Life... Before Death.

As I was driving home today from Detroit Lakes after dropping my husband off at work, I was listening to the local christian radio station. They were going through their little "Thank You for your support" thing and mentioned the folks that were supporting today's programming. It was a family that had lost some loved ones in a car accident and had been encouraged by the radio station in knowing they'll see them again, and looking forward to that day.


Now, this got me thinking... Not saying that I don't look forward to seeing my loved ones that have gone before me... but how often do you hear people talk about how excited they are to go to Heaven? I myself am extremely excited... but I've always felt kinda like I wasn't "Christian" enough because when people would talk about how excited they were to go to Heaven I was always like "YEAH!" but at the same time I'm thinking... but I know I'm too young now... I'm excited to be living life here!  Today I was having a conversation with my amazing God... and I realized that I'm not waiting to go up and be with Him when I die. I spend my time with Him now! 


I read a book by Shane Claiborne called The Irresistible Revolution (which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone not exactly pleased with the state of the church) which has an amazing statement in it. Here is an excerpt (I've made some quotes bold for emphasis):

'If you ask most people what Christians believe, they can tell you, "Christians believe that Jesus is God's Son and that Jesus rose from the dead." But if you ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent. We have not shown the world another way of doing life. Christians pretty much live like everybody else; they just sprinkle a little Jesus in along the way. And doctrine is not very attractive, even if it's true. Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death.                    'As my teacher Tony Campolo used to ask, "Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?" I am more and more convinced each day that I would. Don't get me wrong. I'm excited about the afterlife... And yet I am convinced that Jesus came not just to prepare us to die but to teach us how to live. Otherwise, much of Jesus' wisdom would prove quite unnecessary for the afterlife. After all, how hard could it be to love our enemies in heaven? And the kingdom that Jesus speaks so much about is not just something we hope for after we die but is something we are to incarnate now. Jesus says the kingdom is "within us," "among us," "at hand," and we are to pray that it comes "on earth as it is in heaven." No wonder the early church was known as the Way.' (pg. 117)

Honestly, I'd love to type that whole chapter, but I know it would get too long. I really encourage you to buy the book and read it and apply much of what he says to your life. 


Anyways, back to the reason I wrote that part. How many of us are truly living at peace? The "Kingdom of Heaven" is to be at true peace with ones self. Not just in Heaven... but here on Earth! God is showing me daily what it means to 'abide in Him'. I truly allow Him into every area of my life. And I can HONESTLY say that if there were no heaven or hell, I would choose to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior and live every day walking in the steps He's set before me. Because HE is the reason that I am at peace. HE is the reason that I'm not concerned about finances, living situation, or anything else that this life throws at me. I live through Him, He lives in me; A contradiction that makes more sense to me than anything in the world. 


So that is my [not so small] thought for the day. And you can be expecting these much more often... daily hopefully, for it is becoming a part of my devotion time with my Father.

Our Beautiful World...

If you've never heard the song by G.S. Megaphone called "Beautiful World" I highly suggest doing so. I can't play music on this blog so instead I'll write out the lyrics for you to read.... The song is such a great expression of the love the artist has for what God has done here for us...

"I'm lying in bed, but I can't sleep.
It's like I'm locked in this bed
On the greatest night you've made so far.

I take a walk outside beneath the stars,

And as I look all around me,

I remember how in love we are.

It's a beautiful world. What a great idea.

Your beautiful song is all I can hear.

I see the wind moving through the trees,

And it reminds me of how your spirit moves in me.

I lie in the grass, and stare at the sky,

And thought I've seen it a thousand times

It looks new tonight.

It's a beautiful world. What a great idea.

Your beautiful song is all I can hear.

Your beautiful colors surrounding me.

Your beautiful art is all I can see. It's a beautiful world.

Good night my prince. I'm going to try to rest.

Oh but here comes a sunrise too beautiful to miss."

After thinking about this song I decided to go through google and get some photos of our beautiful world... The true beauty that we take in everyday...

Now obviously if you live in Minnesota... you will indefinitely see things like this... this winter scene is just so peaceful... so beautiful.... so.... God. To think that He created this! To think that He created the snow to fall just so... the wind not to blow... just for our viewing pleasure... wow....

Have you ever looked at the moon and really thought about it? The other night Joel and I were driving and I was just amazed in looking at the moon. I thought about the fact that the moon is there... practically every night... but not many of us put true thought into what goes on. Sure we learn it in school... but who actually uses that stuff anyways? ;) As I was looking at the moon the other night I just really thought about how God set it up so that even in the evening... there would be light for us. He set the moon and sun up just so the sun would reflect off the moon. That just floors me... Christ said there is no dark where light is... and I think its pretty cool He used the moon as an example we look past everyday... something that seems so simple and ordinary to us is really way way WAY more complicated than we ever choose to think! God is so neat.

These flowers just make me smile. First because my mom's favorite color is lavender... so she first pops into my mind when I see them. And second because in their pure simplicity.... they're so beautiful! And whats even better is the more there are... the more beautiful of a scene it creates. Do you think God was possibly showing us that when we come together with others... when we join hands with people.... when we have similar visions and dreams... that we create something breathtakingly beautiful?

