An Appetite for God's Word

a post by Rachael

Hey girls! I’m so excited to be sharing with you today here on Chelsea’s blog. I have been her fan for a while now, and I’m so blessed to be sponsoring her!

I wanted to just quickly {in my awesome guest posting opportunity!} to share with you something I’ve been contemplating lately…

My appetite. Specifically, my appetite for God’s Word.

Lately my God-appetite and desire for food has been a bit like my body after I’ve been sick. I see the food, and I know it’s good! I can smell it, and it might smell a little bit tempting, but there’s nothing in me that wants it enough to eat it. Have you ever experienced this? I did a few weeks ago – it’s no fun – and there is no way my body can survive for any length of time with my stomach laying empty.

My Spirit needs sustenance just the same. Jesus calls me to feed on Him; He is my bread, my sustenance, the very thing necessary for me to survive! [Matthew 4:4, 26:26]

How do you gain back a spiritual appetite that has been lost? How can we, as young women, increase our desire for God’s Word?

Here are some ideas:

1.      Identify why your appetite for God is lacking. If you are not feasting on Him, you must be eating at another table. Where are you eating, friend? Are you indulging in too much sickly-sweet world, through television, movies, magazines? Is it time to go on a ‘diet’ and cut these things out, in favour of the sweet fruit and vegetables of the Word?

2.      Push through. Sometimes, if we are unwell and food doesn’t seem like a good idea, it is worth pushing through this mental block and just eating something, due to the fact that we know our body needs it to survive. In the same way, begin cultivating daily practice of ‘eating’ the Bible, even if you don’t feel like it.

3.      Find support. No one in the world would expect someone with food or weight issues to go it alone – there are hundreds of programs and groups to help people with some aspect of eating food. Get involved in a small group that will keep you accountable to partaking of God’s word regularly, and allowing it to transform your life. Encourage them back! The blogging world is a great place to see this in action :)

Well, there you have it girls! I am not perfect, and these points are some of the things God is teaching me. I have been seeking Him for what I need to cut out and replace with Him, and we are on this journey together. Want to follow it too? Head over to my blog and leave a comment  - I really would love to meet you!

P.S. Thanks again Chels! Love having your blog for a day! Xo

Blog: heldbyHishand.blogspot.com

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__________________________________

I don't know about y'all,  but this is something that is super important as I'm attending seminary and especially this time of year! Thank you so much, Rachael, for sharing these great encouragements! 

Stop by Rachael's blog and send some love!

The Beauty of the Gospel

*originally posted here, but brought back because it's a good thing to remember*

thoughts after attending the Right Now Conference in November

(from j.t. lowery)

The gospel is

powerful

beautiful

truth.

It's basic and simple

and enough to alter everything about me

And even though I work in a church and have been a believer since I was six years old, I am so glad that we spent three days on the gospel- the foundation of our faith.


There was so much good stuff- I heard impacting messages from Matt Carter of the Austin Stone, Matt Chandler of the Village Church and Francis Chan, who wrote Crazy Love.


One of the best things I brought home though, was from JD Grear. He discussed how the gospel changes us in a way that religion can't. Religion can give you an outline on how to be good, but cannot teach you to love goodness.


So I've begun to carry these four truths on a bookmark as part of a gospel prayer to remind myself daily of God's goodness and to help me fall back in love with the gospel.


1. In Christ, there is nothing I could do to make you love me more, nothing I have done that makes you love me less.


And yet so often, whether consciously or not, I try to earn God's favor by doing things and being good. But God says that, "it is by grace that [I] have been saved, not of works so that no one can boast." (ephesians 2:8-9)


And on the flip side, whenever I have stumbled and struggled I find myself drawing away from God. BUT the gospel tells me- he loves me! He wants me to run to Him when I stumble. "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)


2. You are all I need today for everlasting joy.


And yet constantly I want material things or relationships or a career to provide that joy, when the only true satisfaction will ever come from Christ! "For your grace is sufficient for me.." 2 Corinthians 12:9


3. As you have been to me, so I will be to others.


God has granted me immeasurable grace and forgiveness. It is only fitting that I in turn give grace and forgiveness, as seen in the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18.


