In Progress...Day by Day

What the world?!

2010-09-20T20:24:00.002-04:00

I know, where have I been. I mean not just physically, but mentally (ohh...that's a dangerous thought), emotionally, and most importantly spiritually.

Let me start out by saying that God is good.

Now for the update:

In the last year, I've packed all my stuff 3 times: Twice in the Spring and Fall, for semesters at Southeastern University, and once for my internship in the summer.

In the last year, God has revealed Himself to me like never before. I am so in love with my Savior and my Redeemer.

In the last year, I've changed my major twice: History to Missional Ministry to English and Intercultural Studies.

In the last year, my missions calling and my heart for women to grow strong in the Lord has intensified.

In the last year, I've met really awesome people, and God has led me to a really awesome church and the opportunity to serve a really awesome city.

Yes God is good, and it's getting better. I am working on a really great post about Jacob in the book of Genesis. Hopefully I'll have it soon =)

Well, till next time...

This is DaybyDay

By: Daylet L.

Where's the Rush...

2009-09-29T00:37:00.004-04:00

This makes me sad.

It's been almost a month and I have not written anything.

It's not that I have not been inspired, I've just been, well...EVERYWHERE.

It feels like there are not enough hours in a day. Between finding a job, and starting a new ministry at my church, being a youth leader, and trying to be there for my family; I am tired.

But in the hustle and bustle and in the rush of the day, we forget we have a Sovereign God who deserves to be PRAISED!

Yep, that's it. Pretty short, huh? Well that's my point. I don't need markers, or bold letters or a lengthy explanation. No scientific formula or step by step hand book. Just a God that:

Psalm 8:3-6 (New Living Translation)
³ When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
⁴ what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—

2009-09-03T21:09:00.006-04:00

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

See what it means to me...

Perhaps, respect can make or break a family.

Eventually it may make or break a church.

Can make or break a job.

RESPECT...

Tug of War

2009-08-24T09:51:00.003-04:00

I love that game. You need strength and skill to win the game. You need determination and an ignorance to the things around you and just focus on task.

As of late that has been my life.

I have been playing Tug of War with God, and I have been loosing a mighty game.

I want to hold on to the things I know; where I am comfortable. But God is mighty and He is strong and as I am holding on to the rope, He keeps pulling--the rope burn is painful.

I ignored the signs He sent and rationalized my restlessness. As I am holding on I am holding back what God wants to do. I was focused on what I was doing that I forgot that God puts things in our lives for a season and then it's time to move on. All of my skills and strength come from Him, so plainly all I HAVE is stubbornness and arrogance.

These last two days God has really broken me, and it's painful. He has resurrected feelings and doubts, but one by one he has healed and brought truth and love. He has shared a lot with me, and for that I am thankful.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New Living Translation)
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I have known that scripture for awhile, but last night it took a brand new meaning. God's word is everlasting and applies to seasons of our lives. Even the most overused verses can freshen and inspire the soul.

One answer I can share is this:

James 4:8 (New Living Translation)
⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

LORD I am done with the Tug of War. You win, but I don't loose...I am joining Your team. You always have room =)

Fahrenheit 451by Ray Bradbury

2009-07-25T17:54:00.004-04:00

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 5 of 5 stars WOW! It was amazing. Where can I start my review? I love how Ray Bradbury made up this world that is so much like our own today. In Fahrenheit 451, the world is surrounded by media and entertainment. They are more focused on how they can be pleased rather than what is going on around them.

With all the entertainment going on (Montag’s home: 3 T.V ‘s wall to wall, that are never turned off) they have no time for one another. To converse. To fellowship.

They live in a world of ignorance and arrogance. Basically they rather not care about anything. They don’t care if someone dies, if there is war…about anything. They are trained to think how they are told: “You never stop to think what I’ve asked you” pg.8 They have every necessity at their fingertips. They don’t care if on some other continent people starve. But even with everything they are discontent. You have people committing suicide and murders.

The basis of this book is how they go about censoring books. Firemen start fires, rather than put them out. Heaven forbid someone is uncomfortable. Everything has to be politically correct. And when books started portraying a different view point other than their own, then they were censored. And since every writer things differently, why not get rid of all. Everything from Shakespeare, Plato, The Constitution, The Magna Carta and the Bible had to go.

They have a twisted philosophy: “We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy,” Pg. 58.

Then comes in Guy Montag. A Fireman. Burns Books. Now wants to save them. He has to fight his Captain, his squad and his wife. Guy was disquiet before even the book started. He knew that there was a deeper meaning to the books than the negativity that other s tried to portray on them. And he is on a trek fighting the “norm” to bring back the “just”. Guy is hungry for learning. He finds it amazing how he can think on the weather, the sky—his surrounding take in a depth.

