My Faith is a Journey

Asleep in the Light- Kieth Green.

This song is old-school and has a cheezy video, but just watch it. I bet you a dollar you’ll be convicted.

I’m watching it right now and have mixed feelings.

The men we marry, if true men of Christ, shall think this way.

(Source: johnnyis, via be-not-afraid)

Please everyone pray for the Christian club at my school. It’s called FCA. I’m really excited for what God is doing and need the power of prayer from fellow believers! New people are asking so many good questions and I just want each of us leaders to be nothing but a catalyst for what the Holy Spirit wants to share. Pray for us that we may be bold and radical examples of Christ. Thank you guys.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11:25-30

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest …”
Matthew 11:29

The yoke Jesus refers to in this Scripture reading has a lot to teach us about how the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of gentleness within us.

A yoke was a heavy wooden bar that a farmer would place across the necks of two oxen so that they were forced to work together. The purpose was not just to get twice as much work done; more than anything, the yoke was a training device.

When an ox reached the point when it could begin plowing, a farmer would team it up with an older, more experienced animal. In this way the younger, more stubborn ox would be forced to walk in step with the stronger animal who led the way.

This is not a very flattering description of a disciple. But it is a wonderful picture of our Lord. The sinless Son of God wants to be yoked with rebellious people so that they can learn from him.

Jesus doesn’t force his yoke on us; he humbly offers it.

Have you taken it? If you have, you know how easy a burden it really is.

We don’t need to worry about producing the fruit of gentleness ourselves. All we need to do is keep in step with the Savior. And his gentleness will soon become ours.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there is so much I need to learn from you. Help me to walk beside you, to listen to your teaching, and to enjoy the rest that only you can give. Amen.

*This was taken from the Today iPhone app :)

gentilenextdoor:

Audio: I’ve Got This Friend - The Civil Wars

“I don’t care whoever it is you marry so long as he has a solid character because he has God in his life.” - my mom

Actually, my mom said that in Tagalog (hahaha). Anyway, we had this conversation a couple of weeks ago. We were in the car and I told her, “Ma, I think there’s a possibility that God wants me to stay single for life. You know, like Paul.” She replied, ”You’re getting ahead of yourself. And God. Personally, I think you’ll end up getting married someday.”

Then I asked her if I should look for someone like my dad and a bunch of other stuff concerning marriage. I asked her how she met my dad, what it’s like when they got married and how they are now. I remember asking her that because I have overcome the stage of creating a laundry list of romantic expectations that I so diligently pursued in high school. It was so exhausting because a) I didn’t set the bar high and b) my heart was fixed on temporary emotional high and not on delighting in God’s love. It got exhausting because there is only one person out there that God has foreknew and predestined for me to be with and yet I always took matters into my own hands, orchestrating things instead of letting God work. (If you’re wondering, yes, I believe in predestination of the saints…but that’s a different topic worthy of a different post. hehe)

Time and again, I am reminded by God. ‘OK daughter, you’ve had a rough experience in the romance department. Let me take care of that. For the meantime, I need to deal with you for your own good.’

Instead of looking for the right person, God is in the business of making me the right person.

This is both a reminder to myself and hopefully a source of wisdom for others as well. Let’s not even begin with guarding the heart (though this is the essence of my post); let us begin with what Paul considers “of first importance”:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:3)

We have to begin with knowing who God is and making Him known to the ends of the earth. We have to let God work in us as He works through us. Once our identities are set in Christ, only then will we be able to shield our heart from the treacheries of our emotions…

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

…and worship God from the inside.

Then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways ( for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind) (1 Kings 8:39)

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)

Having our identities set in Christ will also impact the way we relate to our family, friends, to everybody else. If God is number one, all of our relationships will be ten times better (understatement). What we have in mind will be nothing compared to what He has in store (1 Cor 2:9) not just with marriage but on the entirety of our walk with Him.

It’s hard to resist not telling that someone that they’re so wonderful (and on the inside, your heart is screaming I Think I Wanna Marry You). A pastor/one of the people I look up to recently told me that I have to think in lifetime terms. It’s precisely the difficulty of being vulnerable plus the element of commitment that we should have a firm grasp on the importance of having a relationship with Jesus,first and foremost (that was one long sentence :P).

Basing from conversations with my mom and with married people I know, you can’t “un-feel” so the wisest thing to do would be to let things run its course, pray ceaselessly, HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY (your pastor for example or even a parent). Get right with God and let Him give you life to the full (John 10:10) so we won’t find our worth in the people around us. And as we run the race marked for us, someone with the same priorities will come along. In my case, he may not look like Mark Hamill in the 70s (Luke Skywalker) but I believe the radiance of Christ in his life will be the attribute I will fall for :)

Father, until you bring that one person and I together, teach the both of us Your ways and help us guard our hearts. Guide us into all truth through Your Holy Spirit and keep our minds alert. Let us be so sensitive to Your voice. Help us live in a manner worthy of Your gospel. Remind us that there is much to do for Your kingdom. We repent, Lord, in the name of Jesus for placing people above You and for forgetting our first love. Increase our faith and love. This I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

I feel like this was written for me.

We talked about it at church today. Haha sorry, I just wanted to make that the title.

But really- it was a really good sermon. The way God made man and woman bond together is beautiful.

Check out Genesis 2:18-25. God made woman out of the rib of a man. And when you really think about it- the reasons for doing so are beautiful:

1.) The rib is on the side. Woman wasn’t taken out of the brain, or the foot. Men and women are meant to think differently, and one is not one over the other. I think this is why woman was taken out of the side; they are meant to walk in unison, not with one a step ahead. And think about when a man puts his arm around his woman- they are joined, side-by-side right where woman was taken out. 

