On Personality Tests and Excuses

Being a psychology major is so much fun. In fact, next semester, I get to administer a whole stream of tests to find out a whole lot more about myself than I am probably ready for (nonetheless, I am STOKED). However, there is one personality test out there that is fairly universal, and the majority of my generation seems to be fairly excited (if not obsessed) about. Perhaps you have heard of it: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

In case you have yet to hear of it, it is a personality test that asks you a series of questions (the legitimate test one pays for is a rather large sum of questions). Your answers to these questions are analyzed and produce results regarding your introversion (I) or extroversion (E) levels, sensing (S) or intuition (N) levels, thinking (T) or feeling (F) levels, and judging (J) or perceiving (P) levels. As noted in the parenthesis, each word has a corresponding letter. There are four letters assigned to whoever finishes the test, providing the ability to have 16 different sets of results.

Based on your results, you can read up on your "personality type." It is helpful in understanding other people, as well as yourself. The results tend to be at least somewhat accurate, if not encompassing a lot of who you are into a few short paragraphs. I have taken the test several times, and even when I decide to answer a little differently than normal, Myers-Briggs never fails to give me the same results of ISFJ. I am an introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging personality type, which just so happens to be the most common personality type out there in terms of Myers-Briggs personality types.

I take a lot of pride in my personality. I like knowing that, as an ISFJ, I feel burnt out a lot for a reason. It helps me to calm down when I realize how much I care about others; though it is something I love doing, understanding this about myself allows me to force taking some time for myself. This is only one example of many in regards to how this test has helped me better understand myself.

However, sometimes I think I (as well as so many others) take these test results to the extreme. Instead of using the results to balance ourselves out between extroversion and introversion, we teeter completely to the introverted side using the excuse of "I'm an introvert, so it is okay to ignore them," or "I'm an extrovert, so taking time for myself isn't an option" (sorry extroverts if that isn't an issue you deal with--I really try and understand!). Either perception you have of yourself, you are probably going to give into it, allowing more margin for that specific trait in your life.

I guess to sum this all up (because if it is too long, in a moment of honesty, who would read it?), my point is that you can't take test results and apply them to your life and become them. They help you understand your weak areas as well as your strong. It is not bad to be introverted or extroverted. What is bad is using the label as an excuse or allowing the trait to develop laziness in your life. For a quick, personal example, I for one have used the excuse of being an introvert not to take time for someone who was in need. I did not help them with their question. I did not even say hello when they so obviously were waiting for acknowledgement. I used the excuse to myself that I am an introvert, so that person can find an extrovert who wants to help or at least say something to me first.

Owning your personality is one thing, but hiding behind it is something completely different. Allow the weakness to open up as areas of growth in your life. I know I want to change for the better, and perhaps learning to balance introversion and extroversion is healthier than teetering to one side or the other. We all need people, and we all need alone time, just the same. I want to be sensing and intuitive, thinking and feeling, perceiving and judging. Sometimes, all it takes is accepting who you are, and then choosing to grow into what you are yet to be.  One must rise to the occasion instead of using excuses. I know I want to rise to the occasion and use the personality God gave me to bless the world. However, I also do not want the enemy to grab a hold of the beautiful personality God gave me specifically and make it something less than what it was intended for.

So, as always, be blessed! Take charge of your personality--don't let it keep you from greatness!

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2

The Opportunities of Being "Off"

This week has been a very off week for me. Normally I am the punctual person; the one who gets work done ahead of time and even any possible extra credit. I am that academic sort of goody-two-shoes who arrives to class early, reads everything she is supposed to, and avoids the social activities for the sake of a grade. 

However, this week has been completely and ever so....Off. 

I found myself missing classes for homework and group projects. I was scrambling right before class to get work done. Nothing seemed to be going right. I arrived to work late, went to bed extra late, and woke up early with the hope of enough time and ability to exert some level of concentration and effort. However, that is just the surface of this week.

