Biography before Book. It's alphabetical.
Today was the first day in about 40 days and 40 nights...or something like that..that I was able to take an actual sabbath without any work in sight. It was glorious. I hibernated. After hibernating I went to the biblioteca to get a book that a friend had recommended to me called "Water for Elephants". I'm already halfway through with it because it's quite interesting and I also want to read it before seeing the movie which is coming out soon, I've heard (starring Reese Witherspoon and Rob Pattinson..umm hello). Something I've begun to notice is that for me personally it is important to know about the author before I start reading the book. I like to know if they have kids, where they live, what's their story, etc. Why? Because for me it helps me to relate to the books easier by finding out their reasoning for writing them. And so *wa-la* I present a blog to you.
I think everyone that has been in church for awhile or that's ever visited a church has heard a story about how famous prophets and men of God would spend more tim
e with God on days when they didn't have that much time at all. Why did they do this? Because they understood that the only way you can get through such hard and busy days is to know the One who gave that day to you and the only way to get to know Him is by spending time with Him.
I strongly believe that God possesses every love language ( out of the 5 Love Languages...which EVERYONE should read) at equal, passionately strong degrees. But one of the most sacrificial ways to understand God is by spending time with Him. I mean, wouldn't that make reading the bible so much easier if we understood the Author? If we spent time getting to know the Author then wouldn't it be easier for us to relate to their words and to understand why they chose to write the stories the way they did? Instead we digest the stories like they are the vegetables in the meal that our mom makes us eat, so we swallow without chewing. We belittle the words that were written with love so that we can check something else off of our to-do lists.
One of my favorite verses and something I've made my constant desire comes from Jeremiah (nope not 29:11).
"I will give them a heart to know me; that I am the Lord. " Jer. 24:7
Wouldn't it be the bees knees to have a heart that KNOWS God. Instead of asking God for "signs" or tangible confirmation, you would have a heart that knows which way you should take, even when your metaphorical GPS is not online. You could flip through all your college acceptance letters and know which one is where you're suppose to be. You could be in a relationship or about to step into a relationship and have peace about whether or not that person is the right person for you. How cool would that be?! But how do you reach that level of coolness?
Let me ask you this: When you are trying to get to know someone, how do you get to know them? Here's a hint: It starts with a "T" . No, not texting (although that's become a common tool). Did someone say TIME? You are correct. You spend time with someone you want to get to know. But you already knew that, so why is it so hard for us to spend consistent time with God?
I believe sometimes we get so past the point of comfortable that we forget what passion feels like. Sadly, when you don't put time or thought into a marriage, you lose tract of who that person is and who you are. A cold heart is the result of a crushed, famished spirit. Someone who is on-fire spiritually cannot possibly have a cold heart because they are radiating with passionate flames that keep them outside of their comfort zones.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26
Last night in the bed of a pickup truck at odd hours of the night I had one of the most spiritually touching conversations with a new friend of mine. During the conversation she and I talked about the things we were the most passionate about. When each of us talked about our passions we teared up because they were so close to our hearts. I pray that we all could experience that level of passion for our spiritual growth and relationship with the Author. For all of you that find it hard to cry or don't like crying, I pray that your heart softens to the point where you can't even think about God without tearing up. Love will make you do crazy things sometimes.
If you're like me then reading the bible can be really tough, especially with all the gory battle scenes and long list of ancestral names *yawn*. So something I've found to be helpful is to not dive straight into the stories but take some time before to just pray and spend time getting to know the Author before I try and understand His creation. He is loving, compassionate, and always on time - so He will never stand you up for a get-to-know-you date. So don't be afraid that if you take the step to get to know Him that He will let you down - because Love never fails. He got to know you before He ever created you, He loved you before you ever loved Him, He adores you and just wants to spend time with you.
Now, start facebook stalking Him.
I think everyone that has been in church for awhile or that's ever visited a church has heard a story about how famous prophets and men of God would spend more tim
e with God on days when they didn't have that much time at all. Why did they do this? Because they understood that the only way you can get through such hard and busy days is to know the One who gave that day to you and the only way to get to know Him is by spending time with Him.I strongly believe that God possesses every love language ( out of the 5 Love Languages...which EVERYONE should read) at equal, passionately strong degrees. But one of the most sacrificial ways to understand God is by spending time with Him. I mean, wouldn't that make reading the bible so much easier if we understood the Author? If we spent time getting to know the Author then wouldn't it be easier for us to relate to their words and to understand why they chose to write the stories the way they did? Instead we digest the stories like they are the vegetables in the meal that our mom makes us eat, so we swallow without chewing. We belittle the words that were written with love so that we can check something else off of our to-do lists.
One of my favorite verses and something I've made my constant desire comes from Jeremiah (nope not 29:11).
"I will give them a heart to know me; that I am the Lord. " Jer. 24:7
Wouldn't it be the bees knees to have a heart that KNOWS God. Instead of asking God for "signs" or tangible confirmation, you would have a heart that knows which way you should take, even when your metaphorical GPS is not online. You could flip through all your college acceptance letters and know which one is where you're suppose to be. You could be in a relationship or about to step into a relationship and have peace about whether or not that person is the right person for you. How cool would that be?! But how do you reach that level of coolness?
Let me ask you this: When you are trying to get to know someone, how do you get to know them? Here's a hint: It starts with a "T" . No, not texting (although that's become a common tool). Did someone say TIME? You are correct. You spend time with someone you want to get to know. But you already knew that, so why is it so hard for us to spend consistent time with God?
I believe sometimes we get so past the point of comfortable that we forget what passion feels like. Sadly, when you don't put time or thought into a marriage, you lose tract of who that person is and who you are. A cold heart is the result of a crushed, famished spirit. Someone who is on-fire spiritually cannot possibly have a cold heart because they are radiating with passionate flames that keep them outside of their comfort zones.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26
Last night in the bed of a pickup truck at odd hours of the night I had one of the most spiritually touching conversations with a new friend of mine. During the conversation she and I talked about the things we were the most passionate about. When each of us talked about our passions we teared up because they were so close to our hearts. I pray that we all could experience that level of passion for our spiritual growth and relationship with the Author. For all of you that find it hard to cry or don't like crying, I pray that your heart softens to the point where you can't even think about God without tearing up. Love will make you do crazy things sometimes.
If you're like me then reading the bible can be really tough, especially with all the gory battle scenes and long list of ancestral names *yawn*. So something I've found to be helpful is to not dive straight into the stories but take some time before to just pray and spend time getting to know the Author before I try and understand His creation. He is loving, compassionate, and always on time - so He will never stand you up for a get-to-know-you date. So don't be afraid that if you take the step to get to know Him that He will let you down - because Love never fails. He got to know you before He ever created you, He loved you before you ever loved Him, He adores you and just wants to spend time with you.
Now, start facebook stalking Him.
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