closer.

sometimes i ask why. things don't always go my way, so i question the very God that knows more about me than i do and knows more about what will happen in my life than i do. sometimes its hard to understand why things happen.

there is a family in my church that has experienced great loss in their lives. a few months ago they lost their oldest son and brother Steve suddenly. now, just a few short months later, they have lost one of their remaining two sons, Mike. i mean, how much can one family take? meanwhile the father, Jeff, found out he has cancer. good grief!

i honestly sat and was like "really God? really? them again? how much more can they take?"

and as i walked out the door...i saw this.




it is the brightest rainbow i have ever seen in my entire life. every single color was present. and also in full view. it literally stopped me in my tracks.

as i continued to process the loss this family has endured, i came to realize that God is faithful. He is with us in every trial. and with every trial our faith grows. we learn perseverance. no matter how bad it may seem, no matter the loss, He has already been through it. He knows how you feel. He lost His own Son. He seriously gets it.

God "is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18). He has saved you. He is closer than you think. even when times are crappy, and you can't feel His presence...He is there waiting for you to rest your head on His shoulder and cry out to Him.

He is so close. Do you see Him?

a look at persecution.

you may think, that as an American, you have innumerable things to be thankful for. and for that, you are correct. however, for the things we get, we are growing increasingly less thankful for them. think about your faith. you can go to church whenever you want to. you can pray however you want to and wherever you want to. you can sing praises to God in your car, on your roof, or in a grocery store...and no one can stop you. we have freedom in this country, that you should be grateful for.





did you know that there are about 37 restricted countries around the world? that means, christians are persecuted for their faith. out of all 238 countries in the world, 70 million people have been martyred for their faith over the last 20 centuries. they are beaten, thrown in prison, and sometimes killed...if they do not renounce what they believe.





now, just by comparison, we have it fairly well. i have never met someone in America who was beaten because they were a christian...not saying it doesn't happen...just saying it is very very rare.





in Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus commands us (Christians, Christ followers, believers) to "go and make disciples." did you know that 67% of the people in the world have NEVER heard the name of Jesus? i am no math major, but that is a lot. if we are ALL called to do this, why are we not doing it?





you wanna know why? because it is "all about me" in our world today. the number one restricted country has THE FASTEST growing Christian expansion-10,000 new believers per day! they get it. they know that God created them for a bigger purpose. God wants you. He wants to use you. He wants to show you how magnificent He is. He does that through us taking up partnership with Him in sharing the gospel. it is the greatest thing you can do for someone...to share the love, sacrifice, grace, and redemption that Christ is.





what are you doing to reach that 67%?

summer.

life lately has been relaxing. sleeping in and hanging out with friends and family makes up for most of my days. here is a little peek into life as of late.



kim and i have been hanging out a lot. she makes me laugh...most of the time. we have had some great conversations and learned some sweet dance moves this summer!


a group of us got together for 4th of July. that was fun! we could see Disney fireworks over the lake...not to mention the gorgeous sunset that night...proof below.



this sunset is absolutely stunning. still can't get over it.



Dianna and i spent free slurpee day together...full of adventures into the wilderness. we of course stopped for a slurpee before and after our adventure. i'm sure that we will travel again. to see footage and pictures...go to facebook.


seriously, this is the most fun part. John and Jennifer got married!! it has been such a blessing to watch their relationship unfold into a beautiful marriage. i remember when it all began, and to see their love for God and love for each other is so encouraging. seriously, its a great portrait of what marriage should be.

battlefield.

"¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." ~Ephesians 6:10-18

i think we need to remember this passage. sometimes i forget that God gave us an entire armor to put on daily. i find it all so interesting. the armor is impenetrable. this passage gives me a reason to go out and fight some battles. seriously, when armed with this, who can stop you?

have you fought any battles lately? me either. i need to wear this more often.

theories on love.

i have this theory on the way relationships should work. as dumb as the whole "if you are running to Christ and he is running to Christ you will meet on your journey" thing sounds...its kind of true. i have thoughts on two kinds of relationships...and i will share them with you.

1.the perfect-for-each-other relationship
this relationship is ideal. its the kind of relationship that each person is fine being separated from the other for short amounts of time. it is also the kind of relationship where each person is still themselves...just a little more reserved. for instance, i know two couples (they will remain nameless) that have this down. they are still who they have always been, even though they are in serious relationships. you know that they love Christ, and they love each other, and because of that the people around them feel encouraged, loved, and see such a reflection of Christ. they aren't that couple that makes single people feel awkward. they are the couple that makes single people find hope for relationships to begin with.

2. the opposites-attract relationship
this relationship is by far the most puzzling to me. its the one where you look at the couple and think "what do they have in common?" but once you get to know them, you realize how they have taught each other so much. i know another couple that is like this. the guy, intelligent and bold. the girl, quiet and witty. while they both have flaws (i'm sure) they have learned so much. the girl has learned what being a woman of God is supposed to look like. and the guy has learned how to be a leader in all areas. its beautiful watching it play out. and seeing the growth in both of them makes me smile, because it goes to show that God is real and He is compassionate.


those are the two relationships that i find the most intriguing. sometimes i can feel bitter. the fact that i am single and have no prospects can almost be depressing at times. but when you look at the way Christ designed marriage to be, you have to have hope. there are a lot of people that can't find hope in their singleness, but if you just look around you at the people in relationships (if they are God honoring) you cannot help but see it. and on top of that, looking at those relationships will help you realize how much God loves you.

God is awesome. and i am so blessed.