begging

Last week, I was reading in Luke 16 and was very challenged by the story Jesus was telling about the rich man and Lazarus. As the story goes, both of these men died. Lazarus went to heaven once he left earth, the rich man - hell. Due to the fact that the rich man built his kingdom on earth and Lazarus built his for the next life they were rewarded as such. Just is the same with us. Either we accept the gift Jesus gave us or we pay the price.

The story continues, the rich man sees Abraham and Lazarus off in the distance and calls to them asking for one drop of water for his tongue because he was in anguish. However, Abraham told him there is no rest, no way to bridge the chasm that separates hell from heaven once one is already there. Then the rich man says something so profound,

"Then I beg you, father, to send him [Lazarus] to my father's house-for I have five brothers - so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." Luke 16:27-28

Just as Dan and Luke always say, everyone in Hell believes, but this just motivates me to action in such a bold way that I am filled with urgency. He desires for his family to believe so that they may not experience the painful agony of hell and its consuming fire.

I have been challenged by the way I share the gospel, not just due to command, but with a since of urgent compassion, I have noticed a way I think about people in passing, and even just how I view my time. I honestly, have such little time to use, but I desire to use it to the best of my ability - only by the grace I am given from Jesus Christ alone.

Granted all of this is impossible without the free gift God gave us in his son - Jesus, over 2,000 years ago. He came to earth, lived a perfect sinless life unlike everyone else [Romans 3:23] and then gave his life - died on a cross for you and me, [Romans 5:8 ; John 3:16] His love for you is so great that he did not want for you to enter into eternal destruction-hell. He wants you to be able to live forever in heaven, but we are only able to do that once we have an understanding that we are sinners and have fallen short of perfection [10 commandments] and need a Savior to be make right-Jesus. All you have to do is this "9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10.

Prayerfully, you will all consider this gift and accept. If you are already a christian - then beg Christ for the salvation of others and become active in sharing you faith! How else is the world to hear?

"Shout it, go on and scream if from the mountains. Go on and tell it to the masses, that he is God."

until the whole world hears - REJOICE!

Silver & Gold

Many times I just think what I want will satisfy my soul, but as I have learned, that is completely untrue. Only the Savior of my soul can and will satisfy me, and he is Jesus Christ. The Israelites also had a hard time understanding that God would and did deliver them, satisfy them, provide for them, have compassion and mercy on them, and also the most important thing, love them the way they desired to be loved.

"...Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it.." Ezekiel 7:19

They continually turned toward their idols thinking their idols made of silver and gold would meet their needs and even deliver them from their troubles they were facing. I can read about their lives and think "how silly are they to not look towards God, who has provided for them in the past." Then I look at my own life and I am the same way. I think situations will satisfy or deliver me or different circumstances would be better, but God wants me to look toward him, the one who will deliver me, the one who already has - Jesus. Jesus bought me with his precious blood, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

The Bible says that

"so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10-11

That verse is so encouraging to me that one day, the entire human population that is and was will know who Jesus is and what he did for us. My prayer is more people will understand the love of Christ and understand the price he paid for you. He loves YOU so much he died and bared the entire wrath of God on himself so you and I could live forever one day when we die with him in heaven! What a gift, and it is just that a gift, we can do nothing to earn this gift.

Is there silver and gold in your life? Are there things you have been clinging too that are going to pass away? Let Jesus take those spots in your heart and allow him to fill them with something that will satisfy!

"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14

simply, amazed.

I am simply amazed at how true the Bible is. Week after week, day after day we fill our minds with the truth that comes from the Bible, the literal Word of God, but it is something entirely different when we begin to see the scriptures alive in our daily lives.

Throughout this summer, I have continually been challenged and urged by God to believe. Not to just know, but to believe. Not that I don't believe it all, because I do believe the entire Bible is true, but sometimes my flesh wants to believe lies and I have been working on dispelling them through the grace of God.

One, major area of sin in my life is knowledge. Whoever knew more in my family was considered 'better'. So, I prided myself on knowing things, but Paul says in I Corinthians 8:1

..."We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up...

