Dreaming at the Feet of Jesus

My Sophomore year of High School I took a photography class after years of messing around on the camera since 8th grade. I wish I hadn't stopped after that class, I could be even better now. This week my best friend from Colorado was in town visiting and she had some homework to do for a similar photography class at school. So I took her some places we could take pictures here in Austin! To say the least, I had a blast! I felt alive and excited in the midst of all the picture taking. Why did I ever stop? It really got my thinking about all of my "lost dreams". When I first committed my life to Christ in 8th grade (before walking away from the Lord my Sophomore year and then re-committing my Senior year) I had certain dreams stir in my heart. I always said I wanted to move to Austin, TX (done!) and I wanted to be a worship leader. I wanted to record songs for an album and also be a worship pastor at a Church! Later in High School I remember wanting to be a photographer and a writer. I also remember saying one day, "If I could do anything with my life I would prevent teen suicide." It's interesting that I am still passionate about every single one of these things. I want to do all of this. I already moved to Austin (YAY!) and I'm definitely a writer--I got two blogs; one of those blogs is about depression, so that's to prevent suicide. I still want to do more photography and more with music! It's so weird to me that there is not one direction I am going in. Some people chase after just photography or just nursing--whatever it is they're passionate about! And that's great, I guess I'm just passionate about too much to decide on one thing. I have decided today to put all my passions in the Lord's hands. Everything I am passionate about, He is also passionate about and He is the one who gave me those passions. So I am going to give them back, I want Him to use these passions in me for His glory, not mine.

People always tell us to chase our dreams. I'm thinking right now that perhaps we shouldn't chase them, but we should let them go. We should let them go at the feet of Jesus. If it is also His dream for us, He will give it back and He will show us the way to succeed in it. If it is a dream not from Him, He will take it and replace it with something that is from Him. Any success in our dreams should be glory to God, not glory to us and the way to do that is to give the dream back to God and let Him lead you to it. I'm doing that today, I am laying down my dreams and passions to make sure they are right with His heart. I am willing to pursue whatever He calls me to, and He will make my success perfect, not me. All we have to do is be willing, and He will finish what He started in us and make it perfect.

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Psalm 37:4 "Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Here are some of the pictures I took this week. . .

What are we living for?

In mid January I started working for a  non-profit organization promoting nutrition and fitness in Texas. I worked as an after-school program instructor at elementary schools all over Austin. The goal of their lesson plans and curriculum is for these kids to eat healthy and be active. I recently resigned from my position after working there for only two months because I found a new job. I have to admit though that I am happy to leave this organization, and not just because my new job pays more. During my short time as an after-school instructor something was stirred in my heart as I got to know these kids and continued teaching them health facts; "Who cares this much about all this health-stuff? I don't want to raise up a generation of nutritionists or marathon runners, I want to raise up a generation of disciples. Taking care of your temple will come along on its own!" and those are the exact words that have been stirring in my heart and mind recently.
Today I went to this organization's office to turn in my equipment (they distribute equipment for the games to play at the schools) which is in North Austin so it's nearly a thirty minute drive from where I live. When I got there I saw that the office had ordered in Jason's Deli for everyone. It didn't seem like a special occasion, they did it at my training too. I thought, "They're successful enough to order in all this food, that's impressive I guess." But then something stirred in me on my long drive home today, "Sure they are successful when they look at their checkbook, the amount of food they can buy to share and the number of students they are reaching in the after-school program, but where is their substance?" The 'substance' I’m referring to is the substance of true life. It is life and life abundantly, the life that breathed life into dust and the life inside living water.
Our foundation for everything we do must be built on this substance of life and living water. I fully believe in chasing your dreams, setting goals and always moving forward in general. I do not think we should sit on our bottoms until we hear a still small whisper about where to go and what to do. We must get out and we must get doing and then God will tell us when to turn. It's like we push the gas pedal and holds the steering wheel. So if our foundation is built upon true life and living water then our purpose must also be for true life and living water. Although we continue moving forward in our work, no matter what that looks like, our ultimate desire and purpose must be for true life.If that is true then as we continue working whenever God turns the wheel we know we won't jerk it back because our desire is for the life He will bring in turning the wheel. As God steers and brings us to places of success, it will not be empty success. The success will have substance of true life because our God of life was leading the way.

I see God in all the simple, pretty things.

