"Dreams"

What if life is not about what we think it's about?  What if the money and the madness and the fame are all just an illusion Satan places before us in order to trick us into thinking we're happy.  What if your educational platform and the number of hours you work, the people you know and the things you force yourself to do were of no actual importance?

"Stevie" 2014. Oil, Acrylic, Glitter.  Haley Hoover

One of my biggest creative role models is none other than Stephanie Lynn Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac.  I find her mysterious and vulnerable poetry an absolute joy, and I am grateful that she has the courage to release it into the world; healing hearts as she does so.

A thought that totally captivates me with her life is that Stevie actually never finished High School.  Her and Buckingham dropped out in pursuit of a musical career.

On first thought I was a bit offended that my inspiration was a drop-out.  The world teaches us to frown upon such things.  On second thought though, I was proud.  I was proud to hear of such brave acts from a young woman.  Sometimes it's the natural skills and passions that need to be tapped into, yet we run in the opposite direction in search of anything and everything that will promise us a secure and meaningful life.  Of course, those things can't be promised (nor bought) and yet we feed into the lie anyways.

I'm sure some would argue that it was a different time back then and school was not pushed as a priority for young students as much as it is now.  I would agree with that perspective.  But what if Stevie were growing up in today's age, an age where school is not an option for the student, but mandated by parents, society and even the government.   College is expected and a Bachelor's Degree is the standard.  Life without these things can result in fear, confusion and rejection by those around you.  If Stevie were growing up in the age of all this would she have still found the courage to spread her wings and fly into her God-given purpose?  Perhaps she would go to college instead and major in Creative Writing; joining the jazz band as an extra curricular activity and all the while stressing about juggling these things plus a job and boyfriend.  What would have happened?

On the flip side, what would the world look like if more of us were courageous and true to our hearts?  Would we spend more time writing poetic lyrics and playing beautiful harmonies?  Would we use our time creating joyous things for others rather than serving the man?

The say about young people who have a good career and a place of their own: "He's really got his life together now."  He is perfectly packaged and wears a suit everyday.  His friends are proud to know him and his parents just gained a lot of connections and respect.  He has ladies falling for him left and right and the world is at his finger tips.

But..

Is he happy?

I wonder if "having your life together" is a synonym for "fall in line, settle down and don't rock the boat."  Are the wanderers and adventurous incorrectly perceived as the hopeless rebels of society?  Or are they the only ones who live and experience enough to call their life full and exciting.

I think there is nothing wrong with living a simple life.  Most of my family has settled in at an early age and moved very little distances.  I see contentedness and satisfaction in their wrinkles.  That's sweet to see.  I love the idea of this, but maybe God created each of us in such a profoundly unique way, and everyones destiny is much more varied than our cultural specs allow us to see.

Perhaps I am young and naive to think that one could survive off of an artistic career.  But then again, is now not the age to try all the theories?

Day 1: Blocked Creatives

Yesterday in art class I spoke of this to another young woman in the class with me.  She was an art teacher for K-5.  She just finished her first year and hated it, yet signed up for a second year anyway.  We talked about how we both had great jobs, yet felt completely unsatisfied--like we were longing to do something else, something creative.  But the question lingered, do we do that now and risk poverty, or are we supposed to be miserable the first 40 years of our life so we can comfortably enjoy this freedom on the backslide?  As my new friend Kristen said, “Sounds like a miserable way to live, to me.”

But as I looked around the room at the other 6 students, four of them had shared stories about miserably working for corporate for ++ years before they finally retired and began to pursue art.  Between the other two students, one was a local artist who owned her own family gallery and taught metal-smithing regularly, and the other was a middle school art teacher who lived on a farm south of Eureka.  Although she said she enjoyed her job, she also said she hated dealing with students all day.

So what were we really doing there?  It seems as though we were all just looking for validation as artists.  Are we good enough, Barbara?  Is this okay?  How does this look?

I don’t think these questions were as much physical as they were spiritual.  We were asking for healing to our broken spirit.  Too many times people told us we couldn’t, and this was our small, 3-day escape into a dream we might like to pursue some day.

