Inspired.

To get this out of the way, I know that I haven't blogged in quite a number of months. I have no real excuse for not doing so, other than the fact that I got kind of lazy, and I didn't really think anyone read this. Anyway, with that said..Time to blog!

2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, a new creation has come: the old is gone, the new is here!"

Today is a very special day for me, for two reasons. It's my Aunt Vicki's Birthday today, she passed away at the end of 2008, at the age of 35. Two years later, I was still having a hard time understanding just why she had to go so young [and I still wonder this]. I ended up hearing about a concert at a local church from one of my best friends, was a skeptic at first, but then I thought "I need a place to come to terms with the loss of my Aunt," and in my mind, no place made more sense to me then a church...so I went, and 1 year ago today, November 7th, 2010, I was saved. My life has really been forever changed since then. I'm forever thankful, and now blessed with an amazing church family.

Lately though, I've been really down on myself, and I sort of blocked out that I have God in my life for a while. Ironically enough, it took another concert [Third Day/Tenth Avenue North/Trevor Morgan] to show me that God is still here, just as He was before I even accepted Him into my life. That's what really inspired this blog today. Sometimes, we all need a little reminder...Today, I'm thanking God for continuing to show me You are there, just when I start to think You aren't. Thank you for saving me. I love you.

Never Alone

Deuteronomy 31:8 - The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Last night before bed, I was reading Traveling Light by Max Lucado. I got to the chapter about the burden of loneliness. This chapter talked about how we are never alone, and showed many examples where we are told this - the above verse is just one more example. It's said so many times in the Bible, He wants us to know that we are never alone. In Traveling Light, Max pointed out that sometimes when we are alone, we may do something because we are bored or have nothing else to do. When I read that, I thought, "yeah, Max is definitely right", he points out that maybe God wants us to do that very thing we wouldn't normally do for one reason or another.

When I think about it like that, I realize how far from true loneliness we really are. Next time you think you're alone, take that time to get even closer to God - I know I will, because He's there even when no one else is.


P.S. If you haven't read Traveling Light by Max Lucado - look into it, I think you might enjoy it.

He Is My Strength

Exodus 15:2 - The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him,my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Every now and then I think we all need a little reminder of why we're here, and who keeps us going everyday. For me, that is the Lord. My life has been pretty hectic lately, (honestly, who's hasn't?) but I sat back and realized all the wonderful things I've been blessed with recently. Amazing people have come into my life, my life has been more fulfilled than it has in a long time. What I'm trying to say is this -- to get to the good times, you need to get through the bad ones first. The only way you can get through bad times is with strength. The Lord will give you the strength to get through anything in life as long as you trust in Him. He will never fail you.

Take Delight in the Lord

Psalm 37:4-6 - Take delight in the Lord,and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,your vindication like the noonday sun.

This was one of the last things my Pastor said to close out last weekend's service. He said to us "take delight in the Lord." Up until that point, I didn't realize that I wasn't taking delight in Him. I have absolutely given my life to Christ, but I wasn't realizing that everything that has been happening in my life was His plan for me, not my plan for me. If we can all realize that if we take delight in the Lord, He'll give us the desires of our hearts..we may learn to be thankful for everything that happens in our lives - the good and the bad. Why? Because everything that happens is just more direction in the path He wants us to take in our lives!

Let's embrace the plan He has for each of us, let's take delight in the Lord.

Speak

"Speak, you have my attention. You have my attention, Lord."

I don't normally take the time to blog about a song, but this particular one really hit home for me today. I was having a tough time earlier this evening, and I said some things I wasn't proud of, just because someone hurt my feelings. After the anger passed, and the hurt set in, I realized something. I was angry at what happened, yes, but I was even more angry at the things I had said because of the content, and I was hurt because I know my actions let Him down.

I'm trying to move on with my life, but I realized tonight [better late than never] that I wasn't letting God lead the way. So here I am, via blog...saying speak, you have my attention. You have my attention, Lord. Show me what to do, show me where to go, without Your guidance, I'm lost.

To close this out, all I can say for anyone reading...He's always listening, He's always there when you need help [even when it takes us a while to realize we need help]. Wait for Him to show you the way, He should always have our attention.

Easter - Not All About Peeps!

I believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Let's not forget what Easter is all about. It's not all about the candy and the amazing food [although we do love all those things], it's really about the resurrection of Jesus. He was crucified, He died for our sins. We all need to remember that, not just on Easter, but we need to remember,and be thankful for that every single day. I, myself am guilty of forgetting this, especially recently. I've been going through a lot of emotional battles lately, and found myself questioning everything once again. Something triggered within me a few days ago, I realized Easter was approaching, and I remembered just what Easter was all about [No, I'm sorry - it's not Peeps!], and I said to myself "what am I doing? How could I be so miserable when someone so wonderful gave His life for me?" I needed that realization, and He knew that. So now, I'm asking anyone reading this to realize today and everyday here after, that He gave his life for us. I know I will be forever thankful.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Boast In The Lord

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 - Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Everything we do in this world should glorify God. If we boast at our accomplishments, we need to remember to give our Father the glory He deserves. You and I cannot take the credit for the things we do here. We must always thank God for things that happen in our lives, as His plan for us unravels day after day. If you're reading this, you may be saying to yourself, "okay, okay I get it. This sounds kind of redundant." Honestly though, how many of us often have the thought to thank God, every time something good comes about in our life? We should know deep down, that whatever happens in our lives happens because God wants it to-it's all part of a bigger picture.

With that said, we need to make sure that we thank God for everything we have in this life, no matter how big or how small it may be, it's all happening for a reason, and we need to be thankful. We need to lift the name of Jesus high! [ I know I took that from a song] always glorify, and boast in the Lord, it is He who deserves the praise, and no one else.

Love As He Loved

1 John 4:19 - We love because He first loved us.

One of the most simple, but most profound sayings in the Scripture. He loved us first, He knows that we are all sinners, but he loves us anyway. Can we say the same thing for the rest of us? If someone does something we don't like, says something we don't like, or even does something as trivial as not wearing the proper clothes. Can we love them anyway? As much as I would like to say yes, that's not true.

The way it works for most people - we love people we are close to, we love family, we love people we have gotten to know. We never love someone just to love them, but He does. So if we really want to live our life for God, shouldn't we love everyone, even if they don't accept or want our love - that's what Our Father did so long before us.

So here is my challenge, to myself, and anyone else that might read this:

Let's love as He loved - love everyone. Love is NOT something to be selective with. Remember, we love because He loves. 1 John 4:8 - Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

He Gets Us Through It All

Ecclesiastes 7:14 - When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.

Sometimes, when times are bad, we as people think "there's no way I can get through this." We have to realize something though, even if we think we can't get through it, He can get us through it - there is nothing He can't handle. We need to remember that God has a plan for our lives, and everything that happens is leading up to that plan. As it says in the above verse, He has made one as well as the other. So even if something bad is happening in our life, it will always lead to something good happening, always. We just need to have faith in our Father. He gets us through everything.

We can never forget that, and we need to always be thankful. No matter what we have done, or what we may do, we can always ask Him for forgiveness, He never fails to be there for us.

So right now, I will type / write my thanks to the Lord..Thank you for getting me through times of trouble, thank you for forgiving me, thank you for everything. I can never give enough thanks, which is why I will never stop thanking you.

Love - Forgiveness - Compassion

Ephesians 4:29-32 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

I usually don't blog more than once a week, but today as I was reading the Bible, I came across the passage above. It's such a beautiful passage that I feel is completely relevant to today's world. Why do I feel this way? That's easy to answer. Turn on you television, flip through the channels, you may come across shows like...Jersey Shore or any other drama-filled reality show. On the show, you'll see all kinds of bitterness and anger, among many other things. I know all this from talk shows and things of that nature, I've never actually watched the show myself. With all that said, I wonder why people would bother watching such a show, so I asked some people. The replies ranged from things like "it's funny" to things like, "I learn from the show."

Here I am, still clueless, wondering why people in today's society think anger and disrespect are funny. Maybe I'm just weird, who knows. Either way, my opinion stands, I see no point in it. Of course, I am no angel in the anger department, but I truly am working on it, and I know I will be forgiven. I have hope that maybe someday there will be a beneficial show on TV, something about being compassionate, and how much of a better life we can live if we start treating everyone with respect instead of anger, rudeness, and bitterness. Let's show people we can forgive them for their actions, just as He forgives us.

