Laura and Andy

If anyone has heard me get on my soap box about…well anything really. I usually end up referring to Andy Stanley at some point in my rant.

Right now at his church, he going through this new series. I think I have told everyone and their grandmother to go listen to this. He reminds you of evident truths that leave you scratching your head and thinking “well duh, but why didn’t that register before?”  He brings up topics and points out how it can be and is ultimately supposed to be.

As I was listening to it the other day I realized where he got all his amazing wisdom from: ME!

For example:

Andy in front of his mega church in downtown Atlanta: Its not finding the right person, its becoming the right person. You want to be the person who you are looking for, is ultimately looking for.

Laura at Crosswild: If you want that guy, you have to be that girl. You want a solid Christian guy- be that girl. You can’t want a 10 but be a 3. You wont settle? Neither will he.

Told ya ;)

Now go LISTEN.... 

Be careful what you pray for

Idle: To pass time doing nothing. To move, loiter, or saunter aimlessly

           

Its amazing how easy it is to get here. How you don’t even realize that you have come to the dangerous place of wandering aimlessly.  It’s been a whirlwind theses past few months that I don’t even think I knew I was in. Things are changing, prayers are being answered and the anxiety of “oh crap what am I doing?!” is starting to settle in as well as the realization that I am moving forward. 

 Be careful what you pray for…He answers.

You pray Lord lead me, God guide me. And ultimately we all know what we are called to do: Love Him. Love Folks. But we get stuck in the middle of the question that haunts the back of our thoughts continuously. Some days it is more prominent than others and we never have an answer. Our minds are stalked by the wandering ideal of “what do I do NOW? God where do you want me today?”

I have so many dreams, desires, and unwritten adventures that I have not even begun to scratch. The restlessness can be crippling at times and yet pushes me to get off the couch.  We have to constantly be reminded that He knows better. When you feel as if you have been left behind in the dust, you just have to remind yourself there is a bigger stage to conquer. One with the perfect harvest and the bountiful blessings that will flow because you were obedient to the life put before you.

“I have a plan for you. Its gonna be wild. Its gonna be great. Its gonna be full of me.”

Open the Doors and lead me through.

Travel Bug

I have a list of places I want to go. I have cultures I want to experience and places I want to see. I did the math, I have only been to 6% of the world. There are days when I just want to grab a backpack, get my passport in hand and go for it. Then the realities of money and oh I dunno, responsibilities of life that all factor in.

Life- what a buzz kill sometimes.

So here is my list, in no particular order....

1. Australia/New Zealand
2. Alaska
3. London (really England)
4. New York
5. Africa
6. back to Israel
7. India
8. Haiti
9. some remote Island (haven't figured out the specifics yet)
10. Boston in the fall
11. and one day...back to Italy.

Who is with me?

Im getting old(er)

Recently I have had the amazing opportunity to meet and get to know some new people. We tend to get stuck in our social circles, getting comfortable in our routines and in our relationships with people. But sometimes, God wants to bless us and let our lives become intertwined with new people. To have the old friendships grow stronger and the new ones cultivate. I love people and tend to lean on the "more the merrier" approach.

So, as my *cough* 23rd birthday was approaching I was excited in the anticipation of all these amazing people coming together! I had friends who have known me for over 20 years to friends that I met 2 months ago and everywhere in between

*Disclaimer: sorry for some of the bad pictures, they are off my phone**

Love God. Love Folks. 

Let us Remember

Let us remember: That our God is a creative God. That He will never meet us in the same way twice. That each time we search for Him and seek His love and existence, He will continually show Himself in new and exciting ways.

Let us remember: That God is not suprised by anything.

Let us remember: Blessed are the flexiable, for they are not easily broken.

Let us remember:

Set Free

I stand, hunched over and feeling the weight of the chains that keep my arms tied to the sides of my aching body.  The bondage of what I have done and what has been done to me keeps me tired and helpless. All I need to some attention. I have need of love and acceptance. I need someone to recognize that I am the victim and that I have been through Hell.  Yet all I get is this conditional embrace and occasional conversation. But mostly it is smiles filled with pity and sympathy.  My arms are getting heavier and my knees are starting to shake.

I remember sitting in my apartment that August, the windows were open and it was boiling hot. I was the only girl who had any idea what humidity was and this was bad! The cool breeze was coming in through all the windows and openings we could find.  As the sweat dripped down our backs, me and Danielle sat in the hallway enjoying the natural air conditioning. I remember saying how I will always struggle with this. It is the “thorn in my flesh” so to speak and this is will always be something I have to deal with. She looked at me, and said something I will never forget, that changed my life forever.

“But why? You have victory over all things through Christ.”

 My aha moment had happened.  I had been settling and allowing the enemy to keep me chained down.

We have to realize we are under no bondage of sin and the power that comes with Freedom. We are liberated from the chains that we think are there. We find ourselves searching for our identity in what has happened to us, or what we struggle with. The problem is, those issues are tangible and it truly comes down to gaining that all consuming pride that our flesh desires, “Look at poor poor pitiful me” Yes, things happen and a lot of times they are not in our power or control. However, the attitude and what we do with those situations is. Are we going to let what has happened to us in the past, or what we have done in the past, effect what our lives are now? That is not who we are- who we are needs be founded on the Salvation of Jesus Christ. Everyday, every moment, we must realize act the of surrender. 

“But having been freed from sin, you become slaves to righteousness” Romans 6:18

Today

“God’s perfect will”

What does that even mean?

If we are at all honest with ourselves, we are constantly wondering if this is it. How do we know we are there? Sure, we get glimpses of that feeling or peace and we think, “so this is what it feels like to be at complete peace with your life?”  Yet majority of the time, we question…constantly.

I have come to realize, in my (short) almost 23 years, that it is a day-to-day act of surrender. Sure we want the whole picture, we want to know that at this point in life you will be here and at this age this will happen. But what kind of faith does it take if we have knowledge? It is faith in the unknown that causes us truly surrender.

What I have to recognize is today is today. Am I being faithful in will of God today? Tomorrow, next week and the following 50 years are all unknown to me, and as the doors open, I pray I have the faith to walk through. Personally, my frustration doesn’t even come from being scared or apprehensive.  It’s not that I won’t walk through an open door, it’s that there is no door!

The last thing I want to do is to have God bless my plans. To push my way through or into something and then tell God to smile upon what I am doing and tell Him to bless it. Who do I think I am and why would I want to be in control? Lord, stop me if my fingerprints are on anything.

As much as I would love to see step 2, 3 and all the way to the end, step 1 is the most important: the faith to get off the couch. The faith of obedience in what is in front of me today.

So today, I am going to be faithful at my job, be faithful to the people that I meet and talk to, be diligent in prayer and in His Word. 

“Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them…for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 timothy 4