Beautiful You

I was asked this summer to consider the question: "What breaks your heart and baffles your mind?" My number one heart breaker are girls that are hurting. We are fed so many lies in our culture today. My desire is for my girlfriends to know how loved they are. In the book Captivating (which I would highly recommend for you ladies who have never read it), the author says that because God created us, there is a place in His heart that only He can fill. When we allow Him to fill our hearts and realize that He is our true love, we see that He consumes us!

Ladies, God created us to desire love and security...the fact is that we allow guys to fill those places in our lives when the Lover of our souls is whispering in our ear sweet nothings about how beautiful we are to Him, how much He cherishes us, and how He promises to take care of us more than the flowers of the field and birds of the air. That is the heart of our God for us!! We are the bride of Christ! We are already cherished so much more than a man will ever be able to love us! Don't get me wrong...I have dreams of a white wedding, a man who is tall, dark, and handsome and loves me more than anything except His King. I am no feminist. But I also realize that that man will take the place of God in my life if I am depending on his love to be enough for me.

It broke my heart this summer that so many of the amazing girls I spent two months with had let a guy hurt them or steal their joy (me included). I can't wait to see the men God brings into their lives who will cherish them! Ladies, let's not settle! God has called men to love us as Christ loved the church! And what did Christ do for the church? He died for it! Is the guy in your life so in love with Jesus, that He recognizes his role is to lead you spiritually and love and cherish you so much that he would die for you? If he doesn't, HE IS NOT WORTH IT! That immediately eliminates a lot of men...which should make finding a good one easier. :) Guys were made to reflect God's strength and girls were made to reflect His beauty and glory. Guys, you need to learn how to submit to your Maker, because there is a reason that girls go for the "scumbags" and its because a lot of times they see no difference between you as a Christian man and them.

In the Bible, God's relationship with us goes from Potter to clay, sheep to Shepherd, Father to child, Best friends, and then Bridegroom! Do you notice that the level of intimacy with Him increases as our relationship with Him increases? I once made a list of everything I want in a guy and when I reread it, I found that God fulfills everything on there already because He already knows my heart so intimately! Know and rest in how much He can fill your heart and how passionately and tenderly He loves you.

Another lie we have bought into as girls is that we need to meet the standards of the world as far as beauty goes. I struggle here, too! I have definitely bought into the lie that I need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way to be attractive or succeed. But in all reality, God says that man looks at our physical appearance while God looks at our hearts. What if we worked on dressing up our hearts for our Lord so that every time we talked to Him, He was pleased with our appearance? What if we learned to see the beauty of our character and personality and crazy perks that God has given us are actually a gift and not a curse? What if we realized that because we are created in our Savior's image, we are automatically the most beautiful thing that walked the planet and could win any fashion show? What if we realized the heart of our God for us to give us beauty for ashes and His desire to heal us and fill us with His love? What if we remembered that because we are daughters of the King we are clothed in His beauty, righteousness, and holiness? That should make us so excited and feel treasured!

I worked with kids at a day camp for two summers and something that broke my heart was young girls listening and singing songs and performing dance moves to terrible lyrics. They had obviously been watching MTV (shame on their parents for that). One amazingly sweet, gorgeous Christian nine year old came to me hurting because she had refused to do some of those dance moves, talk in a certain way, and listen to some of those songs. I could relate. There were many times in high school when I felt uncomfortable around my girlfriends. I left sleep overs in the middle of the night because I did not want to discuss the subject matter or act or dress in a certain way. I discussed this with some of my guy friends and they voiced that they actually like and respect a girl more when she stands up for what is right, and dresses and acts in ways that not only respects them as Christian brothers but is also honoring to their Maker. John Randalls says that what you do to get a guy, you will have to do to keep him. If starving yourself, dressing inappropriately, or acting seductively hooks you a guy, run away fast! Chances are if you do get married you won't make it to your Golden Anniversary if that is all that attracted him to you. A relationship attracted by the beauty within will last much longer.

I am now done with my soap box... but know that you are so beautiful to God! Be secure in who you are as a daughter of the King of Kings. If you don't know my Jesus, know that accepting Him as your Lord and Savior and desiring to live for Him will introduce you to the most intimate, unconditional, forever love relationship of all time!

