I really needed the message that Pastor Steven's drivetime devotional was on today. It was called Faith to Stay Put, and basically he was talking about how it takes great faith to stay in a situation that seems too hard or unfair. I've had times off and on recently where I've gotten discouraged about my job, because I am on my 8th month of being a temp and every time I see a notice that another location (usually Corporate) hired somebody, I have the when will it be my turn? feeling. I know that God has me there for a purpose, but there are just some days where I struggle with being frustrated.
One really awesome thing happened today though... I got my mom to listen to the devotional with me : ) This is huge for me because my going to a different church has been a major issue between us, since she raised me Catholic and she expected me to stay that way. However, her response to his message today was that his message was interesting...which coming from her is a HUGE compliment.
I started another short devotional a few days ago, on the topic of courage. Yesterday's reading was from Dnaiel 3, where Nebuchadnezzar throws three men into a furnace when they refuse to worship his idol and his gods. They refuse to obey him, and they state that they know that God is able to save them, but even if He doesn't they would still refuse to worship false gods. The results of their faith is amazing: none of them were harmed by the fire, and the king saw what God could do for those who believe in Him. He acknowledges Him as the "Most High God" in verse 26. I desire to have the courage and faith to walk into a fire in my life, trusting that God will not let me be harmed; but even if I am harmed, I would still trust and worship God.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Freedom and Perspective
As I was getting ready to go to bed last night, I sat down with my notes from the two sermons I listened to yesterday and started to pray over them. I have found this is a really good way to open up my heart to hear what God has to tell me. One of the passages was Ezekiel 14:1-5, on the topic of idols. Verses 4-5 spoke to me:
When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.
I started asking if I truly have anything in my life that stands as an idol. While sitting there, I started thinking about my fear of fire. More specifically, my fear of a house fire. Multiple times a year there will be a night where I am in bed but not sleeping because this sudden fear of a fire starts creeping into my head. I start thinking about all of the stuff in my room that I would want to grab to save, and before you know it, it's 2am and I've got just four hours left to sleep before work. So last night, I felt like God was leading me around my room, and as I looked at everything, I slowly came to peace with everything being just what it is: stuff. Books that I would just have to buy again. CDs that I have saved on my iPod (which I have in my purse...the one thing I will grab on the run). Movies that can be replaced. Even all of the pretty decorations I have...my rose quartz dog, my crystal carving of a tiger's head, my painted shell from Topsoil Island...all of that is just stuff. True, some of it holds some good memories, but it's still just stuff in the end. The most important things to me that I have in my room are my notebooks with sermon notes, my couple's devotional Bible and my student Bible that I've highlighted and written in, and then all of the usual stuff that goes in my purse (wallet, for example). Just as a safety measure, I put my USB drive in my purse.
Walking around my room and acknowledging that I can let go of everything was truly freeing. God released a burden of fear from me last night. Ultimately, the most important thing to get out of my room is myself. You can replace most things, but you can't replace a person. As much as I would hate to lose my laptop, my life is worth more than a laptop.
On another note, this morning I succeeded in waking up and starting the day out by reading my Bible. However, it was my Bible app on my phone, and I was squinting...but it still made a difference. One of the verses I read this morning was Psalm 13:3 Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. In The Message version, it says Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye. Can you imagine that? Standing up to your day and saying, "Ok, life, here we go. What have you got for me? What is around me that I've been ignoring, but God wants me to see it because He sees it? Not only that, He wants me to do something about it." The devotional goes on to talk about how so much of our lives are dependent on our perspective. The writers of the devotional said it perfectly: "When things around us seem discouraging, God is always able to move our focus to something encouraging...Him." His love. His grace. His mercy. His faithfuness. His guidance.
When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.