One student I particularly felt for.  She sat in the back of the room and seemed to enjoy herself more than any of us.  She laughed and played and encouraged the rest of us.  When she shared her story it was a similar path I have seen myself on.  She was almost an art teacher.  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art or Psychology or something, and then spent 40 years being a waitress.  Throughout these 40 years she had always dabbled in painting, yet never fully pursued it.  She has always wanted to be an artist.

Two my left were the two Lindas.  Linda O. and Linda G.  Linda O’Neal was 71, though she didn’t look a day over 50.  She was a fun, spunky, I-can’t-believe-your-a-grandma type.  She had been a hairdresser for 25 years, then in her 40s decided she wanted to be a nurse, so she did that for 25 more years before retiring.  Now she and Linda G. are part of an art gallery in Hardee, Arkansas.  They spend all their time taking and organizing art classes.  They group together with 29 other women to run this gallery and keep the spirit alive.  She was fun and helpful and peaceful.

Linda G. was originally from Boston, and her accent stuck in my dreams after day 1.  Fun and yet the most boisterous student, I see her story as somewhat sad.  She was one had worked corporate for many years, finding herself very successful and very miserable.  She retired and moved to Saint Croy in the Caribbean for a while, where she met her current husband. He owned land in Hardee, and that is where she moved and met Linda O.  The two were the best of friends and quite a hoot to fellowship with.

The ESSA intern, Anja was 3 years younger than me.  She is a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Born and Raised in Bentonville, yet her parents own a restaurant in Eureka Springs so she spends much time here.  She is majoring in Art and Drawing.  She told me of her dreams.  She said she would take any job she could get after graduating so she could eventually move up to a high-paying, well-respected job.  She is going into her junior year.  I said the same thing when I was her age.  A year later I was miserable.

Life is a funny thing.  What are we all doing here?  Why do we have desires and longings and pains that won’t go away unless we do a certain thing.  It’s called purpose, but why is it such a consuming thing?  Why can’t we just turn it off and be happy?  We can turn it off, but happiness is not the result.

I don’t want to have to wait till I’m 50 to uncover my inner artist.  I want this heart of me to grow up with me, flowing over with love and confidence.

It’s a spiritual journey and I need the help of self and Christ to nurture this desire.  I know without a doubt I am born to write and paint.  I am born to dance and sing and love.  

Where do I go from here?

Passion.

The older I get the more I realize that the world is somewhat void of passionate people.  I mean people who live out of their passion are really, really hard to find.

I think most people do the day to day thing and then use what's leftover to hide their passion in their back bedroom once or twice a month.

I have so much respect for people who do what they love.  There is a big difference in purchasing items or services from someone who is successful but not passionate, than from purchasing from someone who is passionate but maybe not the most well-known.

I have a few passionate friends, mostly older.  I think younger people are often times in search of what their passion is.  Fortunately, some find it by the time mid-thirties hit.  Others, spend a lifetime searching.

I want to always surround myself with passionate people if I can.  They are few and far between, which makes them unique, special--worth holding on to.  I have love and compassion for people who do what they feel they should be doing, and with no other explanation but a gut-wrenching feeling that fuels them.

Passion is a tricky thing.  Describing it is like trying to describe water.  It's there, and we know it when we see it, but how do we describe it?  I have a lot of passion for a lot of things and it scares me.  It scares me because I know it is possible for this fuel to run out, and when the fuel runs out it is not a pretty feeling.

Passion takes lots of care and maintenance.  Over do it and you risk losing it all, but under do it and you'll never live.  The ying and yang of it all is very spiritual, personal and delicate.  It takes a sensitive spirit to nurture passion within oneself.  And that is one reason why passion is absolutely terrifying. 

The dictionary has a few definitions, the first being:  1. a strong and barely controllable emotion.

This fits what I am talking about.  Passion is the fire in your soul that makes you want to do something, sometimes for reasons you don't understand, or sometimes for no reason at all.  It's the kick in the stomach that just says you absolutely have to do something or else you'll be miserable.  Now that I am describing it, I think passion sounds a lot like the holy spirit.  Perhaps they are similar.  Perhaps they are one in the same.

