Lily Among the Thorns

Joel Osteen: Jesus got up, and He simply spoke to the storm. He said "Peace, be still!" and all of a sudden, there was a great calm—and the reason Jesus was able to bring peace to that situation was because He had peace on the inside. He was in the storm, but He didn't let the storm get in Him.

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 01:08:23 -0700

Joel Osteen: Jesus got up, and He simply spoke to the storm. He said "Peace, be still!" and all of a sudden, there was a great calm—and the reason Jesus was able to bring peace to that situation was because He had peace on the inside. He was in the storm, but He didn't let the storm get in Him.
Justin Peters: ... I'm gonna go out on a theological limb here, and wonder: might it have had anything to do with the fact that.. oh, I don't know, that.. that He was God?

Gay protestors harass homeless man at Chick-Fil-A

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 01:06:22 -0700

Gay protestors harass homeless man at Chick-Fil-A:

johnnyis:

This is what new tolerance looks like.

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Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:57:42 -0700

When you go to your prayer closets tonight, please include me in your prayers...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:51:30 -0700

My faith is seriously being tested right now. I think a large part of it has to do with the fact that it is very hard for me to trust people nowadays, Christians and non-Christians alike. The former, because of fear of being associated with the “goats”; the latter, because I do not want to be eaten by their worldview in my time of shakening.

Another reason is my line of study, in which I am constantly being fed with information that is against the fundamentals of my Christian belief. I am an Anthropology student, and as useful this may be for future work as a medical doctor and a missionary to the indigenous people, I am being exposed to different worldviews that I am expected to be tolerating.

I feel like I’m in a limbo. I actually did come to a point wherein I don’t really care anymore - live and let live. The Lord knows how much I’ve tried to avoid this situation in the past (dropped a class so I won’t have to deal with it), but sadly, I managed to find myself in this spot again.

Honestly, I don’t really know what to believe anymore. I don’t want to go back to church just yet. I don’t want to be in a place where people just use me for my gifts and talents but feed me with scraps of Bread. As much as I could, I really want to seek Him on my own, without thinking of anybody else, without being plagued with expectations or norms. But I feel like, wherever I go, there’s no safe ground.

So, if you’ve read this to the end and you remember me later, I hope you’d take the time to intercede for me.

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Sun, 17 Jun 2012 16:40:32 -0700

Happy graduation day, sis!! Congratulations!! (Taken with...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:15:22 -0700

Happy graduation day, sis!! Congratulations!! (Taken with Instagram)

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Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:04:31 -0700

needlesslydefiantwithtea: bloodycrumpets: BRITISH BRITISH...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:12:25 -0700

needlesslydefiantwithtea:

bloodycrumpets:

BRITISH BRITISH BRITISH BRITISH BRITISH canada eh BRITISH BRITISH

omg canada YOU DON’T EVEN GO HERE

a-friend-of-god: loafers Is it weird that I actually want to...

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:40:18 -0700

a-friend-of-god:

loafers

Is it weird that I actually want to wear these?

Skit Guy, "God's Chisel"

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:04:36 -0700

Me: God, I've let You down so much
God: You can't let me down. You don't hold me up. I hold you up.

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Wed, 30 May 2012 08:59:25 -0700

dear future husband,

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:58:50 -0700

I’m not sure if I should still expect you. Jesus is coming very soon.

re-v-le: girlinboyclothes: “Before our white brothers arrived...

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:43:50 -0700

re-v-le:

girlinboyclothes:

“Before our white brothers arrived to make us civilized men, we didn’t have any kind of prison. Because of this, we had no delinquents. Without a prison, there can be no delinquents. We had no locks nor keys and therefore among us there were no thieves.When someone was so poor that he couldn’t afford a horse, a tent or a blanket, he would, in that case, receive it all as a gift. We were too uncivilized to give great importance to private property. We didn’t know any kind of money and consequently, the value of a human being was not determined by his wealth. We had no written laws laid down, no lawyers, no politicians, therefore we were not able to cheat and swindle one another.We were really in bad shape before the white men arrived and I don’t know how to explain how we were able to manage without these fundamental things that (so they tell us) are so necessary for a civilized society.” — John (Fire) Lame Deer, Sioux Lakota, 1903-1976.

