Choices

I have become increasingly aware of how every choice I make has a direct impact on my life. Will I go to class today? Will I do my homework? Will I read my Bible? Will I pray? Will I live for Jesus?

It is only when we align our will with His that God will shine in our lives. Putting other’s well being above my own has been the lesson that I have been learning recently. When I disrespect my brothers and sisters in Christ, whether in thought or in action, I am disrespecting God. The same goes for disrespecting myself. We are all God’s children. We serve a God who loves us and His second greatest commandment is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. To do God’s will or not is a choice we are free to make, but to choose not to follow God has disastrous consequences.

God is on Aurora

Last night my house church went on a serve project. This was the first time in my experience that a specific plan wasn’t in place beforehand, and it felt awesome to feel completely led by the Spirit and to be so aware of God’s presence. Tim, Casey, Shelli and I met at the AXIS at 6:45 to pray and then Casey told us that we were going over to North Park Grocery. Leah, Caitlin, and the Mills brothers met us there later. We met the owner, a nice Christian lady whose name I forget. She has owned that store for 5 years. The building is in amazingly good condition for being 80 years old. I was also surprised at the ease of accessibility of the building compared to some newer buildings I have seen and been in. Half of us went into the back room and sorted through the food in the back, making a pile of expired food and a pile of non-expired food. The other half went on garbage pickup. It was awesome to be out in the community actively serving someone in a selfless act of service. After about an hour, we all left North Park Grocery and Casey, Tim, Leah and myself started heading back towards the AXIS. We stopped at the garden and Tim, Casey, and Leah went inside while I waited on the street. After about a minute, a lady came up and asked me for some money to catch the bus to her mother’s house so she could stay there because her current living situation wasn’t safe. We were all able to walk her to the bus stop, give her some money, and minister to her. She confessed her need to change and will be at Epic Life on Sunday! I initially felt abandoned outside the garden, but had I not been there, we would not have been able to minister to this woman, whose name is Jewel. Praise God for miracles on Aurora! He IS working even when we don’t know it.

Love: 1 Corinthians 13

I just listened to this week’s sermon. It was about this special kind of love that God gives to us: a love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. When we put God’s name in place of the word love, we get to see His character appear. He bears all things, meaning He protects us from hardships and allows us to grow closer to Him. He believes the best for us. He hopes the best for us. Don’t look right in front of you when you hope, look forward to where God is leading you. Finally, God endures all things for us. He refuses to surrender to defeat. Can we put our names in place of God’s in this chapter? Can we be all these things? With God leading us, we can. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are transformed. It’s a beautiful thing!

God’s will and mine don’t always match

last night I shared at the worship night at Epic Life Church about being depressed and how I’m searching for my identity in Christ. I had planned to relate my talk to Before The Throne of God Above and then the worship team would play it. I got up front to talk and it went fairly well, but then the song was completely different. However, God spoke through me and it was beautiful. A true testimony that what we want and what God wants for us aren’t always aligned. Praise God that He knows what is best!

A Prayer for Faith

This is an awesome song and I wanted to share it with everyone:

A PRAYER FOR FAITH

My heart is glad, that you are my Father
Adopted to you, as sons and daughters
And Your love endures, as You said it would
And my heart sings…

Chorus:
Teach me, the sound of Your voice
With the faith to respond, to love you…
Teach me, to follow you close
With the faith you bestow, to love you…

My heart is glad, to serve you as King
Forgive the times, that I am stubborn
With a humble heart, may I come to you
And my heart sings…

Chorus:
Teach me, the sound of Your voice
With the faith to respond, to love you…
Teach me, to follow you close
With the faith you bestow, to love you…

My heart is glad, that you are my Father
Adopted to you, as sons and daughters
And Your love endures, as You said it would
And my heart sings…

Chorus:
Teach me, the sound of Your voice
With the faith to respond, to love you…
Teach me, to follow you close
With the faith you bestow, to love you… (x2)

Worship

As I was sitting in worship this week, I heard one of my favorite songs, Before The Throne Of God Above, in a brand new way. I first heard this song performed by Sonicflood, but it was originally written as a hymn way back in 1863.

God really spoke to me this week with this song. I have been struggling with deep despair and depression and searching for my identity in Christ. This song is a plea for God to change our hearts and minds and a call for us to turn away from Satan, who is constantly trying to drag us down. But there is hope, a Savior who has the power to save us and give us lives of freedom, peace, shows us forgiveness and grace.

I was faced with the lie that just because things aren’t going well, that does not mean that God has forgotten me. Part of the first verse really caught my attention: My name is graven on His hands, my name is written on His heart. This comes from Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have written your name on my hand. Ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins.” Even though we might feel abandoned by God because of our troubles, God will never abandon us. He is working out His plan for us and will bring deliverance. Praise Jesus!

