Remember Who You Are...

Hello all! Well I keep on trekking through fundraising! I'm close to 40% now which is GREAT! But I'm still needing some more funds, majorly in my monthly giving. To give you a better picture of where I'm at, in my one time giving I still need about $7,500; in my monthly I still need $1,400 in monthly pledges. So, if you're reading this, and thinking that you would like to give, please feel free to contact me, or go ahead and check out the "Ways to Give" tab up at the top of this page! I'm really excited to be closer to my goal, and I pray that someone who reads this will be able to bring me even closer! To all those that have already supported, THANK YOU! You have done so much for me in giving towards my internship!

So this past week I watched The Lion King, one of my all time FAVORITE Disney movies! I love that movie a lot. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Simba sees his father, Mufasa in the clouds, and Mufasa says to him: "Simba you have forgotten me." Simba replies: "No, how could I?" then Mufasa tells him: "You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba you are more than what you have become..." so Simba asks: "How can I go back?" and Mufasa tells him: "Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember...who you are.... Remember." and Mufasa fades out. Well if you've seen the Lion King, you know that Simba does go back, to challenge his uncle, and take his place as king of Pride Rock. You also know that it took the urging of his lady lion, Nala, AND the strange, albeit wise shenanigans of Rafiki and finally this interaction with his father's ghost to get him to return.


I always tear up during this scene, because it reminds me so much of our interactions with our heavenly Father. So often we veer off the path he has set us on because we are afraid of letting past decisions, and the fear of others to stop us. Simba felt he couldn't go back because Scar had convinced him it was his fault that Mufasa had died, and Simba feared that all the other lions in the pride would feel the same, that if it hadn't been for Simba, Mufasa would still be alive. I know I have this problem more often than I care to admit. I know that sometimes I'm afraid to walk out in the calling on my life because of my past, and what others will think of me. But God reminds me, in the same way Mufasa reminded Simba, to remember who I am. I am his daughter, and a princess. I am royalty. I should not be afraid to do what He tells me to, I should not fear the outcome of different situations, because I am a daughter of the King, and this King is ruler over ALL things! He KNOWS what will happen when I step out and walk out in the calling over my life, to follow the destiny that has been prepared for me.

So you need to remember this. Remember who you are. Do not ignore your calling, your destiny  because you are afraid of the shadows of your past. God has forgiven you all of your sins, and you are spotless and new. You have a calling on your life, and it is time. Time to answer the call, to follow God's leading, and walk down the road you were destined to walk. It may be dark, and perilous, the night is dark and full of terror, but guess what? The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, is walking beside you! He will not let you fall, He will guide you through the valley of the shadow of death, and you will not fear, because He is with you. So jump, and trust that He will catch you. Go back, challenge the devil for the land he has taken, and take your rightful place of royalty.


“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 7:9-11


Love and Blessings,

Chrissy

The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors....

Shout out to my Game of Thrones fans! Okay so now that I've got your attention with my oh so catchy title, which I will go into later, first thing is first: logistical stuff! I have about 32% of my full budget raised for my internship! Yay! But clearly, I still have a little ways to go... SO that being said, I need to have 90% of my budget by the end of the month, if you were planning to help me out financially: THIS IS IT! Now is the time! See that little tab up there that says "Ways to Give"? Click on it, it'll give you all the info you need to easily go online, fill out a form, and help me get to France! If you are wanting to know more about my finances, there is an info tab called "My Budget" so check that one out as well, and if you want more of a breakdown of my budget, feel free to e-mail me, and I'll send you a spreadsheet. And if you're new here, first of all WELCOME! Second, check out the "Internship" and "Why France?" tabs! You can get the lowdown on what I'm talking about, and what I'll be doing as a missionary intern in France!

 Okay, so about that title. It's a line from Game of Thrones (I watch the show, about to start the books. I'm a pretty big fan.... which you know well if we're friends on facebook or you follow me on pinterest....). But I think it's kind of a true statement in a sense. Often times the dark offers fear, we hear things that may, or may not be the house creaking, but let's examine why it is the night is full of terror (because, well the darkness is kind of obvious...). It's because one of our senses is taken away. We cannot see. Not being able to see, well it's pretty scary if you weren't born without sight! Suddenly our other senses are heightened, and we can hear things that can sound pretty terrifying, we can feel things crawling on our arms... It can be pretty scary! Even if we are safely tucked in our beds,  have five bolt locks on our doors, with a five star crazy awesome alarm system, two dogs, a cat, and weapons beside the bed. We could be totally safe in every way, but take away our sight, and we can start to panic. Well, obviously I have a deeper spiritual point to this, and it's this: blindly following God is just as scary! Sometimes, God will ask us to do things that scare us because we are stepping out into the unknown! Take Moses for instance: God asked him to go to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites. Moses, who was happily married and tending sheep out in the desert, came up with every excuse why he couldn't do it. Can you blame him? God was asking him to go back to the place where he was wanted for murder, talk to the most powerful man in the WORLD at the time, and TELL him to let God's people go. A people who probably weren't his biggest fans considering he had been raised by the very people that had enslaved them and ordered the death of their young sons.Oh, and on top of all that, he was hearing all of this from a burning bush. But God, quite forcefully reminded him, He was God. He created man, He was in charge of the universe, and He was calling Him to this purpose. He knew how it would end, and it was Moses that He wanted, not Aaron, not some other Israelite, but MOSES. How could Moses not obey? But could you imagine how terrified he must have been? Even when God had shown Him His power, Moses could not foresee Pharaoh's reaction, he had to trust that God knew what Pharaoh's reaction would be. He had to trust that God would work everything out.

