First off, I want to start out by saying that since February when I started this blog, my life has changed dramatically. I have had surgery, I have transferred schools, I have moved in to my own house and I pay my own bills, I no longer play basketball, I have two jobs, and my walk with Christ has grown into something that I, for the first time in my life, am extremely proud of. But just like every other good thing in your life, you have to nurture it for it to truly grow. You have to pour into the good to make it great, and pour into the great to make it excellent, and so on. So with all of that being said, A Love So Loud is moving locations. Not only is it moving locations, it's moving from a blog to a non profit organization. Let me tell you what we are all about.
Like I said, A Love So Loud is a nonprofit organization. Our goal is to amplify God's love above everything else in this world. We believe that through all things, love is the most important part of our lives, and we find that love through Christ first. We believe that there is a generation that "missed it", and unfortunately, we are a part of the generation. We are teenagers and young adults that have grown up with heavy influences from media and social networking. We live in a time where our peers pressure us to turn away from God and do whatever we want because it's fun or more satisfying. We believe that through the struggle of what the world wants us to be and what God calls us to be, that we have listened to God's voice and we have chosen to love when the world says to hate. We have chosen to create when the world says destroy. So what do we plan on doing with A Love So Loud? We plan on becoming a traveling team of kids who love Jesus, speaking to other kids who might have missed it, or need a little push to see what this "Jesus thing"is all about. We understand that we are not perfect, and we sin every single day but we are choosing to follow the direction that we feel God is leading us. What makes us different? We understand where you're coming from because we have made mistakes and we do mess up, but we understand that we live for a God that is greater than anything we have ever done, and we want you to understand that, too. We understand that we serve a God that saves us with His unending love, and that is what A Love So Loud is all about. So with that being said, why would you want us to come speak to you? We feel that we can be positive influences and role models to the rising generation. We believe that we press the importance of faith and not of materialism. Basically, we are two twenty year old kids trying to make the world see that there is more to life than the way that we live. We have been called to love, we all are the greatest commandment.
I keep saying "we", who is the other person you might ask? Well every once in a while, you run into someone that feels the same way about something that you do..so allow me to introduce my partner through all of this, Zach Hill. Zach is currently a student at EKU and one of the most amazing followers of Christ I have ever met. Through Zach and his connections, I truly believe that A Love So Loud is going to be something greater than I had ever envisioned. He is a blessing in every single bit of the word and there are very few people I know that I would trust with my life, he is one of them. So to my blog readers, I know you will feel the same way about him that I do and I hope that you accept him into his very huge role of a Co-founder of A Love So Loud.
This is the last post that will be put on this website..from now on, we will be using www.ALoveSoLoud.com - A website being made and designed by the wonderful Bryan Minear, another huge contributor to the A Love So Loud dream. He also designed all of the awesome logos you will see if you go check out our twitter.
So with that being said, thank you to every single one of you that have read this blog. Thank you for inspiring me to step outside of myself and create something bigger. Thank you for your support, for your endless love and for so much more than that. We can change this generation, we can make this A Love So Loud. But we still need your help. We are a non profit organization, so every single bit of the money that is donated goes back into the organization for things like the website, bracelets, tshirts, travel (when we get to it) and etc. We are asking you to open up your heart to us and help with the cost of some of these things. Bracelets are being sold right now for 3 dollars a piece. We are thankful for all donations and we will be sure to make sure you stay up to date with the things happening with our organization.
We are excited for the things to come and we are excited for the chance that God has given us to be a voice of this generation. Rise Up. Get Ready. We are about to make God's love, A Love So Loud.
Need to Contact Us?
Twitter:
@ALoveSoLoud
@kellermenke
@ZCHill
Facebook is coming soon!
Email:
keller@ALoveSoLoud.com
zach@ALoveSoLoud.com
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
A Love So Loud- Give.
I want you to take a look around you right now..what do you see? A phone? Your computer? How about a refrigerator? And do you have any type of food in your cabinets? Now I want you to take a look inside you, clear your heart, clear your head and listen to what I have to say for just a moment.
