[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0A6zyN37uw?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

"He’s not mad at you, He’s mad about you."

The world may forget your name, in fact, they may not even know it but God will never let go of it. He’s had it in His heart since the dawn of time. He loves you no matter what. Despite everything, He loves you - always has and always will.

_ _ _

I just encourage you to watch this video. It’s an awesome feeling to come away with KNOWING that you are loved and cared for. That no matter what we have done or the mistakes we will make, there is grace, mercy, love, and redemption at the cross on which Jesus died for us on. No other feeling will EVER compare nor will they ever. No other thing will ever come close to the level of truth in His love for us. Hear it, know it, feel it; Jesus loves you.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

5 Lies I Used to Believe About Being A Christian

It’s not only those outside the Church who have misconceptions about Christianity.

It’s so easy to get caught up in what we think Christianity means that we end up basing the truth on our own perceptions. Let’s see Christianity for what it really is.

This was such great read from Relevant Magazine. I encourage everyone to take a look at it too.

5 Lies I Used to Believe About Being A Christian

I take a look back at the life Christ died for, mine. Although He was always there I wasn’t always aware. I was lost but now I am found and f o r e v e r grateful. Not only did I gain an identity in Him but I also gained a purpose, love. I must love others the way He has relentlessly and undauntedly loved me. In that love I pray that the world will see Jesus and be drawn to His light, love, and grace.

I take a look back at the life Christ died for, mine. Although He was always there I wasn’t always aware. I was lost but now I am found and f o r e v e r grateful. Not only did I gain an identity in Him but I also gained a purpose, love. I must love others the way He has relentlessly and undauntedly loved me. In that love I pray that the world will see Jesus and be drawn to His light, love, and grace.

I take a look back at the life Christ died for, mine. Although He was always there I wasn’t always aware. I was lost but now I am found and f o r e v e r grateful. Not only did I gain an identity in Him but I also gained a purpose, love. I must love others the way He has relentlessly and undauntedly loved me. In that love I pray that the world will see Jesus and be drawn to His light, love, and grace.

I take a look back at the life Christ died for, mine. Although He was always there I wasn’t always aware. I was lost but now I am found and f o r e v e r grateful. Not only did I gain an identity in Him but I also gained a purpose, love. I must love others the way He has relentlessly and undauntedly loved me. In that love I pray that the world will see Jesus and be drawn to His light, love, and grace.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cboH_vVyvE?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

Guest Blogger: March

I used to work in a shoe store; you would know that if you saw my wardrobe. They say that if you own 2 pairs of shoes then you are in the top 10% of the wealthiest in the world, well given my collection I could possibly be the 1%!

I worked there for 2 years whilst studying and made some great friends. Generally my work mates were all girls, they ranged from 18-23 years old, I love them all, they are generous, funny, caring and beautiful but the one thing they all have in common is that they are obsessed with cosmetic surgery! A lot of the conversations they had with each other were about what they were getting done, what they’ve had done and what they are hoping to get done. Which for me, coming from the Church bubble really really surprised me.

What I realised is that we are all broken people, and we’re all searching for something. What I’ve noticed, not just about them but myself is that we are looking for approval and acceptance, and I saw this in my friends from work. Maybe it was approval from themselves, maybe from each other, maybe from boyfriends, other friends or maybe from society as a whole.

I tend to have this same cry as well, that I “need” to be liked by everyone, that if I’m not, then there is something wrong with me, and it needs to be fixed. But what I believe as a Christian is that Jesus fulfills every single one of our needs, whether it’s comfort, security, approval, acceptance or anything else we can come up with. The reason why Christians are, and should be, so counter-cultural is that we are simply fulfilled by Jesus, that we don’t need the things of this world.

So what I decided to do was put my thoughts to paper, on this idea that it’s quite obvious we’re not all “perfect”, there are things about ourselves that we don’t like or that we wish we could change, and it’s not just physical things but also our personalities and fixing our broken relationship with God. I want these girls to understand about the God that created them, what he thinks about them and that through Jesus they have ALL the approval they could ever need and ALL the acceptance they could ever want.

