Empowered at a Porch Table

I haven’t blogged in a while. I know, I’m stating the obvious, but I promise it’s relevant to this post specifically.

Last week I visited my friend Skylar’s house to simply catch up, craft like kids and enjoy a cup of cinnamonny tea. I expected nothing but good from the day, knowing that every time I meet with this specific friend I leave with a fresh sense of God’s presence. A reminder of how He is working. Sometimes it’s just that constant stream of “you too!?”s. There's something about the way He aligns our lives and the lessons He's teaching us separately yet simultaneously that gets me every time.

But this time was different.        

It was a brisk, autumn day, so we dumped a drawerful of craft supplies on her wood-topped porch table and sank into cushions across from one another. I was giddy to get my hands in the paint and on the canvases—but God had something else in mind.

            “Cassie...” she said as she sat still, staring into my eyes, “we need to talk about something..."
I stared back.
"Your writing,” she said.

            I froze.

            I already began conspiring how I could scoot around the topic and get her to talk about herself.

            “Oh that’s sweet, but we only have so much time and we have SO many more things we need to talk—“

            “No,” she interrupted, “Cassie, this is exactly what we need to talk about. You need to know this.”

Not only was she looking right at me, but she was talking about me. I wanted to cover my face with paint or hide underneath the picnic table.

            “Can I please, please pull up your blog really quick!? I just have to show you,” she said as she hopped toward the patio door. She didn’t wait for my answer. She scurried into her house to grab her laptop and plop it on the picnic table, my blog’s front page consuming screen.

This was an extremely strange sight to me when I thought for certain that the only other screen I would ever see my blog would be my mother’s. The writings on JOYride have simply been an overflow of the joy God has spilled into my life. I only rewrite the lessons He's written for me, that others might see that He came that we “may have life, and may have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10).

She couldn’t have just skimmed through the posts out of some kind of “good-friend” obligation—she read every word. She left fingerprints on the screen, pointing to her favorite phrases. She told me about how she shared the post with her roommates and the praises from each one. As if that wasn’t enough, she narrated back their conversations to me. The thought of Christ-centered chatter filling her house generated by my posts was the most fulfilling yet surreal feeling.

I realized something beautiful at that porch table with her laptop flipped open. A few things, actually.
First of all—I know now more than ever that no matter what I write, God is the One who will speak. As she shared with me the childhood memories that specific words and lines brought to her mind, she unraveled the lessons that God taught her while she was reading.

What a weight this has lifted off of me: a weight I never needed to carry. If God chooses to use writing, which would be the greatest privilege I will ever know, then I never need to worry about the outcome. He is doing a work in the readers, and there is nothing I can do to stop Him.

“Okay, I know you need to go, but Cassie...” she paused and stared into my eyes with a sense of urgency I've never seen before, “look me in the eyes and promise me that you will keep writing.”

I broke her gaze, letting my eyes fall to the floor. She’s just being nice. I thought. 

“Cassie,” her voice demanded. I looked back into her pleading pupils.

“Please.”

She begged me. I was fully convinced that she wouldn’t drive me home unless I promised her that I would keep writing.

She wouldn’t be satisfied. And this is just when I realized the second something beautiful. Secondly—I realized that true friends in the family of believers could never watch you leave your gift untouched. They refuse to let you settle for less than who you were made to be in Christ. They know this life is just “a mist," and they won’t let you miss out on the “good He has planned for those who love Him” (James 4:14, Romans 8:28).

So now, I’m begging you.

What's your gift? How can God use it to give life to others? Have you decided to let your gift collect dust, thinking God would let you get away with it?

Maybe you have the gift of wisdom, knowledge, or encouragement, but you’ve been keeping silent. Maybe you love to give more than what is expected, but you’ve made the giving of others your standard. Maybe you are a natural leader, but lately it’s been easier to let someone else do the job.

Or, maybe you’re unsure of your gift; or maybe you know, but you’re unsure how to see God use it in your daily life. I encourage you to check out these fantastic resources and embark an adventure that is sure to bring you joy.

Will you let Him surprise you with the unpredictable things He wants to do through you, based on the way He wired you?

