I WANT ONE

Utter Dependence.

I crave to have utter dependence on the Lord every minute of everyday. When I am flying on an airplane and there is suddenly a wave of terrifying turbulence I then have dependence on my God. Or when the solid ground starts shaking and I experience the uneasiness of an earthquake I cling to my heavenly Father. But during my day to day normal activity I do not depend on God as much as I should. It should not take an uneasy moment for me to realize my Lord is here with me. My prayer is that I will come to a place where daily I have complete dependence on my Lord and Savior.
Join with me in my quest for dependence on the King of King,
Gin

Settling...

When I hear the word settling lets be real, I normally think of settling for a guy. But today I realized I keep settling for things of this world to satisfy me. Whether it is the idea of once I have a husband, children, my masters, a good job, the perfect body, a new car...and the list could go on and on...that then I will be happy and fully satisfied. I need to live in the comfort that I CAN be completely satisfied by my God and Savior. I   do not need to settle for the image of worldly happiness. Yes, I truly want all those things and I know they would grant me happiness, but I am looking for joy. And I know that the source of this joy can only come from one thing...trusting in my God.


Stop Settling,
Gin

Thats Brilliant!

I have been thinking a lot about how incredibly BRILLIANT God's plan is. Looking back over my life and seeing how God irons everything out. Things five years ago I could not explain, now I have perfect clarity on. Its so easy to look back and smile on God's goodness but it takes trust and faith to look forward with the same attitude. 


Today I am going to focus on how BRILLIANT my God is. He has it all taken care of. In the end when I am standing there with Jesus I am going to say "You did everything right." 

Something I have been thinking about...

One of my professors shared this in class...I have been thinking about it ever since.  Magna Carte of Trust by an Out of Control Disciple (by Leonard Sweet)

"I am part of the Church of the Out-of-Control. I once was a control junkie, but now am an Out-of-Control Disciple. I've given up my control to God. I trust and obey the Spirit. I've jumped off the fence. I've stepped over the line. I've pulled out all the stops. There's no turning back, looking around, slowing down, backing away, letting up, or shutting up.

Its life against the odds, outside the box, over the wall, the game of life played without goal lines other than "Thy will be done...." I am not here to please the dominant culture. I live to please my Lord and Savior. My spiritual taste-buds have graduated from fizz to froth to fire and ice.

Sometimes I'm called to sharpen the cutting edge. Don't give me that old-time religion. Don't give me that new-time religion. Give me that all-time religion that's as hard as rock and as soft as snow. I've stopped trying to make life work, and started trying to make life sing.

I am finished with second-hand sensations, third-rate dreams, low-risk high-rise trades and goose-stepping, flag-waving crusades. I no longer live by and for anything but everything God-breathed, Christ-centered, and Spirit-driven. I can't be bought by any personalities or perks, positions or prizes.

I won't give up, though I may give in...to openness of mind, humbleness of heart, and generosity of spirit. In the face of adversity no longer will I hang in there. I will stand in there, I will run in there, I will pray in there, I will sacrifice in there, I will endure in there--in fact, I will do everything in there but hang.

My face is upward, my feet are forward, my eyes are focused, my way is cloudy, my knees are worn, my seat uncreased, my heart burdened, my spirit light, my road narrow, my mission wide. I won't be seduced by popularity, traduced by criticism, travestied by hypocrisy, or trivialized by mediocrity. I am organized religion's best friend and worst nightmare.

I won't back down, slow down, shut down, or let down until I'm preached out, teached out, healed out, or hauled out of God's mission in the world entrusted to members of the Church of the Out-of Control...to bind the confined, whether they're the downtrodden or the upscale, the overlooked or the underrepresented.

My fundamental identity is as a disciple of Jesus who lives in Christ, who doesn't walk through history simply "in His steps," but seeks to travel more deeply IN HIS SPIRIT. Until He comes again or calls me home, you can find me filling not killing time so that one day He will pick me out in the lineup of the ages as one of His own.

And then...it will be worth it all...to hear these words, the most precious words I can ever hear: “Well done, thou good and faithful...Out-of-Control Disciple."

Chaos

I have decided, that I am joining the one who is putting everything back together. With the chaos that humans create daily, I am giving up fighting for this world. I am surrendering to the one who is in control. Once we realize and experience the freedom that comes in letting go, God can finally start to truly use us. Our world is spinning out of control and it is so easy to focus on the chaos, but I am choosing to focus on the peace that comes from my Savior. 

Choose Peace,

Gin

Starting something new...

 Over the last year my life has been turned upside down. I graduated college, moved away from my friends and family, started seminary, and began a new chapter of my life in the city of Angels. Through all these changes I have learned a lot about myself and my Savior. I am wandering through this life, post college, and trying to find my place here. So this blog is my journey through that. Come along for the ride.

When I moved to Pasadena or commonly called the Dena, I did not have a huge opinion of LA. All I thought of was traffic,Hollywood, more traffic and Disneyland. But I can say over the last six months I have fallen in love with the city. I love the Getty, Manhattan Beach, lounges Downtown, and the Hills. It is a great city full of so much life. Yes, there is WAY TOO MUCH traffic but I just tell myself it is because everyone wants to be here. Anyway, as much as I love San Diego, I could see myself staying up here. Either way, I am loving LA. I guess all I have to decide now is Angels or Dodgers...

Come Visit,

Gin