Jesus: A division between believers

"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."





One would not think that Jesus would be a cause for division amongst people, yet it happens. There could be a place filled with countless believers, yet there would be a great divide among the crowd. We are all called to have a personal relationship with Jesus. We are all sons and daughters of God- brothers and sisters in Christ. Yet, we find our differences and we get stuck on them. We are blinded to the fact that we all worship the same God, that we share similar morals and values, and that Jesus died on the cross to redeem us all! We get stuck on differences between denominations, differences in individual beliefs, and think that someone else should be living their life as *we* think they *should.* 

According to my research, there are currently about 33,000 different denominations. How easy it is for us to first figure out what we want in a religion, then go "church searching" for where we "fit in." Often (not always), we become selfish in trying to please ourselves with what "feels comfortable" instead of going where God is calling us. Jesus is calling each of us somewhere, He is calling us each by name.



I have found that too often we get caught up in the practices of our denomination and we forget who Jesus really and truly is! While practices and core beliefs and teachings are great, they do not define us. Our identity should be found in Christ. Our lives should be a clear example that we are living out life for Him alone. 

Attaching a denomination to our name tends to put us in a box. We now have to live up to the standards of this said religion. Now that we have a label, if we fail to live up to the teachings of our religion, it is either brought to our attention that we are not living the right kind of life, or we are just silently judged. Don't get me wrong, belonging to a church body is one of the necessities when it comes to spiritual growth. 

While each church is certainly unique in its own ways, the Catholic Church is the one that stands out from all the rest. Why is that? The Catholic Church claims that they are the one, true church founded by Jesus Christ-- and from my findings, it can be dated that far back. While I am Catholic, the Catholic Church does not define me. It is not all whom I am. I listen to God above all. I filter the teachings of the Church through Scripture. When there is doubt about any particular teaching, I do the research (from many different angles, despite that fact that almost all research is biased) on my own instead of just accepting an answer from just anyone. Above all, I pray that I am where God wants me. I pray that my eyes are open to follow the path that God wants me on. Just because I am Catholic, it does not mean that I am better then anyone else, or that I am holier either. For I am not. I am not "more saved" then the person next door. It all comes down to how I live my life. Living a life for Christ is rewarding beyond words!

Since planting myself firm in Catholicism, trials and heartache have come up. As much as some of the things that have been going on hurt me, I take comfort that God has a plan. Despite Catholicism appearing to be a barrier right now, by staying strong, the walls will be taken down -- as long as I am doing it for the right reasons. As long as I continue to seek God first and foremost in my life, I will continue to be blessed abundantly. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

Unfortunately, this does not settle well with everyone. Often times, we strive to tell others how to live their life. We are quick to point out their faults without first learning their background, we fail to understand their motives behind any actions, and then we try to push our own beliefs upon them, even before we acknowledge that we have anything ourselves to work on! "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5 We are too quick to point and finger and tell others what they are doing wrong and then offer a solution to "fix" them. Why cannot we accept them as they are and leave the heart stirring to God? For when things are left to God to "fix," beautiful things happen!

In conclusion, even when we put a stake in the ground for Christ and strive to imitate His ways, we are always going to face conflict. For even Jesus said, "51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law" (Luke 12:51-53). Even if and or when we find someone of "like mind," there will come a time when the differences come out. Cannot we just accept them for where they are and love them as God loves us? Give the situation to God. Ask for the grace of understanding and acceptance. Leave it all to God to work miracles.

Jesus should be a reason to bring us together -- not cause a great divide. 




Dearest heavenly Father, please help me to love all of Your children-- all of my brothers and sisters in Christ-- equally! Please help me accept everyone without judgment. Help me acknowledge the areas of my life that I need to work on to live the life that You want for me! You know the motives behind my every action, so please guide me to act from a pure heart-- something that can only come from you, Lord! I ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Free Will to choose God's Will

"Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7

We all have good times and bad times, happy moments and sad moments, the ups and the downs, in our life. How do you deal with them??

There are so many different ways to handle these situations on this walk called life, but ultimately choosing the "correct" one can be a challenge. How do we know what the "right choice" is? It all comes down to what pleases God. I don't believe that there is "just one way" to please God. While we do have a free will to make our choices, good or bad, there is not just one good choice and one bad choice.

How does one know the will of God? Ask. By Prayer. Constant prayer. Pray to do the will of God. Pray for grace from God to do good in all things. Pray to imitate Christ! Set a goal to live life for Christ.

Ultimately, put Christ at the center and watch everything else line up! In the trying moments of life, choosing the words, deeds, actions that are pleasing to God will be an automatic response! 