You know how a light bulb only works when it is plugged in? Even then, it only has so much ability to produce light before it just has to be thrown away altogether. I think when we refer to a person as such, we use the term "burnt out." Well, my light bulb was nearing its end. However, this week, I found my time to recharge and restore in the most uncanny of moments. What follows is a brief synopsis:

Tuesday: I was supposed to meet up with someone to conduct an interview as part of a class project. Due to communication failures, I missed work for the sake of this interview in vain. However, I took advantage of the waiting time to work on homework. In the midst of realizing that all I could do was wait for my interviewee to show up, I gained peace and just worked on homework. There can be something very peaceful about waiting in the midst of chaos and setting aside all you have to do....Allowing yourself to focus on one thing and one thing alone.

Wednesday: I again attempted an interview, this time with a different interviewee. I was ready to miss a mandatory chapel if I had to for this interview. I skipped a class (ironically the class this project was/is for) to make this happen. However, my project partner and I called the interviewee with no response. We waited for a call back, and still nothing. So I sat there on a bench in a quiet hallway and just prayed. It was not an extravagant moment; but again, it was a peaceful moment where I realized I could not do anything about it. There is such a peace in accepting the fact that you cannot do anything more.

Thursday: I woke up early to work on homework that was due later that day. I then received a text from someone to interview, and they wanted to get together that evening. In the midst of figuring out a time, I did not get the rest of my homework done for class that day. I was going to have to miss an evening class to make this happen. However, blessings were reaped. I still managed to get everything taken care of for my class that day, my dinner was paid for as a result of the interview, and I missed my night class, a PE class, offering my swollen, painful ankle to rest (the joys of tendinitis). This week has been all about learning to rest, to be OK with where I am at, and to find peace in knowing who God is (and letting that be enough).

OK, so maybe that was not quite the definition of a brief synopsis, but the point is that a lot of uneasy events ended up being little reminders and blessings from my heavenly Father to rescue me away from my stress and rest in His presence of peace. Sometimes when you choose to go hard for too long, He calls you out of that. He didn't created the Sabbath and make it holy for nothing.

So, this takes me back to the title of this post. Off. I need to take time off from being busy and just simply be. This is when we find satisfaction. Being in the presence of God is a beautiful thing that you never have to walk out of. To constantly consider yourself as in the presence of God will change the way you view the moments in which you are in a rush but waiting in line for your caffeine boost at Starbucks. It is a chance to experience a moment of peace, or rest in His presence, and to remind yourself that as the bride of Christ you are called to rest in Him, to be still and know who He is.

Psalm 46:10 says "be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted among the earth."

The "be still" in this verse comes from the Hebrew word "rapha," meaning "to let go, be weak, or release."

So, dear readers, remember to take time and be still in every moment you find the opportunity. Seek the opportunities! Seek rest in Christ--you will find it. Take time off to get back on track!

Something New

There has been one word on my heart since junior year of high school. I cannot believe it is coming up on four years since that word first hit me. I wrote a paper on it for some sort of English/Composition class,  and I thought at the time that it would be a very difficult task to write four pages on one simple word: Restoration. However, I have learned over the past few years how much more I could write about this one little word.

In my paper, I gave the definition and expounded on that. However, I can now give you a peak into experiences of restoration in my own life. I have been learning so much about the grace of God lately. I know that sounds cheesy to the max, but the depth of God's grace is something so serious, so beautiful, so fierce, and so overwhelming. I have also had people I have never met come up to me and tell me my life was all about restoration for others. It makes sense with the goals I have for my life and the calling I feel God has placed on my heart. It's just incredible what I have learned from God's Word alone on the subject of restoration. All throughout the Psalms, you see the theme of restoration through prayers and remembrances of God's intervening and restoring hand.

ie:

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

-Psalm 51: 10-12

Just take a look at the Israelites. They fell away from God and pleaded for restoration of right relationship with Him over and over again. The book of Judges is the perfect example of this cycle. Furthermore, our own lives speak the most clearly out of any example I could give. We all know where we've messed up. We all as Christians know that we have been saved by grace through faith and that our own works did not do it, but through the gift of God's love and grace. What a beautiful picture of restoration. No matter how hard or far we fall, our Father is right there to bring us back to Him, just waiting for us to call out to Him.