This post is far different than anything else I've ever posted, but it needs to be said. It comes to my attention more and more every day how selfish most of us Americans are with our money. How entitled we feel to these little pieces of paper and these coins that come and go with no second thought. I want you to ask yourself where your money is going. Is it going into fast food because you're too busy or tired to cook for your family at night? Is it going to the new name brand fall clothes that you can't wait to get because last seasons are so well, last season? Make a list if you have to..where is your money going? Now I bet you're wondering where this post is going. And before you click that little x in the corner, let me give you a few shocking statistics.
-More than 16 million, or almost one in five, American children are at risk of hunger. Each child facing hunger potentially goes to bed hungry at some point in the year due to a lack of household resources to secure an adequate food supply. (http://www.conagrafoodsfoundation.org/child-hunger/child-hunger-statistics.jsp)
-There are 15 million children that die every year from hunger.
-33% of the world's population is considered to be starving.
-3.6 seconds is the amount of time between deaths of people who die from hunger.
-There are 800 million people in the would who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
-936 million people do not have enough to eat.
-There will be over 2 million people that die this year from hunger, over 20,000 that die today.
(http://www.statisticbrain.com/world-hunger-statistics/)
-More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.
-780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people
-An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day.
-More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.
(http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/)
Now, look back at what you have in your house. Tell me something that is worth millions of people dying for. Tell me that you can't cut back on a few fast food meals a week to help a child in need. Tell me that this isn't a serious issue in the world and in America. You can't tell me, because it is. I'm not asking you to drop everything you're doing and run to your nearest food bank and drop off 100 cases of green beans and corn, i'm not asking you to pay for the homeless man's meal, i'm not really asking you to do anything but consider the facts, open your eyes.
With that being said, I would like you to meet my sponsored child, Norris. Norris was born on June 28th, 2006 in the Philippines. With my payment on 35 dollars a month through World Vision, I am able to help supply him, his brother and his parents with clean water, school uniforms and medicine to aid against deadly disease. It also helps with agricultural programs, and activities like Vacation Bible School. So my question to you today is, is that extra meal at mcdonalds or taco bell worth it? Invest in something bigger than yourself, invest in someone else.
Want more information on world vision? visit their website at-
http://www.worldvision.org/
Want to talk about the benefits of sponsoring a child?
@kellermenke
@alovesoloud
facebook- Keller Hayden Menke
or you can email me at-
kellermenke_10@hotmail.com
No one ever became poor from giving. -Anne Frank
This post is far different than anything else I've ever posted, but it needs to be said. It comes to my attention more and more every day how selfish most of us Americans are with our money. How entitled we feel to these little pieces of paper and these coins that come and go with no second thought. I want you to ask yourself where your money is going. Is it going into fast food because you're too busy or tired to cook for your family at night? Is it going to the new name brand fall clothes that you can't wait to get because last seasons are so well, last season? Make a list if you have to..where is your money going? Now I bet you're wondering where this post is going. And before you click that little x in the corner, let me give you a few shocking statistics.
-More than 16 million, or almost one in five, American children are at risk of hunger. Each child facing hunger potentially goes to bed hungry at some point in the year due to a lack of household resources to secure an adequate food supply. (http://www.conagrafoodsfoundation.org/child-hunger/child-hunger-statistics.jsp)
-There are 15 million children that die every year from hunger.
-33% of the world's population is considered to be starving.
-3.6 seconds is the amount of time between deaths of people who die from hunger.
-There are 800 million people in the would who suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
-936 million people do not have enough to eat.
-There will be over 2 million people that die this year from hunger, over 20,000 that die today.
(http://www.statisticbrain.com/world-hunger-statistics/)
-More than 3.4 million people die each year from water, sanitation, and hygiene-related causes. Nearly all deaths, 99 percent, occur in the developing world.
-780 million people lack access to an improved water source; approximately one in nine people
-An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day.
-More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.
(http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/)
Now, look back at what you have in your house. Tell me something that is worth millions of people dying for. Tell me that you can't cut back on a few fast food meals a week to help a child in need. Tell me that this isn't a serious issue in the world and in America. You can't tell me, because it is. I'm not asking you to drop everything you're doing and run to your nearest food bank and drop off 100 cases of green beans and corn, i'm not asking you to pay for the homeless man's meal, i'm not really asking you to do anything but consider the facts, open your eyes.
