Ramblings of a Girl Desperate for God...

Moved!

2009-06-02T01:18:00.000-07:00

Moved my blogs to the cooler site, Wordpress :)

http://lindseyramblesivory627.wordpress.com/

Your life is not guaranteed.

2009-04-20T15:26:00.003-07:00

Lately I'd been getting complacent with my life. I fell into the, I have 80 years to live, more or less, with very minimal chance of anything happening.

this idea is clearly not stated in the Bible. God calls life a "vapor" and stuff all the time. But ya know, I just got complacent. And God got my attention.

Friday, as you all know, I found out two people I love very dearly have cancer. That was a sort of a wake-up call.

But the big one came yesterday. I was on my way to a town two-hours away for a concert when, about half a mile from the church, we got into a car accident. All of us are okay, but it was extremely scary. I was sitting shotgun. The guy broadsided us and I couldn't even open my door. If we had been just like six inches more forward, I could have been seriously injured. But God is good and protected us :)

Why do I say all that? Because-tomorrow literally is not a promise. It took these two things to grab my attention to that fact. So don't live like it is. Live like today could be your last day. Because you know what? It just could be.
It could also be the last day of that person you've been putting off witnessing to.

Each day is a gift. Don't waste them, and don't take them for granted.

Thank you, God, for Your protection yesterday. Thank You for the kindness of the officer and tow truck guy. Thank You for the cross, that we may live abundantly. Thank You.
-Lindsey

Today sucks.

2009-04-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

No really. it does.

Practically my grandma, the woman who has always been there and been so big in my life....has cancer.

My dog agility trainer, who isn't a Christian as far as I know, and who I love so very dearly, has cancer.

Today sucks.

Easter: The original Valentine's Day

2009-04-09T09:20:00.005-07:00

I love Easter. I love everything about Easter (minus it's over-commercialism lately). I love the joy floating through the air; it's so thick sometimes you just can't help but be overjoyed. I love the hope gliding through the atmosphere. I love every single thing about this special day.

Most of all I love the Man who died for me on Good Friday.
Why, God? Why for me? What am I that You would die for me?

Because. He loves me.
wow.
Talk about love. I'm pretty sure the guy who gave you roses wouldn't die for you if you planned to scorn him. I'm pretty sure that girl you kissed wouldn't take a bullet for you if you hated her.
Jesus is the original valentine, from God to all of humanity. Jesus knew He would be rejected, despised, scorned, and humiliated.
But He knew you would love Him. He thought of me. He loved me enough to die.
Just think about that. Think about the nails being driven through His flesh. Think about the crown of thorns gouging into His head. Think about the lacerations from thew whip covering His back as it rubbed up and down on that wooden cross.

So often we get this "plastic" view of the Cross. "Oh sure, that's where Jesus died, yay Jesus."
Ummm...no. The cross......is where I should be. I should be suffering. But Jesus...Jesus looked past the cross. and He saw me. And He took it so I wouldn't have to.

Praise God. Talk about Love.
Thank You, Jesus, for taking my place.

I praise You.

2009-04-07T17:24:00.003-07:00

Last week-
You grabbed my attention.
You took me by the hand, made me sit down, and made me realize what I'd been doing.
You showed me how I'd been hurting You.
You brought order back to my life.
You put my priorities right again.
You.
You make all the difference.
And because of You I sing.
Because of You I dance.
Because of You I'm free.
Because of You I live.
Through You I love.
For You I live.
Because of You I live.
Thank You for setting me straight.
Thank You for changing me, again.
Thank You for never giving up.
Thank You.
I Praise You.

Quickie thought.

2009-03-30T19:20:00.002-07:00

Proverbs 27:2
Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth—
a stranger, not your own lips.

It's true.
When someone else says something great about you, it sounds a whole lot better than you saying the exact same thing.

Just a thought for the day.
-Lindsey

What is He gonna do this time?

2009-03-28T23:05:00.003-07:00

Our teen service is tomorrow!
I'm so excited!

This teen service has had a lot of little snags though.
One...we're low on actors.
Two...we're low on singers.
Three...We're high on nervousness!