Perhaps this is something one needs to experience and study for themselves to truly grasp the depth of all this--and then do it over and over again, as it can never be fully experienced or understood. God's loving and gracious restoration is so beautiful and beyond complete comprehension. What joy God's restoration brings to our hearts as well, when we realize that we did nothing and God still loves us the same, like parents whose young children cannot do a whole lot and yet are such a blessing and so lovable.

I started reading a great book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. It is a book that captures the beauty and reality of God's grace, and I cannot wait to read more of it. I've only read a couple chapters, but I recommend it already! If you are thirsty for the Bridegroom to bring restoration to your soul, I recommend, along with this book, that you study the Psalms and simply sit in the presence of God. Make every moment one in which you can experience and receive God's love and just offer what you have--a willing heart-- to Him. It sounds too easy sometimes, but God's grace is that miraculous!

Before I write a book, I will stop there. I was compelled to write on the restoration of God, and I am not sure if I really hit that target or not. However, I hope that somewhere in my rambles, you have found even a few words that will draw you and your Heavenly Father closer together.


"Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you." 
-II Corinthians 2:11

The Little Things

It's funny how some of the things that seem so ordinary and second-nature now become the most significant and meaningful pieces of life later. A patch of grass you sat in with a best friend, a room you encountered God in like never before, or a landmark you passed by on the road to get somewhere you never thought you could be.... Oh, the little things.

Sometimes I wonder what value I would place on different pieces of life without these little things. I sat in a patch of grass and had one of the most life changing conversations with my best friend. What was before just a patch of grass became a very significant memory. I encountered God in a junior high room on a retreat many years ago, and now I find myself serving in that junior high room. I never thought I would have seen that room again after that retreat. I used to pass under an overpass on a highway to get to a friend's house, as was part of the ordinary commute. Now, that same highway and overpass mark the beginning of my weekly commute to church/work. It is amazing how the small things in life are what can bring about the deep value we hold for life.

Children's laughter. A warm blanket. Comfort food. Our favorite PJ's. A good song. A memory. A compliment. Holidays. Such small pieces of life that cause us to be so thankful, that cause us to cherish all that life encompasses.

Yes, I am being a bit poetic this time around, but I am just in awe of God's beauty in ALL He does. His beauty in creation is beyond awesome, but think about His beauty elsewhere. His beauty in His oh-so perfect timing, His ironic or coincidental actions, His sense of humor. I am just amazed at the fact that a patch of grass became more than that because of a conversation He ordained. He makes something so ordinary so very extraordinary. It makes me realize just how well taken care of I am. What beautiful hands my Father holds me with. He smiles when you pass by certain places, certain people, because He already knows what your future holds in that person or place's life. To think that God truly has placed everything in such a way that it all works out for the good of His bride, His people.

I know this isn't a very profound post, but I became caught up in the love of God in the little things today. I just couldn't keep it to myself. Being thankful really does shed the tunnel vision that human nature and its selfishness unnecessarily provides.

So, when you are worrying, doubting, wanting, or otherwise, remember the little things. Your heavenly Father has a plan far beyond what you could ever imagine. Just wanted to encourage you today! :)



"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
-I Thessalonians 5:18

She Walks in Beauty

She is elegant and graceful and her beauty is like the rarest of pearls. Her beauty is rare only because the deepest part of it lies in the depth of her character. It is rare because it is not flaunted for the attraction of men, for that beauty is shallow and self-serving and for that beauty it is not beauty at all. Her beauty is so awesome she doesn't even have to be physically endowed to be wonderfully attractive. She does not try to seduce or beguile because true beauty needs no help in honest attraction.

Grace leaps from her tongue like clear water from a beautiful waterfall. Her words are used to heal, to build up, and to edify. Her words are used to serve and cheer on and she is too important for games of gossip. She is confident on the days when her hair is not fixed to look its best and her make-up doesn't cover all of her flaws. Her humble confidence doesn't lie simply in what she looks like, for even on her worse days she knows who she is.

