed.
    
    
    further on in luke, just after jesus performs a miraculous healing (once again!) in a man who is deeply affected with leprosy, we read;
    
    
    "but jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
    ~ luke 5:16
    
    
    an intoxicating theme is beginning to form... but there is still more;
    
    
    "once when jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him..."
    ~ luke 9:18
    
    
    "he took peter, john, and james with him and went up onto a mountain to pray."
    ~ luke 9:28
    
    
    if we are introduced, over and over to the prayer life of christ, the only conclusion i can draw then is that prayer is essential. i know this is not a monumental thesis. certainly it is nothing new. but it does demand our attention. it's is similar to those passages that begin with, "you have heard it said before, but i tell you the truth." or "truly i tell you." words like these should capture our minds, binding us to study and meditate on every captivating layer of truth. to be a christian is to live like christ. and if christ withdrew himself from all the noise and distractions, so too are we to sneak away and engage in conversation with the holy three.
    
    so with wild abandonment, may we dare to envelope ourselves with the ultimate proposal;
    
    
    "come with my by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."
    ~ mark 6:31

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• invading moon invading moon

  • From: brianna millett
  • Description:

     think the night sky has been taken over by a group of theatre techies. it's as though i am watching a live performance of "midsummer night's dream" and the director has cued the rising of the moon and voile! the light of the night drops down from the heavens in all it's splendor, hanging ever so comfortably from a line of fishing wire coming from the loft above. she remains there throughout all hours of the darkness and she greets me in the morning still perfectly illuminated, i imagine that she does this just to be adored. i watch her in awe, she is extraordinarilybeautiful and the faithfulness of her gracious movements calms my soul.

    
    
    gazing upon the moon has been the common activity the past few nights for me. as i previously mentioned, it is, to me, an open door into fields of tranquility. and lately that is just what i crave. see, god has invaded the deepest desire of my heart. he is tearing into the most intimate pocket that i protectively guard as a mother hen protects her baby chicks. his presence in this place has been lingering for some 5 years now. i know the meaning of "overstaying your welcome". in recent months the company of christ has awakened certain emotions that have been (much to my appreciation) laying dormant for nearly 2 years now. this abyss of winnowing feels as uncomfortable and intrusive as a visit to the "lady" doctor for a yearly physical (or if you're like me, you dodge these check-up's and before you know it 7 years have passed since your last appointment.) nothing is hidden or protected anymore. the illumination of the holy spirit has exposed everything and it is horrifically painful, and yet i know that this search light is beaming from a safe foundation in the harbor, and it is dressed with the most ravishing of intentions.
    
    
    i am incredibly blessed to have an outlet to share these newly tilled emotions with my spiritual director, kristen. as i describe (or attempt to - the articulation of my fearful and freshly exposed feelings proves to be a vastly difficult challenge) the inner sparring bregade taking place between god and i, kristen simply listens with an open and prayerful heart. through our months of meeting together, and the countless hours i have been spending in prayer, i am beginning to see the purposes involved for the recent stirring of my quietly sleeping emotions.
    
    
    when i read of abraham taking his son as a sacrifice, hosea taking a prostitute as his wife, jesus's journey into the wilderness, or even the beloved arising to go out into the city to search for her lover, i am comforted by the bravery of people who have endured the same infiltration of christ that i am experiencing in this season of my life. the breaching that i speak of is narrowed down to one fiery reason: god is passionate about loving passionately. his every longing is to love - and to be loved. and really, is this not the truest of every human yearning? god walks with us as the north winds blow so he can be right there, penetrating our bones with  his love. and so too, he is right beside us when the flowers appear on the earth so he has direct, unhindered access to bathe in the fragrance of our worship.
    
    
    the journey's of christ's beloved are in similar fashion to that of the moon. at times throughout the year the moon's shape, size, and luminocity display different dynamics of radiance. but without fail (at the director's cue!), she will rise, and she will sleep; faithfully living her role of contrasting the evening and the day. and we are all invited to gaze at her presence and stand in devoted admiration that this too, is good.

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  • 1 year ago
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• edk

  • Views: 172
  • Since: 1 year ago

• suz

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• Fasting: How the denial of foo Fasting: How the denial of food, email/myspace/facebook, & reading can bring you closer to God

  • From: mdcasto1
  • Description:

    The second hand wasn't moving. Time has officially stopped, I thought. I want food! My stomach growled. My eyes close as I chant, "I am hungry for God. My true hunger is for Him." It had been a good 12 hours since the last morsel of solid food had hit my lips and I was determined to not stop now. Lunch was approaching and the denial of self-gratification through food was starting to drive my body crazy.
    
    I have never fasted before. To be honest I don't know much about it or how to do it. I just knew that I needed it. I woke up exerting an easy self-will at skipping breakfast and headed out the door to work. But you didn't check your email/myspace/facebook, self cried! We always check that in the mornings…and afternoons…and evenings….Why didn't we bring our book with us for break? I want my book! Self continued to wail. No, I thought firmly, we're going to do without all of those things for the next 24 hours. Self grumbled and mumbled something discouraging as I put the car in reverse and pulled out of the drive.
    
    All morning I tried so hard to keep my mind centered on God. Not an easy thing to do when you have a mind like mind—it's easily distracted and overly obsessed with its own thought patterns. Before I knew it lunch time had approached and I firmly refrained from eating; opting to read from Philippians instead. "For his [Christ] sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him….I become righteous through faith in Christ." Philippians 3:8-9 I read on as I hear the microwave ding and my sister pulls her warm food from its door. "I [Paul] have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philippians 4: 12-13 So far, so good.
    
