My Heart

"Spiritual goals can be achieved only by spiritual people who use spiritual methods."

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:12:00 -0400

“Spiritual goals can be achieved only by spiritual people who use spiritual methods.”

- J. Oswald Sanders

"In many cases our need to wonder about or be told what God wants in a certain situation is nothing..."

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:00:51 -0400

“In many cases our need to wonder about or be told what God wants in a certain situation is nothing short of a clear indication of how little we are engaged in his work.”

- Dallas Willard

We’ve lost all reverence; we’ve lost all awe for our most holy Lord. How few are those...

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:37:58 -0400

We’ve lost all reverence; we’ve lost all awe for our most holy Lord. How few are those who tremble at His word, those who dare to desire His presence. We are so comfortable- so stagnant. So filled with this idea of ‘grace’ that leads not to repentance but only to increased debauchery. The first reactions of those confronted by God were fear, dread, utter desperation as they were faced with their own humanity and imperfection. We flee from Him. We want God close enough to help us when we call, but far enough that we can continue to live as though He isn’t here. And we call ourselves Christians, Christ-followers. I am ashamed. Our brand of Christianity accepts everyone and expects no change. We feel that God will adapt to meet our needs. I think of Paul’s words in Galatians 3:1, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?” And in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?”

This doesn’t sit well with our feel-good, everyone’s okay brand of Christianity, but this is the truth. As long as we continue to identify ourselves with Christ and continue to live as though he doesn’t exist, we are guilty of high treason. We are ambassadors grossly misrepresenting our King- turning people away from Him with our self-righteous antics! It is only by His grace that we are not consumed. Let us then, in view of that grace, come before Him and offer ourselves wholly to Him. Let us change our way of thinking- and thereby change our way of being. Let us leave behind us our old ways and live in light of our Lord, in light of eternity.

-Joy

"Everyone around us may be doing it. But at the end of our lives, we won’t answer to everyone...."

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:20:05 -0400

“Everyone around us may be doing it. But at the end of our lives, we won’t answer to everyone. We’ll answer to God.”

- Joshua Harris

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:05:19 -0400

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.

"If you really desire to one day discover the ‘beautiful side of love,’ you have to first..."

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:24:28 -0400

“If you really desire to one day discover the ‘beautiful side of love,’ you have to first walk through the ‘painful side.’ …Laying your life down is not the fun and enjoyable part; it’s the essential part!”

- Eric Ludy

"The risk-free life is a victory-free life. It means lifelong surrender to the mediocre. And that is..."

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:28:17 -0400

“The risk-free life is a victory-free life. It means lifelong surrender to the mediocre. And that is the worst of all defeats.”

- Jamie Buckingham

"Vision is not a matter of seeing what is and asking why. It is far more a matter of seeing what has..."

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 10:42:46 -0400

“Vision is not a matter of seeing what is and asking why. It is far more a matter of seeing what has never yet been and asking why not.”

- Os Guinness

"If we determine to confront the giants that would bar our path and plant heaven’s flag in the..."

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:32:41 -0500

“If we determine to confront the giants that would bar our path and plant heaven’s flag in the hills and fields across the Jordan, then we may indeed prepare this earth to receive her King. If, on the other hand, we elect to see ourselves as grasshoppers, then we, too, will return to the wilderness while God awaits another generation.”

- George Otis, Jr.

Falling in Love

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:40:00 -0500

My dad says I’m slow… and maybe I am. But here’s the deal: how can you love someone you don’t truly know? And how can you know someone without spending long hours delving into the depths of their soul? How can you know someone without giving them time to face a crisis and watch them handle it? True character is revealed when life doesn’t turn out as planned. The more I get to know people, the more I am able to love them. The same is true with Christ, but different.