Well, while I am not about to go tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, God has called me. He has called me to take the gospel to Marseille. So I'm stepping out in faith, in the belief that even though things look unlikely, He WILL provide the finances. It's scary. It's unnerving. But it's exciting! Because now I get to see God work in miraculous ways! And I cannot wait to see what He does, not just for me, but for all of the interns going out this fall! Trusting God is scary, because our sight is taken from us, but realizing that the One that is guiding us knows everything that will happen, that He loves us more than we know, and that He will guide us to what is best for us, well it's like shining a night light in that dark room. We can't see everything, but we can see Him, and we know that He will keep us safe.

I leave you with this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6  

We are Never, Ever, EVER Getting Back Together!

So earlier this week I was listening to Taylor Swift (And no, this is not meant to spark some debate of T-Swift haters/lovers, so keep your opinions on her, and her music to yourself...) and the song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. If you haven't heard the song, let me break it down for you simply: Taylor tells this guy that she's been on and off with, for what seems like quite a long time, that this is it. There's no more, they are DONE. She describes how they are always breaking up, and getting back together, but this time, she's telling him, WE ARE NEVER EVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER! She calls up her friend, and tells her how everything went down, and how annoyed she is. Anyway, the title of the song, pretty much explains it all.
Now, there is a point to all of this, so bear with me! I have heard this song probably a hundred times, and at first, I hated it. Then it was always stuck in my head, and then I liked it. Now, I just listen to it if it comes on the radio, but not purposely. But let me tell you, when I heard it the other day, oh man did I need to hear it. Here is the point to my story of this song, and my long story short: We NEED to be saying this to sin! This past Sunday we had an excellent sermon on breaking free of the chains of sin, which is the similar conclusion I came to when listening to this song in a new and different light. Sin, in many ways, is that ex-boyfriend that we are always getting back together with. We know it's bad for us, that the relationship is going NOWHERE good, and we just keep hurting ourselves. But every time we break up, we begin to miss the way it made us feel, the fun we might have had, or the people we participated in it with. Sometimes, sin will entice us back, calling us up to whisper in our ear how much it misses us, how much it wants us back. And we cave, finding ourselves back in that toxic relationship. Oh, we know nothing can come of it, and our friends, even the Holy Spirit, will remind us what we're doing is wrong, but we are stuck in this cycle, when what we need to tell sin is: We are never, ever, EVER getting back together!
Lately, I've been in this particular battle with doubt. Doubting I'm doing the right thing. Doubting that God will do what He said He would, and provide. Doubting I'm making the right decision. And that is exactly what came to mind when I heard that song. I could really feel the Lord changing the words for me in such a way that I needed to realize: I needed to break up with doubt. For good. Later that night, I had my quiet time with Him, and continued that conversation. He showed me what His word said; He reminded me of Abraham. How Abraham's faith was tested when the Lord asked Him to sacrifice Isaac, and Abraham agreed. Without question, he took his son to Mount Moriah, and trusted the Lord would provide. And we all know the story, the Lord provided a sacrifice so that Isaac, Abraham's son, would not have to be sacrificed. Abraham named the place "The LORD Will Provide". Wow. How can we argue with that?
Time and again, the Lord proves Himself faithful, in His word, and in my life. So I knew, I had to break up with doubt. I needed to end it, we were DONE. Since that decision, my life has felt less stressful, worry is gone too! I have had multiple people confirm what the Lord has told me, and I have become so much more confident in not only going to France, but in knowing that the Lord is going to do this Himself, in His timing. At this point, it would be a miracle, but I don't doubt for a second that He will perform one. The Lord has encouraged me with these verses from Romans, and I want to share them with you now,

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:32,37-39

So if you are struggling with sin, or with doubt, break up with it! Tell it that you are never, ever, EVER getting back together! Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, and the love of Christ, you can do it! When we were adopted into the family of God, we were raised from the dead, and we are no longer bound by the chains of sin, we have been made free in Christ, but we need to make the effort! Faith without works is dead, so know, and trust that where you fall short, God will carry you the rest of the way.

You, my brothers, were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge in sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Galatians 5:13 & 14

My team video! Check it out!

It is a Truth Universally Acknowledged....

That all things worth having are not always easy to get. Fundraising is HARD! It's a daily struggle to remember that God is in control, and that He has called me to this moment, and to this life. Staying positive is a battle that I have to fight, and sometimes, I feel as thought I'm fighting a losing battle. I say all this because I feel I have to be honest, things are not always rainbows and butterflies. But I will say this: I am happy every day. God sends someone every day to encourage me, or to share Him with. He reminds me that I am not abandoned, that I am not alone, and that He is and AWESOME God. He can do anything. Even give me all of the money I need to go on internship.

So in remembering this, I remember you. My readers. And if you are out there, reading this, struggling, worrying, and scared, remember every day, God is on your side. He will never leave of forsake you. I know,  believe me, I know, it's easy to say that when you aren't feeling worried. Well I'm saying it, and I just spent the past paragraph spilling my guts about how I have been feeling the same way. But even more important than that, GOD said it to you. In His word. He is the most reliable source of truth that we have, because He is the truth. So when you begin to worry, stop. Close your eyes (Unless of course you're driving.), take a deep breath, talk to God, tell him how you're feeling, and then listen. Hear Him, because He will speak. He will comfort you, and remind you of the promises He has made.

So all this to say, I'm afraid, because the Lord has asked me to step out into the unknown. But I am fighting the fear, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the word of God, and sheer will because of my knowledge of the faithfulness of God. I will leave you with the verse that has so encouraged me: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Blessings and Love,

Chrissy