With that being said, I would like you to meet my sponsored child, Norris. Norris was born on June 28th, 2006 in the Philippines. With my payment on 35 dollars a month through World Vision, I am able to help supply him, his brother and his parents with clean water, school uniforms and medicine to aid against deadly disease. It also helps with agricultural programs, and activities like Vacation Bible School. So my question to you today is, is that extra meal at mcdonalds or taco bell worth it? Invest in something bigger than yourself, invest in someone else.
Want more information on world vision? visit their website at-
http://www.worldvision.org/
Want to talk about the benefits of sponsoring a child?
@kellermenke
@alovesoloud
facebook- Keller Hayden Menke
or you can email me at-
kellermenke_10@hotmail.com
No one ever became poor from giving. -Anne Frank
Thursday, September 6, 2012
A Love So Loud- His shoes.
Sunday at church i heard an amazing sermon preached by the amazing Tammy Conrad..the kind of sermon that penetrates your heart so deep that you know God intentionally made sure, despite all odds, that you were at church that morning to hear it. I know that this was the case because i woke up at 10:06..giving me approximately 20 minutes to get ready. She said so many amazing things, but what I want to touch on that hit me the hardest is she kind of called all of us out for being selfish. For saying things like "What about me?" or "You don't know how hard I work." It immediately got the gears turning inside of my head..how many times have I said something so self centered? Something that I didn't even realize I was saying. How many times have I been upset because I pour myself into someone so that they can leave me disappointed? How many times have I dared someone to take a walk in my shoes, and see how they like it.
Suddenly I'm drowning in this huge pool of emotions. How on earth did I ever think that I wasn't a selfish person? Just when I thought I was content in my character, God smacks me in the face again and tells me to wake up. You see, when things get hard in my life, I think of literally every single bad thing that has ever happened to me and it all piles up until I can't handle it anymore. If you ask me, I can be somewhat of a baby..in fact, i think we all can be. But in that moment, I thought about Jesus. I know Jesus seems pretty appropriate to think about during church, but I thought about Him and how much He gave up for me to be sitting where I was in that very moment. I thought about all of the blessings He has given me that I don't even begin to deserve, and i'm overwhelmed by my self righteousness. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I think I DESERVE to have more than i do. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that any of us think we deserve what we're given. Cause we don't.
I want you to think of the person you love the most in the entire world. Mom, Dad, brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, anyone. Now, pick the sin you struggle with the most. Got it? Now picture that person being nailed to a cross, suffering and dying because of that one thing you do and can't stop. And if you had just stopped, that person wouldn't have had to die. I bet you can't picture that..I bet right now in your mind you are thinking Come on Keller, if I had to pick between a sin and someone I love dying..i would pick to get rid of the sin. Right? Wrong. I think we choose to forget about Jesus when we're having fun. I think we forget about Jesus when we're sinning. Because we want to. Because we're selfish. And you know the worst part of it all? He knew we would forget Him but He died with us in mind.
You might think i'm rambling, you might not see where I'm going with anything I just said, so let me put it in simpler terms. We have one opportunity to live our lives. We have one shot at forever. We can blame our poor circumstances, our bad attitudes, our could have, would have and should haves on everyone else in the world. But when it comes down to it, we don't deserve anything we do have. My challenge for you is to think of whatever selfish desire you're struggling with and trash it..give it to Jesus because He knows your heart better than you do. His stopped beating so that yours could. And before you tell anyone else to take a walk in your shoes..why don't you take a walk in His.
Suddenly I'm drowning in this huge pool of emotions. How on earth did I ever think that I wasn't a selfish person? Just when I thought I was content in my character, God smacks me in the face again and tells me to wake up. You see, when things get hard in my life, I think of literally every single bad thing that has ever happened to me and it all piles up until I can't handle it anymore. If you ask me, I can be somewhat of a baby..in fact, i think we all can be. But in that moment, I thought about Jesus. I know Jesus seems pretty appropriate to think about during church, but I thought about Him and how much He gave up for me to be sitting where I was in that very moment. I thought about all of the blessings He has given me that I don't even begin to deserve, and i'm overwhelmed by my self righteousness. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that I think I DESERVE to have more than i do. I'm overwhelmed by the fact that any of us think we deserve what we're given. Cause we don't.