David Crowder Band "Light and Shadows"

Life is full of light and shadow
O the joy and O the sorrow
O the sorrow

And yet will He bring
Dark to light
And yet will He bring
Day from night

When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember

When all seems lost
When we're thrown and we're tossed
We remember the cost
We rest in Him
Shadow of the cross

The Beautiful Surrender

Letting go is not an easy thing to do. I often find myself doing things or saying things that I hope in vain will keep something for myself that I think that I need. So very thankful that God knows better. God has my life all mapped out for me. He knows who and what will come my way and which of these will stay and which ones will go. As stated in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I can take such comfort that God is watching out for me!
It is getting to that point of surrender-getting to that point of giving my entire life to God. Sometimes I want to cling onto the past. I get to the point of being comfortable with a certain situation, that I am afraid to experience something new. Even when I recognize that something is not benefiting me anymore, even when I know that it is time to move on, either for the sake of myself or someone else, fear can paralyze. I need to have that faith, hope and trust in God alone! I need to surrender my will to God and allow Him to work in my life in ways unimaginable to me!

Surrendering my life to God opens new doors of opportunity-ones that I would be too blind to see if I continued to life my life according to my own thoughts! I give everything that I am, and everything that I am not to the Lord. I am His, and He can do with me whatever He pleases to do. I know that He has wonderful plans in the works for me. I have complete faith that His plans will cause tremendous growth within me. I give everything to God- the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the serious, the silly,and everything in between. The Lord my God is so awesomely amazing. God is working ever so tremendously in my life, who am I to stand in the way? I have had moments when I have received exactly as I have asked God for because I felt that I needed them, only for me to realize that God knew what He was doing by not allowing me such things.

How beautiful, how rewarding, how sweet it is to live for God! How wonderful it is to go out and not question my actions, because there is that trust that I am doing exactly as God has called me to do! I keep my faith in God strong by continuing to ask God to direct my ways, by asking the Holy Spirit to be ever present in my life, by continuing to seek the counsel and wisdom from those more experienced then myself, by constantly staying absorbed in the Word, and by communicating with the Lord, my God, through constant prayer --just to name a few.

The Lord's plans are great for me. I surrender my life to the Lord, and trust fully that His plans for my life are yielding great fruits!

"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 7:21

"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:10-12

With God, all things are possible!

Many people have their own idea of what love is, including myself. While I believe that the Bible sums up what love actually is:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

I still have my own ideas that help me clarify what love is to me.

It basically comes down to this: Love is a choice. It is a conscience journey that one chooses to embark upon. Love is not "just a feeling," it is more then "just a euphoric feeling of floating on cloud 9."

Love comes from God; God is the source of all love. God gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, who shed His Precious Blood to save all mankind -- what greater love is there then this?

There is a complete trust in God that is born from love. God grants this grace to love unconditionally to anyone who asks with faith. Everyday I surrender my life to God. Everyday I hand my life over to the Lord of all. Everyday I receive my strength from my Father above.

When a relationship is centered around God's love, beautiful things transpire! Having a love focused and centered on God is beautiful beyond words! It is loving without conditions, loving beyond the humanly possible limits. It is a love that is unselfish, a love that respects, a love that honors and a love that cherishes. A love that is an exception to the rules. It is because of this God-focused love that I can honestly say that "chivalry isn't dead, and nor will it ever die." We are all children of God, and we treat each other as His sons and daughters, as our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is acceptance of everyone, there is no judgment. We are free to live to our greatest potential--to live for Christ!

Love gives the freedom to communicate, and to communicate well. Love speaks well, but listens better. Love does not strive to be the center of attention, it does not strive to be something that it isn't. Love is comfortable just being -- just being as God intended.

Sometimes love hurts. Love certainly is not perfect, and sometimes does not come easy. True love comes with its own set of challenges. Sometimes it is forgotten that love is a choice, and that it is something that constantly needs tending. Love cannot just be put out there left alone. No, love needs to be nurtured, love needs to be tended, love needs to be weeded and watered and cared for. I have often heard "oh, we just fell out of love." I personally don't believe that love is something that is "fallen into." I don't believe for a minute that love is a hole. That makes love seem like a trap! "Oh, they fell in love!" Nah, as I said earlier, love is a journey. Love is like taking a walk-- there will be good times and bad times and in-between times: up hills, and down hills, and all the plateaus! 

Love compliments. It doesn't complete, it doesn't compete. Love is knowing when something needs you to be there, and when they need you to step back. Love is knowing when to hold on, and when to let go. Love is allowing the other person to do what God has called them to do with their life, and you to follow your own calling/vocation as well.

