Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts

musings on ruth

5 Dec 2024

I started the year reading the book of Ruth (I even mentioned it in this post) and now that we're approaching the end of the year and advent season begins I've found myself drawn to it again. The parallels between two stories of two women in the city of Bethlehem is always striking but it hits different at this time of year.

The book of Ruth begins with no king on the throne in Israel and it ends with the genealogy of a king, which will lead to the King of Kings it starts with barrenness and ends with provision. In the same fields where Ruth meets Boaz the angels will proclaim to the shepherds the Good News because in both stories, a baby is born in Bethlehem, Obed to redeem Naomi, and Jesus to redeem the world.

Biblically, Bethlehem has always been a place of redemption and provision. Yet right now, Bethlehem would love some redemption - redemption from war and unrest and hunger. Bethlehem, House of Bread, where a broken family came with no bread and ends with the promise of the Bread of Life. Yet as we look on, the city known as the House of Bread, doesn't have any bread. When Jesus was a child He and His family had to flee to Egypt to escape the persecution of a king who was adamant to wipe him out, much like how we look upon Gaza today and see its inhabitants doing the same as they flee or withstand the ongoing attack from Israel. A lot of the time we find it so easy to Nativity-ify Bethlehem but the fact of the matter is that a simple Google search will tell you that Bethlehem still exists and it's located in the West Bank, an area under constant fire from an Israel far removed from the one we sing about at Christmas.

I find it tricky these days to sing carols where we glorify the name of Israel, but Zion, the place where God's presence resides is no longer a place, or a tribe, or a nation, it's within his people. Israel forfeited their right to that long ago. While biblical Israel and the Israel we have today are two different nations, Bethlehem is the same. This discomfort is something I'm praying into right now because becoming jaded with Christmas is really not something I want to struggle with.

I've also found it helpful to support organisations working in conflict-affected areas such as Palestine. One of my favourites is Doctors Without Borders. As we give and receive gifts this Christmas season, consider donating to help those currently having a less-than-peaceful Christmas.

They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Jeremiah 6:14 


I use studies from Daily Grace Co to really delve deep into what the Bible is saying and I LOVE their book specific studies which is where I picked up most of this Ruth content from so definitely check them out - I've learned so much!

jehovah rapha - my god restores

15 Jan 2024

I like to start each new year with a truth about God that I'm choosing to proclaim - kind of like an anthem for the year. This is usually something that brings itself to the fore in the early days of the year - God saying "This is who I am. Embrace that".

my quiet time essentials

28 Oct 2021

One thing I’m never been great at as a Christian is actively doing my quiet time. I’ve recently started leading a small group with some of our young people and we’re trying to get them excited about the Bible and in order to do that, we need to be excited by the Bible. I must be doing a decent job because I asked a question on Instagram a few days ago about what Alice isn’t Alice without, and one of my young people said her Bible! I thought I’d share some of the things that I’ve found recently have really helped me with putting more focus into reading my Bible and enjoying my quiet time.

Find a Bible That Works For You

Just to start off on a controversial note, I don’t really think it matters what version of the Bible you use! If you’re not up to the old language of the King James Version and prefer to read something easier to understand like The Message, then that’s okay! I personally use an ESV because that’s my personal choice but I’m not here to yell at someone for choosing a different version, we do not gatekeep the Bible friends! I recently purchased some bible tabs to make it easier to locate things (and they’re also super pretty) – my young people are also obsessed with these and can’t believe I actually sat down and stuck them all in! I actually only got this bible reasonably recently because I wanted to switch to a journaling Bible so that I can actually take notes and keep track of things better but again if you want something more compact – you do you!

Study Soundtrack

I have music on constantly in my life and that doesn’t change when I’m doing my bible studies. The only difference is I’m no longer bopping to sad pop hits but tuning into worship music. My favourites at the moment are from Elevation Worship, UPPERROOM and Maverick City Music. There are plenty of chill Christian hits playlists on Spotify to keep it fresh though.