I started asking if I truly have anything in my life that stands as an idol. While sitting there, I started thinking about my fear of fire. More specifically, my fear of a house fire. Multiple times a year there will be a night where I am in bed but not sleeping because this sudden fear of a fire starts creeping into my head. I start thinking about all of the stuff in my room that I would want to grab to save, and before you know it, it's 2am and I've got just four hours left to sleep before work. So last night, I felt like God was leading me around my room, and as I looked at everything, I slowly came to peace with everything being just what it is: stuff. Books that I would just have to buy again. CDs that I have saved on my iPod (which I have in my purse...the one thing I will grab on the run). Movies that can be replaced. Even all of the pretty decorations I have...my rose quartz dog, my crystal carving of a tiger's head, my painted shell from Topsoil Island...all of that is just stuff. True, some of it holds some good memories, but it's still just stuff in the end. The most important things to me that I have in my room are my notebooks with sermon notes, my couple's devotional Bible and my student Bible that I've highlighted and written in, and then all of the usual stuff that goes in my purse (wallet, for example). Just as a safety measure, I put my USB drive in my purse.
Walking around my room and acknowledging that I can let go of everything was truly freeing. God released a burden of fear from me last night. Ultimately, the most important thing to get out of my room is myself. You can replace most things, but you can't replace a person. As much as I would hate to lose my laptop, my life is worth more than a laptop.
On another note, this morning I succeeded in waking up and starting the day out by reading my Bible. However, it was my Bible app on my phone, and I was squinting...but it still made a difference. One of the verses I read this morning was Psalm 13:3 Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death. In The Message version, it says Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye. Can you imagine that? Standing up to your day and saying, "Ok, life, here we go. What have you got for me? What is around me that I've been ignoring, but God wants me to see it because He sees it? Not only that, He wants me to do something about it." The devotional goes on to talk about how so much of our lives are dependent on our perspective. The writers of the devotional said it perfectly: "When things around us seem discouraging, God is always able to move our focus to something encouraging...Him." His love. His grace. His mercy. His faithfuness. His guidance.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
First
Something I have been really struggling with is putting God first in my day. I know that the best way to start out my day, especially a work day, would be to open it in prayer and read my Bible first before I even climb out of bed. I have good intentions every night when I go to bed, but something happens when that 6:15 alarm goes off that just keeps me from getting up. It doesn't help at all that I never end up getting to bed before 11:30 every night, even on nights that I've been home for hours.
I listened to Pastor Craig Groeschel's sermon called "First" that he did at the beginning of the year. At the very start of the message he asked the question "What kind of year was last year for you spiritually?" and then he gave three general types of a year that you could fall into: 1) Spiritually apathetic; 2) Spiritually inconsistent; and 3) Spiritually consumed. I honestly feel that a good majority of my year in 2010 was the 3rd one; however, there were a few times where I feel like I was inconsistent in a few areas. I did not start out the year reading my Bible every day...there were some weeks I never picked it up after service on Sunday until the next weekend's service. Now, thanks to the Bible reading plan I had started (I honestly haven't kept up with it anymore. I've started others, but that one was a little intense), I hardly go a day without picking up my Bible at some point.
Pastor Craig listed 4 different areas of life to put God first, and the very first one was to seek God in the very first part of our day. He referenced Mark 1:35, which says "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Jesus did it, with everything else that He had going on. Therefore, why can't I rise above the challenge of getting up at the first alarm? It's simple: I've been relying on my own strength. I haven't asked God for help in this area. The first words out of my mouth in the morning are "ugh, no...not yet...five more minutes..." Five more minutes (or even twenty, since that's what I usually stretch it to) never make me feel any more rested, yet I keep doing it.
My prayer for tomorrow morning is for God to give me the strength I need to get up and spend time with Him first.
I listened to Pastor Craig Groeschel's sermon called "First" that he did at the beginning of the year. At the very start of the message he asked the question "What kind of year was last year for you spiritually?" and then he gave three general types of a year that you could fall into: 1) Spiritually apathetic; 2) Spiritually inconsistent; and 3) Spiritually consumed. I honestly feel that a good majority of my year in 2010 was the 3rd one; however, there were a few times where I feel like I was inconsistent in a few areas. I did not start out the year reading my Bible every day...there were some weeks I never picked it up after service on Sunday until the next weekend's service. Now, thanks to the Bible reading plan I had started (I honestly haven't kept up with it anymore. I've started others, but that one was a little intense), I hardly go a day without picking up my Bible at some point.
