All My Delight.

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"All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength..."

I delight in a warm cup of tea. I delight in fresh cut flowers. I delight in being wrapped in blankets, in thunderstorms and in the smell of freshly baked bread. 

The other night during a weekly prayer meeting at our church, the band began to play the song, "None but Jesus". As I began to worship, I was drawn to my knees.


"All my delight is in you Lord, all of my hope, all of my strength..."

These words cut deeper into my soul with every note. 


I delight in so many things, yet when it comes down to it, is all my delight found in the Lord?
My immediate answer was yes, yet as I pondered, my answer became a little less sure. 

It is easy to find delight in the Lord when the sunshine warms my skin, when everything seems right in the world, when a smile is on my lips and when worry seems a thousand miles away.

All, however, means all. Is my delight in the Lord all the time?

When I feel lonely, when things don't go my way, when I'm struggling to make ends meet, when I'm tired, when my hope seems fleeting and joy doesn't seem to come; does my delight fade too?

As I pondered, a verse filled my heart.
It was written of Jesus in Hebrews, "...because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame..." (Heb. 12:2)

In the most bleak of circumstances and in the face of death, it was Jesus' joy to endure the cross for my sake. Why? Because of His delight in us. 
Jesus didn't deserve death. We didn't deserve our place taken. Yet God had set us as the object of His affection. For no reason we could have given Him, God took delight in us. He deemed relationship with us worthy of His Son's death. And it was Jesus' delight to do it, knowing His sacrifice meant our freedom.

In light of Christ's sacrifice, it seems strange that my delight can fade so easily. I realized it is when my eyes are on my circumstances, my delight will change based on what I see. Yet when I fix my eyes on Jesus, my delight is fixed in Him. Emotions and circumstances may change, but if my hope is set in Christ, my peace and my joy remain secure. 
Jesus is my delight.

"There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Crucified to set me free, now I live to bring Him praise."


"For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.    With his love, he will calm all your fears.    He    will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
 Zeph. 3:17


Contending Contentment

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I honestly had no intention of dropping this blog. So much has happened in the last year and a half of life, I am surprised I never documented it!

In the past year, I married my amazing husband Geno. We courted for 11 months and were wed on August 2nd, 2013. It was one of the most amazing days of my life. Geno has brought my life so much joy these past almost 2 years now that we have been together. He is kind, selfless, hard-working, and he loves the Lord with all his heart. He has such a pure heart and he continually finds so many ways to bless me.

We honeymooned in the Napa Valley and have since been living in a small apartment here in Medford. Today, Geno was already at work and I was at home; cleaning, getting a crock pot meal ready for dinner, and making myself a cup of tea when I sat down to do my devotions.

I was reading in Hebrews, chapter 13 when I came across this verse.

"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,“The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me?”' Hebrew 13:5-6 

I began to ponder. In the past year of marriage, I regret to say that I did not spend our first months well. The first month, I was just happy to be married,  to get to try out my recipes and decorate our new home. But as the weeks and months progressed,  discontentment slowly tightened his sickening grip on my heart. 

I began to feel restless; I was tired of our small home, tired of the daily challenges it presented, and well, just plain tired. I thought that if only I had a bigger house, a little more room, I might be happier.


That's what we all want isn't it? To be happier? Yet it is in what we determine will make us happier that the real trouble sets in. Discontentment is not a difficult friend to find, he's always waiting for you to just start the conversation. 



Last night, Geno and I sat down to watch a documentary we had heard about on Netflix called "Tiny". It features people across the country who have embraced the new trend of "micro-living" and we were pleasantly surprised with what we found!  These people live in houses that are 200 square-feet or less! Crazy right?! And yet, very few of them did it for the reasons I thought. Most of them did it purely because they wanted to simplify their lives, build better relationships and focus on what really mattered in life. It was truly quite beautiful.

After watching this documentary, Geno and I began to discuss all that we are thankful for and how much God has blessed us. It was such an encouraging time!  I feel ashamed for having spent so much time considering all the things I didn't yet have rather than being grateful for what I did. 


Today, reading those verses in Hebrews, I couldn't help but thank God for His goodness in my life. It is so easy in our culture to forget how blessed we truly are. We are so easily distracted to set our eyes on everything we don't have that we miss what truly matters. 


I have found that in contentment, there is so much peace. In the arms of contentment, I can rest in the knowledge that I have a God in heaven that knows the desires of my heart, that knows my situations, and that cares.   


While discontentment brings his friends fear, jealousy, and frustration, with contentment comes peace, joy and a grateful heart. I don't have to fear the future with my God. With a thankful heart, I can wait on Him, trusting that He has my best in mind. 

What Beauty.

