Every Fear Has No Place

"Metus mortis et vulnerum nōs nōn movet."-Second Christian of the examined Chritians from Henle First Year Latin. This is one of my favorite quotes. It translates as "We are not moved by fear of death and wounds."

This is to be true for all Christians. Guys, what are you afraid of? What's holding you back from loving the world? Is it rejection? Anger? Bitterness? Envy, sadness, hurt, or is it simply fear?

Are you living in fear of the world? Are you just passing through, fearful of letting anyone in? Let it out! Sing out! God, JESUS, overcame the world! He told us these things to GIVE us peace, not to make us afraid.

So sing out! We have nothing to fear! God is with us, EMMANUEL has come! So rejoice! Live! What terrifies us? He is here!

So live, love, and let go of your fears, for God is greater than that which is of the world.

Who We Are

Hi! I usually don't post until Saturday, but I needed to get this out there. 

This is for all of those people who are in the world, and are struggling to overcome those worldly impulses. I know I am struggling. My heart goes out to you. 
Love,
Jen
(Lyrics belong to Jason Gray)
-
When I lose my way,
And I forget my name,
Remind me who I am.
In the mirror all I see,
Is who I don't wanna be,
Remind me who I am.
In the loneliest places,
When I can't remember what grace is.

When we can't seem to determine right from wrong,
When we can't fight our impulses
When we can't clear our mind
Of the wants of this world

Tell me once again who I am to You,
Who I am to You.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You,
That I belong to You.
To You.

When my heart is like a stone,
And I'm running far from home,
Remind me who I am.
When I can't receive Your love,
Afraid I'll never be enough,
Remind me who I am.
If I'm Your beloved,
Can You help me believe it.

When we can't face another day,
When the shadows overwhelm the light,
When love doesn't seem to be enough,
When the night 
Doesn't run from the fight. 

Tell me once again who I am to You,
Who I am to You, whoa.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You.
That I belong to You.
To You.

I'm the one you love,
I'm the one you love,
That will be enough,
I'm the one you love.

Tell me once again who I am to You.
Who I am to You.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You,
That I belong to You, oh.

Tell me once again who I am to You.
Who I am to You.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to You,
That I belong to You.
To You.

When we are scarred and torn
From the day we're born,
And we can't seem to make a sound,
Remind us who we are to you. 

That we are worth something,
That our struggles mean something,
That we are not alone,
That grace actually reaches even us,
That love is actually worth the fight,
That your love is greater than the heavens are high,
That your faithfulness reaches the sky,
That you love us. 

For we are broken. 
We come scarred,
We come torn,
We come empty,
We come sad,
We come angry,
We come scared,
We come alone,
We come ashamed. 

For we have seen struggles,
But remind us
That we are not our worst day
We are no longer bound by chains,
You are greater 
Then we can ever imagine. 

One day, we will walk with You,
We will fill up the heavens with song!
Let His glory resound!
Praise the Father! 
Praise the Son!
Praise the Spirit in one!

All of creation, sing with us now!
Remind us who we are in God,
From the smallest child,
To the oldest among us,
We. Are. Loved. 

And nothing, 
Not death nor life,
Not angels nor demons,
Not the past nor the future,
Not any powers,
Not height nor depth,
Not anything else in creation 
Can separate us from 
The love of Christ!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, 
Is who we are in Christ. 
We are something so loved
That nothing ever created 
Can separate us from 
Jesus's love. 

So bring the joy,
Bring the peace,
Bring the chance to be free,
Bring anything that brings You glory,
Because I know,
There'll be days,
When this life,
Brings pain,
But if that's what it takes to praise Him,
Jesus, bring the rain!
-
God, 
May you make Your name holy, for it is deserving of praise. And let Your will, not mine, be done today. 

I am going through a tough time in my life right now; and there is pain. But let me not ever say that you are not near when I fall apart. Let me never say that you are not with me. For I am alone, yet not alone. 

God, I ask for forgiveness for myself for my weakness, and for those who hurt me in their weakness. I also ask for comfort for those who are weak, who need someone to be their rock. God be that rock. 

I know that this road ahead of me is going to be challenging for me, but there is a difference between showing you all my weaknesses and thinking that it can't be done. I don't want to think that it can't be done. 

So give me the strength for the fight. Because in Your strength we find our own. 

