When I graduated from BCIT in 2013, my parents gave me the gift of my forever Pinterest dreams - a gold Michael Kors watch. I absolutely loved it, until I lost it two weeks later while house sitting for a friend.
It was completely my fault, I don't habitually "put" things away, rather I leave things with the intention of coming back to it later. But, I remember being at peace with the idea that I'd "just find it later". My parents were not cool with that attitude, but I honestly just left it with God in simple faith that He's faithful in the details. Anyways, fast forward two years later, driving up the road on my way to church processing a devastating break-up and, with no perspective of God's timing, I got a phone call. After an intensive spring cleaning, the family I was house sitting for found my watch behind a couch slip cover. I wasn't even looking for it, I wasn't planning on seeing it again, I was just so reminded of this wild and charismatic belief that no matter how large a vision the Creator has for His created, He still knows every heart detail. I was reminded of that story after reading what I personally believe to be the most bizarre miracle of Elisha's ministry - the Floating Ax Head (2 Kings 6:1-7). The synopsis: a worker is cutting down a branch when his borrowed ax breaks and the head of the ax falls into the Jordan River. Elisha then throws in a branch, and the heavy anchor that is the ax head floats to the top of the Jordan River. Like what? Why? It seems like such a small thing but God's heart is so for us! And I hope that when you take the time to read 2 Kings 6:1-7 you recognize that He's good, He cares deeply, He serves extravagantly, and He provides abundantly! Also, I'm unsure if the spelling of Ax is Axe? I googled it and still don't understand which way is proper. Another mystery left unsolved! The Christian circle discusses in great length about the expectation for women in polarizing views; rarely do we discuss the radical cultural movements the Lord made when he chose to validate women in a time where it was culturally unacceptable. And by reading the Old Testament, there is a genuine realization of God's heart for women; He fights always on their behalf and has a close ear to hear every word they say.
So, my advise to you, if you're also having difficulties understanding God's vision for women, would be to read the uniqueness, boldness, and courage of Deborah, Israel's woman judge. I can't help but be encouraged that not only did she have a strong personality that was unwilling to compromise with culture, but she led Israel in victory by recognizing her freedom and identity hidden with God. I'd like to think that I didn't grow up with much TV, but that's not true at all. To be honest, I've seen every episode of any Disney Show that came out from 2000-2004. Here's a list of some of the best bits that still impact my life today Cool Kid Vision - The Weekenders
"That chicken was dry, real dry" - Fillmore
"So, what's the Sitch?" - Kim PossibleDoes every girl still answer the phone this way? Or is that just another charming character trait my future husband is going to learn to love about me? That Time Raven and Chelsea Turned in Cows
The Ashleys' Club House - RecessBefore there were the "Plastics", there were the "Ashleys". My dream suite will always be the Ashley's spare-tire-luxury clubhouse. "SUGA MAMA" - Oscar ProudLiterally the most quotable line from the Proud Family! I use it about once every couple months just to get someone's attention. My Oscar yell could use some work though.
"Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day." Joshua 5:9 I've had a chance to reflect on this verse this past week; with that, I've been filled with absolute hope. It's not exactly a "bible-study" material verse but it's refreshing to know that my history is not tied to my future and decisions made before me don't reflect the decisions I'll make in future. My family has a history of mental health issues which has lead to major consequences in family relationships. I'm not quick to share that with a lot of people, obviously. Personally, I'm grateful to say I've not struggled with these illnesses. But the fear of this becoming a part of my life is very real to me. So tonight, I'm praying that you too may recognize that although biology determines somethings, God has the ultimate authority. You were born unique, you are given purpose, and when we approach God with a humble heart He is eager to hear all of our requests. Even the one's we're ashamed to express. I'm trusting that God will protect my mental health so I may live my days perceiving life in the lens of my Creator. And that's as vulnerable as it gets. Some of my favourite things include brainstorming and watching Jack Black movies. In celebration of this, here are a few ideas for Jack Black Sequels. Hollywood, you're welcome.