I want you to think of the person you love the most in the entire world. Mom, Dad, brother, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, anyone. Now, pick the sin you struggle with the most. Got it? Now picture that person being nailed to a cross, suffering and dying because of that one thing you do and can't stop. And if you had just stopped, that person wouldn't have had to die. I bet you can't picture that..I bet right now in your mind you are thinking Come on Keller, if I had to pick between a sin and someone I love dying..i would pick to get rid of the sin. Right? Wrong. I think we choose to forget about Jesus when we're having fun. I think we forget about Jesus when we're sinning. Because we want to. Because we're selfish. And you know the worst part of it all? He knew we would forget Him but He died with us in mind.
You might think i'm rambling, you might not see where I'm going with anything I just said, so let me put it in simpler terms. We have one opportunity to live our lives. We have one shot at forever. We can blame our poor circumstances, our bad attitudes, our could have, would have and should haves on everyone else in the world. But when it comes down to it, we don't deserve anything we do have. My challenge for you is to think of whatever selfish desire you're struggling with and trash it..give it to Jesus because He knows your heart better than you do. His stopped beating so that yours could. And before you tell anyone else to take a walk in your shoes..why don't you take a walk in His.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
A Love So Loud- Here's to Us.
I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. Adults, I'm sorry but this isn't directed to you as much as it is directed to us teenagers. I check my twitter on a daily basis, and the things that I see on my TimeLine sometimes are absolutely awful. Written by people my age or people younger, things that aren't meant to be said by people like us, people who haven't even seen half of what the world has to offer. This post isn't going to be judgmental, that's not my intention. But I realized something now more than ever..we need a voice for our generation.
It's crazy to me because we hit age thirteen and suddenly everything we used to know feels a whole lot bigger. We start seeing the evil that consumes our world and we search for a light that helps make it all seem a whole lot brighter. We have big dreams of becoming amazing and they're crushed by a fist full of broken promises. They leave us sitting in an empty room full of what used to be. We get told who to be, what to wear, how to fit in and how to look. We get told that if you aren't stick thin, you're fat. If you're wearing glasses, you're a nerd. Braces? What a loser. This ride we call life is becoming a lot more like a stroll down the judgmental cat walk.
And that's where this voice I was talking about comes in. I need you to know something, teenagers, (since I will soon leave you all for the age of 20 haha.) but seriously, listen to me for just a second. It's okay to be different. And this isn't one of those quotes like "you were born an original, don't die a copy." this is a serious, serious statement. And there are so many I know that Keller, moments in my blog. But I feel like we need to talk about where I'm going with this.
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
That's where I'm going. I need you all to cling to this verse while you still have your innocence. While your mistakes are still so insignificant. While it seems so hard but is still so easy and so pure. Because in the next few years, you're going to hear someone tell you that you can't. You need to know you can. You're going to hear someone tell you who to be, don't let them. Be like a word in a dictionary, people can try to tell you what you are..but in the end you are whatever your creator made you to be. You are already defined through Christ, and no one can take that from you.
So talk to others with the same words you would use if you were talking to God. Make a difference. Don't think that because we are teenagers we can't make a wave in the worlds' ocean. Be bold and be passionate about anything and everything your heart desires. And cling to what is good around you in a not so good world. Stay faithful to the wife or husband you haven't met yet..because true love will wait. Set the example for others that no one else has. Be respectful and be polite. Be kind and be courageous. Try building someone up instead of tearing them down. Live by 1 Timothy 4:12. Take on the world with your voice, God's love, a bible and the ability to be heard. Here's to us, here's to making a change. And remember Romans 8:31- if God is for us, who can ever be against us?
It's crazy to me because we hit age thirteen and suddenly everything we used to know feels a whole lot bigger. We start seeing the evil that consumes our world and we search for a light that helps make it all seem a whole lot brighter. We have big dreams of becoming amazing and they're crushed by a fist full of broken promises. They leave us sitting in an empty room full of what used to be. We get told who to be, what to wear, how to fit in and how to look. We get told that if you aren't stick thin, you're fat. If you're wearing glasses, you're a nerd. Braces? What a loser. This ride we call life is becoming a lot more like a stroll down the judgmental cat walk.
And that's where this voice I was talking about comes in. I need you to know something, teenagers, (since I will soon leave you all for the age of 20 haha.) but seriously, listen to me for just a second. It's okay to be different. And this isn't one of those quotes like "you were born an original, don't die a copy." this is a serious, serious statement. And there are so many I know that Keller, moments in my blog. But I feel like we need to talk about where I'm going with this.
