Beauty and Music forever entwined...

Heavenly Father you always amaze me

I stand in awe of you

Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life

Rid me of myself

You give me the food I need to live through the day

I will trust for you to provide

And forgive me as I forgive the people that wronged me

Help me love them as you love me

Lead me far from temptation deliver me from the evil one

Don't let me fall

I look out the window the birds are composing

"Look at the birds of the air..."

Not a note is out of tune or out of place

"...your heavenly Father feeds them"

(Matthew 6:26)

I walk to the meadow

See how the flowers of the field grow...

And stare at the flowers

"They do not labor or spin..."

Better dressed than any girl on her wedding day

"not even Solomon was dressed like one of these"

(Matthew 6: 28-29)

So why do I worry?

"do not worry about your life..."

Why do I freak out?

"Are you not much more valuable than they?"

(Matthew 6:26)

God knows what I need

"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing"

(Psalms 34:10)

You know what I need

"You shall not lack anything"

(Deuteronomy 8:6)

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

"I will never leave you"

"I will never forsake you"

"I have a plan"

Trust me

"I delight in you"

"I rejoice over you"

"I laugh with you"

I love you

"I will always seek you"

"I will perservere for you"

"I will protect you"

I am faithful 

Always

I long to be with you

I long to walk along side you

My love for you is never lacking

 

The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing

Guide my actions

Invade my heart invade this broken town

"Search me, God, and know my heart"

(Psalm 139:23)

The kingdom of the heavens is buried treasure

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field..."

Will you sell yourself

"a man found it...he hid it again..."

To buy the one you've found?

"in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field"

(Matthew 13:44)

Two things you told me that you are strong

"I will strengthen you..."

And you love me yes, you love me

"I will help you"

(Isaiah 41:10)

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

My child 

come to me

seek me

I will hold you

I will comfort you

I will give you my strength

I will give you my peace

I am HOPE

I am PEACE

I am LOVE

I am Strength

I will give you courage

I will give you wisdom 

I will teach you

I will guide you

I am LIGHT

I am JOY

I am CONTENTMENT

Seek me

you will find me

ask me

I will answer

I will not withhold good from those I love

I will not hand you over to descrtuction

I will protect

and hold you in my hand

 

My name is above all others

my ways are above your own

my plan may not always be seen

but I have one

it's to bless

it's to provide

it's to love

it's to guide

 

I made you with a purpose

I called you for a reason

I have a plan

I will give you the strength 

I will give you the courage

Let my love

give you strength

Let my plan

give you hope

Let my word 

be your truth

Let my ways

become yours

Let my heart

become seen

 

I want to show you

all of my wonders

I want to show you 

all of my glory

Trust me

Let my love 

become

your

STRENGTH

"For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common"

     One of the things I think most people have in common is a desire for a close intimate relationship with someone. Whether is be a romantic relationship or a peer to peer relationship, we all desire to be important in someones eyes.
     So we have this desire, and as a result we seek out a relationship with people. The first question we should ask is who should I seek relationships with? The bible deals with this question specifically in 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18. It says:

"Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands? Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God's holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way:

"I'll live in them, move into them;
I'll be their God and they'll be my people.
So leave the corruption and compromise;
leave it for good," says God.
"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."
The Word of the Master, God.'"

     If you think about it, this passage makes complete sense. When entering a relationship with anyone, dating or friendship, wisdom says to only seek close intimate relationships with those who also seek God. Closely pairing yourself with someone who rejects God makes no sense when you consider that you have the holy spirit living inside of you. We don't understand the influence that those who reject God can potentially have over us. God himself warns us not to place ourselves in a position in which we could become polluted by the lies of Satan.
     Does this mean we never associate with non-Christians? Not at all. In fact if we didn't our calling to continue to spread God's message would be pointless. However what this passage is saying is that we should't link ourselves (standing arm in arm) with those who will not walk in the same direction we are walking in. Consider it this way, if we want to go east and the person we are arm in arm with wants to go north then there will be some struggle and chances are depending on your own strength you probably will not be able to stay directly on the path you know you need to be taking.
     My challenge to you is to ask yourself who you are walking through life with. Are they people who are walking the same path and pulling you through toward God, or are they people who reject God and therefore have to potential to detour you from your journey?