I think passion, creativity and spirituality all run deeply into one another.  Talk to many artists and they can tell you that their creations are built to heal both themselves and others.

For some reason the modern church has shut out these things--mostly because they are uncontrollable and can potentially cause someone to act out of the order of service.

Fortunately, there are many churches who have been made aware of this problem and now welcome a more creative, spirit-filled worship style.  I believe this is how it was meant to be.  Look how creative and free God is every single day.  The clouds change by the minute, from loud and majestic to soft and fluffy, and finally a bright pink with purple whims.

God is definitely a God of order as well.  24 hours in each day are as consistent as time itself.  God is a God of order yes, but he is also a God of spirit-led performance, living and confession.

When the fullness of life has filled you to the measure, it is only natural for passion to spill out.  Passion doesn't spill out politely as a formula.  Passion spills out wildly like a rainbow suddenly bursting into crazy liquid; spilling all over the place and making a big huge, beautiful, crazy mess.  We often times do not know where our rainbow liquid will land.  We don't know what works and what doesn't till we give it a whirl.  Fortunately, somewhere amidst the chaos and covering, we find the purpose.  We find the tick--the thing that all consumingly screams "YES!"

That's when passion is on point.

Interestingly enough, the second definition google gives me for passion is this: 2. the suffering and death of Jesus.

Is passion what Jesus felt as he died on the cross for our sins?  Did his strong and uncontrollable emotion rise up from his gut and fulfill him with desire that could not be satisfied until he finished what he was sent to do?  I think, yes.

Death was Jesus' purpose.  It was his God-given purpose so that we could all live a free life.   A life free of sin, free of death and full of passion...if we choose it.

Passion is what gives us meaning.  It's what makes our life matter and our time count.  Jesus was the perfect example of this.

How Taylor Swift Inspired Me

Yesterday morning I watched the E! True Hollywood Story about Taylor Swift.  The show interviewed her and her family, friends and coworkers.  It documented her success and story from birth till now.  For one thing, I found the documentary interesting because I have watched Taylor Swift's success explode during the past few years of my lifetime.  For another thing, she is only a year older than me and that puts things in a real-life perspective for me.  But the most wonderful part about the show was that it inspired me.

 Taylor Swift's story inspired me in the deep parts of my soul that need to constantly be inspired in order to gravitate toward the level of success they were meant to be a part of.  You see, Swift's success didn't happen over night like we sometimes like to think.  Her story shared the parts of her childhood that were purposely arranged for such a moment as this.

From a young age Swift new she wanted to write music.  She played and sang and wrote all during her childhood.

By age eleven or so she had determined this as her biggest dream, so she took steps towards following that dream.  When she realized how much harder she needed to work to get to her goal, she did.  She worked extremely hard every day, and still does.  Classes, lessons, practice and lots of hours are how she got to where she is today.  It was not chance, luck or circumstance.  It was hard work, inspiration and purpose.

I believe strongly that Taylor Swift is exactly where she needs to be.  God gave her the ability to communicate and heal people through her song writing.  I think that is beautiful.  Much like Swift, we too have purposes that we were created for and that we need to be working our tail off for.

For me, it's writing and painting.  From the earliest of ages I can remember claiming that I wanted to be "an artist and an author" when I grew up.  In third grade a won a state-wide writing contest and I always won county fair awards for my artwork.  These were neat and all, but then I got distracted in middle school.  Friends, sports and everything in between became my focus for a few years.  I don't regret those years though, I learned a lot.

In high school it was all about finishing the race first.  I studied hard, took all my required classes and worked my hardest to win track medals, golf medals and cheerleading honors, and I did.  By my senior year I had taken all of my required classes except my two art requirements.  How silly, I though.  Art was were my passion was, yet I had hardly slowed down long enough to take a single art class during my high school education.  I took beginning art and choir that year.  Those two classes quickly became two of my favorite classes in high school.

