To be honest, this is the third time I have sat down today to write this post. I just haven't been able to get past the introduction part. Sure, this morning I got some videos and stuff. But nothing really meaningful. I'm kind of realizing that writing every day can get kind of draining.
It's a fantastic thing to do, but it gets tiring. Sure, I'll still write every day. I'll try to make what I write good quality. But I can't guarantee anything.
I'm only me. And I can only do so much. I can only handle so much.
Today has been a little bit of a whirlwind. Of activity and emotion. Activity being that Hannah's graduation party is tomorrow! So most of today was spent cooking and setting up for that.
Emotion being, I basically got stood up. Which disappointed me. It was something I was looking forward to, and I was let down. I got upset. And then I remembered that, even though I can't control what happened, I can still control how I respond to what happened. I had angry thoughts going through my head at a rapid clip. Then I reminded myself that there was no place in my mind for spiteful thoughts. Jesus wasn't spiteful. He might have been angry, but he was righteously angry. I was not righteously angry. I was just regularly, worldly angry. So I decided that it needed to change. I prayed for a little bit, and I felt much better. I was definitely still upset. I still am kind of upset. But I don't think those things will fade until I've had a chance to talk with the person involved. But God helped me through it so far. He'll help me the rest of the way through it.
I'm listening to music right now. It is amazing. It's seriously some of the best music I've heard in a while. Go here to check out Ian McIntosh. I bookmarked this page a while ago while I was reading a blog. I don't remember which one. But he's good. And so is his music. Such Beauty is an amazing song. I might have to go back and listen to it again. So good.
This has some of his more recent stuff. Along with the older stuff. I haven't listened to any of the recent stuff yet. I just haven't had the time in the half hour that I've been listening! haha (Yeah. I get passionate about things in half an hour!)
It's YouTube time!
This was a song that I learned one Sunday afternoon a while ago so I could play it at Encounter that night. It was a good time learning it. (Bands are great... sometimes.) Tenth Avenue North is an awesome christian rock band. This is a song about never being alone, really. It's fantastic. Listen to it. (Listen to Ian's music too! Listen to all of it! It's all good stuff!)
Barlow Girl's song "Enough" goes perfectly with the Day 19 devotional for 100 Days of Holiness.
Sorry. That was kind of a lot of links for 1 sentence. But hey, they all go together!
Booooooo. I'm hungry. And once again, it's late at night and I don't want to eat anything. Plus I've already brushed my teeth&everything. Way to be lame, stomach. Way to be lame.
*sigh* I'll just eat a lot in the morning... oh. And there's going to be fantastic food at Hannah's party too. Forgot about that. ;)
Methinks it's N'O time!
Romans 12:1-8
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Ahhhh. The classic "living sacrifice" verse. I feel like this verse has been picked apart so much, that I don't really have anything to say about it. Except for the fact that if I think about it a little bit longer, you'll have a freakishly long paragraph.
I guess my main thought about this is that we have to submit everything we do to God. As a sacrifice, we aren't entitled to keep anything back. And letting it all go to God is worship. Mmmmhm.
2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is another almost-over-picked verse. It's very popular among youth groups. Especially since the world has slipped into a pretty ugly pattern.
As Christians, we are called to break free from this pattern. By praying and constantly renewing our minds, we are able to "test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
It's pretty spectacular to think about. We are capable of doing this with God's help. And that's exciting.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
My first thought was "underestimate yourself." Then I thought, "No. That's not what we're supposed to do. Don't think too highly of yourself in the first place. Don't underestimate your abilities. Maybe underestimate how important you are. But not your abilities"
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
It's laughable to think that an eye could do what an ear can. Or that a leg could take the place of an internal organ. (Yeah. I'm going a little extreme. Just for dramatic effect!)
We are all part of a larger body. The body of Christ. We're separate entities, but we all still work together. We don't all have the same function either. That would kind of defeat the purpose of "separate entities" right? Yeah. It would. :P
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Basically: don't stop people from doing what they're good at!!! Let them use their gifts to their full potential! That's all.
I feel like I wrote that quickly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. (I spelled necessarily right the first time. I am a happy camper right now! haha)
Because I finished this post (mostly), I get to finish A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. If you haven't put it on hold yet, GO DO IT! It's a fantastic book. I'm excited to finish it and see what other little gems are hidden and how I can apply them to my life. It's a great book. Go read it! (Yes. I am plugging for a lot of things in this post... sorry!)
Okie-doky! It's getting later and later, so I guess I'll wrap this post up and call it a night. I'll try to take a ton of pictures tomorrow at the partayyy and post some of them. If I don't post them here, I'll at least post a link to them on facebook.
Goodnight all!
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