"Don't link up with those who will pollute you.
I want you all for myself.
I'll be a Father to you;
you'll be sons and daughters to me."

~Catie

"Though it costs you all you have, get wisdom."

I think all of us at some point in our lives search for wisdom, yet rarely do we really know where to begin. Proverbs 4:7 says this "the beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!" (Amp). How is that really much of a help? When seeking for wisdom get wisdom?

In order to first understand how to get wisdom we must first understand what wisdom is. Throughout Proverbs King Solomon tell his son to listen to his teachings along with the advice of those older than him. He tells him also to be aware of sin traps and to seek the knowledge of God. How is this helpful? Firstly, seeking the wisdom of those older than you is wise because the truth is they have experience more and have lived life longer than you have and have a much different perspective on things. They can look back and relate to your situation however they know that breakups won't kill you, they know that school problems are part of life and overcomable, and they know that relationships with parents ease with time.

Secondly, Solomon tells his son to be aware of sin traps. Now this is very hard to do without self-evaluation. So I would pose that having a knowledge of yourself and who you are is essential to gaining wisdom. Without it you won't know why you do what you do, in fact you won't even be able to understand the consequences whether they be good or bad. Knowing yourself will give you insight into where you fall victim to temptation and sin. In addition, seeking the advice and wisdom of those older than you will enlighten you on potential sin traps that you might face or the ones you are currently facing.

Finally, in order to gain wisdom you must first seek the knowledge of God. I found this a very interesting thing. Solomon separated knowledge and wisdom. Why? Upon further examination into Proverbs I began to see that knowledge was just information; understanding of events and actions. Wisdom on the other hand was knowing why; why we should follow in Gods plan, knowing why you react the way you do to things and why other people react or act the way they do. Then, apply it. If you know why you need to do something then it is still simply knowledge, but when you understand it with both your heart and mind and put it into practice, that is when you begin to demonstrate wisdom.

This is what Solomon says about the benefits of wisdom:
"Then will you understand what is right and just and fair - every good thing. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you." (Proverbs 2: 9-11)

I love this verse because it wraps wisdom in beauty. When you seek to understand, when you seek to gain knowledge of who God is, rejecting your own understanding, it's beautiful. Seeking wisdom means rejecting your own pride and accepting humility, rejecting your own understanding and seeking that which is not your own, and rejecting passivity and finding strength in the Lord to give you the strength to develop your character.

So begin this journey of seeking wisdom with me. The first step: ask God what he wants to teach you and then listen! He has something for you because he longs to teach you, he longs to walk with you. Join this journey as I seek wisdom. I'm going to be starting a little mini series on this topic so expect more from me about what I've been learning and what I have found about wisdom and the knowledge of God.

"Let your eye's look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only the ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left, keep your foot from evil." (proverbs 4:25-27)