Your sis in Christ,
Kar

Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Prov. 31:30

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20

"There could never be a more beautiful you. Don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through. You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do. So there could never be a more beautiful you." song by Jonny Diaz

Pendulum

I often feel there is a war raging within me between the girl who wants to trust and lean on others and the girl who is independent, stubborn, and doesn't need anyone because she doesn't want to get hurt. The pendulum is constantly swinging back and forth between the two natures, desiring to find a happy medium and never quite figuring out how to rest in the middle. There is a good chance this will be a lifelong challenge for me, however, this summer I was introduced to the beauty in the Body that appears in our weakness.

Weakness unifies the Body because it allows God to be glorified and the Body to operate smoothly because others strengths are allowed to blossom. This song greatly encourages my heart as I remember my community from this summer, and remember that I don't have to be so independent and alone. There is hope in the journey down the mountain and beauty when people surround you, smother you, and walk down with you. My Savior has walked before me and I am following in His footsteps.

"Walk Down this Mountain" by Bebo Norman
It's a better place
standing high upon this mountain.
I've seen your face
full of the light that only this height can show.
Blistered hand is what you you've given
But you've been given all you'll ever need
to know.

Chorus:
So walk down this mountain
with your heart held high,
follow in the footsteps of your Maker.
With this love that's gone before you
and these people at your side
If you offer up your broken cup
You will taste the meaning of this life.

Well it's a common ground
and I see you're all still standing.
But just look around and you'll find
the very face of God.
He's walking down into the distance
He's walking down to where the masses are.

Chorus:
So walk down this mountain
with your heart held high,
follow in the footsteps of your Maker.
With this love that's gone before you
and these people at your side
If you offer up your broken cup
You will finally taste the meaning of this life.

We are standing in a place of peace
And this is how the world should be.

In Him,
Kar

Diamond in the Rough

Well I have officially climbed up and down Pike's Peak. My goal has been accomplished. I have climbed a mountain and lived to tell the tale. My adventure on Pike's Peak was entertaining, challenging, humbling, and enlightening. We hiked up in the dark so I couldn't see anything but the flashlight illuminating the step in front of me. Coming down after we watched the most gorgeous sunrise, I was thankful that I couldn't see what I had hiked up in the night.
Seeing would have put me in the position to fear and be more eager to quit. Seeing only the step in front of me reminded me that each step, though difficult and often slippery, could be accomplished. Just reach the light and then continue to follow it up. I think this may be why God only gives us the next step in our great adventure. If we saw the big picture, we may want to quit, alter our route, or become reckless and miss the sunrise at the top. Giving us just the next step is God's way of saying, "I have designed each step. Let me show you how to conquer this one and we will tackle the next one together. I know the road ahead, and I'll help you up it one step at a time. Just trust me for the rest."
It was then that I realized in my desperate need for direction for grad school and my dreams and what city I will live in in the next year, that God is giving me just the next step and when I get up that one, He will show me the next one. That is the very nature of God...not giving us more than we can handle, knowing what we need even when we don't, loving us in spite of our stubbornness and independence. He helps us to temper those character qualities that He gave us to allow us to better reflect His image.

Now here's where nature comes in, touches my heart, and whispers sweet nothings about the very nature and character of my Maker. As we walked down, I could not get over the beautiful mountain flowers flourishing in the rocks along the path. They thrive with little water in the midst of rough terrain. They are strong! They are beautiful! And they live in spite of the elements! They are diamonds in the rough. As Christians, God never promises the road to be easy. In fact, I am sure it looks much like the path up Pike's Peak...steep and rocky. But he promises that in the midst of the difficulty we will thrive and grow. He promises Beauty in the hard spots of our life. God is the beauty in the midst of our circumstance. He is the diamond in the rough, bringing hope and life and strength.

