Kindness and Favor

       So I'm interning in the Labor and Delivery room from 7-11pm once a week. During my second shift it got really slow and there was literally nothing I could do so I was just sitting around. I went and got my bible out of my purse, praying that I'd be able to find a good spot to read, and not disturb/get in the way of anyone. There's this rocking chair right by the nurses station so I sat down and dove in.

I noticed the demeanor of the nurses started to change toward me. They had barely acknowledged my existence, just giving me orders. Once they saw I was reading a bible they literally took interest in me. They were kind and they seemed more joyful. [the Word of God is powerful!] It was a very noticeable difference. I ended that shift Sunday night and had another shift last night. When things again slowed down and there was nothing I could help with at the moment I sat down in the same rocking chair, this time without my bible. One of the nurses looked at me and said, "You should go get your Bible. That would be a better use of your time". At first I thought she was being sarcastic but then I realized she was encouraging me. 

So I went and got it along with the book I'm reading now, "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala (recommend it!). I asked her if she is a Christian and she smiled, "Yes honey, that's why I work at this hospital, so I can pray for the patients. Most of us here at the night shift are". I was ecstatic, but I tried to contain myself, smiled really big and uttered a broken, "Wow". 

So now, not only am I surrounded with nurses who love Jesus, they're encouraging me to read my Bible whenever there's down time! 

I thought of Chris Tomlin's song "Kindness",
It's your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor Lord, is our desire
It's your beauty Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life
I actually had it in my head at the beginning of the shift!

The nurse, Debbie, also shared the singer, Mandisa, with me. She played it on her phone in the nurses station and we both bobbed our heads to it. Here's one of her songs, it sounds better if you just google it (Only the world). I guess she was on American Idol. 

Praise Him!!!
"Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge; 
For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
That they may be ready on your lips.
So that your trust may be in the LORD,
I have taught you today, even you." -Proverbs 22:17-19
[this was a proverb for chapter 22 and this was on March 22nd! love those little details]

The Body

All that human beings were intended to do here on earth - all the creativity and exploration, all the battle and rescue and nurture - we were intended to do together.
- Stasi Eldredge from "Captivating" p. 31


Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, 
be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; 
and the God of love and peace will be with you. 
- 2 Corinthians 13:11

C.S. Lewis...from Mere Christianity (p.122-123)

(A friend shared this with me Saturday. A good check and instruction. It's not fun but it's needed.)
"If you want to find out how proud you are the easiest way is to ask yourself,

'How much do I dislike it when other people snub me,
or refuse to take any notice of me,
or shove their oar in,
or patronise me,
or show off?'

The point is that each person's pride is in competition with every one else's pride.
It is because I wanted to be the big noise at the party that I am so annoyed at someone else being the big noise. Two of a trade never agree. Now what you want to get clear is that Pride is essentially competitive--is competitive by its very nature--while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident, Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.
We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If everyone else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about.
It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.
Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.
That is why I say that Pride is essentially competitive in a way the other vices are not.
...Greed may drive men into competition if there is not enough to go round; but the proud man, even when he has got more than he can possibly want, will try to get still more just to assert his power.
Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride.

Second thought:
"If one who is proud does wrong and is judged to be wrong he will be both angry and hurt.
If one who is truly humble does wrong and is judged to be wrong, he will not resent it but will in gratitude and humility, no matter what it costs him, heed the judgment and repent."
-Elisabeth Elliot

WILD

The spiritual life cannot be made 

suburban. It is always frontier, and

we who live in it must accept and

even rejoice that it remains

untamed.

-Howard Macey

Get ready for summer! - Summer at it's finest

Beirut - Postcards from Italy from Costin Nitescu on Vimeo.

Isaiah 61:1-3

¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
²To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
³To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland (beauty) instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

The Women's Center

Brace yourselves, this is going to be long, but I have to share this.