~Catie

Faces hidden behind the masks of Ideal Christianity

     What exactly is Christianity? What exactly does it look like to walk, talk and behave as Christ did? We have so many "answers", explanations, and methods for how to be the "ideal" christian. As young adults in an ever changing, tolerating world we are often torn between two paths: the worldly path and the one God has laid for us.
     Somewhere in this battle we place masks over our faces, one for Sunday morning, one for school or work. Often times we further divide these masks between us and our family, certain groups of friends, coworkers etc. These masks become walls that we use to shield ourselves, hide us, and protect ourselves from the world.
     My question is really, why do those in the body of Christ wear masks? Are we ashamed, embarrassed or guilty? In Christ there is no condemnation. Just take one look at Jesus's life and you will see that. He chose to hang around prostitutes, cheaters, liers, and adulterers and he loved them entirely without any hint of judgement. Rather, he spoke truth into their lives with acceptance, compassion and love.
     So why do we feel condemned, judged or unaccepted by those in our own church? Personally, I find it much easier to love those far from God then I do those close to him. I think the reason for that is because we believe Christians should just "know better," and so we justify ourselves in judging them.
      At times I can be a very judgmental person. It's not just with other people though, I judge myself very harshly too. I know that I'm not a perfect person. My life has not been characterized by good choices. When I first started addressing those areas in my life where I had messed up I was so hard on myself. I thought, "I should know better." My idea of perfection was shattered and I realized I wasn't even a generally good person. Talk about a reality check.
     I remember about a year ago I was sitting with one of my best friends, smoking some cigars elbows deep in a theological discussion, and suddenly it hit me. My friend of ten years was sharing his heart in a way I had never heard before. He shared his hurts, his struggles and fears with me in a very vulnerable way. For that brief moment he took off his mask and I saw him for who he truly was. It was at that moment I came face to face with the reality that I too had been wearing a mask. Mine was the mask of self-assured confidence.
     When you've been hurt throughout your life, it gets to the point where you don't want to hurt again so you build up a wall and put on a mask to protect yourself.
    But in this moment, as my friend was sharing, I realized it was okay. it was okay to let down your mask and to genuinely live out your life. However the thought of "what will others think," soon popped into my mind.
     As brothers and sisters in Christ we are called to come along side each other to encourage and support one another. We become useless and ineffective witnesses when we reject or condemn our brother or sister because in doing so we portray judgement and condemnation to the world, the exact opposite of what Jesus was communicating on the cross.
    Now this doesn't mean that we can let our brothers and sisters do whatever they want. There are consequences for actions, however our attitude should be one of humbleness rather than shamefulness. There is a significant difference between the two. Conviction comes from the Lord and he uses it to humble us. However we can easily fall into a pit of shame in which the devil fills with concrete making us unable to move. We become stuck in our own shame and guilt thinking that we can never escape. This thought completely discounts the word of God. He promises if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sin. Humbleness on the other hand, is where you accept your inadequacy and the consequences of your choices along with Gods plan over your own.
     My challenge for you is that you open your eyes and look into people rather then just at them. Everyone is broken, some in small ways some in huge ways. Realize that they don't need another judgmental person in their lives. Swap that for love and acceptance with the realization that you to belong in the the group of broken people. It's a strange thought, but it's okay to be broken. It's the only way we can be made new.


"my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2Corinthians 12:9

~Catie

Moving out of Fear and into Perfect Love

"There is no fear in love for perfect love casts out all fear" - 1John 4:18

I would say that over the course of my life I have never truely experienced fear, and so this verse has never really meant a lot to me. However some of the things that have happened this summer have caused me to fear for others and fear for control (or the giving up of control) in a way I never thought possible. Yet as I feared, God comforted me. And as the days moved on and the hours started to differenciate themselves, I was left with a lingering fear "what if I will never move past this?"

I don't know if anyone of you has experienced a trauma in your life, lost a loved one, or been hurt phyically, verbally, or sexually, but one of the most common things to ask yourself after experiencing a trauma is "will this ever be over." Reliving the moments, second by second seems like a daily thing and it's exhausting. I found myself questioning God constantly asking him why I wasn't past it, why I still found myself lost in the loop of recouting every detail. One minute I would be laughing and the next weeping. The emotional rollercoaster didn't make sense to me and I sought God for comfort and found very little.

I was challenged to make a list of all the fear I had and to let God's word answer the fears with his perfect love and truth. A variety of things was on this list, however the biggest one was the fear of not moving past this moment. I felt like I would be stuck in feeling out of control, fearful, and unsettled. One of the first verses God gave me was 2 Corinthians 1:9 "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."

One of my questions to God has been, "why did you let this happen?" He was very clear in answering that; because I needed to rely on him. He also encouraged me by saying "We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in dispair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destoryed" - 2Corinthians 4:8

There are times in our lives when we are hard pressed, when everything seems like its going wrong and it doesn't seem like it can get much worse. But what God promises us, it that we may be hard pressed but when we rely on him we are not crushed. There are times when we ask God, "God why did you have this happen?" No matter how hard we try we can't seem to comprehend why God would allow something. But God says that when we fall to him, we will not be in dispair: giving up hopeless because we have no idea what's going on. There will be times in our life where we feel persecuted for what we believe or think. Because of that we might be left, gossiped about or slandered, but the one person who will never leave us is God. We will not be abandoned in the hard times. We will not be abandoned in the good either. There will be times when the consequences of our sin will cause us to fall away, but we will not be destroyed because we are held firmly in God's hand.