I pray that this blesses your heart,
Kar

"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in You, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Quiet Strength

During my summer in the Springs, I talked with my roommate, Rachel, about God's way of demonstrating strength in His creation. The ocean or water to me shows God's ever-reaching, majestic power that can rage and destroy, or calm and soothe. I love to sit on the beach and just listen to the waves roll in and lap at the sand and shells on the beach. It is peaceful. The mountains are dangerous, strong in their very nature, steady, unmoving, unchanging. They point to Heaven and require strong, adapted animals and plant life to thrive. We hypothesized that the mountains are God's picture of masculine strength while the ocean represents a more gentle, feminine strength.

One night, five of us girls took a night hike to Mt. Cutler. The curse of being an English major is that I find an analogy in EVERYTHING, and God greatly teaches me through nature. I noticed a tree that was knarled and leaning over in the trail, yet it had corrected itself and was still standing straight. Its roots were clinging to the rock and though bent, it was standing tall and proud. It was strong! There was a time where it had bent under the elements, but as its roots gripped the rock and dug deep, it filled out and grew tall. It still bore evidence of its brokenness but it had been healed and revealed this quiet, steady strength.

I feel like this tree reflects my life. It has been bent, twisted by the harsh winds of life. It's roots are apparent yet they have burrowed deep. I have been broken, challenged, knocked over by the winds of life, I have succumbed to pressure and struggled to correct myself. But there is a promise in the very nature of God that we will bend but not break. His strength is sufficient and we will be mighty oaks of righteousness for the display of His splendor (Isaiah 61:1-3)! I am clinging to my Rock for strength and I pray that the broken and bent parts in my life pull my roots to the surface so people can see what I cling to in the harshness and have hope. I will grow tall and strong because I serve a mighty God who made the mountains. I pray that like that tree, my Maker gives me a quiet strength to withstand the strongest elements because my roots are clinging to my Rock.

In the One who is Mighty to Save,

Hos. 6:1 "Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn but He will heal; He has stricken, but He will bind us up."

I AM

God continues to work on my heart and show me new things about myself and what He has called me to while I am here at Focus. One of the most popular questions here is "What is your story", and I swear it gets asked on a daily basis. I am ashamed to say that I have never thought to ask my friends back home this question. I am constantly amazed at the stories of others and that the same God bringing them out of a bad situation or shaping their circumstances is working to restore my heart and embolden me.

We did an activity the last few minutes of class one day this week. In the center of the board was written a huge I AM. We were asked to come and write down where we are in our story around the I AM. It was powerful and emotional. It hurt my heart to see the broken places that some of my friends are in, and it made me smile to see what God was doing in spite of it. I often have a hard time being open with others and I broke down actually verbalizing where I am at and knowing what I didn't want to write down. I pray that as you look at where you are at in your story...you will see the mighty hand of our God. God is the I AM in the midst of our circumstance and He has called us to be vulnerable with His Body:

I AM daughter of the King of Kings. I AM a recent college grad with a calling. I AM attempting to be still and know that He is God. I AM in transition, and I AM scared to death about the next step.

But just like on the board, the Great I AM is in the middle of my circumstances, just as He is in the middle of yours.

Gladiator - A Call to Boldness

So far this summer, God has really been working on my heart in regards to being still and knowing who He is and understanding that He has called me to boldness. To be honest, that scares and excites me...I feel so unworthy and inadequate, but I feel He is calling me to stand up. One of the qualities I admire most about people is what I call "humble boldness." They are unashamed and bold about Christ but they do it in such a way that draws people to them; they are confident in who they are and who their Savior is and don't feel the need to be defensive.

The summer before my senior year of high school, I went on a leadership trip to Rome with a group of seniors and college students. There was a guy about to go into the marines that was on the trip with us. When we went to the Coliseum, we prayed over him, asking that God would make him a mighty warrior for Christ. It was surreal...we were commissioning a guy in a place where so many Christians have died because they refused to back away from their Savior! What an awesome testimony. And sometimes I wonder, will God call me to do that, too? If He does, I pray for strength, peace, and joy, and that it will ultimately glorify Him.

