September 22nd.

If you know me at all, you know that Nathan Angelo is by far, without a doubt, my absolute favorite artist. I hope you enjoy his new video of September 22nd on this special 'normal day'.

Sexy Christians

Yeah, you read that correctly. Last night I attended a seminar on campus by the wonderful Dr. Carter, and she had some very interesting things to say. Throughout the whole seminar I was itchin' to share all of this with you. That being said, let's talk about the big, fat elephant in the room. Get this...

God is a sexual entity. Let that marinade for a minute.
He created sex.
And He created sex to be enjoyed, post-marriage of course.

WHOA. Kinda gross, right? It shouldn't be. I was talking to one of my friends the other day about sex after marriage. We both agreed that when we finally get married, sex being "allowed" will be one of the hardest parts to get used to. We have both grown up being taught that sex is forbidden, and it should be forbidden before marriage. But it makes sense that we would think that way! The reason that the words "sex" and "christian" don't go together today is because of the church. Before you decide to stop reading and chew me out, let me explain. I feel as though the church is in constant competition with the world. The world says sex before marriage is a necessity; the church's reply is either non-existent, or it's that sex is bad. If we don't start talking about sex in the church, people are going to look elsewhere for the answers to those hard questions. They need to know, instead of us only saying "NO!". If we want the younger generations to know the difference between right and wrong we should be open to discussing these things. I would much rather have my siblings (whom are 17) come to me to talk about sex than their peers, because a good bit of their peers are already sexually active and have been for years. You might say that it is inappropriate to discuss the beauty of sex with someone who isn't married. Well, I couldn't disagree more. Instead of teaching that it is forbidden we should teach that it is God-designed, it is beautiful, it's for the marriage bed only, and that it is infinitely more special if it's SAVED for that.

So, for all you single ladies and fellas out there; you wanna be a sexy christian? The absolute sexiest thing you can do is wait for your future husband or wife. I mean, completely wait. No pushing the envelope.
Ladies, keeping your body a secret is sexy. Your husband will love you even more for only sharing that with him. And fellas, keeping your mind pure is sexy. Your wife will love you so much more for sheltering your thoughts and allowing her to be the only lady that you intimately involve in them.

Now go be a sexy christian today.

Control freak.

I am a control freak.

I absolutely cannot stand it when I don't have control of the outcome of a situation. I am terrified of the unknown. If I can't verbally talk myself through it, I go a little bit insane.

The sad part is I'm not over-pitching this. I genuinely have this overcoming fear that if I am not in charge of every situation in my life, my world will crash and burn. You see, that's a huge problem. By constantly desiring to have control of my life, I'm not letting God be God. Without faith, I am not believing God is God.  Hold the phone! If that doesn't eat at your spirit, I don't know what will!

We can't just pick and choose the parts of our lives we give to the Lord and the ones we keep without it affecting our relationship with Him. Surrendering completely means faith unwavering. Faith that God can and will do everything He said He'd do. Without faith, we are a broken tool for the Kingdom of Heaven.

As much as we fight it, we can't change the fact that God has been and always will be in control. Even in those yucky days, He is presently in control. He never leaves. Scripture tells us that
He never sleeps, never naps.
He is never somewhere else, He's omnipresent.
He is never too weak, He is all powerful.
He is never confused, He is all-knowing.
If he weren't in control of all things, He wouldn't be God of all things.

So today, I promise to stop being a worry-wart. I promise to continue to live out each and every for the one purpose of completing His will. I promise to let God be God today, tomorrow, and every day until He calls me home.

Brace yourselves...

As I have laid in bed for the past 48 hours completely immobile as a result of the all powerful Influenza, I have caught up on my share of Facebook and Twitter creepin'. Needless to say, I am slightly uncomfortable with some of the things I have seen. The endless pictures of girls in skimpy dresses, suggestive status updates, and flirtatious wall posts are absolutely exhausting. And the sad part is, I didn't have to go far down my timeline to see all of these things. It's everywhere. And you girls who behave like that wonder why you only attract jerks. When you act superficial, you get superficial. No man that's worth your time wants superficiality. Get it together, ladies.

Listen to me closely.
You are beautiful.
You are a treasure.
You are worthy to be pursued.
And you don't have to make a showcase of yourself for others to see that.
You deserve to have everything you've ever wanted in a man, and you will.
But you'll have to...
Stop trying to be hot, instead of beautiful.
Be mysterious.
Be you.
And love God, above all else.

A woman who fears and loves the Lord is far more beautiful because of her Godliness than a woman who spends too much time in front of the mirror. I promise you, any guy will agree with me on this one. And if he doesn't, then you need to run. Fast.

Now boys, control yourselves. Everyone knows that you don't always think with your brains. But for real, step your game up. "Wifey material" isn't attracted to trash. So quit complimenting the sleazy girls' pictures, stop saying things you don't mean, and get your mind out of the bedroom. A real lady likes a conversation and a man with substance, not a project.

Bottom line, be the man or woman your future spouse deserves to have and nothing less.

Saving Grace

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress,
I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6

  
There are so many parts of this verse that speak to me. I won't even begin to analyze and break it down for you; read it over and over. I am so thankful that I can find wholeness, peace, hope, deliverance, security, and LOVE in my God alone, even though I am completely undeserving. He is good!