Find a Study

Diving straight into the Bible can be a little intimidating so that’s why I always find it helpful to work through a study you can get plenty of these for free online, The YouVersion Bible app has many great ones. But I really find it’s helpful for me to have a physical book. I’ve recently started using studies from The Daily Grace Co which I’ve been absolutely loving. They often have sales on so you can snap them up for a bargain price. She Read’s Truth is also a great place for studies and you can even sign up to receive a free daily devotional to your email inbox!

Make a Tea/Coffee

I mentioned that reading your Bible should be an enjoyable experience and not something you feel forced to do and what better way to add comfort to an experience than with a cup of tea or coffee. I always find having a hot drink really helps me to slow down and be more present in the moment which is the perfect addition to quiet time. Just be careful not to spill!

Put your phone away

Once I’ve set the ambience I always but my phone away so I’m not distracted. If you’re anything like me I’m so often planning to do something and then I always end up doing something on my phone or laptop instead. Obviously if you’re using your phone for the study or for the Bible this is a little different but that’s why I always try and use physical resources wherever possible to eliminate technology related distractions.

Use a Journal

I’m pretty sure that everyone has extra notebooks sitting on their shelves – I think it’s part of being human. Using one as a quiet time journal is a great way to use them up! You can write down anything that stands out to you from your reading and a lot of the time, bible studies will come with questions for each section. It’s always good to write these things down so you can refer back to them at a later date rather than just relying on your memory so even if you’re using a digital equivalent, it’s still a good idea to take notes.
Those are just a few ways that I've fallen back in love with my quiet time lately and I hope it's inspired you as well. I'm always on the look out for new resources so if anyone has any recommendations let me know down below, but other than that I hope you have a lovely, blessed day!

It's A Snow Day - Some Thoughts on Anticipation

24 Jan 2021

Well, it finally happened, we got our snow!!! For weeks it's been forecast and for weeks we haven't gotten any. There's been snow in other parts of the country, heck even other parts of the city, but my little corner of Belfast was snow-free until today. I love being inside when it's snowing far more than I love being outside in the snow but for some reason every time those sweet white flakes come down I become a child again and run out the door, carefree, ready to embrace the cold like an old friend.
The wait for the first snow of the year is a funny time. It usually hits around late January to early February but as I mentioned, living in the city, in the lowlands, and near the water, we get it a little later than everyone else. I've been seeing my friends. who live out in the country or up in the hills posting on their Instagram stories for the past few weeks of their snowy exploits and you begin to feel like you're missing out. Even if it is a trivial little thing like waiting longer for snow it really got me thinking about anticipation and seasons of waiting.
Social media is in some ways such a positive thing but at the same time is such a leader for toxic thoughts and comparison. Seeing other people reach goals that you are nowhere near to achieving can be encouraging and damaging. We're all on different paths and just because all around us we see people younger than us achieving these great things it doesn't mean that we are behind, it doesn't mean that we're failing. We don't need to look back and analyse all the mistakes we may have made that may have led us to this moment of not being where we wanted to be because the truth is you are right where you're supposed to be at this moment in time.
It's frustrating, especially now that COVID and lockdowns are preventing us from really getting out there and smashing those goals, we've maybe had to hit pause on that exciting venture but that doesn't mean that we just stop. We can continue to look forward to the future with anticipation that better things are to come one day you will get your snow and you will reach those goals and if it happens later than you thought it's not a reflection on you, you're just on a different path than you maybe thought. In Isaiah 55:8-9 it says:
"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."
We can trust that God has us on the right path and that in the end if we continue to trust in his plan for our lives, we will prevail.
This was really a spur of the moment post with spur of the moment photos because sometimes no matter how hard we plan for things sometimes ideas just come and it just feels right to post them then and there so hopefully everything I said here makes sense a little bit.
Has it snowed yet where you are and do you get as excited about snow as I clearly do? And are you more of an inside when it snows or outside when it snows kind of person?