Mission: Love - Forgiveness - Compassion.

Who's with me?

He Is First, We Are Second

Psalms 51:1-2 - Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

I can sum this passage up in two simple words, unconditional love. How amazing is it to know that no matter what you do, or what you have done in the past, God can and will forgive you. He will wipe your sins away, just like notes on a chalkboard - once erased they are gone forever.

Isn't it great to know that even though you may have done terrible things in the past, there is a way to redeem yourself - through Christ. I am so grateful for that. I was into drugs, I was into drinking, I had no shame when I used inappropriate language. I was into a lot of things that weren't good for me, or good for anyone for that matter. Then, I met some new friends, and I found myself seeking God, something was missing in my life. That something was faith. If you aren't sure about having faith, I encourage you to try it. I can make the guarantee that if you can know that He is first, and you are second, it will change your life.

www.iamsecond.com

He Will Give You Rest

Matthew 11:28-30 - “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

It was as easy as that. Just go to Jesus. If you needed rest, He'll be there to make the burden lighter for you. I believe that this is completely true, no matter what is going on in your life, if you go to Him, he will give you what you need. I believe that He never presents us with any situation that we couldn't handle.

If you're going through a crazy time, just sit back and think about all the other things you have in your life. Has God presented you with any new friends lately, or perhaps a better outlook on life? It was to help make the burden lighter for you, to give you rest. Our Father is always there when we need Him most. Never forget that.

I Am A Sinner

Ephesians 1:3-10 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Forgiveness of sins. Tell me that those words alone don't completely blow your mind. As it says in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. It's amazing to even think about that!

The reason I'm talking about this today is because I was having a problem this past week. That problem was, I knew I had been saved, and I knew I was doing all I could do to live my life for God, and I knew that He has forgiven me for all the things I had done before I accepted Him into my heart. Here's the thing, I couldn't forgive myself! So, today I had a talk with my pastor, and I said to him, "I know God has forgiven me, but how do I forgive me?" He replied by saying something like this, "keep moving forward as you live your life for Him, He forgives you."

After I talked with him, I just thought, "Wow, how lucky am I!" How lucky are we all to have such a loving Father who will forgive us for our sins.

My name is Brittani, and I am a sinner, saved by God's grace.

True Religion by Palmer Chinchen

Today, I'm writing to tell you about a book I read this past year that completely changed my life, and help me be even more sure that I wanted to commit my life to serving God. That book is called True Religion: Taking Pieces of Heaven to Places of Hell on Earth, Palmer Chinchen, PhD. In this book you'll read about several accounts of devastating things going on in the world around us, that nobody wants to talk about. Why? Probably because the issues are so difficult to hear [children with no shoes, clothes, etc...]. Palmer wants you to hear them, he wants you to know the devastation. The key thing he wants you to know though is, you can help, you can make a change. Something he says in the book really opened up my eyes, and I'm sure it will do the same for you. Palmer writes, "God has a more beautiful way." That is absolutely true, He does have a more beautiful way, and YOU can be a part of it. So if you haven't read this book, I highly recommend you do, and after you do, I hope you're compelled to make a change - change people's lives. Make a difference. Isn't that what living is all about?

www.palmerchinchen.com

"Faith in Unexpected Places"

Philippians 4:10-13 - But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What's so special about this Bible verse? The answer is simple...Everything! Knowing that you can do anything you put your mind to because He is always there, helping you along the way, building you up, strengthening you. That's pretty amazing!

I'm currently in the process of starting a project that I will need His strength for. It's a project I'm calling "Faith In Unexpected Places". What I want to do is put my passion to use to show my faith. I'm a photography major, and I want to photograph crosses [or things that look like crosses - if I find any] in places you wouldn't expect to see them, to imply God is always with you - no matter the situation. Any suggestions / thoughts / ideas are welcome.

A New Creation

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

This is a particularly home-hitting verse for me. Why? Because this is how I felt the next day after being saved. Like a new creation, from that moment on, I knew I wanted to live my life for God. I knew He would guide me the right direction. Do you want to be a new creation? If your answer is yes, start today. Live your life for God, make a change. I promise it will be the best choice you ever make.