#EndBullying

It is uncertain, but it is estimated that 25% of all suicide cases were caused by some form of bullying. Bullying can range from blatant name calling and physical abuse to simple just leaving someone out. The phrase "sticks and stones my break my bones but words can never hurt me" is one of the most untrue statements I've ever heard. True, they don't cause physical damage. But the mental and emotional scars they create can be deadly in the long run. To a kid who has no friends and feels isolated by his family, picking him last for a game of soccer in gym class can ruin him. The feeling of not being wanted can turn into long-lasting problems for other relationships. 


Bullying isn't just done to or by kids either. It's easy to bully coworkers. Talking behind their backs and cutting them down can wear down their striving to succeed. When we make cutting remarks, even in a joking tone and light-hearted manner, it still resonates with some truth with the victim. It is easy to hate people. But the sad fact is, is that, those people we hate probably also hate themselves. It is difficult to have a healthy high view of your self when the people around you cut you down every time you pick yourself up.


Bullying isn't done just by kids to kids or by adults to adults. So many times a day I hear students tear down teachers and deny their authority. This level of disrespect is bullying. If an adult is given authority, then they obviously deserve it even though the people below them might not agree. However, this gives adults no reason to talk down to kids. Abusive parents, ignorant teachers, and other adults have great influence in the lives of children and don't realize it most of the time. The things they do and say stick with them forever. They help shape how those kids view life and how they want to shape theirs.


Yes, I have been a victim of bullying. Had I not had the support of my family and faith in Christ, my life probably would have been different. Or nonexistent by now. My religion was made fun of, my looks were criticized, my family was insulted, and no one reached out. I'm not writing this to tell my story. It's irrelevant to the greater picture. 


My point is this: bullying needs to stop. I'm tired of seeing my students bullied, my brother torn down, and my parents' authority undermined. I'm tired of the media shoving images and expectations into our heads that are ridiculous and just plain unnecessary. I'm tired of hearing stories and seeing videos posted about kids who want to take their lives because they are tired of dealing with it. How absolutely wonderful would the world be if everyone stopped making fun, abusing, and insulting one another? What would happen if people stood up for others? What would happen if instead of insulting each other, people actually started encouraging? How great would that be? How unattainable is that? It's not impossible at all. I'm not saying that I'm perfect and don't bully. I know I do. I'm human. But that doesn't mean I can't make it my goal to make a change for the better. So, that's what I'm going to do and I challenge whoever reads this to do the same.


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
-Ephesians 5:22-23


But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
-2 Peter 1:5-7

Confessions of a Broken-Hearted College Girl

I haven't written in a few months mainly because I haven't really had much to say besides complaining about random stuff. It's hard to be positive, you know? All this terrible stuff happens around us and it is extremely difficult to remain positive. With all the things going wrong in our world it is mighty hard to see where God is going with all this.
About a week ago we had a Night Of Worship at my church. It was spectacular. There was a point in the service where we were instructed to go to one of the flags hanging from the ceiling and pray for that country. I chose Guatemala because, as you know, I have a strong burden for Latin America. It just broke my heart as I thought of all those children with no homes, those people with no homes, those broken marriages, those abusive marriages, and all the disease and hunger that goes with it all. It made me think of the line "break my heart for what breaks Yours," from the song Hosanna by Hillsong. And it struck me, for what I think was the first time, that God chose for these people to live like this. He formed them for this purpose. I think I knew this all along, but never fully realized what this meant. Either that or I refused to admit that my God would do such a thing.
But God chose for those children to live alone and suffer through life. He chose for those people to die of disease and malnutrition. He chose for those countries to go through brutal and horrible wars. It breaks my heart and makes me sick.
Time after time I'm confronted with the question of,
"If your God is so powerful, why can't He fix the world?"
or,
"If your God is so loving, why did He make all this crap?"
And my answer is always the same. God has a plan and though it's hard to see it, it's there and He will win in the end. And on that Night of Worship last Saturday, I found myself wrestling with this question.
Why on earth would a loving God treat His creation this way?
I want to help these people so badly, why doesn't God?
And that breaks my heart just as much as the circumstances of the world do. I'm still not satisfied with the answer that God is in control. I still don't have a solid rebuttal for when I'm asked those questions. I still haven't ironed out the kinks in that part of my theology,
 but I know this:
My God loves me.
My God loves you.
My God loves everyone individually and communally at the same time.
He loves me most.
He loves you most.
God is capable of such love.
And the best part? This love will never change. It will never fail. It will never leave you and nothing you do can separate you from it. This is why I believe that God has a plan for all the nastiness in our world. He loves it so much that He has created such an intricate plan so that there's no way we can see the outcome. This way, there's no way we could even attempt to change it. God wins in the end, no doubt about that. But the journey to get there is rocky and dangerous. It's through that time where we need to look to God most and follow Him. It's during the tough times that we need to take a look at the world and look for His sovereignty. The situation that we are in breaks my heart. I don't have all the answers. I don't claim to have all the answers. But God loves us. He will change this world in ways you can't even imagine.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting.

