The Bible is not about me.

                Yes, you all heard me correctly; the bible is not about me. Guess what, it is not about you either. The bible is for us to ultimately show us truth and bring us back to the Gospel, back to Jesus. The bible, if you haven’t noticed is about Jesus. From beginning to end solely focused on the grace and truth that saves us. I have been convicted all, and I pray the Holy Spirit convicts you as need this morning.

                I have been convicted that the bible is a road map for my life (which it is) but that I am always the center of attention. As I read I think how does this relate to me? Is this for me? Wow, am I that great? Wow, am I that terrible? Gosh, I can’t live up to that very easily. The list goes on and on…… Am I wrong? I would like to think not. Whether you realize you do or not, you probably have at some point in your life.

Friends, the bible was not written for you to be the Hero.

                If I were to take joy in God and delight in the different barriers Christ sets up for my benefit. I would have reminded myself of this much, much sooner. My life may have been my way, but it definitely was not the way. I liked my way. I mean, who doesn’t right? It was easier and fun to think of myself. Being selfish is easy, similar to my last post. Being selfish is also fun. It is time to look at the bible not how it can be centere around my life but how my life can be centered around it.

Daily, I need to pray and ask for a heart that is seeking….

Seeking lost people.

Seeking only his character.

Seeking only his word for others.

Seeking his will for all of our humanity.

                I cannot seek all those things and more if I am always asking what the bible is saying about me and only me. Now, let’s not jump ahead too much. I am definitely not saying to never look to the bible to better you in pursuit of the Gospel. That is an essential part of sharing God to a lost and broken world. You can’t share something you don’t know. All I am saying is when you do, make sure you are praying and seeking with correct intent and boldly proclaim that God is for God, the bible is not about me, I am not the hero.

God is a really good God. Don’t think he doesn’t love you immensely or that he didn’t breathe that word for you to read, because he did. Just remember, the Bible isn’t about you. The pursuit of the Gospel for other to hear is much more important then your average day or your bad morning in Starbucks.

Love you all,

XOXO,

Tiffany Anne

Breaking the Silence.

Hello Fellow Friends,

Have you ever just needed silence? Have things just gotten so busy, chaotic and crazy you just needed time away? That’s where I was at. Don’t worry or fret, I’m not saying I was depressed. Far from it actually, I just needed silence. I tried to write a blog post a million times it felt. I tried to type a post for any event/occasion. The words just weren’t coming. My fingers would type but it wouldn’t make sense and more times then not, the words were just fillers. Words I wanted to say so that it wouldn’t be silent. I was annoyed God wasn’t supplying the words.

That was wrong.

I was fighting so hard for it to be anything but silent when that’s all he wanted. Sometimes you learn the best when you sit in your room, starring at a wall and meditating on how gracious God has been too you. There were many nights close to Christmas I was making chocolate covered pretzels or Oreos and realized just how silly I had been. Why wouldn’t I want to be silent in front of the God who created the world, and me? It showed me just how selfish I was/is. How dare I get annoyed with God when all he wanted was for me to take time and be silent?

I think that me titling this “Breaking the Silence” is more of a metaphor for my own sanity. See, this is hard to explain but I wasn’t only trying no block out the silence I was also trying to block out feelings I had about myself. I have had to come to a rude awakening that while I may volunteer, share the gospel in the best ways I can with those I love, and pursue the Gospel daily I was stuffing from something very deadening; selfishness. The gospel calls us to cast it all away, to give up everything, even when it may not be convenient. I had to decide, could I do that? Could I be silent when asked by God? Could I listen when he spoke?

Yes, yes I can.

In starting a new year it caused much reflection, obviously. With that it also caused new hopes in my pursuit of the Gospel. Even with the Chaos of what God is calling me to, school, my life and my pursuit of the Gospel…. I will listen. I will learn how to become selfless in the shadow and hope of Christ.

Are you with me?

Praying for 2014, for everyone who reads this post and praying that you can break the silence, figure out what God is showing you and camp in that for a while.

Love you all,

XOXO,

Tiffany Anne. 

Trying to Catch Up.

Friends,
   
    Do you ever feel like you just can't catch up? Like you have such a crazy busy life, but you never have time for yourself? Do you feel worn down trying, trying, trying?

    I want to be really real with you all. I want to express my heart, struggles and concerns so that you all can help me grow. I have always had a difficult time feeling like I am never catching up, therefore not resting. No matter how hard I try, my schedule is always packed NAND I never find time for the things that really matter like resting and feeding on The Lord and his truth. This week I have been heavily convicted.

God compares us to sheep.
Sheep? Yes, sheep.

Lets just take a moment and think about this. What do sheep do?
Eat.
Sleep.
Wonder.
Eat.
Sleep
Wonder.

   That is what we are supposed to do. Weird right? What is so confusing, is why this is so hard. Specifically in my own personal life. This sin, yes sin, isn't easy. More times then not I find sinning to be easy, fun and so catching we do without even thinking. Never feeling like I am caught up, never resting leads to a cycle that is un-healthy. I get stressed out, sassy, And usually depend on my own strength instead of The Lords. 

These verses are what seems to remind of his truth, his love and his grace in times of never feeling like I'm caught up....

Isaiah 40:30,31 

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Romans 8:6 

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

Philippians 4:6,7 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  Why can't I seem to get this down? I think that especially in our culture today we are so pressured to do, do, do. And the lord just wants us to rest, rest, rest. Pratically what does this look like? For  everyone it's different p. No two people think and grow exactly the same. For me it. For me it means three things. It means I need prayer, accountability and refocus. Along with that I need your help. Please continue this season of my life that isn't easy or fun. 

Are you tired of trying to catch up? 
I encourage you in love today to rest in HIM and HIM alone. 
He desires you. He is running after you.
Be a sheep.

