Here’s the thing. That’s where satan wants us. He want us to believe that there is nothing more to do, he wants us to believe there is no hope and that there are just some that we are going to lose. We can get caught believing it because we’ve seen it happen. We’ve seen some that we’ve seemingly lost. BUT…where I am at right now, I refuse to believe those lies. Because THAT is what they are, lies.
We KNOW that in Christ, there is hope. We KNOW there is freedom. We KNOW that he can and will BREAK THE CHAINS. How do we know this? Because he says so. Let’s just go into scripture and stand on these promises now together. I would really like to take a minute in this blog and collectively pray for not only this young girl, but for all our kids that are lost and struggling. Because if we believe what we say we do, then we KNOW the power that is in your word.

​“Lip service to God doesn’t change lives or nations.” Loren Cunningham (The Book that transforms Nations)

​Why is it such a big deal to read our Bibles? The question can be asked to everyone, but it will be very telling how we come back at it and from what perspective. To cut to the quick, the obvious question needs to be posed. Do we believe that the Bible is God inspired, that it is His word? If the answer is no, then it would become clear why we have no interest in investigating any further, which is ok and leads to other discussions. But if the answer is yes, then the sequential question would then be, why aren’t we reading it?

Now I have never been engaged, but recently I finished a devotional about pursuing God. There was one day of this devotional that I had an epiphany over!

We are the bride of Christ. When we pass and go to heaven, it’s our marriage day to Jesus. This is the epiphany, so while we are on earth, we are in our engagement phase of our relationship with God. We need to look at our relationship with God as a big engagement in the steps of getting married.

Now I’m preaching to myself here. I have not been living as though I was engaged to God. I pushed him to the side and let someone else take his place. But after reading that, it really hit home for me. I don’t think when you’re engaged to someone that you don’t want to spend time with them or include them in your life, that would make for one awkward marriage. While here on earth, we need to act as though we are in our engagement to God. Invite him in your every day things. Include him when you go out or are spending time alone. The great thing about God is that he doesn’t force himself on us or in our life, he wants to be invited in.

So start pursuing God and enjoy your engagement to Him!

The Pursuit Devotional :click on the link to check out the devotional!

Returning from my mission in Thailand, I sit here in awe, trying to process just how amazing it really was. People have asked me to put it in words. And each time I try, I simply can’t. There are few words that I can use, but they all fall short of what I really experienced. As I try and reflect upon all the incredible things God showed me, the thing I felt most connected to was the indescribable joy that comes out of authentic relationship with others. I saw here a people that longed to love. Longed for relationship. I had the privilege to meet an authentic and raw people. People who have wronged and been wronged. But no matter the circumstances, no matter the pain, all were connected through love. We were not meant to go though this alone, we were called to love God and love each other. And when you have relationship with the almighty creator, your heart will be softened to experience the love that we were intended to feel. One of the biggest things God has revealed to me recently is that love has no language barrier. No matter if you are in Thailand, Africa or a local coffee shop, Love is universal. No words required. A force that though only an almighty God can we attain it’s authenticity at full. Every day is OUR mission, now go and spread love to all nations!

We often think of the enemy as Hollywood has characterized him as. An ugly guy with red horns. But that isn’t how he is. He can be something so beautiful that will make people think “Could this be from God?”. He’s the father of lies (John 8:44) and by looking beautiful is how he tricks us. I’m speaking from experience here. I have learned a lot more than I have ever before. It is so important to back everything up with scriptures to not fall into the same messy pit as I just came out of.
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Two months before my last YWAM trip, I met someone. In my eyes, he could have been sent from God to me and I honestly believed it. I thought I saw the red-flags but I really didn’t. I ignored them and tried to justify them or even make excuses for them. I was so enticed by this person that I let it drive friends away and even put a wedge between my family. I started to backtrack from all the progress I made with God. I started to lie and become someone I was never suppose to be. I turned into someone completely other than me. I wasn’t following God or being who He called me to be, and I had put Him on the back burner. I was trying to be my own god. Even on the YWAM trip, many told me that this person could not possibly be what God wanted for me, but I didn’t listen. Instead, I would get angry and ignore their words. The grip that the enemy had on me, everyone could see but me. Hindsight is 20-20, right?

In the last blog, I wrote about the first two and a half weeks of outreach. Now let me tell you about this past two weeks!

It was the people.

God didn’t call me to YWAM Tyler because he thought I would enjoy the base. He didn’t send me there because he knew I wouldn’t like it.
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He sent me there because he knew the hearts that were already there and he knew that those hearts were what I needed I my life.

​At the butt-crack of dawn, 5 AM, my team set out on the road for the Eastcoast. Our journey begins in Durham, North Carolina and will end in Cincinnati, Ohio. We will be traveling in a 15-passenger van with a trailer attached with all our stuff.

Along the way, we will be doing a worldview survey at different college campuses to get people thinking about what they believe. We will be working with church in their different ministries, as well as, working with New York Relief to feed the homeless on the streets.

But what’s really cool is that this whole school was pretty much one big history class. Going back to the Mayflower Compact and really learning about what our nation was founded on, which was Biblical Principles. So now only will we be doing ministy on outreach, we will be siteseeing, going to historic places and museums.
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Some have wondered what I’ll be doing on my birthday. We will be going to Jamestown, Virginia to see the first settlement established here in America!
I’m super stoked to see the history I just learned about and to share the love of God everywhere we go!