    When I got home from work I had a slight headache developing and was really tired. I picked up Mudhouse Sabbath [by Lauren Winner] and flipped to chapter 7 on fasting. I laugh as I read about her salami sandwich break down, because I now know her pain, and ponder some key words that seemed to jump out at me about what fasting should do/bring: stillness, dependence, repentance, strength. I hear my mom say, "I'm going to the store to get something to make for supper." My stomach jumps with joy! I get up and shut the door to my room. My stomach punches its sides as I lay down to nap.
    
    When I awake the sweet smell of pizza is wafting under my door, caressing my floor, inching its way up the side of the bed, lingering over the covers, and finally swirling with delight around the edge of my nose. And then there they are—the two of them—smacking their lips and chewing on the fluffy dough slathered in tomato sauce, sprinkled with pepperoni. "Want some pizza," mom asks.
    "I'm fasting," I gulp. My knees are weak and I know I'm going to cave.
    "What!" She lays down her pizza on the plate. "If I had known you were doing that I wouldn't have made this! Why didn't you tell me? I feel horrible now."
    "I want pizza."
    "You haven't eaten all day?" She asks.
    "No. And I want to really bad right now." I stalk the kitchen and we discuss fasting. Mom starts telling me that maybe I bit off a little more than I could chew. I should have started with just giving up one meal instead of food in general. After about an hour long debate I did it. I took a bite—and fell completely off the wagon.
    "Try just skipping one meal a day at first," mom says to me as I wipe pizza sauce from my lips. I wrestle a few minutes with the brick of guilt that has landed in my lap as I contemplate her suggestion. God hates me, I think. I couldn't even make it 24 hours. As I'm wading in my own pool of self-pity and regret I feel the urge to preserver.
    "Okay. One meal a day," I resign in agreement.
    
    You know how sometimes you just forget to eat? I mean, like, you just were so busy that you didn't have time to grab something so you just skipped a meal? Ever notice how you aren't really aware in those moments of the hunger that is ragging inside your body? Well that doesn't happen with fasting. In fact the opposite happens. You suddenly develop super powers of smell and taste. It was on day 3, when Nicole and I were on our way home from Target, that I knew my fasting was soon coming to an end. "Do you smell that," I ask. "Someone's have a cookout." My super senses kicked in and I could see delicious hamburgers and hotdogs dancing outside my window with bottles of ketchup and mustard.
    "That's not a cookout. Someone's burning wood over there."
    "What? Well I smell hamburgers, hotdogs, BBQ…." I start to laugh as I inhale the smoke. "I'm so hungry that I could eat burning, charcoaled, wood!" My stomach groans in agreement.
    
    That night I wrestled for hours upon hours about whether I was done—how do you know when you're done? I had never wanted to eat so badly in my entire life! Physically my body was aching with hunger. Please feed me! It was yelling. I go to prayer and ask God to forgive me because I am going to stop fasting—I'm going to eat. My stomach roars with excitement as I enter the kitchen. I slowly pull out the bread, lunch meat, cheese, mustard and create a sandwich. I sit at the table and stare at it. Food. Sustenance. Hunger. Desire. Pleasure. How I feel about this sandwich is how I should be feeling about God. I sit in silence a few more minutes just staring at it. Finally I give in and devour it—every taste bud popping in ecstasy as I bite and bite. Thank you, God. Thank you! My mind echoed. Thank you!
    
    It might seem a little crazy to have had these feelings since I was technically only skipping one meal a day and it only lasted for 3 days, but there is something that happens to your body and mind when you are physically electing to not partake in a natural human activity. The will you are exercising to NOT be in any way involved in that activity at that present time only makes the experience 100 times more real—more difficult to resist. I didn't really know what I was searching for in the fast. I knew I wanted to hear God speak to me, and I was expecting it to be some grand experience—like the sky cracking open and a booming voice shouting at me some profound bit of knowledge that would cause my life to do a 360 and everything that is wrong would suddenly be made right. Funny how God never speaks like that, huh?
    
    For the first 24 hours of my fast I did manage to stay away from the internet and my books. I was surprised at how difficult that was for me too. It was like having a nervous tick all day long—all I could think about (besides food) was that I was probably missing so many messages! So when the 24 hours were up, and I rushed to the computer to check myspace/facebook/hotmail, I was expecting a flood of missed communications and important news to explode on the screen.
    
    I had one message and 6 spam emails.
    
    As I shook my head in embarrassment of how pathetic I was, I had a revelation—why am I so determined to put these things before God? Why do I feel the need—no, the desire—to put these habits first before my time with God? I long to check these websites. I spend my spare time on the internet or with my nose in a book. And these things are not inherently bad. They are good things God has given, but I have abused them. I have made idols of them. I have opted to spend time with them instead of my creator. I should be your priority, not these things. I hear Him whisper. Conviction sets in and I feel the need to repent.
    
    Fasting was difficult for me. I struggled with obedience and self-denial. I battled my desires and fell down a few times. But through all of that I felt what it means to be alive—to be dependent on God and discover a reliance of strength through that. I heard God speak. I had a weak area in my life that I was blind to revealed. My body, although twisting with displeasure from the withholding of food, would reach these peaks of rest—a rest that was cemented in my determination to sacrifice its carnal nature for communication with its creator; a fast.
    
    "I sought the Lord and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." Psalms 34:4

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