“and one day he would look back upon the fool and know the fool. Even now he could feel the start of the long journey, the leave taking, the going-away from the self he had been.” pg. 103

View all my reviews >>

Camp Re-Cap (The Story)

2009-07-23T12:11:00.007-04:00

Camp=Emotional High. To convey what could be possible in a Christian life if such a person dedicates time to spend in the presence of God. The temporary intimacy of being secluded from the world.

I may be a pessimist, but that is what I have come to find to mean "Camp".

Well God can change your perspective, can't He? He certainly changed mine.

I have been down the road of camps. It was great while I was there. I got in God's Word more, because there was a designated moment for it. And that made a pattern for the rest of the week to follow. But when I got home, the first couple of days I would try to make time and then other things became important. Also worship. At camp you worship like never before. You know that you have set aside a week of your summer, maybe even paid for it, and you are going to give it all you've got. The music is great. The lyrics are inspiring. And everywhere you go you hear of an awesome God. YOUR ARE OPEN TO AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR THE WEEK.

What is different this time around? The experience did not start at Camp.

God had been moving in the hearts of the Impact Youth Group even before camp started. For awhile God has been calling Impact to a higher standard of living, intimacy, and fellowship in Him. Slowly but surely we have answered that calling.

When we arrived at camp it just further affirmed what God was doing. I found a deeper freedom in worship and praise. I saw a whole new side of God. One that I had heard about but not seen. I saw a God that wants to be a part of your life and He wants you to be a part of His.

I praise God because Impact has been open for an amazing experience for awhile. I've been astounded to see the excitment that GOING TO YOUTH GROUP has brought. It's not about what the pastor can do, but what GOD CAN DO.

This is a passage that God has revealed to me before and during camp. God is moving, I am following.

1 Peter 1:14-21 (New Living Translation)
¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
¹⁷ And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as “foreigners in the land.” ¹⁸ For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. ¹⁹ It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. ²⁰ God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
²¹ Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

Camp Re-Cap (Prologue)

2009-07-18T20:45:00.005-04:00

Why the Prologue?

Well there is a lot to say. Also my family is waiting for me down stairs to play Monopoly. Here's the chance God has given me. To build the gap between my family.

Who will stand in the Gap between them and Christ? I am called.

So with renewed strength and humbleness I will go bring them to bankruptcy =)

Thank you Lord!

___________________________________________

HERE IS A RE-CAP VIDEO!

Thank you: Michael Santiago

To camp I go...

2009-07-12T21:59:00.004-04:00

I will be heading out to camp tomorrow morning. We are going back to the stone age, where there is no cell phone reception.
Just kidding, but seriously it is amazing when I don't have to answer my cell phone; close myself off from the world.

I am going to have a great and challenging week. I am looking forward to a couple of things:
1. Getting closer to God.
2. Not cooking.
3. Wonderful Worship.
4. Amazing games.
5. Getting to know our youth group girls better.
6. No cellphone
7. I don't have to waste gas for a week =)
8. Late nights talking.

But there are somethings I am not so excited about:
1. Waking up at an ungodly hour.
2. No HOT water.
3. No big bed.
4. No big shower.

As you can see the pros outweigh the cons. I can't wait, and even though I do have cons it is all worth it in the end. The relationships built with God and friends make the sacrifice all the better to bear =)

I am willing to offer my friendship and sacrifice my sleep. Isn't that what we are called to do?

Point Man by Steve Farrar

2009-06-30T03:12:00.002-04:00

I read an amazing book recommended by a good friend. This is my review:

Who says playing the field is the way to find what you want in a future mate. In point man it draws an ideal picture of what a woman of God should look for in a husband. Like a one women man, a man ready to live, not only die, for his family. Farrar does an exemplary job of showing a man his role in his family, the church, and in God. I strongly recommended to any man looking to be a leader in his household. One that will leave a legacy through his kids. And I recommended to women who are looking for a higher standard of men that the world has long put down and at instance erased from society.

When the music fades...

2009-06-11T19:24:00.005-04:00

and all is stripped away, and I simply come.
Those are powerful lyrics. That's what I was thinking at church this weekend. The worship was not at it's best and it came a point during the worship that I was disappointed.

BAM! Enters God and says: "Worship, for ME"

Will I let the music dictate the way that I worship my God. What if the music were to fade? What if music did not lead the people to worship, but that the people led the music in which we worship?

