To Live Intentionally

in·ten·tion·al

inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

done on purpose; deliberate.

I am sure most of us realize how quickly time passes us by. The older I become the more I notice how fast the time passes me. Where did 2014 go? It happened so swiftly. As I reflect on 2014 I am able to cherish the memories, the growth, and the even the bad times that occurred. 2014 was not a bad year for me. 2014 was the first year of my twenties; a new decade and a new era. I can remember the great times with my friends, old and new. It has been so amazing seeing them grow and change. I am so thankful I get to be a part of that. Even as some of us have drifted apart I love that I get to see from afar the beautiful and wonderful things they are doing. So if any of you are reading this just know that I am cheering you on. I can recall the smell of the oceans and the beautiful cliffs in Cambria. So many wonderful trips with my family. I remember the holding of a sweet man's hand and the loving moments spent with him. I remember the phone call with my mom and dad when they told me It was incredibly hard. There were long days spent in the library. I recall giving my first injection to a classmate. It was, as you can imagine, terrifying. I remember my first day at the hospital. It was one of the most frightening moments of my life. I did it though. I survived. I have grown and I have learned so much. God has blessed me over and over again. Jesus is what has made this year so amazing though. He is what gives me breath and life. Without him I am nothing. He has loved me through my good choices and my bad ones. He was by my side in the times of success and the times of failure. This year was full of so many wonderful memories and choices but it was also full of mistakes and failures. If there is one thing I have learned this year is how much of a broken individual I am. I need Jesus. I need his love, his healing, his grace. We all do. Most importantly I realize that I don't need him only in the bad times but in the good. A time may be considered good but with him it is breathtaking. Jesus takes the ordinary and makes it incredible.

So today my focus is on this new year that is upon us. 2015, I want to live intentionally. I choose to be intentional with my relationship with Jesus, with my family and loved ones, with my friendships, with my schooling, with my dreams, and even with my failures. I pray to grow stronger spiritually, physically, and mentally. I pray that for all of you as well. I realize time is swift and it happens so quickly, so I want to choose and create an incredible life. I must do this by being intentional. I also know that I must be open to changes, to adventures, and surprises. Two Thousand Fifteen, I am excited for the new part of my story we will be writing and I pray that everyone else's is extremely beautiful, full of adventure, laughter, growth, sunsets and sunrises, hope, joy, and even a few failures(because that means you're trying). Many blessings to you all this new year.

Who am I For?

Isn't it funny how often we speak about what we are against instead of what we are for. I don't want to be a Christian who is known for what I am against. I want to be known for what I am for.

I don't want to label people. I don't want to judge them. Or only talk about what I think is correct. I don't want my words to be angry and full of bite. I don't want to picket and yell at people as they walk by that they're going to hell.

I want to tell people who is my Jesus is. I want them to know about his love, his goodness, his grace, and his fire. I want to tell people how the Holy Spirit moved upon my soul and anointed anointed me with life. I want people to know that my God is pure, righteous, merciful, and that he loves them. I want people to know that I believe in joy, thanksgiving, peace, and love. I want people to know that my life was changed by Yahweh. That he has given me rest and he can give them rest too.

I do not want to tell them that they are horrible, sinful people with no hope ahead of them if they continue on this path. I do not want to beat people down. I want to encourage, love, help, serve.

I want people to know what I am for. And I am for Jesus. I am for hope and forgiveness. I am for open arms. I am for the Almighty. I am for his love. I am for his joy. I am for his kingdom. I am his servant. I am for other people.

We do not have the right to condemn anyone else. We do not have the right to judge anyone else. We do not have the okay to gossip about anyone else. We do not have the right to look down upon someone.

We are all in this together. We are all sinners who have received the gift of grace. His arms are open wide for each of us. His arms are open wide for the man you saw begging for money on the street, for the divorced couple, for the gossiper, and the drunkard. His arms are open wide for each and every one of us. It is not our job to point out the other's speck in their eye before removing the plank from our own. (Matthew 7:3-5) No, we must lead each other with kind, loving hearts to our Jesus. It is all about him. Do not be angry against a brother or sister, a friend, a spouse, but be full of love and his mercy; for we are all in this together.

Ordinary

Two men enter into Jericho and they are helped by a prostitute and God protects her and her family. He used a prostitute. I repeat, God used a prostitute for his will to be done. He chose a woman who was lost in a world of darkness and sin. He chose her to be apart of the story. God chose a woman who had been divorced and living with a man in sin to meet with Jesus at the well. Not only that, but she was a Gentile and he was a Jew, which was extremely uncommon for them to even speak. But God used her for his story.