1) Nacho Libre Goes on a Missions Trip Plot: Through divine revelation, Nacho decides to host a youth missions trip to Coachella Music Festival. Things do not go as plan. 2) The International School of Rock Plot: After a 10 year hiatus, Dewey Finn realizes the major benefits of taking an international teaching position as an English Teacher. He assumes a position in Canada only to realize he applied for an actual English Teacher position for a prestigious Canadian High school which he is absolutely not qualified for. After listening to the album Moving Pictures by the great Canadian band Rush, Dewey is inspired to transform this English class into another legendary Canadian Rock Band. The conflict - the students desires to be as politically correct as possible. 3) Tropic Thunder Two: Directors Cut Plot: Jeff Portnoy makes his directorial debut as he studies the character process of Kirk Lazarus transforming into a new reboot of Simple Jack that is being produced by its former main star Tugg Speedman. What does it really take to go "full retard"? 4) Be Kind Rewind The Sequel Plot: Jerry McLean is back and is ready to reinvent favourite classic movies to pursue new goals as a satirical superstar. Things standing in his way are his lack of fame and zero dollar budgets, just like the first one. Low Budget, high concept. January 07, 2018 was historic for me; after a lifetime of calling myself a Believer, I decided that 2018 would be the year I read the entire Bible. Today is the day that I finished the last chapter of Deuteronomy, finalizing my first accomplishment of reading the Torah!!
In summary, here's what has challenged me about reading the Bible daily. Each time I opened the Word, my heart condition would range from excitement to routine, boredom to anticipation. Yet despite my heart and head space, I still felt closer to God. The theme that was so apparent was the faithfulness of God keeping His promises. Not every chapter was relate-able, but each detail was significant and it challenged my perspective to see Father God as a dependable Defender. More specifically, Joseph's promises to his brothers who betrayed him at the end of Genesis was what spoke to me. My hope is that it also speaks loudly to your heart. Our broken situations are so small in comparison to the big ways God uses them for a clear and extraordinary vision of healing and restoration! "But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." - Genesis 50:19-20 "Once I get a pet, I'm going to name it peeve. That way when I introduce it I will say, 'This is my Pet Peeve!'" - My favorite joke from grade 10. It landed about 50% of the time and was definitely not an original. But to this day, one of my favourite icebreakers is "What's your biggest pet peeve?"
I like to imagine people that say "chewing with your mouth open" are very observant people who are aware about even the tiniest of details and are quite probably the Sherlocks of our generation! Maybe people that say "micro-managers" are focused on goals and visions with strong possibilities of being future CEOs. Or even people that say "when people talk to me during lunch break" are the type of character to go through a very drawn out lesson that obviously leads to the moral challenge of how valuable community really is! Basically, I spend most of my time brainstorming. Personally, I don't have many things that bother me, but I'm easily shook up by the possibility of people being bothered by the things I do. Unfortunately, my perspective is so introspective that I have a very difficult and stubborn attitude when it comes to dealing with constructive criticism. So here's the verse that has challenged me to view my world in light of the humility of the Gospel. "If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise." Proverbs 15:31
I spent most of this morning going through my twitter feed which now suffers the same tragic fate of my 2005 Neopets account - absolute neglect with no desire to reignite the flame.
So, for the sake of archiving, here's some tweets I posted that, I feel, deserve a second audience.
Before I started post secondary, I thought it was a good time to reinvent myself. So instead of introducing myself as Amanda, I gave myself a nickname, AJ. It's actually one of the least cool things about me.
Anyways, it didn't stick. As soon as people found out my name was Amanda, the illusion was revealed and the girl that enjoyed classic rock and hanging with the boys was quickly fading from the vision of who I could be. So in summary, nicknames are lame and that's the lesson. No you guys, just kidding! And jealous, but mostly kidding! My name, Amanda, means "Worthy of Love" which is actually one of the greatest reminders for me that lives have value. That value means more than the amount of attention I receive, the resources I have, or even my wealth of knowledge. The value comes from Christ's love for me. And you. He loves us so much more than we could ever love ourselves. I'm humbled to know I can't change anyone's value and they can't change mine. We've been purchased for something so much greater. The freedom of not being identified by our interests or hobbies rather the sacrifice of laying one's life down for a friend - that means everything. In summary, I actually wanted a chance to explain that this blog comes from a place of selfishness. I hope by keeping an active record, I'll get to know my Creator better. If you're enjoying reading these posts, than that's awesome! Just know that there's nothing extraordinary about my life, I'm just choosing to focus on thoughts, trails of thoughts, or thoughtful times that make life special. |
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