A Broken and Fallen World

Surreal how much our world has changed, don't you think? Lets recap. Just earlier this year around January and February men in Egypt were beheaded by Isis Military for their faith in Jesus Christ. Fast forward to March, a man known as Bruce Jenner shocked America when he fully transformed into a woman called Caitlyn Jenner. Proceed a little further, on June 27, 2015, our nation legalized same-sex marriage in every state. These are just a few changes that were put into motion all within just seven small months. How do we respond to such events? Why not see what the bible has to say?

I feel the best way to deal with any culture shock or change is to abide by Matthew 22:37-39
 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Therefore, we are to look to God for guidance in situations that seem to hard to digest and follow his plans. When loving him with all your heart, soul and mind, you are putting all your faith in him, you are letting go of the anxiety and the pressures of the world. Following that, we are to love our neighbors. Who are our neighbors you may ask? Your neighbors are those that surround you, your enemies, friends, acquaintances, they're the strangers, your family, those that have authority over you. Your neighbors are everyone. With that to be said, love those who are in same-sex marriages, love those who have transformed their bodies into the ones they want, love those who don't follow the status quo of society, and love those who are greatly influenced by society.

Today, I heard a sermon by Tim Jacobs. He shared a quote by Samuel Adams:
 "A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.... While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.... If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security."

The part I highlighted, is the part that hit me most. "While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader." Do you mind if I dissect this a bit? Lets look at definitions.

Virtue: behavior showing high moral standards
Morals: concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character
Liberties: the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force

With that being defined I think this statement reveals that as a society, once we lose the direction of what is right and wrong we are easily consumed by society and enslaved by the tainted behaviors within it.

To end this I want to encourage you all just as Pastor Tim encouraged me. We need to become people of the book (bible).


Song of Inspiration:
Holy Spirit - Kari Jobe

Can I be honest with you?

Can I be honest with you?
I've had no motivation to post lately. I mean I'm sure you figured as much considering today is May 28th and the last time I posted was May 3rd. 
Can I be honest with you?
I told a friend to make sure I posted today, simply because I didn't want to go a month without speaking.
Can I be honest with you?
I really really really love writing. Scratch that. I love art. 
Can I be honest with you?
I love the fact that someone can picture, think, or in my case, articulate what is on their mind. I love how vivid someones emotions can be in a painting. The choice in colors reveal it all, you can sense the joy in the vibrant hues and you can feel their heaviness in the haunting hues. I love how vivid pain is in drawings. You can see the ink swelling around the chest where their heart is supposed to be. I love how revealing music is. I love that you can feel the excitement in the drummer as he pounds on his most prized possession. I love that you can feel the lightness of the keys on the old and loved keyboard I love that you can sense the pain, sincerity, regret and humor in the voices. However, my favorite thing about music is when you are watching the lead singer. You are completely unable to deny their passion. You watch them form each word perfectly, you watch their eyes squint and their teeth clench together. Then you begin to notice your head is nodding and you are smiling cause you, you see their heart, you see that singers love for what he or she is doing.

Can I be honest with you?
Want to know why, of all forms of art, I chose writing? Let me tell you...
I found the power of writing when I was twelve. I had just hit what felt like rock bottom. I would cry all the time, and since I'm being honest, I didn't even know why I was crying. But somewhere along that tear-stained path I was handed a notebook and a pencil with someone telling me to write what was on my mind. BAM. That day I felt utter satisfaction, relief, excitement, horror (because of the odd things my twelve year old mind came up with), but most of all I felt powerful. I had just discovered how to cope. So since then I've stuck to writing. 

Why am I being so oddly honestly about such random things?
Cause I want you to "Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity." (1 Timothy 4:11-12) But also teach by displaying your art. When I say art, I don't just mean all the things I talked about before. I mean teach based on your experiences. Go out and change the world. Give someone something to think about. Teach.

What's your lesson and how are you going to display it?

Song of Inspiration:
Pandora Station: Birdy & Mumford & Sons

The 'R' Word: Relationships

Relationships are everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. We have relationships with family, friends, yourself, bosses, coworkers, teachers, students, classmates, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, team members, pets, the people we resent the most and most importantly God. But the relationships I want to focus are the family, significant other and friend relationships.

