The universal experience...

  Love. Everyone wants it. Everyone feels it. Its universal. The language that everyone speaks. Well if everyone knows of love then why is it so messed up? Because many people look for love in the superficial hearts and candy of Valentines Day or in romantic films. Are those bad? No, but they aren't a true portrayal of love... what love TRULY is.   
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
   Love never gives up. 
   Love cares more for others than for self. 
   Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. 
   Love doesn't strut, 
   Doesn't have a swelled head, 
   Doesn't force itself on others, 
   Isn't always "me first," 
   Doesn't fly off the handle, 
   Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, 
   Doesn't revel when others grovel, 
   Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 
   Puts up with anything, 
   Trusts God always, 
   Always looks for the best, 
   Never looks back, 
   But keeps going to the end.
   Love never dies.


  1 Corinthians 13 is the best example of true and everlasting love, but it can all be summed up in one phrase. "God is love" (1 John 4:17). What does that mean? It means that God is the perfect portrayal of love. He sent His Son to die, to give up His life for me... for you! He loved you so much that he gave up His own beloved child before you even existed. And with this love comes everything you need, filling every hole in your life, healing every scar on you heart and restoring all that was lost. All you have to do is accept it. There is absolutely NOTHING you can do that would change the way He feels about you. If He had to do it all again, He would... in a heart beat, without even a second thought. Thats how much you mean to Him. Love. The full realm of His love is nearly impossible for our human minds to grab hold of. Its unlike any tangible form of love here on earth. It can't be filled with relationship after relationship, romantic movies or even the annual Valentine's Day. Entering into a personal relationship with Him is the only way to experience it, and once you catch a glimpse of it, it changes your world. Once you grab a hold of it blessings follow... peace, guidance, hope. The blessings are endless.
  So today's realization of beauty, is that Love is more than crushes and candied hearts. Its a universal emotion, started by the One who feels it the most. A love that conquers all things, thats  greater than any problem and that comes with numerous blessings. Love that can only come from our Savior, Jesus Christ. His love knows no ends. Love given for you. A Love that died and rose again so that the meaning of love would go beyond human definition. 

Greater things...

  Did you know that Christians are capable of doing GREATER things than Christ did here on earth? It says so in the Bible. Well, this summer while I was sitting in the sand on Myrtle Beach reading my Bible, I came across this verse. 

  John 14:12- The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even GREATER things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing. You can count on it.

  While I was reading I asked God to reveal something new to me, and this is what He hit me with. It astonished me. I never thought that I, a sinful human, could ever do things that even came close to the things that were done by Jesus. Doesn't that just rock your world? That Jesus, Himself, said that we would do greater things than he did. But these things won't be done through our own power, but through the Holy Spirit within us. "But you shall receive POWER (ability, efficiency and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth." Acts 1:8. These great things that we do will be through God, with His help and strength, and they will bring Him glory. He gives us the power so that we can turn eyes to Him. So this is my revelation of a beautiful life: that we are God's vessels, equipped by Him and ready to do powerful things. You weren't created to do small things. Nothing is small when it comes to the kingdom of God. Accept your destiny.

Lean on Me...

Psalm 31:14-16
But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying "You are my God!" My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me.

  My realization of beauty today comes with this verse. Its simple, short and sweet. Trust. Trust God... with everything. Everyday life is so much bigger than you and me, but God is so much bigger than everyday life. So why try and handle something you were never meant to handle on your own. Give it to God. Give everything to him. Even if you have to recommit it to him over and over again. Repeatedly verbalize that you trust him. Sometimes I realize that I recommit my trust to Him over and over again in the same hour. To convince myself that I am not on my own. So if you're struggling with something... anything, that seems overwhelming, too much to carry, give it to him. Simply hand it over and let him take the reigns. Lean on HIM. He won't let you down. That I'm sure of.

Beyond your wildest dreams...

"God can do anything you know- far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his spirit deeply and gently within us."