Do you ever feel like you're just constantly waiting for something to happen or something to be over? Well, It crossed my mind the other day that that is all that I do. I'm busy, that's a fact. I work, teach, I'm a youth leader, worship leader, I write songs, and in a couple months I'll be in school again. But more often than not I catch myself thinking, "ok, get through this week. Then things will be easier. ok, graduate and things will get easier. ok, find a boyfriend and things will get easier." I'm just constantly waiting for the "now" to be over so I can get to the future. I'm impatient. I want to control my life, but it seems as though that's impossible unless I also control the space-time continuum.

I don't want to do that anymore. I want to see each day as a gift. I want everything I do to count for NOW instead of thinking what it will effect for the future. I want to make an impact, and I can't do that unless I stop waiting for things. I've gotta man-up and do what I've gotta do. It's life. It happens. I need to stop being lazy.

That's all I've to say; just something that was on my mind.

Vacation Bible School for Adults

Is there anything in the title "Vacation Bible School" that says anything about it only being for little kids? Absolutely not. This past week we did VBS at church and I lead the song time. Not only did I get to reach kids through what I know best, but as I was on stage I got to see them all worshiping; that is the part that I loved most. Yes, singing is cool, playing guitar is fun and all that good stuff, but actually seeing all 46 kids dancing and worshiping their Savior was breathtaking.
VBS is not only for kids. The youth group kids were the crew leaders. They took small groups of kids to each station and talked to them and got to know them. VBS is for teens. They got to see that these kids have the faith of a child (duh) and how easy it can be for them to have that too. It was so cool to see how the connected and were able to teach them about Christ and how to be able to get to heaven. It was awesome.
VBS is not only for kids and teens. I know that my patience was tested with some of the little rascals. I am not good with kids, nor have I ever been. This is intensified when I have not slept for a few days. I'm not a happy camper for a good chunk of the time. But God used me, and gave me strength to handle problems without biting anyone's head off. I feel that as the kids grew in knowledge and the teens grew in faith, I also grew in patience and understanding.
VBS is for anyone. If your church does VBS, get involved. If they don't, see about maybe starting one up. It's one of the most rewarding experiences because you are instrumental in the salvation of so many children.
That is all I have to say.

Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast...

Sometimes I wish I could cut down on all the stuff I do. I love being a youth leader and teacher. It combines my passion for teaching with helping people. I love leading worship. Music is my medium and God is my life, so I love putting them together. I love my new job. I get to meet new and exciting people and share their life stories. I love every role I have in life. I'm just... overwhelmed.

I have been on summer break for about a month. And when I drove out of the parking lot on the last day of school all that went through my head was "*sigh* now life can slow down and I'll be able to breathe." No such luck. I haven't written a song in over a month. I haven't played my guitar just for fun until yesterday. I haven't caught up with old friends like I thought I would be able to do. And as much as it kills me to say it, I haven't grown closer to God. I've actually grown farther away from Him. And even though time isn't the main component to that, it certainly plays a role. 

I think humans have this need to be constantly moving. Like, if we don't move enough or fast enough we might miss out on something. Like, life is too short to slow down and enjoy anything. I agree wholeheartedly that life is indeed short. But sometimes it's for that very reason that we should slow down and watch life. I don't remember the last time I just looked at the stars. Ok, that's kind of impossible in the city. How about this: I don't remember the last time I watched the sun set. That is possible in the city. It doesn't require any sort of energy besides marveling at God's creation. I want to do that. I want to be able to just stop. Stop and see God at work in jut how He paints the sky for me.

