A Very Lucky Girl

"From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2.  We started a new thing in our Junior Girls CRU bibly study on Monday nights. We memorize someone's favorite verse every week. Last week was Erin's. Another translation changes it to "as my heart is overwhelmed," a truly accurate phrase for what I've felt lately. I am an unapologetic Christian cynic. I know the right answers, I've been taught them since I could talk.  But the right answers seem so trite to me when I hurt. They make me mad. It's not that easy. "All things work out how God wants them to." Cool. Good for Him. But they aren't working out how I want them.  "Well, you're supposed to want God's will." But isn't He also supposed to do what is best for me? How is constant pain good for me? "Trials make you better." I've had my fair share, thanks.  The rig...

On the last Sunday of 2012, Life Church recruited a guest speaker to come and speak to our heathen souls about leadership. Whaaaaaa? Right? Leadership isn't exactly a cookie cutter, Sunday School, bible-beating topic. But excellent leadership is scarce, so it actually makes perfect sense to instill leadership wisdom into Christians. Because, NEWSFLASH, believing in Jesus doesn't automatically make you someone worth following (even on Twitter). You need common, worldly sense, coupled with spiritual maturity, to effectively influence people.  The guest speaker also refreshed my memory on the ACTS acronym (a useful guideline when you are lost about how to pray). But during said speaker's heartfelt advice about prayer, my mind started to wander. The ACTS acronym is honestly great for any tricky conversation. A is for Adoration. Suck up. "You've been looking so great recently! Have you been working out? I love that color on you!" C is for confession. Humbl...

Life Church has been doing a series on money management for the past 4 weeks. Certainly not a bad thing for a college student like myself to learn more about. Paul and Shari did a wonderful job of instilling the value of saving in me at a young age. From the time I began to receive an allowance (a monthly stipend of my age at the time didn't really go that far...), they required that 10% be placed in the offering plate on Sunday and 20% went to my savings account. That left 70% for me to do with what I pleased.  I'm still a great saver. I've saved up enough so that I won't be stressed out when I have an insurance bill for my car and the financial pull of a gas tank next year. I'm comfortable. But I fell off the tithing bandwagon probably a year ago. I owe God a lot, not just in the way of money, but also in the way of abilities and talents.  Craig Groeschel's comments about the importance of tithing and what I've been reading in Steven Furtick's ...

Flipping through my Bible the other night, I came across something I wrote a while ago, actually dated from April 2009.  I don't care what you think of me don't care if you can't see the change I'm trying to be. But I have to say it'd be  nice if you thought of me. If you'd cease to be  someone that I can't wait to  leave. Change is difficult, surrounding or within though you may not know  that because here you've always been. But maybe, just maybe, you should think of others once. Give out perhaps an ounce of trust. But on the other hand who needs you, unless you change too. Lots of emotion packed into those lines. Let me fill in some background. The year 2008-2009 was rough for me, though that doesn't excuse any of my poor decisions. Paul announced in August 2008 that we would inevitably be moving away from Beaumont the following summer, just prior to my senior year of high school. I vowed to make my remain...

So, as most of you know, I've been nannying for an 8 and 10 year old all summer. I ferry them all across town, from Frontier City to White Water Bay to Walmart for crafting supplies. So we spend some time in the car. And I am not one to drive in silence. I didn't want to expose them to 102.7 or 104.9 (the pop stations) or even 93.3 (the resident country station) so I've kept the radio tuned to 88.9 (KLOVE). I don't regret that decision for a single second. Not only does it keep them from learning songs like Usher's Scream , a song that I caught the neighbor boy singing in the house a few weeks ago that idolizes casual sex (in a really catchy upbeat way), but I could only hope that KLOVE has made an impression. And then something awesome happened a few weeks ago. We were driving home from a Walmart excursion and "Our God's Alive" by Andy Cherry was playing (one of my all-time favorites). I thought I heard someone talking in the backseat and held my br...

I've attended LifeChurch the past two Sundays (with a really cool guy, might I add--I'm a definite fan) and loved every minute of it. I've had an up and down relationship with the institution of church throughout my life, especially recently. It was never an option when I was growing up (still isn't when I'm at home) and for that reason my natural obstinacy would kick in. If you're going to make me do something I automatically lose all motivation...not the best character trait I have. A lot of churchgoers I have interacted with have turned out to be some of the most judgemental people (myself included). And that is why I have problems with a message like the one I heard this most recent Sunday. The basic idea was that we are tortured beings. We are tortured by our past mistakes and by the lies that perpetuate their existence that we believe. To be free from the burden of a tortured soul we confess to God (1 John 1:9) and (this is where I waver in my agreement)...

Fair warning: this post could tip a bit to the overly religious side, so stop reading now if you aren't interested. But now I probably made you curious right? Human nature is awesome like that. During my Sunday School years of choir practice and the infamous Bible Buddies, I belted out the song: "Oh be careful little eyes what you see Oh be careful little eyes what you see For the Father up above, He is looking down in love So, be careful little eyes what you see" The song continues throughout four more verses, espousing the virtues of being careful about what you hear, do, go, and say. Recently, I've been overthinking that 3rd and 4th line. I don't doubt that God is looking down in love, but I doubt that's the sole reason to be cautious with my senses. People are people-watchers at heart. I'm the first to admit to hypocrisy. It's not for lack of effort, but it's always easier to walk on the treadmill rather than run. I've b...