2Corinthians 4

"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

"To Love at all is to be vulnerable..."
c.s. lewis

sanctuary.

http://www.woodmont.org/page.asp?SID=1&Page=133

worship....9pm every thursday night at Woodmont hills!!!!

http://Sanctuarybandlive.com



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couches.

yay we got new couches!!!!!!
eggplant color.thankful.comfy.beautiful.

such a silly post.but i am so happy.thankful. to have couches.

love.

written b/c love is important. in our hearts. between men and women. friends. family. brothers. sister. in Christ, to be held accountable.

"the greatest of these is LOVE" 1corinthians 13....

Love.

love is NOT the warm fuzzies. the "emotions"-the "feelings" of love we have when we are with another. IT IS EASY TO CONFUSE LOVE WITH FEELINGS.EMOTIONS. EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS DO ACCOMPANY LOVE, BUT LOVE AN THE EMOTIONS ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.

"it is not good for man to be alone," and He "fashioned" eve from one of adams ribs (gen. 2:22)

there is a God given natural desire for a man and a women t want to be united. but we are not made complete in each other aka "other half" (this, in my opinion is one of the basis reasons for marriages today crumbling into disaster). WE ARE MADE COMPLETE IN CHRIST......who both male and female images were created. he who can meet all our "emotional needs"

the worlds perspective of love: being with a person and feeling "comfortable"    it meets your needs and fills you loneliness. you feel secure and fulfilled. you know if you need or want something, the other person would try and supply it. it is how good you feel with that person. emotion. and what they can give you.

Gods perspective of love: 

"love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never fails..." 1Corinthians 13:4-8

if you love the kind of love GOD CAN PRODUCE IN YOU, love is then what you can give to the other person! it means seeking things for their pleasure and enjoyment. it is giving. not getting. its is helping him or her become all that God wants them to be, regardless of the extent to which that love is returned. vulnerable. trust. faith. Agape- the way God loves us- keeps on loving another person even if they have wronged you, even if they are not loving back. 

WE ARE NOT CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF LOVE, BUT CHRIST WITHIN US IS!!!!!!!!!!!

Gods will not my own.

fear.relationships.

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emotions.

longing. connection. passion. comfortable. desire. fear. completeness. insecurity. companion. excitement. depression. joy. happiness. satisfactions. pleasure. scared. freedom. guilty. rejection. 

.........thoughts. emotions......yes, thats it. an emotional yo-yo. a young person wants . desire to trust the Lord with this very area of their life. but its NOT easy.

it is natural. in Gensis God created male and female in HIS own image. God said. "It is not good for man to be alone," so he fashioned eve from one of adams ribs. God took one human life and split it into two. so, it is a God given Natural desire for a man and woman to want to be united.

but WE ARE MADE COMPLETE IN CHRIST not our significant other.

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fear.

personally. from my past. this has been such a hard thing. for me to "let go, and let God" as people say.scared. of rejection. failure. love.....but the rotten root of it is my trust in Christ to take care of me in the best of my interest. which is weak!

we want a satisfying relationship with the opposite sex and always, in the back of our minds. hope it ends in a happy marriage. then the fear of  "what if !?" 

is that trust?

am i abiding?

am i one in christ,finding my sig. in Him?

for many girls. it comes from being let down and hurt by past loves. past situations. its so easy for a woman to let her mind take her places. to the white picket fence etc. or get so caught up in the relationship that they put all they have into the other person instead of God!  

"Be still and know that i am God...." psalm 46:10

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WE ARE NOT MADE COMPLETE IN ONE ANOTHER. WE ARE MADE COMPLETE IN CHRIST. 

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personal.

at this point in my life it is hard. hard to wait. let God work within me. i feel so many things.emotions. desires. physical drives. my friends are dating. getting serious. getting married. its graduation time. ppl are moving away. etc......its an exciting time but hard. we as girls esp. loooooove love. we love love stories. movies. bridal magazines. novels. the fairy tales. but i know i must be patient. God has blessed my singleness. it is a gift.

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when it comes to relationships with the opposite sex. many doubt God. think they know whats best for their own lives. for me and in my opinion it is one of the most difficult areas with which to trust in the Lord. this is where our fears can result in panic inspired actions in attempt to manipulate and control this are of our lives!

"we adore you as being in control of everything..." emphasis added 1 chronicles 29:11

THE TRUEST THING ABOUT GOD IS WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT HIMSELF, NOT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT HIM (OR WHT WE THINK AT ALL)

also, until we have that deep rooted relationship. gained through scripture. we cannot love ourselves. so then how could we love another and put them first?!

THE TRUEST THING ABOUT YOU IS WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU, NOT WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF.

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ephesians 1:4-5

psalm 139:1-6, 17-18

jeremiah 29:11-13

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personal.

recently. in my life. i have met a man of God. a long time friend. yet not deeply rooted into friendship. i have evaluated. i feel great around him. drawn. comfortable. trusting. submiting. confused. scared. doubt. fearful. any relationship with feelings attached is to be entered cautiously. 

it could be only a great friendship. 

it could be casual dating. 

it could be more. 

am i ready?

am i giving all emotions to God?

am i willing?

can i "step out of the boat" (as he said)?

i do not know. only God knows. he knows me better. he knows my soul mate. he knows all. 

you are an amazing man of christ. a leader. a valient warrior. a brother in christ. no matter what. the ways you have already lead. set boundaries. made decisions. make me respect u even more. if not me any girl would be so lucky to have you in their life.

i must trust the lord. 

trust is being content with the outcome. knowning God is in control and he has the best in store for the both of us. i cannot forget the signifigance of good friendships. 