God doesn't always choose the most righteous, pure, most qualified person. He often chooses the broken, the sinner, the messy. I was thinking about my own self and the ways that he has been using me the last couple months and I just felt myself cry out and ask him "Why me? Why are you using me when I have made so many mistakes and lived sinfully. I'm not qualified. I'm a mess sometimes. Why me?" This verse was laid upon my heart, one that I learned in high school which always brought me peace, "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

Although this verse is from the old testament, it is still relevant to us each day because of Christ. Because of his grace. God doesn't have to use what would be considered "top of the line" to do his work. He's really good at taking broken pieces and making them beautiful. He's really good at including us into his amazing story because he loves us. He loves me and he loves you. And he wants you to stop and know that with each and every breathe. The next time I wonder why God would ever choose me, I will remind myself because he loves me enough to watch his son die upon the cross and then anoint me each day with the holy spirit. Because he loves me enough to say, "Lauren, I know you messed up but I'm going to use you anyway because you're my daughter and I have great plans for you." What you have to stop and realize is that it's not about what you do...it's about his love for you. His love makes the ordinary, extraordinary.

Christ does this for us: "Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!" Micah 7:19 He uses the most unlikely people...how is going to use you tomorrow?

Gloriously Free

Who will listen if I can't speak I'll never move a mountain with arms so weak With one word You can make them fall You go before me now Your faithfulness destroys the doubt Your strength is fire to my soul

After all You’ve done in me I will be Your hands and feet Follow where You will lead As You say

Set My people free Go into the world, every boy and girl Deserves to know a life far beyond the fight And reach where there's no light or hope So the captives know And My enemies can see that I will Set My people free Set My people free

There are so many people enslaved in the world. There are people enslaved to other human beings used as cheap labor and others used for sex in brothels and other horrible places. There are people enslaved to their laptops, their cellphones, their clothes, to shopping, to porn, to television, to comfort, to money; the list could go on and on.

Slaves have no hope. They have no hope for a life of their own. Slaves have no hope for freedom. They are bound, destined to their captor. The light in their eyes are gone.. They are broken. Their souls are empty and lost.

There is one who came to set us free. He didn't just come to set free the good people. He didn't just come to set free the blameless. He came to set free the sinner, the broken, the messy, the abused, the addicted, the hopeless, you and me. I love the line in the lyrics from the song above that says, "Your strength is fire to my soul." His strength is a fire to our souls. When your soul is set on fire imagine the ways you can change the world. You are set free now and in that freedom do not be afraid to go out and spread the fire to set others free. We weren't set free to sit around and do nothing but to stand up and change the world in the name of Christ. And please, don't do this by standing on a corner telling people they're going to hell. Go out and love on someone. Tell someone something kind. Donate your time. Stand up for someone. Be a friend to the friendless. Give your money to a good cause instead of spending it on things you don't need. Take the time to pray for people. Whether it's big or small, it will change someones life and who knows.. lead them to freedom as well.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Galations 5:1

Who Am I?

I have often fallen victim of losing my identity. No, not the type of identity theft where someone steals my money, which would really suck; this one happens when my soul loses its identity. I've lost my identity to relationships, both friendships and romantically involved ones. I have lost my identity to fears and doubts that I'm not beautiful enough or thin enough. I battled an eating disorder and thoughts of inadequacy. I lost my identity thinking that a relationship could fill the void in my heart and that marriage would also fill that void. I have lost my identity to this world and it left me broken and afraid.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 NIV

It's so easy to fall into the patterns of this world. You can simply walk by a magazine stand or get on instagram and feel swarmed with thoughts that you're not small enough, or curvy enough, or muscular enough..etc..and the lies begin to form against you and so you seek out the answers from the world, from what the inside of the magazine says. Some people lose their identities in drugs, alcohol, and partying. They fall into the pattern of the world by the people surrounding them or they buy into the commercials and ads showing that you can be cooler and more relaxed if you just give in.

Our identity does not stem from this world. You will not gain a thing there, but you will lose your soul. What's the point of gaining this world if you lose your soul? When I put my identity in this world I feel lost, helpless, and chained. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Find your identity in Jesus. And he will show you the way because he is the way, he is truth, and he is life. So many people in the bible were lost before they found Jesus and he changed their lives in miraculous ways. He doesn't promise that life will be without struggles and trials but he does promise he will be right by your side.

I know who I am most when my heart, soul, and mind and in tune with the Lord through constant prayer, worship, and trust. I am led best when my heart is open to receive guidance from the Holy Spirt. I am renewed when Christ is leading me. I am who I was created to be because he died on the cross.

If you feel lost and if you are seeking answers from this world but turning up empty and broken then stop and lift up your empty hands to seek his presence. Ask him to remind you that you are his and that your identity is found in him and nothing, absolutely, nothing else. I remember when I was at my darkest places battling insecurities and fears and a broken heart..he didn't give me the answers to my whys but he held and let me cry. He restored my hope and my faith. My prayer is that he will do the same for you.

You are accepted.
You are redeemed.
You are chosen.
You are beautiful.
You are new.
You are loved.

Love Fiercely

It scares me when I see people putting their opinions and pride above other human beings. Jesus didn't say the most important law was to have the correct political opinion or to start fires. It is a pretty easy verse to memorize yet I think many people don't quite keep it in their soul. I myself am at fault for not following Jesus words but thank goodness I serve a God who loves me enough to cover my sins with his blood and his grace.