A relationship is defined as the way in which two or more concepts, objects or people are connected or the state of being connected. It's also the way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other. With that being defined, how are your relationships? Specifically how are your relationships with your parents, your siblings, your significant other, your friends, yourself and with your God? 

Personally, I struggle with some of these. My relationship with my mom is one that has endured a lot of pain. As I was growing up, my mom was not my best friend. Not at all. She used to DRIVE ME CRAZY. I always thought my punishments were unnecessary and that she was overreacting. It wasn't until I realized my freshman year that she is the only parent I have. She was the person I lied in bed to cry with for about two weeks after my first heart break. She is my biggest fan and my biggest supporter. Not gonna lie to you, there are times where even now we get all sassy with each other and huff and puff. However, as much as I look forward to having my own rules and to beginning adulthood I know I'll be calling my mom crying cause I miss her so much. My siblings on the other hand, we're a hot mess. My older sister lives in California, I think. I don't really talk to her too much, well actually, I don't talk to her. My older brother, he's the kind of brother you can sit at the kitchen table with at 11pm and just BS with him. I find him hilarious, but we aren't the heart to heart kind of siblings. My younger sister, she's the one I interact with the most. She's got so much strength it blows me away. We are the closest in age and you can tell. We fight like no other, but we also love like no other. She's my baby girl and I can't wait for her to begin her life. As far as a significant other, I don't really have one. I mean I have an interest in a certain fella, but we're still on that build and explore pages so he's cool. My friends are interesting. I have some that challenge me, some that bring me up, and some that just weigh me down. My relationship with myself is probably the one that struggles most. My relationship with my God, it gets brighter everyday. 

So what are the relationships supposed to look like, according to the bible?

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. -Proverbs 13:20
In other words, surround yourself with those are wise. Those that will lead you in the right direction.

 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. -John 15:13
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. -Hebrews 10:24-25
Bring each other up, daily. Surround yourself with those that encourage you and help you become a better you. 

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. -Ephesians 4:2-3

How are your relationships?

Song of Inspiration: 
Come As You Are - David Crowder 

 

Depression Confession & Consumption.

Depression Confession 

Depression: an issue in life that is easily over-looked.

Depression: a mental condition characterized by feelings of severe despondency and dejection, typically also with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, often accompanied by lack of energy and disturbance of appetite and sleep. (Google)

Depression: Unhappiness, sadness, melancholy, misery, sorrow, woe, gloom, despondency, low spirits, a heavy heart, despair, desolation, hopelessness. (Google)

Depression:  "... an episode of sadness or apathy along with other symptoms that lasts at least two consecutive weeks and is severe enough to interrupt daily activities” (WebMD) 

Depression: The reason that girl sits alone at lunch. The reason that man keeps his head down in the office. The reason that boy avoids school. The reason life seems impossible. 

What a consumption.

One day you can be on cloud nine. Your day is getting brighter and brighter. Then suddenly you're triggered. You remember it all, you get the flashbacks. You can remember the scents, the sights, the taste, the words. You remember. Gone is your chipper day, and hello to your gray cloud.

What http://www.dbsalliance.org has to say about depression.

-Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older, in a given year. (Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun; 62(6): 617-27)

-As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression. (Center for Mental Health Services, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1996)

-Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of the 30,000 reported suicides in the U.S. each year. (White House Conference on Mental Health, 1999)

-Untreated depression is the number one risk for suicide among youth. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 to 24 year olds and the fourth leading cause of death in 10 to 14 year olds. Young males age 15 to 24 are at highest risk for suicide, with a ratio of males to females at 7:1. (American Association of Suicidology, 1996)

Okay Bailey, so what's your point?

My  point is YOU'RE NOT ALONE. 

… It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. -Deuteronomy 31:8

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. -Psalms 34:17

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38-39

I understand, it's hard. No one claims that holding on is easy. No one says to only expect good days. However, holding on can bring the greatest pleasure in life. 