A bakery called 2tarts located in New Braunfels, Texas. Stumbled upon it's cuteness tonight :)

It Is Finished

On the cross Jesus said, "It is finished" (John 19:30). For quit awhile I have looked at bows and thought of that verse, thought of those words on the cross, it is a revelation Jesus shared with me because He knew I thought bows were pretty. Now I don't just think bows are pretty, but I praise God for them, they are a lovely reminder. Here's why; When Jesus came to Earth in human form it was to come and tie the lose ends of our stories together. So now every time I walk into my room
and see my glittering bow decor, I am reminded in such a beautiful way that "it is finished", I am forgiven and God is victorious.
<-- A few bows in my bedroom

So bows constantly remind me of the same truth, "It is finished", but sometimes God brings to light something specific that is finished. For example, my identity. At one point pretty recently I was struggling with my identity in the Kingdom of Heaven because I knew the Lord called me and made me pure, but I struggled with believing it. I thought, "How can be pure and innocent after all that I've done?" I had a vision one day of white bow on my head. This was God's way of actually crowing me with purity. The color white represented purity. The bow was interwoven with gold because gold also represents purity (after gold goes through fire it is in its purest form). The middle knot of the bow was also covered in jewels and these jewels represented beauty, worth, value and royalty. Because of all of this was in one bow sitting on top of my head, this was God's way of saying to me, "Your identity is finished."

There is one more specific thing God has brought to light that is finished. First let me tell you a little bit about rainbows. After God flooded the Earth a rainbow came out He promised to never flood the Earth again, rainbows represent both God's promises and redemption. The flood was God's way of redeeming the Earth because people had become so bad, and a beautiful rainbow coming out of a horrible storm is redeeming the storm. I got a picture from God recently that looked like this:

This picture is a reminder that God's redemption is finished. He redeemed the world through Jesus Christ and He is redeeming our lives every day we walk in His will for us. This is a reminder that God promises to redeem all things and make all things beautiful in His own time (Ezekiel 3). So just as birds in the sky fly away and their passing becomes only a memory so will the things of this world. He will make all things beautiful and redeem all things in His time. For that is His covenant of grace and we are in that covenant with Him. His redemption and His covenant are finished.
Hallelujah!

"It Is Finished" by Dustin Kensrue 

Go Up

Once upon a time a girl picked up a guitar, a boy picked up a paint brush, someone else picked up a basketball and another bought a recipe book. This is how it all begins, one by one our curiosity finds our talents, our gifts and our interests. A girl or a boy can pick up a hallow wooden instrument lined with six strings and somehow make something that sounds beautiful to the ear. How is this? And how do we keep going?

"God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's nature."

-Genesis 1:27

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working."

-John 5:17

The God I serve created us from dust. The world was nothing, empty and shallow, but He made the Heavens and Earth; all that is seen and unseen. He created humans and He created us in His image, to reflect His nature. If my God is a creator, I am a creator. God calls us to create, to accomplish, to do, to act and to be. Have you noticed humans thrive on productivity? We feel accomplished and proud when we can list off a number of the productive things we did in one day, right? That is because our God put that in us because it is in Him too! He produced the whole Heavens, Earth and humanity! He accomplished all that is seen and unseen. It is not wrong that we feel good and satisfied when we finish our chores or run our errands, it is something I believe God put in the heart of man. And laziness and complacency is from hell. 

If my God has put productivity in my heart, and my God has put creativity in my heart then to dream as an entrepreneur is also in my heart. That is because my God is an entrepreneur Himself! He created all that is seen and unseen from dust! Is that not what it means to be an entrepreneur? To make something from nothing? That is exactly what it is and that is exactly what my God did. 

This generation is full of creative Christian artists and entrepreneurs who need to realize that this is in their heart because we were made in the image of God and it is also His heart. It is His heart to constantly work, to continually advance and to make something from nothing. So to the girl who picked up the guitar and the guy who picked up the paint brush--don't quit. It is not from any selfish desire to succeed in music or art. If your art and music is to glorify God and worship then by all means, push forward with it and you can only go up from here. We are not called to a life of complacency, pick something up and go up with it! Get better with it, go farther with it, do more with it. . . Because once you start you can only go up form there.

And to the Christian entrepreneurs, your heart is aligned with God. Creating something out of nothing is exactly how our God works. 

To the fear in our hearts to pursue these things, get out of here! Often times we think, "I'm so scared to spend all my time on something that might fail." When Jesus came to Earth for the cross He was also an entrepreneur. He did not die for us so that He might profit in some way, He died for us because He wanted to give us the benefits of sonship. I am not saying start giving out free stuff, I am saying that He gave His whole self regardless of profit. That is what you should do.Whether it be guitar, painting, a sport, a job, a new business--be ready to give your whole self (if it is something you feel called to and care about) regardless of the profit. The way I see it you can either spend your whole self on something that might fail, or on something that already is a failure, like playing video games all day or working at a job you hate. 

The bottom line is our God is productive; He produces and He creates, that is why it is in our hearts. Our God also does not give up, He spent His whole self for what He loved and created everything out of nothing. If it is in your heart to start something from the bottom, up, then do it. Do it because once you start and put your whole self into it, you can only go up from there.