Crazy Love!

Recently, I have been reading through Song of Solomon on a recommendation from a friend. Let me tell you what...there is some sweet stuff in there. Now I realize this book  is Solomon writing about marriage and how this relationship should be between a man and woman; however, I think it also accurately describes God's love for His bride, the church.

So here's what I've come up with so far...

I've actually only read about half of the first chapter and it just blows my mind!

Know that God loves you, and He is crazy about you! He wants you to find a quiet place where you can be alone with Him and fellowship. He loves you immensely. Though you are dark, you are also lovely(Song of Solomon 1:5), because He created you! 

He wants you to know you are wanted.

"Love doesn't just look for outward physical beauty. It looks for the inner qualities that never fade with time - spiritual commitment, integrity, compassion, and sincerity.  Therefore, such love cannot be regarded in such a casual manner."

~Bare Bones Bible Handbook for Teens

I think this is so, so true. God loves you no matter what, and He is looking to the inside of you. He knows the depths of your heart, yet He loves you the same. He will do anything for you including dying so that you might spend eternity with Him! I can't take this marvelous love casually. It is something greater than any greatness I can know!

"Take me away with you - let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers." 

-Song of Solomon 1:4

This verse can be a prayer to God! I want to go away with Him to a secret, beautiful, and safe place so I can get to know Him better. Just like a husband or wife, you must spend time together to get to know each other well.

Now, I would say God has a bit of an upper hand on getting to know us, because He made us. He knows even the number of hairs on our head, so I'm thinking I'm going to be the one doing most of the "getting to knowing." That's alright with me. God wants and loves to spend time with me, because he is crazy about me!

The lyrics of "Take My Chances" by Ben Fraser talk about the greatness of God's love.

Here are the lyrics - If you have time, you should check out the link below for the song.

Take My Chances

Ben Fraser

Every time I put my hope in your love

I find out that your love's faithful 

that's for sure

It has yet to fail me

Your love is burden bearing

Your love is so caring

And in this love I'm daring

to believe!

I'll take my chances on your love

It's never failed me

I'll take my chances on your love

It's never failed me

Is this love all that I need

Some times I find it hard to believe

All I have to give is what 

This love has given me

Your love is apprehending

Your love so comforting

And in this love I'm dwelling

to the end!

I'll take my chances on your love

It's never failed me

I'll take my chances on your love

It's never failed me

And after all this love has given me

How could I ever let it go

It's given me eternal reality and

It has saved my soul

You have saved, saved, saved my soul.

Will you take a chance on God's love?

No One Said This Was Going to Be Easy

Oh, man. I don't know how many times I have heard from fellow believers the statement, "no one said this was going to be easy." It's getting a little crazy. It would be interesting to know how many people actually believe that statement wholeheartedly.

I know I say I believe it, but I'm actually hoping it isn't true. Isn't that how we want life to be...easy. We don't really want to work hard for anything we get; however, the harder we work for something, the more we appreciate the end product. Right? I know that's the case for me.

Listen to what God has to say about trials...

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

--James 1:12

This is such a good reminder! Trials seem to bring the best rewards, because in those trials we must hold tightly to the Lord! The safest place to be is in His arms.

Sometimes I get stuck on the rewards that come in this world even though I know they will pass away all too soon. I have to constantly remind myself that the heavenly reward is much greater than anything here and now! This heavenly reward if LIFE! We get life through Jesus Christ...how awesome.

It is way to easy just to talk about this and not take action. I am pretty good at talking sometimes and not taking action...I am working on that. The other day I ran across this verse, and it was precisely what I needed to read.

Something beautiful...

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

--Psalm 37:7




So often when I am willing to simply be still and bask in His presence, He blesses me greatly. Usually, He is reminding me of His great love, and how he wants me to take comfort in that beautiful love, that love that never fails and never gives up! It is so good...even just thinking about it....







I encourage and challenge you to take some time just to sit in the presence of the Lord.


Trust me, you won't regret it.
















Wait on God.