I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. -Psalms 40:1-3

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! -2 Corinthians 5:17

My life was invaded with love.  

http://www.godvine.com/A-Story-of-a-Severely-Depressed-Teen-Who-Turned-to-Jesus-1659.html

Song of Inspiration: 

How Can It Be - Lauren Daigle

As The Future Approaches.

Time is ticking, days are flying, months are soaring and the years... they're booking it into the next. As I approach the end of my Junior year of high school all I can think about is what the future holds for me. The pressure of getting outstanding grades, exceptional recommendations and killer A.C.T. or S.A.T. scores is quite overwhelming. 

A career in the field of Journalism would be a dream come true, and the opportunity to be prosecutor for Family and Child law would be the cherry on top of it all. So my question now is:  How do I remain confident in the plan God has for me?

 

HOLD ON TO THE TRUTH

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:8-9

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. -Proverbs 16:3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. -Proverbs 3:5

Side note: 

I want to start adding the song that spoke to me during my blog session, cause let's face it, who writes without listening to music? Keep in mind not all songs will be Christian Songs. Here it is:

Song of Inspiration:

Oh God - Citizens & Saints

Love.

Love Never Fails.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Patience, kindness, honor, selflessness, forgiving, protection, trust, hope, perseverance and never failing. How many people can honestly "That's my love life"? 

Someone near and dear to my heart recently said, "I believe that people are naturally inclined to be extraordinary, however, society dooms us to mediocracy." Harsh, right? But in all reality, how true is that? As children we found love in Disney movies. We read and watched love stories about princesses being awakened by a true-loves first kiss, prince charming saving the damsel from towers guarded by evil dragons, we've seen spells broken by love, and we've wished and dreamed that one day, we too, will experience that love.
However, society has highlighted love as something temporary, we've been trained to give up and leave once things get a little sticky. You hardly ever hear stories about couples that have endured such  hardships in their relationships. But we do hear the applause for these breakups and divorces. How on earth can we remain hopeful for this extraordinary love when society has shown us it doesn't exist?

Forget what society says and hold on to the truth. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.


Fruit for thought:
We have the ability, just like said above, to be inclined to an extraordinary life. Why not have and hope for an extraordinary love? How's your love life? Does it possess the above characteristics, or are you too, doomed by society to mediocracy?

A Sweet Escape

It never seizes to surprise me the joy that one place could bring. The feeling of home, outside of home; the warmth of your blankets, without the blankets; the inspiration one gets from the mountains, without the mountains. All these things are brought to me within a cozy coffee shop. Bricked walls, cushioned chairs and couches, poinsettias, coffee, tea, smoothies, live music; Verrado Coffee Co. I have labeled this as "My Happy Place".  I have made it an objective of mine, to visit this place once a week, giving myself the opportunity to let my mind soar and my thoughts to be inspired.

To conclude, I deeply and desperately encourage one to embark on the joy brought within My Happy Place, Verrado Coffee Co.

If you happen to be looking for something to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, one can enjoy the voice of Jeremiah Stone every Sunday, 11am-3pm.

Objective: Make You Whole.

It's happening, once again. The big, giant, icky, smelly knot is striking into the hearts of the ones that are broken. I don't think I'll ever understand stand why when we feel we are finally back on our feet, this knot comes through and yanks us right back down.  We get so consumed by the thoughts of this knot that we begin to look at other ways to escape from its grip. We then begin to question God. We ask him "Why did you let this happen? Why are you letting it still effect me?" Or anger gets out of control. We start to turn on our loved ones, we blame them for not being able to save us, we begin to aim all the heartache towards them. And for what reason? Is it because we are lost, broken and alone? Is it because they're the closest ones to us, and they can't leave us like the rest did? There's no logic or explanation as to why we hurt the ones we love most. However, there is one person that we can give EVERYTHING to, all the heartache, all the thoughts, all the misery. That person? That person is Jesus Christ. 

You see God sent his ONLY son down to die for us so that we can live a life of redemption, forgiveness, and a life without fear. No fear, no fear of the future, no fear of the past. A life without fear and with all the redemption possible. Mind boggling, isn't it? God put us in this life and allowed these struggles cause he knows you can overcome them. You are gonna become even more stronger than what you already are. Healing is in store, you just gotta shop around for a bit. 