Some Thoughts From The Mountains

13 Jul 2020

I took a trip to the mountains with my friends over the weekend. We climbed Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains which is the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland but in the grand scheme of things, it's not very tall! Being in nature and being in the mountains is always said as being a great place It took us almost 7 hours to get up and down to think so that being said I did a lot of thinking up in the mountains.

Anthems I'm Currently Proclaiming (During Lockdown)

13 May 2020

You know those songs that speak directly into your situation and just WRECK you (like these ones I shared a few months ago). Now that we'ew facing these very strange and uncertain days these are just some songs that I'm choosing to sing over these circumstances when we don't know what to expect but we do know that God is good.


mid-week musings (mid-pandemic musings)

25 Mar 2020

Well, this has been an eventful few weeks. I've just finished university classes 6 weeks early, meaning that I'll not get to see the year out with my friends who have been by my side since day one almost four years ago! All exams have been cancelled and replaced with coursework, our formal, which was going to be our last hoorah has been cancelled and graduation has likely been postponed. And to top it all off, they've cancelled Eurovision, the main source of joy in my life while my world was tumbling down around me. 

So how can I possibly still find joy in these strange and difficult times? Yes, it majorly sucks that everything is ending so abruptly and we're not getting the 2020 that we hoped and planned for but this pandemic didn't take God by surprise! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! 

 One of my favourite songs, Still God by Elevation Worship declares 
Before the world began
It wasn't spoken yet
You were still God
And You are still God
After Your final breath
It wasn't over yet
You were still God
And You are still God
He is still God in the midst of our troubles, He is still God in the midst of our fear, He is still God in the midst of our disappointment, He is still God in the midst of our loneliness, He is still God in the midst of our uncertainty. He is STILL God. The same God that saw us through our other low points will certainly see us through this one, so that's why I'm clinging tightly on to hope.


what jesus has been teaching me lately

15 Jan 2020

Long-time no faith post. I've taken an unplanned hiatus from posting on social media which as someone who's livelihood is online seemed like a weird thing to do and something that I never actually ever envisioned myself doing. I've never really viewed my social media usage as toxic or a distraction but having a week out of pressurising myself to keep posting content that I thought other people would enjoy was actually very enjoyable and the world didn't implode. SHOCKED FACE! I say unintentionally because during this time I was desperately scouring my hard drive for pictures I could post that I hadn't yet but then I caught a grip of myself, slowed down and thought 'Why am I really doing this?'. 

 Authenticity is key! And me posting a photo from summer when in reality I'm stuck in my house revising for exams does not scream authenticity to me! So many times you can get so caught up in busyness but most of the time, it's not even busyness it's actually laziness and procrastination that masked in the noisiness and brashness of social media. 

 Getting away from the hustle and bustle of keeping up with my Instagram feed meant I was really pressing into Jesus this past week and here are a few things that He's really put on my heart.

Trust in His plan
I'm doing a year-long devotional this year, specifically Women of the Bible, and we're only 3 weeks in but it's already hitting me with some hard truths! Week 2 was focused on the story of Sarah and how when she tried to take God's promise for her into her own hands it ended in disaster. She was barren and was promised a Son so sent her husband to sleep with her servant to act as a surrogate. It was a plan, it worked, but it wasn't God's plan for her. Sarah grew jealous of Hagar and ultimately sent her away along with her son. But God intervened, He didn't give up on Sarah and fulfilled that promise to her. He brought her Jacob, which means laughter. When she took the plans into her own hands, it ended with pain but when she handed it over to God she was rewarded with laughter! How often do we take God's plans into our own hands and get rewarded with failure! 

 Reading this reminded me (super randomly might I add) of one of my favourite songs, Los Dias Raros by Vetusta Morla. The last line of the song is 'It begins with cellophane and ends with an echo'. So many times our testimonies can begin by us being blessed with a gift, God working in our lives and if we take that gift and use it, we'll echo God's love for us all around us. 