Love cannot be bought with trivial gifts. Actions speak louder then words, which is true when love is expressed in actions. Love can be expressed in the giving and the receiving of gifts, but it all depends on the motives of the heart for the gift giving that classifies whether the love was bought or not. Giving with expecting something in return is not love. Giving, for the sake of giving, is a beautiful form of love beyond words.

Loving from God has no resentment and no regrets. There are no longing for do-overs. It is faith that what was done, and what is being done is the will of God. There is trust that God's will will triumph over all things.

And whilest sometimes love certainly is not easy, I take comfort in having a love that is centered around God. From God, all good things come. Thru God, all things are possible.



I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
-Philippians 4:13

And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
-Matthew 19:26

A love beyond words

A love that is patient,

A love that is kind,

A love that is so freeing,

It is a love that will never bind.

A love that lasts,

A love that is true,

A love that never dies,

But it is love that died for me and for you.  

A love that is a gift,

A love that cannot be repaid,

It was Jesus’ lost life,

Thru this love we are saved.

This love from God,

Is such an unconditional gift;

It is in moments of feeling down,

That God’s love gives me a lift.

Without Jesus’ shed blood,

I don’t know where I would be,

But with this ultimate sacrifice,

I am loved for being me.

There are no limits,

No expiration dates on His love,

It is always there,

Showering down from above.

In moments of weakness,

I turn to God, my Lord,

And open my Bible,

Which is my trusty sword.

I ask God for guidance,

To help me through the day,

To fill in the blanks,

When words are too inadequate to say.

I thank God everyday

For taking care of my needs,

And strive to imitate Christ,

By my words, actions and deeds.

I am a daughter of God,

A child of light,

God is my Father,

Whom I cling to ever so tight.

No matter what trials

Come my way,

In God’s loving arms,

Is where I will forever stay.

Light, light, light up the sky

  I take comfort in coming home at midnight and star gazing. I can almost always be rest assured that I can find the stars as I left them the night before. 

Coming home later then usual last week, I found that the stars were not in their "normal" place. I have experienced this before, where the "stars have shifted." (Yes, I am fully aware of the scientific phenomena that goes on, but that is not the purpose of this post!) :D 

But me, being me, had to attach an analogy to it; here goes:

Seeing the stars in this way (as well as just watching Soul Surfer 5 days previously), (as well as working on perspective in Art class the previous weeks), made me think of -and apply to- life.

Every night at the same time, the stars are in the same spot as the night before. I can bet that at 11:40 at night, the big dipper is going to be sitting upright to the north, slightly to the west, of my house. By 1:30 in the morning, while it is almost in the same spot, it is angled differently. I have to turn my head to see it as I would typically see it on any other given night of the week at 11:40.

Apply that to life. Sometimes we look at something so many times, we cannot imagine that there is an alternative way to look at it. We keep going back, looking at it day in and day out, without expecting anything to change. 

Occasionally, I will look at something so long, that I get frustrated because it keeps looking the same, but there are no new results. By using this "star analogy," I can take a step back, wait, then go back and get an new perspective. While it is the same sky I am looking at, looking at it straight on looks completely different then what I am used to! 

God made the stars for many purposes; perspective has to be one of them!

As I understand this new perspective, I pray that I can apply it to any and every aspect of my life where I am not seeing something for what it is. I pray for a clarity that can only come from God. When I look up to the heavens on a clear night, I thank God for the stars. They put more then perspective into perspective for me.

When I’m feeling all alone and so far to go
The signs are nowhere on this road guiding me home
When the night is closing in
It’s falling on my skin
Oh God will You come close

Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

When stars are hiding in the clouds
I don’t feel them shining
When I can’t see beyond my doubt
The silver lining
When I’ve almost reached the end
Like a flood You’re rushing in
Love is rushing in

Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

So I run straight to Your arms
You’re the bright and morning Sun
To show Your love, there’s nothing You won’t do

Light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You are with me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You are with me
Oh oh oh oh oh oh

Live for today

What a beautiful day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! 

So often I find myself taking advantage of the little things in life. Too often I overlook small details. Tonight my prayer is that I appreciate everything--no matter how big or how small. 

I want to live as if I were dying. I want to live my life as if today were the last day. By no means in a morbid or depressed way, but in a beautiful, loving, selfless, living-my-life-to-the-fullest-for-God type of way! So often I find myself daydreaming about tomorrow. So often I envision what my future is going to be like. I was just talking with a friend that I have known for nearly 4 years (or is it going on 5?). We had big plans. We were going to get married and live next door to each other and raise our children together. Certainly, God had much, much different plans for the both of us. I have been learning to trust in God with all of my heart, for He alone knows what is best for me!

I want to life in the moment. I want to appreciate and be thankful for what I have now. Not later, not tomorrow, not next week. What other moment is there then now? Why worry about tomorrow? "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:34. Finding absolutely prefect peace in this exact moment is such a blessing from God.