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
That's where I'm going. I need you all to cling to this verse while you still have your innocence. While your mistakes are still so insignificant. While it seems so hard but is still so easy and so pure. Because in the next few years, you're going to hear someone tell you that you can't. You need to know you can. You're going to hear someone tell you who to be, don't let them. Be like a word in a dictionary, people can try to tell you what you are..but in the end you are whatever your creator made you to be. You are already defined through Christ, and no one can take that from you.
So talk to others with the same words you would use if you were talking to God. Make a difference. Don't think that because we are teenagers we can't make a wave in the worlds' ocean. Be bold and be passionate about anything and everything your heart desires. And cling to what is good around you in a not so good world. Stay faithful to the wife or husband you haven't met yet..because true love will wait. Set the example for others that no one else has. Be respectful and be polite. Be kind and be courageous. Try building someone up instead of tearing them down. Live by 1 Timothy 4:12. Take on the world with your voice, God's love, a bible and the ability to be heard. Here's to us, here's to making a change. And remember Romans 8:31- if God is for us, who can ever be against us?
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
A Love So Loud- Believe in Me.
My goal now is to write every single day, even if it is just a little something..to help keep me on the right path. Not everything I write will be posted, but- I'll be writing. You all know I write blog posts..but I actually grew up writing poems every night before I went to bed and they would help me go to sleep, I was never really sure why until recently.
So last night, I wrote a poem. In the sixth grade we had an assignment called "Believe in Me" and we either had to write a poem or a paper or something, but Believe in me was the focus of the project. In sixth grade I wrote a pretty awesome poem about believing in God that I still remember most of. But last night, I put a new spin on the project that we had in the sixth grade and I thought I should share it with you all and switch it up a little bit.
She got home from work today,
Slammed the keys on the counter, barely got paid.
The kids are crying, there's not much to eat,
How are they ever going to get to sleep.
She kneels by her bedside, tears stream from her cheek,
Lord, I'm begging, believe in me.
He steps up to the line, knocks down two.
Time's running down and there's not much else to do.
Ten seconds left, down by three.
Asking- hey coach, believe in me.
It's finally here, it is the big day.
the interview is soon, she's well on her way.
before she walks in her phone vibrates, she sees..
A text from Mom, she believes in me.
Bullied at school, comes home to chores.
With a fist in the air- I can't do this anymore.
Life is too hard why can't anyone see?
He yells at the wall- someone please believe in me.
At the end of the day, its all the same.
Our circumstances are hard, we look for someone else to blame.
I think if we open our eyes we'd probably understand,
That in this world we will struggle while we're surrounded by man.
But the positive thing is for those who believe,
There's more to this life than just what we see.
To the mom that struggles to barely get by,
The kid that has the big game on the line.
The girl that's about to embark on something new,
The kid who doesn't know what to do.
It's bigger than what you're going through,
And most of the people around you are struggling too.
But in the midst of the troubles and the raging sea,
Stay calm and hear the voice saying believe in Me.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. -John 14:1
So last night, I wrote a poem. In the sixth grade we had an assignment called "Believe in Me" and we either had to write a poem or a paper or something, but Believe in me was the focus of the project. In sixth grade I wrote a pretty awesome poem about believing in God that I still remember most of. But last night, I put a new spin on the project that we had in the sixth grade and I thought I should share it with you all and switch it up a little bit.
She got home from work today,
Slammed the keys on the counter, barely got paid.
The kids are crying, there's not much to eat,
How are they ever going to get to sleep.
She kneels by her bedside, tears stream from her cheek,
Lord, I'm begging, believe in me.
He steps up to the line, knocks down two.
Time's running down and there's not much else to do.
Ten seconds left, down by three.
Asking- hey coach, believe in me.
It's finally here, it is the big day.
the interview is soon, she's well on her way.
before she walks in her phone vibrates, she sees..
A text from Mom, she believes in me.
Bullied at school, comes home to chores.
With a fist in the air- I can't do this anymore.
Life is too hard why can't anyone see?
He yells at the wall- someone please believe in me.
At the end of the day, its all the same.