Yes, the teens take over everything in our services. Including music. I'm super stoked about music; as you all know playing for worship is hard for me. God has literally made these songs the easiest sets I've ever learned. It's crazy; He has just touched my fingers to know what to do and to make it come out right. I'm so excited about the God I serve.

And I'm going to have to sing and play. Never ever done that before. Surprisingly? I'm not scared. I am EXCITED. I am EXCITED to watch God work a miracle through us tomorrow. We are few, but we are willing. We are excited about this and we are trusting God. In the words of Facing the Giants, we are "Preparing our field for rain."

This is going to be great, I can just feel it. God is going to work in a mighty way tomorrow; I am thrilled to be a part of it. I can't wait to watch and be amazed. He's going to do something awesome, I'm sure of it.

I love my Savior. I love to love Him. I love to serve Him. I love His blessings. I love His gifts. I love His peace. I love Him!
-Lindsey

The promised video!

2009-03-10T00:18:00.001-07:00

See, i'm a good girl. I keep my promises :)

To quote David Crowder...........

2009-03-09T23:27:00.004-07:00

"We win!!"

:)

Yes, tonight went very well. And I'm pleased to say God gave me victory in more than one battle.

The study went pretty well; I felt very jumpy and short and uninsightful (I can only think of eloquent things in the shower-what's up with that?!), but Tyler assured me that, despite moving a bit too fast, it was good. That boy is so awesome, I'm very thankful for him :)

I have a feeling God is going to make me conquer this public-speaking thing whether I really want to or not. I mean, I remember my first teen service, how I literally cried I was so scared and had to back out on Saturday. Then I remember Eddie pushing me to do it the next time. And I was short, and shakey, but I did it. And I'm getting better. I'll have to post a video to prove it to you :P

And there was a personal victory. I don't feel like here is the right place to go into it, but we can all do the happy dance now because God is just that awesome :)

Here are my favorite verses from tonight's lesson:
This is what the Lord says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
-Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.
-Galatians 6:14

And here's something from the handout from study on Sunday evening:
"To testify that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, I would have to...
-Give up a personal habit?
-Change my attitude?
-Strengthen my prayer and devotional life?
-Forgive someone?
-Devote more time and effort to Christian service?
-Loosen my grip on money and/or the desire for things?
-Reorder my life's priorities?
-Be filled with the Holy Spirit?"

That list was super convicting for me. I want Lindsey to be dead; I want Christ to live through me, and therefore the new Lindsey to be alive. (I don't mean literally physically dead ya'll...)

Happy dance for God! Bask in His radiance! Soak in His sunshine! He rocks! :)
-Lindsey

It's on.

2009-03-08T23:16:00.002-07:00

The gloves are coming off. I'm ready for a knock-down, drag out fight. I'm not going down easy.

This is referring to two things in my life, that I would appreciate prayer for.

One: I was talking to Tyler tonight about Bible study tomorrow. He's been crazy busy with school and just realized that the format for tomorrow's study had to change, so I offered to help him in any way I could. He asked me to find a chapter that had spoken to me recently and expound on it.

I'm pretty much scared out of my mind right now.

But I'm not giving up that easily. no no no. I remember Exodus 3:10-12:
But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”
Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”"

Now I get to apply it. O, weak flesh that destroys me; O, foe that is against me; it's on. You are going down! Because I have JESUS fighting for me this time. No more me. No more. This is going to be about HIM, and I am super excited to watch HIM do a miracle through my feeble lips tomorrow.

Second: I offically quit piano lessons in 3 months. Three short months. I've been with my teacher nine years. Nine. He isn't a Christian. I've been trying to show him God's love for nine years. I never got around to making a bold statement about it though.

Unless I'm pulled by the Holy Spirit not to, that's over. I haven't decided how yet, but I cannot let this man pass from the stage of my life without hearing about Jesus, no matter how scared I am. I will not let him or my other piano friend go without a fight.

If you guys could pray for their hearts, that they would be open to God; and for me, that I would be open and obedient and be given the right words, I would appreciate it. You guys rock :)

Satan, it's on. I'm gunning for you now. God is on my side. Yeah, you better run.

