Thinking about Him: poem and a doodle

Thinking about Him
The dark path He walked
His bride was on His mind
The door to God had been locked

He was walking toward death
The grave thought it won
The wicked thought this was right
They all forgot one thing, He is God's Son

This path was real and hard
He was left truly alone
Every sin was His reality
Every sin ever known

The grave held Him with sick greed
Those who loved Him were lost
Yet this was the will of God
His life was the cost

To take this lightly would be tragedy
It didn't end with death and the grave
The cost had been paid
Only because Life won on the 3rd day

Thinking about Him
Oh how He was and is mocked
His love for the world was on His mind
I thank Him for the path He walked

-Trudi Dalton
He has Risen 2013

worry much.

Special: mum, her mum and me
summer 2010, WA

today i started to worry.
why? because i realized i have been planning and thinking hard.. i'm trying to figure out my life.
sounds silly. but i just for once want to truly know what my summer is going to hold. i wanted to know i'll have a job and can make money to pay for moody. i want to know if i'll get to spend most of my summer with my sweet little niece.
i wanted to know.

i called mum. she said to not worry and to trust God. i know mum struggles with trusting God too...and she said "God knows our weaknesses" He knows we struggle with trusting Him and wants to meet us in that weakness.

maybe i haven't been spending enough time in the Word. maybe thats why i'm worrying today.

possibly im frustrated because i've yet again...come to a stand still where the Lord graciously has shown me i can't do it alone.

God, i want to trust you...truly trust you... i want to claim your peace today. even though today i'm struggling and i miss my family ... You are good. Help me swell on truth.
Show me the line between  exercising faith and doing things on my own strength.

The Church

The Church: Redeemed, Chosen, God’s Beloved

As I’ve been studying, Ecclesiology, I want to share with you some of the key things I’m learning. Not just for your sake, for I honestly have no idea how many people actually read my blog, but for my sake to have a place to look back and remember these incredible truths.

doodle: the church

Ecclesiology, is the study of the Church, both the universal and local body of believers. I’m not here to re-teach the logistics and wordy facts about this amazing study...but what the Lord is teaching my heart.
“Even though Christianity is individual, it is not individualistic.” Francis Schaeffer
In class we talked about the many divisions in the universal church, we talked about how easy it is to pridefully say “I’d be better off living in a log cabin the woods, just me and God”, and we acknowledged the fact that the Lord is working on so many different levels through so many different grids of theology. Who am I to say someone might have wrong theology when there is more visible fruit in their life then in mine? Can we be okay with this? What would the body of believers look like if we agreed to disagree on some things...and still be able to fellowship together and spur each other on in the grace of Christ to good works?
Oh how important it is to hold firmly to truth and respond in grace and humility toward those you disagree with. As soon as I respond in pride to someone I disagree with I am in the wrong... I pray for humility, I pray that I might see Christ’s perspective of each believer.
As the church we have grace upon grace upon grace...what would it look like to extend that?
Professor Myers gave us three purposes of the Church that are right on:
1. The upward purpose of the Church is to joyfully and eternally express the Greatness and Goodness of God together in worship.
2. The outward purpose of the Church is to communicate the Gospel to the unsaved and call them to faith in Jesus Christ.

There is a great cost to this purpose, and “the sufferings of Christ are completed in the suffering of His saints.” (Myers) (Col 1:24,29)
3. The inward purpose of the Church is to express the grace and truth of God to one another in fellowship, service, and teaching.

These purposes amaze me and cause me to both praise God and pray...because I see this in some churches but not in others...
We have the Spirit of God indwelling us, He gives us a desire to connect with each other. What might  be wrong in the times I don’t want to connect with other believers? Me, sin, flesh... Is what is wrong. Me says I don’t need to love every believe, me says if they have different theology then me then most likely God’s not working in and through their life, and me doubts the power of the gospel to continue to transform and refine each believer...including myself.

Professor Myers pleaded with us to be aware of blind stops in our perspective:
All that the New Testament has to say about our  potion in Christ is corporate! We must participate in each others needs, through prayer and serving. Confessing together, calling sin “sin” brings a deep Spirit of unity and allows the grace of God to work deeply.

Lastly this quote really stopped me in my tracks: read it carefully...
Apology of Aristides (to Emperor Hadrian, 125 AD)
“[Christians] love one another, and from widows they do not turn away their esteem; and they deliver the orphan from him who treats him harshly. And he, who has, gives to him who has not, without boasting. And when they see a stranger, they take him in to their homes and rejoice over him as a very brother; for they do not call them brethren after the flesh, but brethren after the spirit and in God. And whenever one of their poor passes from the world, each one of them according to his ability gives heed to him and carefully sees to his burial. And if they hear that one of their number is imprisoned or afflicted on account of their Messiah, all of them anxiously minister to his necessity, and if it is possible to redeem him they set him free. And if there is among them any that is poor and needy, and if they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to supply to the needs of their lack of food.”

....that is the early church for you...how have we changed...how have we stayed the same?

Pray for the Church, pray that we choose wisely our ‘hills to die on’ and the differences we can let go...pray we never compromise the death,  burial and resurrection of Christ. Most of all, together, pray for the Name of God to be hallowed and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven and for the Nations to truly know Grace... Pray, pray, pray....in the spiritual realm, on our neighs before the Father is where true unity is found.

