God's prompting.

In my life, there has been an extreme number of times where God hits me with... something. It could be something as little as, "Hey, go talk to this person," or something as big as, "Hey, go to this school." While they both might be big things in God's eyes, sometimes I don't listen to the little things and just go for the big ones instead.

Months ago, God placed it on my heart to read "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. I didn't listen and instead did, well, whatever it was I did.

A few weeks ago I met Stacy. It was one of those days when I was sitting at an amazing Christian conference and God told me to go sit by her. I've learned that when He says stuff like this, I better do it (happened with my friend Amanda as well, but that's another story for another day). So, I went and sat by her and ended up spending the rest of the weekend at the conference with her. She is the type of woman that totally radiates God. You can tell her heart is so enraptured with Him and it's completely beautiful. She will go wherever the Spirit leads her to do His work and His only. She's just incredible- there's no other way to put it.

The last day of the conference, Stacy brings me two books to read, one of them being (you guessed it), Shane Claiborne's "Irresistible Revolution". Wow. I looked at her and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped as I tried to spit out some form of a sentence to tell her that I was supposed to have this book. I was supposed to read it. Another one of those little things that I neglected to do for years, but this time God wasn't going to let me get away with it.

I'm not even all the way done with the book yet, but I now know what God wants me to be doing. And now that I know, I feel such peace and joy about it. I am a little nervous, but the more I let God take control and the more I trust Him (now if I could just let it all go and trust Him fully), the more He astounds me.

I know you're curious about what it is and if you've read "Irresistible Revolution" you probably already know. I am going to start a hospitality house in Minneapolis. Essentially, me and whoever God puts in my life to live there with me will have normal jobs to pay for the house (and our own bills of course) as well as the added expenses of serving the community. This includes things like community dinners, fun stuff for the kids in the community to do, the garden, Bible studies and materials and whatever else comes up. The point of living like this it to focus on God, fall deeper in love with Him, love the socks off of the community He puts us in and spread the fire He has placed in our hearts. I know my life and the lives of my housemates will be radically changed as we fall deeper and deeper in love with Him and as we allow Him to bless us as we trust Him for everything we have.

I am so excited about this opportunity and the doors God is already opening up. Right now, I am praying over a certain piece of property on Penn Ave N. in Minneapolis and looking for other homes to rent or even possibly buy (if that is what God wants, I'm open!). I'm also praying that God sends the right people to this community home to live and do His work in Minneapolis.

I will hopefully be posting on a daily basis now on this blog. Getting rid of my facebook has freed up a lot of time (and I just got rid of it this afternoon! Crazy!). I will be posting Bible verses, many pertaining to this hospitality/community house (I feel like it needs a name!), many pertaining to whatever God is teaching me and what He wants you to hear. Don't worry, for all you people who don't want to hear about that crazy God stuff, I promise you'll be able to pick stuff that you want to read out of these posts.

I love you all, but God loves you more than I ever could. May His Spirit dwell in our lives richly as we love on our communities!

"The future is a big place."

Thank you High School Musical for that quote.
But for real, my future is so wide open. I have no clue what I'm doing after December and I'm a tad nervous about it. I always knew that graduation would come but it really snuck up on me. I love college and do not want it to be over yet! But I know the "real world" (as us college kids say) is summoning me to pay back my school loans... wait, I meant to say that the "real world" is summoning me to enter into the beautiful and magical realm that it is (sarcasm included in the last statement).

The question remains, what do you do with an English major? If you can answer this for me, I will be a very happy person.

To have deliverance...

I've seen people give up. I've seen people give into suicide, drugs, a sex addiction. I've seen people fall so far from the God who loves them even when I thought they were people who would never lose hold of Him.
I've seen girls who are so fixated on their own bodies because of the world. They strive to look perfect, act perfect, be the perfection society requires. I've seen girls cut to release the pain gained from the pressure of this world and the lies the devil is telling them.
I've struggled time after time with lies the devil has given me. Lies to give up and give into the world. To be lazy and ignore God's calling.
I know that the devil is strong, that depression is real and that suicide is a problem. I know we live in a state of hopelessness in this world. But I also know there's something stronger than the devil, stronger than depression, suicide, cutting, sex, and hopelessness. I know a God who brings hope and creates perseverance and character within a person.
God longs to be our everything. He longs to fill the voids that the world tries to fill. We all long for love. We all long to be so filled with love by someone or something, something to make us FEEL. I'm here to tell you that God can fill you with love, if you would allow Him. He is so READY and LONGING to fill you up, to make you whole, to release His Spirit upon you so that you can feel. As a generation hungry for love, hungry for feeling, why wouldn't you turn to Him? Why wouldn't you go to the fountain that never stops flowing, the fountain that can overflow your always-dry cup?

This being said, I've seen deliverance. I've seen people who go to God for their hunger to be fulfilled, their need for love completely satisfied (more than satisfied) in Christ's love. I stand here today because of Him, because He has satisfied me to overflowing. I pray that your heart will be satisfied one day as well, that you will not conform to the pattern on this world but renewed by the transforming of your mind. To have that love and that freedom in Christ is the most beautiful thing you will experience.

Learning from the Teacher

I realized that I have not written anything on the internet for a while. I can make excuses for why this is, why I have failed to share the insight God has been giving me over the past few months, but honestly, I’m just lazy. Write something that you will be able to see and hopefully benefit from? Form coherent sentences? Too much work. That mindset is dumb and God is changing that as I sit here and type.

God has been teaching me a lot lately. God has been constantly been moving in my life, allowing sorrows, giving me hope, encouraging me, standing beside me even when I do not feel Him. He has shown me that I am an ignorant person. That I compartmentalize my faith. That I am fake and put on a mask of strength. He is working on getting me past my fear of leadership. He is showing me that trust is not a bad thing when put in people He has chosen for me. He constantly reminds me that all glory belongs to Him. He holds me close and reminds me that He loves me when the world rejects me. He humbles me when I boast in anything but Him. He gives me divine wisdom in foolish world and brings down His mercy and grace when I am not worthy of anything. He has revealed to me that I am a pray-er and that He has blessed me with the ability to remain in constant fellowship with Him. God has told me that it is okay to worship differently, to commune with the Holy Spirit, and to call down His blessings upon His children.

Yeah, He’s been a busy God. And this is just in my life. I could go on a tangent about all of the points in the above paragraph and have hundreds of pages that would not do God, His works and His ways the justice they deserve.

Yesterday during church I was paging through the Psalms. I always find the most amazing passages when I’m sitting in the presence of God at His Home.

Psalm 71:14-23
But as for me, i will always have hope; i will praise You more and more.
My mouth will tell of Your righteousness, of Your salvation all day long, though i know not its measure.
i will come and proclaim Your mighty acts, O Sovreign Lord, i will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.
Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and to this day i declare Your marvelous deeds.
Even when i am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till i declare Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.
Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, You who have done great things. Who, O God, is like You?
Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth You will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
i will praise You with the harp, for Your faithfulness, O my God; i will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
My lips will shout for joy when i sing praise to You– i, whom You have redeeemed.