What I Learned by Asking Advice

So you're at a point in your life and you don't know where to go next or which choice you should choose.  What do you do?

Proverbs 11:14

"Without good direction, people lose their way;
the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."

A little over a month ago I had a quiet time regarding this verse.  After much thought I decided it would be a good idea to get advice for my future from my pocket of wise friends and family.  What I learned was some great "life" advice that applies to anyone entering a new season.  After much messaging, texting and breaking bread with these "elders" of my life, this is what I learned:

• From a much older and wiser friend to a younger one-"Travel before a family comes along is the way to go, I'd say."  
• From a wise and godly cousin- "Where your great joy meets the world's great need is where you should be." 
• Find out what you want, what brings you true joy and ask yourself if you can get by
  (financially) doing just that...if yes, do it.
• It's okay to make wrong choices.
• It's okay if the world things you are crazy for following a dream.
• Another wise old cousin- "You can make money doing what your passionate about.  It may not be easy or a lot of money, but it's possible."
• Do whatever you want but keep in mind you have to be on your own insurance by age 26.

And my two favorite which I have heard most often and most repetitively from all sorts of faces:

1. Do what you want to do.
2. When you find it, you'll know it

Those two make me laugh because they are so simple and true, yet it's one of those things that happens when you aren't searching for it.  

I guess that leads to the advice I would give someone like myself:

Don't worry about it so much, God will work it out for you when he's ready. 

Easier said than done of course.  But that's where the Bible's steadfast truth comes in.  The following chapters are always comforting in times of uncertainty for me:

Philippians 4

Jeremiah 29

1 Peter 4

Psalm 3

And of course, if you're still stressed out, you can always put on some good ol' Otis Redding: 

That song always reminds me that it's okay to just chill sometimes.  

"I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watchin the tide roll away, ooh
I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time."

So smile, relax, have some fun and trust that everything is really a lot more okay than you think it is.  With the big man in charge it can't be too bad in the end, right?  And...don't forget to thank him instead of complaining!

Attack at the Altar pt. 2

Matthew 19:4-6 

"Haven't you read," he replied, 

"that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, '

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 

and the two will become one flesh'?  

So they are no longer two, but one.  

Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Of course Satan is going to attack your marriage, it is a good and perfect gift from God.  God wants to use you and your spouse to bring glory to himself through your ministry to the church, your ministry to your friends, and your ministry to your children or future children someday.  Study the Bible and you will soon find that God likes to bless people through generations.  Those generations start with one marriage, wholly and fully dedicated to the Lord.

Read the book of Ruth and you will see her God-fearing love for Boaz is what gave them a marriage that glorified God vibrantly.  Not only did God use their marriage for his glory while they were alive, but he blessed their children and their children's children, all the way down to through the lineage of Jesus Christ himself.  Kind of reminds me of an old country song, "All because two people fell in love..."

Don't let the romance get to you though, ask any married couple and I'm sure they will tell you how hard marriage is every single day...mostly because Satan doesn't want their marriage to glorify God.  It would be so emmaculate that he shutters at the thought of it.  Learn to fight off Satan so God can be glorified!

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If Satan is attacking your marriage you better get up and fight before you lose this God-honoring opportunity!  Ask God to show you how to fight, how to love, and how to humbly walk with Him.  Pray that the devil would be chained so that he no longer has a presence in your household.  Seek Godly advice from strong Christians around you.

And if your relationship is not being attacked, perhaps you should ask yourself: are you glorifying God with your marriage?  Doing nothing at all is the same thing as not honoring God.  What can you and your spouse do today that will bring God honor and praise in your home?  Who can you help?  How can you show your spouse the love of Christ through your actions?

Let's Expand Your View of the Blogworld!!

Well today has already been a spontaneous morning!  I had planned to go running, but got turned down by the large amounts of rain.  I had planned to write a lengthy blog, but got distracted by reading other blogs, then by stopping to take my roommate to school.  Anyhow, because of all this extemporaneousness, I thought I'd just post a fun and unusual post for you all!

In this post I would like to recommend to you all other blogging sites similar to this one!  Why would I do that? Because I am a natural promoter and cheerleader.  I love helping people promote and accelerate things they are passionate about (hence the PR major.)  Also, I think it is just good to have as many good blogs on your favorites bar as you can!

Now, I know from direct conversation that many of you who read my blog are very unfamiliar with the whole world of blogging, and that's okay!  I will just take this opportunity to explain a few things to you.

1. A GREAT way to find other blogs I recommend is by looking at my BlogRoll.  This is on the left side of the screen, underneath my Blog Archive.  A BlogRoll is a list of blogs I have personally selected as my favorites.  I have compiled this list for two reasons.  One-it helps these wonderful blogs get their name out there more, and two, it gives you as a reader, more resources.
2. If you scroll down just a bit further (you might need to open another window so you can read and see what I'm talking about,) you will see several icons, or what look like "ads" on the sides of the page.  These are links to other sites as well.  On the left is one called "Girls, God, and the Good Life."  This is an excellent blog written by several women who are passionate about helping women glorify God!  I love reading about their day-to-day experiences.  Next, if you'll look to the right you will see "Blog Oklahoma."  this is a blog community I have joined that features only blogs from Oklahomans.  Because I am a big OK advocate, I love reading other people's blogs from around our great state!
3. Finally, if you scroll all the way down to the very bottom, you will see a list of my favorite books and a list of other people's favorite posts from Divine Dating.

