Friday, January 25, 2008

Uncertain? Certainly.

“To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways; we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation.”
-Oswald Chambers

I’m not a fan of not knowing what’s coming. Not really fond on surprises…surprises mean I can’t prepare.

I prefer certainty. Make it practical. Make it realistic. Make it something you’re sure I can do.

Does it seem like an oxymoron-thought that faith isn’t a sure thing?

“Maybe faith has less to do with gaining knowledge and more to do with causing wonder. Maybe a relationship with God doesn’t simplify our lives. Maybe it complicates our lives in ways that they should be complicated…sin will complicate your life in ways that it shouldn’t be complicated. One way or the other, life is complicated.”
-In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

It’s complicated. I think God prefers it that way.

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Wednesday, January 9, 2008

No Fear?

I’ve been reading In A Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day…and I feel like mister Batterson wrote this book with me in mind. I think there are lots and lots of christian books that are written with the intntion of making us feel good about ourselves. Kind of like highlighitng the biblical verses about God’s love, but leaving out the verses that bring about conviction and response.

This isn’t one of those books.

I’ll go ahead and be a little honest.

God and I haven’t been doing so hot. And I feel like that’s inexcusable when so much of me is wanting to be a good influence for the youth at the Vine and allow God’s love for them be apparent through how I love them.

Sometimes I feel more afraid of God than loved by Him. Did I just say that? yep.

I want to be passionate about whatever I’m doing and I want it to be where God wants me. I believe God is huge. Absolutely. But what if He’s so big that He calls me to something I can’t measure up to? Or what if I miss my calling because I’m not paying attention?

I find myself being more afraid of what He can do and not so much of what I think He can’t.

“Our ultimate destiny is determined by whether or not we seize the God-ordained opportunities presented to us. If we seize those opportunitites, the dominos continue to fall and create a chain reason. But if we miss those opportunities, we short-circuit God’s plan for our lives. That doesn’t mean we should live in fear that we’ll somehow miss the will of God. He’ll keep giving us second and third and fourth chances.”

“Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear.”
-1 John 4:18

More later…this wears me out

Posted by heather at 04:33:49 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Friday, December 14, 2007

Can you feel me now?

Sometimes feelings can be decieving. They can dictate how we perceive God.

Last week David talked about the distance we feel from God isn’t so much that He’s moved away, but it’s the choices we make that distance us.

But sometimes we pray and pray and pray and feel like there is no progress.
And there feels like there is no answer.
Silence.

And then this happens.

During that one hour, my heart was at rest watching the youth worship….and it made all the times God was silent worth it to be answered by Him in this way.

Witnessing 6th-11th graders worship with everything they had and pray with each other…has a way of reminding you that your prayers haven’t gone unnoticed. I think it was God’s way of saying…

Can

you

feel

Me

now?

Posted by heather at 15:06:04 | Permalink | Comments (1) »