You know what I love?

2009-03-01T19:34:00.006-07:00

God.

I really do.

Like really, really, really, really, really love Him.

This past weekend we had a quiz meet for our church district. It's over the book of Luke this year. So we've been studying pretty hard, and last quiz meet (before this past weekend) one of the quizmasters hassled us to move up to expert.

GULP!

I don't know THAT much about Luke, for goodness' sake!

So we went expert this weekend. Talk about scary. We came out of the morning (individual scoring rounds) with a record of 2 wins-3 losses; not horrible for a first time Expert team, but we were bottom of the rung going into the afternoon team tourney rounds.

So our first meet is against a really sweet, very smart team-one of their girls was the top overall quizzer at the meet. We lost :(

thankfully, it was double elimination.

We were like, okay, well, we'll probably just bomb out and go home early. That is what we were expecting based on our track record.

Remarkably, we won our next round.

And our next.

And our next.

We made it to the final round.

Our bottom rung, first time as expert level team made it to the finals.

We got second. Correction:
God gave us second :)
My friend and I just started crying when it was over; not because we lost our last match but because God had blessed us so incredibly much to get second. We thought there was no way we were going to be winning. Timmy, Monica, and I were just awestruck. Timmy was like "How are we not getting killed?" I was pretty speechless, which is unusual if you know me.........

And as we walked up to get our plaque for SECOND place [:)], Psalm 37:23 jumped into my mind:
The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives. [NLT]

That makes me smile :) God, the creator of the universe, cares about my silly little quiz meet; shoot, He even cares enough to give us second. Awesome.

I still don't know how we got second. It was all God. there is no way I can take any credit for it. And I'm not just saying that. Absolutely in no way could we have done that without His hand. It was kind of a miracle. And I like it :)

"Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”"
-I Corinthians 1:31 NLT

God is awesome. I happen to be in love with Him. And He is so worth loving. :)
-Lindsey

Life is a song

2009-02-21T21:18:00.003-07:00

I'm obsessed with music.

I listen to it every single time I get the chance. Walking, working, studying, e-mailing....music is almost always on. Which makes me feel like a hypocrite for currently enjoying the silence. Hold on.

Okay. that's better. (Aaron Shust :)

As much as I love listening to music, I'm even crazier about making it. I have been playing piano for at least ten years. I love it. It's one of my passions. Every year for the past 8 years I have been invited to play in a huge production put on at the local university with 500 other students. Twenty-four students play the same song on 12 pianos at the same time. It's quite an amazing experience, I must say. And this year is my last year. And I want to cry.

So today was the first rehearsal of our final year. Wow. The end of an era. Anyway. Our song this year is the first of Brahms' Hungarian waltzes. Vy and I have our part down pat-it's pretty stinkin' awesome if you ask me.

So we get to rehearsal today with all the kids and our conductor-whom I love very dearly, he's so much fun lol. He has this wonderful habit of just running through the song our first rehearsal to see how we're doing.

Today, he tells us to just take it from the top. So we start. and we're horrible. I mean, we're off all over the place, and I'm pretty sure only Vy and I have our song memorized.

It was so irritating; I was watching Dr. T and trying to keep on his beat, but it was so hard with everyone else being so far off. Way ahead, way behind. I kept messing up trying to keep my focus on him and only him.

I was telling my friend Tyler about this, and realized how much it was like life. We know what the Bible says, if we meditate on it and....to put it frankly, if we care.

So when I start my walk with God, He picks up His baton, and begins to direct my life. He has the music for my life. His plan is beautiful; with delicate swells in the melody, dramatic tempo changes, sweet passages of rest...it's a masterpiece unparalleled in its beauty and the envy of musicians everywhere.

And they will try to get in on it-God warned me of this. "Just keep your eyes on me; follow my lead."

Sure enough, the world starts trying to play with my Lover and I. They think they know where this masterpiece is going. I watch him intensely; desperate to please Him and Him alone. The world is butchering this beautiful melody He whispered in my ear. I get distracted and hit a few sour notes; I rush the tempo; I ignore his gentle dynamic markings. I see the disappointment on His face; I have smudged His symphony.