 Contagious
While I was on my hiatus I was also watching A LOT of Queer Eye and every time I watch an episode of Queer Eye I'm struck by how evident the gospel is. It might seem weird that a show about 5 gay men making over (or making better) someone from the deep south of America could be considered the gospel because it's such a far cry from what we expect the gospel to be. We're familiar with the gospel, it makes sense to us but for the religious rulers and the people of Jerusalem at the time that Jesus was telling parables it was not. We've grown so accustomed to the teachings of the Bible that God's grace doesn't shock us anymore, we don't always see the miraculous things that He's doing in front of our very eyes!
"Forgiveness is  something that's contagious, Freedom is something that's contagious"- Karamo Brown
We are forgiven so that we can forgive and we are free in order to free others. Our pictures of what we think a Christian should look like can sometimes taint us from doing our job in evangelising. If the boys from Queer Eye can make someone loveable, think about how much the love of Jesus could impact someone's life!

 Back to our First Love
So often we can completely miss the point of Christianity. It becomes more and more about going through the motions, striving for growth, striving to see breakthrough that we can forget that the foundation of all of it needs to be Jesus. Our first love isn't the first thing we loved, it's the thing that we love first, before anything else. Jesus should be our first love. Everything else we do should flow from that place of loving Jesus above all else and that's when we'll start to see the blessings flow. Start 2020 (albeit it a little late) on the right foot, with Jesus at the centre.

Anthems I'm Currently Proclaiming

6 Aug 2019

Every so often songs come into your life and they just speak exactly into how you're feeling. Those songs become the anthems for your life. The truths I find are the truths I like to proclaim, whenever I'm having a bit of a low day I just remember how powerful our God is and who He is and therefore who I am! I am chosen, I'm not forsaken, I'm a child of God. So here are three of the anthems that I'm currently proclaiming!

1. Here Again - Elevation Worship (x)
This was my original anthem and will forever be the anthem I choose to sing! I choose to say that not for a minute was I forsaken. I listened to Tauren Wells sing this having heard the song approximately 50 times before but preached on it in the middle and it spoke to me all over again. I even wrote down what he said because I loved it so so much. Honestly, this song will probably be the anthem for the rest of my life because it still continues to wreck me every single time!

2. Goodness of God- Bethel Music (x)
This is another one that came to me at just the right time. I was going through a bit of a rough patch with a whole load of things and I was just really drained but getting to join and proclaim that God's goodness was running after me and chasing me down every step of the way.

 3. What A Beautiful Name - Hillsong Worship (x)
I first heard this song at Hillsong Copenhagen while I was there in 2016 so it always carries happy memories for me but how great that NOTHING can stand against the name of Jesus. All we need to do is proclaim his name and the darkness runs and flees.

What anthems are you currently singing over your life?

getting fruity.

3 Apr 2019

I haven't written a faith post in a while so I thought I'd use today just to share a little bit about what I've been learning recently and it's a biggie. How can we live a godly life? What does that mean? How can we best portray Jesus in our daily living? SO MANY QUESTIONS but here's a simple way to make a start.

I once heard a sermon (it's this one by the way, I highly recommend checking it out, he talks about this all way better than I can) which talked about how to be most like Jesus, one time Jesus spat on people, do we do that? Jesus wore a toga, do we do that? Jesus had long hair, do we do that? We could, but it's not the best way to do it. I probably wouldn't even try to do the first one though, just to be safe. The best way to do be like Jesus is to take on the characteristics of Jesus. These are most exemplified in the Fruit of The Spirit.

Raise your hand if you were also a Sunday School kid who had the Fruit of the Spirit drilled into you from an early age, because I know I was. Ephesians 5 says that 'The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.' (if you sang that to the tune of the song you get bonus Sunday School points).

We all learned the Fruit of the Spirit as kids but how good are we at actually putting them int practice as adults. Notice how they are referred to as FRUIT and not GIFTS, this means that we all have the opportunity to grow them in our lives. One small way that I've been doing this recently is by finding one way that I displayed the Fruit of the Spirit each day.

Maybe it was patience when a co-worker is not co-operating, maybe it was showing love to that person who was by themselves, maybe it was showing kindness to someone when they were alone, maybe it was having peace among the stress of deadlines, maybe it was choosing joy in the times when joy didn't seem like an option.

