Beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news

Los Angeles: t minus 6 days!

Beijing/Langfang, China: t minus 11 days!

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

O let the nations be glad and sing joy; for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.

Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God even our own God, shall bless us.

God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Psalms 67

I've been meditating so much on this scripture. Its so amazing how the Lord has been stirring my heart into his direction. If that makes any sense. I feel like all my life I have been dreaming outside of my boundaries and now the Lord is actually fulfilling my dreams. I mean really- -am I really going to places I never even thought I would set foot on. Little ol' me? I guess he really heard my cries- -"Send me and I will go, lead me on- -and I will follow" I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store. Yesterday it was Germany, today its China, tomorrow- -who knows!? My prayer for this month is meaningful relationships/strong ties/&& beautiful friendships formed.

Good Hearted People make praise a habit
"but soon we shall die and all memory of those will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. but the love will have been enough. all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. even memory is not necessary for love. there is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." --thornton wilder

Unadultered Praise.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalms 19 (bits and pieces)

Al oir tu dulce voz.

So I'm writing this in my pre-study break meaning I haven't even begun my studying! Anywho, I was just thinking about some things that I've been learning about in these past few days. It's been a mixture of Deuteronomy & God's grace and mercy, Giving, and Love. All three of those things can no doubt be tied together but I've been learning about them in distinct places. I'll focus on giving.

Giving.

God is constantly reminding us to die to ourselves. Why? So that we give and give until there is absolutely nothing left. All those things that we hold dear should be "rubbish" compared to knowing him. If we know him then we know that God's wish for us is to pursue the matters that interest him the most! and what is that? John 3:16. He came for those who are lost. Those who have been saved and redeemed are responsible to help God with that mission. We are called to be fishers of men, a light in the darkness, hope in the midst of chaos. I can think about a million times when I am neither of these. Yet, my heart longs for my heart to be his heart. I think that the more I seek his wants for my life, the more I realize that all of my unimportant goals in life are RUBBISH. He wants me to be his vessel. He wants me to proclaim his good news, heal the brokenhearted, care for the orphans and widows. I am called to serve them. When do I start? Now! I feel like I need to be better about keeping them in my prayers, not just saying "Lord take care of the people in the third world countries"- -I need to weep for them, remember them daily- -instead of daydreaming or wondering what I'm going to do on the weekend.

Give until there is nothing left. Give my time. Give my prayers. Give my money. Give my love. Give my passions. Give my heart and soul to this cause that is so much bigger than me. I am just so excited to see how the Lord is going to use me. Lately, well actually for a while now, I've been just dreaming of working for a non-profit organization like UNICEF, working for Buckner?, Orphanage/Adoption agency. It would be perfect if this were to come true! However, I have no doubt in my mind that whatever is in store for me is nothing short of amazing. It's funny to see how my plans have drastically changed from becoming a Doctor in a private practice to working for a non-profit organization/orphanage with an undetermined salary/or even child psyc! Praise God for showing me that his plans for me will prevail. Men can make their plans, but in the end it is the Lord's plans for us that follow through.

Ear Concoction <3

Al oir tu dulce voz-Hillsong (en espanol)

Consuming Fire-Hillsong United

All who are thirsty-Kutless

Yearn-Shane & Shane.

Praise.

when i think about the Lord

how He saved, how He raised me, how He filled me with the Holy Ghost, how He healed me to the uttermost

when i think about the Lord, how he picked me up turned me around

how He set my feet on solid ground

it makes me want to shout

hallelujah! thank you, Jesus! Lord, you're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor and all the praise!Hallelujah! thank you, Jesus! Lord, you're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor and all the praise!(ephesians 2:4-7, 2 corinthians 5:17)

June 27-August 4

prayers appreciated :)

Una cierta mirada.

"O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do?" (Deuteronomy 3:24)

So I know that its not autumn so the picture is irrelevant to the current season, but its not irrelevant to what I want to blog about. So, I feel like God has been allowing so many blessings and so much grace to "fall" into my lap. I'm so undeserving, yet he never ever fails to surprise me with his love for me. Sometimes its so overwhelming! I never do him justice when I try to describe just how amazing he is. This time in my life is honestly a time of receiving blessings that I always wished for in my life. I feel peace, joy, and love surrounding me each and every day. "porque tu mirada puesta en mi, me llena de tu paz."

Love && Memories.