Gluten Free- a speech

Gluten Free: at The Pancake House

A speech on Gluten Free: [Some information came from my head others came from recent news articles, and some things I say are debatable in the world of science that is constantly changing]

Gluten free? A lot of people call it a fad diet, most people have no idea what it is…but for me? It is a necessary life style, one that I never will chance because I have celiac disease. Today I want to share with you three categories of surprising facts. If you take hold of these you will come away understanding what gluten is, why it is so harmful to many and the benefits of this lifestyle

FIRST THINGS FIRST. OH, the misconceptions about gluten! Gluten is not glue, or sugar, or dairy, or only white flour and the list goes on. It is to be exact, “a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye,” which means that it is the main ingredient for bread, cake, cereal and pasta. What you probably didn’t know is that it is in…ALMOST EVERYTHING!
- Salad dressings, soups, most sauces, French fries, soy sauce, some vinegars, it coats most fried foods, contaminates most oats and is in many candies.
For those of us who can’t tolerate gluten…it is most likely for life and you can’t just “take a pill” to cure it.
I hope you want to learn about this because you will likely be brushing shoulders with us ‘odd ones’ wherever you go… Studies show that Celiac disease affects one in 100 people, totaling to nearly three million Americans.  This disease is often seen in a blood test but they haven’t found an absolutely accurate way to test if someone has Celiac. Gluten sensitivity on the other hand is much more common, approximately 20 million Americans are affected by it. This is usually discovered after a nutritionist advises someone experiencing certain symptoms to take a 30 day fast from gluten with NO cheating.
You probably are wondering, “WHY all of this trouble with gluten now?”  And there are those of you who are skeptics that still think it is just a “fad” diet…but studies are showing that Celiac disease and intolerance is actually increasing. Scientists suggest that there may be more celiac disease today because people eat more processed wheat than in decades past. The wheat used in all our cereals, breads, and baked goods contain a types of wheat that has been genetically created to have a higher gluten content BECAUSE Gluten helps dough rise and gives baked goods structure and texture.Our bodies weren’t made to digest so much gluten, let alone refined and processed gluten.

Now that I’ve cleared up a few misconceptions I want to inform you about the surprising facts of how harmful gluten is. If someone is gluten intolerant and/or suffers from celiac disease they may experience symptoms such as:
-weight loss, fatigue, hives, difficulty breathing, and digestive problems, it can induce headaches, dizziness, and brain fog where you’re just not thinking clearly, it even can cause bone pain, behavior changes, muscle cramps, depression and the LIST GOES ON.......
People with celiac disease who continue to consume gluten end up slowly starving themselves as their bodies aren’t receiving proper nutrition because their small intestines begin to shut down. The long-term effects of consuming gluten for those with celiac disease are: increased risk of cancers, anemia, low energy, and other health complications due to lack of  a strong immune system.The only known treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet.
You may also be interested to know that untreated celiac disease in children has been linked to anemia, underdevelopment, and even autistic symptoms. Irritability and weight loss are the most common symptoms in children…This is something to keep a watchful eye out for!
Unfortunately a large part of the medical field has not jumped on board with the seriousness of intolerance to gluten and celiac disease which has resulted in many misdiagnoses.
It took one young lady 3 years of experiencing a lot of these horrible symptoms, she visited 75 different doctors around the States before she called a doctor she was listening to on the radio and within five minutes he told her she had Celiac Disease…after this, her doctor tested her for it and she tested positive.

I hope those surprising facts about the harm of gluten got your attention….and lastly, on a positive note I want to share with you the life changing benefits of this eating lifestyle, whether it be by choice or necessity.
Removing gluten can improve cholesterol levels and help heal digestive issues. Some gluten free products contain antioxidants that help sustain the body. Gluten is in most fast foods and processed foods, so by eating gluten-free, you end up staying clear of a lot of unhealthy food choice! You also end up preparing most of your own food at home by using fresh veggies, fruits, meats and alternative grains. This is SO beneficial because you know exactly what you're eating!
My mom spent many years with fatigue, brain foggy-ness, and many headaches. She never tested positive on any blood test to have celiac or an allergy to gluten but not long after she went off of gluten she saw a huge difference. Its been more than five years now and she has never looked back.

In conclusion, I hope you have learned something:
Whether it be you know better what to cook if a friend who’s gluten free comes over, (a “GF” friend for short)
OR possibly, as you’ve listened to me today you’ve been thinking that you have some of these symptoms  that in the past you have just blamed on a bad digestive system or eating unhealthy food.  I would encourage you to consider going off of gluten for 30 days. Remember YOU absolutely CAN'T CHEAT!
Some will try “gluten free” because right now it is a fad diet and if they have celiac disease like me or are gluten intolerant like my mom, they probably won’t change back to their old ways of eating, …it is THAT beneficial and going gluten free is here to stay…I hope you will take some of these amazing facts with you so that at the least, you can be more understanding when someone says they can’t have a piece of your birthday cake or at the most, you will pay closer attention to your body if it is crying out for help.. Thank you!