It's a really simple thing to do, just reflecting on the ways we live a Godly life can help us grow in developing our Godly life. Some days we might not show an awful lot of patience in one area, but we found peace in another area. We're not perfect, none of us are going to be able to display all of these characteristics all the time, some of them will come more naturally to us than others but by growing them and reflecting on how we've been displaying them it really helps you to harness the things that matter enabling us to live the best possible life that God has mapped out for us.

Coat: Zara (thrifted), Sweater: M&S (old), Jeans: TK Maxx

21 Things I Learned Before Turning 21

19 Feb 2019

Oh hey, I turn 21 on Wednesday 20th February. I have a lot of knowledge, although most of it admittedly is mainly pretty useless, but I thought I'd share a little bit as I reminisce over the past 21 years of life. 


1. Smile
You've all probably heard the saying that smiling burns more calories than frowning. In theory, it probably doesn't but smiling is always a good thing to do.

 2. Hamilton is worth the hype
That's all I have to say on this subject but if you get the chance to go and see this show DO IT!

 3. Più bello della vita non c'è niente
It may be a line from one of my absolute all-time favourite songs (La Vita by Il Volo) but it's also been my life motto since 2016, It translates from Italian as 'There is nothing that is more beautiful than life' and even though life can suck sometimes, that's a truth universally acknowledged but even in the low moments life is still beautiful and it's important to enjoy every little bit of it.



4. You will grow
Sometimes people ask me why I still have all my old Instagram photos still on my feed but I love scrolling through to see how far my content has come in the past (insert number) here. If you're not at the point that you want to be at now, whether it's physically, mentally or creatively you won't stay at that point forever you'll grow and develop and someday you'll be able to look back at what you used to be and where you are now and be excited for all that's still to come because we never stop growing.

 5. Passion is power
BE PASSIONATE, that is my biggest thing. If you have nothing to be passionate about you must have a very boring life. I'm at the extreme end of the passion spectrum though and will get very very passionate about things very very quickly but what's the point in liking things casually? 

 6. Freedom is a gift
I know where every country in the world is on a map and it's a skill that I am very very proud of. In some countries, they don't have the same freedoms that we have here and it's important to remember that so many of the things that we take for granted are punishable by death in many countries and people undergo things that we couldn't even imagine on a daily basis. (Check out the World Watch List from Open Doors)

 7. Not for a minute was I forsaken
In Deuteronomy 31:6 it says 'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you'. Not forsaken was the truth I spoke over my life in 2018. No matter how far we wander from God, He will never forsake us, no matter what's going on in our lives, He will never forsake us. My favourite worship song of all time is 'Here Again' by Elevation Worship and just getting to declare 'Not for a minute was I forsaken, the Lord is in this place', just always brings me so much joy and peace and comfort. It's the anthem I choose to sing over my life.



    8. Life's too short to keep hating Eurovision
    This is a PSA to inform you that the Eurovision Song Contest is more than just a trashy europop festival and deserves credit and respect in the music industry please and thank you. Honestly so many great songs and artists come out of the whole Eurovision scene every single year and so many people miss out on it because of the universal bandwagon of Eurovision bashing and I'm not about it. (This has absolutely nothing to do with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest being my favourite day of the year)

     10. I am who You say I am
    Sometimes words will be spoken over you and they can sometimes be negative but the only words that matter are the words that God speaks over you. In the words of Lauren Daigle, 'You say I am loved, when I can't feel a thing, You say I am strong when I think I am weak'



    11. East to West is an immeasurable distance
    If you keep walking north, you'll eventually start walking south but if you keep walking east, you'll never stop walking east. That means that in the Bible when it says in Psalm 103:12 'as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.' That our sins are completely stripped from us, there is no way to get them back.

     12. Niall Horan is the best member of One Direction
    I say this as someone who was a hardcore Harry Styles fan from the ages of 12-15. It's taken me a long time to accept but Flicker was the best album of 2017 and that is all. (Harry's still a close second though)

     13. Copenhagen is the city of dreams
    If you've known me for any length of time, you'll probably know that I am obsessed with the city of Copenhagen and I highly recommend that everyone visit it at least once in their life. It truly is my most special place.