This reminds me of the law and grace.. hmm Romans 5

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Tue, 29 May 2012 20:37:09 -0700

Tell me about it. I’m tired of this journey. I wish...

Sat, 26 May 2012 09:23:10 -0700

Tell me about it.

I’m tired of this journey. I wish You’d come back already… lest I lose my mustard seed of faith and profane Your Name.

Heart is so heavy and tired.

whiteflagxp: New iPhone background. #SDG

Sat, 26 May 2012 09:17:40 -0700

whiteflagxp:

New iPhone background. #SDG

fallofbabylon: The Bible - Jericho EXISTED Archaeological...

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:41:26 -0700

fallofbabylon:

The Bible - Jericho EXISTED Archaeological Evidence

This is why I study archaeology. :)

secretsurvivor: ” Matt and Julie married last week, and when...

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:22:32 -0700

secretsurvivor:

” Matt and Julie married last week, and when the time came for the garter to be removed, Matt did something unexpected. As Julie sat in her chair, Matt approached her with a water basin and a towel. With perfect tenderness, he humbled himself and made a beautiful gesture of his service to her.”

"God created feelings. Sure, like anything else, they can be misused and abused. But the intent and..."

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:21:12 -0700

“God created feelings. Sure, like anything else, they can be misused and abused. But the intent and purpose of feelings came from God. He created emotions, why is it difficult to believe that He Himself has emotions?”

- Francis Chan, from Forgotten God (via seitydoesdeosculate)

May 21.

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:24:50 -0700

Before I dove into today’s Word, I felt the need to be quiet as this question pressed into my heart:

“Why do you believe in Jesus?”

I sat silently and contemplated. I know that I am not supposed to “blindly” believe without a reason. Sometimes, it’s like that with long time Christians especially those who have been born in a Christian family. We accept whatever we believe because it is the norm. But if my desire is to forgo the milk and eat spiritual meat, I need to really be serious in my meditation.

I remembered the words I read from a post (by simplyheavenlyfood) not too long ago, saying that Jesus proved His deity through the fulfillment of prophecies regarding His birth and ministry, as well as performing signs and wonders. Upon reminiscing, God reminded me of who I am - His miracle, itself. If my parents, who have been the recipients of this miracle, believed fervently and steadfastly, shouldn’t I - the very miracle from God - believe all the more in Him? He reminded me of my near-death experiences, our extreme financial struggles, the barrier of my ungodly relationship and how He kept me and my family intact through it all. He proved Himself faithful time and time again.

This turned out to be the word for me today:
“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (I Peter 2:3)

I know that I have been complacent in keeping my faith burning and today’s meditation was very much needed. I was worried about the hardships I’m about to face in the future. But God’s grace through Spurgeon’s encouraging words (Morning & Evening Devotional) reminded me not to be content with the “if’s” and “maybe’s” and let not mediocre belief satisfy my soul. Life in the Lord shouldn’t be stagnant, but a journey filled with awe. I need to see past this life I thought is okay for me and begin to walk by faith.

“Do not rest, O believer, till thou hast a full assurance of thine interest in Jesus. Let nothing satisfy thee till, by the infallible witness of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with thy spirit, thou art certified that thou art a child of God. Oh, trifle not here; let no ‘perhaps’ and ‘peradventure,’ and ‘if,’ and ‘maybe,’ satisfy thy soul. Build on eternal verities, and verily build upon them. Get the sure mercies of David, and surely get them. Let thine anchor be cast into that which is within the veil, and see to it that thy soul be linked to the anchor by a cable that will not break. Advance beyond these dreary ‘ifs;’ abide no more in the wilderness of doubts and fears; cross the Jordan of distrust, and enter the Canaan of peace, where the Canaanite still lingers, but where the land ceaseth not to flow with milk and honey.” - Charles Spurgeon

Why do I believe in Jesus? Because He has shown Himself true to me and my family through the testimony of our lives, and that He has promised to do so much more in the days to come.