God Moves In A Mysterious Way

Yesterday at Church, one of my pastors by the name of Matt Smith shared a hymn by William Cowper he found right before he closed his sermon.  I really liked it a lot so I found it and thought I would share it with everyone.


"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain."




:)

A Work of Art

     Leonardo da Vinci (renaissance man) was not only revered as the very model of a "universal genius" but was also one of the most famous artists in the history of the world.  His paintings extend from "The Last Supper" all the way to the "Mona Lisa".  His artwork has been prized for many centuries and has been an inspiration to many artists alike.  Leonardo da Vinci truly is the perfect example of a passionate and talented artist.
     Over the past millenium the world has produced thousands of talented artists in which have created many marvelous masterpieces.  These famous paintings, sculptures, and architectures have made a major impact on culture and has literally helped define not only America's history but also the history of many countries.  Artwork has and always will be something that we as humans delight in and admire.  While most people from the past, present and most likely the future have enjoyed the many art pieces that have been passed down throughout the centuries, one thing I've come to realize is that many people only look at the artwork and tend to forget the most important aspect of the art; the artist. 
     Now the funny thing is, is that most people that enjoy the famous art pieces that we possess today are completely blinded to the marvelous artwork that ultimately makes up who they are as individuals and literally surrounds them everywhere they go.  Why to most are these things not considered art but more of a "natural" work of art?  Don't things with complexity and design require an artist to be the ultimate designer?  This "natural" artwork idea (aka Evolution) should truly show some of the illogicality that has become of the people of today.  This universe is not the result of a "natural" creator, common sense shows us that in a way, like Leonardo da Vinci, the universe was created by God , a "universal (and forgotten) genius" that has THE most passion and talent that a human artist could never possess.

"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made….He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not" ~ John 1:3,10

Youth Advance 2011

     Youth Advance is a youth conference that takes place once a year and lasts a whole weekend.  Its basically a time for fellow Christian teens to get together, hang out, be instructed in biblical teachings, and to honor and worship God. 
     I attended my first and last Youth Advance last weekend.  I have to say for me, it was an awesome experience.  I got to talk and fellowship with so many people that were able to encourage me in tons of ways.  Just being around so many teens that believed in the same God as me was an awesome thing.  I've been so used to the foul and corrupted ways of most of my fellow students in college that this trip was very refreshing for me. 
     I think the one thing that I took from Youth Advance 2011, also being something I had never really thought too much about before, was the realization of how much God really loves his son....the magnitude of the love that God has for Jesus is like none other.  The fact that God would send this son that he loves so much down to earth to die for us sinners who still even after knowing this, mock his death by continuing to sin, blows my mind.  In my Church care group we really thought deep into the fact that no matter what we do, we will never be able to repay God for his ultimate sacrifice...so the question we asked eachother was why do we find it so hard to make God the the ultimate centerpiece of our lives, being that its the least we could ever fathom of doing? 
     Anyway, Youth Advance convicted me of many new sins that I had been drowning in lately, it really gave me a boost of Christ that I was desperately in need of.  It was an experience that is going to stick with me for quite some time.  I was blessed to be able to attend.

"To You, the nations bow down
To You, creation cries out
Majesty
All things You hold together
Your name will stand forever
Majesty
You are, Majesty"

Bible Study

     For me, Bible study has always been something that I can never fully commit myself to doing every day.  I try to but my daily responsibilities and even the things I do for myself always seem to be the excuse.  Another problem I tend to have while studying the Bible is reading but not understanding or memorzing what it is trying to teach me. 
     This morning while praying I got a strong feeling from God that the amount of bible study time that I do is not good enough, as well as the method in which I study.  This conviction stirred me to do something about it.  I went to my mom this morning and told her all about my struggle with not studying the Bible enough and not being able to keep it with me afterwards.  She told me an amazing method of study in which I am now going to commit myself to doing every day.  This method is to choose a smaller book from the bible or half of a book and read it every single day for 30 days.  I loved this method after she suggested it to me and I think it is what God is calling me to do in order to continue to grow spiritually. 
     Sometimes I feel as if I come across as a person filled with knowledge from the Bible and that Im the perfect Christian.  Im a sinner...no one can be a perfect Christian...God doesn't expect you to be either.  He knows the sin in our lives and He knows that the ideas and methods of the world can be a distraction to us.  I hope that through this new method of study I can hide Gods word in my heart in a more consistent and effective way.

If you have a method of Bible study that you feel is effective for you and has helped you grow better spiritually, I would like to hear it :)  Leave a comment if you would like to share :)

Back to College

     As I sit here typing away, my mind keeps bringing me back to the many essays and papers i've had to write for college in the past.... and now since the spring semester is starting in two weeks, the reality of what is soon to be required of me has come rushing back in a very strong and depressing way.  I think the depression comes from the fact that once a semester starts....for some reason I cannot stop it from having an all consuming effect on my life.  One could argue though that when it comes to college, an all consuming effect is a good thing.  For me, I feel like it takes away from my quiet time with God and it takes away time spent with my friends and family.  Even though during this consumption I am recieving a good education, I believe time spent with my family and my savior Jesus Christ somehow need to become the priority.
     Sometimes during a semester I also tend to doubt my learning abilities.  Thoughts like "there is absolutely no way to pass this" fill my mind and can affect the way that I study.  This is simply my sinful nature causing me to lack faith in God's will.  The thing I tend to forget is that God is in control of my future and that through his loving guidance, he will determine whether I will have academic success or not.
    So for this coming semester, my main goal is going to be to put God first and to trust that no matter how hard or challenging a class may seem, God is in control and his plan is sufficient.
     ”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

Introduction Post

Hey everyone,
I have finally got up the courage to make a blog!  Im not going to have some series of topics that are somehow related, basically im going to write anything on here.  I may try to write about a a certain topic or question that people may commonly ask themselves and show everyone my opinion on the matter. Then I may ask whoever is reading it to leave a comment on what they think about it.  Other times I may just write about a random intriguing thought I have :)
     So be on the lookout, because you never know when my next (well, first) topic will appear :)