Waves

There are a variety of spiritual gifts that God can bestow upon you as you grow in Him and he equips you to carry out his mission. 

I was about 10 when I received the gift of tongues. I remember being at a summer crusade or retreat or something and the pastor gave an altar call. I'm not sure my 10-year-old self fully comprehended what I was stepping into, but boy am I thankful that I did. Praying in the spirit is something I definitely don't do often enough. It tends to be something I resort to when life is hard and I truly don't know how to pray or what to pray for. There have been times, especially recently, where I've just laid on my floor and sang/cried/prayed in the spirit because there was truly nothing else I knew to do. 

Moments like that are irreplaceable and I'm so honored to be able to hold a relationship like that with my creator. I hope and pray for more spiritual gifts. The gift of knowledge. The gift of discernment. I want to see visions of heaven on earth. 

This past week I read a quote by one of the worship leaders from Bethel church. It read something along the lines of "I can face any wave or storm because my feet are planted in Christ." Today during worship I was meditating on that image and I just pictured a roaring wave pouring down from the wall in front of me and washing over me. Even though it was strong and powerful it was refreshing and purifying. 

Far too often the Holy Spirit is trying to wash over me but I'm too caught up in myself to notice. My hope is that as I start February tomorrow that I can earnestly seek Jesus every day. Because a day without Him is a day not worth having. 

Crying out to God

God has always been so good to me. He is patient and usually gives me a heads up when life is about to change. 

As I sense these changes arising, I can't help but try to take matters into my own hands. I have to be reminded DAILY that God is the one who is in charge and will make things happen in his time. 

I was taught a lesson in control this past weekend. I flew to Atlanta so I could go to Ft Benning to attend my brother's ARMY Ranger graduation. The graduation was great and I'm so thankful to have been able to spend a few days with him. When it came time to fly home, 2016 blizzard Jonas had other plans. As Philly got pounded with 20+ inches of snow and wind gusts over 40mph, I found myself stranded in Atlanta. 

Aaron decided to just drive back to Bragg, but I had to sit and wait. I rebooked my flight 5 times, but in the end I had to wait it out. God came through in such an amazing way. I was able to stay with my friend's family. Although I totally imposed on their birthday party, I met some amazing Christian people and had a great time. 

I'm definitely thankful to be home, but I'm blessed to be reminded by how much God cares about the stresses and details of our lives. And thankfully my car is all dug out!

New year, new potential

A few years ago a friend of mine challenged me to find a name for my year. A word or two to claim for the year. Since then I've had the following titles and outcomes:

2014: the year of trusting God

-quit my job

-moved to Philly

-sold my car

-found a new job

-got a new house/roommate

-planted The Block Church

2015: The year of Going Deeper

-completed two 21-day fasts

-re-read much of the Bible

-studied scripture

-invested time in Christian podcasts

-attended my first missions trip

-read books by Steven Furtick, Bill Johnson, Gary Thomas, Danny Silk, Christine Caine, A.W. Tower and more.

Needless to say, God's word for my life and my future has required faith and work on my part. I'm not sure what a year of bravery has in store for me, but a big part of it is going to mean learning how to trust God without hesitation and love Him beyond that. Here we go 2016. Let's be brave together.