Shine On Paradise

A fork by any other name Have you ever asked yourself "Why does God allow bad things to happen? Being Christian does not mean you will have the perfect life. God never promises that ;however,  He does promise that whatever we go through He will always be there. "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:27 A fork by any other name is the title I choose because that was the precise experience that moved me in a way that every year following that experience during thanksgiving I think about it. Thanksgiving is quite the reflective season for me. Where I sit a and think a little longer, and appreciate things a little more than usual, and take the time to express it to God, my family, and friends. So when I am asked what am I thankful for. I say Forks! Yes, I know that might seem like a very unusual answer but allow to explain and narrate the stor

GRACE undeserved, unmerited, unearned. Unmerited Undeserved favor of God in providing salvation for those deserving condemnation. Gods ultimate form of grace was manifested in the gift of His son to die in the place of sinners. Grace is why we are able to wake up to see another day. It's not just a second chance, it's a third, a fourth, a fifth. It's a human illogical act of love that keeps on giving regardless of our past. But he said to me, "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians - 12:9 "Grace" is difficult for us to understand because it's illogical. It does not follow nor appeal to our human nature and it goes against the way the world works. Ex: The Merit System- If  you work hard, study, and get an education you'll end up in a great college ;thus, have a successful life. Its Based on having all the right qualifications and the many list of achievements. Its a "

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Salomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. -Luke 12:27   Wild-flow-er : noun A flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention. Consider how they grow: Wildflowers grow naturally without much pampering. They grow in the wild, not intentionally seeded or planted. The grow in areas where other plants would not grow there naturally. They just grow wherever the wind takes the seed and as it falls to the ground it grows no matter the place, the harsh conditions, or lack of sunlight.  As a article I read put it " They do not grow in carefully tended rows on manicured lawns; they each sway to the wind of God's will." They grow and they die beautiful and carefree. Each one swaying differently than the rest. Wherever they land they accept the conditions weather much sunlight or non they just grow accepting wherever the Lord has pla

I wrote a little hymn not to long ago, it goes "In your weaknesses I am glorified, in the wilderness: I'll give you your vines." That verse is my favorite and its its inspired by Hosea 2:14-15 and 2 Corinthians 12:9 "Therefore, behold I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards." & But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses,so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  In the first verse the Lord is talking about Israel but I can also see it in my own life. When He says I will allure her in to the wilderness the word WILDERNESS means- what is little inhabited, little light, little life. The wilderness can be a scary place and my best guess is that everyone experiences it differently. But, what most graved my attention is the verse after " an

Are you thirsty? While washing dishes a while ago I was contemplating something. About how all the money, the fame prestige, and success how none of it really matters because it just simply isn't enough. I didn't know what exactly I hungered for and craved but none of those options never pleased me, it always leaves me empty. I was looking at my phone , I have Samsung Galaxy S5 and I got a notification on how I'm due for an upgrade. My first thought was "about freaking time!" probably what any other teenager my age would say. But then quickly, my thoughts shifted to how easily I folded to want the next best thing, how easily I invited the idea that the more newer materialistic things I had the better off I was in societies eyes, and I began to feel sick. Sick because when did I get this far enthralled in the world that I know feared what they say of me, what they think of me its all a never ending cycle and it never leads to fulfillment it never satisfies, and it

"Be quiet, Be still!" Those where the words Jesus muttered after He was awakened in a hurried manner to find his disciples in distress over a storm. You see, He was on a boat. A storm was coming and everyone with the exception of Him was afraid. I was on that boat. In fact, I am on that boat. I feel like the weight of the World is crushing down upon me. Storms and waves keep crashing, they just take different forms. Waves of doubt, heavy rains of judgment and criticism, thunder of rejection and storms of them all put  together to make one intimidating hurricane. These waves of doubt look like a lot of looking left and right only to see everyone around me doing so well at whatever they are doing when I dont even seem to have a clue what im doing, what im called to, or even what will become of me. I have no answers to any of those things, all I know is that this is a place where I have been lead and doubt has crept into my mind and it has stolen my peace, my hope, my faith.