Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Well, Merry belated Christmas, as it is almost New Years. However, I hope it was good nonetheless. I hope that Santa Claus left lots of fun memories, and great laughs. I also hope you took time to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus, the Savior, is born TODAY! Hallelujah! I just can't fathom that experience. Born in a manger, no room for the inn for the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD. It's just so crazy to me.

To me, Christmas means celebrating Jesus' birth, but also enjoying the company of my family. I love my family so much. They are kind of my lifeline. I thrive off my family, and always look forward to spending time with them in some way. My immediate family (being my older brothers) always seem to be weirded out by my love for family time. Whenever we go to reunions or get togethers, they always tend to leave before the party is over, and groan before we arrive in the first place. I mean, sure they enjoy seeing family as much as I do, they just don't like being social for more than, well, 20 minutes a day, tops.

However, as I already said, I thrive off my family. They provide such great memories and wonderful laughs that I never miss a family reunion, and am one of the last ones to leave. I love seeing my grandparents and aunts and uncles in the same room having a good time fellowshipping with one another.

It used to be that on Christmas, I would really celebrate it three times. We would wake up super early (or, at least I thought it was super early) and open the presents from our parents and  Santa ( :) ). Then, after a quick breakfast we would scurry out to my dads side of the family and spend the afternoon there with so much laughter and hilarity I could hardly stand it. Of course, it took me until just a few years ago that I was able to actually  understand  the jokes, but I laughed regardless. From there, we would head home just for a quick stop to grab the other presents to exchange at Christmas on my mom's side of the family.

I'm the third oldest grandson on my mom's side of the family, so it was always a lot of fun over there. My mom is the oldest of three kids, and therefore her kids are the oldest of the grandkids. I have three younger girl cousins and one younger boy, add that to my two older brothers and that totals the 7 grandkids of my Grandma and Grandpa Phillips. Anyway, since I am near the older group, a lot of the jokes and activities are geared toward my understanding and I laugh a lot. (Not that I don't laugh on the Henry side, I just understand the jokes a lot better on the Phillips.)

These memories are the best for me. Both my dads side and my moms-- I always loved Christmas because we always had lots of family and lots of fun. But-- lots of things happened in my family over the years, including the death of both my Grandma and Grandpa Phillips, and now it's just not the same. We don't get together as much on my moms side- especially for Christmas. It used to not bother me all that much, because I would always say "There's next time" or "Maybe we'll hang out as  family on a different time" But my mom and her siblings don't really get along very much it seems, and it always seems like its a HUUUGEEE burden for us to get together.  I guess it really started to bother me when I noticed the same burden trickling down to my brother. I recall him asking "So.. Are we going to pretend to do Christmas with (family members of Moms side) this year?" I mean, yeah I know that Grandma and Grandpa aren't here anymore for us to see during the holidays, but is it really that much  of a stressful time just to see your family? I love seeing them..

I don't know. This is a much different blog than my others, and I kind of feel like I'm complaining. And don't get me wrong, I understand the pain they are going through and sometimes don't want to be around my family either. But, ESPECIALLY at Christmas, couldn't we make the effort to see each other? That's all I ask..


And so it goes..

Late night thoughts..

"Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like YOU did?"


Yet again I am finding myself newly convicted by lyrics of a song. Remember that face-plant moment I talked about in one of my previous blogs? Well it happened again.  People out there are "wounded". Not necessarily in the literal sense, although the could be, but I think that what this lyric is implying as "wounded" is the people who are emotionally wounded. These are the ones who are succumbing to the sinful nature and appearing as if they don't care about it. And it seems that a lot of times Christians, especially me, judge people too awfully, and too quickly. 


I know that for me, I oftentimes pass judgment on others just by sight. Instead of getting to know their true story, and simply loving them as Jesus would love, I avoid them and let them continue to go about their lives. Perhaps I would be the only Jesus they see, and I passed up the opportunity because I was uncomfortable, judgmental, rude. 


Can you imagine what a powerful statement it would be for the body of Christ if we stopped worrying about our own comfort and instead went out and fought for what God intended us? What if we stopped judging others, and really did love like God does? Love so much that people RAN into the arms of Jesus. Can you picture the overwhelming results we would receive if we stopped worrying about the standard way of doing things, and instead went out on a limb-guided by Jesus' loving hands- and loved the loveless, the Sinners that the song continues to talk about? Wouldn't it be amazing if we stopped dividing ourselves from the rest of the world, stopped looking down on the world, but instead stepped into the world in order to try and save it, actually "put down our signs, cross over the lines, and love like JESUS did? Christ's love is powerful enough to do that, so why don't we show it?


