Yea. so its 22:22...(Im trying to learn military time for my Europe trip ((which is in 53 days!!!...freaking out!) Way to start this post out with a long tangent, Kaleen... Anywho. Its 10:20pm non-militia time, and I have an exam in the morning which I have yet to study for and a paper that I may have just reached that half way point on... to say the least: I am overwhelmed. I am tired. I am anxious to go home. I am partially, pretty much entirely checked out. and I have yet to finish packing for my flight home tomorrow. BESIDES all of that,
I AM AT PEACE. (deep deep down in my soul)
God never fails. God always comforts. God continually provides. God laughs at my doubts. God loves.
I was at a loss last week. I had no direction and quite frankly, I was scared. A' shakin' in ma boots moment.
...and for once in my life, I sat back. I cried out to God and I left it in His hands.
I knew there was simply NOTHING I could do but have faith.
and you know what. God was right there with me, He told me it would be okay if I only trusted in Him.
God never fails.
This week, God provided. God showed his faithfulness and God showed me how important it can be to have faith..even if its the size of a mustard seed. I could go on and on and I am still processing a lot of it but to sum it all up,
Francis Chan spoke in chapel today. This is the fourth or fifth time I have heard him speak and the "celebrity-gawking" face is well past over, however I reeeeeally admire the guy. Every time I walk away from hearing him, I am always impacted in such a way that makes me want to live life differently.
What I admire most about Francis <besides his impeccable ability to get the entire audience to laugh> is how he never takes credit for his words. God is always evident in his passionate speaking, in his ministry, and his time here on Earth. Today he spoke on Faith and the vast difference between our faithlessness as humans and God's unending faithfulness.
IT. HIT. HOME.
I don't think I have given the topic of faithfulness enough thought. Looking back on my nineteen years, there is no evidence of God's unfaithfulness. When I haven't been able to see Him visibly in my life, I've felt His calming presence, and when that warm fuzzy feeling rubbed off, He remained consistent, whether or not I was present in the relationship or not.
As I transition into a different season of life and face obstacles that don't seem fair, relationships that don't make sense, and no strong sense of direction, I can fully rely on the fact that
>He has always been there.
>He is here right now.
>He will always be there.
For my astronomy class <which I absolutely LOVE by the way> we had to create a devotional connecting astronomy to Christianity. With a week before mine was due, I was researching what I wanted to write mine on and seeking out what I found to be the most interesting connection between this science and faith. As I was in Kaleo, <wednesday night chapel> this song by Charlie Hall came on and I immediately knew God was whispering to me...Here you go! Write about how GREAT I am...
>> Enjoy the video, my devotional is posted below.
While listening closely to the verses of "Center" the other
day,
I found new meaning and revelation to the essence of the song, especially
in
relationship to astronomy. The song starts out:
“You're the center of the universe,
Everything was made in You Jesus,
Breath of every living thing,
Everyone was made for You.”
It is amazing to me that the God that so delicately breathed
life into my lungs also created the vast Universe. Charlie Hall's“Center" continues on to sing,
“You hold everything together,
You hold everything together.”
Immediately after hearing these lyrics, the Anthropic Principle came to me and reminded me that God has control over every single
element that keeps us alive and keeps the world in motion. I don't think we
thank God enough for being in control of our world, in control of
every.
single.
element.
The rest of the song focuses on our response to God the
Creator.
“Christ be the center of our lives,
Be the place we fix our eyes,
Be the center of our lives,
We lift our eyes to heaven,
We wrap our lives around your life,
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You.”
It seems silly and pretty pathetic to me, that I fail each day
to place God at center of my life. For it is the same God that not only created
the heavens, but also has the power to control each minor detail that allows
our Solar System to continue to exist.
Colossians
1:16(msg) says, "For everything, absolutely everything, above and below,
visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got
started in him and find its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came
into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.”
>>Why is it so easy for us to place
everything but God at the center of our lives?
>>Why do we let these momentary
materials to replace the God that created the Universe?
I believe that it is a commitment. A commitment to
belong to the God that created us, and just as equally created the powerful Sun that
heats our skin and the bright moon that guides our steps at night.
>>So what will
it take to neglect our worldly wants and needs, and lean on the God that
created you and me?
