Flower Child

When I was younger, I use to always dress like a hippie for Halloween. It was fun and it gave me a chance to write on my jeans and rip them up like the hippies. I use to sport the tie-dye shirt with my leather vest. And of course my flip flops! It was the coolest! You know it was something about the hippies that always got my attention. Not to mention that my dad use to be a hippie or flower child. The web definition of hippie is someone who rejects the established culture; advocates extreme liberalism in politics and lifestyle. Crazy huh?!! So you are probably wondering why on earth I'm I blogging about hippies right? Well, you see on Wednesday evening, I went to church and they had this cool, worship band that use to perform back in the hippie days. LoveSong. I honestly, have never heard of them. Maybe one or two songs before. But that night, I saw the many faces of my brothers and sisters in Christ and they were so excited and singing to all the words. Just like my friends and I would if it was Chris Tomlin or Mercy Me on stage!! Some of those people were there when the movement was taking place.

The Jesus people movement. It was in 1967 many of those formerly involved in the counterculture began to proclaim that their lives had undergone a radical spiritual transformation. Many hippie addicts spoke of freedom from drugs. Testimony services revealed that something extraordinary was happening, the experience of faith in Jesus Christ among the hippies. The Jesus People Movement was a revival! And many of the world's church leaders of Calvary Chapel are now senior Pastors that were there at that time! Amazing! I really believe that no matter what era, what place, or what you look like to others, God will use you! I bet none of these hippies woke up one day and thought, "Oh hey, I'm going to church today and ask Jesus to be my Savior!" No way! they wanted some sort of peace and transformation. And that only comes from Jesus. The hippies didn't want to belong to some "religion" they just wanted to be in a loving relationship. And that is what they got! With Jesus! You always see hippies with there love posters or with there peace signs. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Hippies just wanted someone to love them. They sure found it, with Jesus their Lord and Savior!

quotes and poems =)

Quotes:

" One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving" -Amy Carmichael

"The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, But the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman". -Elizabeth Elliot

"God never witholds from His child that which His love and wisdom call good. God's refusals are always merciful- "severe mercies" at times but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better." -Elizabeth Elliot

"Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is." -Amy Carmichael

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.”-C.S. Lewis

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." -C.S. Lewis

Poems:

"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

Pretty woman wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to fit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees.

They swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them,

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's the arch of my back

The sun in my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing,

I ought to make you proud

I say,

It's the click of my heals,

The bend of my hair,

The need for my care.

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me

Hope is the thing by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all,  And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.  I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.

Who do you say that I am?

"Men, you have been with me sometime now. Yet you are still unsure who I am, and what
my work is. Who do men say that I am?" They quickly answered, "Some say you are
John the Baptist, others say you are Elijah, and others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Jesus then looked at them intently and asked, "But who do you say that I am?" In typical aggressive style, Peter immediately replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus looked at Peter and said, "How blessed you are for having this truth revealed to you without the aid of religion. (Matthew 16:13-16) Isn't that just awesome?! WOW!! See, back in the Jesus days they didn't have the New Testament, only the Old Testament. So how did Peter know that this was Jesus the Messiah?!! The Son of the Living God!! His Truth. His Word. It was all there and Peter couldn't do anything but to just believe in it. When Jesus said "who do YOU say that I am? He doesn't care what others say about Him. He cares about what YOU say about Him. One of the greatest Christian writers, C.S.Lewis has said, "I gave in and admitted, that God was God."

"Saturated in the Word"

I believe it was Charles Spurgeon that said “I want to be so saturated with the Bible that if you were to cut me, I would bleed Scripture.” We need to be more saturated with Scripture so that our thinking is in line with what the Bible teaches. Everywhere we go, in our society, our culture, it totally saturates us with NON-Biblical thinking. Believe me, this has got to stop! There is no way I can go with my day and not go to scripture or to just ask God to help me and give me His wisdom and His guidance. The choices I have at school and work will affect everything if I don't have that foundation of the Truth. I want to be that strong witness, that caring and loving daughter and sister. And I cannot be all those things if I don't "bleed Scripture"! can I get an AMEN!!

"The Word of the Lord endures forever." 1 Peter 1:25

I surrender ALL!

I woke up this morning and I wanted to share this song that I have been listening to. One of my favorites..."I surrender all" the lyrics are so beautiful. When I first came to the Lord, five years ago, I heard this song, I must have listen to it like 10 times in that first hour! I was in tears, because it says everything I was feeling about my Jesus. Here are the lyrics:

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
O the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!

My prayer today is we do surrender all to Jesus and let Him be our first love again. I put Him above everything else. Our concerns, our worries, our faults, our failures, everything! And remember He will comfort us. And sustain us in everything. If we just learn to trust in Him. And love Him, because He loved us first.

"In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Why I need Jesus

I'm not a happy person all the time.

I sometimes say not so nice things in my head about others.

I don't always listen to my parents.

I sometimes covet things that others have.

I sometimes take more breaks at work than I should.

I can go all week and not talk to my neighbors. (but to be fair, I don't usually see them)

I don't call my friends all the time. (but I do text)

I am not perfect.

I am a wretch that is saved by Grace!

and this is Why I need my Jesus!!

I'm sure I have MORE, but for now that is all =)

Tired of feeling bad about feeling bad!

I am grateful for everything in my life!! EVERYTHING! But, here is the BUT...I wasn't so grateful this past week! And I felt bad every time I felt bad..does that make sense? I was upset, frustrated, depress, anxious, you name it I had it! It was one of those weeks that you just wish you could stay in bed and NOT get up at all!! See, then you do get up and see how beautiful the day is and you feel bad for feeling bad! Sad huh? I honestly think feeling all these sad emotions are really draining for me. I mean, this is why when people suffer from depression they get so tired that there body aches. And you know it eventually goes away. It does. It may take time, but it does. In my devotion it says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2 No matter what you are going through, God is bigger than anything you have! ANY problem, ANY debt, ANYthing! To be in God's perfect will is amazing! My payer today is that we are lead by the Holy Spirit in everything we do. That we listen to God and shut off the world! That we see others the way God sees them. I listed the few things I am grateful for: my awesome parents that support me in anything I do, my beautiful friends that will drop anything to stop and pray for me when I ask them, my job it pays the bills and I can shine God's love and light there, my health. my aunt that pray for me when I am @ work so late at night. Sometimes, we just have to stop and think about all the wonderful things God has in our life. We need to stop eating worms and start realizing the God has a perfect plan for us and most important. He loves us so much! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog! Praying for you all!

"Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ" 2 Thessalonians 3:5