He is waiting for you to simply come.











Check out this song "Draw Near" Bethel Loft Sessions

















http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7KRYM8TNLc

North to Alaska

ALASKA! 

GOD DOES PROVIDE!

It's so crazy that I was so blessed to go to Alaska this summer. It was absolutely amazing! And to think it started by just taking one small step of faith. God is so GOOD! I guess looking back in retrospect, I never really thought I wouldn't be able to go. I knew if God wanted me there, He would make a way.

He didn't just throw me off a cliff either. He was right there the whole time! From day one. It is amazing how many times I start to think that I am alone in this world. I continually have to remind myself that the Holy Spirit is always right here with me! Discipline. It takes a lot.

I just really felt like God was calling me to go to Alaska in October 2011. I was walking to a J.H. Youth group with some college friends, and one of them who was from Alaska started telling us about this Bible camp he had been to up on the Yukon. He said it was fly-in only, with a cliff right by the edge of the camp. As he kept describing the camp, I was reminded of a dream I had a few years ago. I immediately asked if the cliff had a rope swing, because that is what I had seen in the dream. He said no, but I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the night. I didn't really know what to do about it. Honestly, I kind of thought it was too good to be true. I have always wanted to go, but didn't necessarily have a reason to go.

I prayed and asked questions trying to figure out what to do next. I really wanted to go, but just didn't know how I could do it. I didn't exactly know when the camp was, so I asked around until I got the info. I just was going to the high school camp, because I really enjoy helping out with that age group. When I got in contact with the youth pastor, through a friend, he was wondering if I would like to help with the junior high camp too. I didn't know what to do. I told my friend I would pray about it, because I didn't know if I really wanted to help with junior high or not. People were telling me just to hold out before buying the tickets, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I looked around online to see what prices looked like. When I looked for a second time, I checked the price calendar. It turned out that plane tickets were about $100 cheaper if I went to the J.H. camp too, so I figured God wanted me there too. In March 2012, I ended up buying plane tickets for Anchorage, AK!

So now I was ready to go....I just had to wait for June 21! That was probably one of the longest waits of my life, but it was totally worth it.

While I was in Alaska, I got to meet some great people. Not only did I meet people from Alaska, I also met people from California and Oregon. It was absolutely amazing. When I got to the great state, I only knew 2 people. By the time I left, wow, I'll bet I knew the names of more than 100!

I would love to write every detail, but that would probably take me years. Plus, I don't remember everything that happened.

I got to stay in Anchorage for a couple of days before starting my journey to Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. The weather was absolutely beautiful! I was told by many people that this was the best weather they had had in a while. What a blessing...to be able to see Alaska in the sunshine. I was talking to my sister about some of the things I had seen since I got to Alaska. I told her about all the trees and mountains...she quickly made a joke about that. She said, "That was probably fun for you, since you don't even know what trees are!" This definitely made me laugh, because there are not very many trees where I live.

I was up early Monday morning to catch a ride to the air strip where we would be flying to the camp. I rode in  a car for several hours to the small town where I would hop into a bush plane and be on my way. As we drove north, I got to see a lot of beautiful country. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Denali because of the clouds...next time! (I sure hope I get to go again) We got to the air strip and waited for all the little planes to pick us up for the short flight to the camp. I'll tell you what, I was nervous to ride in that little plane. I had no idea what to expect. I got into the plane, got my headset on, buckle up, and I was ready to go...well maybe I wasn't really ready, but I didn't have a choice! It was happening.

The pilot taxied out, and before I knew it we were in the air! Woo! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was actually pretty fun. After that plane ride, I would choose a bush plane ride over a commercial jet ANY day! Flying over Alaska was amazing to say the least....trees, mountains, rivers, streams, lakes...you name it! Beautiful.

As we got closer to the camp, I could see the Yukon river. We flew in right over the river and landed on a grass/dirt runway. It was surprisingly smooth. After we landed, we were greeted by a small black bear scampering across the runway. Welcome to rural Alaska!