I think of David. A man after God's own heart. I love David, he was such a screw up, but he got right back up and was fierce with his love for God. You may know that David wrote most of the Psalms and that many have been used as lyrics in music.
What I think is this: Seeing David and the way he worshiped God, his heart led his worship. I don't think he said "here's a beat, let me make some words" , no I think he said my words will guide the beats.

So what happens when the music fades and all in stripped away and we simply come? Longing just to bring something that's of worth that will bless His heart. I want to bring more than a song, for a song in itself is not what He has required. He searches much deeper within that the way things appear, His looking into our hearts.

I want to come back to the Heart of Worship, because it is all about Him.
________________________________________
The Heart of Worship by: Matt Redman

Courage

2009-05-15T11:58:00.004-04:00

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the overcoming of it.

As I write this I am anxious and fearful, excited and terrified. I cannot wait to talk about Purity tonight. I have so much to say, but I don't want my agenda to get in the way of God's. As I look at my notes, I see my struggles before me. I see the things that I SHOULD HAVE DONE, and the things I did. I wish when I was younger someone would have told me what I am saying today.

I believe my God does not bring something in your life to entertain him, but rather:

John 9:2-3 (New Living Translation)

² “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”³ “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

Tonight I will issue a choice. One for me as much as for the girls. Scratch that, they want to be women, and I will treat them as such. Women that have the power to become WOMEN OF GOD! To change their life's, school and world. This is our challenge, this is our choice:

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (New Living Translation)

¹⁵ “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. ¹⁶ For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
¹⁷ “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, ¹⁸ then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
¹⁹ “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰ You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Purity

2009-05-12T13:20:00.004-04:00

First I will start with an update.

I am doing well. My world has gone a bit topsy turby, but all will be fine. My God is a God of details, and while I was going crazy, on emotional overdrive, He was working through me to reach people in my life. AMAZING!

Purity is the name, and my life has once again gone insane...just kidding. See I am supposed to talk about purity this Friday at our iGroups (clever...huh). Well purity is one hard subject for me to talk about. It's something that the devil tries to ensnare me in everywhere I turn. God has laid it on my heart to speak on this subject, and a very wise person told me that I will learn as I plan to teach. I AM.

I will summarize what I have encountered, and what I will talk about, in one sentence: Purity of the mind, heart, soul, and body.

Pray that I will listen to God's counsel on this matter, and what He would want me to say.

Unappreciated

2009-05-02T15:40:00.003-04:00

Unappreciated, Unnoticed, Un-everything else that you should be, but you are not.

My emotions are playing havoc with my mind. My heart tells me something and my head something else.

I want to read my Bible, but I can't focus. I am frustrated because I can't focus...you see my drift.

Lord Jesus I am going crazy. I need to rest in You and let You comfort. You tell me to face my fears and everything else that is tormenting me. I know I am not alone, but I hurt. Father God, be my healer and counsel my heart.
I know I will be okay, but I can't see that far. Help me to trust in Your time and the inexplicable ways that You work.

I know You don't need me, but You want me. That You appreciate my praise to You, and see me beautiful and capable of handling your tasks. I believe, help me with my unbelief.
I want to face my feelings with truth. Guide me in your ways Oh God.

Amen.

Thoughts of the Day

2009-03-31T11:33:00.004-04:00

:) I am so punning.

Anyway, here is my thought: Isn't it funny that you don't notice you are breathing until you can't?

Here is how I came to this conclusion. I was blow drying my hair yesterday and I had to put the blow dryer to my face to dry the front. Well the hot air in front of my face would not let me breath correctly, so I had to hold my breath.

We have all heard the quote "You don't know how much you miss it till it's gone."

The only thing I can say is that I am glad Jesus Christ won't leave me--I don't have to wonder what it would be like without Him, now that I have Him!

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Something I Needed to Hear

2009-03-09T22:41:00.001-04:00

When the going get's tough. Your not alone!

Don't Want to Go Back

2009-02-24T15:55:00.004-05:00

Sometimes it feels so easy to go back to your reoccurring sin. You keep on telling God "I don't want this anymore!"
But time after time, you go back. How do we stop this cycle?

First, CHOOSE NOT to go back. I have come to find that it is all in the attitude that you come to actually wining against your sin. It is not easy, but nothing is impossible. Choose not to let your self fall. Choose not to see that again. Choose not to be in that place again. Choose!

Second, CHOOSE TO be aware. Christians will sin when Satan catches them off guard. So be aware of your sorrounding. Be aware of your emotions. Be aware of your intentions.