Pastor Craig listed 4 different areas of life to put God first, and the very first one was to seek God in the very first part of our day. He referenced Mark 1:35, which says "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Jesus did it, with everything else that He had going on. Therefore, why can't I rise above the challenge of getting up at the first alarm? It's simple: I've been relying on my own strength. I haven't asked God for help in this area. The first words out of my mouth in the morning are "ugh, no...not yet...five more minutes..." Five more minutes (or even twenty, since that's what I usually stretch it to) never make me feel any more rested, yet I keep doing it.
My prayer for tomorrow morning is for God to give me the strength I need to get up and spend time with Him first.
Thoughts On Awakening Day 2
Genesis 8 is the devotional chapter for Day 2 of the Awakening fast. As I was reading about how Noah was watching as the flood waters receded each day, I compared it to the winter storm we just had. As we are waiting for our world around us to thaw out, it gives us some extended time to reflect on God's word without distractions, and we can keep away from our busy-ness for another few hours. It also makes me think how we seem to feel like we're going stir-crazy when we're stuck indoors for 24 or 48 hours, and Noah was in the ark for over a year.
I watched The Five People You Meet In Heaven last night. I had read the book a few times but it's been a while since I have picked it up. There were a few quotes that stood out:
"There are no random acts - we are all connected". Things that you do affect other people, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. A lot of the times, we don't even know that something we did had an effect on someone else. The innocent smiles that we give people as a child can really make a difference in their day...there was one guy who worked as a cook in multiple restaurants that I went to as a kid, and when I started my first job after high school, I was surprised to find out that he also worked there. He had been working there during my entire childhood, yet all I knew back then about him was that he was a good cook.
On sacrifice: "Sometimes when you think you're losing something, you're really just passing it on to someone else."
"The world is full of stories, but the stories are all one." Everything that happens in this world is part of God's story. For example, when I first went to Elevation, the greeters were the first people I saw, and I was impressed by the amount of welcome everyone receives each week. But these greeters were people who first had to go through things in their lives to bring them to that point where they were serving at church. In order for Elevation to exist, (or any church for that matter) the people who were a part of starting the church had to get to the point in their lives where God could use them for that purpose.
I've decided today that instead of looking at the ice as a problem, I'm going to see the true beauty in the ice and snow. After all, it's part of God's creation, just like the wind in the trees and the and the summertime thunderstorms.
I watched The Five People You Meet In Heaven last night. I had read the book a few times but it's been a while since I have picked it up. There were a few quotes that stood out:
"There are no random acts - we are all connected". Things that you do affect other people, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. A lot of the times, we don't even know that something we did had an effect on someone else. The innocent smiles that we give people as a child can really make a difference in their day...there was one guy who worked as a cook in multiple restaurants that I went to as a kid, and when I started my first job after high school, I was surprised to find out that he also worked there. He had been working there during my entire childhood, yet all I knew back then about him was that he was a good cook.
On sacrifice: "Sometimes when you think you're losing something, you're really just passing it on to someone else."
"The world is full of stories, but the stories are all one." Everything that happens in this world is part of God's story. For example, when I first went to Elevation, the greeters were the first people I saw, and I was impressed by the amount of welcome everyone receives each week. But these greeters were people who first had to go through things in their lives to bring them to that point where they were serving at church. In order for Elevation to exist, (or any church for that matter) the people who were a part of starting the church had to get to the point in their lives where God could use them for that purpose.
I've decided today that instead of looking at the ice as a problem, I'm going to see the true beauty in the ice and snow. After all, it's part of God's creation, just like the wind in the trees and the and the summertime thunderstorms.