I had no idea what to expect about the camp. I didn't know anyone...well, I knew a few names, but that was about it. As soon as we started staff training, I felt totally welcome. People were super friendly. I guess that's the point of the Body of Christ! WE are a family. Brothers and Sisters.

"The body is a unit though it is made up of may parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." -1 Corinthians 12:12 

It was good. That was a real blessing, because I had no idea what I was going to do when I didn't know a single person there. God was totally working in that.

The next 2 weeks brought new nicknames, realization of things in my own faith, friendships, and much more! As the speakers taught from the Word, I found myself re-examining my own faith and how I live. It got me thinking about how I can die daily and let Christ live through me...mind blown! There was so much going on! God challenged my about my trust for Him. Would I leave everything I know for Jesus? Do I seek to know Jesus more everyday just like a friend? I started to understand a little bit more about this wonderful Grace that God gives. Salvation is free! I can't do anything to earn it. Wow! It was a crazy time up there.

Originally I was only planning on staying for 2 weeks, but God just put it on my heart to stay for another week. So I did. It was completely worth it. This allowed me to seek God whole-heartedly myself. I was able to pour out into others and be filled by the Father through the Word and prayer. Bam.(fist pump!) God is good!

I was encouraged and challenged during that time. I was encouraged by the kids' true search for Jesus. One girl in my cabin was totally searching to see who Jesus is. She said she wanted to make a decision to follow Christ, but she didn't know if she would be able to keep her commitment when she returned to her village. She didn't want to break that commitment. That was crazy for me to think about. It seems so often people make the decision to follow Jesus on a whim. They aren't thinking about the future of the decision. She was. It was good. It challenged me to think about the future of my previous commitment to Jesus.

I was super encouraged in the way kids were responding during cabin time. They were pumped to pray together and for each other. So good. For me, this was crazy. One evening, they wanted to have everyone pray at one time. I didn't quite know what to think of that....I don't know why I was nervous about it. As soon as everyone started praying, it was beautiful. I was reminded that God hears everyone! He doesn't exclude. The sound of all these voices lifting up our Lord and Savior was absolutely amazing! There is so much more that happened during this month long excursion, but words do not do it justice.

It was a great step of faith and a great reminder that the Lord provides for his children. WE are worth it! "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows." -Matthew 10:29-31

Final Words:

Keep seeking the Lord! He is good. He will provide...in His time and according to His plan.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

--Jeremiah 29:13



Absolutely beautiful. God is at work everywhere in this world He has created. It is good. I hope I will be able to return to this place again. It was truly a blessing.

Instantly

Have you ever asked a question, and you just couldn't wait to get the answer to the question? Maybe it was something exciting or something heartbreaking. You just wanted to know, and you wanted to know now. You didn't want the emotion inside to well up anymore. Maybe it was a simple question, so you could just type it into Google. Or maybe you knew someone that could give you advice in a new situation. I look and ask until I find the answer to the question, because it's hard for me to wait for the answer. Patience is definitely something God is working on in my life right now.

God says don't worry I will answer, so just wait. Don't become so consumed that you can't focus on anything but that question. Lift your eyes and look to me, for I WILL answer.

Whenever I have a question, I want the answer RIGHT NOW! I don't want to wait any longer than I have to wait. I just want to get it over with. I want to know what to do instantly. When I wait, I over think the situation. Things get out of control.

As I was thinking about finding the answers to questions, God reminded me of prayer. How often do I pursue prayer when I am in search of an answer? Am I focusing on God instead of the question or prayer? Whenever that thought enters my mind, do I immediately hand it over to God again?

I'm usually pretty reliant on technology on those situations, because I can call, text, or type the question in and receive an answer.

Then I started thinking about the first times I used a computer, or when I get to use a new program. It takes me a while to get used to how it works. I have to mess around and take time to learn the in's and outs of the program. Once I learn more about the program, I can't just stop using it otherwise I will forget how to use it efficiently.