Will I?

We’ll see.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God.” 2 Timothy 1:6

“Do not neglect your gift,” 1 Timothy 4:14

“For we are His workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand,

that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:10

One last thing. If God has blessed you with the gift of encouragement, like my friend Skylar, never underestimate this gift. In Christ, it has the power to breathe life and energy into an exhausted and discouraged heart. I thank God for your wiring, because I might not have the joy of writing right now if someone hadn’t taken full ownership of this gift. I urge you to fan it into flame, and rejoice while you watch God rekindle the flames of others.

Give Up On Your Self

How lame is fake fruit?

Very.

Yet, I remember always being quite fascinated by it when I was a kid.

Mom and Dad would drag Mike (big brother), Scott (baby brother) and me (middle sister) to the furniture store, and the most fun we could suck out of that trip was playing with the fake fruit that sat so tactfully in glass bowls on top of coffee tables or kitchen counters. Despite the glares of irritation burning from the salespeople, Mike, Scott and I would poke and play with the squishy grapes, shiny apples and textured oranges.

This was a regular occurrence; fake fruit never seemed to get old.

No pun intended...

However...

Apparently, for me, in many ways fake fruit still hasn't gotten old.

I'm finding that I am still quite fascinated with these phonies.

But I'll return to that in a moment.

Before the Spring semester wrapped up at TCU,

God let me take a sneak peek at the verse that would reveal a personal theme for my upcoming summer.

And, with every day that has passed during this summer break,

it has become clearer and clearer to me just how well He knows me.

It has also become very clear that He knew just what was on the lesson plan for the summer,

before I even entered the classroom.

"I am the vine and you are the branches.

If a man remains in me, and I in him,

he will bear much fruit;

apart from me he can do nothing,"

John 15:5

Without Christ, we simply don't have it in us.

Without His Spirit as my gardener, I am not bearing any fruit.

In fact, I’m just forcing the production of plastic, fake fruit.

Now, my point is not to beat up on myself and resolve that I am a "fake" person.

Nor is it to "give up on myself" in a defeated kind of way.

But instead, I am finding that many of us may need to give God the victory in our lives, and the authority in our gardens.

Because, we simply cannot attain the righteousness of Christ,

and it is only through His Spirit, bearing a bountiful harvest within us,

that true fruit can be produced.

True fruit?

What’s true fruit?

Well, y'all know the verse...

"But the fruit of the Self is

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control."

Wait... I don't know that version...

do you?

(If yes, please burn it)

Last time I checked, Galatians 5:22 read:

"But the fruit of the SPIRIT is

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control."

It is not our job to keep trying to be more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle and self-controlled until we can cross off each fruit, like they’re on some kind of spiritual grocery list. Instead, our job is actually much simpler. Our job is to give up what we think is our job, and give it to the bearer of all fruit:

The Holy Spirit.

This verse puts it much more bluntly than I...

"Are you foolish?

After beginning with the Spirit,

are you now trying to attain your goal

by human effort?"

Galatians 3:3

When I read this verse word by word,

I was shown that it has self written all over it.

Another read...

"Are you foolish?

After beginning with the Spirit,

are you now trying to attain your goal

by your effort?"

So, every day, we have a decision to make.

We can, for all our life,

produce this fake fruit that is only good for decoration and child's play,

or we can give up on our selves, so to speak,

surrender to the Holy Spirit's work,

and bear fruit that gives glory to God,

not our own striving "Christian" self.

Dear Lord, 

You know how I am wired. Most times, when faced with just about anything, it is my instinct to try as hard as I can to get the best result. But, you say that apart from you I can do nothing. I don't want fake fruit. I want the fruit that comes solely from your Spirit, so that You may gain all the glory in my life. Help me to yield my heart, mind and soul to your divine gardening. Teach me to give up on my self, and give in to You. I throw all of the fake fruit away that I have been so fascinated with farming and I welcome Your Spirit into the harvest you will surely complete. 

I love you! 

In Your Name, 

Amen. 