This is a revolutionary idea, and it’s a challenge, when the whole world is going one direction, it’s not the easiest thing to take a step of faith and decide to go the opposite direction. There isn’t always an instant pay off, sometimes we may not see the fruit of our choices but it is a game changer when we can get to a place as Paul did in Philippians 3:8 when we can say “I consider all things as loss…that I may gain Christ”.

What a life we have been called to live!

_______________________________

For the month of February I’d like you all to meet Josh Hawkins. Not only does he inspire but he’s just an all-around chill and funny guy with a great story to tell. Don’t believe me, just click on the word funny and you’ll see what I mean. After you have been thoroughly convinced head on over to his blog, Hi Josh for some more cool stuff.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

I’m not gonna tell you stop buying presents, or to take all attention away from your Christmas tree because that would be plain silly. I mean let’s not kid ourselves here, getting gifts is awesome and after a few hours of hard-core decorating you can’t be anything but proud of that gorgeous tree in your living room. 

However, what I want to remind you all is to not forget the true meaning. The first and most important reason why we all gather together in December: the birth of Jesus Christ. He is truly the reason for this season because on this day years ago God sent down His one and only son to be born and become the salvation of the world. So whether you have gifts to open and/or give, or even if you don’t have any at all you can still celebrate. This day is not only meant for those who can afford it, it is meant for all. 

Jesus’ birth in a manger was not just to signify the start of a glorious salvation but to show everyone that your no matter who you are or where you come from you can still be content and joyful. Being that Jesus was born technically homeless it could have been seen as a sad and unfortunate event but we must not choose to look at the negative. That night, a savior was born unto us. Unending peace and infinite joy began with a baby boy.

So, while you are at home, at a friend’s, with relatives, or even in between spots right now remember how much God loves you. Remember He came to Earth to live and die for us. 

Merry Christmas y’all, and happy holidays.

I’m not gonna tell you stop buying presents, or to take all attention away from your Christmas tree because that would be plain silly. I mean let’s not kid ourselves here, getting gifts is awesome and after a few hours of hard-core decorating you can’t be anything but proud of that gorgeous tree in your living room. 

However, what I want to remind you all is to not forget the true meaning. The first and most important reason why we all gather together in December: the birth of Jesus Christ. He is truly the reason for this season because on this day years ago God sent down His one and only son to be born and become the salvation of the world. So whether you have gifts to open and/or give, or even if you don’t have any at all you can still celebrate. This day is not only meant for those who can afford it, it is meant for all. 

Jesus’ birth in a manger was not just to signify the start of a glorious salvation but to show everyone that your no matter who you are or where you come from you can still be content and joyful. Being that Jesus was born technically homeless it could have been seen as a sad and unfortunate event but we must not choose to look at the negative. That night, a savior was born unto us. Unending peace and infinite joy began with a baby boy.

So, while you are at home, at a friend’s, with relatives, or even in between spots right now remember how much God loves you. Remember He came to Earth to live and die for us. 

Merry Christmas y’all, and happy holidays.

I’m not gonna tell you stop buying presents, or to take all attention away from your Christmas tree because that would be plain silly. I mean let’s not kid ourselves here, getting gifts is awesome and after a few hours of hard-core decorating you can’t be anything but proud of that gorgeous tree in your living room. 

However, what I want to remind you all is to not forget the true meaning. The first and most important reason why we all gather together in December: the birth of Jesus Christ. He is truly the reason for this season because on this day years ago God sent down His one and only son to be born and become the salvation of the world. So whether you have gifts to open and/or give, or even if you don’t have any at all you can still celebrate. This day is not only meant for those who can afford it, it is meant for all. 

Jesus’ birth in a manger was not just to signify the start of a glorious salvation but to show everyone that your no matter who you are or where you come from you can still be content and joyful. Being that Jesus was born technically homeless it could have been seen as a sad and unfortunate event but we must not choose to look at the negative. That night, a savior was born unto us. Unending peace and infinite joy began with a baby boy.

So, while you are at home, at a friend’s, with relatives, or even in between spots right now remember how much God loves you. Remember He came to Earth to live and die for us. 

