Alright so the Chi Alpha house looks AMAZING!!! I don't think anyone ever imagined it looking like that.. And the Coffee House was a success and everyone did a great job.

On Thursday after my final I went over to help out in any way I could.. I sanded tables for a while and then went inside to get a drink, rest and see what else was going on.  I took a seat in a corner and watched as everyone worked.. I'm sitting there and the thought suddenly pops in my head that this is how the body of Christ works.. I mean Jake was workin on sound stuff.. Leanne and some other girls were bakin bread in the kitchen.. Amber and Faith were decidin what looked good and where.. Eli and a bunch of guys were hanging the cross thingy in the back and there were alot of other people working on various things.. the point is that all were going at the same pace and all were communicating with each other and getting it done.. and they were doing what they were best at.. and I start thinking about how this is what God sees us doing as His people on earth. 

I Corinthians 12:12-26 says, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one bodywhether Jews or Greeks, slave or freeand we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it."

So after thinkin about this verse I focused on the room again and it was really beautiful.. that may seem kinda gay, but trully it was.. everyone was smiling and having a great time.. they were working and rejoicing in the Lord.. if one person had decided to stop.. that portion wouldn't have been finished in time for the coffee house.. And so it is with us on this earth.. we all are different for specific reasons that only God knows and completely understands.. no "one" person is better at talking to the lost or saved.. we all have something in us that is specific to us.. without out everyone working together things can get done.. but slower.. and sometimes not effectively.. however when everyone works together.. nothing can stop us because Christ will honor that work.  So this was all kinda scattered but I dont know.. it made sense at the time.. I hope everyone has a great Mother's Day!

Currently Listening Momentary Setback By Marc Broussard Take Me Home see related

I saw MI:3 tonight.. I'm not gunna lie.. it was purty good.. I recommend to see it if you haven't.. it's purty intense.

Anyway.. one part of the movie kinda grabbed me.. The scene was that Ethan Hunt was telling his fiance, Julie, that he had to go away for a couple of days on business.. she doesn't understand because he hasn't told her anything about being an agent.. she knows he's up to something but she just can't put the pieces together herself.. here's the conversation..

Ethan: "I need you to trust me.. Can you do that.."

Julie: "::looks down and starts to cry:: Of Course.."

Julie: "But.. Can I.."

Ethan: "No.  I need you to trust me."

Julie: "...Is it real.. Us.. Are we real??"

Ethan: "Follow Me."

Now this meant something different in the movie but the concept is still the same.. we go through things in life that make no sense to us.. we get confused, broken, fustrated, even angry.. but this faith we have means we must trust and not ask questions. It's so easy to say we trust like 'Julie' first did.. but then come the questions.. and all Jesus does is smile and say "Follow me." .. It's pretty simple.. but the words kinda jumped out at me during the movie.. It's hard not knowing whats happening and why in our lives..

Psalm 143:8

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, O Lord, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul."

I Corinthians 15:12-28

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

I was reading about women this morning and how God created us to be and how we have become in this generation as a result of pain from rejection, abandonment, or neglect.  We refuse to bring the weight of our lives, WHO GOD HAS MADE US TO BE, to bear on others out of a fear of being rejected.. again or for the first time.  Many of us feel in a way we can't explain sometimes.. down deep we fear there is something terribly wrong with us.  If we were a princess, then our prince would have come.  If we were the daughter of a king, he would have fought for us.  We can't help but believe that if we were different, if we were better, somehow.. then we would have been loved as we really truly long to be.. by women and men.. We let ourselves believe when something goes wrong that it must be us.  This is so completely terrible because we need to realize that God created our hearts in the direct image of His own heart.. glorious, powerful, and captivating!!!  Here's the thing.. WE ARE PRINCESSES!!  God is the King right?!  And He is our Father... which makes us princesses!!  We are royalty in the Kingdom of God.  God has made us with stronger emotions for a reason.. They contribute to how God intended us to be as mothers and wives in full submission to Christ.  We hear the word emotion and the first thing we think of is "being too emotional"..  Emotions don’t just mean sorrow and pain but joy and passion..  The Psalms are full of emotions!!  Women are put to shame in the modern world for everything God gave us.. our femininity (hah.. is that even a word.. you get the point if its not.. its fun to say though..), our emotions, our passions.. we're pushed to get over things and "man-up" causing even more insecurities.. Crying is something we are ashamed of.  Even Jesus himself was a "Man of sorrow and acquainted with grief." (Isaiah 53:3)..  Grief is good.. it helps to heal the heart.  We become tough and "untouchable" to protect ourselves from hurt.  Some of us have hardened our hearts to the desire to be beautiful anymore.  “Girly-ness” is a bad thing...  In other cases, as a product of being hurt or even anything else we are going through in our life.. we have hardened our hearts towards the blessings and people that God has given us and we turn to other things we can find satisfaction in.. of course this is the process of eventually hardening our hearts to God.. our Creator!!  Much of what he allows in our lives is not for us simply to accept, BUT TO GET US TO RISE UP!  God wants us to know how to handle the weapons of warfare, how to take a stand, how to fight.. and most importantly how to TRUST.  

There are several definitions of trust..

(1) Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.

- And the definition of integrity is steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.. the state of being unimpaired; soundness.. the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness... In our brokenness he makes us complete!  Are these not characteristics of our Father in heaven?  Psalm 55:22 says to “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.”

(2) Custody; care.

-We are his children.  John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

(3) Reliance on something in the future; hope.

-Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

(4) Reliance on the intention and ability of a purchaser to pay in the future; credit.

- Revelation 5:9 “And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”  We were bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.. say that to yourself and really think about it.. it’s no small thing.

Isn’t it ironic how our definitions even point to the Bible?!  Our battles are won! Our future is secure!  God doesn’t want us to fail but succeed! 

I know I got off topic a bit but the point is that a woman’s heart is sacred..  Also, that it’s ok to be a woman!  Be proud of it   Some of us have been hurt and hardened in the past.. and if it hasn’t happened yet, chances are it will.  As women, we need to learn to trust God and each other!  We are sisters in Christ!  In Ephesians 4:2,3 Paul tells us to bear with one another in love (“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”)..  In Galatians 6:2 we are told to carry each other’s burdens (“Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”).. A quote from Oswald Chambers I like a lot says that "if our hopes are experiencing disappointment it is because they are being purified."  I know a lot of times we go through things and we find ourselves saying that “we give up” and “we just don’t care anymore”, or “its not our problem anymore; we’ve done all we can”..  I’ve had girls come tell me they are tired of giving and investing so much of their lives into things and people and getting nothing in return.. or being hurt drastically over and over.. it can be physically, spiritually, and mentally exhausting… and this goes for EVERYTHING.. in friendships, relationships, sports, jobs.. etc……  Well let’s try our best to think about it in the way that Christ has given us EVERYTHING and PROMISED us just as much (The amazing thing is that He does not break His promises!) and continually He gives and continually we receive.. and continually we walk away from our Father.. Creator.. Sustainer.. Protector.. Friend..  Do you think He has once considered giving up and closing off to us because of our ignorance?  You think He’s ever thought about throwing down the towel because of how much He has put into us.. and how much He continues to.. and He still gets nothing back?  The answer is heck no.. because His love and care for us is more than we could EVER imagine!  Now in that sense aren’t we to be imitator’s of Christ! (Ephesians 5:1,2 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”).. It kind of makes our problems in this life look small.. Don't give up!!  I pray God takes my life and restores what has been broken.. that I will not be held captive to the things of this world.. I want to trust and truly believe I am safe in the arms of My Savior.. I want my selfish attitude to be gone and I want to love and give like Jesus does to me.