God reminded me that this is similar to prayer. When we first start being intentional about prayer, it is hard to stay focused. We get confused, because I don't really know what to say. I don't know if I'm praising Him enough or asking for too much. I just want to do things right. God asked me if I was really praying and asking Him for an answer, or was I just praying because that's what people say to do. I realized I wasn't really talking to God. I was just speaking empty words, because that's what I was supposed to say. When I pray, it isn't just about talking. It's also about listening too.

Just like when you ask someone a question or type it into Google. If you just keep talking or keep searching and searching without clicking "search" and waiting, you will never get an answer. If you just keep clicking around on the page, you won't get anywhere either.

When I talk to God, I have to take time to listen too. I have to mean what I say. I need to jump into Him wholeheartedly and search for an answer. The more I have conversations with God, the more familiar I get with His voice. It becomes easier for me to hear Him speaking to me. The same goes for asking a question to someone, say what you mean. Wait for them to answer. If you are searching on the internet, you have to click "search." Don't let the advertisements distract you. Stay focused on the goal.

Stay focused on God. Don't let the things of the world distract you or keep you from asking. God made YOU! I think he cares about you....A LOT! Satan will try to distract us from God if He can't get us to completely turn away from God. Don't let him make his way into your life and keep you from talking to your Father in heaven.

God wants you to talk to Him and become familiar with Him. He knows you inside and out, and He wants you to know Him too. He wants you to be able to sit down and just have a conversation, talking and listening. Imagine yourself sitting at a table with God. You might be having coffee or eating. Whatever you like to do. He has called you His friend. What would you do with your friend? What would you talk about? God wants to be involved with your life. He is in the flow of things. If you invite Him, He will come. He doesn't care where you are going or anything. He just wants to come along.

Are you inviting God to come with you?

Just imagine if we got everything we wanted instantly. There would never be anything to work for or wait for. What kind of life would that be? I would say...pretty boring. I don't want to live a boring life. I want to live a life full of God. Even if that means I have to wait. I want to live a life so full of God that when I wait, I know He is planning something for me better than I could have ever imagined.

Will you wait for God?

May the road go as it goes; don't rush it too much.

Reflection

God is constantly pouring His love down on you and me. We cry out to Him, becasue we know we need Jesus to survive. He fillst the emptiness we feel inside. We ask Him to pour out His love on us. The thing is, He has already poured out His love! He loves you the same today as He did yesterday and teh same as He will in the future.

He NEVER stops loving you!

Now imagine our life as a lake. It is a beautiful body of water. It is filled to the brim and over flowing when you are seeking God. Now God is showing all His love all the time. We are the ones who have to be open to accepting that love. We also have to be reflection that marvelous love back to Him. If God is a mountain right next to the water's edge, can you see Him in your life lake?

When you look at the reflection in the water on a calm day, you can see the image very clearly. If the day is calm enough, the image could be almost an exact replica. However, when it is windy, you can't really see the reflection in the water. Even though you can't see the reflection, the mountain is still there. The mountain has always been there.

When we take time to spend with Jesus, we can calm the waters of our lives. That doesn't mean we are going to be walking down a flowery path, but that we can take comfort in who Jesus is in our lives. Jesus will never leave you. He is right here. He is right now! we are the ones who let the waters of life get rough. Jesus has power to calm the storms of life. We worry way too much about the things of this world.

Just like when the disciples were in the boat with Jesus crossing the lake. When the storm came, they were terrified. They were unsure of what to do. When they called to Jesus, He knew exactly what to do. He has power over the wind and the waves. When He spoke they instantly obeyed and were still. No questions asked.

Are you looking to Jesus to calm the storms of your life, or are you trying to go it alone?

Are you letting Him be the Master and Lord of EVERYTHING, or is there something you are still holding onto?

What does your life look like with Jesus?

Is it calm and seeking Him, or is your lake filled with rough waters?

How is Jesus' love reflecting in your life?

