Happy Birthday, Mother

Dear mother,

Happy birthday! You are such a special person who has been truly blessed the past year! You are an inspiration, a phenomenal woman! May the Lord continue to bless you as you pursue righteousness and wisdom! I love you and I want you to know that I look up to you in many ways! 

I thank God for you! Happy birthday!

Just A View From Mt. Nebo

"Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land.... Then the Lord said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendents.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." Deuteronomy 34:1-4

Deuteronomy 3:21-29 highlights one of the saddest chapters in the Bible for me. Moses pleads almost desperately to be in Canaan, but God silences him and asserts His final decision. For 40 years Moses journeyed through the wilderness, led a nation who constantly grumbled and complained, and waited to experience the Promised Land. But because his actions ultimately dishonored God, he was forbidden to go any farther from Mt. Nebo. After all his hard work, his prize was merely a view from the hills. 

This story teaches us many valuable lessons. When we dishonor His name, when we deliberately choose our ways, when we think we're better than God, discipline is not far behind. God will deal with us and have us accountable to them. There will always be consequences for our actions. When Moses struck that rock, his frailty crept up. He took matters into his hands and dismissed God's orders. God dealt with Moses in such a painful and harsh way and I will never understand that. His single misstep undermined 40 years of faithful hard work and service. But this story doesn't end there. If you look and read closely, you will witness a patient and gracious God. He knew things would go awry with the Israelites even before they crossed the Red Sea. But He constantly worked miraculously in their midst and selflessly provided water for the Israelites. He even allowed Moses to still get a glimpse of Canaan. If He was like any other god, He could have turned away. He could have given up. But this is the One True God who stayed. He stayed riveted.

God is gracious NO MATTER what you do. Mt. Nebo may not be the best that you could have gotten, but He is gracious nonetheless. Always pursuing you. Always loving you. May this story not be a story of discouragement, but a lesson centered on the character of God which breathes life and hope.

Pictures taken at Mt. Nebo. It was an emotional experience for me... What more for Moses, huh?

April 2010

Beauty From Swirls

Halfway through this pen drawing, I got frustrated with the way it started to look. It didn't quite match what I had previously envisioned. But as I kept drawing, it actually turned out just fine.

This little thing taught me a lesson. Through a spiritual perspective, everything turns out beautifully if you press on, seeing the possibility and the blessing behind the mess. That's the truth.  From messed up swirls, they'll turn out pretty darn great.

Pencil marks can still be seen :)

Brokenness Aside

When you've come to the end of self with no ounce of strength left, God seizes the opportunity to lift up your eyes to His glorious being. He can make all things beautiful. He is strong enough to take you and me. 

God loves you.

Beach Life

Sand in toes, wide open spaces, wind through my hair, simple life = the beach life.

Oh, what I'd give to be at the beach right now :)) 

I'll meet you soon.

Photo

^{1 Corinthians 13:11-12}

¹¹ When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 

Wisdom is priceless.

Pursue it.

Beautiful by Kari Jobe

Here before Your alter
I am letting go of all I've held
Of every motive, every burden
Everything that's of myself

And I just wanna wait on You, my God
I just wanna dwell on who You are

Beautiful, beautiful
Oh, I am lost for more to say
Beautiful, beautiful
Oh Lord You're beautiful to me

Here in Your presence
I am not afraid of brokenness
To wash Your feet with humble tears
I would be poured out till nothing's left

And I just wanna wait on You, my God
I just wanna dwell on who You are

Beautiful, beautiful
Oh, I am lost for more to say
Beautiful, beautiful
Oh Lord You're beautiful to me

Beautiful
You're beautiful, oh You're beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful

Holy, holy, holy You are, You are
Holy, holy, holy You are, You are
Holy, holy, holy You are, You are
Holy, holy, holy You are, You are

Beautiful, beautiful
Oh, I am lost for more to say
Beautiful, beautiful
Oh Lord You're beautiful to me

You're beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful

*Dear Jesus, I just want to dwell on who You are because you are beautiful to me. Each and everyday, it's a choice to dwell on who You are! Thank you for making it easier! Your grace is enough.

Uhhh...

I am so awkward it's kinda embarrassing sometimes!

Anyway, hello there.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow's a new day so be excited to make it count!

Horse with Blinders

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S FRIDAY! Whewwww! . . . . "Hold on, October, you're driving by pretty fast! ! !"

Whew. *breathe*

I guess these past few weeks / months have been unbelievably stressful that I didn't realize how quick days sped up. This week was all work plus other emotional things and all I can say is that His grace carried me through. GLORY AND HONOR TO YOU. I know myself pretty well to know that sometimes when I'm faced with a tough situation, I can feel as though I'm some basket case... I know that days like these taunt me to feel defeated and hopeless... But because I choose to be keen to His leading, I can feel His faithfulness and His lovingkindness hovering over me. I feel like I'm a horse with blinders as I choose to fixate my eyes on Jesus.

Have you ever felt this way? Bask in His faithfulness.

You just know it's His grace when can literally laugh out loud!
You just know it's His grace when you can feel Him assuring you every step of the way.
You know it's His grace when all of a sudden He surprises you with a random gift or an encouragement through a sister/ brother in Christ.
You know it's His grace when you can see the blessing behind the difficulty.
You know it's His grace when you know He's cheering you on with flashy banners because you are able to perform despite feeling discouraged.
You know it's His grace when you can push aside your feelings and think about "whatever is true" (Phil. 4:8).
You know it's His grace when you can wake up everyday with a smile.
You know it's His grace when you can say, "Thank you, Lord!"
You know it's His grace when you can wear your swag on cause He's got you covered.

You are sufficient. You are my solution. I depend on You.

God's Will

To wait upon the Lord is not easy. Sometimes we want to take control over our situations to get answers immediately. We cry out, “Lord! I want to know Your will for my life! Lord, speak to me!”  We find ourselves rather obsessed and desperate about discovering God’s will for our lives that we miss the point. We are so focused on getting answers or fixing a problem that we miss God’s will for our lives at the moment. We must understand that in order for us to know His direction for a particular situation we must first of all, fix our eyes on Him and not on the situation. Instead of trying to find solutions that may ruin our testimony or relationship with God, He says, “Be still and know that He is God” (Psalm 46:10).  God is a God of order. He will not contradict Himself. As simple as it may sound, that is the will of God. We may struggle to accept this truth in times of confusion or hurt, but eventually God will shed light upon the situation. He wants us to put our hope and security in Him and not on the circumstances. The Bible says, “Do not get drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Day by day, minute-by-minute, we should empty ourselves so that the Spirit can take over us. He will empower us to see things differently. Andy Stanley, in one of his sermon podcasts, defines debauchery as "an extreme indulgence that leads to a loss of control" and I believe that debauchery can be anything, other than God, that takes control over our hearts. Interestingly before that verse, Paul says, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:17-18). By going straight to God and not towards things that will bait us to lose control, we will receive understanding. By aligning our perspective with His and putting first things first, we will truly understand what God’s will is.

If you want to know God’s direction in a particular situation, hold on tight to His hand not the situation. His will for you is not to fix your problem or get answers now. His will for you is not to run towards things that will take control of your heart. Cease striving. Wait and pursue wisdom. Stay faithful to the Lord and in His time, He will reveal His answers to you. 

Armswaggin

My sister surprised me with the pink and gray! The other three are my purchases! Wee! Makes me happy! :o) 

New pieces to add to my collection!