So, that's my random thought. I haven't written for a while and I just really wanted to share my thoughts on this. Try to slow down, or even stop sometime in the next few days, look at God, and be like, "God, You are amazing. Thanks for being You." And then go about your busy day. It takes the edge of more than you'd think.

Fighting and Losing

Have you ever thought about when you fight for something, you are losing something in the midst of it? You can fight for something you think you want with your whole heart but lose so much along the way. So no matter what, even if you "win" the fight, you "lose." If you fight for a country, you lose your freedom to do what you want when you want. You might lose your family for a while. You might lose your life. If you fight for a friend you could lose many others along the way. If you fight for love you are losing yourself and seeking another person. In no way am I saying we shouldn't strive and fight to fulfill the desires in our hearts. They can be good sometimes. But it's also good to stop and think, what am I doing? Is fighting worth what I'm fighting for? Will I regret this? What could the outcome possibly be? You can fight for the life God wants you to have, but you lose your old self, which is good. But it can seem like such a burden at the time. Just something to think about that I've been rolling around in my head for a while.

My Worship.

Well, now that I'm done with the God, You Are challenge I made for myself, what on earth could I blog about? Is there anything worth so much to me that I'd want to share my thoughts with the world? OH YEAH! Worship! So, here's the story of me and my worship experience.

I started play guitar when I was 15. Three months later, I was singing and playing on my own. A few more months after that, I was leading worship for the youth group at the church we were currently attending. Needless to say, I learned fast, I was good, and I knew it.
Now, this is where it all goes downhill. Between learning guitar and getting that ego boost, getting a job and having my own money, and getting a MySpace to tell the world how cool I was... I started to really fall away from God. I was depending on myself and creating bad habits that I never would have thought I'd do. I had stopped caring for my family, I had made new (no so great) friends, I stopped skating, school became less important... it goes on and on.
I loved life. I thought that I had been a naive little child before, and now I was growing up. I could handle life on my own. Too bad that's not true. God decided to put me in my place.
A couple months after I started doing worship for the youth group, my family decided to leave the church. There were some bad things going on and it made a lot of sense. BUT... I was not ok with this. This meant leaving friends, facing change, and worse yet: leaving my place in the spot light as a worship leader.
We church hopped, stayed at a few for a little, I occasionally lead the awkward worship service in the youth groups. No one knew who I was. It was just like, ok, we have our own worship leader. What's this little girl doing up there leading me? It was awkward.
Then the unthinkable happened. We ended back up at our old church, to give it another try since we couldn't fit anywhere else. They asked me to lead for the youth group again since they didn't have anyone, and I was on cloud 9. It was like I was back in MY place. On stage. Cuing the drummer. Smiling at everyone. It was great. I loved the rush, I loved the attention, and I loved the applause. Life was good again.
Well, obviously, that didn't work out so hot. We left, and I was back to square one. To make a long story short we ended up, after hopping around a bit more, at the church we're at currently. I love this church. I love the people. I love the youth group I help in and lead for. I love everything about it. And the fact that I get to lead others in worshipping God is amazing. But when we first started going, I hated it. People weren't talking to us, we weren't connecting, I wasn't leading worship... I just was not happy. I started leading every once in a while, and then every week. And it's sad because my heart wasn't in the right place. I loved the people and the music much much more than I loved worshipping God.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the kids. And I'm the BIGGEST music nerd ever. But those are nothing if I don't have a strong love for God. When I lead in worship, I am to worship God in my heart. And I realized that I didn't truly love God. I loved worship. There's a difference.
Pride is a hard issue to overcome. It's hard to have someone tell you that you're great, and not have it go to your head. It also only takes one person telling you that you suck before you want to leave it all behind.
There's a balance that is extremely hard to find, and I'm still working on it. I'll continue to work on it until I die. And that balance is being able to lead others and direct them, but still deal with your own issues and personal stuff. I feel hypocritical a lot when I lead. I feel like I shouldn't be bringing others into God's presence if I messed up the week before. This can't be true, because then I wouldn't ever be able to lead. No one can not sin for an entire week. We are human. It's something to think about and wrestle with.
So the past four-ish years have been difficult for both me and the people around me. For me, because they were hurtful. I didn't understand why God would do this because I had been 'serving' Him faithfully as a worship leader. For the people around me, because they had to deal with nasty egotistical Ashley. I have no doubt in my mind that God wants me to be a worship leader. That I am sure of. However, I am growing and I am learning how to not take His plan for granted and use it for my own gain. Everything I do is for His glory. Everything I want should be for God. Worship is love. But we have to make sure we love what we're worshipping. Do you love God, or do you just love worship?