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God is so worthy to be praised. 

To think the most worthy Being of all thinks I am worthy of His love, worth so much that He would even die for the sins with which I spat in His face. 
It breaks me at my deepest parts to be wrapped in a love such as this. 
No human can create it, 
no devil can steal it, 
no death can conquer it, 
and no words can make it any less true. 
How can I but praise Him? 
How can I but fall at His feet? 
Oh the love of our Savior, Jesus! Oh the longing of my Lord for my soul!

The other day, one blogger wrote such beauty overflowing from her heart. 

"God said "Let there be light."
And was there ever.
It flowed from Him like a song, poured out in purity and radiance. 
But what is light without refraction? What is light without the defining dark? 
Thus God painted boldly His story of perfection in the midst of brokenness, beauty splattered in filth, strength bowed in humility, wholeness seared with pain.
 These are the things into which the angels long to look; the face of God that shines on his shattered image is a side they will never see. How dazzling His light reflects off the facets of a splintered likeness! 
We look into the face of a savior, Redeemer, while the heavenly beings see only "Creator".'

What a thought to ponder. We are among those created in the image of the Almighty, designed specifically for His pleasure and made for worship. It is strange to think, angels can worship God, for He is holy and perfect and Lord. They can worship their Creator and Lord, but we worship also our wonderful Savior and our God, Redeemer. 

What beauty. 

I am drawn, for I cannot help to kneel before the King. 
For it is this love that makes me want me to grow more into His likeness.
It's this love that makes me desire to make my hazy reflection of His image grow clear. 
Oh how I wish to  please His heart! How I long to be able to give Him the worship He's worthy of!

He's beautiful. 
He's worthy. 
He's Lord.

Simple Truths.

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God is so good.
Sometimes I write, trying to express that simple statement in so many words.
Trying to somehow make it sound better or more profound.
Then are are other times.
Times when I only have to say one thing.
God is good. 
And in saying that, I can sit back and have said it all.

"Retold" blog

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Hello all!
Well I have some very exciting news! For some time now, I have wanted to write a series of short stories which would be biblical accounts told from a different perspective. I've had a list of stories and Bible characters compiled and finally at youth camp (which I still have so much to write about!) I was given the opportunity to begin. Long story short, there was a writing competition to see who could write the best story about their team during camp. My team's theme was "Israelites and Egyptains" and I decided to write about the Exodus from the perspective of a random Israelite woman. I loved this challenge of writing this account and have decided now is the perfect time for me to start writing this series. I am even now praying about the idea of writing a book, though like I said, its right now something I'm praying about. I have now written a few of these biblical stories, but wanted to take the time to share the one that started it all with you! I started another blog to keep track of a few stories and some sneak peaks. The blog is called Retold though I'm still tinkering with some names. So let me know what you think!

Dusty.

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I cannot stand having dirty feet, which is funny considering how much I love being barefoot. There is just something about walking through my house with unclean feet that makes me cringe. Today, I was doing a painting project with some friends for my church's upcoming youth camp next week. After they left there was still a ton of detail work to be done. Paintbrush is hand, I set out for the garage. After a 2 hours of laying on my stomach, my side, sitting cross-legged, and 20 more uncomfortable positions, I was covered in garage dust, spray paint leftovers and grime. Not only that, but at 8 o'clock at night it's still in the nineties outside, making my garage a sauna. Caked in sweat, paint and dust, a shower could not wait until morning. As I rinsed off all the grime, watched the layers of dirt run down the drain, I realized what a beautiful analogy I had just lived. 
Sin is like dust in the life of the Christian. When we first came to Christ, we were dirty head to toe. He washed us with His blood and made us completely clean. Yet when we choose to sin afterwards, the film of sin coats our lives once more. It feels uncomfortable and should make us cringe. We know it's not supposed to be there. Yet we still choose to let it cling to us, tracking it through the "homes" of our lives. Still this is not the only dust we carry. Sometimes past hurts and the dust from the roads of our daily journey gets kicked up in our face. Other times, the grimy sweat of our hard work and busy schedules from deathly hot days dries upon our skin, making us feel sticky, filthy and reminding us how tired we truly are. 
The point is, sin, experience and life in general is dusty. Day by day, layer by layer we get covered in the grime of everyday living. Yet so often, we put off taking our shower until morning. We put off the time in God's Presence for tomorrow, when we feel better, when the morning light is new and when it adapts more to our schedules. We forget how the Presence of God renews us, washing away all the dust we have gathered. Is the dust of my sin clinging to me, or is I that am clinging to it? Am I wallowing in the filth of the past or in the hard times I am facing rather than letting the cleansing touch of God wash me clean? I would never walk through my house with dusty feet. Why would I then walk through life uncomfortable and disgusting, running from any hope of being clean? I want to keep myself clean before God and before man. Thing is, I alone cannot clean myself. I need daily time in the Presence and Word of God, renewing my spirit and cleansing my soul. It's amazing the revelations God gives from painting projects and dusty, hot garages on summer nights. 