Our circumstances are hard, we look for someone else to blame.
I think if we open our eyes we'd probably understand,
That in this world we will struggle while we're surrounded by man.
But the positive thing is for those who believe,
There's more to this life than just what we see.
To the mom that struggles to barely get by,
The kid that has the big game on the line.
The girl that's about to embark on something new,
The kid who doesn't know what to do.
It's bigger than what you're going through,
And most of the people around you are struggling too.
But in the midst of the troubles and the raging sea,
Stay calm and hear the voice saying believe in Me.
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. -John 14:1
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
A Love So Loud- How are YOU?
Its been a while since I've written, a long while. And it seems like that's how almost all of my posts lately have started out, and there is absolutely no excuse. With that being said, I have a twitter account that is specific to my blog (@ALoveSoLoud). It will feature when my new posts come out, and a lot of other pretty neat things that will hopefully hold me accountable for writing more but most importantly, try and bring us all a little closer to God.
I want to switch it up a little bit today. I want you to take the time and examine your heart. I want you to ask yourself how you are doing. Why? Because you matter. You matter to others, yourself, and most importantly you matter to God. I've been thinking about how easy it is to lose yourself in the hustle of every day life. Especially if you have a job, children, a husband, obligations..anything that can completely steer yourself away from, well..you. And I've come to the conclusion that no matter how ridiculous it may sound, it is important to sit down sometimes and ask yourself how you're doing. And this, is why.
1. You are the best version of yourself when you are happy. That seems like a pretty obvious statement, I know. But it's also one of those that we often overlook. Happiness means so many different things to each of us..so make an attempt to find what makes you smile. Cause you know what they say "Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
2. Despite what anyone tells you, you matter. I want you to think about all of the things that wouldn't be possible if you didn't exist. For mothers, you wouldn't have been able to bless the world with your children- who will one day mean the world to someone else. For teenagers, think about all that you are for your best friend, or boyfriend or girlfriend, or siblings. For those who feel like they don't matter, I guarantee you have made someones day before, and you'll make it again. There is a reason you're here.
3. And the most important reason I have for you today is, it keeps your relationship with Jesus number one in your life. And I'm sure some of you are wondering where on earth I'm going with this..so let me explain. I don't claim to be a preacher, I haven't read the whole bible..but I have a relationship with my Savior that grows, in some way, every day. And a really big part of that is this step. Like I said, it's easy to get lost in the crazy of life, but it's easier to land in the arms of The One who gives it meaning.
So when you go to lay down tonight..or if you're just sitting around letting your mind wander; ask yourself how you're doing. Have a heart to heart with Jesus if you haven't in a while. Let Him know where you fall short. Let Him know where you stand and where you wish to be. Allow Him to work through your heart. Because in the end..
1. Jesus is your journey to happiness, and your destination.
2. You will never mean more to anyone than you do to Him. I mean, He did die to give us a life.
3. And sometimes, the one who doesn't directly talk back, is the very best listener.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. John 15:4 (NLT)
I want to switch it up a little bit today. I want you to take the time and examine your heart. I want you to ask yourself how you are doing. Why? Because you matter. You matter to others, yourself, and most importantly you matter to God. I've been thinking about how easy it is to lose yourself in the hustle of every day life. Especially if you have a job, children, a husband, obligations..anything that can completely steer yourself away from, well..you. And I've come to the conclusion that no matter how ridiculous it may sound, it is important to sit down sometimes and ask yourself how you're doing. And this, is why.
1. You are the best version of yourself when you are happy. That seems like a pretty obvious statement, I know. But it's also one of those that we often overlook. Happiness means so many different things to each of us..so make an attempt to find what makes you smile. Cause you know what they say "Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
2. Despite what anyone tells you, you matter. I want you to think about all of the things that wouldn't be possible if you didn't exist. For mothers, you wouldn't have been able to bless the world with your children- who will one day mean the world to someone else. For teenagers, think about all that you are for your best friend, or boyfriend or girlfriend, or siblings. For those who feel like they don't matter, I guarantee you have made someones day before, and you'll make it again. There is a reason you're here.
