Always Faithful

It seems to always be refreshing when you are able to let go of a situation and trust that God has it in his hands; to let God be God and stop worrying about it. TO RELINQUISH CONTROL AND WATCH GOD WORK!!!! He is always good, always faithful, always loving.

I have experienced this very recently with the accident I was involved in where I struck a bicyclist while I was driving a vehicle. It was a time where all I knew to do was to give the situation to God and watch him work. Living in question for a few weeks while I waited for an answer was nerve wracking. But God is always faithful. The police department finally was able to give me some information and tell me that the officers on scene could not determine who was at fault (me the driver or the other man, the bicyclist).

Like I said, He is always faithful. He worked the situation out for good. No citations. No one to blame.

While I was ecstatic to learn this, my heart still jumped at the thought of a lawsuit happening. I really don't feel like I have to worry though. Whatever happens, I know that God will be faithful and that He will be a part of it.

I have no reason to doubt or worry, because HE is always faithful.

Be Still and Know That I Am God--Psalm 46:10a

Right now I am asking lots of questions about circumstances in my life. A few nights ago (March 12th) I was driving and I ran into a man on a bicycle. So many emotions and thoughts ran through my head as I got out of the vehicle and saw the police officer radioing for help. My life is going to change drastically, I thought, I need Your help right now Lord! as I prayed for the man I had just struck.

So many questions arose. What happened to the guy? Is he okay? Will I be determined to be at fault? Will I get sued? What could I get sued for? Should I go to the hospital to find him? How long will I have to wait to find out all these answers?

Fear of the unknown when you have to wait can be crippling. It can hold you down. But the perfect love of God casts out all fears and frees us, enables us, helps us to live on in the midst of the giants we face. As I was driving today, an often used phrase came over the airwaves of the radio on Air1 as I started to think about the accident. “Be still and know that I am God...” It caught me off guard, but I knew it was for me at that moment.

The truth is, I can’t really do anything to help the situation at this point. I can wonder and worry about it all I want, but it won’t really help. All I can do is pray and give the situation to God, give Him control, and trust in His promise that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. In the midst of this giant that I face, I need to surrender in order to know that God is in control as the Master of the Universe, because I can only do so much. I need to let God be God in this situation.

Lord, I give You control of this situation. Take it all away from me. I trust that You know what You are doing and You are in control. There is nothing more that I can do, except to give this to You and trust in Your love. Amen.

Psalm 46:1-2, 7, 10a, 11 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea... The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress... ‘Be still and know that I am God’... The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Work Poem 9/7/10

A little bit of background... I worked on two consecutive days, shifts of 12+ hours each. I wrote this yesterday, the third consecutive day, at the beginning of a 14 hour shift. I was just asking for help because I was tired.


Lord give me strength
To make it through the day,
Lord, I need you by my side
Cuz it's the only way.

Exhausted, tired and weary
I come to the fountain to drink,
Renew me Lord and give me rest
Because I am on the brink.

You are great, mighty and glorious
You're worth more than i could give,
Your grace, your love, your mercy
Is what I need to live.

Give me joy, peace, and patience
A passion, a burning flame,
Change my heart and make me new
So I can spread your name.

A New Paradigm for Boasting

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise man boast about his wisdom, Let not the strong man boast about his strength, Let not the rich man boast about his riches. But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the LORD.”

I’ve been thinking about this verse ever since I came across it the other day. It is so confronting at times. In this fast-paced and achievement centered culture that we live in we always boast in ourselves and what we have or what we have done. We care about the things the world cares about. How smart or wise we are, how strong we are, how much money we make, how much education we complete and how many awards we can win. However, God desires us to boast about one thing. The we understand and know Him completely.

To be honest, knowing God is not easy. God is so big. There is so much of God that our amazingly constructed brains cannot even understand. To know and understand God completely would be the biggest achievement anyone in the world could ever make. Right now, I know that God loves me, and He loves you, and He is pursuing us relentlessly, just like He did the Israelites that Jeremiah delivered these words from God to. He is calling us to turn from the ways of this world and to follow Him. To know Him. To understand Him. To love Him. To boast about understanding and knowing Him. To call him LORD. To see his kindness, justice, and righteousness here on earth and to dispense it to the rest of the lost world as His ambassadors.

I could go on and on with this, but all I’m trying to say is, the biggest achievement anyone could ever make in this world is not becoming the MVP of the NBA or getting a Doctorate Degree, but it is to know and understand Him. So why are we wasting our time with all this other stuff?

P.S. I think if we all put our hearts into it, there would be a lot of people that have made the biggest achievement ever. What would the world look like then?

Uh Oh... Oh No!!!!!!

Guys, there's a big problem... I don't know how it came about. I've been noticing it in my life the past few days. It kinda snuck up on me.

I really don't know what to do except get it out in the open.

The water in my toilet is coming out purple when I flush it. Is something wrong? Please help!

Deja Vu Dreams

So I've been thinking a lot lately. I have dreams a lot. In these dreams I see little clips playing of someone saying something to me or doing something. Then, randomly, they will actually happen in real life and sometimes months later. I've wondered a lot what they mean... if God is trying to say something to me... how I should react to them... if I should try and respond exactly the same way they happened in my dreams...

I had talked a bit about these happenings with some people. One friend named Natalie offered the thought, "Maybe Jesus is trying to tell you that He speaks to you." Maybe Jesus is trying to tell me that. I know that He does, and that He loves me. I guess that leading up to graduation and thereafter I questioned whether I should stay in Redding, or if God had something greater for me to do in another place. I almost feel as if God has been leading me through these dreams. Telling me that I'm exactly where I should be, because I question. I've been having these sorts of dreams for the past four years, and they have become more frequent in the past 4 months or so.

A few weeks ago, before I even met my supervisor, I had a dream of him telling me that he would rather tell me strait up what his expectations were instead of beating around the bush and having hidden expectations that I would have to figure out. Last night, it happened exactly as I remember from my dream.

This has been amazing to me. As God leads me in this journey, I hope to remain faithful to the life He has called me to live. It is comforting to know that I am exactly where He wants me to be.

Best Summer in Redding... so far.

You know, I've stayed in Redding for two out of three summers while I was at Simpson University. They were fun and exciting, but neither compares to this summer. Being free from campus, having my own car, community, extravaganzas, close friends, trips to the lake, stars, late-evening strolls, tons of awesome girls to hang out with, a new job, etc. I can't even put words to the rest of the awesomeness that has become this summer.

This has definitely been the best summer in Redding... by far.

While we were at the lake last night, Melissa Hart 2 asked me if I was glad I chose to stay in Redding after graduation. My answer... a big fat "YES!!!" It has been awesome to see God's provision in my life since choosing to stay, confirming in me that this is definitely where God wants me at this moment in my life. He is stirring things up inside me, deepening my relationships with friends, telling me He loves me, and calling things out of me. I'm glad I stayed, because these things might not have happened had I chose to live underneath my parent's roof. Thank You Jesus!