2.) The rib protects the heart. I like what my pastor said today about the gatekeeper and nurturer roles in a relationship. The woman is the nurturer, she is the more sensitive one who bonds the relationship. The man is the gatekeeper, who makes sure that the relationship is protected and secure. Not any one role is better than the other, they are just different. And even though men and women do posses the opposite role, each are naturally dominant in gatekeeper or nurturing, which creates a perfect balance between the two.

They were also naked and felt no shame. But think about it- not only naked in the physical sense, but naked emotionally and spiritually. They were one flesh, and because there was no sin, they were shameless in God’s eyes.

Comparing the relationship between man and woman is also a metaphor for the relationship between Jesus and the church. Ah, I just love getting into this one, because it all fits an amazing pattern throughout the Bible. Look at Ephesians 5:21-33:

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gentilenextdoor:

Enough with the garbage that I’ve been feeding myself.

Enough with the pursuit of temporal happiness.

Enough with needless worries.

Enough with the Self.

Enough with fear.

gentlybroken:

Wheaton, the Christian college im seriously considering 

Wow

(via gentlybroken-deactivated2011100)

(Source: be-not-afraid)

gentlybroken:

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

(via gentlybroken-deactivated2011100)

I told a few white lies. I know, that’s not good. I was asked so many questions, and I wasn’t expecting all of that. I wasn’t expecting anything to be honest… I was just planning to be myself and to see what happens. Ahhhhh, I don’t know. I feel embarrassed right now even though the interview is over. The job position to be a server at a Christian retirement home. The environment is really awesome, but the guy pointed out a lot of challenges about the job that I hadn’t thought of before… Well, for 1) the people are old, a lot hard of hearing, some have had strokes, and cannot talk well; and for 2) a lot of people are going to have allergies, special diets etc.- I cannot mess up an order. I like old people, and I like the idea of caring for them, but I’m scared of messing up.

I’m just really anxious… They said if I’m still interested in the position they’re going to call me back for a second interview to be evaluated by the head chef and supervisor. I had no idea it was going to be like this.

Getting my job at Albertsons was a piece of cake. I came in, called a few times, bugged em a little bit, met the boss (not even the supervisor before my hire date), and got the job- no interview or nothing.

Another thing about this job is that I’m going to need to be flexible with Sundays. I put on my application that I’m not available Sundays, but I guess it’s mandatory. I like Sundays off… And not only that, it’s the Sabbath, a day to go to church and spend time with family. I know Jesus said that there is nothing wrong with doing good on the Sabbath, so I just need to pray about this. And also need to prepare for my second interview if they call me back…

So much has been happening lately! And on top of this, my friend asked me if I want to be the new leader for the Christian club at school. But that’s a whole nother post…

So I have been thinking about how we Christians get offended when people mock our faith, and have come to the conclusion that those feelings are a result of pride. 

Think about it- Is the only reason we are upset because we feel they are insulting our intelligence? Do we only want to study apologetics to feelsecure in ourselves, that we do not fall into that silly “blind faith” category?

If the reason we are upset is only because we feel personally humiliated, then that should say something about our relationship with God.

I believe the appropriate response to mockery is shame that we have failed as the body of Christ. We should 1.) feel mortified that we as Christians are not being good defenders of our King, and 2.) allow that shame turn into determination to get educated!

This is our God, Holy and beautiful and majestic and lovely: The Creator of the Heavens and the earth. We need to equip ourselves as little info boxes for all of the atheists that come our way. 

Now, it is true that God made some people naturally more intelligent than others. But just because I am not any smarter than the next guy does not mean I am not going to use every ounce of my brainpower possible. 

As long as whenever I come across an atheist rant about the stupidity of Christianity, I make sure I do not turn what their saying into something personal about my small existence… Then I will be more able to keep my focus on God, and do all of my research and learning solely for HIM.

It is also good to note how sad it is that some atheists feel the need to be rude. But the softening of their hearts is another thing to be prayed about.

Today… Feels bad.

Some days I wake up and the entire day feels hopeless. Sometimes it feels as if my very existence gives me this feeling. I wake up, and I worry. The worry feels like it’s never going to stop. Absolutely nothing sounds appealing- sitting, standing, laying down, reading a book, reading my Bible, taking a walk, doing nothing… So I write. I guess it’s the last thing I have after prayer that I hope will release some of this anxiety. Life as a whole is completely overwhelming to me. When thinking about a year ahead of me I’m on the verge of a panic attack (not literally), but I honestly feel like I can’t handle it. And this feeling is worsened when I feel like I can’t even handle the day. Because usually I’ll think to myself- “well isn’t it a wonderful thing that God gives us one day at a time, making up our entire life in one 24 hour period?” Okay, well I don’t think as proper as that, but you get the idea.

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So I work at Albertsons. Sounds easy enough I suppose, but recently I’ve transferred locations and now it is so much different.

Here, I will paint a picture:

• There is trash everywhere, especially in the cart corrals.
• The parking lot is all lumpy and there are pot holes all over.
• I see at least 4 homeless people a day. Either loitering around, picking through the garbage, or passing by.
• I’d say about 96% of our customers are Mexican or Black
• Obese families are a common sight
• There are obviously a lot of drug addicts, you can just tell by their withered faces.
• The air just feels bad. There are heavy exhaust fumes outside all day

Now as for myself- I’m a young girl. Thin and whatnot. I’m Hispanic and white, and to be honest… I’m not very comfortable with my new environment. I don’t like getting looks by guys in the parking lot; or seeing homeless people pop pills in front of my store. It scares me.

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