In junior college I wanted to major in Art, but I was told there was no future or money in it.  While this redirected my focus, it was also very practical advice that led me to where I am today.  Regardless, I majored in Liberal Arts and took as many art-related classes as I could, which included Painting I and II.  These were the classes that fueled my fire.  I learned how to use oil paints and fell in love with the process and technique of such.

From there I went to a university and got back on the rat race track.  All the while I painted at home in my apartment whenever I could find free time.  There were many times when I would have to purposely mark off a full Saturday in my calendar just so I could have painting and writing time.  I loved school, but I needed a break.  God pointed out that I was running the race and going nowhere fast.  He reminded me strongly that I was built to write and paint and that it was okay if that was what I truly desired.

I took a year off from school.  I wrote a short book and painted dozens of pictures.  People began to know me as an artist.  I sold lots of paintings to people who knew me.  I even created a huge sign for a local business that sold for a lot of money.  I was so excited to know that people believed in me.  I was even more excited to believe in myself.  I studied art and art schools all summer and when I finally went back to finish my last semester of college, I told myself I would go back on one condition.  I was going to take some kind of art class while I was there.

So I did.  By default I landed in "Intermediate Painting Process."  I was supposed to have a bunch of foundation classes before I could enroll in this one, but luckily God found some way to get me in.  I enjoyed this class greatly.  Working with other students on a collegiate level brought me great confidence in my work.  I made close friends especially with one girl in our class.  Her and I talked about plans after college and how to take our art journey into the world of post-grad.

Also during that semester I had a lot of time to continue researching and reading.  I bought books and studied the art business process.

I graduated in December and now I have begun a real job.  I am writing, reading, painting and studying as much as I can in my free time.  While I love my job and am learning a ton being there, I still know my deeper purpose is writing and painting.

Last night I wrote out my goals again.  I wrote out my 5 and 10 year goals and the leaps I would take this year to get there.  Everything seems big, until you break it down into pieces.  The pieces are scary until you make a move and realize it isn't.  Fear is invisible and hope is powerful.  Prayer and petition will keep God on your side and there is nothing you can do without him.

A few minutes ago I was asked to speak at a local civic club about my art.  I almost got nauseous at the thought of speaking publicly about my art.  While this scares me deeply for some reason, I know it is something I must do to strengthen my skills and my stance as an artist.  Plus, if I can share what makes me smile with other people, maybe they will find their confidence too.  What's your calling?

Passion.

For much of my life I have had a countless number of people confirm my dream of being an artist to be a "financially insecure" one.  "Yes..you can do it, but you need another job on the side because you won't make any money."  

Cool.  So I need to do something I hate to pay the bills and do something I love on the side.  That is, hate your life 60% of the time and love your life 40% of the time, at best.  I wrote a blog about this in December and referenced Alan Watts, a British philosopher.  I just agree with him so much.  Why not do what you love now, and trust that the money will follow out of your passionate drive.

For me, it's painting.  When I paint, I feel alive.  I feel peaceful, exciting, zoned-in, focused, artistic, creative, masterful, amazed!  It's what I live for in my free time.  I've always done it off and on since I was little.

I get a little encouragement here and there, but mostly people brush off my passion as a hobby, a silly waste of time and money that has no future.  Although it is important to me, most people don't see it.

I took a couple painting classes  at my community college a few years ago and at the University I would schedule one day a month where all I did was paint.

Now that I am on my own and working and living through my heartbeat, I paint quite often and the more I paint the more I want to paint.  In fact, as of January I designated an entire room of my apartment into "Arts and Crafts City."

Over the last month or so I have slowly had more and more people offer to pay me for my paintings.  According to a 5th grade teacher I once had, that means you are a professional.  Family, friends and customers at my first job are coming out of the woodworks to compliment me on my artistic abilities and ask me to custom make a design for them!

One guy in particular blesses me more than he knows.  Every time he walks in my bar he brings up my artwork and how amazed he is.  He has ordered one painting for me and is ready to hit me with another challenge as soon as I get the time.  I know he doesn't realize he's doing it, but every praise and compliment he directs towards my art is like a boost to my soul.  Why? Because art is something rooted deep in my bones.  It's something I have always wanted to do and have always seen myself doing, but never pictured it being serious.  His encouragement to my artwork is like a cool ocean mist, refreshing my spirit.  I need this.

I want you to read this because I want you to think about what makes you feel that way.  What's your passion?

One of my best friends rides motorcycles with her husband every Sunday.  I've only been on a motorcycle once so I really don't know what it's all about, but this amazing woman sure does.  She absolutely refuses to work on Sundays because those motorcycle rides are her way of church.  It's how she feel close to God.  I asked her to explain further and she said she can't.  "It's the warmth of the sun shining on your back, the presence of the Holy Spirit riding with you, and the clarity of being outside.  I don't find that kind of worship inside a church building or at a department store.  It's on the back of that bike where I feel my soul come alive."

Another dear friend of my is extremely gifted in "framing."  What started as a small interest in her retirement years has turned into a full-blown business in her backyard.  Her husband at first was reluctant, but eventually gave in and bought her a warehouse full of framing supplies, which then lead to him building her an entire play-space of framing, cutting, matting, and whatever else she finds to do!  You know it's her passion when she can make it fun.

I went to go see her about framing a picture of mine.  It was a 12x12 print I had been given for Christmas.  I loved the print but I couldn't find a frame to fit it anywhere.  Knowing nothing and caring less about framing, i assumed I would pick between black, brown, and beige wood and she would frame it and I would give her $60.

How wrong I was.  I walked in and she was more alive than I had EVER seen her.  I show her my print and she immediately pulls cyan blue, velvet fuschia, and royal blue from her storage cabinets.  "Wow, I love the fuschia but I think it could be better!  What if we added an orange and burgundy backdrop with a gold inlet frame and crown molding on the edges?  Perhaps a violet or lavender would soften the print, or maybe..."  Wow, I was sucked in.  It was so much fun!  She taught me all about the framing lingo and initially refused my financial offering.  THAT is how I knew she was in it for the fun, not as much for the slavery of it.  She made my print twice as beautiful as I thought it already was originally and I go back to visit her every week with new paintings and prints to frame.  She makes me want to be more passionate about my own thing!

What an inspiring and creative way to worship!  Motorcycles may not be for me and painting may not be for you, but what is your thing?  Whatever it is, do it.

Live.

As I write to you today I am sitting in a condo staring at the humongous waves wash up on a Florida beach.  My mother is passionately snapping pictures while my brother and his friend run, jump and smash their bellies against the bellowing waves.  I sit here and I think.  I think a lot about life and how mine has changed over the past year.  I think of how people's perspectives of you change when your life changes.  How can that be?  If the person doesn't change then how can your perspective of them change?  I guess that is just one of our plentiful falls as worldly beings.  We all judge and fall short.

I feel that it is very important for me to say this as a leader:

Never do something because I do it.  Never do something because your sister, your mother, your brother, your friends, or your family did it.

But ALWAYS find out for yourself what your opinion is.  Seek God's opinion for this action on your life and then and only then do you do it.

Do something because you, personally, feel that it is the right choice for you.

What is it that gives you breath?  What makes your heartbeat quicken.  Where do you want to be?  What do you want to be doing?

I'm not asking you to give the "Sunday school answer", nor the "parental" or friend-amental" answer. I'm asking YOU.  From the depths of your heart, deep, deep down in your God-made soul.  What is that desire that he planted in you to increase his holiness and your well-being as a full creature?

You know, the Lord wants us to live an abundant and full life.  (John 10:10)  If we are living for other people, we are not letting him fulfill his promise for us.  If we are living too safely, constantly clenching to our security blankets instead of taking the risks set in our hearts, then again, we are not letting God fulfill his purpose for our lives.  Ephesians 2:10 explains that the Lord has big, bold and beautiful plans for us.  Plans of us soaring across the sky and sailing into an ocean of unknown wonderland.  How will we reach our destiny if we never give ourselves a chance too?