4. As I pray, I'll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection.


Even when things are confusing. Even when circumstances are hard or bad or chaotic. I will not put you in the box of my understanding. For "your thoughts are higher than my thoughts and your ways are higher than my ways." Isaiah 55:9


I have lots of yummy recipes to share this week, but I couldn't keep from sharing the beautiful things I learned this past week. Tune in for baked ziti, chipotle ranch dressing, baked potato soup and sopapilla cheesecake!!! Aaah, it's going to be a delicious week :)

like a snake in the garden

This past weekend I got to visit both sets of my grandparents for Mother's Day

My Grandpa Lynn and Granny Alice have, over the past several years, transformed their backyard into a Secret Garden-esque tropical rainforest paradise. There are flowering plants of all kinds, fruits and vegetables galore, and enough shade to make wandering through the rows bearable.

Their property backs to the Davy Crockett National Forest so it's easy to get lost in the natural and cultivated beauty.

My little cousin, Bella, and I took a walk along one of the neighborhood trails and found a field full of wildflowers, humming with bees and butterflies.

The sun shone warmly.

Birds flew in and out among the many feeders, giving us glimpses of colorful wings.

After our traipse in the garden, Bella and I returned to the house to treat our mosquito bites and join the rest of our family.

Later, the rest of the grandkids went outside for a game of soccer

(Bella and I had had enough mosquitoes though, thank you!) 

The game came to a screeching halt when, as my uncle retrieved the ball from the garden, he found a 5 foot long snake caught in the garden netting. 

Thankfully the snake was caught tight enough in the netting where it could not get out, and my uncle was able to kill it quickly.

(Taylor is insane. And super cool)

I'm not a snake expert, but I was told that this snake was a water moccasin (also known as a cottonmouth). It is a species of viper and its venom can be fatal. 

While I am so grateful that no one was hurt and that this guy is no longer with us,

it made me much more aware of the surroundings that I had carelessly skipped through earlier in the day. Enamored with the beauty of the flowers and sky, I neglected to put my guard up. Who knows how long Mr Fangs was hanging out in the garden? Perhaps he was there while I was leaning in for the perfect shot of the berries. 

I don't know about y'all, but one of the biggest ways that God speaks to me is through situations. Something happens (oh, like finding a snake in the garden) and then BAM- spiritual revelation, and God speaks wisdom through these scenarios. 

This reminded me of another snake in another garden. You see, a lot of times this is how I find my spiritual life. I'm oblivious to evil. But as Christians, it is important for us to be alert! 

^"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. "

1 Peter 5:8-9a

In my own power, I could never defend myself from the devil, just as with my bare hands I would never handle that snake. Instead, the armor of God protects me and gives me weapons to not only defend myself but to fight offensively!

 ^"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests."

Galatians 6:10-18

This is not to say that we should never enjoy our life or that we should be paranoid

But when we let our guard down, we are more likely to 

give into lies

refuse forgiveness and harbor bitterness

and

miss glorious opportunities to love

So, I urge you, through the beautiful grace of God

put on the belt of truth and guard your integrity

put on the breastplate of righteousness and protect your heart

put on the shoes of the gospel and carry that life-defining story with you wherever you go

take up the shield of faith 

put on the helmet of salvation, telling yourself daily the story of God's love for us

and bear the sword of the Spirit, utilizing the power of the Bible and the Holy Spirit

and remember that you're not alone. 

"I have told you these things that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

John 16:33

have a blessed weekend, y'all

Faith to Go into the Unknown

I wasn't going to write this post, but for the sake of transparency and accountability I wanted to share what God has been teaching me.

This past week I became overwhelmed with anxiety about my future. 

I absolutely love where I am right now. I love my city. I love my church and my job. I love every one of my crazy students. I love my roommates. But in August I'll be leaving all of this to pursue my Master's Degree at seminary. 