Merry Christmas y’all, and happy holidays.

I’m not gonna tell you stop buying presents, or to take all attention away from your Christmas tree because that would be plain silly. I mean let’s not kid ourselves here, getting gifts is awesome and after a few hours of hard-core decorating you can’t be anything but proud of that gorgeous tree in your living room. 

However, what I want to remind you all is to not forget the true meaning. The first and most important reason why we all gather together in December: the birth of Jesus Christ. He is truly the reason for this season because on this day years ago God sent down His one and only son to be born and become the salvation of the world. So whether you have gifts to open and/or give, or even if you don’t have any at all you can still celebrate. This day is not only meant for those who can afford it, it is meant for all. 

Jesus’ birth in a manger was not just to signify the start of a glorious salvation but to show everyone that your no matter who you are or where you come from you can still be content and joyful. Being that Jesus was born technically homeless it could have been seen as a sad and unfortunate event but we must not choose to look at the negative. That night, a savior was born unto us. Unending peace and infinite joy began with a baby boy.

So, while you are at home, at a friend’s, with relatives, or even in between spots right now remember how much God loves you. Remember He came to Earth to live and die for us. 

Merry Christmas y’all, and happy holidays.

We Pray Too Much

Just a few moments ago in the middle a talk to God I realised something, I think I pray too much. Weird right? How does one pray too much? Aren’t we supposed to in fact go to Him without ceasing, day and night? I mean that’s what the Bible tells us to do. 

However, in the midst of my constant mind babbling God interjected and said you’ve got it all wrong. It’s not that you pray too much but that you either waste your time praying about all the wrong things, spending too much time on one thing or sometimes you even do both. You pray for such things like strength to continue your day or wisdom to go about certain situations but you do it so constantly. It is as if you’re reminding me like I’m going to forget. Either that or you yourself have forgotten that I have already given you all the things you need to go forth. I love the fact that you come to me and that you trust in me to deliver you need to trust more. Pray with honest faith in my abilities to be your God. Once you are standing in the midst of the situation you have prayed for, go and complete the task as if nothing can stop you because you know what, nothing can. Stop asking for my presence when I never left you (Deut. 31:8).  Stop seeking out   strength when I’ve already given it (Psalm 73:26). Instead ask for something that will always help you to remember all the things I have promised you with. Ask that you never forget who am and who I have made you to to be.

According to Plan

I didn’t read my bible today, oh no…not. More like big whoop.

Faced with getting into a new routine this morning I underestimated the time it would take for me to get a “its a school day so I want to look casual and still remain put together” look. Although I had a general idea of what I wanted to wear the night before I think that only added to my stress of actually getting dressed. Besides that plan - which failed - I had also mentally written out how my morning was going to go:

-530 Wake up and take a few minutes to grudgingly get out of bed
-540 Shower and the be dressed and ready by 630.
-630 I knew I had to be out of the house by 7 so that meant 30 good, solid minutes to spend in the word with the Big Guy upstairs.

Reality:
530 My alarm rings
545 Let’s see how many more times I can hit snooze today
550-605 Man, the warmth of that shower was too hard to depart
605 Five minutes behind schedule but I can make up for it because I know what I want to wear.
610 Outfit is on, now to hair and face. Wait a minute… ew. Who died and made me stylist of the year? This outfit is not cute. Safe to say that multiple shoe changes and shirt alterations later it is now 635 and I still have not done my hair or makeup.
640 Ahhhh God Im so sorry. Ill be with you in just a second. All I have to do is a simple ‘do and apply eyeliner. Ill be right there.
645 and that “right there moment” is finally here… Only to have my cousin tell me that we need to leave earlier than expected.

Long story story short, my day is a few moments away from being done and I have yet complete my daily devotionals.

If my situation sounds familiar it’s probably because you’ve been through something like it yourself. However the point of this is not to sit around and reminisce with each other on how we’ve failed to put God first but to remind us that mistakes happen but grace abounds.