Believing in God and believing in ourselves go hand in hand.  If God believed in you enough to make the plans, then you owe it to him to believe in yourself enough to jump into those plans.

We all have passions, desires, heart-yearnings.  Mine is painting, speaking, and writing. (mostly...I tend to have more than most people.)  But  whatever your SOMETHING is...DO IT!!  

Chances are, if you're passionate about it, you were born to do it.

Stop thinking about what the world wants, what your parents want, and what your friends are doing.  Then breathe, pray and find God's design.

I have faith in you.  Go after your dreams. :)

Do what you would do if no one was watching.

Sex God: Book Review

Pause with me just a moment and think. I want you to go back to a place in your childhood when you really and truly felt alive. Think about the defining moment of your existence. For some of you it may be the day you met your best friend. For others it may be a special time between you and your father. Think about your moment, and think about how it made you feel. You were full, you were alive, you were connected. That is what Sex God is all about.

The book Sex God was written by Rob Bell and published by Zondervan in 2007. The book includes nine chapters of separate but related topics relating to spirituality and sexuality. One of my favorite chapters explained the essence of humanity and sexuality. Bell paints the picture that although we are less than angels, and more than animals, we still have a very wonderful purpose for our souls and bodies.

In other chapters Bell intricately describes the ancient Jewish weddings and all of their meaningful customs. As he explains the customs, he explains how this ties into the original meaning of many passages of the Bible, thus proving that God is a very intimate and passionate lover of our souls.

When I first began reading Sex God, I was thoroughly confused and doubtful about the whole thing. Sex and God. Who would think of comparing the two, much less combining them. Although Bell made some excellent observations in the first third of the book, I was still unsure of the message, but after persistent reading I was soon captivated by the book and read the entire thing in one sitting.

Author Rob Bell, is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, a sister ministry of Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church. Bell and his wife Kristen, along with their three children, reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bell graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He also graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Three of Bell’s books have been on the New York Time’s Best Sellers list: Sex God, Love Wins, and Velvet Elvis.

The subtitle for Sex God is, “exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality.” This is definitely what Sex God is about. The basic human needs for passion, desire, and connection are made perfectly clear and tangible in this book. The only downfall is the end of the book, because it leaves you wanting to read and learn so much more. This would be an excellent book to study with a group of same-sex friends, or between a married couple. I think the book is more appropriate for post-adolescent minds, simply because the rich content might be hard for a hormone-filled teenager to handle.

I loved this book, and I hope you will too, should you choose to read it yourself. For more on Sex God and Rob Bell check out these links:

http://marshill.org/ 

http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310263463&QueryStringSite=Zondervan,

http://www.amazon.com/Sex-God-Exploring-Connections-Spirituality/dp/0310263468

Article first published as <a href='http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-sex-god-by-rob/'>Book Review: <I>Sex God</i> by Rob Bell</a> on Blogcritics.

Making the Stand

If I can write a post to the girls in their vulnerability, I think I owe the guys something too.  Especially because I just finished reading Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  Yes, it is the male version of the book I mentioned in  my last post.  (Just so you know, the male version came first.)

Wild at Heart has taught me that just as women have been deeply wounded in their femininity, so have men been wounded in their masculinity.   Again, I will not go into all the details, for they are in this book which I so highly recommend reading.  The point I want to make, is that you will never be the man God designed you to be if you don't let him heal your wound.

The similarity on both the male and female side of things, is that the process of healing for both is hard, painful, and revealing.  You're looking into the depths of your heart for crying out loud, it should be painful.  The preciousness that lies within your soul is the key to all things male.  Everything you dreamed of as a boy, and everything you hope to be for your (future) wife, family, and kids is in this deeply treasured place.  Don't mistake my words, men and women are very different, but the journey to finding self is equally painful.

So why do it if it's painful?  Because you are what this world needs.  You are the MAN she's been waiting for.  You are the leader, the fighter, the powerful lover that the church has waited for.  Your son needs you so he won't walk through life wounded.  Your daughter needs you so she won't look for love elsewhere.  And your wife needs you to fight for her, thus unveiling her beauty.