"...The Spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Matthew 26:41 

Everlasting Life

On Good Friday, I decided to go on a walk with a good friend. We didn't decide where to, we just walked.

When we approached a bench tucked in the corner of a neighborhood, I gasped as the scene was all too familiar.

Just one year ago, I began Good Friday with a run off campus, listening to a Good Friday service on a podcast. I didn’t decided where to, I just ran. I approached a bench tucked in a corner of a neighborhood, and I sat down with God. I knew I was in a nearby neighborhood, but I didn't make it back there since.
And, I don’t think I could have ended up there again if I tried.

We read the statement carved into the bench:

“May Your Garden Be Full of Life Everlasting.”

After I felt as though I was "led" back to a spot I hadn't been in precisely a year, I was certain that this statement would have some kind of rich meaning that would resound in the depths of my heart.

I got nothing.

Sure, the phrase sounded nice, but I had to face it-
that string of words had absolutely no meaning to me.

On the walk back, I wondered aloud to that good friend,
that good friend who was always willing to listen to whatever random wondering that was wandering n my mind.
“I don’t get it… was that God, just wanting to make me smile? 

Why was I brought back there? Why did I read that now, today?”

So I just smiled, and I let it go.

---

This is what I heard this morning,
this Easter Sunday of 2012.

Pastor Nick Ostermann
The Rooted Church

“Turn to John Chapter 20, verse 11

“…but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, 

she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, 

seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” 

“they have taken my Lord away,” she said, 

“and I don’t know where they have put him.” 

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, 

but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 

“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”” 

John 20: 10-16

Was Mary mistaking Jesus for a gardener? Only slighty.

Jesus is Our Gardener.

In the beginning, God created for us a perfect garden. 

God walked with Adam every afternoon. In this garden, there was life.

However, Adam and Eve stopped listening to the voice of God 

and started listening to the voice of Satan. 

Then, everything went from beautiful, to ugly. 

They could not walk with God, anymore.

This garden turned into a wilderness. All was undone, unwoven, broken. 

But, the great reversal was on it’s way…

Immediately after Jesus was baptized he was put into the wilderness. 

He was tempted by Satan, just as Adam and Eve were. 

He started, where Adam ended. 

But what was the difference?

Adam failed.

Jesus was faithful.

Jesus was faithful in the wilderness.

This made everyone furious. Thus, he was condemned. 

The one who never sinned, died like a filthy, wicked sinner.

He was faithful until the end. 

Because in the garden, He said “Not my will but Yours be done.” 

Instead of Adam’s “Not Your will but Mine be done.”

You and I are invited freely into the garden today,

and forever with our Everlasting Gardener, Jesus Christ.”

Happy Easter,

& May Your Garden Be Full of Life Everlasting.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me. 

If you really knew me, you would now my Father as well. 

From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:6-7

“Because I live, you also live,” John 14:19

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Dear Lord,

You amaze me.

I am stunned by Your love lavished on me in the midst of my favorite holiday, the celebration of Your power, love and life. 

Your creativity is perfect, and You truly know how to make me fall more in love with You in every day that You give me the gift of living in Your presence. 

Please Lord, remind me of just that. That every single day I wake up and take a breath that I am given the gift of walking in Your presence in every minute. Thank You for going the greatest length, to become man and die on the cross so that I may have this life next to You. 

Please Lord, be my strength so I may be faithful to You in the wilderness of my life. I know that these trials are ultimately for Your glory in that you make all things work together for good. Jesus was faithful by clinging to Your Word. Bind myself to the infallibility, strength and power of Your Word.

Thank You for desiring to make my garden full, when without You, it would be nothing but weeds and constant drought.

Thank You, again, for being faithful. Help me to be more faithful to You with every single day I live in Your garden.

I love you!

In Your Beautiful Name,

Amen. 



PS: Find the full sermon by following this link. Indubitably a wise use of time- I promise. :)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/easter-2012-resurrected-gardener/id305591618?i=112892728

You Missed a Spot

As weird as this may sound…

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about His blood.

But I'll come back to that.
---

A lot of my life I spent working, serving, giving.

Until I realized how absolutely foolish that was.