Part of me is so excited to be part of a community where everyone is being equipped and taught to live out ministry! I know that every day I do this student ministry thing I become more aware of how much I don't know. I understand that I'll never have all the answers, but I am excited to have a deeper understanding of the Bible! I know this is something God has truly placed on my heart, even before I made the commitment to pursue full time ministry.

And part of me is terrified

that I won't make new friends

that I won't excel in my classes

that my current relationships will suffer 

Of course it won't be easy,

but I began to allow these fears to root deep down into my heart

and they convinced me that they were bigger and more powerful than the one I'm serving.

And then God spoke to me.

I don't know how God speaks to you,

but He likes to speak to me through the Bible

and this time His message was quite clear.

This particular day I had gone over to Panera Bread to eat lunch and work on our youth Bible study. I pulled out the workbook to read over the study and just sat staring at the title for a few moments.

"Faith to Go into the Unknown"

And then I proceeded to read about Moses, in Exodus 13 and 14

when He had led the Israelites out of Egypt right to the bank of the Red Sea.

Moses didn't know where he was going. He and the people literally followed where God led them, in the form of a cloud or a pillar of fire. 

They found themselves being pursued by the Egyptian army, on the edge of the Red Sea, with nowhere to turn. The people lost all hope, believing they were about to die!

After HUGE and mighty acts that God had shown them

blood, frogs, gnats, flies, epidemic disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness

and the death of the firstborns

God appearing in the form of cloud and fire

the people doubted His power.

I sat reading this passage at my booth and was so completely convicted of my lack of faith. I have seen God work in such evident and miraculous ways in my life. He has shown me insurmountable grace and opened doors that I never thought were possible. 

How could I forget everything that He has done now?

And yet, God speaks encouragement through Moses to his people

We have such a patient and loving God

and these words pierced my heart

"Do not be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."

Exodus 14:13-14 NLT


God showed His power by giving the Israelites a way out- He split the sea in two and all the people walked through on dry ground!

My situation is a lot less life-threatening and dire

but the heart of the matter is the same

I can have faith to go into the unknown because my God will be glorified

the Lord himself will fight for me!

and sipping on a caramel ice blended coffee,

the Lord did fight those fears and lies
And as I confessed my anxieties to the Lord, 
He fulfilled another promise, from Philippians 4:6-7
to guard my heart with a peace that passes understanding. 


Friends, today I hope that you are encouraged to have faith to go into the unknown
whatever that may be in your life.
God is in control
and He will fight for you!

Linkin up with Kerrie at The Williams Post today!

Swag Bag Sponsor Feature: Bearing Fruit and Naptime Diaries

A couple more sponsor features today!

Meet Andee!

Andee from Bearing Fruit sent over a "Letter from God" for each girl. 

Check out her post here to read the entirety of the scripture laden, 

beautifully written letter. It is a must read for ladies of all ages 

and a great reminder of the vastness of our Father's love for us!

Send Andee some love at her blog!

.... and meet Jessi!

Jessi from Naptime Diaries donated the digital file for this awesome scripture print. 

Even in the middle of a cross country move, she took the time to contribute! 

She just relaunched her Etsy store with some great new mixed media prints. 

Go check out her blog and shop! 

Ladies, thank you so much for sending over some beautiful scriptural truths to encourage our girls! It was very much appreciated!

Girls Extravaganza Recap

Thank you so much for praying for the Girls Extravaganza this past weekend. 

The outpouring of love and support and encouragement 

made such a huge difference, and I am so grateful to each and every one of you! 

The event well so well! It was more than evident that it had been 

covered in prayer by the way all of the elements came together. 

The volunteer force that helped throughout the day 

made everything run smoothly, and got everything shut down 

in a timely manner at the end of the day.

The color scheme for the Girls Event was pink, black and white so we incorporated that into signs for the registration table, restrooms, breakout session rooms, and food labels. 

I also painted some signs with scriptures that corresponded to our theme.

[I totally could have been a cheerleader.]

We also strung a pennant banner with cardstock triangles 

in different shades of pink, purple, black and white. 

As the girls came in, they registered at the table

and picked out a super swanky swag bag

Unfortunately, I was running around like a crazy woman 

and did not get a picture of all of the beautiful bags. 