Monday, January 10, 2011
First 10 days of the new year
I am having a hard time believing we are only 10 days into 2011, and we're already on our second snowstorm of the season. However, I am very thankful for the snow day, because it is allowing me to focus on spending an entire day with God and with my family. So far I will be off from work for at least two days this week, since the call-in number said it would be updated on Tuesday at noon.
I was reading Holly Furtick's blog last week, and she mentioned making 6x6 goals: Six goals for the next six weeks. It's a lot better to do that then to make one BIG new year's resolution that doesn't end up making it past the second week of January. Here are my 6x6 goals and how I'm doing so far:
1. Move over CDs and books to the apartment (started moving books, still have quite a bit left to box up and move)
2. Keep up with the devotionals that I've signed up for (so far so good)
3. Finish the book of Psalms (on Psalm 77)
4. Walk for 30 minutes three times a week (Not doing so good with this one...the last time I walked was two Saturdays ago. I don't count the mall walking trips where I bought a cookie afterward)
5. Go 6 weeks without buying another book (so far so good)
6. Finish Craig Groeschel's book on marriage and read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. (Have finished Craig's book, about to start Crazy Love today)
And I've added a 7th one: drink at least two 12oz bottles of water every day. That doesn't sound like a lot of water, but actually it's more than I usually drink. There have been times where a 12oz bottle lasts me three days. I did good with this on Friday, but over the weekend I barely had any water during the day.
We started a series at Elevation this week called Get Back. It's about recovering our spritual momentum, and one thing Pastor said at the very beginning stuck out: "You cannot create today's momentum with yesterday's memories." This is so true! If I focus on the not-so-good things that happened the day before as soon as I wake up in the morning, I'll feel defeated before I even get out of bed. Momentum is always moving forward, so that's where we should be looking. The very last point that he made was that we need to dig some ditches in our situations (this is coming from 2 Kings 2:16). In this section of scripture, the Israelites were marching for seven days when they ran out of water. God told them, through Elisha, to dig ditches in the valley that they were in, and it would be filled with water. They saw no sign of rain coming, but they prepared for God to do what He said He would do to provide for them. We need to do what we can with what we have, and trust that God will provide for us and bring us through our situations.
A few days ago I heard about this 21 day fast called Awakening, and I've decided to fast from cakes, cookies, and any other desserts for the next 21 days. I am also cutting out snacking between meals (with the exception of fruit). This is easy when I'm at home, but not so much when I'm at work.
There is a devotional to go along with the 21 days as well. For day one we read Genesis 7, where Noah and his family get into the ark and God floods the earth, wiping out every living thing that is not on the ark. The purpose of fasting is to get closer to God, and to separate ourselves from worldly habits. Looking back at the story of the ark, that's exactly what God did with Noah.
I was reading Holly Furtick's blog last week, and she mentioned making 6x6 goals: Six goals for the next six weeks. It's a lot better to do that then to make one BIG new year's resolution that doesn't end up making it past the second week of January. Here are my 6x6 goals and how I'm doing so far:
1. Move over CDs and books to the apartment (started moving books, still have quite a bit left to box up and move)
2. Keep up with the devotionals that I've signed up for (so far so good)
3. Finish the book of Psalms (on Psalm 77)
4. Walk for 30 minutes three times a week (Not doing so good with this one...the last time I walked was two Saturdays ago. I don't count the mall walking trips where I bought a cookie afterward)
5. Go 6 weeks without buying another book (so far so good)
6. Finish Craig Groeschel's book on marriage and read Crazy Love by Francis Chan. (Have finished Craig's book, about to start Crazy Love today)
And I've added a 7th one: drink at least two 12oz bottles of water every day. That doesn't sound like a lot of water, but actually it's more than I usually drink. There have been times where a 12oz bottle lasts me three days. I did good with this on Friday, but over the weekend I barely had any water during the day.