Ephesians 3:20

   You know those dreams you have... those dreams that seem insane to the normal eye. Those dreams that you have no clue how they're going to happen. Those dreams that seem impossible. The dream thats unique to you, and only you can really understand how your heart beats for it. Well that dream isn't crazy, no matter what some say. It was a dream planted inside of you for purpose by your Creator for such a time as this. It can be the smallest desire or the greatest out-of-this-world aspiration ever. Whatever it is, its there for a purpose. But the hard part comes with waiting. Wow, how its hard to wait on His perfect time to manifest those dreams. I know, because I'm dealing with this very situation as I type. I have this dream inside of me that seems absolutely impossible at the moment. When I think about it doubts rush into my mind and with those doubts come worry, a place where God isn't. Thats when faith kicks in, because its in those impossible moments that God works His wonder. So when your ultimate heart's desire comes true, there will be no one to thank or acknowledge for it, but God. Because He is the only one that could do it. Its a lot easier to tell someone to have faith than to actually have it. Trust me. But what overwhelming peace comes when you realize that you don't have to take care or manifest that dream of yours on your own. God put it there, and He will be faithful to bring it to pass.

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track (who will show you the path to take)." 

Proverbs 3: 5,6

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps."

Proverbs 16:9

  My realization of beauty in all of this is that each of us has a dream, whether its big or small, crazy or sane, simple or impossible. God placed it there to impact the world in a mighty way. So why would He put it there if He wasn't going to do anything with it? Trust him. His timing is impeccable.

A beautiful exchange...

A beautiful life comes with grasping and accepting an understanding of the beautiful exchange.

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his ONE AND ONLY Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again."
John 3:16, 17

So constant...

"For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken, says the Lord who has mercy on me."
Isaiah 54:10


  This is one of my all time favorite verses. It speaks directly to my heart. I, personally, am so hard on myself. Even for the smallest things, and immediately, once I start condemning myself, I think about how disappointed God must be in me. In my mind, I tend to picture His love diminishing with each mistake I make, which is not the case. If it was the case, His love for me would be gone, because I'm human... constantly making mistakes. Its how we grow. We live and learn with each mistake we make. But His love for us isn't based on our performance. If it was we all would fail. Rather, its based on the fact that we are His children. He made us. How can a creator not unconditionally love His creation. I have to remind myself constantly that He isn't looking at me, waiting for me to do something terribly wrong, but looking at me with the eyes of a loving Father. One who is ready to heal. One ready to pick up the pieces of a shattered heart and put them back together in a better order than before. But how many of us diminish ourselves after a mistake, because we think God diminishes us for it? We're human, and no one knows that better than Jesus. He sits beside God interceding on our behalf. He knows what its like to live in this world, to be human.
  Romans 8:34, 35 "Who would dare even point a finger? The One who died for us, who raised to life for us- is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way!"
  My next revelation of a beautiful life dwells in the recognition that we aren't perfect. We never will be, but the One who lives in us is. He looks at us with His eyes of compassion, turns to our Father and says, "I've been there. I know what its like. Lets give them another chance," to which our loving Father completely agrees. Something empowering develops when you grasp the fact that God's love for you is unwavering. The fact the He loves you as much as He loves His own son, Jesus. So embrace His love. Live in it, because its not going anywhere. Its the same... yesterday, today and forever.

You were worth it...

A couple months ago I was asked to share something in youth group. Something I felt like God was showing me at the time. This is what he told me... write them a love letter from me. So here it is. A letter from the heart of God directly to you...


My child,
How great is my love for you. I long to prove it to you daily. With the motions of your hands, the words from your mouth and even with the breath from your lungs I will reveal to you the extent of my love. It knows no boundaries, no limits. But it knows you. It knows the features of your face, the skill of your hands and the desires of your heart. As I hung on the cross in pain and agony, all I could think about was my love for you. With every swing of a whip, hit of a rod or mock from a mouth, your face was plastered on my mind. Never did I doubt that it was the wrong thing, because when I saw your face, my love for you was stronger than any pain or torture they could put me through. The thought of you gave me the strength to carry on, to fulfill the promise, so that I could spend eternity with my beloved. You were worth it, every nail, every bruise, every inkling of pain, every drop of blood... You were worth it.

You're beautiful...

