Manifesto: ab crunches, sleepy eyes, and flavors..

well here i am blogging only ten minutes before a morning meeting we don't have but everyone things we do have so everyone is going to be there meeting.

summer has begun. staff are here. more staff are coming. God is manifesting himself here at this place.

M Dubs a.k.a Merriam-Webster says: manifest- readily perceived by senses, especially by the sense of sight, obvious.

I'd say it's pretty obvious God is present. Through the ab crunches I saw five counselors doing on the way up to the HPC. Through the sleepy eyes of leadership tends to have at the end of the week (and that counselors will have at the end of this week) and the coffee shop Flavors where I got to hangout with some amazing girls hired to work on staff.

God is all of those things. the servant hood, the leadership, the felllowship. it's nice when you can see it so clearly.

Good things are happening, people are being challenged and I am quietly in my yellow zone.

I look forward to seeing more glimpses of god in this amazing community He has brought together.

God Manifesto.

..to the only One who makes the moon reflect the sun

well it is about time i posted.

i forget i have this blog. i just want to feel motivated to post and evidently that just happens like once a month or something. Either way God has been teaching me some amazing things.

did i mention i love 2nd Kings. i am a huge fan.

things that are happening, include: receiving and accepting a job in chambersburg, pa. -still scurrying to find summer counselors-realizing who God really is-understanding my gifts and abilities and how to use them-learning how to be a good godly leader-realizing how important friendships are.

things have been happening, but God is still as great as ever and so faithful despite my lack of any and everything.

the song starry night is in my head a lot, lately and i love the fact that He 'makes the moon reflect the sun'.

i remember when i first became a Christian one of the big things the speaker emphasized other then God being a great Father who was always around, was the fact that the world was made so awesomely. but seriously moon reflecting the sun, and being so beautiful at that.

also i experienced a really cute youth sunday yesterday and the idea of being adopted by God and receiving an inheritance was part of the sermon. the high schooler who was preaching was adopted into a loving family, and talked about something she still struggles with, and had a hard time grasping, but because of it can understand so clearly the idea of God adopting us. I think that's neat.

i actually think a lot of things are neato-burrito. the fact that God loves us. the fact that we make mistakes, and He forgives us, and the fact that we fail and God is consistently faithful, and merciful.

there is lots going on with friendships, and struggles with the life, but i can assure you that God is consistently remaining awesome. and that's Truth.

i have laughed a lot. and He keeps bring joy.

i pray that i may become a moon reflecting the Son. I know cheesy right? But really I want to be that. i need to be that. it's just getting there.

tash

Remember spring swaps snow for leaves...

So much has happened in the past week, but I am def. blogging with a specific agenda.

I chatted with someone while I was at SHIP, and this is the list I made while I was up one night on things that get annoying. List is titled: "Let us break the mold of habit" sub-titled the things I think, that aren't true, lies against Truth.

Let Us Break The Mold of Habit
The Things That Aren't True,
Lies Against Truth

[]I must make others proud
[]People can't be mad at me or dislike me
[]I must take on the standards of the world for success
[]I must be relevant at all costs
[]God calls me only to do hard, inconvenient things

and other thoughts turned into questions were:

{}How do I love God, and others with my whole being?
{}Why am I not letting God renew my mind?
{}Why am I not living simply?

These were my thoughts over the past few days, I sat down with a good friend of mine and just chatted about her past is effecting her view on God, essentially holding her back. Thankfully, I feel like my past doesn't do this-but chatting with her we talked through what it meant to be renewed. When the Bible talks about loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind...we need to commit and strive for all these things. Not letting our past experiences box [GOD]. I don't know...just something to ponder.

/Growing up without a father, my perceptions of God were tarnished, in a sense that although He seemed cool He seemed inconsistent. Not Truth just the experiences I grew up with. I mean, once I heard the gospel message clearly my past only by the Grace of God seemed to evaporate. God showed up so clearly, and real, and loving. Anywho, my friend has issues with her dad too.He was around, but was abusive, and well she started to try to make him happy to please him so she wouldn't get hurt, and to this day he never seems to be satisfied with what she does. It is a cycle her dad's dad did it as well BUT not she constantly is looking for that approval she is seeking from God, but instead of accepting what has already been given she is trying to earn not only her dad's approval BUT God's approval too.

