Praying out LOUD

GET OUTTA YOUR MIND!

No, really. Get it out of your head and into the air. It helps!

When the timing is appropriate and you're not distracting others from a time of sincere worship, yes, get it out. Say it out loud. Hear what you're saying. Audibly professing your faith to God does wonders for your own faith as well as having the potential to help others. It shows God you're not ashamed of who He is. It's affirming to get it out in the open. Yes, I believe, and I will shout it from the mountaintops!

Jesus goes on to encourage us to pray in the privacy of our rooms so our out-loud prayer doesn't become a verbal show. Praying out loud can be helpful because it keeps you from getting lost in your head. It makes your thoughts concrete. But it is more than technique; it is also a statement of faith. You are audibly declaring your belief in a God who is alive.
-A Praying Life by Paul Miller

This is a piece of advice that I've picked up over the last few months or so. At first, it came as a complete shock to me. Who would dare to look so silly, as if talking to themselves on a run or in the drivethrough?! So, I started out in the shower. I've graduated to my room, my car, and even at church during pre-service prayer.

The thing for me about praying out loud is that is makes God real for me. It makes Him feel like less of an untouchable entity in the sky and more of a friend. Someone I can talk to - literally. And that's great, because He is a living God, who yearns to have a relationship with me. He wants to offer me Himself, because He knows He is the one truth I can hold onto in this world.

So even if you're alone in your room, on a walk around the neighborhood, or in your car on the way to work --- let it out. It is not only beneficial to demand sentences from the mush that is your brain but it also is a statement of faith. God will hear your messy jumble of a prayer, and He will listen. He will help you. He will never forsake us. He promised us that in Deuteronomy (3:16) and again in Hebrews (13:5). Believe in those words. Be bold, and pray out loud!

oldie but a goodie

Scrolling through tumblr and I came across this! This ties in awesome with a post I wrote awhile back. Missed it? Take a read!

http://terrinboozikee.blogspot.com/2014/05/joy.html

A Fresh Start

As summer begins to landslide into the business of August and school and sports, I find myself in a place of transition. Now, I've been through a year of college, you would think the transition "feeling" would be over by now, but I'm transferring colleges. The switch has added a decent amount of stress to my summer and has challenged me to delegate my time well (in addition to my full time job and waitressing hours). But I am at peace. And I am SO EXCITED for this new beginning for me.

I'm getting a redo. A restart. No, I am not going to go on about the parallels with God's grace that I see in this beautiful change. But - do you see it?? J-E-S-U-S!

I have set 3 goals for myself this school year that stem out of a year of experience, wanting to succeed in a new place, and making sure I don't take the move for granted.

1) Be passionate.

2) Be intentional.

3) Be yourself.

Not by any means do I believe these three goals are the "key to success" but those are the kinds of things that I want to be able to truly describe myself with. I think these are healthy goals with healthy intentions. Let me break it down.

Be passionate. God has called us to abandon living "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:16) and to live with vigor and intensity for His name's sake. He doesn't want us to be so-so about Him. He wants us to be cRaZy about Him! So much so that others would see that and be intrigued as to what (more like who) is causing us to live in such a way. For me, this resonates in my faith walk, my sports career, my relationships with people, and my job.

Be intentional. This is a big one for me! My transfer relied heavily upon the desire to pursue Jesus in the classroom as a student and someday as a teacher. I want to study Him just as much (or more!) as I study science or math or English. So I need to be active about the goal of being intentional. Here this applies to my religion classes, my relationships with other students/professors/coaches/anyone, chapel time, and service hours as a leader at a youth group. All of these things are places and experiences in which I have the potential to grow and to know Jesus more. But I can't just go through the motions. I need to be intentional about whatever I'm doing, whenever I'm doing it.

Be yourself. This is something I have learned to do in the past year. Going to a college that was filled with high school outcasts really taught me to embrace my weird and be totally okay with it. I like who I am. I don't want to hide the real me anymore, because I DO have something to offer. There is freedom in being who you really are. I grew up in a church that only accepted the cookie-cutter version of a clean Christian and any step outside that boundary made you looked down upon. Luckily, I was able to break free from those restraints, find my identity in Christ, and move forward. If you're going through something similar... like your parents don't approve of the ways you express yourself, you feel alone in the ways you like to spend your free time, or you just don't feel like you "fit in" -- hold on! There's hope for you.

