All I Have to Give

Create in me a clean heart, a clean heart
For I have turned my face from You
Teach us of Your ways oh God, oh God
For we have turned away from You
Lord have mercy

We will run to you, we will run to you
Turning from our sin we return to You
Father heal your world, make all things new
Make all things new

Your love and mercy build and shape us
Break us and recreate us now
Lord have mercy

Oh, bring us back to you

-- Gungor

There's a love, forgetting my failures.
There's a hope, that's setting me free.
There's a light, defeating my darkness.

And there's redemption calling,
And causing all to sing

[Chorus]
Father will You come and open up our eyes.
Fill us with Your love, renew us with Your life.
Consume us with Your Majesty, consume of with your majesty
Yeah...


There's a peace, that's calming my waters.
There's a joy, that's setting me free.
He's the light defeating my darkness.

And there's redemption calling,
And causing all to sing

--Unhindered

All I have to offer God are my filthy rags and my broken heart and He offers me complete forgiveness. He offers me Jesus. Seriously like that is what we have to offer God -- our Good deeds don't impress Him, those are just sacrifices. I am finally coming to the realization that He can do something with a broken heart, a sinful person. He offers grace, love, forgiveness. He offers His Son once and for all. This is the only way I could ever know how to love Him back. He does it all. I'm just learning this in some painful ways. God is so good though...He really is. He's so good. Hmmm

It's the little things

I read my bible today...and I enjoyed it!

It is amazing to think that I get to touch, see, and take in the Holy word of God.

I also had a chai latte,

talked with a good friend/mentor from NWC,

sent out a package,

went to H&M with one of my roomies and got $10 jeans,

did homework,

had a yummy sandwich from the cafe express, and

had some kashi cereal, with blueberries and almond milk (I'm allergic to dairy :-( )

I would say the first one is the best (reading my bible)...but I mean chai lattes..they're pretty good too. Just Kidding, Jesus is a lot better than chai lattes.

Chai lattes are pretty good though...but they gave it to me in a cup that is for warm drinks...it is just not the same people, so I stuck my straw through the opening - you can't drink an iced chai without a straw.

Truth

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

-Philippians 4:8

This semester I am taking three bible classes, and that makes me happy. The LORD is giving me a hunger for His word and it makes me very excited. PRAISE HIM. I am taking a class called Christian Thought, where we are learning about using our minds, and how beneficial and vital this is to our walk as believers. We are reading a book called Love the Lord Your God With All Your Mind. In this book Moreland talks about training our minds and how our generation does not value this: otherwise known as Anti-Intellectualism. This class is really humbling for me, because for most of my life I have done the work in school to get the grade rather than to learn. And reminding me that in order for me to fight the lies I must train my mind because I am transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans). I know because I am such an emotional person I need to have truth rooted in me, so that even when my emotions change my anchor is set. I am very blessed to go to Northwestern where I can discover what truth is. Sometimes it is hard, because it is school work and that for me becomes a chore. But, when I am living in the present moment and seeing how awesome it is to be studying the bible, asking the hard questions, and being challenged in my beliefs by my professors I see this school work as a great joy.

It seems that each of my semesters has had a theme to it based on the classes I have or am taking. I would call last semester "A cultural awakening of passion," because all of my classes were helping me find out what I was passionate about in education and I saw my heart for children of culture. So far this semester I see a theme of "Filling my mind with what is true." I am so sensitive to what I see and hear. In my past I watched so much television and I was subjected to media more than I ever would have wanted to in hindsight. Now I believe this is a season of renewing my mind and filling my thoughts and eyes with things that are good, pure and lovely.

I'm interested to see what Papa has for me, and I deeply desire to obey Him for He is good and very gracious. This is what I see so far in one little nugget of my life. My fellow bloggers...there is just too much to write about. I hope this post has made you think and encouraged you -- fix your thoughts on what is true, that is what I'm going to try to do!

-Jamie

Divine Interventions

The Lord has been very thoughtful and loving towards me. He has set many people in my path to be an ear to listen, a voice to pray, a hand to hold or simply arms to embrace me.