Enough about my site, here are the top 3 blog posts I am recommending to you today in place of my God-centered post. :) Hope you all enjoy as much as I do!

• Young Ladies Christian Fellowship: A Real Life Love (A beautiful love story in God's hands)
• Quia amasti me: Overcome (GREAT for college students!)
• All Things New: When I am Weak, Then I am Strong (A wonderful post dealing with hard times)
• Along with that post is another similar one from a great woman of God. A Heart Consumed: The Weaker I Get, The Stronger He Becomes
• Christianity In High Heels (I just love her posts, she cracks me up with her awesome insight to the world!)

Love you all and Happy Reading! :)

Completely to You

So what can I say? 
What can I do? 
But offer this heart O God 
Completely to You

This is a beautiful song by Hillsong United entitled The Stand.  As I was getting ready for church yesterday morning I was listening to Air1 when this song came on.  The snippet above is what hit me.  It captured my life at that very moment and God spoke through it.

After an intense weekend full of God-thoughts, worship services, and the emotions of life shared with friends, I realize just how easy it is to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and forget about the one thing that really matters.

As humans, we worship by design.  What we worship is specific to each individual.  The receiver of our worship can range anywhere from sports to boyfriends, music to backpacks, and Star Wars to baking.  None of these things are bad in and of themselves, however the Bible says anything we worship more than God is an idol, and idolatry is a sin.  (Luckily we already knew we were sinners and God has already taken care of that for those who ask!)

For biblical reference:

• Exodus 20:3-4 “You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneat or in the waters below.”
• Matthew 4:10 “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
• Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and the greatest commandment.”

Something I hadn’t thought much about until recently, is that even ministry can be an idol if our motives are wrong.  An example of this would be a youth pastor obsessing over how many kids are coming, what they are going to eat, how to get them to listen to the gospel, etc. rather than focusing on God, what he wants for the children, and asking Him to use the event to glorify himself. 

This isn’t cold hard fact, just an opinion, but I think girls are more vulnerable to making people our idols, whereas men are more vulnerable to making things their idols. 

For most women, idolatry easily creeps in to our relationships because of the Genesis 3:16 curse.  Our desire is for relationships, and more specifically our husband.  How many girls do you know that check their phone every 5 seconds waiting for that guy to text them?  Or what about the women who are so starved for love (like many of us) that they reach out for whatever male figure they can cling to.

We all have idols in our hearts.  This week I was convicted about chasing God’s plan more than God himself.  In high school one of my big idols was popularity and acceptance from other people.  But what’s your idol?  What are you not letting God control in your life?  Is there something you deem as more important than the creator of the universe?  Something coming in between you and your walk with God?  Take some time to examine your heart today and lay down any idols you might have.  Let God be God. J he does have it figured out ya know!

For a great bible study on idols I recommend: No Other Gods by Kelly Minter

Encouragement to You, Princess!

Beth Moore has a wonderful message to all women in the video. Besides addressing relationship issues, she directs her focus towards reensuring us that we are children of God and our purpose is higher than the calling of those in the world. She encourages women to step up and live like the princesses they are.

And if you don't believe you are a princess, perhaps you should check out Pslams 45.

Verses 10 and 11 say this:

"Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear:

Forget your people and your father's house.

The king is enthralled by your beauty;

honor him, for he is your lord."

Forget your people he says! Go and be one with God, never mind what the world says, never mind what your horrible boyfriend says, GO and be one with God. Leave now and enter into the world of joy and love that God has graciously prepared for you. God almighty thinks you are a beautiful, breathtaking princess, who are you to say that you're not?

The creator of the universe himself, thinks you are a thousand times more beautiful and more precious than even Kate Middleton at the royal wedding last night!

John 13:34

"A new command I give you: Love one another.As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Princess, you were born to live a life of purpose, passion, and power. But you have to trust God with your everything. You have to trust God with who you date, who you marry. You have to trust God when he tells you he loves you and thinks your amazing just the way you are.

Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Princesses don't settle for scraps. They don't settle for an ordinary life either. Royal princesses were born to lead and be examples. So lead the girls around you and younger than you. Step out in faith and claim your role as a royal child of God with a purpose.

"Children of God, sing your song and rejoice

For the love that He has given us all

Children of God, by the blood of His Son

We have been redeemed and we can be called

Children of God"

--Third Day "Children of God"

Advice from Dr. Myles Munroe :)

Okay so this one is even better than the T.D. Jakes one! Ya'll gotta hear this. Dr. Myles Munroe tells us what to look for in a man. Tells us what a REAL man looks like!! Good stuff ya'll.

If you attended the bible study, a lot of this goes back to making a list of standards and stickin' to em! He has some great ideas to add to your list too though...I might add a few myself :)