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i have examined.this is what i know God wants for me.

"do not be bound together with unbelievers, for what partnership has righteousness and lawlesness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" 2 corinthians 6:14

1corinthians 13...is the founding example of what a good relationship should be.

we must be EQUALLY YOKED. 

we must have a rooted FRIENDSHIP. 

we must TRUST one another. 

we need to have RESPECT for each other. 

we need good COMMUNICATION. 

we must each have the ability to RESOLVE CONFLICT. 

we must each know deep down how each of us feels-KNOWN AND LOVED. 

we must each have our OWN PERSONAL IDENTITY and INDIVIDUALITY. 

we must be COMFORTABLE around wach other. 

we must have TOLERANCE for our differences. 

we must have a STABLE relationship. 

we cannont have a NON-EXCLUSIVE relationship. 

we must lLAUGH often and have FUN. 

we must share the same VALUES. 

our FRIENDS and FAMILY must APPROVE.

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God is faithful. he will lead. we wants me to submit this are of my life completely to him. i need to trust him. my singleness is a gift from him. i cannot be runnning ahead of him. God is able to meet all my emotional needs. i need to be content in all circumstances. 

philipans 4:1  

"Mans steps are ordained by the Lord. How then can man understand his way?"

proverbs 20:24.......only in deep relationship with him first and centered i can understand and hear him speak.

psalm 37:23,24

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IF YOU DONT MAKE CONSCIOUS DECISIONS,YOU ARE ALREADY CONFORMED TO THE WORLDS STANDARDS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE CONFORMED.

i thank you for being cautious. it is very hard. and this process, now, between us seems much harder that there a some feelings. i know i want more. deeper friendship. deeper knowledge of your heart. your desires. your passions in life. even if it is only as a friend. God is in control! i have no fear. well yea, i do, but i continuously present them to Christ! 

but please remember. in this feeling of "going backwards" be aware of my emotions that are somewhat in this. be slow to anger. be understanding. be truthful. be my brother in CHRIST.

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today i have the gift of singleness......i will walk in it.

tomorrow

God may give me the gift of marriage........i will wait for it.

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God is in Control.IN HIM i will abide. waiting on HIS  timing. desperately dependent on HIM. presenting every thought. emotion. circumstance. attitude . and will be transformed into His likeness!

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"i am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in me, and i in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing" john 15:5 w/emphasis

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(.......thank you for being such an amazing example. i know my YL girls would be amazed. i am.

you are a strong couragious man of christ. his son. never stray from the word. trust him in all you do. dont be so hard on yourself when u do slip up. u are created in His image. )

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me.

so i had a different blog and switched to this one. problem. harder than thought. didnt think. just switched. now my me is not at the top. but love. well.......

this is me.....

me.

child of God. created in his image.from a rib of adam.amazingly loved by God. continually being romanced through scripture. not ordinary. no accident. fearfully,wonderfully made.to be in relationship with him.leading others to Christ by example.

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really, who am i?

deep down in the depths of my soul?

do i truely believe God is good?

do i believe all that happens to me and around me has a purpose?

do i believe God is in control?

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questions i use to ask. till i found myself. romanced by God himself. through his word. found in the BIBLE! through a relationship with him. he answered them all. all doubts. insecurities. any and every emotion. i know what God says. 

i was created to be in relationship with him.

"i am the door" jesus said. He is the door to God.creator.father.king.....we must knock and get

 to know him.   and no one, "comes to the father except through me" john 14:6

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i will praise.worship.know him. spread his word. teach. set an exapmple. love.

"when i consider your heavens,

the works of your fingers,

the moon and the stars

which you have set in place,

what are mere mortals that you are

mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

you have made them a little lower than

the heavenly beings

and crowned them with glory and honor.

you made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet"

psalm 8:3-6

who am i lord that you would think of me?

who am i that you would care for me?

who am i to know that kind of love?

 

how?

"for you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mothers womb.

i praise you because i am fearfully and

wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

i know that well"

psalm 139:13-14

"search me oh God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

see if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everylasting.

psalm 139:23-24

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girls (i) am the last thing God made. His final inspiration. the Crown jewel of his creation. s wonderful. so beautiful. that when God showed us to adam he was dumbfounded. speechless.

"TOVE! TOVE! TOVE! TOVE!"

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sinful. dirty. old. made a new in Christ. now. woman of Christ. daughter. friend. mentor. younglife leader. roomie. sister. cousin. granddaughter. lover. passionate. dreamer. believer. strong. in the word. firm. beautiful. reader. truthful. lavender. camper. hiker. lifeguard. server. forgiving. cheesecake. joyous. happy. redemed. senior. 22. dancer. soccer.cowboys. workout. healthy. pink. candles. submitting. me. waiting.........on my knees, looking up to u, oh lord!

me.

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