You never marry the right person

"The reason that marriage is so painful and yet wonderful is because it is a reflection of the Gospel, which is painful and wonderful at once. The Gospel is-we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared to believe, and at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope."

Read about it yourself at Relevant Magazine.

Prodigy in me

Defining a Prodigy from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

God loves me not because I am worthy, but because I am a fixture in His mind...

a.w. tozer

C.S. Lewis, you pierce my heart...

Mrs. Wong

It costs God nothing, as far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills, cost him crucifixion. -c.s. lewis

Where the Battle is Won or Lost

’If you will return, O Israel,’ says the Lord . . . —Jeremiah 4:1

Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world.
The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory.

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth. " Psalm 46:10

This was today's Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest

live in love, me

Jesus was single... Hello

I listen to podcasts like old, rich ladies play card games at my country club: seriously, socially, privately and often.

Recently, I listened to a podcast by Matt Carter from the Austin Stone Community Church on singleness.

It made me laugh, think and pray deeply about my condition. And no I don't mean the poor-pathetic-hook-me-up-with-your-sinlge-good-looking-friend-who-comes-from-a-great-family condition. I mean Paul and yes, let it rock your mind, JESUS'S condition.

He said singleness secures an undistracted devotion to the Lord.

I mean, Jesus was total man and total God here on Earth. He could have had his pick of any fine dame, and he CHOSE singleness. I mean, He literally could have said, "Let there be light. Let there be a white picket fence. Let there be a red Golden Retriever named Jake. Let there be a hot girl to make me chicken parmesan with a side of summer squash, and we'll make some wine from water together."-if you know what I mean in more than one sense of the analogy

Paul talks mainly ab sex up until here... Then he just gets all personal and says he wishes everyone was single. (He talks ab fellas first, but I cut that bc let's face it, I'm in this part. Go look it up here).

"I would like you to be free from concern... An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord." 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35

If Paul were to have Toomer's Coffee with me today, this verse would look more like this:

"When you are single, you can buy minimal groceries, one pair of shoes, one outfit, travel for cheap (if you'd sell that blast-it, gas guzzling Tahoe) and give all the rest to fund your friends in Campus Crusade and Grace Campus in China or sponsor Tim Tebow's dad's orphanages in South America.

And talk about 'All my single ladies put your hands up.' Have you looked at your prayer life now that you're a prayer Beyonce? It's not about anybody or yourself, but it's devoted to the Lord's will because we all know you have no idea what you're doing with your hott-mess of a life. Besides, you never remember to clean the coffee pot, and any husband would get annoyed with that quick. Then you'd be all worried and turn into Martha on me, and all that leads away from the cross."

Instead, Carter urges us to set our sights and start sprinting to the cross. He says every now and then to look around, if there is someone on the right or left to run with, marry him. But don't slow down or take a detour...

I mean, have I not mentioned I run daily already? Now, I have that calorie counter on the treadmill and Nike ID iPod attachment motivating me, but much more importantly, I have Christ in sight.

This is what we look like when we start considering our condition as leprosy or athlete's foot instead of a beautiful season...
All Single Ladies Gone Wrong... painfully wrong.