With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father,
Amen. 
-
I hope that this helps not only me while I am writing it, but also you all, wether you are struggling or not. God is always with you. Nothing can ever separate you from the love of Christ. 
Your sister in Christ,
Jen

Love Extravagantly

Hey guys!
I want to thank Bob Goff (author of Love Does) and the whole ThriveUnleashed team for putting on an awesome confrence. These people have inspired me in ways that I can't describe. I also want to thank Bob Goff for giving me the ideas to write this.
May this make you think,
Jen
-
 "You breathe upon my weary soul and I come alive." I walk along these paths that I have known all my life, yet I have never walked down them at all. Isn't that astounding? When I walked down this path that I am on, it was a different path because it lead me somewhere else. The path I am on now leads me to Jesus.

I worry so much about the path I am on.  Oh guys, I know what it is like to worry so much. But if you have a guide you can trust, who cares what path you are on? Because if you stumble or if you fall, you just bump into Jesus again. Jesus takes me down a path that I would rather not go down; he leads me over and around things that I would rather avoid entirely but I went wherever he went; tripping every third step. And Jesus didn't say a word about it because He knew I was following closely.

Guys, what if no one went to voicemail? What if we became more available? What if we loved extravagantly? Giving our all to this broken world around us, and becoming more available to people. God is love, and we are an image of God. And everyday, Jesus is changing us to be more like Him. We are truly turning into love.

Guys, God loves us for who we are, not our worst day. What if we did that? What if instead of seeing people for what they have done, we see them for who they are turning into? If you tell a girl in Iraq that she is the hope of this country, that is what she will become. If you tell a child that they are brave and strong, that's what they become. If you tell someone who they are, it changes the whole game because that is what they will become.

So go out and love extravagantly. Go tell people who they are, because they are living in shadows. They are living with the belief that they are their worst day. So instead of coming to someone and saying happy birthday or happy anniversary, say how far they have come. If someone came to me on my birthday or Valentine's Day or Christmas or any other major holiday or even any day of the year and said "Look how far you've come." I would be absolutely joyful and even to think about someone saying that to me one day makes me feel so loved.

Because none of us are our worst day. That is what Christ is all about. He has freed you from your worst day and given us the ability to say "Look how far you've come."

Are you comfortable? Is everything going the way you want it, just when you want it, down to the very letter? If that is so, first let me congratulate you on that fact and would you email me some tips on how to do that? Second if you are comfortable, then go find someone who isn't. Now what about if you are living on the edge of "YIKES!"? What if you are just barely holding it together? My response is this: we are to live right on the edge of "YIKES!" because if we are comfortable, if we are fully healed, then we don't need Jesus, our Comforter, our Healer. People who are comfortable don't need Jesus. And if you are one of those aforementioned people who aren't on the edge of "YIKES!" go find someone who is, and take their hand and say "DOUBLE YIKES!" Because then, you will actually need Christ.

Guys, give away extravagant love. You know the difference between extravagant love and stingy love. Stingy is like stepping into a pool and extravagant is like doing a cannonball. So do a cannonball in people's lives; love extravagantly because somehow in this reverse economy of Jesus, it is never ever wasted.

My Favorite Day

Today is February the fifth two thousand and fifteen year of our Lord. Sixteen years since my parents first saw my brother. Fourteen years since my parents first saw me. Today is FSY day.

Today was, and is, and always will be my favorite day of the year. Why? Simply because it was the day me family first saw me.

They took my brother home with them that day, sixteen years ago. Me, they had to wait until the fourteenth of February. Now you see why that day is my second favorite.

Every year, on these two days, I am reminded just how fortunate I am. I was adopted by the most loving family, who loves me for who I am, not what I can do. I love them and wouldn't change them for the world. Love you Mom, love you Dad.

Love,
Jenny

What You Hear

Hello my friends!
I just want you all to make you think a bit more about what you see and hear and how it can affect you.
Love,
Jen
-
Have you ever felt that chill during worship at church? When the entire (or the majority of the) congregation is singing praise to God, and you feel a shudder go down you at the thought of fifty to five hundred people praising The Lord Most High.

Think about it. You have a world full of nonChristian beliefs, and it is apparent everywhere. You see it on TV, in social media, playing on the radio, even in the very language used in normal day-to-day conversation, and here, whether in a large chapel or in a small flat, there is a small percentage of the population praising God and spreading His love and grace.

So stop before you turn on the radio, because what you hear can change you. It can turn you numb to the suffering and the disgusting ideals played on these stations. So pause before you press play and think about what this is going to do.

May this make you think,
Jen

Legalism: Night Spirituality Analysis Essay

Hi Everyone! This is my essay for my English class. I just couldn't help but share it with the rest of you lovely people. I hope that this proves just as much a fun/insightful read as it was for me to write. I love all my readers and would appreciate comments, even if they are criticism. 

Love you all!

May you be blessed,

Jen

Jennifer Hyde

Mrs. Bonk

English

5 February 2015

Legalism: strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, to the letter rather than the spirit.