Well, let me clarify.

Did I even realize what I was doing?

Did I realize that when I was working, serving, giving, 

spending myself every minute of every day, 

I was ignoring the cornerstone of my faith- the cross?

By continuing to try to add to our faith with our daily strains and efforts to be “more Christian,” we are forgetting that nothing we could ever do could possibly be enough for the holiness of our God.

No “good deed of the day,” or “brownie point,” could ever amount to the sacrifice of the Son of God. 

Does this mean we stop working, serving, giving because Christ has done it all for us?

Absolutely not.

But we do stop doing is slaving, earning and striving to be good enough for God. 

Instead, we receive Christ.
We receive the highest price He paid for us, and with His Spirit inside of us,
we are made capable to live like He did- in love.

---

A lot of my life I spent in shaming, condemning and judging.

Until I realized how absolutely foolish that was.

Well, let me clarify.

I would be embarrassed of my sin, on a daily basis.

So, I held on tight, I gripped close to me every little thing that I did that was displeasing to God.

Did I even realize what I was doing?

Did I realize that when I was hiding, holding, clenching my sin 

I was ignoring the cornerstone of my faith- the cross?

By continuing to take hold of our sin on a daily basis, 

we are forgetting that He has covered it all, that He has forgiven every piece of it.

Does this mean that we go on sinning? Or that we can forget about sinning because He died for our sins?

Absolutely not.

But we do stop shaming ourselves, condemning ourselves and judging ourselves, 

because God is now fully pleased with us, because of His Son.

---

Cassie, I thought you said you were thinking about His blood?

I have been.

If we continue to work, on top of the work He has done,

If we continue to take hold of our sin, after He has paid the price in full,

we are essentially,

whether we realize it or not,

claiming that the cross just wasn’t quite enough to save us.

Thus, we have to do a little more.

Because the blood He shed just didn’t cover it.

Really,

with every good deed that we do in attempt to add to the cross to gain God’s approval of us,

with every time we beat ourselves up, to pay for our sins,

we are really saying

“Hey Jesus, You missed a spot.”

God doesn’t miss spots. Not one.

He didn’t send his perfect Son, to shed His perfect blood, to do an imperfect job.

Rest under the finished work of the Cross of Jesus and the entire payment of our sins.

And trust that when He died for us,

And when he said “It is finished,”

He got it covered.

“I’ve done all the work, but you keep on working” 
The Well- Casting Crowns
"So you thought that you could keep this up, 
all the work that you do, so you think that you're good 
and you can't believe it's not enough. 
All the walls you built up  are just glass on the outside. 
So let them fall down, there's freedom waiting in the sound."
Healing Begins- Tenth Avenue North
"...all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold 
that you were redeemed from the empty was of life handed down to you from your foreathers, 
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

Dear Lord,

Thank you for not only having the power to cover every inch of my sin, but having the loving heart to do so. Please, teach me to continue to look to Your cross as the finished work of Your love for us. There is nothing I could ever do to earn it. You did not miss one spot when You came to earth to save us, and I praise You for Your perfection.

Thank you for allowing me to serve and love you in a freedom that will never mean “measuring up.”

I could never thank you enough.

But that won’t keep me from thanking you, serving you, and loving you all of my life.

I love you!

In Your Perfect Name,

Amen. 

Resting in Waves

This spring break I learned how to surf.

And a lot more.

I waited for him.

    The man looking somewhere in his forties hung half outside his wetsuit, standing at the pool counter, writing my name on various sheets of paperwork. I approached the counter with a smile- my feeble attempt to break the ice of surfing with a stranger- but he was all business.
He was all about teaching me.

But here, the lesson was more than just surfing.

First, I came with nothing, and he provided me with everything.

The wet suit I would be taught in, the board I would ride on, and himself.

“Take nothing for the journey-“ Luke 9:2

Then, he was concerned about my safety. 

It seemed as if once he wrote my name on his paperwork, 

and we began our one-on-one relationship, 

he had to express to me a deeper concern for me.

It was as if he was a father, caring for every inch of his child.

Even the bottoms of my feet. 