Aurora mural

on Tuesday my house church had an awesome opportunity to meet up with Josh and Paul’s house church and go visit a mural on 76th and Aurora. The event was hosted by GAIN (Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors). What an amazing way to draw positive attention to the area. It was a sweet evening of good conversation and good food. The mural was so beautiful. We also had an opportunity to share with some people about why we were there and about Epic Life Church and what God is doing there and invite people to the Easter service.

12 Evidences That We Have Lost Our “First Love” For The Lord

1. When my delight in the Lord is no longer as great as my delight in someone else, I have lost my “first love.” Mark 12:30

2. When my soul does not long for times of rich fellowship in God’s Word or in prayer, I have lost my “first love.” Mark 12:30

3. When my thoughts during leisure moments do not reflect upon the Lord, I have lost my “first love.” Mark 12:30, Psalm 10:4

4. When I claim to be “only human” and easily give in to those things I know displease the Lord, I have lost my “first love.” Mark 12:30, John 15:10, John 14:15

5. When I do not willingly and cheerfully give in to God’s work or to the needs of others, I have lost my “first love.” 1 John 3:17

6. When I cease to treat every Christian as I would the Lord, I have lost my “first love.” Matthew 25:40, John 13:34

7. When I view the commands of Christ as restrictions to my happiness rather than as expressions of His love, I have lost my “first love.” John 14:21

8. When I inwardly strive for the acclaim of this world rather than the approval of the Lord, I have lost my “first love.” 1 John 2:15, John 15:19

9. When I fail to make Christ or His words known because I fear rejection, I have lost my “first love.” John 15:20

10. When I refuse to give up an activity which I know is offending a weaker brother (or sister), I have lost my “first love.” Romans 14:15

11. When I become complacent to sinful conditions around me, I have lost my “first love.” Matthew 24:12

12. When I am unable to forgive another person for offending me, I have lost my “first love.” 1 John 4:20

New Zealand trip

I was blessed with the opportunity to go and visit my aunt and grandfather who live in Christchurch, New Zealand for Christmas and New Year’s. My cousins from England flew over and spent time with us as well. New Zealand is such a beautiful country! Because it is on the other side of the world from the U.S., it is summer there. It was so strange to be celebrating Christmas with the sun shining through the window. My aunt is a minister and we all went to her church for an amazing service. Because Christmas is in the summer there, the usual stories of Santa Claus aren’t relevant. The central focus is instead on the Pohutukawa tree, and The Pohutukawa Carol:

There’s a tree that grows from God’s good earth
In this land of the southern sea
And it flow’rs at the time of our Saviour’s birth
The Pohutukawa tree.

The Pohutukawa tree,
The Pohutukawa tree,
To remind us of Christmas
The good Lord sent the Pohutukawa tree.

When Joseph & Mary went to Bethlehem
There was nobody here to see
The shores glowing red with blossom of the Pohutukawa tree.

The Pohutukawa tree,
The Pohutukawa tree,
To remind us of Christmas
The good Lord sent the Pohutukawa tree.

As God in Jesus as a man was born
To save us & set us free
There stood in the glory of a summer’s morn
The Pohutukawa tree.

The Pohutukawa tree,
The Pohutukawa tree,
To remind us of Christmas
The good Lord sent the Pohutukawa tree.

Now the Gospel of Jesus has reached this land and at His nativity
His glory’s told by His people – and the Pohutukawa tree.

The Pohutukawa tree,
The Pohutukawa tree,
To remind us of Christmas
The good Lord sent the Pohutukawa tree.

On Boxing Day, we went down the road to the New Brighton Pier, which is absolutely beautiful! I got lots of beautiful pictures here.

A few days after Christmas, my cousins left to go on a trip to the North Island, and my grandfather, mom, and I drove up to Lake Tekapo for 3 days. What a beautiful place! Words don’t do it justice, so I will post pictures this week. Just down the road from where we were staying was an old church called the Church of the Good Shepherd. It has been there since 1935 and still holds services regularly throughout the year. I was very reluctant to leave Lake Tekapo, but I have lots of pictures to help me remember.

On New Year’s Eve, we went out to dinner at this restaurant called the Octagon. It is actually an old church that was turned into a restaurant. There were several amazing musicians playing, including a blind organist named Richard Hore and a vocalist named Natalie Slade. Natalie was sweet enough to sign a CD for me for my birthday! We enjoyed some amazing food and good music, and my aunt asked me to dance, which was an amazing experience.

Truly an unforgettable trip!

One Year with Epic Life Church

This past Sunday was my one year anniversary with Epic Life Church. What an amazing year it has been! God has been working in my life so much! Whenever I spend time with friends from Epic, I can feel the love of God flowing through them and it is beautiful! I have never felt God’s love so obviously as I have since being called to this wonderful body of believers. I feel like I have a purpose in life and a real sense of belonging and being a part of something beautiful that God is doing in North Seattle. Without God I would not be the person I am today. Praise Jesus!