A Hodgepodge of thoughts:

"Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

Deep Thinking, Deep Living.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)

How will I?: http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/audio/20071230BA01S_MattChandler_AskingHow.mp3

Hmm...godliness. I feel like that word is kind of way out there, almost to a point where it is impossible to reach. I mean it has to be if it has value for all things! Sometimes I find myself at a point where I feel like I'm succesfully doing everything right- -when I see purpose in everything and anything. Those days feel good. Then there are those days when I kind of diverge- -stumble and fall. Ugh. Those are the times when I just think- -man, I was doing so well, and I had to ruin it- -now, I have to go back to square one. So, It's back to reconditioning, GRrreatttttt! We all know that its never fun to start all over again when you've come so far.

It's kind of funny to me that I never stop to think of the abounding grace that allows me to go back to square one. What if he never gave me a clean slate? What it God wasn't a God of reconciliation? I mean, he is God, so he can pretty much take the second chance option away from us, BUT he doesn't!! Instead, he lets me learn from those blips and allows me to grow stronger. I can attest to this. After I got hurt from running- -I knew that it would be a pain to recondition. Square one...bleh. Although, I had to slowly build up to where I had been- -it only took about 2 months for me to go back to the norm. Not only was I back to where I was before, but I was much stronger. To get to that point I had to struggle, practice, and consistently try to get better. That holds true to those times that I'm back to square one in my daily walk trying to go back to where I was before. One day there will be no square one because it will cease to be necessary. One day all of that reconditioning will take me to the point where I'm truly living deeply, wholeheartedly beating for him.

Ear Concoction <3
1. Yearn- Shane & Shane
2. Learning to Breathe- Switchfoot
3. Who I am hates who I've been-Relient K

Be Humble.

Easier said then done, right? Well, either way, we are commanded to have the same attitude as Jesus had, and let me tell you that one of his most recognizable characteristics is that he was humble. I like how Paul depicts how Jesus was willing to live a life of humility daily in Ephesians 2 when he explains how Jesus gave up his divine priviliges to become a mortal man. Jesus gives up his throne where he is being worshiped 24/7 to come to earth were he is pretty much ridiculed, mistreated, unappreciated 24/7. " Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead he gave up his divine priviliges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death." Philippians 2: 6-8. So why is it hard for us to be humble? We are merely humans, and yet we think we are grandeous creatures because of our accomplishments that will cease to matter in the future. I don't want to ride the high horse anymore! I need to be humble. Paul says that being humble means "Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." v. 3-5 . So how many things in that sentence do we fail to do? I can be selfish, I try to impress others, and I look after my own interests! Wow! There's another resolution right there- -work on being humble! Man, we really need help in this area Lord! Make us humble.

Dreaming Big.

so ever since October-November I have been dreaming about Destination: ________. I feel led to spend some time away from the states in order to serve others wholeheartedly. I have come to find that I am the most overjoyed when I am focusing on others instead of myself. As humans we can't help but think of our wants, needs, et al- -and this just sickens me. I am the first to admit that I do this a lot. Do I have to be thinking about my needs that much? OF COURSE NOT! So this summer instead of doing the usual summer school, work, and rest schedule, I decided that I want to spend a month in another country fulfilling my purpose. My purpose is to serve. Missions, humanatarian work, etc have such a big place in my heart. I feel like its something I want to pursue for the rest of my life. I know that I don't have the money to do much right now, but I know that the Lord will provide a way for me to go out into the world and serve those who are brokenhearted, bruised, lonely. He has called me to the places that others rarely even think of. More importantly he has chosen me to be a light in this world. Wherever I am, I want people to see him in me. I know that I always say this but..."ya no vivo yo, mas Cristo vive en mi!"

So as I continue to pray for Destination: _______. I pray that the Lord provides financially. I understand that no one provides better than he does. Whatever the sum of this trip is, its gonna be covered, I have faith. I'm getting a job this semester in order to cover most of my expenses- -I hope it all turns out well! I'll have to juggle school, job, and all of the organizations and commitees I'm in, but I'm a trooper. He is with me! :)

ISAIAS 41:10-13>> "No temas, porque Yo estoy contigo; no desmayes porque Yo soy tu Dios que te esfuerzo; siempre te ayudaré, siempre te sustentaré con la diestra de mi justicia.He aquí que todos los que se enojan contra tí serán avergonzados y confundidos; serán como nada y perecerán los que contienden contigo.Buscarás a los que tienen contienda contigo, y no los hallarás; serán como nada, y como cosa que no es, aquellos que te hacen la guerra.Porque Yo, Jehová soy tu Dios, quien te sostiene de tu mano derecha, y te dice: No temas, Yo te ayudo."

so whether its through Camp ____ or interning for Buchner Intl. Destination: _____ is happening! :)