But then He does something amazing. He works it out to be even more beautiful than before, despite the blotch I messed up on. The Master Conductor turns out an even more beautiful song--so long as I keep my eyes on Him.

Life is a song. God is the conductor. Let Him keep the beat.

Mmmm

2009-01-11T20:31:00.005-07:00

So last night I went to a David Crowder*Band Concert. (Yes, it was amazing! :D)

David said something that was absolutely spectacular. He said something about the music being "God breathing through us."

WOW. I love that. I want every song I sing; everything I write; everything I am to be God breathing through me.

Wow, David, wow. A champion of words, with or without music. God has surley used this man.

Are we as different as we think?

2008-11-28T10:59:00.004-07:00

Kinda a big chunk of Scripture this time. But...it's a good'un

"When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry."

Exodus 32:1-6 [emphasis added]

Everyone always looks at this story and says, "oh, don't make any Gods for yourself. Okay." That's what I was thinking when I read it the other night too. But...look a little deeper. there's more. Not that the first isn't a totally valid point and a huge part of the story.

First thing I saw-the people were getting tired of waiting for Moses to come down the mountain. Moses was up there with God, getting instructions and stuff. But the people were just like "he's taking forEVER; he must have died. Maybe God isn't so awesome afterall. Let's worship something else."

Now, to us, we look at that and say "You have GOT to be kidding me. God just parted the red sea for them, and they're looking to ditch him already?"
I totally did that. I was reading and just shook my head. "Who does that?"
But then something just stopped me. "Look again. More do it than you think."

Have you ever decided God was moving too slowly and took something in to your own hands? Uh huh, I thought so.
They're not so different from us as we thought. It's just a more subtle form of the exact same situation.

Notice that the people say "These are the gods who brought you out of Israel" when God is sitting on the mountain behind them? How many times have we done THAT? Okay, not like that. on a smaller scale.
"All this studying brought me this A!"
"All my practicing made me a great pianist!"
"All my charm made me popular!"
"My hard work made me rich!"
Uhhh...without God's help you would have gotten none of that stuff. Don't forget that. When you forget the part God played, you may as well be setting up a golden calf in front of God's mountain. Give God credit. "He gives and takes away" like the song says.

Then Aaron! Upon seeing how the people reacted, it's like his own conscience was gone. He just made an altar to the calf. He knew better! How often do we know something is wrong but...everyone else who has seen everything we have is doing it too, it must be okay.

Guilty! Boy am I glad God forgives. I've done that. With music, especially. I had this feeling "hey this stuff isn't the greatest to listen to." but...I drowned it out. "Oh look, so and so is a Christian and it doesn't bother them. So it's okay." Yeah, no. Don't ignore those little nudgings. It is possible to silence your conscience.

So next time you're tempted to just skim through stories, take a second. Think about how they're reacting. See how it applies to your own life.

And don't make any golden calves!

Prayer of my heart

2008-11-18T18:44:00.004-07:00

"Oh God. I'm suffocating.
I try to breathe You in, but...
When I open my mouth everything else I'm supposed to do fills my lungs.
I'm dying inside without You to fill me.
I can't find the balance I had before.
I can't do this, God.
Come dig me out of this pit of quicksand.
The more I strive for You the more I'm pulled and bogged down by the burdens of this life.
My soul is aching to recline in You.
I can't do that alone.
Snatch me up from this confusion.
Wash away the stuff of this life.
I cherish You far more than these, but I have to get this stuff done.
God, show me how to do what is required of me here well so that I can do what I love to-spend time with You."

I was sitting in my room and this just...spilled out.
Oh God, please help me.

True beauty...

2008-11-14T23:25:00.003-07:00

I am a girl.

I want to look pretty. I want to be beautiful.

Lately I've been thinking about beauty. What is true beauty? What makes a girl beautiful? "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Great. So. Whose eye am I trying to catch?

Answer: God's. I could look like the Wicked Witch of the West, but if God thought I was beautiful, then I would be.