I feel that our nation is coming to a crossroads. We claim to be tolerant, but really tolerance includes everyone but Christians or conservatives. Is this fair? No, but the fact is that up until now we have had a relatively easy time, and as a result, our nation is drifting from God. China, under the rule of a dictator who kills Christians, has one of the biggest and healthiest Christian bodies in the world. What if in the face of mounting persecution and intolerance against Christians, God is trying to wake American Christians up to see who will follow Him?

I recently had a dream that I was back home in Texas and my family and I were scrambling around the house trying to pack because people had heard we were Christians and were coming to take us somewhere where we wouldn't be able to tell others about Him anymore. A few nights later, I had a similar dream that I was rushing to pack and load cars with my friends here at Focus because people had heard they were training Christian leaders for the next generation and they wanted to stop us. I in no way claim that these are prophetic. On both occasions, I woke up anxious and scared. But I prayed that God would give us a boldness to preach Christ unashamedly. I have not been called to sit on the bench. I have no idea what that means exactly but if God is preparing me to stand up for Him then I trust He will give me the strength and peace to do so.

As I continue to pray that God will equip me and empower me to be bold for His glory I go to these verses. I hope they encourage your heart and help you to realize that God called us to a life of boldness for Him! It's time for us to take a stand and share the love of our Savior...there is power in His name!

"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." Psalm 23:7
"And now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your Holy Servant, Jesus." Acts 4:29-30

God is still working...may we make His name known!

In the One who is Mighty to Save,
Kariss

Healing Rain

Let me just say up front that God did not design my body to hike up mountains. I am terrible at it...but I absolutely love taking the trail up slow and looking at everything that God has made. Last Thursday, a few of our Focus crew took a hike up the Columbine Trail. It was super steep and I hated it...until I dropped back with a few girls from my group and just enjoyed the walk. As we wound up the trail, the clouds moved in and it began to rain. We turned to head back down the mountain, slightly worried about the thunder and lightening. Our leader came barreling down the mountain, shouting at us to get off the mountain as quickly as possible all the while praying that no one got struck by lightening or hurt on the way down. I ran. The trail was steep, slippery, tiny streams were forming and cutting their way through the dirt and down the mountain, racing my feet. I was getting soaked and all I could do was smile and laugh. I was like a little kid basking in the rain of my Father, and it was exhilarating.

I realized as I was running down that my life as of late is a lot like this trail. Sometimes God has to push us up a mountain, and we are so caught up in the midst of a painful situation that we forget that He is walking with us. We are too busy focusing on breathing and keeping our feet moving that we forget the One that made us is walking with us, promising to help. But once we get to the top, it is like the journey up never happened, because we can bask in the glory and joy of making it through and seeing the beauty around us. Then we have the run down to a valley and small time of peace before God brings us the next mountain, and on that run down He rejuvenates us with His healing rain.

Growing up, my parents called me a fish out of water. I love the feel of the water on my skin and the lightness and grace of my body as it submerges! Lately, I have been fascinated with the idea of water and looked it up in my quiet times to see what it represents in God's Word! I was shocked and elated...check out what I found:

Water penetrates, it conforms to the condition of our hearts. What we do saturates us: Psalms 109:18
It grows, revives, and restores that which was broken or decaying: Job 14:8-9,
Hosea 14:4-6
It cleanses, purifies, marks us as God's, almost like anointing, cleansing our filth so God can give us a new heart : Ezekiel 5:26
It is used as a source of miracles - turned into blood, into wine, brought from a Rock(our Rock is the source of living water) brought from what is dead (brought from the jawbone of a donkey) : Exodus. 7:17, 20, John 2:7-9, Exodus. 17:6,
Numbers 20:11
It represents the voice of Christ: Rev.1:15
It represents the knowledge of God: Isaiah. 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14
Represents wisdom we should have in Christ: Proverbs 18:4, 20:5
It denotes stillness: Psalm 23:2

My favorite passage that has gone a long way toward showing me the heart of God through rain and water this week was Hosea 6:1-3. I hope you find it equally encouraging and see the heart of God and His amazing love for you! We serve the God who is Living Water, and through it, He desires to heal, restore, bring peace, cleanse, and show Himself more powerful so that we are conformed to His likeness. Our God gets the ultimate glory!

"Come and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth." Hosea 6:1-3