This verse has been my net the past few weeks while trying to 'break' my need to know everything. Yes, this is hard and impossible, without the needed grace that Jesus bestows to me, but he does and will continue to. It has even been interesting as the Lord humbles my life in this area to even dislike, for lack of a better term, knowledge.
I am humbled that the Lord continues to grow my life and get rid of certain sin in my life and draw me closer to himself through the process.


Reason #2 I am simply amazed is this verse - Habakkuk 1:5

“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told."

This is the verse I have been praising the Lord for in regards to my job and the direction the Lord is generally leading my life. There are just certain things I want to know about my life, but I am not to know, and even if Jesus did tell me just as this verse says, I wouldn't believe him. If two years ago, going into nursing school, I would have been told I would get a job only a month after passing my boards with perfect hours, and a salary that is such a blessing, I would have laughed and said "Yea, right." God really does know what he is saying with this verse. Who would have thought ;) This verse has been such a blessing, and I am simply amazed at how true the Lord's promises to his people are. All he desires is a humble (no knowledge needed, praise the lord because honestly compared to the Lord I know nothing) and contrite heart.

Rejoice! For the King is enthralled by your beauty!

keep dancing

Blessings in Abundance

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-8, 11

A few months ago, I was relistening to a message by Dan Rude from the DTC, given sometime in November I believe. It was about prayer. The Lord has recently been challenging me to cultivate a prayer life that is pleasing to him. Dan shared this verse and it has been my companion when it comes to prayer, and oh my how the Lord has used it!

He has been extremely faithful in my life just giving me what I ask for. There was a point in the message that Dan shared "I don't want to get to heaven and see all I could have had, but I didn't ask for it." Now, that does not give me the right to ask for ridiculous things, such as a brand new car, or a million dollars, or anything off the wall, but just what I need and that I can trust the Lord to provide. So, I was praying about how it would be really nice to have a twin bed frame just not even really thinking much about it. Then I saw some garage sale signs in my neighborhood and was like, "Oh, I love garage sales!" So I went and lo behold, there was a beautiful twin black (my favorite color to decorate with) bed frame for 7 dollars! I was so blown away by the Lord's abundant provision! I then took a step back and realized that the Lord will come through for every time. Sometimes it may not be the exact answer I want or desire, but it is the answer that advances His Kingdom, puts him on the throne, not myself, and is best for my life, even when I think I know best.

This brings me to the real reason for blogging twice in one week! For over 3 years I and countless others (thank you by the way, Jesus will reward you better than I ever will be able too) have been praying for a job once I graduated nursing school. I had an interview a week ago today, at an Allergy and Asthma Clinic, here in Des Moines, and I was offered the job on Wednesday! Honestly, I could not have hand-picked a better job for me! The hours are perfect (I'll be part-time since I am working with Campus Fellowship at DMACC part-time as well), the staff seem wonderful, the job not too intense, and hopefully and prayerfully a place the gospel will be advanced. I will probably be the youngest person there by a few years, but it doesn't scare me. They all seem like family there, so I am trusting the Lord I'll fit in and be able to glorify him in this position as an RN. The Lord has also answered many other prayers in regard to this job and I am still in awe of his abundant provision.

Lastly, thank you to all the people who interceded on my behalf to the giver of all things and who has for now blessed me with this! Your prayers have been coveted since the day I started nursing school. It was a giant in my life, but by God's grace and love and the victory that I already have received by Jesus' death on the cross, I was successful! These verses describe well, how I feel,

"Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel"
Isaiah 12:4-6

Praise the Lord, for he has done excellent things!

REJOICE <3

Summer is Satisfying

This summer, which I cannot believe is half over!, has been a completely challenging yet super satisfying! I am still astounded as I look around and see the way the Lord continually provides for me daily, weekly, and even hourly.

As most know I took NCLEX, a test to see if I could practice as a nurse in the state of Iowa, and by God's complete provision and mercy, I PASSED! I was incredibly humbled, throughout the two days I waited for results, by the way the Lord canvased me with peace and grace about them. It wasn't about passing or failing, it was about rejoicing in who Christ is to me and what he does for me daily.