Perhaps my relationship with Christ has been going on for so long that I just take it for granted. I’ve yet to have a human relationship (in a falling in love sense) that has lasted long enough for that. Or maybe it’s the fact that I can’t physically see or feel Christ that makes me shaky. It probably is a combination; regardless, it’s ridiculous.

The more I get to know God and his love, the more in love with him I fall. But it’s so easy to fall away. It’s so easy to get distracted, to let “amores pasajeros” sway me from his arms. Why? When I know that Christ is everything, when he’s proven himself time and time again, why do I falter? It’s so sad. John Ortberg suggests that we should stop praying for more faith and instead pray that we can know God better. He says that the more we know God, the more our faith will grow, because God is just that awesome. How small is my understanding of God, then?! Pathetically so…

I am waiting for the day when I shall know him fully, even as I am fully known. Until that day, slowly but surely, my knowledge will grow; my love will follow. :)

Heart Healthy

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:15:25 -0500

I’m sure all of us have seen the Cialis and Viagra commercials that have flooded the media of late. I want to focus on the end; the announcer always feels it is necessary (FDA mandated, actually), to warn the men to make sure their heart is healthy enough for sex before taking the advertised product. This has always made me chuckle; you’d be amazed at what older men do to protect their sex lives. But, today, I’ve been thinking about it a little more seriously.

I mean, let’s move past the physical heart that moves blood through your body. Let’s move on to the heart of your being: who you are. Is your heart healthy enough for sex? Are you so firmly founded in Christ that you can completely give yourself to please your partner? Can you handle the intensity of the union of souls and honor the marriage bed by keeping it holy? Are you emotionally healthy enough- spiritually healthy enough- for sex? How is your heart?

-Joy

Adam knew Eve

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:55:42 -0500

“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” Genesis 4:1

I almost died when I read this. There’s not a whole lot I want more from people than to be known, and to know in return! Oh, the joy of it! And here it states my long-held belief so clearly: to have sex with someone is to know them. And here we think it’s all about foreplay and penetration. One night stands and broken relationships surround us, and we wonder where we went wrong. The ultimate act of intimacy, of closeness, of knowing another person, is having sex with them. It is the climax of the journey of getting to know one another. It doesn’t get any closer!

Sex is a picture of Christ and the church. I know, the Bible says marriage is. But what is the fundamental difference between a roomate and a husband? In this light, sex is the ultimate act of a woman submitting to a man- a man who wants nothing more than to give himself for her and bring her into the fullness of life. It is about selflessness- mutual delight and joy in the giving of oneself to the other.

The Bible says that in the end of times we will know fully, even as we are fully known. It also says that we will be given to Christ as his bride. We will fulfill all intimacy in fellowship with him. Sex, in the right context, is literally a little taste of heaven right here on earth. Sure it’s physically satisfying [[at least, that’s what they say]], but it goes so much deeper than that. It is spiritually satisfying. It is righteous; it is beautiful.

Knowing the ecstasy that is to be had in a pure sex life, why would I ever compromise it? How could I give myself away in a manner that could never compare to the true beauty of sex the way it’s meant to be? I want to be known- you don’t even know how much I want to have someone know my inner thoughts, my inner being. Then again, I’m in no rush.

“For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” -Isaiah 54:5

What more could I ask for?

-Joy

Just A Thought

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:49:35 -0500

All this hoopla about what happened to Jorely Rivera makes me think. It reminds me of that all too true scene in Hotel Rwanda. The reporters had recorded all this footage of the massacre occurring in Rwanda. They make the mistake of playing the film in front of the hotel manager, a native of Rwanda. When they try to apologize he stops them saying that what they are doing is a good thing- that people would see and do something about it. Then one of the men shakes his head sadly and says, no. They’ll see it on the evening news, shake their heads and say what a horrible thing it is, then they’ll go right on eating their dinner. Nothing will change. No one will respond.

Everyone is outraged about what happened, and rightly so! But blowing up Twitter and Facebook for a couple of days only to continue to live like nothing happened a week later isn’t going to help anyone. Things like this should move us to action. Humans by nature are evil, depraved. Anyone is capable of the most hideous of crimes. That’s what life without Christ is: depravity. Christ brings hope and peace. This is not an isolated problem; it is the culmination of the sin nature that dwells so virulently in each and every one of us. There is an answer, a resolution. Like that old song used to say: Jesus is the answer for the world today. So what will you do to change your world? Or will you simply cry about it when something goes wrong?

If you are unwilling to act, please spare us your emotional outbursts. No one wants to log on to facebook/twitter to read about a dead girl; that’s why most of us don’t watch the news.

-Joy

One day.

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:54:42 -0500

One day.

"Unless there is this dedication to all that we know he [the Lord] wants us to do now, however..."

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:48:35 -0500

“Unless there is this dedication to all that we know he [the Lord] wants us to do now, however immature our understanding may be, it is doubtful if we will ever progress further in his life and mission.”

- Robert Coleman

The Truth:

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:34:04 -0400

Sometimes, I pretend like I don’t know what I’m doing so guys will feel heroic when they save me from my predicament.

But, seriously, the truth is that I have nothing to offer God. I can say that I come before him asking for nothing, only to offer my life. Great. Haughty, really. I can do nothing good without the help of Christ; apart from him, I am utterly evil- capable of the most hideous of crimes. So when I present myself to him as an offering, what I am really doing is pleading for him to release me from the bonds of evil so that I may then serve him. I am still bringing forth a request.

What a humbling thought, that I cannot even worship my Lord without his help. I am nothing. And what a great God that delights in lifting me up, in restoring me to the perfection he created me for. And how merciful that he continues to allow me to worship him after countless failures. I cannot help but stand in awe of him who made me. I can do nothing less than to live for him and experience the riveting joy he has prepared for me. There’s no going back. <3

-Joy

God and science: Mutually exclusive or intricately knit?

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:13:16 -0400

When God gave Solomon wisdom, He gave him also knowledge and understanding of the natural things. When the world believed that the earth rested upon a turtle’s back, God declared in His Word that it was suspended in the heavens.

^“1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
² Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
⁴ Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.”

- Psalm 19:1-4 (NASB)

Jesus said, “¹² If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” in John 3:12 (NASB).

“¹ Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,

² “Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
³ “Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
⁵ Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
⁶ “On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

- Job 38:1-7 (NASB), keep reading for a few chapters; it’s incredible

One day, we will all get to stand before God. I don’t want to hear His awesome voice saying, “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.” (vs. 3, NIV). Maybe you would, like Job, like to take up your case with God. Just prepare yourself… He likes to make His points loud and clear.

-Joy

Fun Fact:

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:51:36 -0400

Christ is my life; nursing is my way of sharing Him. <3

"The contentment of a Christian hedonist is not a Buddha-like serenity, unmoved by the hurts of..."

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:11:10 -0400

“The contentment of a Christian hedonist is not a Buddha-like serenity, unmoved by the hurts of others. It is a profoundly dissatisfied contentment.”

- John Piper

Love Is Blind?

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:00:53 -0400

I wish more in life could be rationalized. We live in this generation that thrives on impulsiveness and spontanaeity. People don’t think before they act, much less before they speak. We’ve lost the art of reflection- of stopping to think before we make a move.

For example, let’s say your my patient and I just spent more than half an hour cleaning the wounds on your butt while you cried in agony. At the end of that, what logic is there behind saying that I was the best yet and proceed to drop more hints and interrogate my coworkers about me? None. But hey, love is blind.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9). When you feel your emotions getting the best of you, slow down. Think. Ask advice. Shut up and do nothing for a bit! Or else you might end up as the subject of someone’s Tumblr post. ;)

In all seriousness, think before you speak or act. Base your decisions on facts, not on feelings. Think with your head, not with your heart. Life will be much more bearable for you if you do.

-Joy