God's opinion of me is really the only one I should be worrying about. God knows what's truly beautiful. He tells us in His Word, lots of places actually.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." -Proverbs 31:30

What is fleeting? Not character, brains, personality...beauty. I can't spend all my time on my face and nothing on my heart and mind.

"And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do." -1 Timothy 2:9-10

Attractive. That's as good as beautiful. Admit it girls, we all want to be attractive. The trick is to not be attractive physically, but in who we are. This doesn't mean we have to walk around in oversided clothes so as to not look at all pretty. It's okay to want to look good; just don't be consumed in it. Good guys will fall for the heart, not the face. And God already thinks your face is beautiful, so who cares what anyone else thinks!

I wonder if God gets sad when we decide we don't look good enough. He made us to be just like we are, and when we buy into the lie of the world that says if we're not 5'10", 115 pounds, size 0, and blond, we're not good enough. I don't think so!! God, who made everything, who made up the whole "beautiful" concept, created ME just like I am. Who am I to decide God didn't do a good enough job? I think God made us all beautiful.

"If every girl could see her beauty we would be an army."
-Superchick, So Beautiful

What's that line saying? To me it's saying that if we girls would realize that the media is just shoving junk down our throats, we could change it. We could revolt and redefine beautiful.

Anyway, back to the Bible for one of my favorite verses:

"Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands." -1 Peter 3:3-5

I wonder if Paul knew these lines would impact girls for so long. Here we are, 2000 years later, and these words still speak my heart. "Clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within." Sure, there's outward beauty. But like the first verse said, it'll fade. The beauty that comes from within lasts your whole life, and it's far more "precious to God."

I want to be like the "holy women of old." I want to be a woman in the way that God intended women to act. I want to live in a way that would make God proud. I believe as I change myself on the inside, the beauty will ooze out. I want to dress in a way that would make God proud. I want to be walking down the street and make God proud. "Look! I made that. She's beautiful, not because of her appearance, but because of her heart."

I hope I never spend more money on makeup and appurtenances than I do on missions and helping those around me. I hope I never spend more time on my looks than I do helping friends through tough times.

Where you spend your time says a lot about you.

Mirror? Or reading and living the Word?

Make God proud. It only matters if you're beautiful in His eyes.

----------------
Songs I reccommend to remember your true beauty-
"Beautiful" -Bethany Dillon
"So Beautiful"-Superchick
"Mirror" -Barlowgirl
"The Only Thing that's Beautiful in Me" -Rush of Fools
"Fingerprints of God" -Steven Curtis Chapman
"For Your Glory" -Jaime Jamgochian
"All that Matters" -Addison Road
"Magnificent Obsession" -Steven Curtis Chapman
"Worthless" -Point of Grace

A deeper look at cravings..

2008-11-10T22:08:00.003-07:00

So tonight in Bible study we were reading the first...chapter and a halfish of 1 John. I had a ton of it already underlined (cuz it's an AMAZING book) but one verse in particular caught my eye (I'll post two though, haha):

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world."
-1 John 2:15-16

Catch that? CRAVING.

Ok girls (and the one guy I know who sometimes reads this...lol), we can't pretend to not understand this. Craving. I'd like to meet the girl who doesn't have chocolate cravings.

So just in case you happen to be blessed with...not getting cravings, or are a guy, I'll explain them. It's like...an insatiable longing for chocolate. and even when you've eaten two Ghiradelli squares you still want more. it's like, it's never enough until you feel sick to your stomach.

So the world...offers cravings. Cravings for the affection and attention of a boyfriend, cravings for the newest iPod, cravings for love...cravings. Insatiable desires. All of which leave us empty when we recieve them.

Think about it. When I got my iPod, I was estatic. But like...the joy wears off. and then there's some new gadget that will make me happy. 'Course I know that's not true, and that only God will fill me up. But it's still a real emotion. So what was my want for an iPod? A craving. (not that my iPod was sinful! lol it's brought me closer to God because it's full of lovely Christian music :D)

So...don't live to satisfy the cravings. You won't feel eternally blissful when you get that Mustang. Your life won't become instantly better if that boy falls for you. It'll leave you wanting more. And that is a dangerous place to be. A boyfriend and a mustang are fine, when in God's time. Wait until He gives them to you. Don't be anxious to get them on your own :)

Until next time,
-Lindsey

The Innocence....