The Mountain

imagine yourself looking out a window. You see a marvelous mountain from this window. There is a extraordinary light shining at the top of the mountain. It is glorious! The light is gold; it is nearly too bright to look at it.  As you look at the mountain, you notice some bars or something on the window. They could be a little like jail cell bars, but they don't make you feel trapped. You have a feeling of freedom inside your heart.

this mountain is probably about 30 miles from you. Nearly everyday you sit and admire its beauty. Even from far away, you find new things to look at all the time. You have heard many stories of people going to the mountain. They tell you of its beauty when you get closer. They also tell you about the journey to the mountain. For some it is easy and for others difficult, but everyone says it is worth it. You hold onto every detail of these stories, because you have never been to the mountain. You could make the journey alone, but you know it would be long and lonely. If you were by yourself, you would not be as safe.

you continue to live vicariously through other people's experiences. You long to know what it would be like up close, but is it worth the risk?

sitting in your room and looking out the window is pretty comfortable. You can look and hear about the mountain, but you don't have to take any chances getting there. What would you do once you got to the mountain? Everyone says it is amazing, but it must be dangerous out in the wild. It seems there would be nothing to protect you. Sure, there might be other people on the mountain, but they might not help you. They might talk about you since you wouldn't know what you were doing.

now you can chose to go or stay. No one is going to force you to make a decision. You can choose to ask for help or not. don't let the things of this world make the decision for you. You know what you wan, so go for it. Nothing can stop you. The mountain is a beautiful place for renewal and refreshing! All you have to do is get away from the things that tie you to comfort. SOMETIMES THE RISK BRINGS THE GREATEST REWARD. It can also bring hurt and pain to your heart in the process. Are you going to let the hurt and pain get in the way of your reward?

...what if the mountain was God?
...will you go?

Red Solo Cup

Imagine your life as a red solo cup. In your life, you need to be filled to overflowing to be sustained. We seek to be filled up with love. This love can come from people we know or people we don't know. As people love us, the bottom of the cup slowly begins to get covered. Our cup seems to sustain, because we aren't losing any of the love we've been given. Just as we are all humans, we hurt each other. So in our cup of life, these hurts are holes in the bottom and the sides of the cup. The love we get from this world isn't much to begin with, so when people hurt us, that love runs out quickly. The only unquenchable fountain of love is JESUS! He pours down His love in an unceasing stream.

All the hurts of this earth cannot overpower the love of Jesus Christ. When we seek Jesus to fill us, we are slowly renewed. Our cup slowly fills up again. When our cup gets full, Jesus doesn't stop sending His love. He keeps pouring His water (love) on us so our cup begins to overflow! We can share this love with others as our cup overflows. They can see Jesus through us! This love NEVER runs dry! Even as this love is poured out from Jesus, we find the holes poked in our cup from others being filled with the precious love of Jesus. Jesus' love will continue to conquer the hurts of this world.

So Jesus is continually pouring out His love on us, right? Why would we ever choose to step out of that waterfall of love? I don't know why we would do such a thing, but sometimes we do.

It's not that God ever stops loving us, but that we choose not to receive His beautiful love. We choose to put a lid on our cup and ignore the love He is sending. The instant we put the lid on our cup or turn away, our cup starts to empty out the holes in the cup from our past. We then begin to focus on our hurts. We forget to turn our eyes toward Him. Even when we have turned away, God continues to pour out His love; however, then there is a lid on our life, the love cannot get in and fill us up again.

God will never turn away even though we are continually taking our eyes off of Him. He is ALWAYS pouring out His great love. God longs for his children to receive His glorious, unfailing love.

We seek and long to be loved. That is our nature. Turn to Jesus and be open to the love He is sending. He is sending love to fill your empty life. This is a love that will cast out fear and fill past hurts if you let it.  God longs for us to love Him.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. GOD IS LOVE. There is NO FEAR in LOVE. But perfect love drives our fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he FIRST loved us. 

(1john4:16-19) 

Are you going to allow Him to love you?

Will you allow Him to transform your life into something better than you could ever imagine?

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
-john14:27