Licentious: unrestrained by law or general morality.

            These two principles are at the heart of the deepest hatred, for each counteracts the other. The Jews were seen as legalistic, and many saw others as licentious. But the topic of this essay is not this, but how legalism contributes to the downfall of religious faith. Elie Wiesel was a Jewish mystic, very pious, but when trouble came upon him and his people, he felt the affects of his legality quite strongly, and forgot who God is.

            Not that he knew. Elie was very spiritual, but he only knew of God, not God himself, but this is a topic that will be discussed in another paragraph. Elie’s religious life was one many Jews led. He prayed prayers from the hearts of others, “pre-approved” prayers if you will. No prayers were spoken from his own heart. “During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple” (14). That one sentence alone brings the depth of his spirituality to light, as well as his lack of understanding. It was told to the Jews of Jerusalem that the Temple would be destroyed for it had turned from a house of worship to a house of profit unearned. Forty years later, the Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in their conquest of Palestine. The practice of weeping for the Temple was for the love of the Temple, not the love of God, showing just what the Jewish religion was: a religion, not a relationship with God.

            We all have doubt. Doubt can be a good thing, depending on how it is being used. Doubting old scientific theories brings to light new ones; doubting new theories brings their flaws to the light. But too much doubt brings in questions that we know the answer to, but no longer have the capability to believe in our hearts. Earlier, it was mentioned that the Jewish religion was one of many practices, but without an understanding of God. A religion such as this can and most likely will misinterpret the Scriptures. Job 27:2 says, “ ‘As God surely lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste the bitterness of soul.’ ” This is the part that Elie sympathizes with, but he shows no signs of, at the very least, complying to the latter portion finished in Job 27:3 “ ‘As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will utter no deceit’ ”. Elie says in the fourth chapter of his book, “What does Your greatness mean, Lord of the Universe, in the face of all this weakness, this decomposition, and this decay”(73 and 74). Doubt is supposed to bring us to questions, but not to denying His infinite love and mercy.

            Mysticism: belief characterized by self-delusion or dreamy conclusion of thought; belief that union with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute or with the spiritual apprehension of knowledge inaccessible to the intellect may be attained through contemplation and self-surrender.

            Religion: an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to an order of existence.

            These two words describe the life of young Elie very well. He openly states that he is a mystic, which in turn could relate to sorcery, and it is obvious that he is very religious. But the fact is that even those who don’t believe in religion, have one, by definition. But in young Elie’s case, being a mystic and religion cannot mix. “What?” you may be thinking, “By definition, they can!” And that is true. But the Jewish religion is contradicting itself. It states in Exodus 22:18 that “You shall not allow a sorceress to live.” How is mysticism different? Sorcery is defined as “the use of magic.” And while the definitions do differ, mysticism is a type of magic. In fact, a synonym of mysticism is black magic. Obtaining knowledge through dreams, or other spiritual means, is a magic called divination, which is “the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means”. “And I, the mystic I had been…” (Plain and simple, this is laid out for us. Religion, and more specifically legalism, has a cost, for it does not allow one to obey the laws and commands out of love for God. Elie did not know this, and it started his religious downfall.

            You have probably heard of these words “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani.” (Psalm 22) which is Hebrew for “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The psalmist, King David, is going through a time of suffering and pain. But David knew God and went on to say, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob honor him! Revere Him all you descendants of Israel!” I do not believe that King David was at all happy. But we are not called to be happy always, but to be joyful always. David understood this and was joyful for he knew that the Lord had not forgotten him. This is contradictory of Elie’s earlier beliefs. See, religion cost Elie the chance of truly knowing God, because Jewish religion is legalism, they live under the weight of the Law. When Elie finally stops believing in God’s goodness, he yells at him in his heart. “Why, but why should I bless him?”(74) Elie doesn’t know that fact that no amount of suffering matters, because he doesn’t believe that fact that they were told it was going to happen, and to have peace with it, and to take heart, for He overcame the world.

            Many, many people would have given up on any hope of a God. Many of us don’t have the faith necessary to get us through the tough times. But the Jews of Buchenwald had not given up. “And the last breath of their lives belonged to God, to Torah, and to the Jewish Religion” (157, The Yellow Star by S.B. Unsdorfer). This sentence ties together all the points of this essay. Even in this sentence, the legalism is self-evident. If their lives only belonged to God, they would be filled with his love, but their hearts belong to religion, not love.

            There are many Jews who turned away from God, and many who stayed true. Many people had never even thought of God, and were now worshipers, while still others remained true to their beliefs. But one theme remains constant in Elie’s life. His legalism and religion did nothing to bring him closer to God.