She is elegant and proud to be the entire woman she can be because she understands that genuine femininity has its own fragrance. She does not compare or compete with anyone because any truly confident woman does not need to. She does not have to be like anyone else, she celebrates her own individuality understanding that every beautifully created woman, like the different flowers, has their own aroma. She has her own spice and personality offers it's own flavor and she loves herself because she loves her God.

Her worship is true and flows from the vulnerability, sensitivity, and weakness that only the feminine heart has to offer. She does not flaunt her spirituality or her God given gifts or talents because she knows that she has them only to serve. She does not hide in her spirituality because she feels rejected, fearful, or unattractive. She simply worships because she loves her God.

This darling of a princess realizes that she is being raised to be a queen. She does not invest or spend herself just anywhere. A queen only gives herself to a king, so if any man wants a chance at having her at his side, he will have to hold the standard of a king. She will not allow her loneliness as a woman to cause her to jump into any man's embrace. A woman who does this has yet to know who she is, nor does she truly know of her inheritance from her loving heavenly father. She should not regret the emotional essence given to her by her bountiful creator. There is a compassionate sparkle in her eye and she gleams with potential. Her smile is as sincere felt as her pain. She can express her hurt just as well as she can express her joy.

Because she is truly beautiful she inspires respect without demanding it. She is clothed in humillity and attempts to clothe herself morning by morning in purity of heart. The heart of a godly man is being prepared to receive her as an invaluable gift. The tender hands of your heavenly father are delicately stroking the inner fibers of your being. He is changing your character and countenance because you are his glorious and beautiful inheritance.

--author unknown

This, to me, is an extremely elaborate version of all the Bible has to say about a woman of God. YOU are a woman of God! A very BEAUTIFUL woman of God. :) May you walk in this truth! And let it be known that I stumbled upon this on another blog a long time ago and found it saved on my computer. I regretfully do not know what blog it came from anymore, but please know these are not my words. However, this poem came from somewhere else before the blog, and the author is sadly unknown. Just had to make the disclaimer :)

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future."

-Proverbs 31:25, NIV :)

Process of a Pearl: A Glimpse Inside

In honor of completing the first two chapters and moving on to the third, I thought I would give you a taste of what the book entails. I understand the whole basis of a pearl may be a little cheesy, but the truth of God's Word makes this so valid and totally kills the cheesiness. There are not any Bible verses in this particular piece I chose to share, but it really is just a sum of what the book in its entirety entails. So let me know your thoughts and if you got anything out of this! I love feedback! :)

Pearls are the result of a process known as pearl cultivation. Though they look beautiful, it takes a long time to develop a genuine pearl. The beauty was not always a gorgeous piece of jewelry, but rather a simple bother inside the mouth of a clam or other shelled creature. Once the sand, laceration, or other bother is discovered, the clam begins the process of healing. This, dear reader, is how a pearl is created. Genuine pearls are rare and come from locations all over the world. They aren't even all round or white. The largest pearl in the world takes the shape of the inside of its clam! Some pearls are even brown, blue, or black. The whole rainbow can be displayed via pearls if you search long enough.

That brings us to the next truth about a genuine pearl—you have to go searching for it. Why? Because they are rare! However, people search for them nonetheless, because they know that a genuine pearl is worth searching for.

How does this relate to us as women in such a contaminated, or sin-immersed, world? Sin is an inevitable part of our world, life, and thoughts. However, it’s how you react to it that creates that pearl. There are three aspects being portrayed here:

1. Pearls are created via a process. We as women go through a process called life, meaning overwhelming joy—and inevitable hardship. How you react is what will either create a pearl, or create a deeper cut that can even lead to infection. How you react in response to life determines the true outcome of every situation you face.
2. Pearls are worth searching for. Though facing problems can be extremely hard or very emotional, facing the process and fixing it will only shape and form you more. Yes, you must acknowledge you have a problem and know how to deal with it, which we will discuss later in this book, but acknowledgement is the beginning of the healing process. You cannot finish something, or further develop into a pearl, if you have not even started the process. Therefore, when you finally see the mess clear up and the pearl forming, you will realize that you are indeed worth searching for. You already are in God’s eyes before your problems are faced and fixed, but even though God loves you the way you are, He loves you too much to leave you that way. Why? Because He sees potential. He sees the end result, because He ultimately is the one who finishes—He’s just waiting on you to start! God sees the pearl. He sees you as worth searching for.
3. Pearls are created when hardship abounds, and healthy action is taken in response to the situation. The pearl is formed only once the clam acknowledges the presence of the problem and identifies exactly where it is. The pearl is then created over time by the clam in place of the problem. I’ve heard it said that life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. Basically, attitude is everything. Your reaction to a given situation will make or break you.

I encourage you to keep reading to discover what God has for you, whether that be triumph through healing for you or a friend, empowerment and newfound confidence in who God made you to be, or to understand your role as a woman in this world today. My goal is to refresh women with the story of their value and bring hope to the set of circumstances life has harshly handed them. You can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. You are God’s daughter—a daughter of Love Himself. This, daughter, is a book of how healing from hurt creates beauty and unique, feminine strength. 

The Little Black Dress

I stumbled upon this rough draft that I never posted from late 2012. I thought I would share it with you all :) Be blessed!

In 2 Peter, it says that we are equipped for a life of godliness. We have everything we need to be women and men of Christ. Godliness is like the little black dress every girl has--an all purpose sort of garment. From godliness, many other character traits sprout. Those are the accessories. There is such a thing as being spiritually fashionable. And though I am certain this can apply to men as well, my call in this post is to young women everywhere. Are you "spiritually fashionable?" Are you taking hold of the equipment God has freely and already handed you?

You have been equipped, so walk in it! Walk in your feminism, walk in your calling, and most of all walk in the love of Christ! It is fun to be fashionable and wear cute scarves and fun jewelry, but altogether (and almost without saying) what makes the outfit is truly the "little black dress." Don't ever be without it! You are already equipped with godliness, so go for the gold because it is already yours! You are dressed to be blessed, and so are those around you--treat them that way!

How many times do we shed our "little black dress" of godliness and put on the raggedy clothes God wants us to throw away completely? So often I forget that I have been equipped with everything I need to live a kingdom-minded life to the full already. Other times I simply don't want to have it, because that means more responsibility. It comes down to realizing how much better your life will be, and how much better others' lives will be, as a result of you choosing to wear out your little black dress instead of your jeggings and V-neck or sweat pants and T-shirt (as comfortable as these items are...).

All in all, between the reminder of what God has already given us and God's tugging at my heart to continue in my passion (that He gave me), I thought I would share a little piece of it with you, dear reader. My prayer for you is that your understanding of what God has equipped you with would grow, your character would be purified, and that your little black dress would come back out of the wardrobe to be of use to you in the incredible amount of ways which it can be. :)

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." 
          - 2 Peter 1:3-4

The "You've Got Mail" Principle

My favorite movie of all time is You've Got Mail. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan act so well together (hence, they have more than one movie of acting together!). This movie has heavily influenced my life. It is a movie that makes me think about my mom, as it is one of her favorite movies, and we have spent many hours together watching Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox fall in love over a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils and a plethora of quirky remarks. I think my favorite part of You've Got Mail has changed over time, however. Originally, I just loved the dog, Brinkley. Eventually, I realized what a good reasoning for having daisies as a favorite flower (it's the "friendliest" flower!). I later truly appreciated the ending when I realized how romantic (and cheesy) it was. Now I watch the movie and see so much more than characters and a story line, though. I see concepts and symbolism and so much more than just a movie with a job well done in character creation and plot twisting.