God, You are... Zealous.

 Zealous: "ardently active, devoted,or diligent."


God is active in the world and always has been. He is devoted to His creation including us. He is diligent in making everything work for His glory. The Bible tells us to be like Christ, which means e like God. Because they are the same. Using this word, I am supposed to have zeal in everything that I do. Apathy is not the answer.

God, You are... Yearning.

Yearning: deep longing, especially when accompanied by tenderness or sadness.


God yearns for our hearts and longs to have them completely for Himself. He longs with a sadness because His children forsake Him. But at the same time, He will not relent until He has us. There's a great song that's been stuck in my head for the past few days. It's called You Won't Relent. The words are powerful, and very convicting. God longs to have us and nothing will stop His love from getting us.


You Won't Relent<

God, You are... X.

What looks like our "X" actually means "Christ" in Greek. God is Christ, Christ is God, they both are the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is both of them. There really aren't any words that begin with X besides ones that deal with disease and the color yellow. Odd, huh? So that's why I had to get creative. But anyways, that's the trinity. It's hard to understand because we can't think like that as humans. But when I'm in heaven, it'll suddenly click. And I can't wait to finally understand.

God, You are... Worthy.

Worthy of our worship.
Worthy of our love.
Worthy of our lives.
Worthy of sacrifice.
Worthy of my trust.
Worthy of my adoration.
Worthy of my problems.
Worthy of my soul.
Worthy of my regrets.
Worthy of my praises.
Worthy of creation.
Worthy of my relationships.
Worthy of my longings.
Worthy of my dreams.
Worthy of my heart.
Worthy of me.

God, You are... Vital.

Dictionary.com: "necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something; indispensable; essential"


God is necessary, He is indispensable, and He is essential. Without him there would be no order. Come to think of it, without Him there would be nothing. God is more essential than air, water, blood, coffee, you name it. The essence of God flows through everything. Creation screams His name. If you can't hear it, listen harder. The vitality of God is shown in the way the wind blows, a tree blossoms, a child laughs. There wouldn't be this beautiful life without Him. 


Challenge: Thank God today for Him being in your life and giving you that life. Praise Him because He is essential.

God, You are... Universal.

God is for everyone. There's no one that He didn't send His Son to die for. The Bible says that Jesus died for all. I don't know what you believe, like maybe you think that He only died for the good people. But I say no, that's not true. God is for everyone, no matter what race, class, creed, gender... everyone. Every person of every nation has been bought with the blood of Jesus, they just have to accept Him. And that's all I have to say really.

God, You are... Truth.

I couldn't quite define truth on my own and in words that someone besides myself would understand, so I used my friend dictionary.com. Here's what he has to say:

1.

the true or actual state of a matter.

2.

conformity with fact or reality; verity.

3.

a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.

4.

the state or character of being true.

5.

actuality or actual existence.

6.

an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.

7.

honesty; integrity; truthfulness.

So, as you can see, truth is indeed a noun. And I like that because God Himself is truth. He is a reality, He is there. I love this about Him because well one, I can believe in Him. And two, it gives me a standard to which I base everything that I believe to be true. I have my view points on abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, tattoos, etc (I will not develop my stance in these subjects in this post, I'm Just stating a few examples). And my opinions all stem from who God is and what He says about truth. God is truth.John 14:6- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God, You are... Stronger.

God, You are stronger than anything I'll ever face. You are stronger than my doubts, my fears, my failures, my will, and my being. You are strong enough to pick me up when I'm down, and push me down when I try to leave you. You are strong enough to pull me away and save me from all my temptations. You are strong enough to give me the faith I need. God, there is nothing that You can't do. You can move the mountains that You made. You can break anything you created. You can create anything out of nothing. You are a mighty God, and I will lean on You and trust You to carry me through my life.

