Tough Situations Bring Us Back.

Lately it’s been on my heart that sometimes we need to go through tough situations to bring us back to Christ. It seems, at least for me, that when things are going well I often “need” God less. I start thinking I can handle things or put whoever happens to be bringing me happiness during that season on a pedestal. Instead I should be praising Christ. Remembering that EVERY good thing comes from Him and should be used to glorify Him, and I need Him ALL the time…not just when times are tough. We have to be careful when things seem to be going great not to lose focus on Jesus, because that is when if something goes wrong we can feel as if we have lost it all.

I encourage you to read Romans 5
... but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Also James 1
...Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

I love when it says “who does not change like shifting shadows”. Whether in good times or bad time Christ is consistent, always there, always loving, always merciful, and ever deserving of our praise.

I will leave you with the Crazy Love quote from last week:

“It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.”

This week I pray that whether everything is going your way and you feel like you have it all, or you feel as though you've lost it all and life seems too much to bear, that you will not lose focus of the cross. I hope and pray that we will not be "proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, hollow-hearted people", but that we would humbly live our lives to serve and glorify our Savior Jesus Christ.

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com

Prayer for Haiti.

My heart just breaks for Haiti and what they are going through. I feel like scripture would be better to share with yall than any other words I could come up with…

Psalm 40:1-4 & 10-11

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust… I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. Do not withhold your mercy from me, O Lord; may your love and your truth always protect me.

Matthew 25:34-40
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

I pray that the Lord’s love and truth protect you and the people in Haiti. I praise God that he hears us, lifts us up, and that we can trust him. I pray that you, as well as the people in Haiti, will find peace and joy in the Lord even in the toughest of times. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

WaTCH ouT aMaZoN... HeRe CoMeS aLLy!!

www.e3partners.org/AmazonAlly-Support



I am beyond ecstatic for my first mission trip! Having my first mission trip be in Brazil is beyond my wildest dreams!!! Things that I love: JESUS, PEOPLE, and BOATS! So watch out Amazon, here comes Ally! Below is basic info about my trip. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for me, my team, and for the hearts of the people we will be meeting in the jungle.




WHO: I am part of a team of twenty young adults from Watermark Community Church, partnered with E3 Partners.


WHAT: Mission Trip in the Amazon Jungle to share the Gospel and our faith in Jesus Christ. We will have different teams including: Medical/Dental team, Mens team, Womens team, and Childrens team. Using the different teams we will be able to love on the people we meet, aid them, and use translators to help us share the Good News!


WHERE: Flying into Manaus, Brazil. Then we will take a boat down the Amazon and stop at various villages.


WHEN: May 15th, 2010 through May 23rd, 2010


WHY:


John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."


Matthew 4:19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."


2 Corinthians 5: 14- 21 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sinfor us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


Romans 12 (one of my favs)



I will be updating my blog about our training and preparation for this trip! Excited to share this journey with you all!

Auburn 2010 National Champs.

Charles Barkley

Ronnie Brown & Spencer Johnson

Karlos Dansby

Carnell Williams

Jason Campbell

CHAMPIONS!

Forgive Them Anyway.

I've been praying about what to share with you all and lately a lot of people, including myself, have been hurt by people we are close to. I have to be honest, sometimes I get frustrated with people regarding their actions, words, truthfulness, and in general that feeling of being let down (I'm sure I've let people down too). It seems that a lot of us worry either too much about ourselves hurting others, or too much about what others think hurting ourselves. I have to constantly remember the truth about it all though...it isn't about me, it isn't about them, it is ALL about God.

"If all I have in this world that is constant and trustworthy is God, then I am in a better place than many. If all you feel is being let down, then let God hold you up!"

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Hebrews 6:18-19

We are all imperfect people living to humbly serve and make known our perfect Creator, perfect Savior, perfect Father. In doing so we should: love one another, forgive one another, show compassion, be kind, be truthful, be patient. Who knows, you may be the one person in someone's life each day showing Christ's love. Through the frustrations and let downs with others, Christ has not failed me. He has blessed me more than I ever deserve, and I am in constant awe and amazement.

I encourage you to read Colossians 3, below are verses 12-14
12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite sayings:

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Praying for you all~

www.theporchdallas.com

His Plan is Different Than Ours.

I recently had a conversation with a dear friend. She is going through a tough time because what she was certain of in her life isn’t working out like she had planned. I think we can all think of times in our life where this has happened, or like me….multiple times in my life :) You see, she is 100% sure that God wanted things to work out a certain way, but a “life storm” has come and altered this plan. While talking with her about this I asked,

“Are you truly trusting Christ or are you trusting yourself and your emotions?”

(something I have come to learn thanks to The Porch)

Sunday’s service was a great message and at a perfect time. Some of us may have heard messages similar before, but I think it is a great reminder. Either way I encourage you to read Matthew 7. I’m going to look at the end of the chapter, verses 24-27:

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

When the storms of life come where do you put your trust? In yourself? Friends? Family? Or do you truly trust Christ?

When you are making everyday decisions, are you making them based on what will benefit you the most? Benefit a couple people? Or what will benefit Christ’s kingdom?

Our foundation should be the rock that is Jesus Christ and his truths found in the Bible. That way when life storms come, which they will, we will be left standing firm on our rock. The only way to know these truths and build this foundation is to spend time in the word, community, and prayerfully with God.

It’s not just enough to know what’s right, you must apply it. Sunday he spoke about not just giving “lip service” where we know a lot, can say all the right things, have every verse in the Bible memorized, but do not emulate what we know is true from the inside out.

Those times in life when what we thought should work out doesn’t, I pray that you all will trust Christ as your foundation….as your rock.

I told my community group last night…

It’s amazing that all those things I was 100% certain of I needed in life, or that I had convinced myself Christ would want for me, I do not have ANY of them. What I do have though is an indescribably peace that has come from having Christ as my rock, and having to trust Him completely through all the sunny days and storms that come my way. It is the best feeling in the world to know that the only plan I have to be 100% certain of is that Christ loves us, is trustworthy, and has me right where he wants me.

Best advice anyone has given me in my life is two words:

TRUST GOD (thanks JP!)

Praying for you all~