2008-11-05T15:53:00.004-07:00

So this morning at the local highschool, FCS had SYBTP.
Not SYATP. SYBTP. See You By The Pole. My friend who leads it and I were talking and we thought it'd be cool to pray for the school more than once a year, even though neither of us go there. So, since he helps lead FCS, we got the ball rolling and, well, once a month we now go to the flagpole.

It's pretty stinkin' sweet if you ask me.

So this morning, there were like, 8 of us who'd been there since it started when this kid in a wheelchair came up. We'd already prayed once, but we still had about half an hour left so Timmy was like "well, let's pray again."

So we go around the circle, now with about 12 of us, all praying out loud. Then a voice starts to pray. It's not a general highschool voice. It's...more innocent. It prays with such passion, such conviction. It's the kid in the wheelchair.

I was so touched to hear him. I don't know why, there was just something about the way he talked to God that really...was sweet.

So then before he left he asked Timmy if he would play a song on guitar for him that was in his backpack. Timmy of course did, and when he was done the kid says "That was WICKED awesome!" in such an adorable way we all just wanted to run up and hug him. He was just so innocent, so real, so passionate about God.

Like a child...
Innocent. Real.

That kid is an inspiration to me. He's got some kind of disorder, but he was so real, so excited about God. It was awesome.

Things like these give me hope. Maybe this generation isn't as terrible as I'd been lead to believe it was.

There's hope in faith like a child.

Be that child. Have that faith. Be real. Be innocent.

God, I can't do this in my strength....

2008-11-04T21:19:00.001-07:00

Hey God, it's me.
So I guess you've seen the results of the election.
God I'm freaking out down here.
I can't handle this.
God, what is going to happen?
I don't want to lose my freedom to worship You!
I don't want to live in poverty and pay enormous taxes!
What happens when this government collapses or turns to socialism?
God I like my country!
God I'm so scared!
God hold me....hold me...

"You are my strong tower,
Shelter over me!
Beautiful and mighty,
Everlasting King.
You are my strong Tower,
Fortress when I'm weak!
Your name is true and holy;
And your face is all I seek."
-Strong Tower, Kutless.

Using it for my good...

2008-10-27T09:52:00.001-07:00

"It is not an enemy who taunts me—
I could bear that.
It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me—
I could have hidden from them.
Instead, it is you—my equal,
my companion and close friend.
What good fellowship we once enjoyed
as we walked together to the house of God."
-Psalm 55:12-14

These verses explain it perfectly. I read those and was just blown away. God knows what's hurting me; it's in His own book!

And as I sat thinking about what was going on, last night's lesson hit me. The fruits of the spirit.

Regardless of how this individual is treating me, it is my responsibility to respond with "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Okay, so what does it mean to respond with love?

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Catch the theme? Love is pretty much the biggest one. I think if I can get the love down, the rest will fall into place. After all,

" "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "
-Matthew 22:36-39

So, what initially seems like something really bad, isn't so bad since it's going to teach me how to respond with the fruits of the spirit, including love-Jesus style.

Amazing. The Bible is definitely not kidding when it says:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
-Romans 8:28

So next time life seems to give you lemons, jump in the Word and see how God intends to make it lemonade :)
Then, sit back, sip the delicious lemonade, and thank Him for it!

-Lidnsey
P.S. God already worked it for good. Amazing! :) Now we're even closer friends than we were before. God is truly awesome :)

Whoa....

2008-10-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

A strange realization hit me today while I was sitting on the couch, talking with my friend Mocha.

Since the schedule of a girl in our youth group got moved around and she can't always make it to activities, I am now basically the oldest girl in youth group.

WOW.

That is such responsibility. All my life I've looked up to the older teenage girls. Now I am the one the younger ones are looking up to.

I kinda subconciously figured that out, but it hadn't really hit me yet. Now here I stand, the oldest one part of the time.