 “God wants to make you whole. He doesn’t want you to spend the rest of your life hurting" -Joyce Meyer

Death.

I've endured many deaths, but none like this. All my relatives that have passed were long lived and ready to soar. Uncle John wasn't.

The man who claimed to have a huge impact in raising me is now gone. I remember our last conversation so vividly. It was over a year ago, he had a gigantic black and blue foot from a motorcycle accident. As soon as I walked through the door, he embraced me with his arms and his warm words "Gosh, my Bailey Girl is so big." We spoke for what felt like hours and hours as if no one else was in the room. As I left, I told him I'd be down for the summer so we could do a project together.

But here I am, over a year later wondering, why God? Uncle John was sooo dear to my heart. Why is he gone? Why didn't I go visit him? Why can't I stop replaying memories in my head with him and Aunt Dorthy? It's not fair.

God has a plan. Uncle John is with him now, safe, sound, pain free, and happy. He will always be with me. I love you Uncle John.

Promises.

We've all got it. We've all got our big, giant, icky, smelly knot. A knot that has impacted our lives in ways that we didn't think were possible. Our life has been picked up, rolled down a hill, and dropped into an alley. You face a constant struggle to stay positive; so you reminisce on the old times hoping that they save you. But in the end, they seize to exist.

My memories consist of: three-day-weekends at a cabin with fresh spring water swimming by, lazy days sitting in a beanbag playing "Halo Reach" from sunrise to sunset, long physically draining hikes in preparation for even larger hikes, and romping through the forest in our truck. All the memories are ones I wish I could hold on and experience for the rest of my life, but let's me honest... That big, giant, icky, smelly knot took that wish away. 

Why am I making you begin to think about these heart-tugging memories? Well you see, there are promises. Promises that are utterly and completely satisfying to those that drench their souls into and with them. 

Promise 1: There's a plan for you. Yes, I know you're going through a terrible time. You're probably thinking to yourself, no one understands, no one gets it, and no one gets me. I've heard it all and I've thought it all. Here's something to recognize, no thought can out stand the truth and the hope that is found in God's promise to us about where we're going in the midst of this hardship. 

     Jeremiah 29:11 reads: "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" 

Promise 2: You were given this life, this hardship, to endure because you are strong enough. When a curve ball is thrown and this big, giant, icky, smelly knot hits you in the face; we, by human nature, think this is too big for me to handle. There's absolutely no way I can get through this and if I do get through this there's no way I'll continue to survive. Right? No, Wrong. 

     Isaiah 49:29-31 reads

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Promise 3: You are eternally and unconditionally loved. As females, even as males, we can struggle with loneliness. I know, loneliness is an awfully isolating and consuming feeling. We seem to have it in our minds that "no one can love someone like me." Our hearts and our expectations get so incredibly tampered with in today's world. We see posts on social media labeling: power couples, relationship goals, homecoming proposals and even prom proposals. All these small, yet complex factors point us to loneliness; however, they fail to point us to God's love for us.

     Romans 8:38-39 reads

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How mind blowing is it to figure out that this big, giant, icky, smelly knot does not and will not dictate our life? There is a plan that is uniquely crafted for each individual. There is an intangible amount of strength with us, we just gotta unlock it. Finally, there's an undeserving bundle of  love that covers us and seeks us out every moment, every second, every minute and every hour of every day. These are promises. Promises that have the power to save you, you just have to believe in them. 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue (words)

Inspired.

Today I realized I had an hour to kill before picking up my little sister. What on earth was I going to do for an hour? I seemed to have figured it out because soon enough I found myself at QT satisfying my craving for an ice-filled 32oz. of Mountain Dew. That I must say, was an amazing thirst quencher. After sitting in my car for fifteen minutes pondering what to do for the remainder of the time, I proceeded into my church parking lot. Knowing my youth pastor is on campus, I quickly got out of my car, locked in up and headed into his office. As time went by we found ourselves discussing my future: what I'm going to major in, where I'm going to school, what my passions are, etc. That very conversation brought me here.

Hello bloggers, readers, skeptics. I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life where I welcome you all into the inner-working of my mind. 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue (words)