     14. Take baby steps
    You can dream big, but realistically you're not going to get exactly what you want straight away, it takes time. Start by setting smaller goals before aiming for the overarching picture. Do the same with prayer, if you're finding your big prayers just aren't having the outcome you want, try starting with a smaller building block prayer. 

    15. Academic results aren't the most important thing in the world
    If you're stressing about exams and results, just take a deep breath. Am I saying that you shouldn't work hard to achieve the grades that you want, absolutely not, but if you don't end up with the grades that you were expecting or needed to get into the course you wanted etc. it's okay. I didn't get the grades I needed and at the time it sucked but looking back on it, it was the best thing that could have happened because it led me on a different path that was definitely the best thing for me at that time.

    16. Take care of yourself
    While putting others needs first is a great thing to do, you have to be very careful to strike a happy medium, make sure that your needs don't get pushed under the rug while you're trying to keep other people happy. As an enneagram type 9 this is something that I definitely struggle with (I once ate ramen with chopsticks in Wagamama because I didn't want to ask for cutlery and you think I'm kidding) and it's definitely one of my goals this coming year to be more assertive in my opinions and take charge of what I want to do more often.

    17. Pursue what brings you joy
    Without sounding too much like Marie Kondo, the things that bring us joy should be at the forefront of our lives. I was asked recently where I find my joy and it will be different for different people, some people will like being with people, some people on their own, some people inside, some people outside. Whatever it is that brings you joy, pursue it.

     18. You can't be good at everything
    I'm the kind of person who likes to do everything but then gets annoyed whenever someone is better than me at something, in my case I am horrendous at anything sports related, I have no hand-eye coordination (which is weird for someone who can dance I guess) but give me something musical I can do it, I am woeful at art but photography I can do. It's a weird thing but work on the skills and talents you know you have and don't stress too much about the ones that you can't do. 

     19. English isn't the only language
    In school, we were very lucky to be able to learn 3 languages and introduced to language at a young age. I wasn't great at languages in school (I actually think I got worse as I progressed rather than better) but after I left school I picked up Italian and loved it a lot more because I was learning it for me and not just to pass an exam. Also, the music industry in other countries is also thriving and just because you can't understand the words to a song doesn't make it a bad song.

    20. Hate doesn't come from religion
    Plucked this straight out of the mouth of Sana Bakkoush in Skam but it's true. So often you see religion getting bad press because of things but true religion is about love and acceptance. If we are to love as Jesus loves, we're called to love all people, even people we don't agree with or people who live very differently to us. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God and it's only through Jesus that we are made whole so who are we to judge others when the Bible specifically says the opposite. 

     21. I have so much still to learn
     I may have learned a lot in the past 21 years but I know that there is so much more still to learn and I can't wait to see what these next 21 years will bring!

    hepzibah: my delight is in her

    11 Dec 2018

    In this season of advent we think about the first coming of Christ and how it was foretold in the old testament which is especially evident in the book of Isaiah.
    You shall no more be termed Forsakenand your land shall no more be termed Desolatebut you shall be called Hepzibah (My Delight Is In Her)and you land Beluah (Married)For the Lord delights in you and your land shall be married.
    Isaiah 62:4




    These are the words that God spoke to Isaiah for Zion. Now, while at the time Zion was a physical place it's also synonymous for anywhere the spirit of God is, and so it's also a promise for us. We are no longer called forsaken but now called 'The one in whom God delights'. This year for me has truly been the year of 'Not Forsaken'. This has been the truth that I've spoken over my life time and time again and this week I've been thinking even more about being no longer forsaken but the one in whom God delights and how incredible a truth that is that God says 'My delight is found in her'. This week I've prayerfully curated this playlist of songs for her (sorry boys) about how we can be confident as women in God that He has placed his delight in us. Below this playlist I've just done a little summary of the songs I selected, what they say and why I selected them. I hope that this blesses you in this advent season. (Also if you have any other songs that you think would fit perfectly in this collection please let me know!)