We started a series at Elevation this week called Get Back. It's about recovering our spritual momentum, and one thing Pastor said at the very beginning stuck out: "You cannot create today's momentum with yesterday's memories." This is so true! If I focus on the not-so-good things that happened the day before as soon as I wake up in the morning, I'll feel defeated before I even get out of bed. Momentum is always moving forward, so that's where we should be looking. The very last point that he made was that we need to dig some ditches in our situations (this is coming from 2 Kings 2:16). In this section of scripture, the Israelites were marching for seven days when they ran out of water. God told them, through Elisha, to dig ditches in the valley that they were in, and it would be filled with water. They saw no sign of rain coming, but they prepared for God to do what He said He would do to provide for them. We need to do what we can with what we have, and trust that God will provide for us and bring us through our situations.
A few days ago I heard about this 21 day fast called Awakening, and I've decided to fast from cakes, cookies, and any other desserts for the next 21 days. I am also cutting out snacking between meals (with the exception of fruit). This is easy when I'm at home, but not so much when I'm at work.
There is a devotional to go along with the 21 days as well. For day one we read Genesis 7, where Noah and his family get into the ark and God floods the earth, wiping out every living thing that is not on the ark. The purpose of fasting is to get closer to God, and to separate ourselves from worldly habits. Looking back at the story of the ark, that's exactly what God did with Noah.
Monday, January 3, 2011
What it looks like to have Jesus at the center of our lives
The first one-week sermon series of 2011 had a bit of an interesting title. It is called "Don't Put Jesus First This Year". The title suprised me, but it was an incredible message. The overall point was that Jesus shouldn't just be put first in our daily lives, but He should be in everything of our daily lives. Every moment, every part of our lives, whether it be with our family, friends, work, health, finances, etc.
We had three of our campus pastors tag-teaming the message, and as I found out Saturday night was actually a little different than Sunday. God works in mysterious ways, though, and I believe I was there at the exact service I needed to be.
The first topic was what it looks like for Jesus to be at the center of our work. Larry Hubatka delivered this part, and he stated that we should focus on Jesus throughout the day to keep Him at the center. The second point (given by Wade Joye) was that Jesus should be at the center of our relationships. He said we should see God's vision for the relationship, and then serve like Christ and speak life into our relationships.
The third point was from John Bishop, and this is the one that had a huge effect on me. His topic was having Jesus at the center of our circumstances, and he gave us three questions to ask ourselves to find out if we have put Christ at the center of our circumstances:
Here's my situation: I've been going through a rough few years with my dad...he was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 11, and although he's had a lot of major things go wrong with his health, these past few years have really been bad. I've always been closer to my mom, but because of his constant health failing, I starting putting up a wall, not letting myself get too close, and quite frankly just taking on a terrible attitude towards my dad. These past couple years have been full of ambulances and hospital visits, and especially the past few months he's been sick all the time. I've felt like a terrible daughter so many times recently, because of the thoughts I have and how I react to his problems...I've almost grown neutral to it. I've felt like I should change, but I never knew how. But Saturday night, I was sitting in my room, and I started reading over the verse again that John used in his message. Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." I started praying for God to help me deal with my dad's health, and as soon as I said "Jesus change my heart" it was like a dam broke. For the first time I was crying for the suffering that my dad is going through, and not for the unfairness that I have to be in this environment.
It's pretty amazing what God can do when we open up our hearts to Him.
We had three of our campus pastors tag-teaming the message, and as I found out Saturday night was actually a little different than Sunday. God works in mysterious ways, though, and I believe I was there at the exact service I needed to be.
The first topic was what it looks like for Jesus to be at the center of our work. Larry Hubatka delivered this part, and he stated that we should focus on Jesus throughout the day to keep Him at the center. The second point (given by Wade Joye) was that Jesus should be at the center of our relationships. He said we should see God's vision for the relationship, and then serve like Christ and speak life into our relationships.
The third point was from John Bishop, and this is the one that had a huge effect on me. His topic was having Jesus at the center of our circumstances, and he gave us three questions to ask ourselves to find out if we have put Christ at the center of our circumstances:
- Am I thinking mostly about myself in the midst of my circumstances?