He advised me with urgency to glide my feet along to bottom of the sea floor so, 

in the case that there were any sea shells sticking upward, 

I wouldn’t scrape my feet.

He carried all of the tools to teach me. 

And, most importantly, he was ready for me. 

When we made our way out to the beach shore, 

I found the surf board I would use laying out in the sand, 

waiting for me.

Maybe I wasn’t waiting for him. 

Maybe he was waiting for me.

He began to teach me.
Simply.

1. Pull your arms back

2. Bring your knees forward 

3. Bring one foot up, and trust that your back foot will glide in line.

4. Rest. Look up. Don’t flail your arms- be still.

5. Don’t try so hard.

I knew I would have a problem with 4 and 5; but, I think he knew that more than I.

I think, it felt like, he may have known me.

In the sand, before our wet suits even touched the water, he had me lay down on the board,

and respond to his “1! 2! 3!”

I would follow.

“Again.”

I would follow.

“Again.”

I would follow.

“Alright, let’s go girl.”

He carried my board, and we entered the water. Him right by my side.

Freezing. But there was no turning back now.

I had said yes. I had signed up.

I followed his lead, until I could feel him slow us down.

“Alright girl hop up on there.”

I did, though I didn’t quite feel ready.

My first instinct was to begin trying, trying to prepare for the wave creeping up behind me.

Breaking this thought, before I could make a move, 

behind me I heard him say,

“Cassie, don’t paddle. Just listen to my voice.”

I didn’t look back, I began to trust him.

I began to trust that in the perfect timing of his guidance,

I would hear his upbeat instructions, a soft yell of “1! 2! 3!”

Just loud enough for me to hear.

“My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me,” John 10:27

---

Whenever I fell off,

even if it was due to my restlessness,

I would pull my hair back behind my ears,

look backwards to see him

standing out in the middle of the ocean with his hands in the air,

yelling “Nice ride! Nice ride!”

I always turned around to encouragement, grace, and a thumbs up.

After every time I ploughed through the water to meet him, 

he would have distinct critique, specific to my every movement. 

He was watching me, my every moment. 

Not to condemn me, but to gracefully help me to my feet, 

so I would look more like him.

Sound familiar?

I thought so too…

God is not watching our every move for us to come back to His bitter criticism, 

“for it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.” Romans 2:4

 He's watching with kindness. 

Instead, he would say…

“I need you to look up. Don’t look down and fret over what’s below you. Look up.

It will come naturally. Once you get up there- relax, stay calm.

Don’t be tense, just enjoy the ride.”

“He replied ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’

Then he got up and rebuked the winds

and the waves, and it was

Completely

Calm.”

Matthew 8:26

“Ohhhh alrighty Cass, here’s a ginormous wave! But you got it!

This one’s a little weird but we can do it,

I’m going to help you.”

“When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.”

Psalm 56:3

“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,”

Your love, O Lord, supported me.

When anxiety was great within me,

Your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

Psalm 94:18-19

“Cassie, push your shoulders back, and down. Ride.”

“Great peace have they who love the law,

And nothing can make them stumble.”

Pslam 119:165

“Chin up, chin up, keep looking up. And don’t move those arms! Rest.”

“Look to the Lord and His strength,

Seek His face always.”

Psalm 105:4

And always, repeatedly…  

“Are you having fun!?”

“Are you having fun!?”

“Are you having fun!?”

If only I could reply, 

“Your promises have been thoroughly tested,

And your servant loves them.”

Pslam 119:140

 ---

“We’re gunna do the same thing over and over and over until you got it,

until you can get up faster.

Then, once you’re comfortable,

I will take you out farther.”

I couldn’t help but think that God is a little like this dad, like this coach.

He’s about business, and he’s about making you quicker, stronger,

so He can take you father out into the ocean of His grace.

For, there is nothing to fear.

If you want to go farther out into the ocean of His mission for you,

or the sanctification of you in His love,

you have to listen,

and you have to be at rest,

so you can.

With time, you aren’t thinking about 1, 2, 3 anymore.

It is fluid, and they all become one.