But here's a picture of the one I ended up getting to take home!

[other bags included an additional accessory]

Then the girls grabbed a snack from our 

variety of delicious [and some healthy] selections.

We had a beautiful time of worship

And broke into small groups to rotate through breakout sessions.

Lindsey's session discussed how God can make all things new

and she showed them how to make a no-sew vest 

and two different kinds of scarves from T shirts

Tia's session discussed true beauty

and letting God define what's beautiful about us

Jessica's group looked at Biblical instruction for conflict resolution

and the importance of being a peacemaker.

I didn't get a picture of her group, 

but Emily's group discussed having healthy relationships,

and looked at warning signs of abusive ones.

I got to share some insight from my walk with Christ,

as well as some tips on how to dress modestly and fashionably

citing lots of examples from Much Love, Illy

[clearly not imposing my own style ;) ]

Now, unfortunately, I was again running around like a crazy person

so I didn't get a picture of our swap shop

where we released everyone to shop away

But Friday, David and I built this special structure to hang clothes on

It was kind of a pain, but it totally served its purpose!

I ended up with some cutesy new items

including a colorful dress from Target

a lavender cardigan 

and striped top 

God used the music 

the breakout sessions

a special video from Jackie

gifts

the swap

prayers from volunteers

to speak to everyone there

We didn't have fifty girls

but that was totally okay.

I continue to hear stories from ladies

[students, volunteers, and speakers]

on how God spoke to them

or how one specific thing affected them

and I know that God orchestrated every detail

He designed each piece

to teach and show love to His daughters.

And I am deeply impacted

encouraged 

and motivated 

to trade materialism for generosity

self preservation for His provision

ashes for beauty.

A Martha Moment and Ugly Cupcakes

This past weekend truly was great. 

Food tour. Sleepover with the girls. Church. Spirit Fest.

But goodness, I had a hard time getting to the great part.

I let myself stress about whether any students would show up for the sleepovers.

If the money would be there for the events.

If I could really show the love of Christ to students 

who are so far removed from accepting it.

And so even as I was enjoying my food tastings,

 my anxiety was building.

Our girls and guys were having overnight events on the same evening. 

Our budget is depleted so I was preparing as much as I could on my own 

for their events. So I made two dozen chocolate cupcakes 

and two dozen vanilla cupcakes and was attempting 

to make swiss meringue buttercream frosting 

(because I think regular vanilla buttercream is gross)

Well, I don't think I let the egg white-sugar mixture get hot enough. 

Or something. Because stiff peaks never formed. 

Even when I beat it for like twelve minutes. 

And then I thought- well I should just add the butter and see what happens. 

So I ended up with sweetened butter, not even close to the 

beautiful frosting I was envisioning.

Oh, and then my mixer stopped working.

Just decided it was done.

But seriously?

I lost it.

I called my mom in tears.

because I'd wasted five eggs and four sticks of butter.

Because now my four dozen cupcakes weren't frosted 

and I was out of money.

Because my mixer was broken. 

I hung up the phone

and the Holy Spirit whispered sweetly,

"My dear Chelsea, why are you worried and upset over all these details?"

because, obviously, Lord I'm a baking snob and can't use a store bought frosting.

And obviously i'm not trusting You in anything. 

And Luke 10 resounded clearly to me.

"There is only one thing worth being concerned about"

And I clearly saw the picture of Mary at the feet of Jesus. 

So I took a few moments to wash my face

pray for grace and fresh beginnings 

and for a holy perspective

and made some quick, unfancy cream cheese frosting for the chocolate cupcakes

and some melted chocolate chips became a ganache for the vanilla cupcakes

And I turned my perspective from the little details 

that my students wouldn't even notice

to the King that encompasses all goodness and alters lives.

Sometimes it's ok to have ugly cupcakes.

if it means we can instead reflect on the beauty of Christ.

the beauty of the gospel

This past week I was incredibly blessed to be able to attend the Right Now conference in Dallas. It was focused at church leaders- pastors, student ministers, small group leaders and volunteers.

The theme was Unleashing the Gospel.