    Take Courage (Kristene Di Marco)

    And You who hold the stars
    Who call them each by name
    Will surely keep, Your promise to me
    That I will rise, in Your victory

    This for me truly is the anthem of advent, I used it in my advent blog last year and I'm using it again this year (sue me). It really reflects the spirit of waiting and waiting expectently for what God is going to do. As the song says, He is in the waiting so as long as we keep our eyes fixed on Him during the period of waiting, good things will come.

    You Say (Lauren Daigle)

    You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
    You say I am strong when I think I am weak
    You say I am held when I am falling short
    When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours

    I couldn't make this playlist and not include this song. We are who God says we are, not what the world has to say about us. The city of Zion and the people of Israel knew what it was like to be forsaken, but God had other things to say about them. No longer forsaken but Hepzibah. God's delight is in us because He says it is and that's a truth.

    Peace Be Still (The Belonging Co Ft. Lauren Daigle)


    Peace be still
    You are here so it is well
    Even when my eyes can't see
    I will trust the voice that speaks
    Peace, Peace over me
    The God of the storm is the same God who is also God of the calm. When we're in turbulent seasons we can be so quick to think that God has left us but we don't have to deal with these seasons alone because He is right there speaking peace over and bringing the seas to still and if He can calm the raging seas just think about the wonders that He could do for your stress/anxieties/worries.

    I Am No Victim (Kristene Di Marco)

    I am who He says I am
    He is who He says He is 
    I’m defined by all His promises
    Shaped by every word He says

    We can so often feel like victims of the world but if we take refuge in who God has said we are we discover that we're not poor, we're not orphans and we're not lost. God's delight is in us and He's chosen us to be coheirs of His kingdom. We have a home with the King and the promises that He speaks over us are for good.

    Who You Say I Am (Hillsong Worship)


    I am chosen
    Not forsaken

    I am who You say I am

    Chosen and not forsaken. This is the overarching theme here but it's a good theme. God has chosen us, Jesus died for us and we're never going to be forsaken and we never have been forsaken. We are who He says we are. No longer forsaken but chosen as children of God.

    Pieces (Amanda Cook)


    Your love not broken 
    It's not insecure 

    Your love's not selfish 
    Your love is pure


    This song is an anthem about God's love for us. He doesn't just love us a little bit but He loves us with an Agape, unconditional love. It's pure and it's reviving. It wasn't given out accidentally, He knows exactly what He's doing when He loves us unconditionally. It's a conscience choice. How great is His love for us!

    Still God (Elevation Worship)


    Before the world began, it wasn't spoken yet
    You were still God, and You are still God
    After Your final breath, it wasn't over yet
    You were still God, and You are still God

    He is still God! The same God that created the heavens and the earth is the same God that's alive today and lives within us. He's the same God that is still performing miracles. he hasn't stopped being God and He never will stop being God.

    Not Today (Hillsong United)


    Tell me did the enemy panic
    As You took up that cross

    Tell me did the darkness cry mercy
    As You rolled back that rock


    Death is defeated, the enemy is defeated. Fear and anxieties can hold us back but when we have Jesus on our side we have the authority through Him to tell the enemy No and we can believe that no is no because Jesus has full authority and His name is all powerful.

    Sing My Way Back (Steffany Gretzinger)


    When I lose direction
    When I can’t see the stars
    If we get disconnected

    I’ll sing my way back to Your heart
    I’ll sing my way back to Your arms

    Part of God's love being unconditional means that even if we fail, stumble or find our way walking against Him or His plan for our lives, we can always come back and He'll always take us back. No matter what we've done it's not too much for God. As long as we repent wholeheartedly and realign our vision with His we can always find our way back to His heart.

    Lament (Seacoast Worship)


    So come close, I'm on the verge of breaking
    Come close, I'm desperate for Your presence
    Come close, the weight of pain is crushing
    Come close


    This one is a little bit different from the others. In this one there is a cry of 'Where are You now?'. Sometimes we feel like God is so distant and that we're in our troubles all alone but even amid the times when we feel like this we can still proclaim that He is Good. Maybe this season of hurt isn't going away, maybe this season of loneliness is just stretching on and on but our difficult seasons are such an important part of the route to breakthrough and although it might not always feel like it, God is always with us.

    Cover The Earth (Kari Jobe)


    Fear has no choice but to bow
    Chains have no choice but to break
    Shame has no choice but to leave
    In Your presence


    His Spirit has covered the entire earth and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. That means that there are no chains holding us back from all the God has in store for us. The chains have no choice but to break because He has declared freedom over us.

    On My Side (Kim Walker-Smith)


    In the front lines, You fight for me
    Oh, Your kindness is my shield
    When the armies rise and I am scared
    My heart You will defend


    God is fighting for us always, He's always on our side. He's not going to see us battling something and just say 'Nah they can deal with this one on their own'. He's going to be right there with us throughout the whole thing! 

    Miracle (Mosaic MSC)


    I see a miracle in an empty grave
    The One we though was dead has come to life again
    I see a miracle in every chain You break
    The power of heaven roaring within me

    The whole point of Christmas was so that Easter could happen so the miracle of Jesus coming as a baby was just the start of the bigegst miracle that was ever going to occur when He rose from the dead. But He's still performing miracles today and it's important that we never forget about the miracles that He has performed in us before He can perform mircales through us.

    Defender (UPPERROOM)


    And all I did was praise
    And all I did was bow down
    And all I did was stay still
    And all I did was worship


    God is our defender and things are always better His way but sometimes we try to take control of our own destinies but when we surrender fully to Him, and praise, bow down, stay still, worship. we'll see breakthrough. Be still and know that I am God.



    Satisfaction in Singleness

    24 Sept 2018

    Let's talk about the 'S' word, not that one, the big one, Singleness. Ugh. Especially now that all of my friends are starting to get into relationships, getting engaged and even getting married, the singleness thing is starting to become more and more just a 'me' thing, Singleness is great and all that but sometimes you just get a yearning for someone to share life with and when you don't have that, it can suck a little bit.

     You know that analogy where there's a big oak tree and it's all on its own in a field so that it's roots can go deep and spread wide without being blocked by anything else in its path of growth, I guess that is singleness right? It's important that you invest in yourself, that you're able to give as much to a relationship as you want to receive, as well as making sure you're right with God and your relationship with Him is in a good place before delving into a relationship with another person, because that's how healthy relationships are born.

     See these are things that I know, I know that seasons of singleness are super important for your development and that people can really flourish in singleness but sometimes the seasons can drag on and on and on and on and are like a never-ending expanse of desert, dry and devoid of affection, love and companionship, you can start to feel unlovable, unwanted and unappreciated. If I'm ready to be in a relationship, why is nobody ready to be in a relationship with me? This is something I do find myself asking more regularly than I'd like to admit but it all comes down to God's timing. God's timing is perfect and when we're going through seasons when our lives aren't turning out the way we always thought they would, we (me included) need to stop blaming God for it and start to trust in His timing. When we complain about our low seasons we're complaining about God's chosen route of breakthrough. Wouldn't you rather take a difficult journey to get to the best view rather than take the shortcut and not quite reach the summit?

     For me, singleness has much more been a way of life rather than a season and if you're also feeling like that, that's okay! Also if you're feeling a little bit alone and unloved right now that's also okay we all need to mope around every now and then but just know that God has never left you alone, He's always there and He's always got your back! Give 'You Say' by Lauren Daigle and 'Here Again' by Elevation Worship a listen and I guarantee you'll feel so loved in seconds! 

     Right now I'm happy enough to take my own Instagram pictures and big myself up for doing those things I do that are little mini-trials for me (like write this blog post *high fives self*), but still be able to trust in God's timing and believe that He's going to bring the right person at the right time and that I'm not in control, He is. 

    Shirt: Zara, Shorts: Bershka, Backpack: Madlug

    Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )