Baptism Sunday!

Baptism Sunday isn't a real Sunday, haha. It's not like Palm Sunday, or Easter Sunday or some other set date that everybody celebrates together. It just happened to be that last Sunday, my church had its baptismal service, and 4 people got baptized!



I love baptisms, because I love hearing about how God worked in other people's lives! Baptism is an opportunity for a believer to publicly proclaim the belief in God, and declare that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Saviour. Then, our pastor dunks them in the water tank, and their immersion represents Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. The act of baptism gives a person no extra grace, or anything. But is a representation of what has happened in their spiritual life.

I always have such a good time at baptismal services. It's so fun seeing those who are about to get baptized, and how giddy and nervous they are. And it's always such a blessing to hear them share their stories, and share the gospel with everybody. This year, everyone was so different! One young girl, two university students, and one adult. They all had different back stories, and different experiences, but ultimately have Christ in common.

Praise God! And if you've never seen a baptism before, I highly encourage you to ask a friend and see if you can tag along. It's very surreal, and such an amazing visual depiction of Christian salvation.

52 hand-lettered project: 12 | 52

[ 12 | 52 ] lyrics I love

Look, ma! I used colour!

The hymn Before the Throne of God Above is definitely one of my favourite hymns. It's my go-to whenever I get either discouraged or cocky. The hymn is basically telling me, "Look what God has done; Jesus died on a cross for you, my dear. It is finished. Sin has no hold on you. You are forgiven. God loves you."

i read a book!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I am not a reader. Eep! I hate the sound of that. Don't get me wrong, I love books, and I love reading, but.. I am simply not a reader. I don't soak up books like those around me do, and maybe you've noticed the lack of any mention of any book, ever. Well, that's cause I am not usually reading, so I don't have any recommendations for you.

Don't get me wrong, I do have some great recommendations up my sleeve, if you are ever interested. But they don't change often, because I probably have not read any new books since you last asked me.

Recently, I read Women of the Word, by Jen Wilkin.

I have always enjoyed Jen as a Bible teacher, and the subtitle of her book really appealed to me: how to study the Bible with both our hearts and our minds. I know that approaching things heart first is one that is so oft taken by women. Although, I may argue that as a student of science, I put a large emphasis on evidence, or "head-knowledge" as Christians like to refer to it sometimes. But I am still a woman, and I love my emotions. Jen argues that we need to use both our minds and our hearts to study the Word, and boy is she right.

J warned me that this book would probably cover things that I have heard before (either through him or through my church's teaching - and praise God for that! I have access to really great resources). But the book was still just what I needed.

The book is simple, short, and really sets you straight about how you should read the Bible. Sure, I didn't actually have any mind-blowing realizations while reading the book. But I still think it is a superb book that all Christian women should read (the principles apply to men too, although the book is written to women).

This book reaffirmed my understanding of Scripture, and gave me the necessary kick in the butt where I needed it. The Bible is about God, not me. So I ought to read it that way and ask, "what does this passage reveal about God, and his story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration?".

• If you have no idea how to read the Bible, this is an excellent read.
• If you want to know God more, I encourage you to give this book a quick read. It is exactly that, a quick read.
• If you get solid Biblical teaching from your church, your spiritual leaders, etc., then this might just be a quick summary of what you think you already know!

Ultimately, this book is a short guide to reading your Bible. In the end, I would encourage you to go ahead and do that- read the Bible!

*Note: the images above are not my own. Hover for sources.

stop gossiping about yourself!

Do you ever find yourself self-conscious of what other people are thinking about you? Not saying about you, but *thinking* about you? You are probably gossiping about yourself, to yourself. This issue is near and dear to my heart, because I do it all the time.

I have a great knack for alienating people, and losing friends because I think they are talking about me. Are they gossiping about me? I have no idea. But that doesn't even matter, because I have already made up things that they are possibly saying behind my back.

My simple solution: don't do it.

James 3, 8-10 reads, "but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so."

"The tongue should teach us to speak well of, and kindly to, all who bear his image."

About this passage, Matthew Henry writes, "If we bless God as our Father, it should teach us to speak well of, and kindly to, all who bear his image. That tongue which addresses with reverence the divine Being cannot, without the greatest inconsistency, turn upon fellow-creatures with reviling brawling language. It is said of the seraphim that praise God, they dare not bring a railing accusation. And for men to reproach those who have not only the image of God in their natural faculties, but are renewed after the image of God by the grace of the gospel: this is a most shameful contradiction to all their pretensions of honouring the great Original."

So really, this post is written more as a letter to myself, telling me to praise the Lord and speak kindly of all others (myself included). If you are in a similar place, then I encourage you to spend more time in Scripture and in prayer, building your faith, and desiring nothing more than to honour God in all that you think, say, and do. Because that is precisely what I am challenging myself to do, too.

my first commissioned work!

I recently had the opportunity to design a mug for my friend to gift to his girlfriend.

The verse he chose serves as a reminder of why she studies law (hint: because God is good!). It's such a sweet gesture – she's a lucky gal!

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17 (ESV)

The other side includes the verse reference.

So, friends, if you would like me to help you create something, please let me know! I love being creative, with a purpose.

finding rest.

I am tired. How about now? Yep, still tired.

Last night I stayed up until 5AM doing research for my term paper for one of my classes. Isn't it funny how after you're done the research you feel like you're done the paper? But I actually have nothing written down right now, so if I were to hand that in- um, well, I can't really hand it in. There's nothing, haha. Gotta get writing.

But isn't this how most of us feel sometimes? We just keep going and going and going, yet it feels like nothing is getting done. We're tired. And boy am I tiiiired.

I need to learn to find rest.

A friend recently shared this article on rest. The message that stuck out to me the most is that Man is not sovereign, only God is.

So here's to finding rest and trusting in an almighty God.

a messy canvas.

I think we all fear our flaws. But how crippling is your fear?

I often worry about being a perfect example for others, and therefore strive for perfection in everything I do. And that is where I fall short. I don't allow myself to make mistakes, so I either spend too much time perfecting something, or I give up and pretend it never existed in the first place.

Take this blog, for example. I wouldn't write if I didn't have a perfect post. I even get caught up with perfection when writing in my own personal journal. If my handwriting isn't perfect, if it doesn't look artistic, then why write at all? This is a silly question, because I write to reflect, not to show off my calligraphy or penmanship.



But it's okay to not be perfect. In fact, it's better to know that we aren't perfect. Christ alone is perfect. We should be okay with knowing that we are imperfect, and instead be made perfect by Christ. He gave us everything so that God would see us as perfect. He alone is enough.

Don't let your flaws cripple you. Let yourself be a work in progress, a messy canvas.

the danger in hobbies.

Someone recently asked me what my hobbies were. It's funny how such a simple question can stick with you for so long, and cause you to ponder your life so thoroughly. To be honest, I don't know what my hobbies are.

I used to love telling others, "I am a blogger, a writer, an avid social media user, a baker, a cook, a crafter.." A whole host of things that I thoroughly enjoyed. If it isn't evident from my lack of recent posts, most of these have kind of... derailed. I didn't know what to blog about, so I stopped. This is because I didn't know what to write about. I no longer knew what to do to relax, and rest. I didn't know what I did to unwind.

It's very confusing when you lose track of your hobbies. I think hobbies can be a very healthy thing, but they can be dangerous when they become an obsession. I think this might be why God took them away from me. I was finding too much of my identity in these things.

I needed to take time away to think about how the things I do can point back to Christ. How can the things that I do help me find rest, and to see God's handiwork in my life?

I can't promise that I will be back and blogging with great vigour. But since this happened, I know that I have definitely felt a rush of things come to mind that I want to blog about. I want to write again! I want to draw again! I want to craft again! I want to cook again! And I really hope that in doing all these things, I don't lose sight of Christ.

My hope for this blog has always been to share my life with others. To share my life, my faith, my experiences, and to hopefully encourage. I know this, but I need to always remember this.

So hopefully in putting my trust in God, in finding my identity in Christ, I can find joy in my hobbies again.

finding my way back to Him

To my brothers and sisters in Christ,

I want to share with you a bit about what I've been learning in the past little while. I hope this post can be an encouragement to you. I don't know if anyone reads my blog anymore since I rarely post as of lately.. but I really wanted to share this.

I always need to remind myself again and again of my dependence on God. The hymn Before the Throne of God Above really encourages me, especially these lyrics:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Okay and basically the rest of the song too, haha. I have been listening to the song on repeat lately, reminding myself to run to God and to bow before Him. I did not want to, and just did not feel like it. Anytime I opened my bible I just felt like I was reading words. It just felt… blah. However, I was reminded recently to do three very important things, always.

1. Preach the gospel to ourselves always (yourself personally, and to other believers as well);
2. to remain steadfast in prayer; and
3. to wait patiently on the Lord.

Feeling super inadequate, I spent some time in prayer, pleading with God. I’ve also been reading a bunch of the psalms, so I just wanted to share these verses with you, Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV):

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

So no matter where you are, and what you are feeling, I hope these words can encourage you.

In my denial of my need for God, I am sinning. I am slowly coming to realize, again, that we as human beings kind of suck. We are weak, we fail, and we are super sinful. BUT there is hope in Jesus! God is good, and He is perfect and unfailing. He stands firm and is our rock and salvation. No matter how inadequate we might be feeling about any situation, don’t forget that though we are imperfect, we have a perfect God to look to.

God is good. He gave Jesus on the cross for us, saving us from eternal condemnation. We are His. We are broken, but we are His.

With love,
from a sister who is venturing to find her way to a burning desire to be like Christ,
Steph

on being 'enough'.

Something that I often struggle with is being enough and feeling loved.

As a Christian, something we should all do more often is remind ourselves again and again of the gospel and of our own salvation. If I go back to where I was before I knew God and remind myself of how God found me and what convicted me, and how He reached me.. I remember feeling alone, lost, worthless, aimless, etc. God showed me and promised me a life with Him knowing that he cares for me, that He loves me, that He gave his one and only son for me. I have to constantly remind myself that I am loved. That God loves me no matter what. I can’t screw up so badly that he will turn away from me. As big as the sin is in my life, God / still / loves / me. He won’t love me one day, and not love me another day. His love is perfect. God is love. His love is great, and I need it. I need to know that He loves me. Some days I just want to be hugged and held. And when I can’t, I get really emotional and needy. It is a big struggle to remind myself that though God won’t give me a physical hug, his Spirit dwells in me. Christ died for me. Is that not enough??

..though God won’t give me a physical hug, his Spirit dwells in me.

I have always tried to fit in. I want to fit in so badly, and in the process I end up losing sight of myself and of God. If I please people more than myself (and unfortunately, pleasing people feels much more immediate than pleasing God), I can earn their love. Ouch, I find that really hard to type. Earning their love. God’s love came free to me!!! What are you doing, Stephanie?!?!? Sometimes I want God to be a teddy bear who will comfort me all the time. But his love is better than that. He isn't simply a source of comfort, but a source of fuel.

And so, I pray that God alone will satisfy me. To know that I am enough for God and that he loves unconditionally.

what are you crying over?

Yes. I am writing about crying. This is kind of a weird topic for a post, but it’s in response to these two posts from Trevin Wax: I Weep for Miley and Further Thoughts.

Someone asked him if he was actually weeping, and he said yes, he did actually weep. So that got me thinking about what I weep for. You know that expression “there’s no use crying over spilt milk”? Am I crying over spilt milk? What am I crying over?

I used to cry all the time.. #girlproblems. You could set me off with anything emotionally charged. Honestly, you still can, though I cry a lot less than I used to. A secret pastime of mine is watching sappy movies and crying my way through them. And now you know!

The last time I cried was when I visited Jethro to celebrate my birthday with him and he gave me a necklace for my birthday. Now, it isn’t the necklace that made me cry, but what he said. He told me that the cross on the necklace should serve as a reminder to always look to Jesus on the cross. Our relationship is and will continue to have its challenges but the cross is a continual reminder for us. A reminder of who we are as Christians and that it is God at the centre of our relationship. This made me cry because I was simultaneously looking forward to the necklace (which I “didn’t know about” but secretly or not-so-secretly did know about) while also not wanting to get a present for the sake of presents (they really are silly). But this bold reminder was what I needed. Jesus gave me everything when He died on the cross - that's the best present ever!

The last time I broke down sobbing was a weekend last spring where nothing was going right- er, I mean, nothing was going my way. You know those “WHY MEE???” moments? That’s what I was going through. But that weekend also came at such an opportune time. Our fellowship was running what we call an Iron Chef night where we cook food to feed each other and our friends, and we put on skits that illustrate the Gospel. And the next day, a bunch of my friends were getting baptized at church and they shared their testimonies of where they’ve been and how God has come into their lives. All the while, I was having the worst few weeks, and throwing myself a huge pity party. The reminder of the Gospel was so loud and clear that weekend. I broke down and let the tears stream down my face. It was a reminder to not get caught up in my own life and to be constantly preaching the Gospel to myself!

So yes, my tears are what we like to call Jesus tears. I wouldn’t say my tears are only Jesus tears now - I’ll probably still cry if I watch a sappy movie. But for the most part, I cry when I am moved. And I am most moved by my Saviour. I cannot stress how amazing it is that Jesus took on my sin and became my sacrificial lamb, dying on that cross so I could live an eternal life with God. Jesus’ death and resurrection move me in a way that nothing else can.

red cross, quebec and the cross.

So I don't know if this bothers me, or if I just find it very curious.

Most countries have a red cross society and some countries have red crescent societies. I had no idea until I went to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) HQ in Geneva. Lots of Muslim countries have adopted the red crescent because they believe that the red cross is promoting Christianity and wanted their own symbol (though it isn't really? I don't think the red cross is or ever was a faith-based organization). And now the ICRC they have introduced a religiously neutral symbol - the red crystal (though personally crystals remind me of gypsies and fortune tellers.. tarot and other crazy things, but whatever hahaha).

And in Quebec they are trying to ban all religious symbols in public service. I don't know if this was a weird backwards attack on burkas by banning all symbols or if they are just really anti-religion and want to affirm that you shouldn't impose your beliefs on others.. either way, it was unsettling, though the motion hasn't pass yet. I also find it interesting because all I ever learned in elementary/middle/high school history is that Quebec was historically a largely Catholic province. Not sure what other people learn in history, but I was in french immersion.. we learned a lot about Nouvelle-France, haha.

Quebec worries me. When I think of evangelism and think of people who don't know Jesus, my mind automatically goes to India and I think of the injustices of the caste system. I don't know if it's because I've read a lot about India and heard a lot of missionaries talk about India, or what. But then I realize that it's both worldwide and locally that people don't know Jesus. Churches in Quebec are being transformed into community centres because nobody wants to go to church anymore. That makes me cry. I want to plant myself in these other communities. And obviously I do know that there are people who don't know Christ all over.. I see it in my own family. But as Matt Chandler so eloquently puts it, I need to be where I am and take it seriously if my heart really does ache for those who don't know Christ.

Anyway. I wonder what the cross really means to me. It's gotta be more than a symbol or a piece of jewelry that I wear. I can't just carry my bible around for show. If they took away the symbols of my faith, what would I have? Well, I would still have the cross. I would still have Jesus. I would still have my faith. This song, one of my faves.

All this makes me think of China and their thriving but dangerous underground churches and the like. So yes, it bothers me a lot that people will fight any kind of religious expression, but I know that God works regardless.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. -Hebrews 10:23

finding myself, by losing myself.

I just finished reading Radical, by David Platt. Have you read it? I would definitely recommend it. It's a good read no matter where you stand with Christ. The book is a call to live in radical abandonment to Jesus.

I am so often distracted by the things of this life, as we often are.. As I write this on my MacBook Pro, in the beautiful countryside in England. I am spoiled, in so many ways. Can I give up my comforts and my personal goals all for Jesus? It's a question I will continue to ask myself everyday. I say that I live for Christ, but do I really? I don't think I do. But I want to, and I want to learn how to.

Having studied at the Castle this past term, I have been thrown into a new environment where you meet new people all the time and a few common questions people ask include, "What are you studying? What do you hope to do in the future?". Throughout my time at the castle I have had a strong pull to become an occupational therapist- oh wait, a nurse- just kidding, health policy and law! I am being pulled every which way, and I don't know what I will do in the future.

I used to want to be a pharmacist. I wanted to be a pharmacist because science was all I knew. Science is all I had ever studied. I also knew that I liked helping people, so I wanted to go into healthcare. But I didn't want to be a doctor. I wanted to be a pharmacist because it is good pay right out of school. I wanted to be a pharmacist because it sounds cool to be a "drug dealer". All sorts of silly reasons, but mostly because I wanted to work in healthcare and a pharmacist's job is important because medicine runs our world. We live in an era of scientific and medical expertise, where pharmaceutical companies hold so much power (a little too much if you ask me). Why am I telling you this? Because I gave up on this goal. I switched programs from science into health (it's an arts program where I study), and haven't a clue what I will do with it. I am still interested in the health of people, but ever since becoming a Christian I am more and more interested in their spiritual health as well as their physical and social health.

I don't know yet how to reconcile my interests into a future career. I don't know what I will do. But I know that I now want to build my life in a way where I am not doing it for me, not for the money, not for the fame, but for Jesus. Where will God lead me to best serve Him? Can I give up my comforts and my desires to live a life of obedience? A life of radical abandonment?

I want to read the bible more. I want to pray more. I want to know Jesus more. I want to have the faith and the courage to live a life of obedience to Christ. I want to lose my pride and lose my selfish desires. I want to lose myself so I can find myself in Christ.

seventeen.

Today’s Passage: Luke 1:26-38

The last few days of this plan have all come from Luke. Previously, an angel visited Zechariah with news that he and his wife (who are by now senior citizens) are to have a baby boy, named John, and that John will prepare the way for the Lord. Crazy news!

Continuing reading again in Luke, God sends the angel Gabriel to another with similar (but greater!) news. He tells Mary that she will give birth to a baby, who is to be named Jesus, and will be the son of God, and the King of an everlasting kingdom in heaven. Aahhhhh, wow!

Mary doesn’t understand how this is possible since she is a virgin, but the angel assures her that the Holy Spirit will be the one at work, and God can do what is not possible by man.

I think, in this moment Mary really shows her faith since she responds: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

I hope and pray that I can approach God’s will this way too. Be still and approach God with the confidence that He will work, and then trust and believe what he has planned.

Saturday 1: What is the significance of Christmas to you?
Sunday 2: Make a handmade Christmas card
Monday 3: Share from devotions
Tuesday 4: Take a picture of your city dressed up for Christmas
Wednesday 5: Go to the library
Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Friday 7: Treat self to a Starbucks holiday drink
Saturday 8: Write a letter to Santa!
Sunday 9: Share a cup of peppermint hot chocolate with a friend
Monday 10: Share from devotions
Tuesday 11: Share your favourite Christmas movie
Wednesday 12: Favourite Christmas song, why?
Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Friday 14: Do sit-ups for the length of a Christmas song
Saturday 15: Bake Christmas cookies
Sunday 16: Go to the gym, relax and de-stress
Monday 17: Share from devotions
Tuesday 18: Favourite childhood Christmas memory
Wednesday 19: Spend time at the campus coffeeshop
Thursday 20: Share from devotions
Friday 21: Movie night
Saturday 22: Cook a meal for the family
Sunday 23: Celebrate Christmas with close friends
Monday 24: Family festivities
Tuesday 25: Christmas Day

thirteen.

Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Today's Passage: Isaiah 60:1-5

I love the use of light and darkness throughout the Bible.

Verses 1 and 2 in this passage read: "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you." The light to come is the glory of God revealed in us!

Today is such a sunny day, and it is absolutely beautiful! And to think, all of this is only a glimpse of what is to come.. The light and the glory of God that will be revealed one day.

Verse 4 says "Lift up your eyes all around, and see" See what? Verse 5 answers, "Then you shall see and be radiant".

So let's keep our eyes on Jesus, see his light, reveal his light, and we too shall be radiant! What a good reminder to look around and see God's glory being revealed, and to fix our eyes on Jesus, especially in this advent season.

"Into marvelous light I'm running, out of darkness, out of shame. By the cross you are the truth, You are the life, you are the way." -Marvelous Light (song)

Saturday 1: What is the significance of Christmas to you?
Sunday 2: Make a handmade Christmas card
Monday 3: Share from devotions
Tuesday 4: Take a picture of your city dressed up for Christmas
Wednesday 5: Go to the library
Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Friday 7: Treat self to a Starbucks holiday drink
Saturday 8: Write a letter to Santa!
Sunday 9: Share a cup of peppermint hot chocolate with a friend
Monday 10: Share from devotions
Tuesday 11: Share your favourite Christmas movie
Wednesday 12: Favourite Christmas song, why?
Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Friday 14: Do sit-ups for the length of a Christmas song
Saturday 15: Bake Christmas cookies
Sunday 16: Go to the gym, relax and de-stress
Monday 17: Share from devotions
Tuesday 18: Favourite childhood Christmas memory
Wednesday 19: Spend time at the campus coffeeshop
Thursday 20: Share from devotions
Friday 21: Movie night
Saturday 22: Cook a meal for the family
Sunday 23: Celebrate Christmas with close friends
Monday 24: Family festivities
Tuesday 25: Christmas Day

ten.

Monday 10: Share from devotions
Today's Passage: Isaiah 40:1-11

I had to actually look up the word comfort in the dictionary. My mind goes immediately to "giving rest" and "protection". But here's how my dictionary defined the word:

comfort |ˈkəmfərt| noun
1 a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraint
2 consolation for grief or anxiety

This passage is a passage about God's comfort for his people. It is a passage of salvation, or how God has freed us from the bondage of sin, and consoles us in anxious times. God comforts us in a world of darkness by providing the light in the world. Coool.

I am personally comforted by the fact that God is never changing. He is who he says He is. I can put my trust in Him, and know that I am in good hands. I hope this can be a comfort to you, too.

Saturday 1: What is the significance of Christmas to you?
Sunday 2: Make a handmade Christmas card
Monday 3: Share from devotions
Tuesday 4: Take a picture of your city dressed up for Christmas
Wednesday 5: Go to the library
Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Friday 7: Treat self to a Starbucks holiday drink
Saturday 8: Write a letter to Santa!
Sunday 9: Share a cup of peppermint hot chocolate with a friend
Monday 10: Share from devotions
Tuesday 11: Share your favourite Christmas movie
Wednesday 12: Favourite Christmas song, why?
Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Friday 14: Do sit-ups for the length of a Christmas song
Saturday 15: Bake Christmas cookies
Sunday 16: Go to the gym, relax and de-stress
Monday 17: Share from devotions
Tuesday 18: Favourite childhood Christmas memory
Wednesday 19: Spend time at the campus coffeeshop
Thursday 20: Share from devotions
Friday 21: Movie night
Saturday 22: Cook a meal for the family
Sunday 23: Celebrate Christmas with close friends
Monday 24: Family festivities
Tuesday 25: Christmas Day

six.

Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Today's Passage: Malachi 4:1-3

I am so thankful! Today I got to do my devos in the caf (thanks Jamie!), enjoying the beautiful sunlight streaming in from the large windows all along one wall. It's amazing sometimes how when you're in a public space, you can feel both alone and completely surrounded.

The Bible is one big, very long and true story ... But, so often we take it in pieces - just one book or chapter or verse at a time. And sometimes that means we miss the big picture. -SheReadsTruth Advent Reading Plan

This was a good reminder of just how important it is to read the Old Testament. It is all building up towards revealing Jesus Christ and is all a part of the story. It was neat to read yet another promise from God. A promise of Good News for the believers, and a promise of fire for the non-believers. I see this as a testament of the goodness of God, and the urgency with which we should spread the gospel to grow God's kingdom.

This is a tough part of the gospel, truthfully. That God will separate the unsaved from the saved, the unrighteous from the righteous. But like my pastor said, if it's truth, then it is preferable to scare into Heaven, than love into Hell. I wrestle with presenting this aspect all the time, but here it is!

It has been such a struggle for me to publicly do my devotions (blogging about them), but I am so glad that I can share some of them with you. I want to live an authentic Christian life, and part of that is to not hide behind closed doors (Matthew 5:15).

Thanks so much for bearing with me! <3

Saturday 1: What is the significance of Christmas to you?
Sunday 2: Make a handmade Christmas card
Monday 3: Share from devotions
Tuesday 4: Take a picture of your city dressed up for Christmas
Wednesday 5: Go to the library
Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Friday 7: Treat self to a Starbucks holiday drink
Saturday 8: Write a letter to Santa!
Sunday 9: Share a cup of peppermint hot chocolate with a friend
Monday 10: Share from devotions
Tuesday 11: Share your favourite Christmas movie
Wednesday 12: Favourite Christmas song, why?
Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Friday 14: Do sit-ups for the length of a Christmas song
Saturday 15: Bake Christmas cookies
Sunday 16: Go to the gym, relax and de-stress
Monday 17: Share from devotions
Tuesday 18: Favourite childhood Christmas memory
Wednesday 19: Spend time at the campus coffeeshop
Thursday 20: Share from devotions
Friday 21: Movie night
Saturday 22: Cook a meal for the family
Sunday 23: Celebrate Christmas with close friends
Monday 24: Family festivities
Tuesday 25: Christmas Day

three.

Monday 3: Share from devotions
Today's Passage: Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 9:2-7

God uses prophecies in the Old Testament to make us promises. God promised that he would give us a leader to lead us from darkness to light, and he did. He gave us Jesus, and so Jesus Christ is the proof of God's devotion to us and proof that he will follow through with his promises. This gives me great hope and assurance!

I don't know much of the Old Testament, and so far this reading plan has been starting from Old Testament promises that God made to his people, and I've been really enjoying reading and learning about them!

Saturday 1: What is the significance of Christmas to you?
Sunday 2: Make a handmade Christmas card
Monday 3: Share from devotions
Tuesday 4: Take a picture of your city dressed up for Christmas
Wednesday 5: Go to the library
Thursday 6: Share from devotions
Friday 7: Treat self to a Starbucks holiday drink
Saturday 8: Write a letter to Santa!
Sunday 9: Share a cup of peppermint hot chocolate with a friend
Monday 10: Share from devotions
Tuesday 11: Share your favourite Christmas movie
Wednesday 12: Favourite Christmas song, why?
Thursday 13: Share from devotions
Friday 14: Do sit-ups for the length of a Christmas song
Saturday 15: Bake Christmas cookies
Sunday 16: Go to the gym, relax and de-stress
Monday 17: Share from devotions
Tuesday 18: Favourite childhood Christmas memory
Wednesday 19: Spend time at the campus coffeeshop
Thursday 20: Share from devotions
Friday 21: Movie night
Saturday 22: Cook a meal for the family
Sunday 23: Celebrate Christmas with close friends
Monday 24: Family festivities
Tuesday 25: Christmas Day

here is my story.

This week at fellowship, we had what we called an "Outreach Equip Night". In layman's terms, we prepared ourselves to share our faith stories and to share the good news of Jesus Christ. If you'd let me, I'd like to share my story with you now.

Have you ever wondered why I live a life for God? How did I go from not caring about God to always wanting to share my newfound hope? Well, here's the start. Here's my elevator pitch, I mean, my faith story:

As a kid, though I said I believed in God, I never really knew who God was. I thought that God was simply someone who was very nice to us, and took care of us from where he is in Heaven. I never felt any personal connection with God, so I ignored him.

Coming to university, I struggled with the many new situations it brings and I felt really lost and alone. I tried hard to fit in but was never satisfied because I was never enough. After attending fellowship for half a year, the words in the worship songs began to have meaning to me. It really hit me just how much God loves me. He loves me enough to sacrifice his son Jesus Christ who suffered a painful and humiliating death on the cross. To think that God loved me enough to do that made me want to know more about who God was.

In my efforts to impress others and to fit in, I realized just how sinful and imperfect I am. I may not be perfect yet He loves me, so I try to live for Him. I can now find my hope and confidence in God, who loves me.

We each have our own story to tell, whats yours?

PS. In case you missed it, my testimony from my baptism weekend.

the best elevator pitch.

“The best elevator pitch doesn’t pitch your project. It pitches the meeting about your project. The best elevator pitch is true, stunning, brief and it leaves the listener eager (no, desperate) to hear the rest of it. It’s not a practiced, polished turd of prose that pleases everyone on the board and your marketing team, it’s a little fractal of the entire story, something real.” -Seth Godin (via swissmiss)

Something I am working on is being able to present the gospel with clarity and interest without compromising on any points. While this quote does not deal with sharing your faith directly, I thought it was an interesting view on what might be more useful.. sparking interest. I hope to inspire more questions, and curiosity than to throw too much information at anyone.

I will continue to work on my elevator pitch, and to be armed with God's truth and power.