Again, I say WOW.

Our group is small, sure, but I still take my position very seriously. Even to the guys, I'm going to do my best to be that big sister figure I've always admired.

So now I'm thinking about being a big sister. That's a little hard for me; I'm the baby of the family. What would I want if I had a big sister...
I'd want her to....
-listen to me. Take me seriously. Give me advice if I asked for it.
-stand up for me. Not make fun of me when everyone else is.
-have time for me.
-help me learn and grow in Christ.

What do I love about my big brother? Everything said above. But he does poke fun at me sometimes...haha.

So now I have a roadmap. I want to get these kids on fire for Christ, no matter what that means for my "image." If I have to look goofy, act goofy-whatever, I'll do it. It's important to me that these kids get the message. Get a good image of leader. Get a good image of a woman of God.

Big order.

But my God is bigger.

I am preparing my field for rain. (HA! another Facing the Giants reference! SCORE! :D)

I am ready to watch God work through me to become the leader and role model these kids need.

I am so excited :)

~Latte
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
1 Timothy 4:12

Q: Does God tell you to do something only to let you fall flat on your face?

2008-10-19T16:41:00.004-07:00

A: NO!!!!!!

That's the blog in a nutshell. Of course there's a lot more to it, but if you only get one thing from this blog, let that be it!! God has never let me fall flat on my face when I'm doing what He's told me to do. EVER!

Now when I go it on my own, well, that's a different story. It's not God's fault if I choose to ignore him. Anyway, back to my story.

So this morning it was my turn to sing on the worship team. All right, cool, I kinda enjoy singing, and I really love being involved in the music at church. But this morning, since I had something else I had to do as well, I just wasn't really...in the zone. So when I got into the car before we left, I grabbed my Bible and opened up to Isaiah 58, the passage I had "worship" written next to on my "awesome verses" list.

"Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
Shout aloud! Don’t be timid."
-Isaiah 58:1a

That was like...a giant HELLOOOO from God. I'm usually a very weak, quiet singer, especially when I'm kind of the only one singing melody, which I was today. I just had to ponder that for a minute. God wants me to be LOUDDD and happy and excited! I mean, I could be quiet and excited, but...that doesn't help lead people to His throne!

So I resolved to do that. Well, I didn't consciously, but more like...I just knew I needed to be bold.

And you know what? My voice didn't crack. I didn't mess up a lot. I didn't make a fool of myself. I didn't fall flat on my face. God told me to sing, and gave me the grace to do it.

WOW.

One verse that has been monumentally huge in my life lately is Philippians 2:13
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

Because He has been. Desire comes first, then as I try to start doing what He's asking, the power comes. It's not the other way around. We've all heard it, right? "God doesn't call the equipped he equips the called"? Story of my life. And I love it.

Three months ago if I'd been basically the only one singing melody, I would have freaked. Been quiet. Shied away from it if possible.

Not anymore. God is working in me, and I am so excited.

And then! I've been working on accompanying people with piano and stuff. This afternoon, some of my friends invited me to go to a nursing home near here and sing with them for the residents.

Ninety minutes before we're supposed to be there, Timmy calls me up and asks me to play piano as accompaniment.

The first time I accompanied someone, I practiced for two months. Ninety minutes? He's crazy! I thought.

So on the car ride there, I'm like "Ooookay God, You were amazing this morning and helped me; would you be amazing again as I go do this?"

And he was. I messed up, sure, but...not to the point where it was terrible and a train wreck. The people loved it. I was so blessed to be able to brighten their day.

As I sit here writing about it, it brings me to tears. That God could take little me, and...do something so amazing. I guess it's like that conversation from my favorite movie, Facing the Giants. It's not verbatum, but you can get the point:

Dad: David, ever since you were born, I've prayed God would show His power and might in your life.
David: Then why would He make me so small? And weak?
Dad: To show how mighty He is.

God, thank You for working in my life today. Thank You for using me. Thank You for being so mighty. So wonderful. So amazing.