- Can I tell God the whole story right now? (Can I admit to God where I have failed in my situation)
- Am I moving forward? (Am I still struggling with the same thing I have been struggling with for a while, or have I grown and am I facing different challenges?)
Here's my situation: I've been going through a rough few years with my dad...he was diagnosed with diabetes when I was 11, and although he's had a lot of major things go wrong with his health, these past few years have really been bad. I've always been closer to my mom, but because of his constant health failing, I starting putting up a wall, not letting myself get too close, and quite frankly just taking on a terrible attitude towards my dad. These past couple years have been full of ambulances and hospital visits, and especially the past few months he's been sick all the time. I've felt like a terrible daughter so many times recently, because of the thoughts I have and how I react to his problems...I've almost grown neutral to it. I've felt like I should change, but I never knew how. But Saturday night, I was sitting in my room, and I started reading over the verse again that John used in his message. Colossians 1:17 "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." I started praying for God to help me deal with my dad's health, and as soon as I said "Jesus change my heart" it was like a dam broke. For the first time I was crying for the suffering that my dad is going through, and not for the unfairness that I have to be in this environment.
It's pretty amazing what God can do when we open up our hearts to Him.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2011 = New Beginnings!
I am so excited for the beginning of a new year, this is going to be SUCH a big year in my life. Here's a look back on 2010:
2010 brought along so many changes. My dad got a pacemaker, I changed jobs (after another layoff) back to my first job at OMNOVA, my dating world did a complete 180, and I got baptized and engaged.
I started the year going through The Purpose Driven Life with some of the people from my Elevation Starting Point group and our leader Rick and his family, and I am completely grateful that I followed through with it. It's amazing what God has brought me through since I got saved in 2009. He placed me in the exact group that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and get involved, plus I met one of my best friends in that group. While going through The Purpose Driven Life, I made the decision to start volunteering at church, and God took it from there. He prompted me to get into the exact role that I said I would never go near: greeting. I'm not comfortable with crowds, and when you're greeting, you are facing the crowds that walk in the doors. But what was amazing is not only did He change me personally through the experience, He led me to meet the love of my life, and answered my prayers at the exact time that was right.
I can't even begin to count the number of devotionals and reading plans I started in 2010. I have become sort of A.D.D. on those...I have at least 2 going at the same time, because you never know which one will really hit home on any given day.
In the past year I discovered Christian authors and contemporary christian music (more on music later). I always liked Joyce Meyer, but I also discovered Max Lucado, Francis Chan, Craig Groeschel, and Clayton King. Pastor Steven also had his first book released, Sun Stand Still.
And this brings me to the music. Here are my songs of the year that have a special meaning to me (even if they weren't all released in 2010)
One final note on 2010: I got to visit Newspring Church with Keirstin in August. We sat in one of the first few rows, and it was so amazing to be there! Next on the list is lifechurch with Craig Groeschel...haha.
For 2011 my focus is going to be to set up more of a routine for spending quiet time with God. Something that Larry Hubatka said in his part of the message last night (we had 3 campus pastors tag-teaming it) was that we should be creative in spending time with Jesus. That is going to stick on my mind for a long time, because I'm so stuck in the mindset that quiet time has to be alone in my room when no one will bother me...and that's just not possible every day. I'm going to ask God to show me new opportunities to spend time with Him.
2011 is going to be the best year of my life yet: I'm getting married in April to the most amazing guy I've ever known, and I'm so excited for what God has in store for both of us! There are a lot of unknowns that we are facing this year, but I know we will be able to pull through because we will always have our faith to turn to.
2010 brought along so many changes. My dad got a pacemaker, I changed jobs (after another layoff) back to my first job at OMNOVA, my dating world did a complete 180, and I got baptized and engaged.