Ah... the rainbow... something God placed on this earth as a reminder of the promise He made to Noah and all mankind. I think it goes so much deeper than that though. I think that a rainbow has so much more significance when you think of where it comes from... It comes from moisture in the air.... the sun reflecting off the the water droplets. Think about what this requires... Rain has fallen... the earth is now drying up from the light of the sun... and a beautiful rainbow appears. We may go through some very damp things in our life. Sometimes we may feel so "soaked" that we'll never dry and there is no real chance of anything looking on the upside... then all the sudden... the rain slows... the sun comes out... and a rainbow appears. Its like a sign from God saying "Look! I know what you've been through seems crappy... but I've got a plan... I'm bringing you out of this! And I'm using what you've been through to make something beautiful!"

Oh do I look forward to the day when I can see something like this first hand... We in Minnesota definitely don't have the privilege of viewing this on a daily basis! Seems so right though... the life that surrounds the water. The fresh green... the colors so vibrant. Kinda like when we hang out by the Living Water... We thrive! We are vibrant in color and health! We dwell in the place with Him... and our fruit shows it!

The sunrise... There is truly nothing to describe a sunrise. I guess I so often see it as God getting out His canvas every morning and saying... "Alright... this one is just for you... and its more beautiful than the last.... I've been working on my strokes." Every morning the sky is painted with hues of pink and yellow... orange and purple... a little more of some and less of others... but always vibrant and beautiful. I think in a way it shows us that our lives are never to be the same thing day after day... but instead the hues will change... there may be more of this in our lives and less of that. But there is still a sunrise... still a day that is dawning... and we get to live it for Him.

This blog was really such a mixture of so many different things! But I love the song and I needed pictures to go with it... Here is a music video of this song... I highly suggest watching it and thinking about all God has done... GS Megaphone - Beautiful World

Til next time!

....simple as a weed....

I decided I would draw this out on my iPod since I can't actually take a picture of one this time of year. If you can't tell through my beautiful artistic drawing... This is a dandelion:

The dandelion is honestly such a beautiful flower... er... weed. Have you ever truly taken a look at a dandelion? Have you ever examined the true beauty in a dandelion? Look at one. Find a dandelion when the summertime comes around. Check out the detail put into it. All these simple... small... delicate petals... in a WEED!!! The first time this really hit I was so astonished by our God. God knew these dandelions would be something people despised. Something people would make a major effort in keeping off their lawns. Yet through all of this... He put so much detail into this flower. If God puts that much effort and detail into something that we'd simply dispose of... How much effort is put into us?! How many more details are there that God used to create us?! I mean just really think about it... just let it really sink in. If God cares so much about that flower... that weed... how much do you think He cares for the people He created to worship Him? The people He created to have a realationship with. He cares about the smallest things. He placed those dreams inside our hearts... Those visions in our minds. Joel 2:28 says "And I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." It's God that puts those visions and dreams in us. He is the one who plants all those little details throughout our lives that sets us up for the next step. It's all those little details... those little petals... that make up our beautiful, intricately detailed life. I don't know about you... but when I really start to think about it... I am just astonished. I'm gonna have to say I have a God who cares a whole lot about me and what Hes got planned for my life. Take time to look at all the small things we seem to pass up. The things that 'just happened'... those are those little things that helped you get to where you are now. And if you're not in a great place... look at the little things that are so great... there is always something. Our God is always taking care of us. :)

...life lessons in the little things...

So I decided I wanted to start blogging... mainly because I'm always getting these little revelations and want to share them. God is always showing me so many cool little things... I've so many already. Who knows... maybe this blog will end up being a little sermon site... haha. I'll be trying to figure out what to preach on and just go grab one of my blogs. =) God shows me things in the most random situations... pictures.... people... videos..... what have you. I wanna write em down and maybe you'll get something out of it too! 

Here is one of my favorite photos... I took it way back in the day... probably about 2005... not actually that long ago. =) Anyways... There is this old old barbeque in our backyard. Apparently my great grandfather built it. As long as I can remember my sister and I sat on this thing and played on it and around it. Using it to hold as a wall to our forts. I never saw it used as a barbeque. But my dad remembers days of it being used to make burgers and such. Anyways... as I grew older the bricks began to decay and the center began to fall out. We could no longer sit on it or jump off it because it may just fall apart under us. It sat there.... alone.... dying.... not being used for anything. Simply taking up space in the backyard. Until one sunny fall day when I stepped outside.... and there were these flowers.... spilling out from the center of this old, falling apart, brick barbeque. What true beauty this was. This barbeque that sat there.... thought to never be used again... was now filled with some of the most simple, beautiful creation on God's earth, flowers.

The reason this sticks out to me so much now is because I believe it pertains to our life in so many ways! As we grow from a small child to an elder we pass through many stages. We walk through so many doors God opens for us. We don't have the same purpose from beginning to end. We're used for so many different things. There are probably times where we feel like we're totally useless... like we're stuck in between here and there... like we're just waiting, wondering, if that next goal and dream is just around the corner. At those times that we feel we can no longer be used for anything... whether it be because we've messed up... or we've just grown old and tired... we don't realize that inside us a seed has been planted for another new beginning. Our focus is shifting... we're being used as a different vessel. And most times we'll be used in ways one would never expect.... just like this barbeque.... going from being used to make delicious lunches and dinners.... to being used as a play tower, to jump off and rely on as a sturdy wall... to being used as a flower pot. Of all things.... a flower pot... something to bring such beauty to our backyard landscape. 

So whether you're just beginning... or you're between here and there... know you've got a purpose. Know there is something inside... something.... that is beautiful.