The gospel is

powerful

beautiful

truth.

It's basic and simple

and enough to alter everything about me

And even though I work in a church and have been a believer since I was six years old, I am so glad that we spent three days on the gospel- the foundation of our faith.


There was so much good stuff- I heard impacting messages from Matt Carter of the Austin Stone, Matt Chandler of the Village Church and Francis Chan who wrote Crazy Love.


One of the best things I brought home though, was from JD Grear. He discussed how the gospel changes us in a way that religion can't. Religion can give you an outline on how to be good, but cannot teach you to love goodness.


So I've begun to carry these four truths on a bookmark as part of a gospel prayer to remind myself daily of God's goodness and to help me fall back in love with the gospel.


1. In Christ, there is nothing I could do to make you love me more, nothing I have done that makes you love me less.


And yet so often, whether consciously or not, I try to earn God's favor by doing things and being good. But God says that, "it is by grace that [I] have been saved, not of works so that no one can boast." (ephesians 2:8-9)


And on the flip side, whenever I have stumbled and struggled I find myself drawing away from God. BUT the gospel tells me- he loves me! He wants me to run to Him when I stumble. "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)


2. You are all I need today for everlasting joy.


And yet constantly I want material things or relationships or a career to provide that joy, when the only true satisfaction will ever come from Christ! "For your grace is sufficient for me.." 2 Corinthians 12:9


3. As you have been to me, so I will be to others.


God has granted me immeasurable grace and forgiveness. It is only fitting that I in turn give grace and forgiveness, as seen in the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18.


4. As I pray, I'll measure your compassion by the cross and your power by the resurrection.


Even when things are confusing. Even when circumstances are hard or bad or chaotic. I will not put you in the box of my understanding. For "your thoughts are higher than my thoughts and your ways are higher than my ways." Isaiah 55:9


I have lots of yummy recipes to share this week, but I couldn't keep from sharing the beautiful things I learned this past week. Tune in for baked ziti, chipotle ranch dressing, baked potato soup and sopapilla cheesecake!!! Aaah, it's going to be a delicious week :)

thoughts on Halloween

(this is my third use of the flapper costume. getting my full money's worth!)

I've never been a fan of scary movies. Or haunted houses. Or being scared in general. And I've never really thought gory-bloody-zombie type humor was funny. 

But I've always liked Halloween.

It's creativity and community and candy.

It's celebration with carving pumpkins and bobbing for apples and cake walks.

It's assuming another identity for one night, and thinking about other possibilities.

And I always have an excellent costume.

I know that there are differing opinions on whether or not to celebrate Halloween if you follow Christ, and I understand both sides. 

I do know that the origins of the holiday are very pagan and revolve around evil spirits and ghosts and disguising yourself to avoid them. You can check out the history here.

But if we're going to dismiss something because of pagan origins, we also need to totally revamp our wedding ceremonies. And Christmas celebrations. Because those are very pagan in nature.

I attended a costume party with a local student ministry and I loved how they tied the idea of trick or treating into a spiritual light. Through 2 Corinthians 3:18, we looked at how we are designed to reflect God's glory. And when we put on "masks" that cover up who we are- whether we're covering up hurting or struggles or a lifestyle we don't want people to know about or whether we're covering up Christ in us- we keep Christ from reflecting from us.

So instead of tricking others into thinking we're someone we're not, let's treat them to a reflection of God's glory.

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

2 Corinthians 3:18

And while the students participated in a pumpkin carving contest, their youth leader carved a very special pumpkin which was revealed at the very end of the night

Pretty cool!


I'll be at Oak Meadow Baptist Church's Fall Festival this year- feel free to come join us! We'll have horse races, moon walks, hay rides, face painting, lots of games and lots of free food!
It'll be in the church parking lot from 6pm-8pm (I'm pretty sure...)


This season gives us so much to be grateful for- wonderful weather, extended family time during holidays, delicious food- so don't miss an opportunity to thank God for it! 

Here's some past Halloween memories :

2010

Emma Pilsbury from Glee

2009

Wilma Flintstone

2008

Flapper

2007

Ladybug