I started the year going through The Purpose Driven Life with some of the people from my Elevation Starting Point group and our leader Rick and his family, and I am completely grateful that I followed through with it. It's amazing what God has brought me through since I got saved in 2009. He placed me in the exact group that challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and get involved, plus I met one of my best friends in that group. While going through The Purpose Driven Life, I made the decision to start volunteering at church, and God took it from there. He prompted me to get into the exact role that I said I would never go near: greeting. I'm not comfortable with crowds, and when you're greeting, you are facing the crowds that walk in the doors. But what was amazing is not only did He change me personally through the experience, He led me to meet the love of my life, and answered my prayers at the exact time that was right.
I can't even begin to count the number of devotionals and reading plans I started in 2010. I have become sort of A.D.D. on those...I have at least 2 going at the same time, because you never know which one will really hit home on any given day.
In the past year I discovered Christian authors and contemporary christian music (more on music later). I always liked Joyce Meyer, but I also discovered Max Lucado, Francis Chan, Craig Groeschel, and Clayton King. Pastor Steven also had his first book released, Sun Stand Still.
And this brings me to the music. Here are my songs of the year that have a special meaning to me (even if they weren't all released in 2010)
- Live Like We're Dying - Kris Allen
- Give Me Your Eyes - Brandon Heath
- Mama's Song - Carrie Underwood
- Praise You in this Storm - Casting Crowns
- Our God - Chris Tomlin
- God Gave Me You - Dave Barnes
- You Never Let Go - Elevation Church
- Give Me Faith - Elevation Worship
- You Found Me - The Fray
- The River - Good Charlotte
- Walk By Faith - Jeremy Camp
- Only You Can Love Me This Way - Keith Urban
- What Faith Can Do - Kutless
- Born Again - Newsboys
- Jesus Freak - Newsboys
- I'll Know You - Sons of Sylvia
- Stuck Like Glue - Sugarland
- Lose My Soul - TobyMac
- Get Back Up - TobyMac
- No Apologies - Trapt
- She Don't Want the World - 3 Doors Down
- Sun Stand Still - Elevation. Very Inspiring. Made me think about my prayer life, and if I'm living in audacious faith every day. Until this series, I had no idea what "audacious" even was.
- F-Bomb (Elevation) - Challenging series on forgiveness. It's a daily process, and sometimes you have to forgive someone over and over for the same offense.
- Christ Alone (Elevation) - Romans 8 series...which now, Romans 8 is one of my favorite chapters. Having the staff members reciting it on stage brought it to life for me.
- The Highest (Elevation) - Right before Christmas we had this series. Each week was life-changing.
- Confidence (LifeChurch.tv) - Not really sure if this came out in 2010, but it's one of my favorites that I listened to last year. Confidence in certain situations and atmospheres is something I've always struggled with, so this was a big message for me to listen to. "Real peace is not determined by our circumstances; real peace flows out of our relationship with and confidence in God."
- Margin (LifeChurch.tv) - Week two was on scheduling margin in our lives. Basically, we need to schedule some time in between our activities in our day. One point was "Busy-ness does not equal importance, meaning, or productivity." He also mentioned two things that are commonly first to go when we are squeezed for time (and I've witnessed this in my life): the first is intimate time with God, the second is intentional times of rest.
One final note on 2010: I got to visit Newspring Church with Keirstin in August. We sat in one of the first few rows, and it was so amazing to be there! Next on the list is lifechurch with Craig Groeschel...haha.
For 2011 my focus is going to be to set up more of a routine for spending quiet time with God. Something that Larry Hubatka said in his part of the message last night (we had 3 campus pastors tag-teaming it) was that we should be creative in spending time with Jesus. That is going to stick on my mind for a long time, because I'm so stuck in the mindset that quiet time has to be alone in my room when no one will bother me...and that's just not possible every day. I'm going to ask God to show me new opportunities to spend time with Him.
2011 is going to be the best year of my life yet: I'm getting married in April to the most amazing guy I've ever known, and I'm so excited for what God has in store for both of us! There are a lot of unknowns that we are facing this year, but I know we will be able to pull through because we will always have our faith to turn to.
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