And furthermore, the song goes on to say "Open our eyes to the world at the END of our pointing fingers." We should stop blaming the world for the sin, as we are sinners too. We're really no different than the sinners we are condemning and judging. The only real difference is the only difference that matters. We have the winning answer! We have Jesus' love and grace! He's on our side! Why not show that to the world? It's so easy to obtain, and we have it!


Anyway- it's my New Years resolution to be Jesus to whomever I encounter. I'm going to try and "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," as James 1:19 encourages us to be.


And so it goes...

No one knows what we're for only against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours

A Living Savior

My God, my Redeemer, my Savior- He lives.

How do I know this? Well, He shows Himself to me each and every day. Especially in the beauty and the mystery that is nature. Have you ever just sat outside and watched nature? If you haven't, I would highly recommend you try. It is something most rewarding, and breathtaking at times. The subtle changes of nature, the majesty of the creatures living in it, its just beautiful. God speaks through this nature. Going outside, silencing my thoughts, and literally just laying there is something I try to do frequently. God seems to touch the most tender parts of my heart during these times. Even though I try to silence my thoughts, I always become convicted of something and end up face down before God- talking to Him, crying out to Him, laughing with Him, Thanking Him. And that's another reason I know He's alive.

God responds back.

And they're not always in the most audible ways of responding. You have to search for them, but that's part of the beauty. Looking for subtle changes in nature, feeling the warm (or cold) breeze brush your shoulder. It's almost as if God were sitting right next to you, encompassing you with His love.

If you ever feel like God isn't responding, look for Him. Exodus 20 tells us that God is a jealous God. He's jealous for YOU. And He'll thank you for talking to Him. Obviously, He knows our every thought and our every action, but He just wants to talk with you. He's like your best friend. Spend some time talking to Him. He's alive, remember? He'll talk back.

And so it goes...

My Savior Lives, My Savior Loves
My Savior's ALWAYS there for ME.

Take Comfort

As I was driving back to school the other day, a song on my iPod came up, and it was just one of those songs that made me feel comforted and good about life. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

You will be safe in His arms

You will be safe in His arms

' Cause the hands that hold the world
Are holding your heart

I love those lyrics. God's hands are big enough to support and contain the ENTIRE world! Obviously you will be safe in His arms. If only we can remember this in our times of trouble. "When everything is falling apart, you will be safe in His arms." This was so comforting to me, because it made me realize that God has everything under control, and He will help me through whatever I may be going through. 

It made me remember the text from Matthew 11:28- "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." I love that God will provide and comfort us when we feel like we absolutely cannot go on anymore. Thank you God for keeping me safe in your arms!

And so it goes...

His Life for Mine
His life for Mine

How could it ever be?

"I'm so close to being so far away from You"

Bethany Dillon wrote those lyrics, from her song "So Close". I was listening to those words on my drive back home tonight, and it made me think. Those words are SO applicable to our walk with Jesus Christ. Each day we are drawing closer and closer to Him, yet there is still infinitely more to know. More than we could ever comprehend. But it's so intriguing to me! The path to righteousness is narrow, and I think its so cool that each day we can grow a little bit closer to the Creator of the World, knowing just a little bit more than we did before. Yet, there is always something new to discover about our God. He isn't some finite, comprehensible entity that we can describe in a number of words- He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I can't wait til I'm in heaven and worshiping Him. It will be so awesome to stand directly in his Glory.

And so it goes...

New CD brings New Convictions

Have you ever had a "face plant moment"? You know, where they lyrics of a song, or the message in the sermon, move you so much that you find yourself able to do nothing else but fall on your face and cry out to God? I have those moments all the time, and love them. Casting Crowns is a band that causes me to have face plant moments quite frequently. I have loved Casting Crowns since I first encountered their song "Who am I?"... it pretty much became my life song.
Well, anyway.. Casting Crowns came out with a new album just a few days ago, and so of course I downloaded the entire thing off iTunes. This CD has continued to live up to Casting Crowns' standards by finding the tender strings of my heart and tugging on them like there is no tomorrow. I found myself so convicted of things, and stretched to new limits I had never before experienced. And it's amazing to me, because I had been praying for God to move in me, and strengthen me.

And let me tell ya, He did.

