Anticipation

We had our first blizzard of the year last night and the atmosphere created by the insanity was phenomenal. The inhabitants of the house were filled with peace and joy, and excitement about how bad it looked outside. The group was brought together over pizza and Shrek 4, and the stress of finals floated away for awhile. As I look towards this Christmas break, I look to God for that feeling of refreshment; to feel like we all did last night, only not because of the weather, but at the wonderment of the coming of Jesus and what that means to not only my life, but the world.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7

lost.and.found.

sin.guilt.shame.

pain.empty.void.

lost.fear.anguish.

confession.redemption.love.

FORGIVENESS.

grace.truth.faith.

new.start.now.

strength.courage.Savior.

philippians.4.13.

living.breathing.seeking.

JESUS.

LOVE.

God's Love and Ours

"Dear friends, let us love

one another,for love comes

from God. Everyone who

loves has been born of God

and know God. Whoever does

not love does not know God,

because God is love.This is how

God showed his love among us:He

sent his one and only Son into the

world that we might live through

him. This is love:not that we love

God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

And so we know and rely on

the love God has for us. God

is love.Whoever lives in love

lives in God, and God in him. In this

way, love is made complete among

us so that we will have confidence

on the day of judgement, because

in this world we are like him.There is

no fear in love. But perfect love drives

out fear, because fear has to do with

punishment.The one who fears is not

made perfect in love.We love because

he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love

God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

For anyone who does not love his

brother, whom he has seen, cannot love

God, whom he has not seen. And he has

given us this command: Whoever loves

God must also love his brother. - 1 John 4: 7-21 (NIV Study Bible)

...a perspective...

i am not God,

but may i see you through God’s eyes?

God is Love,

but may i look upon you with the same?

many hate you,

many judge you,

but who says they are right?

how did we gain the authority

to proclaim ownership

of the final judgment

that belongs to the One

who created us?

if all we could see

was the innate nature of the soul,

this magnification might shift its focus

to exemplify the soul

as beautiful;

not colored or white,

not “homo” or “hetero”,

not rich or poor,

just beauty.

God is Love…

may i love your soul?

Greater Things

Isn't it amazing how God works through us every minute, every second of our lives? Isn't it crazy to be in anguish one minute and deliriously happy the next? God works in so many different ways and we get so caught up in the trials and tribulations that we forget that everything is under control. God is there, he has a plan, and if you let him, he will take you on the greatest adventure you could possibly imagine. For greater things are yet to be done.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Fasten your seatbelts.

It's going to be an amazing ride.

How Sweet The Sound

Amazing...rolls of the tip of one's tongue like the splash of water onto a cool, stone-covered ground.

Amazing...the expression of the tug at one's heart that is clearly sent from heaven itself.

Amazing...levels of love that mold and shape hearts into transformed rays of light.

Grace...the condition to be able to try again, and again, and again.

Grace...forgiving the unforgivable.

Grace...received through faith.

Saves wretches.

Finds the lost.

Gives sight to the blind.

So that we ALL may see.

Love Lives On

"and even though I cry like crazy,
even though it hurts so bad;
I'm thankful for the time God gave me,
even though we couldn't make it last.
I'm learning how to live without you,
even though I don't want to,
and even with you gone... love lives on"

- Mallary Hope, Love Lives On