3. And the most important reason I have for you today is, it keeps your relationship with Jesus number one in your life. And I'm sure some of you are wondering where on earth I'm going with this..so let me explain. I don't claim to be a preacher, I haven't read the whole bible..but I have a relationship with my Savior that grows, in some way, every day. And a really big part of that is this step. Like I said, it's easy to get lost in the crazy of life, but it's easier to land in the arms of The One who gives it meaning.
So when you go to lay down tonight..or if you're just sitting around letting your mind wander; ask yourself how you're doing. Have a heart to heart with Jesus if you haven't in a while. Let Him know where you fall short. Let Him know where you stand and where you wish to be. Allow Him to work through your heart. Because in the end..
1. Jesus is your journey to happiness, and your destination.
2. You will never mean more to anyone than you do to Him. I mean, He did die to give us a life.
3. And sometimes, the one who doesn't directly talk back, is the very best listener.
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in Me. John 15:4 (NLT)
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A Love So Loud- The Motions.
For those of you who listen to Christian music, there is a song that was written by a gentleman that goes by the name of Matthew West called "The Motions." If you don't know it, I'm going to post some of the lyrics (I highly recommend you listen to the song as well) and that's what is going to get this post rolling for me on this Tuesday night.
This might hurt, It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change.
I don’t care If I break,
At least I’ll be feeling something.
‘Cause just okay is not enough,
Help me fight through the nothingness of life.
This might hurt, It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change.
I don’t care If I break,
At least I’ll be feeling something.
‘Cause just okay is not enough,
Help me fight through the nothingness of life.
I think we all grow accustomed to a routine. We do the same things every single day, then we get to the end of the day and wonder where it went. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned that before. But if we think about how we spent it, most of the time we'll realize it was on useless things. We spent twenty-four hours of the life we only get to live once, doing nothing. Going through the motions. Lately, I've gotten in my routine. That's why I'm not writing as much, that's why I don't feel as whole as I used to. The things that shouldn't matter, do. The things that should matter the most, are slowly creeping further and further down my to-do list. For example, I'm going on vacation in July so I need to get my body in tip top shape. I am transferring colleges so I need to make sure my transcripts are sent in and everything is taken care of. I have to make sure I am taking care of my body properly and as my doctor says "listening to it when it says to quit." I just got a new job and I'm stressed about money. That nothingness of life? It has caught up to me. It's kicking my butt. And I'm to the point that I need to break, I need to change, I need to feel something. Because Matthew West says it best-
I don’t wanna go through the motions,
I don’t wanna go one more day,
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions.
I don’t wanna go one more day,
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions.
It's really an amazing thing when you have people in your life that love God. It's an even more amazing thing when they can come together to talk about how much they do. My best friend, Kristen Stainback, held a bible study last night that I attended, as well as a few other girls. The topic of the discussion was the Samaritan woman at the well. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Jesus was a Jew, Jews didn't associate with Samaritans, yet Jesus came up to this woman at the well. You can read the story in John chapter 4. The part of the story that hit me the hardest was when Jesus told the woman that anyone who drank from the water of the well would become thirsty again, but those who drink from the water He gives will no longer thirst. If I lied to you all, I wouldn't write this blog, so I'll be honest. I have been extremely "thirsty" lately..and not the kind of thirsty that the people around my age use the word for (I know what you kids are thinking lol). But I'm just missing something. And the more I talked last night, the more it hit me. I'm thirsty because I keep trying to invest myself in people, in things, in activities..and each time I leave feeling disappointed. Each time I'm left longing for more. But then I read this story, of this promise that Jesus said- that if we drink the water He gives us, we will no longer thirst.
No regrets, not this time,
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind.
Let Your love make me whole,
I think I’m finally feeling something.
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind.
Let Your love make me whole,
I think I’m finally feeling something.
It's really an unfortunate thing how easy it is to get sidetracked. It's absolutely mind blowing how quickly we can just forget things that matter and move on to other, less important, things. Not this time, I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind. If we truly soul search, If we examine our hearts through the eyes of Christ, our priorities will quickly change. We will realize what's important, we will realize how fulfilling it is when we drink from the word of God. How satisfying it is to indulge into His plan for our lives. And how time and time again, He forgives us when we search the world for the feeling that we can only get when we're diving head first into Jesus. Let's make it our promise this week to not go through the motions, to not spend another day without the fire of God burning through our hearts and setting our lips soaring with praise.
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions.
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)