In You've Got Mail, Joe Fox is the co-owner, along with his father, of a newly opening bookstore equivalent to a Barnes and Noble in New York City. A small, locally owned bookstore, the Shop Around the Corner, has been around for many years, its business passed down to Kathleen Kelly from her mother. Kathleen and Joe meet on a chat room, which they both claim they wandered into only as a joke (coincidentally at the same time). Never having met in person, they begin a cyber romance that causes them to want to meet. However, unknowingly each other's chat-life love, they are enemies in the business world and refuse to talk to each other outside of AOL. The two online lovers decide to meet, and when Joe finds out the girl of his dreams is Kathleen, he decides to play a "no-show" and comes in as her run-her-out-of-business foe. From this point on in the movie, Joe falls for Kathleen not only online, but in person, too. He does not reveal who he really is to her until the end of the movie, but I have come to see it as something so deep and so beautiful. It is a romantic comedy that accurately reflects so much of life aside from the perfect love and the living happily ever after scenario that every typical romantic comedy envelopes.

Anywho, I love the story and its irony. However, the bigger spark that has recently caught my attention in the film is this: there is a man and there is a woman. The man pursues the woman. He does not reveal his identity as her true love until the end, when the time is right and he was proved himself to her. He has waited for her to come to terms with who she is, what her purpose in life is, and how strong of a woman she is on her own. He has allowed her space to grow before he ever showed himself to be her prince charming.

So, to all my single ladies out there, be encouraged. There is a man who is waiting for the perfect time to show himself to you and to sweep you off your feet. In the mean time, you just work on being you and becoming the strong, capable woman God has called you to be. How can one be swept off their feet if they are not first employed by something worthwhile? If we were always on the prowl, paying attention and sitting, waiting...We wouldn't be doing. We wouldn't be on our feet to even be swept off of them.

Yes, I did just make a silly devotional out of a cheesy chick flick. However, I think it is important that single women waiting for their Mr. Right to come not forget that they have so much more purpose than to be someone's wife, girlfriend, or fiance. Each of us is called to change the world beyond "behind every great man is a great woman." We can be the great woman that just is a great woman. Singleness is a gift, and it is something special that we won't all have forever. In the mean time, for those who do hope and dream of being swept off their feet, remember to continue doing whatever you are called to right now. Otherwise....How can you be pursued and swept off your feet if you are sitting and waiting?



"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You."
-Psalm 25:21


Further recommended reading:


I encourage you to read Matthew 25- please understand that I don't want to take this passage out of context, as it is referring to the end times and the preparedness we must have for Jesus' coming back. However, the literal meaning still stands. Those who were working and prepared were the ones who reaped the benefits and joys of the wedding.

Galatians 6:9
I Peter 5:6-7
Psalm 130:5-6

Do Not Worry: Challenge Accepted?

The Bible says not to worry and to cast our anxieties on the Lord. We are to be thankful and pray instead. Sometimes I cannot help but to think that this is the biggest vice I deal with--and perhaps it is for many who have grown up in a safe environment, practically raised by the church. I have never had a drinking problem or dealt with substance abuse. Physical impurity has never been a big vice for me either. However, I look at the many Bible verses referring to this idea of remembering how much God cares for you and how powerful thankfulness is.....And realize what a terrible spiritual crime I am committing.

To worry is practically to doubt God. Perhaps the knowledge of God was never enough for a mustard seed-size faith to exist, but instead to act upon that knowledge in courageous ways. I, for one, have not kept that pace whatsoever. I am far behind in the race, even after following Christ for nearly 16 years. So. Far. Behind.

With every new day arises new challenges, and with new challenges emerges new hopes, disappointments, thoughts, peace, questions, answers, and other paradoxical sorts of results.I wonder sometimes how much I fall into the category of not putting enough faith, hope, and trust into the One who is so faithful to me, so hopeful for me and my life, and so trusting in me that He would never consider breaking any of His promises (and, random thought, but He blessed me with a brain....That seems rather trusting to me), regardless of what I choose to do with my time, my thoughts, and my treasure.

My point in saying all this? I have allowed myself to be covered in worry, and it is a terrible crime. I come from a background where this might be easy to say is a vice. However, I do not want to continue living in it, nor do I want to make excuses any longer. I worry about the future, about the past, about the present. I worry about friends and family, their futures, and their further worries. I question where I will be a year from now, this summer, or even tomorrow. Is it my place or duty to do so? Perhaps, because of the God-given brain in my head, it is up to me to use wisdom and the knowledge I have attained, but to allow what my brain cannot comprehend to be placed in the hands of God, the One who knows all and cares for all. After all, if I were to know everything and to delegate every plan I have ever made, I would have already been equipped with that knowledge, for God's Word says that we have already been equipped for godliness in 2 Peter 1:3. We have all we need to carry out what He has called us to do. Anything we are not equipped with (and even that which we are equipped with) comes from Him in His perfect timing.

