Tuesday, August 31, 2010
cherry
Sunday, August 29, 2010
check check
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
matt who?
Monday, August 23, 2010
dining like daniel
So maybe you’ve noticed I’ve been a little MIA lately. Or maybe you haven’t. And that’s ok. But for those of you that did notice, I feel like I should explain…
10 days ago I took a break. Almost like a break from the world in some senses. I just really felt like God was tugging at my heart. In the midst of all of the craziness of my transition home I had forgotten what was important. It was all too easy for me to come home and be selfish, instead of obeying His plans for me. So I took a break.
A few friends of mine had either completed or were in the midst of the “Daniel Fast” when I was in Lynchburg. Ever heard of it? ((click here)) Basically it is a biblically based partial fast for your body, mind, and soul. It stems from the book of Daniel in The Bible – Daniel 1 (a 10 day fast) and Daniel 10 (a 21 day fast). In theory, it sounded great – only plant-based foods, only water to drink, no breads, no caffeine, no chemicals…no sugar. But me? No sugar? Surely I wouldn’t survive. I quickly dismissed the idea and didn’t think twice about it until a week or so after I had moved home.
God obviously had other plans. He had things He wanted to show me and I was way too distracted. That’s when I felt the call to do the fast. And of course I put it off. Excuse after excuse…”Well, I mean, Brie is coming home and we will probably go out to eat.” Or “The new froyo place opened and they have cotton candy flavor and a self-serve toppings bar!” And of course…”But its crabfest at Rod Lobster!!!” After a humbling Wednesday night the Lord helped me come to my senses as I dedicated the next 10 days to the “Daniel Fast” as outlined in Daniel 1:1-15…
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility-young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you." Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but pulse [pulse = plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, etc.] to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.
Am I better nourished? Absolutely! Because it wasn’t food I was craving…it was Jesus. Not only did I give up my favorite foods, but I turned off the TV and stayed away from my personal Facebook page. For 10 days. And it wasn’t easy. In fact, it is the only fast I’ve consistently completed. I’m pretty sure David Nassar’s “A Call to Die” (40 days) took me about…3 years.
It is something I willfully share now, because I think it was an amazing experience and I learned a lot through it, but it was also something I didn’t want to advertise before or while I was going through it because it was so personal. I traded TV shows for runs full of prayers for family & friends. Chances are, if you are reading this, you were prayed for. I swapped Facebook for time in God’s Word. And I became quite well adjusted and accustomed to life without white sugar. Can you believe not a single grain of the white stuff passed through my lips? My new food addiction includes Larabars, avocados, and nut butters – all of which I consumed in mass quantities while I was on this fast (I even made my own walnut butter!)
But most importantly, I’ve come to realize that though I’ve learned a lot these past 10 days, I am still a work in progress. I am thankful for the time I had for the Lord to reveal certain areas of my own life that need some work and I ask that you please pray for me as He refines my life and uses me for His glory.
“He makes known secrets that are deep and hidden; He knows what is hidden in darkness, and light is all around Him.” – Daniel 2:22
Thursday, August 12, 2010
in your arms
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
ice cream sandwich
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
one in a million
yet it costs us nothing.
You can do anything you want with it…
but own it.
You can spend it…
but you can’t keep it.
And once you’ve lost it…
there’s no getting it back.
It’s just…
gone.
I can’t believe its already been a week since I’ve been home. It seems like just yesterday I was hugging my friends tight and holding back tears. Home is good. It’s different, but its good. I love being back in my old room. I specifically love my bed (which I’m pretty sure is made with clouds from heaven), and the glow-in-the-dark stars that I put on my ceiling in the third grade, and I even love my stuffed animal collection that has seemed to have quadrupled over the years because every time I go to giveaway my toys another Toy Story movie comes out.
What I’m not crazy about is change. Some people thrive off of it. Me? Not so much. I could take it or leave it, but mostly, when things are going great, I’d be perfectly happy if they were that way forever. I think this is a good and bad way of thinking. Good because I always think I already have the best so I’m usually pretty content. Bad because its kinda limiting to God, don’t ya think? For example: In high school, the thought of leaving my best friends for college scared me. I mean, they were the best friends I would ever have, right? Then I met my college friends and after 4 years of late night chats, crazy schemes, and lots of dance parties, I gave them all big hugs as we each moved across the country (literally). There is no way in the world God would ever give me better friends than my college friends? Right? Then I met my friends in Lynchburg. Instant best friends, like the kind you grow in water. I’ve known them the shortest but somehow feel this unshakable bond with them. And that’s really how its always been, even when I spent a summer in MO at Kanakuk or last summer in NYC. What in the world makes me think He won’t care for me in this next stage of life?
Not too long ago, I read Priscilla Shirer’s new book “One in a Million. “ I think it is one of the best books I have ever read. It was life changing. In fact, I think it was part of the reason I finally decided to quit my job. Without giving the entire book away (you MUST read it), the book follows the Israelites journey through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. But did you know that only 2 made it? Only 2 in 2 million! And after reading the book I realized that was the kind of life I wanted – one that is sold out to Christ, following His path. I wanted to be “one-in-a-million.” And when I looked back at my own journey - specifically from graduating college last year to the uncertainty that I am currently faced with - I realized God had been sending me on my own trip through the wilderness. Who knew God had been “using the pressure of my problems not to bury me, but to beckon me”? And maybe Lynchburg was just my Mt. Siani? I certainly spent the longest time there, had a few meltdowns, and truly felt the Lord’s calling. I’m not exactly sure what my Promised Land will look like, or where it will be for that matter, but I do take comfort in knowing that I am on my way and that I am exactly where the Lord wants me right now.
“One-in-a-millions know that God has put them here – in this particular place, at this particular time – with certain things for them to experience. They’re not afraid to live through the in-between, development times because the muscles they’re growing out here in the wilderness are going to help them hit the Promised Land running. It’s going to be worth it. They know it.” – Priscilla Shirer, “One in a Million”