Welcome to My Mind

Finals are here, so naturally, I'm writing a blog post. But I'm multi tasking! I am simultaneously stressed out while writing a blog post. I'm so talented. I'm sitting here studying and worrying and maybe crying just a little bit, but I'm also thinking a lot about why we college students put ourselves through all of this... and I would like to think it's because eventually we all want to do great things with our lives. We all want to change the world, and with that comes a bunch of school, a bunch of tests, a bunch of stress, and a bunch of worrying. But Jesus tells us not to worry. He tells us that he is there for us.

I truly believe that Jesus has a plan for who we are supposed to be. Such a weight is lifted off my shoulders knowing that. Jesus knows exactly what we are going to do. He knows the mistakes we are going to make before we even make them, yet he died or us and loves everything about us. He forgave all of our sins before we even committed them. That is something that as Christians we should be able to take heart in. In return we must have faith in our actions and in ourselves. God will know what you are going to do before you even think about doing it. That's so scary but so important.

Doesn't that almost making worrying about your big exams seem a little bit minuscule? In return for what Jesus did for us, the least we can do is take what we are given and be thankful for it - instead of continuously wishing they would go away... We are where we are for a reason. Just go with the flow! Everything will work out.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.  

Psalm 32:8

PS: if this doesn't make sense, sorry, it's actually a page right out of my journal....welcome to my mind!

Judah Smith's "Jesus Is"

Hi!!! Long time, no post! It's April and so far I am on my 5th book of 2015... At this rate, I will never finish my book list, but that's ok! I'm just trying to make sure I make time for myself to enjoy the little things. I recently finished Judah Smith's Jesus Is, and I am so excited to write a post about it! I 100% recommend this book to all Christians, no matter where you are on your journey with Christ. It is eye-opening, hilarious, and full of reminders of God's grace. Judah Smith is so talented at spreading God's word. If y'all have never heard of him, he is the lead pastor of City Church in Seattle. Watch some videos of his to get an idea of who he is. He is amazing! If anybody reads it please please please e-mail me, I would love to talk about it :)

1. Jesus loves you, no matter who you are. Jesus came for the broken, the bad, the addicted, the bound, the deceived, the lost, and the hurting. Judah writes, "Jesus was obsessed with showing mercy to those who least deserved it. He was passionate about giving hope to hopeless people. He was committed to showing grace to the worst of sinners. And if I'm honest, that includes me."

2. Jesus is grace. We often think of grace as a "thing". It is something that we take advantage of because we know that Jesus is full of grace. But instead of thinking of grace as a thing, we should think of Jesus as grace. We would be much less likely to abuse grace if we thought of it as a person, let alone as Jesus.

3. Once you experience God's goodness, sin no longer is appealing. People who aren't Christians look at the concept of grace and think that this is an excuse for Christians to sin, however that is not at all what it is. When we experience God and all that he has to offer, we want to live a life that is good, not one of sin.

4. The gospel is good news. This is my favorite quote from the book. "That's the gospel. It's good news for everyone. It's not good news just for people who are already good, for those who are self-controlled and disciplined enough to have all their ducks in a row. It's good news for the people who can't even find their ducks. They haven't seen some of their ducks in years. Their lives are a mess. But they can come to Jesus and find instant acceptance. They belong long before they believe and long before they behavior."

5. Jesus wants you to be happy. Christians often have the reputation of making everybody feel as if they are being judged, and often, it's not just a reputation. Jesus didn't want you to judge all the people around you. He wanted you to be able to laugh at yourself. He didn't want you to sweat the small stuff. Judah says, "Something is wrong when we call ourselves Christians but we practically have an aneurysm just trying to crack a smile."

6. God loves you more than you love him. When you pray, don't come to Jesus telling him all the things you've done to be a good Christian because he already knows. Tell him that you know how much he loves you, that you know only he can do whatever you need. He is on your side not because of what you have done for him, but because that is just who he is. His love is unconditional.

7. Jesus allows you to live a different life. Because Jesus died for our sins, we can live our lives from a place of peace. We know that God controls our each and every move. Jesus is stronger than any force in the whole entire universe. He allows you to move forward in life without worrying about what is to come.

Can you see how great this book is?!!? Please, read it!
Tooooodles,