Dwell

"I want you to stop planning,

stop wishing,

and allow me to give you

the most thrilling plan existing--

one you can't imagine.

I want you to have the best.

Please allow me to bring it to you."

Psalm 37:23,24

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in His way."

I'm dwelling in the land, Lord,

I'm committing my way to you.

Come near.

Blessing, Outrageous

I've been praying for more joy,

the kind that comes from obedience.

I've been finding beauty everywhere I look,

the kind that must have been touched by Him.

I've been writing a little,

and exploring a lot.

Life is full of blessings,

the outrageous kind.

It's a journey,

this living.

New Heights

I've been thinking a lot about mountains lately.

A few weeks ago my family climbed Quandary Peak--

one of the easier 14ers in Colorado.

It was more fun than difficult, and of course the view was beautiful.

But I was sitting at the top, waiting for my parents to catch up,

when I realized I hadn't depended on God at all for strength or perseverance.

I hadn't even thought about Him all morning.

And here I was surrounded by His beauty...

I don't want to be one of those people who takes small bites,

just as much as they can handle, no more.

I want to take huge steps of faith,

even if I don't know where I'm going.

The kind where the only way I can stand

is if He's giving me the strength.

The kind that depends on His love

just to take another step.

Because with His power, I can do a whole lot more.

"What I really need is the deep ocean of God's love and the high mountains of His truth within me. His wisdom has depths and heights that neither the ocean nor the mountain can contain and that can not be compared with jewels, gold, or precious stones. Christ is wisdom and He is our deepest need."--Margaret Bottome

Adventure

I'm craving one.

Care.

So be careful.

Share.

"If you aspire to be a person of consolation,

If you want to share the priestly gift of sympathy,

If you desire to go beyond giving commonplace comfort

to a heart that is tempted,

And if you long to go through the daily exchange of life

with the kind of tact that never inflicts pain,

Then you must be prepared to pay the price for a costly education--

For like Christ, you must suffer."

-Fredrick William Robinson

Everyday I become a little more sure

that I will do whatever it takes

to live a life for others.

For Us

A prayer I've been praying:

Give us pure hearts.

Teach us, compel us, to hunger

and thirst for righteousness.

God, we don't want hearts of stone.

We want hearts that are tender.

We want hearts that break

when your heart breaks;

We want hearts that cry

when your heart cries.

Hearts that are torn by injustice,

that cry out for peace.

I want to be more like you;

start with my heart.

Matthew 5:8-10

God blesses those who are merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure,

for they will see God.

God blesses those who work for peace,

for they will be called children of God.

Today's Living

Singleness.

I'm trying to embrace it,

trying to be thankful for it,

trying to find contentment despite it.

I'm trying not to wish I was like my friends

who are getting engaged or married.

I'm trying to focus on

the ways I can serve, single.

the friends I have, who are single

the ministry I'm available to, single.

Elisabeth Elliot says we should accept our singleness as a gift.

This gift for this day.

"The life of faith is lived one day at a time,

and it has to be lived---not looked forward to

as though the "real" living were around the next corner.

It is today for which we are responsible.

God still owns tomorrow."

-Elisabeth Elliot

Patience, Surrender, and Trust are all holding hands in my life right now.

Fear Not

I've been afraid lately.

Afraid of leaving a past community,

of building and becoming part of a new community.

Afraid of living at home again,

of becoming comfortable,

of being my own accountability.

I've been afraid that God won't come through when it's just me.

I am so weak.

Today God gave me this verse:

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

whose trust is in the Lord.

He is like a tree planted by water,

that sends out is roots by the stream,

and does not fear when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious in the year of drought,

for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17: 7-8

That verse reminds me to trust,

to fear not,

to not be anxious,

and to keep bearing fruit.

His love is strong.

Next

I'm not sure what's going to happen next;

but I'm trusting that God does.

In the meantime,

I'm going to be intentional about today,

bask in the beauty of new friends,

and be thankful for the right now.