T.I.A. This Is Africa

Everything here is bigger. 

The bugs. The rainstorms. The trees. Even the smiles on people's faces. 

I can't even begin to express my gratefulness for getting the opportunity to come out here & see all of these beautiful smiles. The Lord is truly amazing. Hallelujah! 

Who's Your Idol?

Timothy Richard Tebow. The man is a phenomenon. In my personal opinion, he's more than that. He's turning into an idol. People are basically bowing down at his feet. He might be good at football, but he ain't no Jesus. I hate how high up people are putting him. The higher up they put him, the further he will fall. I'm not saying he's going to stumble, I don't know his heart, but when the Broncos lose next week it's going to be another bash for the Christians.  I have a lot of respect for Tebow; don’t get me wrong, I just wish people wouldn’t idolize him so much.
It makes me wonder what/who else people are idolizing. Justin Bieber, maybe?
We, as Christians, need to turn our focus more on the Lord rather than men. I mean, how is it that we can go to a Denver Broncos game, or sit in front of the TV & watch a Denver Broncos game & scream our faces off, yell, cheer, go nuts, do cartwheels, spit at the TV, do whatever, & we don’t think twice about who’s watching, or what people think about us. In the game we don’t care. We let it all out. Cause we’re totally into supporting this thing. Or we go to a concert somewhere, & we don’t think twice about dancing, clapping, raising our hands, or screaming for the people that are performing for us. Or we watch movies that come from Hollywood & we invest ourselves emotionally, we weep, we cry, we laugh. But when it comes to worshipping the Almighty God….we turn silent. If we can do all those things in a secular context, which is meaningless! It’s here today & gone tomorrow, we won’t even remember who was starting for the Broncos 5 years from now. But WHERE is our passion for Almighty God when it comes to worshipping Him? Lifting up His name? Who else is worth being worshipped like that? Who else is worthy? Of our affection, our praise, our attention. Of our energy! There is nothing, & there is nobody who is worth it. Not even Tim Tebow comes close to our Lord. I don’t see him saving souls…I see him saving the Broncos butts, but not souls. He isn’t the Lord. I really wish people could see that. There’s my rant for the day. But, I beg you; please look at your hearts to see who you’re idolizing. I hope & pray it’s the Lord, & if it’s not….you got some ‘esplaining to do.

Sharing is Caring

I can't believe that Christmas is in 6 days. Where did the year go? I'm pretty sure we were looking at all the lights at the botanical garden just last week....no? That was a year ago? Really?! My goodness.
So much has gone on this year, it's hard to believe some of it, but, what I will remember most from this year is how much time I got to spend with my family.  I have the coolest family in the world, in case you didn't know.  We're all so different - like puzzle pieces almost, & we fit together perfectly. It's hard to think that in eight short months, I'm going to be gone. Loving & embracing the people of Sudan instead of my family. I know that it's what God wants for me, but I also know that being so far away from all of my insane siblings & my parentals is going to be one of the hardest things for me to handle after I leave. Isn't it strange to think back 10 years? How we all expected our lives to turn out a certain way, & then here we are, 10 years later, living completely different lives than we were expecting. God is cool that way. I like surprises. I also like my family. A lot. Just in case you didn't catch that.
I pray you all have family to spend your holidays with. Share moments, pictures, love, & food with them. :)
Sharing is caring.

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The Way Einstein Thought & The Way Jesus Acted.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” -Albert Einstein.

 

It's strange the way we do things. The way we judge people. The way we assume things of others just because they look, dress, talk, act, etc. a certain way. I hate it. We all have the same testimony...don't we? We are ALL sinners saved by GRACE. Isn't that enough? Why can't we all look at eachother the way God does?

 

God is so incredible. The way He paints pictures for us. The way He smiles. The way He never stops giving us grace. The way He loves. It's so mind-boggling the way He is never going to give up on us. We [as humans] give up on others ALL THE TIME. We lose our patience, we yell, we fight, we lose touch, we repeat. God is always going to be there. ALWAYS. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)

The Lord never ceases to amaze me, & I know He never will.

 

When was the last time you smiled at a stranger? Or given the homeless man sitting on the corner, in the freezing weather, your leftovers? We're all people. We're all equal in God's eyes. Spread kindness. Spread Jesus' love. Make people think.

 

My Upcoming Adventure.

Africa. Africa. Africa. Africa. I can't stop thinking about it. It's where I'm headed, Lord-willing. I don't know what to expect at all except for a change. A change mentally, physically, emotionally, & above all else, SPIRITUALLY. The Lord has already started to prepare me. It won't be for about 9 more months roughly, but the Lord is doing incredible things. He has brought people, stories, movies, newspaper articles & so much, much more to my attention to further prepare me. He's showing me that's it's not all fun & games. Where I'm going is a land of famine, war, & death. Physically & spiritually. I can honestly say that I'm scared. Terrified almost. Because I don't know what God is going to do with me there. However, I do know that the Lord is faithful even when we are faithless. I know that He is going to completely supply my every need & I will be in His hands the whole time. I'm going to be safe. And, Lord, for that I'm so thankful!
If any of you are prayer warriors, I could really use it right now. As could the people of Sudan. And the folks of the world. And Barack Obama. Yes, especially him. Enough ranting for me... :) Goodnight, world. 

sun·shine[suhn-shahyn]

–noun

1. the shining of the sun; direct light of the sun.

2. brightness or radiance; cheerfulness or happiness.

3. a source of cheer or happiness.

4. the effect of the sun in lighting and heating a place.

5. a place where the direct rays of the sun fall.