God, You are... Radical.

According to dictionary.com, 'radical' has two definitions.
1. forming a basis or foundation
2. extreme
When this word came to my head, the definition I thought of was the latter. I thought of God as being this extreme, amazing, all powerful being, which He is. But now that I researched it and found something else, I change my mind. Let's talk a bit about the first one. God should be our foundation. We should be building every aspect of our lives on Him. Everything we do and want should both start and end with God and what He has done for us. While He might be extreme and amazing and all that good stuff, He should also be the basis on which we build our life. So God is radical, God is a radical. God should be our radical.

God, You are... Quick.

God is and always has been quick to forgive and forget our sin. He never has to ponder over whether or not He should, He just does. It really encourages me because I know that when I ask forgiveness for something stupid I've done, and I really mean it, it happens instantly. It's not like when you right a check for a big amount and sit there for a few days biting your nails wondering if it's going to clear. God is quick to forgive. He gives it to us instantly. Salvation isn't an application process. There isn't a probation period. It is instant. God is instant. There's no waiting with God.

God, You are... Peace.

In this world full of stress, busyness, hate, war, anxiety, and sadness, it is often difficult to find something that gives you complete peace. I'd love to say that God is the one thing that gives me that peace, but that wouldn't be completely true. At least yet; that's what I'm working on currently. I want to be able to find peace in God alone. Just by knowing that He's there and that He's my God who loves me. I'm human, so I know that it will take me my entire life to get close to achieving my goal, but it is my goal. I don't want to be stressed or anxious. I want to be peaceful. I want to have peace through God.

God, You are... Omnipotent.

"For the Lord God, Omnipotent, reigneth."
-Handel's Messiah

Omnipotent: "having very great or unlimited authority or power"

I think that says it in itself. God is all powerful and can do anything. He can save us, love us, help us, test us, guide us, consume us, answer us, talk to us... the list goes on and on and on. I'm just going to stop this post right here, because I really don't have much to say. To try and comprehend that kind of power is mind boggling, and I don't even have the words to describe it. Just think about this one.

God, You are... Non-conforming.

"Do not conform 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."
-Romans 12:2

Even though this verse is part of a letter Paul wrote to the Romans and not directly portraying an attribute of God, it still is. We are commanded to be like God, so why would he tell us to be something that isn't God-like? I'll admit I had to be extra creative for this letter, because I didn't want to put something shallow such as "nice" or "needed" or something else that doesn't require much thinking. I wanted to think outside the box. So that's it. God doesn't have to comply with the norms or change Himself to be God. God is in and of Himself non-conformity at it's best.

God, You are... Mine.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-John 3:16

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
-Psalm 139:14

These verses show how God is a very personal God. He sent His Son to die for me, and he made me just how I am. He is MY God. And that may sound a little selfish just on the surface, but think about it. Would you rather think of God as a being that deals with everyone all the time and barely has time for you, or think of Him as a loving, caring Father that is all consumed with what you're going through and what you need? Now, of course God is there for everyone all the same but that's so hard for us to fathom that I like to just take Him as my own God. I am His, and He is mine. You can disagree and say that God is a totally removed God so far away that He can barely hear our prayers much less answer them,but, I would ask why would you want to think that? The Bible shows that God is in reality very up close and personal to us. Read all of Psalm 139. I didn't want to put the whole thing because I like this verse most and I wanted to focus on it. But just read it all. It shows that God is indeed personal. He is mine, He is yours, He is ours. But focus on the personal aspect. It will really open you up to listen to God and communicate with Him on a more personal basis.

God, You are... Love.

Ok, so first off, I haven't written in like two weeks. Between getting sick, doing make up work, doing normal work, mid terms, and worship stuff, it's been crazy. But that's no excuse because I also let my priorities get all out of whack. And that's why I'm thankful that the day I do decide to start again, the letter is "L." I know it's cliche to say that God is love, but it's also so true. It makes me think of those Facebook bumper stickers or MySpace layouts for those that are trying to make an impact with social networking. And all that is great, as long as you remember how true it is. 1 Corinthians 13 is the "Love Chapter." Love is this, love is that... but have you ever put "God" in place of "love?" It changes it completely. It shows me that when everything is great, God loves me. When everything is not so great, like now, God loves me. When I leave God and wander away, like recently, God still loves me. Just that little fact comforts me in the midst of life. Life is hard, and it only takes God's love for me to see the purpose and keep on going. God is love. Love is a noun and an action. We should have and show love, but also love people. Love God. Love yourself. We are commanded to do so by Love himself. So that being said, love is all you need!(:

God, You are... King.

