Bigger than the Storm

As I sit here in my dorm room, I hear the thunder crashing out side my window. Sometimes, it's louder than a crash. It's more like an explosion of the clouds. Lightning brightens the already lit room. Rain splatters the glass in a disorganized fashion. The wind can be heard rushing around this hurricane proof building. It almost seems as if the whole sky is about to fall.

http://www.freepik.com/free-photo/lightning--energy_603091.htm

Anyone who knows me knows that storms aren't really my thing. By the way, it makes studying for finals difficult.

But as I sit here, my body tense with each slight sound. God reminds me of something. He reminds me that He created the sky. He reminds me that He sent a storm, a flood to destroy everything as it was. He allowed Jonah to be thrown into a storm-tossed sea. He allowed Peter to walk across roaring waves. He allowed Paul to face a storm that resulted in a shipwreck. He stepped out on the edge of a small fishing boat and said "Peace, be still."

God reminds me that He is bigger than this storm.

He's stronger than the wind that knocks down trees and buildings. His voice speaks louder than the thunder that echos in my mind. His blessings fall heavier than the downpour outside my window. His love shines brighter than the lightning that fills my room. My God is so much bigger...and better...than this storm.

In the End, There Is a Beginning

It's a time of lasts for me. The last midterms were this semester. The last Bible conference here on campus. My last undergrad classes. The last final exams. The last time I get to hang out with my best friend and see her every day. The last shift at my current job. The last time that I have something called free time...at least for awhile. Despite all of these "lasts," I've noticed something.

In the end, there is a beginning.

I have so much to look forward to. I am about to start my 22nd year of life. I begin a second summer at camp in a few weeks. I get to start my student teaching in the fall. I get my very first class. I get a new job too. My best friend is starting law school. And I can't wait to see what God has for me in the future!

Because the end is not the end. It's just a new beginning.

What's ending in your life? Maybe you're moving to a new place. Maybe someone is leaving you. Maybe you're simply advancing to the next grade. Maybe it's a new job. Maybe it's the loss of a loved one. I don't know what ending you are going to be facing soon, but embrace it as a beginning. Don't let fear of change keep you from enjoying whatever it is that God has next for you in this life. But you know what the cool thing is? It doesn't just end in this life. We will all come to a time where this point in our life will end. We will stop existing on this earth. But it's a new beginning. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have the greatest adventure yet to come: an eternity with Jesus Christ. You're ending indeed is a wonderful beginning.

A New Favorite Book!

I found a new favorite book! And you're going to love it too!

Kisses from Katie is Katie Davis's true story of her work in Uganda as a missionary. She founded a non-profit organization ministry called Amazima. She adopted 13 girls. She wrote a book. She did all this, and she's still in her mid-twenties! Her story is simply amazing. I would challenge anyone to pick up this book and read it; it will change your life! 

The thing about Katie's example in this book is that it's real. She knows her God. She loves Jesus more than anything else. The words practically jump off the pages just to tell you it is possible. It is possible to love Jesus with everything. It is possible to give Jesus everything. Past, present, future. You can give Him your life. You can trust Him with it. 

If I were to list everything that I learned from this book, you'd be reading the whole book from this blog post. I don't want to give the whole thing away; you'll have to get a copy for yourself (By the way, here's the link: http://www.amazima.org/katiesbook.html). All that to say, I just want to share with you one of my favorite parts of the book. 

"I am just an ordinary person. An ordinary person serving an extraordinary God" (pg. 118). 

Katie gets it. She just does. God is so real to her. Yet she is still humble. See the thing is we can do any of this on our own, but God can. He calls us to do things that we could never do on our own because He wants us to trust Him. We just have to decide whether or not we are going to take that step of faith. When God says, "Go," what will you do? What will I do? Will I look at my own abilities or inabilities? Or will I look at the greatness of my God? My God who says, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Will I say, "No, I can't"? Or will I say, "I can't, but You can"? 

"I am just an ordinary person. An ordinary person serving an extraordinary God."

A Breath of the Mouth

Proverbs 31:30 says, "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised."

In this culture, we hear a lot about this Proverbs 31 woman. She is the woman every Christian wants to be. And this verse is one of the verses that is quoted often because appearance is so elevated in our society. Christian blogs of all kinds tell us that life is not about beauty; it's about fearing the Lord. Motivational pictures  quoting this verse are the backgrounds on our phones. You may even have a sticky note of it on your bathroom mirror. Christian women are more than familiar with this verse.

But what is it really saying to us?

This is the question that has been plaguing my mind recently, so I decided to study this verse out on my own. I used this website to see what the words really mean.

Favour: charm, elegance, acceptance; to find favour in the eyes of someone, to be acceptable to him
Deceitful: lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood

Favour is deceitful: The idea that we have found favor in someone's sight, that we are acceptable to him, is a lie. It's not true.

