Questions

Why?

Why is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately...and I never seem to have the answer, but I think that's a good thing actually.

I've been told my whole life that "Why" is such a bad question (and even questions in general), but WHY is "why" such a bad question??

I've been reading "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell and I am in LOVE with the first chapter, because of what he says about questions: "A Christian doesn't avoid the questions; a Christian embraces them. In fact, to truly pursue the living God, we have to see the need for questions. Questions are not scary. What is scary is when people don't have any."

Then he talks about this night he hosted at his church when people could anonymously ask any questions they want...and some where VERY deep and hard.
He goes onto say, "It wasn't the information that helped them--it was simply being in an environment in which they were free to voice what was inside. And this is why questions are so central to faith."

Asking questions means that we know we don't have all the answers. If we did then we wouldn't need God...and OF COURSE we all need God.
God wants us to ask questions! We need the questions to keep the pursuit of Him and to keep us longing for more of our mysterious, but very present God.

And sometimes, we don't even need the answer. Like, we just need to get SOMETHING out there in the open and be vulnerable.
I have found that some of my most vulnerable and intimate moments with God are when I am asking Him questions, even some out of anger. Asking things like "Why are you doing this God? Can you show me a sign? Where are you?"
Of course we need to trust God (which can be HARD, I know), but sometimes it's hard to trust without questions...does that make sense?
Like, we can ask God a question and He will reveal the answer...which BUILDS trust.

So, NEVER hold back from asking a question...from trying to understand God a little better or from pursuing Him.

Peace
Liz

"Questions produce learning." -Freddy Williams
(You got another quote, Freds!)

"Now show me your Glory."

I was reading Exodus 33 and Moses was talking to God about God's decision to have Moses lead his people out of Egypt. I won't go into the whole scripture (Although I encourage you to read it sometime!) But there is a part where Moses is asking God what will make him and his people different from everyone else and God says, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." And then Moses says something that I find to be personally just amazing: "Now show me your glory." WOW. Can you even imagine what our lives could be like if we prayed that to God? Because after Moses says this God says to him, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." And then God SHOW MOSES HIS GLORY.
Try and put yourself in Moses shoes at this very moment...
I have seen and experienced some pretty crazy things in my life, but I really don't think anything could compare to this. Not only is Moses literally talking to God, God reveals Himself to Him. The God who's glory is more that we can comprehend and more than we can handle!

What would happen if we told God, "Now show me your glory." ?
We have the opportunity to experience God. He's always there. He WANTS to reveal Himself to us! But we just aren't asking...we aren't pursuing.

"God wants to do some crazy things! He's just looking for people to do crazy things with him." -Freddy Williams

Peace
Liz

Phil Wickham

Josh told me about him the other day. I really really enjoy him.
You can download his album for free off his website: www.philwickham.com


I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who you are
You’re beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful

I see Your face, I see Your face, I see Your face
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

My Friends Are Incredible.

Ryan:

"​Stop.​ You have lost NOTHI​NG.​
Intma​cy with God is somet​hing that you didnt​ lose,​ God is still​ right​ there​.​ Dont lose sight​ of him
You may have hurt yours​elf today​,​ and you may feel like you are sabot​aging​ yours​elf, but thats​ where​ Satan​ wants​ you.
But dont think​ for one secon​d that God does not see your despe​ratio​n,​ and that it hurts​ him to see you hurt. He is reach​ing.​ reach​ for him and grab his hand. Just becau​se you may have faile​d this time & faile​d today​,​ doesn​t mean that your intam​cy wasnt​ STRON​G.​ God is just teach​ing you somet​hing new to help stren​gthen​ you for tomor​row.​ But dont miss this momen​t of despe​ratio​n,​ of failu​re,​ of upset​, becau​se its when we rejoi​ce in the pain of Chris​t that we are renew​ed
2 Corin​thian​s 12:​9-​10"​

Serio​usly.​ The best frien​ds in the ENTIR​E world​.​

But I also have the best GOD ever. I really really really do...words cannot describe.

Today​ may have been horri​ble.​ A littl​e bit of my spiri​t may have been crush​ed,​ but that just allow​s my spiri​t to be renew​ed even more so than it was alive​ befor​e.​ It allow​s God to move in me in ways I never​ imagi​ned.​ It allow​s my intim​acy to grow and to fluri​sh and to matur​e like never​ befor​e.​

"​Don'​t run from suffe​ring.​ Embra​ce it." -​Luke 9:23

"​Consi​der it a sheer​ gift,​ frien​ds,​ when tests​ and chall​enges​ come at you from all sides​.​ You know that under​ press​ure,​ your faith​-​life is force​d into the open and shows​ its true color​s.​ So don'​t try to get out of anyth​ing prema​turel​y.​ Let it do its work so you becom​e matur​e and well-​devel​oped,​ not defic​ient in any way." -​James​ 1:​2-​3

I need you Jesus​
To come to my rescu​e.​
Where​ else can I go?