Since passing, the job hunt has been in full force. I am looking for part-time clinic jobs due to working with Campus Fellowship at DMACC come August. It is definitely bitter-sweet looking for new jobs, because it means leaving KTC is a reality in my life. I realize it is most likely time for me to move on and learn new challenges, meet new people, and learn to serve the Lord in a new capacity. I am excited to see where the Lord will have me! So, I have applied to just about every clinic job I have seen posted that is part-time and had my first interview on Friday! They were wonderful and I will find out tomorrow if I got the job or not! I would be working in a small office doing allergy testing and shots along with PFT (pulmonary function tests) for people who have asthma, along with lots of education, which is my favorite!

Not really thinking anything of it, I applied to a job on Saturday, where I would be going around in the community giving immunizations, such a flu shots. Today they called me and hired me! It is a seasonal job and extremely flexible! I will be able to basically pick my own hours and where I want to go! I was completely blown away by the Lord's provision here! He loves to bless in incredible ways!

Looking back on the last month, I have been so grateful by the Lord's presence. Throughout the summer our church has a leadership training program called EpiCenter. Weekly, we have other pastors from other Great Commission Churches come in and speak. This year has been mind-blowing, humbling, challenging, and just all around wonderful! I am so thankful these men have decided to 'fight the good fight of faith' and walk with the Lord all these years, for their wisdom they bestow on me and what I can learn. A couple weeks ago, the message was about faithfulness. I was so challenged in the way I have been living and to be more faithful with the things the Lord has entrusted to me. God values faithfulness and therefore so should I. Then Dan on Saturday night talked about serving and that was pretty much a slap in the face and the two tied in so well! To be faithful in serving the Lord throughout my days will sometimes not be the top item on my list, but as a Christ follower it is what I am called to do. By the grace of God, I am starting to see tiny improvements and all of the glory goes to Him!

Also, the girls and myself for lifegroup this summer are going through a book by Angela Thomas called Do you think I'm beautiful? (yes, if some of you remember this is why my blog is called, what it's called) She uses the analogy throughout the book about dancing with Jesus and how we sometimes miss the dance due to different 'womanly' issues we need to deal with.

A couple weeks ago, we read a chapter entitled "The Other Lovers". Basically it just went through different things that take Jesus' spot in our lives and how we need to understand and realize that nothing will fill our hearts and satisfy our desires, longings, passions, etc except Jesus and how we must give him that spot in our life. This was a very humbling chapter for me and somewhere it says "...we must realize that we are unable, but Jesus is able." After reading that a whole bunch of other stuff just kind of fell into place, because I needed to realize that I was trying to make them happen and it wasn't God's divine plan. Despite my sin, God's beauty, grace, and ability still remain. He is able to make me whole and able to give me my desires, not myself.

Prayerfully, this summer will only continue to grow my faith and love for Jesus and I'll be dancing more in August than I was in May.

until then.... REJOICE!

Claiming
* Isaiah 58:11
* Habakkuk 1:5

Glancing back at May

Wow, its once again almost been a month since I have blogged. May was not a very eventful month, but one thing that always remains steady, constant is Jesus Christ. I am thankful that his character is ever constant and as I yield to his spirit, he will grow me more and more like himself. Even through babysitting for five days, my sisters turning 20, a four day review course, Johnston finishing school, and Summer KTC starting, I am so thankful that God remains faithful in my life and through the lives of my brothers and sisters.

A couple other things, my cousin Trent got married to Joa this past weekend! It was such a lovely wedding and the way the Lord was honored suited them perfectly. I am excited for them to return from the Dominican Republic and settle in their apartment in West Des Moines. Hopefully, I'll be able to spend sometime with them since they are so close. Trent and Joa, I pray the Lord blesses your marriage richly as you grow to seek the Lord individually and together.

