Friendship with God

Today I just want to share my day with you guys.

Before you go to the next line...pray.

This morning I woke up emotional drained. From a long weekend of driving, seeing old friends, and having some emotional conversations. I struggled with getting up out of bed to get to work. God could change that. So I decided to do something that I've always had a hard time with. Have an open conversation with God all day.

It was difficult because many times my prayers turn into requests and praises which is good to go to God with. Think of a relationship with one of your friends where you only ask for things and give them thanks. It's a relationship alright, but not necessarily a strong one.

As my day progressed I was doing a good job talking and doing my best to listen to God with all the distractions going on at work. At one point a turkey vulture literally attacked our window for two minutes.

My day finished. I went shopping and then for a run. I came back confused. Although I had done a pretty good job meeting my goal, I felt like I didn't accomplish what I set out to do.

Going back to the friend analogy. Imagine a friend where you only ask for things and give thanks. Meanwhile you are busy the whole time not giving that person your full attention. It's pretty weak...

I decided to power down the phone for an hour. Listen to some worship music, pray and just let God talk. I felt like in that one hour I accomplished more then I did all day half talking.

So here's my challenge:

Reflect on your relationship with God. 

What kind of relationship do you have with Him?

My Soul Cries Out

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite worship songs.

"From The Inside Out"

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
Should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart, in my soul
I give you control
Consume me from the inside out
Let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring you praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

I've been singing worship music the majority of my life. In highschool we had chapel every week and I remember singing songs of praise. I remember doing it because thats what we did in chapel and nothing else. It struck me towards the end of my highschool career that singing praise without meaning is worthless...it's empty. 

You're not singing to sound good, you're not singing because it's what you do at the beginning and end of church. You're singing because you're proclaiming you're love for God. I love the last line of this song...."Lord my soul cries out." That's what we're doing and when it happens it's such a powerful thing.

In the past month I had the opportunity to go to 2 worship nights. I'm still blown away with how intense a worship sesh can get when you just let it all out...

So my challenge for you is this:

Next time you sing praise to God...don't just sing.

Find meaning in your words and let your soul cry out!

Be Known

Hey Guys!
It's been a while. The move in process was great! I'm officially a VA resident.
I gave myself last week to get things settled. This week I have no excuse to not be writing blogs.

When I moved out to my own place. I decided to be intentional with my time and who I am. It's a pretty huge step from college into the real world. There are so many new responsibilities and it is so easy to get lost in the new life.

I decided to write down things I expected of myself and things I wanted to stand by and live for. The most important quality, I decided, was being a Christian.

I decided to take it a step further and not only be a Christian but be known as one.
I've been reading through the Gospels and one of the first things I noticed are these twelve disciples following Jesus. They are known for that.

I think it's very easy to feel comfortable going to church. It's very easy to share your spirituality with others who share the same views as you and be okay with that, hiding your spirituality. Stepping out and making yourself known to everyone else like Jesus and his disciples did is what we're called to do.

Since I've been here for such a short time some of my main relationships are at work.So a huge goal of mine has been to have conversations, reach out, and serve in the work environment. It's crazy...God has been actively moving within the company. I've had several conversations about faith with a few of coworkers. Others aren't on the same page but have been open to talking about it, and there's even service projects starting up to get involved with.

So here's my question for you:

Where do you need to make yourself known?