Captu​re me with grace​.​

I will follo​w you.

Peace
Liz

Moments

Driving home tonight, I was listening to "None But Jesus" byt Hillsong. It was absolutely GORGEOUS outside so I had the windows down, just feeling the breeze run through my hair and across my skin, belting those lyrics as loud as I can and just living in THAT moment. Nothing else was going on. It was just me and God and that song and that MOMENT.
Right now I am really focussed on simply just right now to live every moment, in the moment. Sometimes the craziness of life can get to us. We worry about the test next week, or our future or the girl/boy we like or...whatever. We often forget about God and that He is there because we are so beyond just THAT moment. The moment that God has given us. We can take that moment and do what we want with it...but I wanna do what God wants me to do with it. Every moment in our life is for a reason...I wanna live like I have a reason, a purpose, an INFLUENCE...I just wanna LIVE!

I needed tonight to remind me of the moments God is always giving me. To remind me also, that God is who He says He is. He's all that I need.

"All my delight is in you, Lord. All of my hope. All of my strength."

Live and be aware. God can so some crazy things!

Peace
Liz

I Miss...

I just miss childhood.
Just having that anticipation of a child.
The innocence.
No drama.
Feeling like you can do anything.
Waking up super early because you miss the sun.
Thinking that kisses on boo boos actually make them feel better.
Just loving others no matter what.
Nor caring what you look like or what others think of you.
Accepting everyone and being accepted.

Truly just having the perfect picture of what love is, without even realizing it...just living it!

Childhood is beautiful. I miss it...but I'm re-learning it.

Peace
Liz

99 Balloons

They showed this to us one Wednesday night, and tonight I have been reminded of it for some reason.
I thought I would share...It's just amazing.




WOW. How big is God to you? Is He enough?

Peace
Liz

p.s. I probably won't post much for a while. If I do, it'll just be whatever is encouraging me lately. Just kinda got a thing I'm working through right now...it's making it somewhat hard for me to try and encourage others or write blogs and stuff. I don't know if that made sense...maybe it's not supposed to make sense. But, I just wanted to let you know so you don't like, freak out...not that any of you would, but whatever!

Become Aware

Today I was watching What Woman Want (don't ask me why! It was just on!) Anyway, Mel Gibson's character, Nick has an accident and the result is that he can hear what woman are thinking. There is this one woman in the office where he works, named Erin. She is always thinking to herself things like, "I bet if I just jumped out the window, no one would notice. No one cares about me..." When Nick hears these things, he has a choice: He can ignore them, or he can help her.
In the end of the movie, he ends up saving her life and making her feel like she is of worth.

As I was watching this, I couldn't help but think to myself "how many people like do I come into contact with everyday that are like Erin?"

We need to become more AWARE. I know I keep saying this, but I wouldn't always talk about it if it wasn't IMPORTANT!
I know that Mel Gibson had an advantage...being able to hear womens thoughts and all, but seriously, there are more people crying out for help than you realize and most of the time it is pretty obvious...we just aren't taking the time to listen and to be aware.

What about the person in your math class who is always telling the girl next to her her personal problems? I'm sure she wants others to heat her so she can get help! Or at least we can take a few minutes of our time to pray for her...or go out of our way to turn around and give her some encouraging words or advice. Just so she knows that there is still LOVE in the world and that people still care.

Just start each day with a small prayer to help God make you aware. You will surprise yourself with how easily the love with come. All the Erin's out there need us....the world needs us.

Peace
Liz

All We Want

We hunger and thirst for you
In a dry and weary land.
Cause all we want is you, is you.

ALL WE WANT IS YOU, LORD.

The Heart of Why

As I see all of the hurting people around me and that I come into contact with, I can't help but wonder why? We can't just simply blame our hurts on depression or past...there is something deep inside of our core that is causing our pain.

I've had quite a few people who have confided in me and talked to me about their pain. There is one girl who I remember talked to me and she hadn't cut for about 9 months and then there's a message from her that says "I just threw 9 months away...I did it again. I am so broken."
And I just asked her "Why?"
She didn't know how to answer.

We can say, "I just had a bad day" or "I suffer from depression" or "I got into a fight with my parents"...whatever. But really...why?
When we get to the heart of why...we really can't blame anyone. It's just a loss of hope, or more-so, finding hope from the wrong place.

When Jesus is the thing that connects our head and our heart together, then the hope and the healing should just come with it.

So, ask yourself why?

&
Find hope.
Find help.
Find healing.

Wake up...you're ALIVE.

Peace
Liz

Btw, that girl did NOT waste 9 months. Those months of sobriety are worth sooo much and she should really be proud of herself. But don't think of it as months. Don't think "I have to be clean for the rest of my life!!!" Just take it one day at a time. Focus on living your life that day. It'll get easier.
You are certainly loved.