My challenge for you? Set one, three, or seven (attainable) goals for yourself this school year. Once you reach one, treat yourself! Be the YOU that you were created to be. (Psalm 139:13)

Predestined Purpose or Hindsight Perspective?

"When the Lord allows a wicked man to suffer, he sometimes lets a Godly man experience the same trial - so that he can show how to overcome in God's love."

Boy - does this sound good to me! This quote gives me purpose for my pain. It gives me something to hold onto, when it feels like all sense is lost. But - is it Biblical?

Certainly, the concept is great. I'm not sure a yes or no answer matters all that very much. But here is something to consider...

You're not alone. Someone else is going through what you're going through. You're not alone! Sing it to your soul. Say it over and over and over again. Write it on your hand. Paint it. Post it. Pray over it. You are not alone.

I have been questioning for a while now - Does God let things happen to us or does He plan for them to happen? Does He merely allow bad circumstances to happen (I know He is strong enough to stop it!) or does he intentionally set roadblocks in our paths to lead us to Him? Is there a predestined purpose or is it all a hindsight perspective that we construe in our minds to make all the suffering worth it?

Hebrews says He is the author and perfecter of our faith. That means God is writing my story and it is supposed to be this way, it is perfect. In Job 14, "Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble." Later, "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." Everything is set. But this is also a sinful world we live in. I just can't come to terms with why things happen. They just do. Life gets really, really, really hard. But continually, God calls us to his mercy. They are new for us every morning.

“Fear not, I have redeemed you. I called your name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

So, for me. This statement has a lot of truth in it. God put me through what I went through, because He wanted to lead me to a perfect love and satisfaction --- Himself. And ya know what? That eases the pain, believe it or not. God's grace is covering it. He's got the whole world in His hands. He's got me. And now that I have overcome in God's love, I can lead by example and show others that the way to get through this life is with God's love. A love that cannot be matched. A love that is burning with passion. A love that is strong enough to save. That love is for you.

Sweet Nikita

This precious little girl's name is Nikita.

She just turned 9!

Her letters absolutely make my day.

She loves playing hide and seek.

Her favorite color is red.

She lives with her grandmother. 

She loves to sing and dance!

My best friend from high school (Liz) and I sponsor her together and will continue to do so until she is 18. We were at a TAN concert together back in 2011 when God moved our hearts, and we decided to take a step of faith and help someone who couldn't repay us. Nikita lives in India, where there is a high risk for girls to be sold into sexual slavery. Putting myself in her shoes, I am heartbroken. I can't even imagine the circumstances she lives in. When we returned to school the next day and were telling our friends, the majority gave us weird looks or rolled their eyes. They didn't understand. Why would we "waste" our money on someone else? 

Here's why:

Jesus was consistently speaking up for those who didn't have a voice. He was giving to the least of these. He was not seeking to be seen but to see those who needed help. "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost." (Luke 19:10) Jesus looked at people with compassion and love. I merely seek to follow His perfect example. 

Galatians 5:13
"For you were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another…”

I love Nikita so much. I plan to meet her one day. I hope that things will fall in place so I am able to do just that. Until then, I pray for her safety and well-being but also that she comes to the saving knowledge of her Lord Jesus Christ. 

If interested in your own sponsor child, visit:

http://www.compassion.com/

Hey.

If you're growing tired of reading my blog, read this one! It's written by Mike Donehey (the lead singer of Tenth Avenue North - my favoritest band of all time) and he is just a pretty cool guy. His heart for God and desire to point people towards the grace of Jesus and his compassion and his talent all inspire me!

Czech it out:

http://mikedonehey.tumblr.com/

*** OR ***

Read the blog written by two of the wives of two of the band members of Tenth Ave.

This blog is raw and honest and beautiful. It's for all the ladies! There's an in-depth study of Proverbs 31 that I really enjoyed, as well as a bunch of other posts along the way. These women do a really great job of keeping it real. They throw in a video blog every now and again, too!

Czech it!

http://agirlikeme.com/