He has brought these divine interventions through conversations, not having to eat dinner alone when I thought I would, a glass of water, just the right amount of money to send out packages, a note from a friend and friends that are going through similar troubles and can relate to me and pray with me.

He Is Faithful

"My hope is in you God, I am steadfast, I will not be moved, my anchor is never shaken, all my hope is in you...

I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,

for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to my enemies but [you] have set me in a safe place.

- Psalm 31:7-8

I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.

-Psalm 30:1-2

He's bringing hope to the hopeless, giving his heart to the broken, sharing his home with the orphan, he is the joy, he is my joy, he is the hope of the nations, the fathers heart we're embracing, he is the song we're declaring, he is the joy, he is my joy."

- Hope's Anthem by Bethel Live

...I'm not saying this is easy, I'm just saying that this is how I'm seeing God work - what I'm going through is actually really difficult - God is SO good in it. I want to have a thankful heart and become like the God I worship.

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from The LORD

Jesus, you are my Rock, you are my strength, my refuge, my life, my love. You will always come through. You are faithful and you take care of the needy and comfort me when I need it the most. You know that I am dust; that I am fragile and limited. You know how you wired me father. Just like a Pansy flower - I look fragile, but I am the last one standing...Only because of you. Without you life would be hopeless my father. But because of you I have hope and salvation - FREEDOM. Here I am seeing how much I need you. I am seeing how you answer prayers of me acknowledging my total dependence on you papa. Thank you father for ALL of the amazing blessings in my life. Only you could know exactly what I need, even when I think I know what is best. I pray that all of this truth would sink in deep. I pray for peace to fill my heart as I enter into this new season. I pray for joy to produce from trials, and that I would see each trial as a chance for more joy and growth. Lord, Open my eyes to how you are working in my life everyday - I yearn to be dependent on you abba.

My foes are many, they rise against me
But I will hold my ground
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
From You Lord, from You Lord

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always, always

One Thing Remains

"Nothing stays the same, but change."

...Didn't I say that at the beginning of the summer? Well, that is because it is true. Here I am with one week left of summer. In one week I will be, beginning my junior year of college. I will be living in an apartment with three other girls and hopefully having a job (very much needed). It's just crazy that the summer went by SO fast. It was nothing like I thought it would look like, but it was so good.

Here are some verses and a song that have spoken to me this summer:

Isaiah 41:14b-16:

I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’
¹⁵ You will be a new threshing instrument
with many sharp teeth.
You will tear your enemies apart,
making chaff of mountains.
¹⁶ You will toss them into the air,
and the wind will blow them all away;
a whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the Lord.
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 45:2:

² This is what the Lord says:

“I will go before you, Cyrus,
and level the mountains.^[a]
I will smash down gates of bronze
and cut through bars of iron.
³ And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—
secret riches.
I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.

Psalms 138:8

⁸ The Lord will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.
Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains

Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/jesus_culture/one_thing_remains.html ]
On and one and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never ever have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death and in life I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love
My debt is paid there's nothing that can separate my heart from your great love

-One thing Remains by Jesus Culture

"A Noble Warrior Does Not Run From Fear"

The child of God Papa has created me to be does not live in fear. The daughter, so loved by Papa, lives with an adventurous and trusting heart. No matter how small or fragile I may feel I am strong because of Jesus: Not out of my own strength, but out of depending on Him. When I look at this picture of Reepicheep from Narnia this is what is stirred in my heart. He is expectant. Nothing holds him back. He sees life as an adventure, and even when troubles arise he sees the good. He is also there for those that others may be annoyed by.

The word noble fits him so well. He lives with honor because he keeps his heart set on the one who made him and takes great joy in him. Reepicheep knows he is safe, even when his circumstances would like to tell him otherwise. As I was beginning this post, I was listening to the song "Always" by Kristian Stanfill. At the same time I was looking at this picture and felt as if these were the words that may be going through Reepicheep's head:

"I will not fear His promise is true, my God will come through always."

I pray that I would become more and more like this.