Beauty: beauty, gracefulness
Vain: a breath of the mouth, vapor

Beauty is vain: Breathe in. Now let it go. Our beauty and grace is gone just like that.

Feareth: reverence
Praised: to shine, to be clear, brilliant; glory, boast

A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised: The woman who reverences God, who gives Him the glory in her life, she in turn will shine, will be boasted of.

We often focus on the favor and beauty part of this verse, the part that we're not supposed to be focusing on. Don't wear too much makeup. Don't spend too much time in front of the mirror. Don't spend so much money on your appearance. Don't. Don't. Don't.

If you focus on what you're not supposed to be focusing on, aren't you focusing on the wrong thing?

So where should our emphasis be? Fearing the Lord. The acceptance that you receive from others because of your beauty isn't real. The beauty that you do possess is gone like a breath of the mouth. Why focus on things that are so...meaningless and quickly gone. The focus is on what you should do; not on what you shouldn't do. Focus on completely committing yourself to an unrelenting love and fear of God. A woman who is sold out for God, who holds Him above everything else in her life, she shall be praised.

16 Ways to Act Like a Christian on a Christian College Campus

People think it's easy being a Christian on a conservative Christian college campus. Yes, we may not have the outright influence of drugs, alcohol, immorality, and other things we might see as big issues, but it's definitely not easy.

Why? You may ask. Because the Christian life isn't easy.

What does it mean to be a Christian? First of all, you must accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. After that, we are called to live like Christ. Being a Christian gives us the responsibility to act like Christ. Talk about some huge shoes to fill! After all, this is where the term Christian came from (Acts 11:26). These people were "little Christs." Being a "little Christ" is a challenge because it goes against our sin nature. Our flesh screams at us to do our own thing. It still does that after salvation, and it will keep doing it until one day we meet Christ (hopefully soon!).

I've got some shocking news....You're not going to see Christ in every student you meet. Some people are going to rude, mean, cutting, disrespectful, rebellious, etc. You get the point. Just because they go to Bible college, it doesn't mean they have their act together. There have been plenty of times where I have not acted like Christ; it's sad.

If we know that this is a huge issue, what can we do to change it? Well, there's not a cure all answer. Here we are back to the little things again. It's choosing to act like Christ in all the little things. (Insert "What Would Jesus Do?" question here.) We have to choose in every moment that we are going to make the Christ like choice. Here are just a few examples of how we can do that on a Christian college campus:

1. Actually get up and read your Bible and talk to God. Spend meaningful time with Him (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 42:1).
2. Have a positive attitude even if you have first hour class (Psalm 118:24).
3. Choose to be kind to that rude person even when you really don't feel like it (Ephesians 4:32).
4. Don't gossip (Proverbs 10:19).
5. Use speech that isn't questionable in any way (Ephesians 4:29).
6. Do your best in your classes, not just what it takes to get by (Colossians 3:23).
7. Wait on God's timing; don't rush into relationships (Psalm 27:14).
8. Be patient with your roommate even when she is loud while you are sleeping (Gal. 5:22-23). 
9. Tell someone how good God has been to you today (Psalm 103:1).
10. Use your time wisely whether it's working on projects or encouraging a friend or accomplishing goals. Don't waste it (Eph. 5:16).
11. Be respectful to your authority whether they are present or not; don't talk bad about them (Romans 13:1-2).
12. Be willing to learn; accept correction and constructive criticism with grace (Proverbs 19:20).
13. Don't be afraid to kindly confront someone else about a problem; stand up for what you know is right (Romans 12:1-2).
14. Go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41).
15. Give. Your time, money, friendship, clothes, food, etc. (2 Corinthias 9:7).
16. Don't worry about finances, friends, relationships, family, grades, health. Don't worry about any of it. Trust God. (Matthew 6:34)

Painful Photos

As I looked at this list of photos, I couldn't help but notice the pain. The sadness. The hurt.

These are the most powerful photos?

It breaks my heart to see the pain of mankind. Are all of these real? I really don't know. But I do know this: Jesus had compassion.

These people are hurting. They are searching for something that they're not going to find in any of these pictures. They are searching for answers. The praying men won't find it in Allah. The girl won't find true peace in a divorce from her aged husband. Bringing a husband back won't make everything ok. Revenge won't satisfy. But we know Someone that will.

Jesus.

That name is the answer. The complete answer.We just need Jesus. You need Jesus. They need Jesus. We have to tell them. We have to be that light. We have to show them the compassion that they've never seen. We can't all go to the mission field right now, but that's ok. Because there are people right around you who need the compassion of Jesus. Find them. Tell them. Tell them by your life.

Matthew 9:36 - But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.