The finale.

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Well here it is folks! I made it all the way to the final post of my week long challenge. It was pretty difficult, but I did it. Today, I stuggled with what I wanted to post tonight. I feel like since it's the end, there must be a grand finale. I felt like this post needs to change the world and inspire and wow. I suppose that's a good word for it; I wanted this to be a "wow" kind of post. Then it hit me. It wasn't a "wow" but rather a "why". It was near the start of the summer that someone asked me why I blogged. They said to me, "I just honestly don't get the point." Though I can't remember exactly what I said, it was probably some sort of silly, crowd-pleaser answer. Yet this week, this little marble of a thought has been rolling around my nogin. Why do I blog? The answer now seems so easy.
I pray that first off, this blog would be to the glory of God. I pray that the words I type here would turn people's eyes to the Father and would cause them to want to pursue God more. This then leads me to reason number two. I write because I want to touch other people. There are people from across the street, across the country and across the world whose blogs I have read that have touched me deeper than they will ever know. God has used men and women who will never know my name or face, to speak to me through what they have written.

There are so many people in the world who speak for the enemy's cause. There are so many who he cunningly uses as a voice and who with poisioned tongues make their mark. It grieves my spirt to see men rally behind these people. I pray that I would fulfill my call as am ambassador for Christ, sharing the light of God's Word with the world He has placed me in.

Now I certainly do not place myself among the best of writers, but I write from my heart. I write what God is doing in me and what I believe to be truth. I will fight for these truths and I pray that they edify and encourage those around me. I am not one who can make an audience hang on every word. I know I am not the most educated or have the most riviting vocabulary. I know the things which I write may not have that "wow" factor I spoke of earlier. But I also know that that the Word of God has power. I know that I am a chosen instrument in the hand of the mighty God. I know that I want God to have His way, even in the most humble of means, even my blog.

The truth is, I wrote a great many posts for tonight and, perhaps another day, I will finish my trains of thought and post them. Tonight however, as my challenge comes to a close, I felt impressed to merely get one truth across if nothing else. That I want everything I do, every word I speak, every relationship I hold and every day of my life to glorify God. There is a definite weight I feel in posting every time, for I know that the words I write can glorify God, but just as easily glorify self. I pray that this blog would be an instrument God can use and that He is given glory. It all belongs to Him anyway.

Classic.

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I always get excited when I see cute and classy old people just living their life. A silent observer, I love to watch the way the passed generations live life. I love watching sharp-dressed old gents and the little woman on their arm smiling up at them as they read the paper or chat over coffee. I think, "Goodness, I want to be classy like that."

Class. It was something that most people used to strive for. Yet today it has fallen by the wayside to make room for who knows what. I want to be a person of class, of dignity and of sophistication. Perhaps this seems silly, or maybe even snobbish, but I beg of you, please hear me out. There once was a day when manners were expected. Women wore dresses and men did not leave the house without a collared shirt and tie. People treated one another as people, not as machines behind desks meant to met their every need. People spoke using lovely words, being wise and purposeful with every notion that made its way passed the gateway of their lips. There was a discreteness that was taught in the classroom, and before that, the home.  People lived with a sense on intentionality. They thought about what they wore, what the spoke and how they lived. I suppose this is truly the heart of this post. What at first seemed  to just be a discussion of my love of classy things, now takes a step in a new direction. It's the heart behind having a desire for class. Striving for class in and of itself seems petty. Yet living with intentionality? Now that is worth a discussion. 
I have a challenge for you. Talk to an old person. Talk to someone who built a business they loved from the ground up. Talk to someone who has served God daily, strong and true.  Talk to an old man who has loved his wife faithfully for 50 years. Talk to the woman who raised her children right. Ask them not just about what happened, but how it happened. Ask them how they thought and all that it took, day in and day out. Intentionality and hard work. After all, the "classy" life isn't easy. It takes more time to get ready in the morning, takes more sweat, more blood and tears. It takes commitment and devotion, passion and persistence. It takes true love and a fighting spirit. But what beauty there is in looking back over a life like that!
I want this kind of life, and it is my prayer that you do as well. A life devoted to God, built on faith, hard work and intentionality. A marriage that lasts upwards of 50 years. Children that serve God passionately and teach theirs to do the same. Friends that are loyal and dear. I want a life story that is worth telling at the end and every step through the journey.

And wearing dresses often doesn't hurt much either (: