Acts 20:24

I do not count this life as my own
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

I won't hold to the things of this world
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

This is my confession
You're my one only obsession
I wanna be Yours, Lord
I wanna be Yours

I will do what You've called me to
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

And I'll give my life as You asked me to
Only to be Yours, Lord
Only to be Yours

Would you take it, hold it
Please make and mold it
Until it's Yours
Until I'm Yours

Philippians 3:8

Oh, there is much that could be blogged about. These past few months have been full of the Lord digging deep, me resisting, Him pursuing, and me finally letting Him go there with me.

I am acutely aware at this moment of my desperate need for Christ. Period.
To be in a right relationship with my Heavenly Father, yes. But even beyond, in the smallest corners of my life, it is evident.
He has been quick to remind me who is running this show and it certainly isn't me.
This quote from one of my favorite authors presents this truth:

“Why do we stop short of the incredible vision of radiant, set-apart femininity(or masculinity) He desires to showcase in and through our lives? Because we don’t truly grasp our utter helplessness; our absolute desperate need for all that He is. We don’t understand that apart from Him, we have nothing, we are nothing, and we can accomplish nothing. We are still lookingwithin ourselves to find beauty and strength that can come only from Him.”

On my own abilities, determination, will-power, knowledge, goodness, I really can't do much.

Apart from Him, I can do NOTHING.

I have learned that when I try, things fall apart completely. But when I am quick to lay on my face before Him every morning, hand it all back to Him and say "Do what you want with it", life just works.

There IS pain and resistance when He tries to loosen my grip on things I have held so dear. But I want to count it all as garbage for the sake of Christ! I truly want my feelings, needs, wants, comforts and conveniences to take a backseat so that Christ may be proclaimed!

she's in love.

Found these song lyrics today by a band called According to John. May the Lover of our soul captivate us so completely that it is so evident in our life to others!



What a beautiful smile
A radiant girl
Fell in love first time I saw her
She stays on my mind
I’d give anything
To know everything about her

There’s light in her eyes
And I know it’s all for Him
She carries on and on
Like He was her best friend

Chorus:

She’s in love
It’s not hard to see
But I would like to believe it was with me
Someone got a hold of her heart
And He won’t let go

And I know
She’s in love
She looks to the sky
When she talks about Him

She believes He hung the moon
Said He had to go away
She waits for his return
Says He’s coming for her soon

How can this be fair?
This guy can walk on water
Don’t guess I’ve got a prayer
He’s written love letters to reach her

She worships the ground He walks on
She just smiles when she says His name
It’s a match made in heaven
I can’t compete with the King of Kings

AND....

After much interviewing, waiting and praying, the Lord has made it clear that I am to be serving Him in West Africa this coming summer!! Waaaaaaahooooooo!!! Much more about this to come later! For now, I just want to praise Him for His sovereignty in this decision and am pumped to see all that He is going to do! Praying now that He would give be brokeness, compassion and anguish over the people I will encounter.

The Call of Christ...

Praying for His direction for my summer and this stirs my heart to be ready and willing to go wherever He tells me to! May they know how wide and long and deep and high is the love of Christ!

The Ultimate Romantic Gesture

Read this today and was overwhelmed at the passionate love my God has for me! Be encouraged!

Jesus's death was the ultimate romantic gesture of the most pure and perfect love imaginable. Imagine Christ down on one knee, showing you His bloody, nail-scarred palms, saying,

"I did this for you so that I could set you free from sin and death, transform you from a beggar into a royal princess, and make you My own for all eternity. I did this so that My life could invade your being and consume every aspect of your existence. Every moment you are awake, I desire to reveal more of Myself to you. Come away from sin, selfishness and worldly pursuits. Come away to My beautiful land. Let My life sustain you through richer or poorer, through sickness and health, through all of lifes's ups and downs. The most glorious romance of all time awaits you. All you have to do is take My hand and say YES!"

That, sisters, is what HE alone can offer you and how He fulfills your heart. May we pursue Him as He is constantly pursuing us! Praise Him!

living outwardly.

I was so humbled to get to meet these precious faces this past summer while in India. These children are all orphans that live in a special children's home specifically for HIV positive children.I saw this specific group of children different times this summer as they came to our clinic twice for their checkups and I visited the home once. They are taken care of, loved and guided by some amazing houseparents that are just breathtaking to watch. David and his wife Sylvia are true examples of what it means to count everything the world offers as garbage in exchange for a sacred call. Their lives just ooze with the Gospel.


I watched as they fed, bathed and held these children with a love so mesmerizing that it could only be from Christ. I saw them trust the Lord to provide all that was needed when they truly didn't know where the money would come from. I listened to them testify to God's faithfulness in their life.

The Lord has been teaching me more and more what it looks like for me to live my life outward. Meaning that part of living a life fulfilled by Christ is being others-centered. In America, we are dangerously preoccupied with ourselves. God has not called us to make our lives about making our own ambitions and dreams come true but to be poured out sacrifices for His Kingdom. It's pretty hard for me to be concerned about my future or plans while I'm holding an HIV positive orphan who has never known what it's like to be loved by a family before.

When I was in high school, a very wise friend told me,
"Forget the American dream. Join the God dream."

I have never forgotten those words and the narrow path they challenge me to walk. It is a challenge to myself and to you to remember that your life is not your own. It has been bought with the price of the very blood of Christ.

No matter what job or career or place He has in mind for you, the call is the same. To lay down all your pursuits upon the altar and allow Him to make you a living sacrifice. He has given everything to us, will you give everything to Him?