I realize many of you reading this are single, that's all the more reason to fight for your soul now.  God designed you to be this man from the beginning.  Find that man now, so when the beauty comes along you will have the love and confidence to fight for her with a holy passion and protection.  The movie and song Courageous have spoken out on this need.  The people in your life speak out on it everyday, only you don't realize it, and they probably don't either.

The truth is, you hold a special place as a man.  From a woman's point of view I can definitely say that we need you, we urge you, and we want you to step up for us and lead the way.  Spiritually you have such an adventure to grasp, and I hope you choose to take the hard path of discovery into being THE man God made you to be.

Guarding Your Heart

Proverbs 4:23

"Above all else, guard your heart,

for it is the wellspring of life."

By now you've probably heard me mention this verse and guarding your heart many times, although it was recently brought to my attention that many people do not understand exactly what this means and looks like.  That's what this post is for.

First of all, let's look at the word heart.  The Hebrew word originally used was leb, which is defined as the heart, the feelings, and the intellect, or in other words, the center of everything. (Strong's Bible Dictionary) The Wesley commentary describes the heart as one's thoughts, will, and affections.

Taking all this into consideration, I would describe the heart as a person's passions, desires, and emotions. So these are the things Solomon is telling us to guard when he says "guard your heart."  But why is this so important?

• In Job 31:1, Job talks about the importance of "keeping," or training your eyes not to look at things that cause you to sin, such as lustful looks towards a woman.  (Matthew 5:28-29 go further into detail about this.)  Point being: we guard our eyes.
• Ecclesiastes 5:1 tells us to "guard our steps" when we go to the house of God, in other words, be careful.
• Psalm 34:13 "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."  We are told to guard our lips and tongue from evil.
• And above all of this, God tells us to guard our hearts.

The NIV Study Bible says, "Our heart--our feelings of love and desire--dictates in a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy."  The caution in this verse is to keep healthy boundaries on those passions and desires.  Make sure these feelings are pulling you in the right direction, and not away from God.

Here's a Peek Into My Passion!

I LOVE TO BLOG, WRITE, AND HELP PEOPLE WITH RELATIONSHIPS!
Ahh..this is undoubtedly the God-given passion of my life.  It started when I was 16 and surrendered my dating life to God.  This had been one of the biggest idols in my life up to that point.  When God took over I suddenly realized how many lies I had been eating right out of the palm of Satan's hand.

From that point on I knew I wanted better; both for me and for the millions of girls just like me who had also believed so many lies.  As I began to study books and ideas about dating, more questions and ideas would fill my own mind.  When I finished one book I would immediately pick up another, thus creating a snowball effect to my desire to learn more.

After reading enough of these books, I began to realize how many people came to me for dating advice.  First it was just a person here and there, but it slowly increased throughout the years.  I taught a bible study about dating at my junior college, and later designed an intensive four-week study for girls at my home church.

As I look around me now, I sometimes wonder if this is just a phase I'm going through, but then I realize that this is much, much more than that.  This is a life calling purpose from God!  He has been pushing me towards this throughout my life.  He has used so many people to show me that he does want to use me in this way.

He has given me deep, eye-opening revelations in his word about dating, marriage, friendships, and how our culture has strayed from the Bible.  He has had people breathe into my life, sharing the hope they have for my relationship advice ministry, and he has loved and healed me in a way that only strengthens my heart more for this issue.

Recently he has opened all sorts of doors from book writing to bible studies in other churches, and to showing others the love of Christ through this passion of mine.

There is not a doubt in my mind that God has given me this desire for knowledge on this topic.  I also know that he has given me this desire for a reason, and that reason is to use it to glorify him.  When I type out a blog post a feeling of hope and service rushes over me.  I have a constant prayer that what I love to do for fun, will in some way change the heart-perception of someone else.  I pray that the lessons I have learned the hard way will be taken in by girls who don't need anymore hard lessons.

My name is Haley Hoover, and my passion is relationships.  Although I am still very young, I have no doubt that God will use this passion for his glory in the future.

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