It's hard to explain just how I feel right now. So, I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone, take a leap of faith, and watch God work. Prepare to be amazed. That's the only way you're ever going to be able to understand what I'm talking about :)

~Latte
"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."
-1 Corinthians 15:10

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
-2 Corinthians 12:9

"Letting Go of False Control"

2008-10-18T17:25:00.002-07:00

"Time for a milestone,
Time to begin again,
Re-evaluate who I really am.
Am I doing everything to follow Your will?
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is you want from me, I give everything; I surrender to

Whatever You're doing, inside of me,
It feels like chaos, but somehow there's peace.
And it's hard to surrender to what I can't see,
But I'm giving in to something Heavenly."
-Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) -- Sanctus Real

Have you ever been there? Totally not understanding what God is doing in your life, but yearning to push aside fears and just trust Him with everything? That's where I am.

Thursday night, and last night, I just had to tell God that. I just poured out my heart in my car. "God, what's going on? I really don't understand this. But I'm going to trust You." It seems everytime I think I've "figured out" what's going on, it changes.

Sometimes I wish God would just show me what's going on. Just tell me what I need to do, and what's going to happen. But then...how would that make me grow in Him? It's easy to trust when you know the details. When you don't see is when trust grows. God knows what's going on. He's got my best interest in mind. I just have to constantly remind myself that, and keep me and my "bright ideas" out of things, haha.

My friend Timmy and I were talking last night about Moses, and how he was afraid to do his own talking before Pharoah after God had told him to go. So God had Aaron do Moses' talking for him. I wonder if Moses ever looked back on his life and wondered, "What would my life have been like if I'd trusted God enough to speak?" I really don't want that to happen. I don't want to get 50 years down the road and look back and be like "well, I wonder how much more amazing my life would have been if I hadn't been so self-centered." I want to look back and say "WOW! Did God do amazing stuff for me or WHAT!"

We were also talking about how that would have made God feel. God wouldn't have told Moses to do something only to have him fall flat on his face. God wouldn't tell me to do piano in worship team only to have me mess up and make a fool of myself. No. If God tells you to do it, He will give you the strength and ability to do it. He's proven that in my life many times. But imagine, when we say "I can't do that, I don't speak well," how does that make God feel? How frustrating would it be to have so much good planned for someone, and they just...blow you off? I don't want to hurt God like that. And if not trusting God hurts him, then I'm going to trust him with everything I am and everything I have.

"As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."
-Romans 10:11

"I couldn't be any less worthy to spend one day,
Much less forever with You.

I raise my hands just as I am,
I'm letting go of false control.
I lift my voice, I have no choice,
My life is Yours, use me for your fame."
-Fame -- Rush of Fools

I love how God takes us as we are. Broken, used, dusty...and turns us into something beautiful. When we let Him. When we trust Him to.
Don't hold back. "Anyone who trusts in the Him will never be put to shame."

~Lindsey

Every blog needs...a purpose!

2008-10-16T22:09:00.001-07:00

Ever heard that song "I Wonder" by Joy Williams?
"Pondering mysteries with a girlfriend over tazzleberry tea
And an open Bible..."
(Girlfriend as in, girls that are friends, not...yeah.)

If you're like most people, probably not, because well, she's not terribly well known. But I happen to love her music. That song in particular is on my brain. I just got back from youth group and a walking-around-target venting session with my friend, we"ll call her Toffe. We were definitely "pondering mysteries," and now I'm drinking hot cocoa...ok ok it's not tazzleberry tea (does anyone even know what that really is?), but...yeah.

I like the second line. "An open Bible." Isn't that the true source of wisdom anyway? The best place to look for answers is, of course, the Bible. So if you're going to ask questions, look to the right place for answers.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is really...to have a place to talk about what God is doing for me, with me, and through me. I mean, I talk to my friends about it all the time, but having somewhere 24/7 to just...write about anything God lays on my heart is really a big plus.

So yeah, I'll be writing what I'm learning, what I'm struggling with...anything and everything, basically. I want this blog to be beneficial to you, the readers. I want to encourage you in your walks by telling about mine, and what God is doing :)

The purpose of this blog is to bring glory to my Savior, Jesus Christ.

Thanks for reading :) I'll try to update a lot!