I don't know about you, but this verse puts life into perpective for me and gives me tremendous ammout of comfort. Yes there will be difficulties, but there is hope even through the hard times. When we set our hope on Christ we will not be dispointed because he wants to grow us closer to Him.

So, will I ever move past it? Will you ever be able to step out of fear and allow God's all consuming love to dispel the fears you have? It starts with a choice: the willingness to give God your fear and allow him to move into your heart. Through him you can move past the sadness, you can move past the pain, and you can move out of fear and into confidence in God's plan for humanity.

"On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." - 2Corinthians 1:10

~Catie

The Truth Of God

My dearest child,
     Why do you believe all the lies the world tells you? I hear you cry out to me in desperation for someone to love you, someone to care, someone to listen, someone to be there. You tell me you know that I'm there and you know that I love you, yet you don't believe it.
     My heart breaks for you because you can't see how beautiful you are. I made you and I take great delight in you. I thought about your life and put so much care into planning it out. I formed you with my own hands, and know every intricate detail of who you are. I put the freckles on your face and the the dimples in your smile. I hand picked the color of your eyes and crafted your ears and nose perfectly. I'm so proud of my creation that I gave you life! I wanted to show everyone how beautiful you were.
    It broke my heart when you turned away from me not because I expect perfection but because it broke our relationship. I want you to live in my blessing and walk on the path of life and hope. I loved you so much that I died for you. You were so valuable to me that I sought you out when you were lost and provided an opportunity for us to be in relationship again! You cry out to me because you are hurt and broken. I died for your brokeness. I died for all the wrongs done to you and I was there the moment you were being hurt, dying and hurting with you.
      You are worth everything to me. Because I am unchanging, my love for you is always the same. You couldn't do anything to make me love you less. I will always forgive, and I will always take you back. It breaks my heart that you walk away because when you walk away you walk off of the path of blessing. I want to comfort you and hold you as you cry over the destruction you find from the path of darkness. I never blame you for failures because I know that without me you can't do anything. When you take my hand I will bless you. I want to teach you and grow you in my love and in my spirit.
     My dear child, don't listen to the lies the world tells you. Listen to my words because my words are truth! I wrote you a letter to remind you of my love and I provided a way for you to speak to me every day. Come to me and I will bless you. Rest in me and I will give you peace. Surrender to me and I will heal you from all your brokeness. Your smile warms my heart and your laughter is heavenly music. Trust in me when times are hard and I will never fail you because I long to love you and provide for you.

~ God

Love must be Sincere

"Love must be sincere, hate what is evil cling to what is good." - Romans 12:9

Often times we read this verse and immedicatly apply it to ourselves. We need to hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This is true ad right, however, I think we rarely stop to think about the beginnging of the verse. Love must be sincere. What does that mean?

The definition of sincere is "pure; unmixed; unadulterated." So to have sincere love, it is a love that is genuine and pure. When we look at the way that Christ loves us, we see sincerity. He knows who we are to the deepest level, yet he genuinly cares about us. He is patient, kind, his love is oriented to us and our best intrest. He always persues us, always protects us, and never fails us.

Part of being a christian, is orienting our lives to reflect His. Is our love sincere? Do we genuinly care about people? We talk about caring for people all the time, yet to be honest, that other person really annoys us and we hate certain things that they do or say. Is that a sincere love?

Love is both a feeling and and action. If you genuinly love someone, you will act on it regardless of the feeling. However, I believe when you sincerly love someone, you always have compassion for them so that yor actions are matches with care.

Caring about someone should compel us to act on that emotion. How do we sincerly love people? I believe through compassion, a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering. When we see people as just as broken and lost as we are, something about the way we realte to them changes. However, we first need to see that we are broken, beyond our own ability to repair. When we can relate to other people based on our own failures, we begin to genuinly love the other person.

So is your love sincere? Do you have a compassion that compels you to act?

~Catie