Be Still.

Today marks day one of classes at KU, but my mind and heart are dwelling on other things. My Pop pop passed away somewhat suddenly from a stroke on Saturday night. I don't understand Gods timing that I am here instead of home with my family, but I trust him. When I was about 7 my Dad and I wrote a song from Psalms 46:10, which Pop pop asked my sisters and I to sing at his memorial service. As it is running through my head consistantly, it is giving me such peace knowing that The Lord IS God. 'Be still and know that The Lord is God, be still and know he is God, you will know he is with you, you will know that he cares, for its clear to be seen in the scars that he bears. He will say come and welcome, it has been done my dear child, you can finish the race now and enter glory reconciled.' Keep my Dad and his siblings in your prayers as we praise our God for his merciful plan over all things.

Purity of the Heart

Everytime I'm in the car driving, I think about this topic. Why? Because of this beautiful 'purity ring' my parents gave me at age 13 is in clear view on the steering wheel. The idea is that the ring serves as a reminder to keep pure until one day when I swap it out with my wedding ring. I love this concept, but the more I ponder and the older I get, the greater the meaning of purity becomes. It's easy as a kid to recognize the do's and don'ts of physical boundaries as a christian, but I'm realizing now that it's so much more than that. Not only my actions, but my thoughts, words, and attitude can either reflect God-honoring purity of a heart seeking after him, or my sinful hearts desires. The bible is so unmistakably clear about putting our sin to death (Colossians 3:5), but it doesn't end at that. We don't fight hard against constant temptation because it's the 'right thing to do', or because it will somehow earn us a spot in heaven or make us holy. Even growing up in a biblically sound church, my deceiving heart often loses sight of why I must fight. This morning as I looked down at my ring I was freshly reminded of a promise in scripture that gives me every reason to. A promise that is sound and reliable, and worth dropping everything else and fighting for... "Blessed are the pure in heart, for THEY SHALL SEE GOD." Matthew 5:8

Ready, Set...

Picture the most important thing about you. Something you treasure, something that you know will never change. Now imagine that you are about to be placed in a battle ground of forces fighting against that very thing, trying to draw you away from it. Like lions in an arena, ready to pounce at your first sign of weakness. You're scared to death because you know how weak you truly are, but you're incredibly confident of the this thing that you treasure. As dramatic as it sounds, this captures the racing thoughts and feelings I have as a prepare to move away to college in two weeks. In addition to being incredibly excited to start this new chapter in my life, I can't help but recognize the unique opportunities I'll have; both good and bad. The fresh temptations that come with independence, the anxiety of entering school after being home schooled my whole life, the reality of being surrounded and immersed in the world. It scares me to think of all the things going against my burning desire to stand firm in the gospel. But as I dig into scripture I remember that when God adopted me as his child he did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power and love. (2nd Timothy 1:7) This gives me confidence and a joy that is not my own as I look forward to the next four years of fighting for the gospel. I've decided to write about it because I have to. I can't allow the work I know God is going to do to be untold. He has given me the most precious gift, salvation from the eternal wrath I deserve in my sin, and I need to share it. So, if you want to read about the stories of a desperate sinner who's doing her best to run after our awesome savior, feel free to follow.