/Thinking about this I realized this is something I do. Thinking reading my Bible today will somehow make God more proud of me then when I woke up, or God won't be proud or love me unless I am always doing something good, and when I sin God is really disappointed in me, and begins to love me less.

/The question is when can I/we get it through our thick skulls that God loves us? Notice that the line ends at us. God love us. He loves us. Despite us. God uses us. Despite us. There are things that are pleasing to God don't get me wrong. It's when we begin to seek approval not only from God, but from others that we get ourselves into the ongoing circle of nonsense. Woooo. That was a little long winded. Something to think about though.

It's funny that no matter how often you hear the Truth, it still needs to be heard. I think I am done.

Ash Wednesday

I am going to try and blog once a week during Lent we shall see how that goes. I have started a new devotional that focuses on writing prayers down, and so here is the ASH Wednesday prayer entitled 'Caffeine'.

Wake up!
Wake up, my soul, from your winter slumber
and stretch your tired limbs to savor this season

Shake off your routines like bedcovers
Plant your feet on the ground
for the journey

Clear you eyes of sleep
Take in the sight of a new day
for loving you God

Feast on prayer and scripture
Attend to the holy life and in love
Do not weary

Wake up!
Wake up, my soul,
to experience your greatest joy
Be actively present in this day, in this season

God will refresh your spirit -Hackenberg


Ash Wednesday coming to a close.

Rainy

Here is what I wrote for today an excerpt:

O Lord God, You know-

Your spirit to fall fresh

Your blood to cleanse

Your love to shower

Your heart to heal

Restore me, Refresh me

Hydrate these dry dry bones
Tend to my wounds, that are so deep

I AM
I AM
I AM

Fill me with life again, counter my weariness

Lead me
No more dry bones! No more dry bones of my spirit.

tash

Your love is shaking me-my heart is breaking free...

Love.Bridge Band.

This song shuffled through my itunes the other day, and it pretty much has been stuck in my head ever since. I have recently started my own version of the Daniel Fast in efforts to refocus on what is important and what truly matters.

It has been dubbed the "love fast" in my prayer journal. Just because I want to get back to the basics. I am a believer because Christ died for me, Showing LOVE. God LOVES me, and we are called to LOVE our neighbor. They are basic truths I am looking to get back too. Belief and trust play into this as well, because it is time. Time to live, live what we believe and show through that who we trust.

Lots of things like the Middle School bible study, and recent conversations are striking up thoughts. Did I mention I love those deep, real conversations? They are my favorite especially the theological ones. I really need to get back into all the reading I used to do on religions and the fun apologetics! Miss that!

New things are happening, old things are leaving,and I am praying God's love would shake me, this week especially.

I
Have
Bible
Carrots
Chair
Proceed

I'm out.

An brief update on life...

I don't have to much to say. Things have been good, busy, and a little out of control.

This is the part of life that I like. I am in a good place, and look forward to what's next for me. I am not sure, I really am not, but the fact that God has already gone ahead like it says in Ephesians that is more than enough. He is good. God is so good.

I think I am going to fast. I feel the need to and I think I am well overdue. I am not sure what it is going to look like, but it's coming.

God continues to be faithful, and my biggest prayer is Psalm 51:12 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and renew a steadfast spirit within me".

Love it. Praying for it. Listening & Looking for it.

Here it comes.


Sidenote: Packers my favorite NFL team won the SuperBowl. Bragging about in my head right now.

Tash

Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve....

Relient K 'i celebrate the day'

"Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency, we're less than half as close as I want to be"

Love this song because it's about Christmas, but the lyrics highlighted above are more about resolutions or that idea we have about New Years and it being ya know new and then getting to the end of the year and not keeping them. Who am I kidding my resolutions never lasted month.

They say it takes 31 days to break a habit, but only 1 day to break it. Those are not wonderful odds, and I am still not really sure what is ever meant by "they" in quotes/stats like these but I am not doing resolutions for a third year in a row because I am not looking to create habits. I am totally going for a lifestyle change. I want the things I do to be part of who I am not the other way around.

I am not one to do things just to do them, so I am hoping that because I love Jesus and want to love Him more these lifestyle changes will follow.

I do not want to be " less than half as close as i used to be" around this time next year.

In closing I am boycotting resolutions, and just deciding to love God with everything I am and more than ever before.