They become you.

You become more like the one teaching you.

You become more like Him.

When I was with Him, I felt like I could conquer the ocean.

I was not afraid.

Not, not at all.

Why should I?

"Risk the ocean, there’s only grace."

Sometimes- David Crowder Band

Holy God, 
There is no teacher like You. Who can take me on a journey like knowing how to be more like You? Teach me how to rest, how to rest on the waves of this walk with You. I know that this is Your will, and I know that this is how You work inside of me. If I keep moving, if I keep flailing my arms, I can't learn from you. Thank you for Your perfect patience in my restlessness. Thank you for Your constant encouragement, that sustains me. 

Teach me, my God, to listen to your voice, identifying it in the middle of the ocean, to rest in the confidence that you know me, better than anyone else who try to teach me lies, and to follow you, with firm trust and abounding joy.
Thank You.
I love you! 

In Your Perfect Name, 

Amen. 

I Didn't See Any Whales But That's Alright

Binoculars are brilliant.

I love them.

If you gave the sea shop lady 4 dollars before boarding the boat for the whale-watch, you could rent a pair of those brilliant babies for the whole trip. 
Yes, binoculars. 

4 dollars?

I found out soon that that was a small price in exchange for a tool in teaching me a big lesson.

My arms got a little tired, holding those suckers up to my eyes. And when I climbed down to the lowest floor of the boat, the bathroom mirror warned me that if I didn’t un-suction those power glasses from my face I would have an awfully pretty tan line.

I told the mirror it was well-worth it,

and climbed back to the top deck.

Binoculars let me, for a little while, step into a life outside the life in front of me. Almost like hopping from one mini movie theatre to the next.

I could easily let the minutes stack up watching just one moving image of the sun on the water, with my phone tucked into the sleeve of my jacket, propped against my ear, playing Passion praises. I felt like I was participating in a little bit of awe in those moments. My heart swelling with every word of worship, every wave, just thinking about His beauty- endless, like the sea seemed.

But boy, was I wrong. But I’ll get to that later.

My eyes were changed on that ride. In more ways than one. But first, my eyes had a new mission. I was constantly looking out for new things to zoom in on, new mini movies to watch.

Ah! Perfect! I could look at the sun!

I’ve always liked to look at the sun. I love the light. Sometimes, it hurts, but I just can’t keep my eyes off of it. I’ve been told I’m a little off and that I should probably stop if I like to see. But, I’ve met one other person who does the same thing, and that’s been enough for me to continue to enjoy in this secret pleasure.

But anyway, I scan my binoculars across the sky... until… AHHH!!

Woah.

Found it.

Yellow-white invaded my little circle of sight, immediately shoving my face away from what was no longer my new, friendly, innocuous toy. In that one moment- my hands held something dangerous. Mighty dangerous.

I’d never seen brightness like that before. I’d never seen light like that before.
I couldn’t take it! This wasn’t like the same sun I would stare at for at least a handful of minutes before forfeiting. I could not bear to be in the presence of this light for a microsecond.
What was I thinking? Striking up an arm eye-wrestle with the SUN? I'm surprised my pupils didn't just disintegrate right there on the spot. There was no match to wrestle. My eyeballs were forced to forfeit the microsecond the match began. 

But I think I learned massive lesson in that microsecond.
I think I learned a little bit about the glory of the Lord.

After almost losing my sight, I was immediately shot to the story of Moses on Mount Sinai.

Bear with me.

“And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, 

and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence… 

But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one my see my face and live.’

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 

When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; 

but my face must not be seen.” 

Exodus 33:19-23

We cannot handle the glory of the Lord. It's simply too much for us. And if I was taken back by the sun, I cannot even imagine, fathom, dream up what it will be like to worship in the fullness of His presence one day. Forever.

He is glorious.

And this must be why, “when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” (34:29)

Now I can’t say I hit the deck, Moses-style in 34:8, after I was bombarded by the marvelous light.

But hat was only the smallest fraction. 

Call it silly…

But after just that one microsecond,  

(okay, maybe two, the kid in me had to peak again)

my vision of Him will be completely different. Forever.