What are we called to do with what we do not know?

To wait upon the Lord (Is 40:31 and Ps. 27:14).
To be joyful (Romans 12:12, Nehemiah 8:10, 1 Thess. 5:16-17).
To be thankful (1 Thess 5:16-17).
To endure (Josh. 1:9, Rom 12:12, 2 Tim. 2:3).
To trust Him (Prov 3:5-6).
To be still and remember who is fighting for us (Ps. 46:10, Ps. 68:28).
Pray and petition at the feet of Jesus (1 Thess. 5:16-17, Luke 10:38-42).
To fight through praise (1 Chron. 16:34-36).

I write this as if I know it all too well myself, but I must make the disclaimer that though I have faced some hard seasons in life, I will face many more in which I will need this blog post times a million--no, I will simply need my heavenly Father-- to get me through whatever it is I am dealing with. I know next to nothing--much is yet to be endured, to be experienced, and to be learned.

However, that is not for me to worry about. I will focus on the race before my eyes and trust God that He will equip me for godliness in the season of life He calls me to next.

Acts 27
Matthew 6:25-34
1 Peter 5:7
Isaiah 41:10-20

Preparing for "God Moments"

So many youth group retreats and other various event are coming up this weekend that I know of, and it made me want to share a few thoughts with everyone! Whether you are a student going on the retreat, or you find yourself going to your 10th conference this weekend, being refreshed is what everyone wants out of such weekend getaways with God. When preparing for a big event with God at the center (ie retreats, conferences, etc.), it can be easy to get caught up in all that you plan for and expect to happen. However, I want to challenge all you retreat-goers to take a few moments every day leading up to your big event to "test the waters" and dip your toes in.

I was thinking about it, and preparing for an amazing time with God at a big event takes some effort. It is like when you go to a hotel with an indoor, unheated pool. No matter what age you are, you have to get used to the temperature of the water.  The majority of people don't just jump in; they work their way into the water slowly and surely. They start with their toes, then take another step, and then another....And eventually, they are completely immersed in the water. They are then able to go to the deep end or jump of the diving board with ease and enjoyment--no unpleasant shock of cold water whatsoever! Instead, they get full enjoyment of all that the pool has to offer, and nothing is hold them back from pure refreshment and fun.

All because you took some time to grow accustomed to the setting of the pool, or the metaphorical retreat, you were able to take in all it had to offer. God has so much He wants to give you, but sometimes you have to prepare for it. So start testing the waters now with high expectations for all God wants to do in your life. Spend time in His word; pray for yourself and for those you know of attending the event as well. Start encouragement towards others now rather than half way through the retreat. Start having God moments now so the big ones only solidify what you already started beforehand. Let the newness factor be something that happens in your room before it begins many miles away in a building you've never been to before. It is when you begin a pattern of consistency and a build up of heart preparation and understanding of God's word that you can take in more and more of God, His grace, His blessings, and His wisdom.

So, dear reader, if you find yourself going on some big event in the near future, perhaps try preparing for it so you can take in even more of God's love than you ever thought you could.


Psalm 23:5-6

⁵ You prepare a table before me    in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil;    my cup overflows.⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me    all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord    forever.

What do YOU want to hear about?

Well. It's been a while. I have been inspired recently for my book, but I have had little time to sit down and write. I have been thinking about so many things that I want to write about here, as well. The topics stream from secular music to John the Baptist to finances to keeping the Sabbath holy to sex trafficking and so many other! I want to sit down and write but time is not allowing it. However, if there is ANY topic you would like to hear about, I would love to do some studying on the topic and blog about it ASAP! Feel free to Tweet me @runner_4_jc or message me on Facebook!