We are humans, yes. We will make mistakes but don’t let that stop you from coming back to the heart of worship. God knows our hearts - each and every one of them personally. He knows that it’s not intentional when we slip up and fall down. With that said, come tomorrow and I will get right back at it and continue doing my daily devos.

This is how we should address every situation. It may be difficult to grasp because no other being has ever been -or will ever be- as forgiving as He is but once we understand God’s unyielding and unconditional love for us it also becomes a humbling experience. Just looking back on today I noticed how He was still with me in every single moment - bible study or not.

Don’t allow room for your slip-ups to continually slip you up. Know that He has already forgiven you. All He wants you to do with your mistakes is to grow from them.

Got That Mad Luv.

  I have so much love for my church. I love the fact that you can come in and put a name to every face you see. I love the fact that church members have such a strong relationship with the pastors that asking them for a ride home is never considered out of the question. I love that while there are distinct areas and ministries in the church no one is ever too proud to help out or unwilling to lend a hand in an area they’ve never dealt with before. With all that said, what I love the most about my church is the commitment every single person puts into making the church what it is – it’s a commitment that is unfailing and unwavering.
    While we may not have a large building or even up to 200 people, one would think otherwise with all the love, time, and consideration put into our services. Every Sunday and even on the days between I see a work ethic that is nothing short of inspiring. You yourself cannot help but be impacted by it. Members, pastors, and volunteers make an effort to put on something that will personally touch the lives of the people who make it out each weekend.
    What I have learned over the last seven months of being here is that fame does not matter, and neither does size. I have been a part of bigger churches - churches that have their own CDs, stations, and PR team. Don’t get me wrong, I sincerely root for those churches too because I believe in spreading the gospel in any and all ways possible. However, the church I go to does not have that, they are of a modest size but one with the heart of ten giants. They believe that even if only four people show up those four people are everything.  Those four people ought to be cared for and shown that no matter who they are,  no matter where they come from or what denomination they are a part of that they matter to the church and to God. I believe that that right there is the epitome of attention to detail. It is no gimmick, rouse, facade or embellishment on who they are -what you see is honestly what you get.
    Which reminds me, I was at a business seminar a few weeks back and the keynote speaker brought up church. He said, whatever church you go to surely you must consider it to be the best one out there otherwise you wouldn’t go to it. How true is that? If I didn’t think my church was the best I would have looked for another one already. I must say, because of the work and care put into this church so much light shines out  and that light is what draws me close.  I am so blessed by the people that make up this body of Christ-followers and so grateful that God has continued to bless me with their company and presence in my life.

I love you God for that and love you church for you are and what you do.

*I’m not here to advertise to or persuade anyone on religion, that’s a choice you have to make yourself.  Nonetheless, if you ever do find yourself questioning or considering, in need of a prayer, or just wanna talk, come to Every Nation. Our doors are always open.

Living a life for God is not about obligation, it’s about loyalty. When you’re loyal to someone you do things you wouldn’t necessarily find yourself doing but because you care for the other you do it anyway. In Psalm 51:12-14 it says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it… Sacrifice thank offerings to God.” God is calling us to live out a life of loyalty. While He does not need us to to live our lives for Him He would like us to. By sacrificing thank offerings onto Him we are saying I love you, I appreciate all the things you have given to me and done for me, and although there is no way to fully pay you back I’m going to do the things you have asked me to do. Sort of like these trees. I bet if they could talk they would say their days have not always been pleasant, with the rain, harsh sun and what not but because God gave them life and He renews them every season they stand unmoved. - Live a life filled with loyal love not obligatory actions.

Living a life for God is not about obligation, it’s about loyalty. When you’re loyal to someone you do things you wouldn’t necessarily find yourself doing but because you care for the other you do it anyway. In Psalm 51:12-14 it says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it… Sacrifice thank offerings to God.” God is calling us to live out a life of loyalty. While He does not need us to to live our lives for Him He would like us to. By sacrificing thank offerings onto Him we are saying I love you, I appreciate all the things you have given to me and done for me, and although there is no way to fully pay you back I’m going to do the things you have asked me to do. Sort of like these trees. I bet if they could talk they would say their days have not always been pleasant, with the rain, harsh sun and what not but because God gave them life and He renews them every season they stand unmoved. - Live a life filled with loyal love not obligatory actions.