My worship will be changed. Forever.

So, I guess if you find your perception of God beginning to shrink,

just take some binoculars to the sun.

Orrrrr… maybe you shouldn’t. ;)

Just trust me on this one. J

Or Moses.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit,”

2 Corinthians 3:18  

Dear Lord,

Thank you for opening my eyes to Your glory,  Your bigness, and my smallness. You heard me when I asked to be humbled, and I will never forget this moment. To know You is what I long to live for, and I feel like that was a “Hi, I’m God, Nice to meet you Cassie” moment. I needed that; thanks for knowing just what I need. Thank you for being Beauty. That You, YOU, love me, ME, stuns me. Thank You.

Oh, and thanks for not blinding me. J

I love you!

In Your Glorious Name,

Amen.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers…

What is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?”

Psalm 8:3-4

And, if you want to unveil, no pun intended, something absolutely incredible… 

check out the rest of Exodus 34, followed by 2 Corinthians 3:13-18.

:)  

No Home Like Heaven

A Castillo-Home-style Breakfast prepared by my Dad :) 

“Just a little further- and you’ll be there.”

“Just study a little harder- and you’ll get there soon.”

“Just run a little faster- and you can rest in a little while.”

I caught myself doing it, did you?

Whether it’s Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, or say… 
Spring Break- it’s the hope of home. 

When we feel like we are in need for it, 
when we see home in the distance, 

we will endure most anything to get there. 

We can be completely content and perfectly comfortable 
in the pressure of the present 

with the certainty of rest in the future. 

We will even follow through with this endurance 
with an ethereal sensation of joy, too. 

Once the proximity of home is near enough for us to 
conjure up a pleasant image of its rest and enjoyment, 

we put our hope in just that, 

leaving the present to remain only as 
time to fill, chores to endure, until that day arrives. 

Until we are home. 

It’s all worth it, as long as we get home. 

It’s all worth it, if we have home to look to.

Our motivation is the hope of rest, the certainty of comfort, 
a place that takes us in, just as we are. 
Even if we are beaten up from relationships 
or discouraged from grades, 

home takes us in once we are exhausted
from what felt like a marathon.

And, I admit, we are quite a bit more productive. 

We are all the more motivated, 
with the destination of home on our minds.

But, what if we pushed a little harder, 

endured what was here more because 
we knew in the future we would be... 

in a new home?

But, I have been feeling that He has an image of home for us 
that looks a little different. 

A little more than a beach and a book, 
the scent of freshly baked cookies, 

and the weightlessness of less schoolwork. 

And above the beauty of the new home 
that surpasses all that a short break could give us.

This new home is with our love, our Savior: Christ, 

unceasingly bringing Him glory- right next to Him. 

And it's nothing if He's not there. 

Knowing that this current condition of ours is completely, 

tightly packed with meaning, 
but also only temporary, 
might change our lives. 

And though this life is only a 
“mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes,” 

its value in the eyes of Christ is priceless, limitless.

It is only temporary, 
but its results of our purpose he has for us are eternal. 

The purpose to shout of the home we are heading to- 

and most importantly, our Father who resides there.

Not the ending beach and a quick read of a book, 

but a endless sea of praise and the eternal Word of God. 

Not the vanishing scent of freshly backed cookies, 

but the constant aroma of Christ. 

Not the temporary weightlessness of less schoolwork, 

but to be swept up in His grace- forever. 

For, this isn't about us. 

It is about Him, 
and the place He has so graciously prepared for us, 

if we choose to look to His Son and 
delight in putting His glory on display.

Every day should be charged with the excitement, 
the passion, and the perseverance 

that we cling to the day before we arrive 
on that doormat of a warm, welcoming home. 

We’re always going home.

Home sweet home.

Heaven sweet home.
Hallelujah; 

That’s worth it all.

“For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain,” Philippians 1:21

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation wait in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed… the creation itself will be liberatied from it’s bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God,” Romans 8:18, 19, 21

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Colossians 3:23,24

"So, do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36

"Now we know that if the eathly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." 2 Corinthians 5:1