Yesterday, I took a three hour break from work to go to an orientation at Prototypes Women's Center (to be a volunteer or employee). It's basically a rehab living community for women coming out of drug addiction, abuse, etc. It's non-profit so the women coming in aren’t able to afford other rehab centers. These women are coming from some of the worst possible situations you can imagine.
When I arrived at the beautiful Victorian estate, off Victoria Ave in Oxnard, there were women outside gardening, playing with children, and reading. It felt like a sunny summer day but there was this intangible warmth that filled the whole space. I walked inside and was escorted to a room where they had prepared a fresh lunch of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and chicken salad for the 7 guests. I was surprised. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this generous hospitality. The smiley staff then continued to explain what the Women's Center is and the type of women that come through. The last thing they did was describe a case study of a typical woman that comes there. The case study was the following:
Used alcohol at 5yrs old, marijuana at 7yrs, Heroin at 13yrs, Meth at 15yr, sexually, physically, emotionally, mentally abused, has three children (4,6,13), low weight, low self-esteem, depression, chemical imbalance, tried different rehab centers, entered Prototypes women's center in 2008.
I was shocked/saddened/overwhelmed. I was thinking to myself, this is probably just a combination of all the things a variety of women go through...before I could continue my thought the speaker said, "and this is a real woman who came through our center, and her name is Mary, and she is sitting right here".
This beautiful 20 something year-old stood up and began to explain that she now works at Prototypes in the parenting center. The parenting center was especially significant because it helped her to reconcile, heal, and reconnect with her children. She had this unbelievable joy about her. She asked if we had any questions...we asked several. During one she explained how the Women's Center asked her to sing at one of their events. That meant a lot to her because they could have asked someone from the outside to come in, but they asked her, a then resident, to sing. She said it was one of the most influential things because it reminded her of her gift, that she is good at something, has worth, and can make beauty. It reminded her of her innocence because she used to sing as a young girl. The staff then urged her to sing for the small group and after a little push she began to sing, "In the Arms of an Angel". Here are the lyrics:
"Spend all your time waiting for that second chance
For the break that will make it ok
There's always some reason to feel "not good enough"
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction, oh beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
They may be empty and weightless, and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
In the arms of the Angels, fly away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here
So tired of the straight line, and everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
The storm keeps on twisting, you keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference, escaping one last time
It's easier to believe
In this sweet madness, oh this glorious sadness
That brings me to my knees
In the arms of the Angels, far away from here
From this dark, cold hotel room, and the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage of your silent reverie
In the arms of an Angel; may you find some comfort here".
Wow, her voice was so beautiful! I cried, overwhelmed with a mixture of sadness, humility, thankfulness, and hope. She explained how she has been healed and restored! What an amazing story! She went on to say how blessed she feels to now work at the Women’s Center and help women through the struggle she is so familiar with.
I felt like the most insignificant person on earth. Not in the sense of self-esteem, but in the sense of realizing that my life has no significance outside of God's story, of the continued filling of His Spirit, being empowered by Him, and doing the very things Jesus came and did. My identity in Jesus and the work He's doing/did/and will do in my life is all I can ever boast of.
After April 1st I will be volunteering in the Parenting Center, helping the women to reconnect with their children! I am so excited to learn more about these women and be involved in what God is already doing. This was just a glimpse.


See the website here. To call about volunteering: 805-382-6296


2Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
 Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness...
¹⁴For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who    fear Him
And His righteousness to children's children,
18To those who keep His covenant        
And remember His precepts to do them. 
- Psalm 103:2-8,14-18

Isaiah 52:7

How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

I feel like getting all my friends together and dancing like this today...

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Via the wonderful blog of Jen! Mermaid of Honor.
ps. to stop my blog's background music scroll down and pause on right.
Take a look at this website. 

THANKFUL for the men in my life

I am so incredibly blessed to have a brother and dad who love Jesus, who are:
"...temperate (cool, calm, not violent), dignified (noble, honored), sensible (perceptive), sound (whole, healthy, founded in truth) in faith, in love , in perseverance." -Titus 2:2
"...respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious (inclined to fight), but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money...(my dad is) one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)...have a good reputation with those outside the church..." -2 Tim 2:2-7.
Not to mention hilarious, adventerous, crazy, great dancers, and great cooks...I could go on but this is getting pretty long.
They are my protectors and I see many attributes of God in them.

Taylor is "a friend who loves at all times, and a brother who is born for adversity".-Pro. 17:17
My dad is a man who's ways are pleasing to the Lord, that "even his enemies are at peace with him". -Pro 16:7
They are men of wisdom, love, and honor. There are so many other men who I know, and am thankful for, who have these same qualities. Thank you for seeking Jesus everyday and encouraging everyone around you.
You da men!!