I love you all so very very much.

I haven't left.

Dearest Friends.  

Don't worry I haven't left. 

I am just figuring out exactly what this place is for.

I'll be back soon enough and with a vengeance. To blog my heart out.

June post in August?

Sorry it's been a little quiet around the blog lately. 

I really do want to try to do better, I will do better. 

Until then you'll have to deal with these late posts, thank you for being patient.  

This is my best friend. 

She graduated in June and is doing amazing things.
She will be going off to Vancouver for event planning. 

As much as I will miss her I know 9 months will go fast and it will only grow our friendship more. 

These are pictures from the special day! 

Please enjoy and I hope they touch your heart as much as they have mine. 

He is enough.

 Good morning fellow dear friends. This morning I am contemplative. Which, well, I always am. Yet this time it's different. Hard to explain really but I guess the best way to put it is that exactly....I am contemplative. Do you ever have those nights or early mornings where you just say to The Lord "Lord, what's in for today? What do you want to teach me?" That's what is on my heart this morning as I write this with a full cup of jo next to me and Beethoven playing in the background. I decided to spend some time catching up on my blogs; I mean if I am going to be contemplative I also mine as well be productive, right? There is a LOVELY blog that I follow called French Press Mornings. This is an incredible spot for finding encouragement and just a very fun blog. I encourage you to go check it out.

 In that, she does Wednesday Encouragements which make me really happy. Not just happy, but really happy. The one for today spoke to me. Really it was simple but yet so important.

The encouragement said this:

  Seriously. Straight to the heart, thanks for that one Lord. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

 Why did I literally type that five times? I typed it five times because we so easily forget. We forget that he grace is ENOUGH. Sufficient also means plenty, abundance and as much as needed. Speaking to my own life I know for a fact I do not live every day knowing and fully believing that his grace is enough. There are days where I doubt, days where the flesh can try to sneak in if only for a moment where I doubt that very promise shown to me. It is days like today, I am reminded and grateful for this huge, crazy but beautiful promise from The Lord.

 We were chosen by such an understanding, caring, concerned God. He tells us straight up no questions asked that his power is made perfect in our weaknesses. What? Wait, that's backwards, right? Since when is someone's power made perfect in our weakness? Obviously, God, The Holy Spirit is different. That statement blows my mind. Does it yours? Does it stir your heart? It should.

 In all of my judgmental, prideful, disgusting, ugly sin filled weaknesses his power is made absolutely and incredibly perfect. Perfect. Literally as white as fresh fallen snow. Does that not blow your mind?! His love is all consuming and powerful that is can overcome the darkest, deepest part of your life.

 This is so important to remember in a world that says different. A world that tells us there isn't a God, or if there is that he was just a "good guy". He was, is and will be forevermore SO MUCH MORE than just a "good guy". "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." <--------That is the God who in HIS sovereignty chose to come down and love us. This is the God that gives us breath every day to make it to our next "thing" on our list.

He. Is. Enough.

Praying you find this encouraging this morning and that your heart is filled with the Holy Spirit.



Learning how to live my mist.

For those of you who may remember, I did a post a little while back called, The Mist. The Funk. check it here. It talked a lot about me not being sure of how I was living my life. Asking the hard questions of myself and remembering that Jesus is more then my "mist". Literally right now I am sitting in Starbucks reading Colossians 3. Kind of silly and random right? Colossians 3. Well, it's were The Lord led me. This is what spoke to me the most (ESV):

Colossians 3:1-3//
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Of course, if we are looking for more verses to go along with this we can look at so many gems. Such as John 15:4-5, 2 Corithians 5:1, 1 John 4:13 and so on and so forth. I believe God directed me to Colossians 3: 1-3 because in this verse it reminds me what my mist needs to be about. The gospel is 100% God centered, God driven and will forever stay that way. Therefore, if the gospel is that way, our lives need to reflect that. Does your life reflect that? Are you seeking the things of Christ and setting your minds on him? Are you stable in The Lord?

When I literally asked myself those questions the automatic answer was, "of course I do." Then I had to take a step back. Really dig into what that looks like and see if I was REALLY doing that. Honestly dear friends, I have not been. My mist is very short and I have come to find that I have filled my mist with things. Not materialistic items or relationships but literally things. I am a do-er. If I am not busy, running here, there, everywhere I feel like I am not accomplishing what I need to. Which then makes me feel own about myself and my "self worth" hits the ground. Yet what Gods holy word tells us is very different. 

Going back to a verse I mentioned earlier, this tells us we cannot do "things" well, without God being our rest, peace and the thing we make time for. This is the truth that it states (ESV):

John 15:4-9//
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

Lets just take a moment. Breathe in and breath out. 
That was a lot to take in right? That's how I felt at first too. 
Really take time, read this through and let it soak in. I have read this verse about 15 times now, and trust me, its worth it. Coming right out of the gates it says "Abide in me". Did you know other words for abide are stay, stand, reside, dwell and remain? This along with Colossians 3 spoke volumes. I was not abiding, residing, dwelling or even remaining in the Lords presence. I have just allowed my mist to be a list.A list of my plans, wants, needs, desires and to-dos. I allow for the Sheppard to be my strength, but I have not allowed my soul to abide in my Sheppard. 

I pray and hope this jumbled, crazy, deep, mixed-up, confusing post finds you at a place of growing. I am praying for each person who reads this to really find truth in this and to continue their studies farther. I couldn't type all my hand written thoughts because you would be at the computer forever. Anyways, remember that your life is a mist, but your mist doesn't have to be wasted. Start your mist well by spending quality time with the Lord and your mist will be nothing short of amazing. Have a blessed week dear friends. 

All my love,