Finally, m2tc, or Mission to the City wraps up today in DSM. My church has a mission trip to Des Moines annually, with this year being the second year. I was unable to participate this year, but was able to join up with the DMACC ladies group on Sunday evening and all day Monday. It has been a blessing to see faith grow and hopefully lives be changed forever due to these five days spend working and sowing the truth in Des Moines. I am so thankful for my leaders hearts for this city and the time and effort they have put into planning this trip. Some of the stuff the groups have done are free oil changes and car washes, working on our building downtown, helping other churches do various projects, working at Ruth Harbor, Iowa Right to Life, Easter Seals, handing out free breakfast downtown to business men and women, along with going out sharing and door-to-door knocking to invite them to the free concert on Friday night. Aaron Gillespie is putting on a free show downtown, if you are interested please get your ticket and print it at this website http://aarongillespie.eventbrite.com/ It is bound to be a fabulous show.
I am excited to see the fruit from this week, weather it is this life or the next, I know the Lord will tremendously use the faith of those who labored these five days.

This year, I have been reading the Chronological Bible and now we are to King Solomon son of David after King David died. Seeing Solomon's life so humbly given to the Lord has been very challenging. All he asked for when he became King was understanding and discernment. The Lord was astounded he didn't ask for honor or riches that the Lord gave him both, understanding and discernment and riches and honor. The Lord said there would be none as wise as him. (I Kings 3:7-14, 28) It gave me a new found respect for the Proverbs and am excited to read and grow from them in a few days. I am starting to see the need for wisdom so much more throughout my daily life. After seeing my class for summer KTC yesterday there could be some challenges and I want Christ to be proclaimed through the way I handle children and other staff members. Therefore, wisdom is a precious gift during this stage in my life, also as to where to look for jobs, which job to take (hopefully there will be more than one offer :)), and when and how much to study for boards. That is my prayer request, to gain understanding and wisdom in needed areas to shine like Jesus more and more to this lost generation.

until next time keep dancing with Jesus
REJOICE!

...Changes...

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion, excited, fatigue, and crazyness to say the least. I was bombarded with loads of homework and clinical experience that took more time than I ever imagined. I can't believe it has been a month since I've blogged! With a month passed, A LOT of changes come, and I am no exception.
So here they are in a nut shell:
#1 New class - (that finished yesterday) It was my final class of nursing school and I am SO thankful to be done, and even more thankful to praise the Lord for getting me through this past semester!
#2 New Roommate - While one moved out and one is going to move out, a new one moved in! Lots of changes in this house!
#3 New car! - Many may or may not know, but my car got totaled in February and I finally got a new car! I am so blessed to be able to have gotten what I wanted and the Lord's timing is perfect! It is an 03 pontiac bonneville and someday maybe I"ll post pictures
#4 New Job - officially now I will be doing an internship with GCM/WCCC to be working on staff at DMACC for two years. I am so excited about the possibilities this gives me to be able to serve here at DMACC with these women and even more excited to see new faces the Lord brings around. I am also looking forward to seeing how the Lord grows and changes me through this process.
#5 The grass is green! - :) my favorite time of year along with trees budding and my garden hopefully to be planted soon!
#6 Transistions - lots of wonderful brothers and sisters taking the next leap into life at the DTC or other colleges! It is sad to see them go, but I actually really love change, and am so excited to see what the Lord does with each of their lives and their faith! He is bound to change them exponentially as they seek his will and plan for their lives!
Finally lastly #7 ITS SUMMER! - (at least for college students!) I am so excited to see the Lord use this summer to unite the hearts and souls of the saints here at DMACC. I am so excited to serve beside them all during EpiCenter and the other random events throughout this summer. The verse I am claiming for our time together is I Corinthians 1:10 "I appeal to you brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement." I am so honored to be apart of these men and women's lives and excited to see all of us grow closer together.

Lastly, one thing is certain, the Lord never changes. I am so thankful for this fact, that God's love remains the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever! I never have to faint because of Christ changing, however, I am thankful he gives us change in our lives to better see him and understand more of his character.

This is the verse I've been meditating on this past week. I am so grateful that God would be the strength of my heart, especially when I do not deserve it."Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire besides you. My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:25-26

keep dancing