The biggest conviction I found was in the song entitled "Jesus Friend of Sinners". The chorus goes:

Oh Jesus friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doorsOh Jesus friend of sinners break our hearts for what breaks yours

That last line is the one. I heard that the first time, and instantly felt ashamed. Shouldn't that be our plea? That God would break our hearts for what breaks His own? To feel the way God feels, so that we could experience the way God loves? I think that I have found myself too selfish. I'm way to wrapped up in how I feel, and how things affect me, and don't even worry about what God is feeling. I mean.. our God is a jealous God. He YEARNS for us to know Him and grow with Him, and yet I'm still standing here only concernned about my life and not allowing others to see the true love and beauty that is a relationship with Christ? Something's a little wrong here.

My friend said it best, I think. "Don't rob God of His glory. Illuminate His love. And the church of tomorrow will rise as a godly generation right before your eyes." It breaks God's heart that there are people out there who don't know Him. Isn't it our job as Christians  to show God to the helpless and hopeless? To carry our candle, and "illuminate His love"? If our hearts are supposed to break for what breaks God's, then we too should be devastated that there are so many people out there who don't even know who God is, let alone the power He possesses.

And the funny thing is, showing Christ to others is SO EASY! It's just as my friend said, we just have to Illuminate His Love- be living examples of Christ so that others can catch even the smallest glimpse of true love and friendship. There's no need to be those crazy college evangelists who tell everyone that they are going to Hell. We simply just need to love one another in the way that Christ himself loves us.

Jesus is a friend of sinners because He loves them and wants to know them. We should be like Jesus, so why not befriend those who seem almost unfriendable?

And so it goes...


"Who am I that the Lord of ALL THE EARTH would care to know my name? Would care to feel my hurt?" 

Wow

Wow. That is simply all I can say when thinking about the love Jesus has for  us. I have been thinking a lot lately how much He loves people. I mean, if He can love EVEN ME, it's just amazing and incomprehensible, God's love.

Lately, God has been challenging me to be a real person. And that's a lot harder to do than it sounds. Like, instead of just being negative or positive, to just take the real route of life.  It's going to be hard to do this, because I'm not used to always being real with people. It will start with me telling the truth about how I am feeling when asked, and go to other things that will expand and hopefully make me a better person. I asked God to do big things in my life, and He certainly is. His timing is perfect, it's just sometimes not when I would expect. Oh well..

But God is also showing me lots of powerful messages in life. It's amazing how God works. He laid a friend on my heart, and so I went about my day to make sure she was doing okay. And low and behold I found out lots about her and about how she needed some prayer. Isn't that amazing!? God knew that my friend needed someone to lift her up in prayer, so He brought the two of us together. And God answers prayers on his own time, and He answered this one. Wow!

And so it goes...

'Cause Your so perfect, I'm so broken. Here you come with arms wide open.

We serve an amazing God.

His power is everywhere; His glory is immanent. 

I mean, look at this picture. It is what was taken from a Hubble Spacecraft of the whirlpool galaxy in outerspace. This is what we as humans see when the image is transmitted back.  A CROSS! God is in the making of everything. He put the stars in their place and He knows me BY NAME. God is amazing.

And so it goes...

Indescribable, uncontainable. You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name. You are amazing, God!

"Spread WIDE in the arms of Christ is a love that covers sin"

Aren't those words so powerful? Consider for a moment all of the sin in the world. I mean, if you think that everybody sins MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, and then think about how many people in the world, you would begin to realize that there is a LOT of sin in the world. Now if you were to consider sin a tangible object, and then you lined them up side-by-side, it would stretch further than is fathomable.

And God's love covers ALL OF THAT.

Isn't that absolutely amazing!? God's love blankets over the entirety of our sin. He loves us regardless of what we have done. As long as we believe in Him, and return the love, of course.

It's lyrics like these that make me appreciate music so much. Casting Crowns put something hard to understand to a lyric that makes it a little more personal. I thank God that He loves me so much and can cover my sin.


And so it goes...

"Your love is extravagant; Your friendship is intimate"

Why "faithWalker"?

Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? Walk by Faith? Yeah, I think so.

God has absolutely blessed me in my life, and it is largely because I have chosen to walk by faith and let God take control. Granted, I'm only human, and a teenage human at that, so of course I make mistakes. But God has prevailed through all of my storms. Even when I am down, devastated, and feel like I can't go on, my Savior has pulled me right up out of the miry clay.


So that's why "faithWalker". Because I am simply walking by faith, living each day trusting that God will work in my life in ways unimaginable.  How mighty is our God!

And so it goes...

Well I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see..

New To This

This is just a sample so I can figure out how everything works