That's not to say that I don't make plans, because I most certainly do. I still have responsibilities. I still have obligations. I still have work and school. If God needs me elsewhere, He alone will get thru to me and craft it ever so beautifully that I will still end up where He wants me regardless; I can't get in the way of myself when my life has been handed over to God. I am not steering my ship. I am not guiding my life. My life is in God's Hands; my every move. 


I continue to strive to live my life for God! I continue to hand my life over to Him every moment of every day. While life isn't always easy, I know that the trials help me grow into a stronger woman of God!




Here's the song that is on my heart tonight:



I Hope You Dance lyrics
Songwriters: Sanders, Mark D.; Sillers, Tia;

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth making

Don't let some hell-bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lee-ann-womack-lyrics/i-hope-you-dance-lyrics.html ]

I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

Dance
I hope you dance
(Dance)
I hope you dance
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder
(Dance)
Where those years have gone
(Dance)

If God is for me, then who can be against me?

Patience. Patience to do the will of God. Too often I feel as though I need to rush through life. What am I racing towards? I am running this race with no goal in sight. Running for the sake of running. In doing that, I find myself getting worn out way to fast, and for no reason what so ever.

I ask God to help me to do His Will. I ask God to help me to be the person that He wants me to be. I can strive for so many things in life, but I am only going to find ultimate fulfillment when I acknowledge Him as my source of all good and strive to have Him as the center of my daily life.

There is such freedom in having God as my center. There is such freedom in doing as He has willed for me.

I now have purpose. I run to God. I run to Him who has open arms, calling my name, waiting for me to place everything I have, everything I am, into His loving embrace. I trust in God. I trust that my every need is taken care of by my Heavenly Father. He alone will direct my every path. I have faith that I will hear His voice and harden not my heart.

I life for Christ! My cornerstone has been built upon a firm foundation in God! I continue to seek to have a relationship with my Lord, my God!


"For when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." James 1:3-4

Random Thought

Casting Crowns has an awesome song "If We are the Body."
Whilest listening to it on my way into school this morning, it, as always, spoke to me.

The chorus goes:

"But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ"

It makes me think. We, as the body of Christ, have such the opportunity to reach out to people and welcome them into the body of Christ, too. Why aren't we reaching out to people with words, actions, etc? We have the opportunity to bring people to Christ; let's do it!

Start with the self. Live for Christ and set an example! More people look up to you then you even realize. More people are impacted, influenced, affected by the choices you make! Do everything for God and watch everything good unfold!


"Preach the Gospel, always; use words when necessary."

The calm of the storm

What a crazy past 7 weeks! I am now half way done with a way too busy of a semester of college (And to think that the majority of the work comes in the second half!).

The biggest thing that I have learned up to this point, is that I am never again taking 15 credits in one semester again. Yes, yes, I do realize that the more I take, the sooner I can get done. But, I am enjoying college. I hear too many people say that their college experience went by way too fast for them. I want to take it slow and enjoy every moment of it. I want to take the time to actually learn the material, and not just do it to get it done and behind me.

Nothing in life is that important where I have to blow thru college just to get a "good paying job." That won't define me. I am not going to college so I can get a job making lots of money. The money does not matter. I am definitely going to college to grow and earn a new education; but college is not everything.

Through my crazy hectic life of a college student, I am making time for God. If God weren't a part of my daily life, I have no idea where I would be. I think back to the days when God wasn't my center. It saddens me to think that I used to be able to get through life on my own. How foolish was I?!?

Knowing that I need God in my life and striving to live my life according to God's Most Holy Will for me certainly brings up some trials. Proclaiming that God is the Lord of my life has just set me up for attacks from Satan. Recognizing that God is always there for me, and that I can turn to Him in all things just puts my heart at ease.

I fully believe that it is because of God that I have lasted this far into this semester of College. Putting God first and foremost in every aspect of my life fills me with such joy; such joy that only comes form God! How truly and wonderfully blessed I am.

It is so wonderful having people in my life that constantly point me back to God as well. Surrounding myself with Christ followers, so dedicated to Him, has proven to be a blessing beyond measure. When I start questioning, or doubting, or am just plain selfish, it is like an arrow lights up and points upwards saying "turn it all over to God!" Surrendering it all to God has been a slow process. How easy it is to talk the talk, but not walk the walk! I can talk and talk and talk about giving my life to God, but what good are the words without the actions? Actions definitely speak louder then words!

My goal is for people to see Christ when they see me. I want to be a follower of Christ. With God's overflowing grace, I can and will and am achieving that. Overall, I want to be the woman that God intended me to be. Amen.


1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. 
-Psalm 121