It worries me when we have people who think that you can only be a Christian if you're a conservative, or if you have friends who are atheists or homosexuals you're not really a christian. It scares me that there are people who say they serve God, yet they judge others by what they wear to church.

Everyone has opinions, but your opinion should NEVER keep you from extending grace and love to another person. As followers of Christ I realize that I'm called to rise above the normal morals, the normal pattern of the world. We are called to rise above the ways of the world and to love everyone, regardless of whether they are a Liberal, Democrat, or Republican. This should be regardless of their sexual orientation, their gender, the color of their skin, or how they dress when going to church.

I am not saying you should just accept whatever behavior a person is doing, I believe there is a way you can confront others about sin in a loving way, but you should not treat someone hatefully or start arguments with them because they disagree. We are called to be peacemakers, not fire starters. We are called to be greater and to seek holiness and to be the light in the dark. Don't just say you're a believer, but take what the bible says to heart. Don't just believe in God, but reflect who he is in your life by becoming more like Jesus. We serve a mighty God who loves us and who loves that Liberal next door to you and that guy who wants to keep gun rights and the people sitting in jail and the homeless man you drive by each day. And he is calling you to love deeper.

I pray you will love fiercely the broken, the abused, the confused, the helpless, the bitter, the angry person at work, the single mom, the teen mom, the shabbily dressed man at church, the elderly, and the young. Love the sinner, love the saint, love thy neighbor. And love them with a love so great they are led to Jesus so that he can break their bondage and their chains. Because what else would a love as great as Jesus' love cause? So go out and love your family, your friends, and strangers with a love that is fierce, compassionate, and full of grace. Life is too short to let our selfishness, our opinions, and our pride to keep us from letting his love flow out of us.

Much love.

Be Still My Soul

"Be still my soul." Whenever I read these words, think these words, hear these words, I instantly stop. I hear the Lord's voice asking me to be still. He is asking me to stop running and running and to take time to let his peace wash over me. I love Kari Jobe's song Be Still my Soul. How easy it is to get caught up in the fast pace life of this world. And how dangerous it is to our soul. How can running around without taking time to be still with the presence of the Lord hurt us? Well I can tell you several ways of how it has hurt my soul.

1. When we are constantly go, go, go eventually we will run out of juice. Our bodies need rest, our minds need rest, and our soul needs rest as well. It's easy to get caught up in events, signing up for every sport, watching your kid play every sport you signed them up for, saying yes to every friend that needs your help, spending too much time on your phone, etc., ect. We get caught up in the fast paced lifestyle. We believe the lie that we constantly need something going on. We fall into the yes man mindset. What happens to a car once it runs out of gas? It can't move, it can't go anywhere, and it can't do what it is created to do. When we go, go, go until we run out of life then we cannot help others, we cannot love and serve as greatly, and we cannot do what we were created to do. So what is life? Life is Jesus. He is the living water and without him we cannot live. John 4:14 So stop, be still, and drink of him.

2. When we don't stop to be still we miss out on hearing God or we miss out on a blessing he has placed in front of us. It is easy to get caught up in the static of this world. I have definitely experienced this. I can get so caught up in school, friendships, work, and everything else that I miss out on hearing from God. There are often times where I pray and wonder why he hasn't answered me when in reality he is calling me to stop and be still. I have been learning to stop throughout my day and clear my mind, open my heart, and thank him. I thank him and then I just listen. A peace that can only come from above washes over me. It makes each day much more beautiful. When a tough situation comes up, those moments of quiet help me so much to stay calm because I am aware of his presence. So take time throughout your day to stop and open your heart to the Lord. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

3. In regards to the verse above, the Lord is calling us to stop and know that he is God. He is our creator. The verses go onto telling them how amazing he is and how the people shouted with joy. So stop today or tomorrow or whenever and shout with joy! If you're having a bad day, please, just take a break from whatever is bringing you down and sing praises to him, dance with all of your soul, and shout with joy. Why? Because we have a creator who loves us. Because he is so, so good. Because we once were dead but now we are alive! I promise you, the turmoil in your heart, the chains binding your feet, will crumble when you CHOOSE to be still and let your praises ring. It is a conscience choice you must make but one that will change your life. 4. He wants us to be still so he can be God. He wants us to be still so he can fight for us. He wants to hear about your problems, your prayers, your worries, and whatever else is going on. He wants us to stop freaking out and to trust him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God is mighty and strong. He loves you and wants a relationship with you. He sent his son to die on the cross to have a relationship with you. So whatever voices are getting in the way of your relationship with God then tell them to be quiet because you want to hear his voice alone. Sometimes we have to get away from the world in order to be alone with him which is so incredibly amazing and intimate. It is unlike anything in this world. He loves you and he cares for you my friends. So please, be still.

So, be still my soul. Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; In every change, He faithful will remain.