Living a life for God is not about obligation, it’s about loyalty. When you’re loyal to someone you do things you wouldn’t necessarily find yourself doing but because you care for the other you do it anyway. In Psalm 51:12-14 it says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it… Sacrifice thank offerings to God.” God is calling us to live out a life of loyalty. While He does not need us to to live our lives for Him He would like us to. By sacrificing thank offerings onto Him we are saying I love you, I appreciate all the things you have given to me and done for me, and although there is no way to fully pay you back I’m going to do the things you have asked me to do. Sort of like these trees. I bet if they could talk they would say their days have not always been pleasant, with the rain, harsh sun and what not but because God gave them life and He renews them every season they stand unmoved. - Live a life filled with loyal love not obligatory actions.

Living a life for God is not about obligation, it’s about loyalty. When you’re loyal to someone you do things you wouldn’t necessarily find yourself doing but because you care for the other you do it anyway. In Psalm 51:12-14 it says, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it… Sacrifice thank offerings to God.” God is calling us to live out a life of loyalty. While He does not need us to to live our lives for Him He would like us to. By sacrificing thank offerings onto Him we are saying I love you, I appreciate all the things you have given to me and done for me, and although there is no way to fully pay you back I’m going to do the things you have asked me to do. Sort of like these trees. I bet if they could talk they would say their days have not always been pleasant, with the rain, harsh sun and what not but because God gave them life and He renews them every season they stand unmoved. - Live a life filled with loyal love not obligatory actions.

Red Bottoms, Sports, and Jesus

Jesus is like your favorite sports team in the midst of a winning season. For every point they scored you would probably post about it; for every game you attended you would instagram it; and when they finally make it to the championships and win, I bet your twitter feed would be longer than Dick Vitale’s. Your love for the team would probably cause a few of your social media followers to be slightly annoyed but you still wouldn’t care what other people think.

Or maybe Jesus is like buying a pair of Louboutins that were on half-off. Wouldn’t you be so excited you would want  to tell everyone about it? You too would be instagraming and tweeting about those red bottoms as much as possible to the point where anyone that didn’t have a pair would probably find it a bit excessive.

For me, there is no other way to best describe Jesus. I love Him so much that I can’t stop talking about Him. Only this time the chatter is not limited to a good sale or the on-season for whatever team, it expands to all areas of life. Whether I’m catching the train to class; hanging out with my friends; spending time by myself; eating breakfast; watching TV with my family; finding the perfect outfit for the day; whatever have you, I find God’s grace in everything. So it is with everything that I will bring my attention to glorify His name. I am so thankful for my life and all that lies within it because I know that none of it would be possible without Him. Too much good has happened for it to be a mere coincidence. As for the bad, I still find myself rejoicing because I know it’s not the end but a glorious beginning (James 1: 2-4).

So I leave you all with this: Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed to praise Him, to thank Him, or to talk about Him. Doing that is the most normal and natural thing to do to anything or anyone has done you good - it should be no different when it comes to Jesus.

I need you so much closer...

In these past two weeks my life has become a messy puzzle of spontaneous meetings, never-ending projects, poorly-planned itineraries and things of the sort. All that withstanding, I do not think I would have it any other way. In all of it I have learned to turn to God in everything - and I mean everything. When it was me who procrastinated on an assignment and had one hour to get it together, God was there to give me the ideas to execute it; because I chose to take the later bus I missed my connecting train, but God was there to help me find an alternative and shorter route to class. There were just so many little things that turned into bigger problems but He was there to guide me through it all.  It’s amazing when and how grace abounds.

Oh how He loves us. Through all that self-inflicted stress He was still there to remove it all for me. It’s love like that that makes me need and want Him all the more. It’s love like that that makes it so incredibly difficult to wrap my head around.

So, with that said, I just want to share this with you all:

"The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads" Psalm 7:16.

However, Psalm 8: 4-6 later says, "What is mankind that you are mindful of them? Human beings that you care for them?"

Oh how He loves.