Third, CHOOSE TO arm yourself with God. All things are possible through Him, for He is in you! You are not fighting this alone. Choose to arm yourself with scripture, with God's word to you.

1 Peter 5:8-10 (New Living Translation)
8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Not your Avarage Blog

2009-02-22T22:40:00.005-05:00

This blog will not be like all the others. You could say it's a little more personal. So let's get right down to it. What's up?

Well, I've been in a real funk for the last week and a half. Satan has really done a number on me. Just when I am walking in God's will, he wants to try and knock me down.

I hadn't blogged for 8 days and I was not reading my bible. I was praying but it was not the same.

I felt this straining in my relationship with God. I still hungered for him and longed for His comfort and love, but I did not make that extra step to get it.

Then yesterday God got my attention.

It was not something monumental by the worlds standards, but it meant a lot to me.

I was just reading a Christian book (Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers [I highly recommended]) and the character, Michael Hosea, said that he was just a man. He was no prophet, no one that God could really use.
And I felt it in my heart God telling me that even I am useful for His kingdom. That I, a woman from small town Okeechobee can make a difference.

I am not greater than He, but He is greater through us and for us.
When I accepted Him, He gave me the power to do greater things, I just need to choose it.

John 14:12 (New Living Translation)

¹² “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

God spoke and I listened. I praised and thanked Him for speaking to me the way He did and for making me realize that what I was feeling was not a phase, but a direct attack from Satan himself.

1 Peter 5:8-10 (New Living Translation)

⁸ Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. ¹⁰ In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

A Song in My Heart

2009-02-20T13:29:00.002-05:00

I have had this song stuck in my head for days. At random intervals it will come to mind, and I feel like God is trying to tell me something. Today has been such a day, and while looking for a topic, I chose words unlike my own. Enjoy!

Dearly Loved : Jimmy Needham
(Matthew 11:28)

Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

How far can I go and still be called a Christian?

2009-02-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

How many times have we asked ourselves that question? Maybe not out loud, of course, but whenever we are justifying doing something wrong.
Now we know it's wrong. If you are a child of God, you might very well know that it is wrong. But many of us prefer to push the envelope.

Most importantly many of us are often INDISTINGUISHABLE from our non-Christian friends, sharing the same activities, music, jokes, and attitudes about premarital sex, and the likes.

"How far can I go and still be called a Christian?"
You are asking the wrong question.
We should ask: "How holy can I be?"

A search for mere excellence is inadequate approach to God, leaving us vulnerable to snare after snare. Our only hope is OBEDIENCE.

Don't mix the standards of this world with those of God. Clearly God expects us to live according to His standards.

Romans 13:12-13 (New Living Translation)

¹² The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. ¹³ Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.

Live by God's standard. Do not mix the ways of this world; do not compromise your relationship with Christ. Live everyday for Him, because He died for you!

Philippians 2:13-15 (New Living Translation)

¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

______________________________________________________________

Inspiration for today's blog from: "Every Man's Battle"

Missed Another Day

2009-02-11T11:34:00.000-05:00

Well it is Wednesday, and today I have class over in Ft. Pierce. Well I HAD class.
See I have missed a couple of days of class, because I just did not want to travel over there. But I have come to realize that the more you miss, the easier it is to keep on not going.

It's like that with our sins.
See I keep on telling myself "I've already missed so many days, why even bother?"
And don't we say that too:
"I keep doing this sin, why bother to stop?" or
"I am so in over my head, there's no way I can get out!"

That's probably why you can't get out, because of your ATTITUDE. That's is what it comes down to too. You have to CHOOSE, the easy way or His way.

The easy way (which later becomes the hard way) you keep on sinning and His way leads to an all powerful God that's wants to show you that He is enough, and He understands.

Let me leave you with these verses. And know you are not alone and it's not to late to turn around and CHOOSE the right path.
The ball is in your court!

Luke 15:10 (New International Version)

10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Hebrews 2:18 (New Living Translation)

18 Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Day-by-Day

2009-02-10T18:06:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my blog.
This is not the first time I have acquired one of these, I just procrastinate and forget to update.
Well this is a new beginning!
My blog is called "In Progress...Day by Day" because that is how our Christian life is.
Day by day we are fighting a battle against things unseen, and sometimes that battle can get pretty overwhelming.
That's why I have this verse:

2 Corinthians 4:15-18 (New Living Translation)

15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

No one said is was going to be easy. Living an AUTHENTIC Christian life is hard, but is all for the glory of God and the rewards in heaven greatly surpass the ones here on earth.

I pray that this blog is a tool used in my life and in the life of others.
And day-by-day I pray the God would use me and grow me for the advancement of His kingdom.