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8

Kelley Christine and Tiger Lily

Check out my friends' blogs: they're both wonderfully talented and witty writers. enjoy.

Kelley's (Part of the Vine) here. She just started it! YAY!

Tracy's (women at the well) here.

Romans 8:12-17

12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

The apostles prayed this in Acts:4:24-30

"24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them...
29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."


They prayed against backing down when persecuted. They asked God to help them press on.
"This is precisely what the prophets, down through the centuries, had told them to do: When under attack, when facing a new challenge, in all seasons, in all times, call on the name of the Lord, and he will help you." - Jim Cymbala


We are told to do the very same thing. And God has promised to hear and answer, just like he did here.

thankful for this

I like being a girl cuz I can wear flowers in my hair.

this is so powerful. Perseverance + Encouragement = Hope

Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in earlier times
was written for our instruction,
so that through perseverance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.

courtesy of Mrs. Gill

Amanda Lee's favorite verse

Jeremiah 17:5-8

 ⁵ This is what the LORD says:
       "Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
       who depends on flesh for his strength
       and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

 ⁶ He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
       he will not see prosperity when it comes.
       He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
       in a salt land where no one lives.

 ⁷ "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
       whose confidence is in him.

 ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water
       that sends out its roots by the stream.
       It does not fear when heat comes;
       its leaves are always green.
       It has no worries in a year of drought
       and never fails to bear fruit."

Prayer

"This is a prayer from a woman alone in a foreign land, entrusted with the responsibility of some hundreds of children and dozens of co-workers. The job was too much for her, of course - in her own strength. 

So she prayed:

When stormy winds against us break
Stablish and reinforce our will;
O hear us for thine own Name's sake,
Hold us in strength and hold us still.

Still as the faithful mountains stand
Through the long silent years of stress,
So would we wait at Your right hand,
In quietness and steadfastness.

But not of us this strength, O Lord,
And not of us this constancy;
Our trust is Your Eternal Word,
Your presence our security."
-"Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot

I had to reread it a couple times to realize how good it is.

Hebrews 13:15

Through Him then, let us continually offer

up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the

fruit of lips that give thanks to His

 Name.

Isaiah 57:14:21

14And it will be said,
"Build up, build up, prepare the way,
Remove every obstacle out of the way of My people."
15For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.
16"For I will not contend forever,
Nor will I always be angry;
For the spirit would grow faint before Me,
And the breath of those whom I have made.
17"Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry and struck him;
I hid My face and was angry,
And he went on turning away, in the way of his heart.
18"I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;
I will lead him and restore comfort to him and to his mourners,
19Creating the praise of the lips
Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near,"
Says the LORD, "and I will heal him."
20But the wicked are like the tossing sea,
For it cannot be quiet,
And its waters toss up refuse and mud.
21"There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

WHO?

A.W. Tozer wrote, "Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God."

Look at who God says He is:
He is Elohim-the Creator (Gen. 1)
El Elyon-God Most High (Gen. 14)
El Roi- the God who sees (Gen. 16)
El Shaddai- the All-Sufficient One (Gen. 17)
Adonai- the Lord (Gen 15)
Jehovah- the Self-Existent One (Gen.3:1-14)
Jehovah-Jireh- the Lord will Provide (Gen. 22:8)
Jehovah-Rapha-the Lord who Heals (Ex.15:26, Ps. 103)
King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:13-16, Revelation 19:16)
Holy (Isaiah 57:15)
I AM (Exodus 3:14)

Jesus
God (John 20:28)
Redeemer (Mark 10:45, Titus 2:14)
Word (John 1:1, 14)
Messiah (John 4:25-26)
Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8; 22:13)
Savior (Luke 19:10)
Light of the World (John 8:12; 3:19-21)
Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36)
Ruler of Creation (Revelation 3:14)
Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)
Bread of Life (John 6:35)
Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6)
Son of God (Luke 1:35, John 1:14)
Son of Man (Luke 9:58, Mark 8:31, Mark 2:10)
Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)

Here's a link to 100 biblical names for Jesus. Here. 
Can you think of anything today that God cannot provide?