To be honest I had to Google search for this letter. The first thing I thought of was "kind" and I was like, well that's not deep at all. So I decided to search the world wide web for another idea. The site I found was pretty cool. I guess they came up with "kind" first as well. But when I scrolled down, I found "King." And I was like, yes. That is it. Because while God is kind and caring and all that other girl scout stuff, He is King. King of the universe, King of all creation, King of my life... the list goes on. He has supreme authority over everyone and everything and all time. He dictates wheat happens. He know exactly what will happen. He makes things happen. He is King and in control.

God, You are... Jealous.

"He is jealous for me; loves like a hurricane. I am a tree bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy."

Jealous isn't always how we think of it. People are jealous when someone has something they want, when they lose something to someone else, when they wish they were like someone else, but that's not what God means. When pertaining to God jealous means that He wants our worship. And you might be like, well, that's not godly... to want to worship. However, it is. Because He deserves it. See we don't deserve anything we want. But He deserves our worship. He deserves us. He is jealous for us.

Songwriting?

Ok, recently I have noticed that everybody wants to be either a social worker, photographer, or songwriter when they grow up. This can't work. Yes, there are kids that need helped, a beautiful world that needs to be captured, and thoughts that need to be put to music. But, what about everything else? There are so many more jobs that need to be taken care of! I can't speak for the other two, but I know quite a bit about songwriting. So that's the one I'm going to talk about.
1) You are one in a million.
Do you know how many people out there write songs? I'll give you a hint... A LOT! And for you to think that YOU of all people deserve a record deal is pretty arrogant. I'm not saying that you aren't good at writing, just don't think for a minute that out of all the "songwriters" in the world, you are the one that's going to make it big. That's pure crazy talk.
2) Songwriting can't just begin a career.
There is a lot of work, a lot of reputation to create, and a lot of heartbreak involved. You can't just sign a paper and be famous. It doesn't work like that. You have to play for people, make demos, prove yourself. Even if it's in the Christian industry, those people still have a job to uphold and they can't just sign every artist, genuine or not, and expect to stay serious. You'll get rejected. You'll put yourself out there and feel like you just got punched in the face. It's life, you chose that path. Pick up the pieces and, if you're serious, try again.
3) God has to be involved.
Even if you're not a Christian and reading this, it doesn't mean that there suddenly is no God that's running the universe. Just because you specifically don't believe in Him doesn't mean that He's not there carrying out His sovereign plan for your life. If God wants you, as a Christian or non-Christian, to be a professional musician, it will happen. Without a doubt.

So, there you have it. You can't write a few verses, record it on your computer, post it on MySpace (or Facebook), and expect to be famous sometime within the next few weeks. I don't plan to be famous. I write as a hobby and a way to reach people through the medium I know best. Things won't always go your way, and it takes everything you have to not be discouraged and to trust God. But, you can trust Him. He'll lead you through and if songwriting isn't His plan for you, then there is something even bigger and better in store. Just wait and see what He's got planned. God never ceases to amaze the people that trust Him.

God, You are... Immutable.

Immutable basically just means unchanging or changeless. This is so true. I don't know about you, but I would NOT want a God that changes His mind every 5 minutes, like I do. That's one thing I don't get about that people that say that God is just like us. That's just a frightening thought! A God who changes His mind? What if He decides not to love us? Or that sending Jesus was a mistake? Or that one of the 10 commandments doesn't belong? And, if He changes all that, then He could hold us accountable to live up to all those changes. That's just terrifying. And that's why I'm thankful that God doesn't change. He can't change. It is completely against His character to change. People change. People let you down. But you know you can depend on God because of His wonderful immutability and the fact that He can never stop loving you. It goes against His nature.

God, You are... Holy.

Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy is the Lord
Cry Holy
O, Holy Night
Holy God
Holy Fire

So many songs have been written about the holiness of God. Last year in my doctrine class we talked about the attributes of God. After all was said and done, we came to the conclusion that while all of God's characteristics are necessary, they all stem from His holiness. Holy is defined as: "specially recognized as or declared sacred by religious use or authority; consecrated." And God is sacred. He is our authority. It should be our goal to not just be "godly," but to have all of the traits that make up God, starting with his holiness. And that is what I want to do with my life. I don't want to be a "holy roller" that no one likes or a "Bible thumper" that everyone makes fun of; I want to live for Christ and show it with the way I live.
Romans 12:1: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship."

God, You are... Glory.

To tell the truth I've been having a bad last week or so. First off, I'm sick. That goes away; I'll be ok. But then it seems like I've been making all the wrong choices. I don't say the right things, do the right things, act the right way... nothing. And I know that I'm making bad choices. I just can't stop. There's the verse that says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 I believe? 6:23? I could look it up but then I'd lose my train of thought. Anyways, my point is that God is glory and we can't match up to Him. Ever. I had a bad week, but it will get better. If I look to God I, myself, will get better. But I will never be glory. I will never be perfect. I will always be human. I can strive to be godly, but I can never be God. That's all I have for today so, peace.

God, You are... Faithful.

"If we are faithless, he remains faithful"
-2 Timothy 2:13

God is always there for you. Unlike people who will leave, disown, and persecute you, you can always have faith in God. He will never leave you. People say when you can't turn to anyone else, turn to God. And I find that so incorrect because we should turn to God even when we can turn to other people. I want to be closer to God. I want to depend on His faithfulness. There's that old hymn "Great is Thy Faithfulness." I hate hymns. But each time I hear this song and I listen to the words and decipher what they are saying, I am reminded how great and faithful our God really is. We can ALWAYS depend on Him.

God, You are... Everything.

Now, I by NO means am making a pantheistic statement here. Pantheism is when one believes that God is everything and everything is God... meaning EVERYTHING. Like this chair I'm sitting on, that tree, my cat, and even yourself. So. There's my disclaimer. Don't take me out of context.
Anyways...
What I'm meaning is that God is everything to me. He is my life, or should be. It reminds me of that song "Everything" by Lifehouse. It's a beautiful song and I'll post the lyrics at the end of this. Actually, I'm just not going to say anything else because the song says it all. Enjoy!

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Click here to listen.

God, You are... Demanding.

We tend to think of demanding as a bad word with negative connotations. But in this case, that couldn't be farther from the truth. God demands our whole hearts, minds, and souls. He demands that we live for Him and do everything for His glory. He demands our time, money, and service. He demands that we sacrifice. And ironically, if you do turn all those things over and live for Him, you're so much better off. God demands that we stop demanding our lives. He wants all of it. And I want to give Him my whole life. I want to lose control and give Him what he demands. Easier said than done, I know. But that is my goal. And I hope that through this "God, You Are" challenge and getting rid of some bad habits I can achieve that goal.

God, You are... Comforting.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4

And that's just it. We are to comfort, because God is comforting. We are to be like Him in any way, shape, or form, and just comforting people when they're down is a great place to start. Sometimes it's really hard to look to God when you're down. It doesn't even matter how severe it is. You could just be sick. Or upset that a friend is upset. Or someone may have genuinely wronged you. Or you could be having work troubles;) And it's times like that when we can't depend on ourselves that we have to look to God. It's extremely difficult, but relieving. You lose all your pride, but you also gain so much trust in God. Being comforted is bittersweet because you are basically saying that no, you can't handle it all on your own. You need someone. And that someone is God. I will strive to find my comfort and solace in God, and in turn point others that direction.

God, You are... Beautiful.

Beautiful as defined by Dictionary.com: "having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind; excellent of its kind."
And that's just it. God is every single one of those. He pleases me, I like to see, hear, and think about Him, and he is certainly excellent.
I really like art. Music, painting, sculptures, dancing... any sort of art is genuinely beautiful to me. I like to study it and figure out why it's so beautiful. I mean, besides being beautiful, there has to be some sort of concrete element that draws me to it. And that's what this whole "God, You Are" thing is about. I want to focus on what makes God so beautiful and draws me to His essence.