Last night in youth, we sang one of my favorite songs written by the oh so talented Josh Fewell, Masterpiece. The words in this song are so powerful and true. More and more, I'm learning that we are beautiful...each one of us. I don't think we are told enough how beautiful we are. The world has twisted beauty into the fabrics of a skinny, flawless complexion, and as Christians we tend to focus on the importance of inner beauty and forget our exterior beauty. But the Bible says that you are beautiful...physically.
In Ephesians 2:10 it says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Webster defines masterpiece as "anything done or made with extraordinary skill; an artistic achievement." You are God's artistic achievement made with extraordinary skill. How mind blowing is that. If each of us could wrap our mind around the fact that God made us beautiful in our own way, confidence would rise up in us. That thought of "I'm not good enough, or pretty enough" which keeps us from doing so many things that could change the world would be gone. Satan wouldn't be able to hold us back with that lie he whispers in our ear, because we know its not true. Just look at any artwork by da Vinci, Monet, Van Gogh or any great artist. Do you ever hear their works called ugly or not good enough? No, their pieces are priceless and flawless, because they were great at what they did. Its the same way with God, but even better...He's the greatest artist of all time who can't make a mistake. So you, his greatest masterpiece, should never look down on yourself or question your self worth, because the greatest artist of all time didn't make a mistake when he painted you into existence. He knew exactly what he was doing when He shaped the fabric of your body and the features of your face. God fashioned you after Himself. He made you in His image. (Genesis 1:27)
So my next realization of beauty comes with the knowledge that we are physically beautiful. God made us that way. Don't let the world's ideology of physical perfection sway the way you perceive your self worth. Don't let Satan whisper those lies in your ear. God made you the way you are specifically for the amazing plans He has for you. The plans that would blow your mind if He showed them to you all at once. So when those thoughts come into your head that tend to make you question your self worth and beauty, get rid of it by quoting Ephesians 2:10. When you say it out loud, it commits it to your memory and makes it harder for Satan to persuade you with his lies. Say, "I am God's masterpiece. His artistic achievement. He made me beautiful inwardly AND outwardly for a purpose. I am not a mistake. I am made in God's image, beautifully."


Masterpiece by Josh Fewell

You knew my name before you
Spoke light into the darkness
You knew my name before you
Formed the earth in your hands
You knew my name before you
Scattered the stars in the sky
You knew my name before you
Gave your life to this world

And I am a masterpiece in your eyes
And I am a masterpiece in your eyes
Because of you I can lift my hands
To say thank you, thank you.
Because of you I can lift my voice 
To say I love you, I love you.

You knew my name before
A rainbow showed your promise
You knew my name before
A shepherd faced a giant
You knew my name before
A man had walked on water
You knew my name before
You sent your son to save me.

Let everything that has breath...

There's something about praise that just sweeps you away. Praise has a way of taking your problems and making them fade into nonexistence. It's because when you get your eyes off yourself and place them on the One who created the world, there's no problem too big, too strenuous to overcome. Once you realize that you can conquer anything through Christ. Your problems will become so minute compared to God. In the very last verse in Psalm it says, "Let everything that breathes praise the Lord."  The entire book of Psalm is dedicated to praising God. Its one declaration of admiration after another. Depending on the translation, praise is mentioned around a 150 times in the book of Psalm. David knew that something about praise was powerful. 
When thinking of worship, one usually thinks about singing songs and lifting hands to God. Yeah, this is worship, but its only a small portion of it. Worship is a lifestyle. Its a way of living. We, as Christians, are to live our life as a testament of God's love. That, in itself, is true worship and the greatest compliment we could ever give God, because humans were made to worship. So my second realization of beauty comes through praise and worship, when we realize what we were created to do, give God glory. There is nothing more beautiful to the Father than a child who is doing exactly what they were created to do.

This is one of my favorite songs. Its perfect for getting your eyes off your circumstance and onto the One who always works on your behalf and never leaves you alone.

The simple things...

We, as humans, tend to live life in fast foward...always for tomorrow. I, myself, am guilty of it. I am constantly thinking what's happening tomorrow, later in the week, or even later in the month. We are constantly on the go. We are pro's when it comes to speeding through life, then looking back and wondering where the time went. God has showed me recently, through my random Sony Cyber-shot pictures, that the simple things in life are truly the beautiful ones. When realized they hold the power to change your entire perspective on a situation. This simple yet specific flower shows the unique and well thought planning that God put into it...a flower. If this is the kind of time and beauty he put into a plain buttercup, just imagine the immense detail and time he spent on us. Each one of us. There is not a single person out there that is identical. What great thought he put into each one of us, creating our desires, talents, personalities, and heart. The thought simply blows my mind. So my first realization of beauty is found in the simple things. Look around, take a breath and breathe in the moment. God is waiting and desiring to show you the most earth shaking truths through the simple things we see everyday.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7