god is brilliant light. we are brilliant light.

 Let your lives glow bright before God Jeremiah 13:15

 

 

 

“[ The God Who Makes Us Alive with His Own Life ] God’s Message, the God who created the cosmos, stretched out the skies, laid out the earth and all that grows from it, Who breathes life into earth’s people, makes them alive with his own life: “I am God. I have called you to live right and well. I have taken responsibility for you, kept you safe. I have set you among my people to bind them to me, and provided you as a lighthouse to the nations, To make a start at bringing people into the open, into light: opening blind eyes, releasing prisoners from dungeons, emptying the dark prisons. I am God. That’s my name. I don’t franchise my glory, don’t endorse the no-god idols. Take note: The earlier predictions of judgment have been fulfilled. I’m announcing the new salvation work. Before it bursts on the scene, I’m telling you all about it.” Isaiah 42:5

“I’m setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!” Isaiah 49:6

“Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God’s bright glory has risen for you. The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you. Nations will come to your light, kings to your sunburst brightness.” Isaiah 60:1

“You’ll have no more need of the sun by day nor the brightness of the moon at night. God will be your eternal light, your God will bathe you in splendor. Your sun will never go down, your moon will never fade. I will be your eternal light. Your days of grieving are over. All your people will live right and well, in permanent possession of the land.” Isaiah 60:8

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14

“Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.” John 1:3

beautiful guidance, part 6

“…i shudder to think what our christian brothers and sisters in north korea are enduring while we sip coffee and turn the pages of our bible studies. i’d despair without the assurance of scripture that god sees injustice and suffering and will avenge the lives of his children.”
-this quote shocked me. i was reading along, and instantly, i was convicted. almost every time i spend time with god, i make some coffee, put on some comfy clothes, grab a soft blanket. so many people outside of the united states do not have that privilege. in one sense, i feel so blessed. in another sense, i feel like a spoiled christian. ‘help me, lord, to always be thankful and humble about the opportunities i have to be with you.”
beth moore gets it right on this subject when she says, “isn’t it one of satan’s primary agendas to not let us enjoy the rest christ has given us?”
-i refuse to feel guilty, but to feel blessed. and to take that and bless others.

“how i praise god for 2 timothy 2:13 that says, ‘if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.’”
-that reminds me of this song. when we are unfaithful, he leaves the 99 to find the one. that makes me rest.

i will leave you with the beauty of this song:

She’s a sparkle in her Father’s eye,
Kind of like the moon tonight.
She’s destined for divinity,
Her portion is His purity
And a glance His way comes across her face.

He sheds a tear, oh, oh,
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
Amazing love,
Oh, she’s been found.

A sparkle in her Father’s Crown.

Holy love come raining down,
Come storming in, be jealous found.
Come violent love,
Come stormy sea,
Sweep fear away and joy shall be.

And even if He had ninety nine
That stayed at home and stayed in line,
He would not be satisfied.
He would still go out to find
The one who’s always on His mind
And bring her back, arms opened wide.

He sheds a tear, oh, oh,
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
Amazing love,
Oh, she’s been found.

Holy love come raining down,
Come storming in, be jealous found.
Come violent love,
Come stormy sea,
Sweep fear away and joy shall be.

Holy love come raining down,
Come storming in, be jealous found.
Come violent love,
Come stormy sea,
Sweep fear away and joy shall be,
Sweep fear away and joy shall be.

She’s a sparkle in her Father’s eye,
Kind of like the moon tonight.

beautiful guidance, part 5

check out parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 if you’re interested! all of these are just some insights i’ve gathered from beth moore’s esther study:

“god’s word really does renew minds and transform lives.”
-this is a simple statement. but boy do i ever depend on his word to transform my heart, because it’s constantly in need of a transformation. constantly.

“instead of going ahead and feeling the pain, processing it before god, and letting him heal us, sometimes we opt for a trade-in. we swap pain for anger because it’s easier for a while, and, boy, can it be energizing! soon mad turns to mean. friends turn to enemies.”
-i would like to learn to process things before god more, just to talk it out to him, instead of talking about it to ten different people, or letting it sit inside of me and make me a bitter person. all i have to do is hand it over to god, and he will restore the situation.

“even the strong grow weak. true enough, but this, beloved one, is also true: even the weak grow strong if they set their minds to it.”
-soooo much hope here! so much!

“how did they [esther and mordecai] retain their stand so effectively that temptation’s battering ram could not crash through the gates of their souls? i’ll tell you what i think. each responded out of his mind-set rather than his mood.”
-i’m telling you, when i am tired, or hungry, or stressed, i seem to let things get me ‘all bent out of shape’ (that phrase reminds me of my mom, haha, she says that a lot) anyway, if i can set my mind to being  joyful ahead of time, then when a situation arises, i can be strong. i can TRUST. example:
“even on the days when buckling his knees would have seemed easier than being harrassed, mordecai’s made-up mind was stronger than his mood”
-way to go mordecai! i sure do wish i could be more like you…

“i spent years having a carnal mind-set and an occasional mood to resist temptation. you can imagine how much of the time i spent in the ditch. praise god. he had the tenacious love to stick with me and help this chronic weakling grow stonger. to live some semblance of victory, i’ve had to learn to be intentional and determined about where i would ’set’ my mind.”
-these words are precious to me. they mean so much. and so are these:

“my beloved sister, may god be allowed to work such steadfastness of mind in you that ‘the bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days’ (deut. 33:25)”

it just now clicked

yesterday we had an all-staff meeting at work.
actually, every monday we have a staff meeting, but usually someone has to stay out and answer the phones, and that someone is me.
but yesterday, rebekah, one of the girls in the office, suggested that they watch the “how great is our god” sermon by louie giglio in the meeting. and then my boss leaned around the corner and said, ‘hey cb, come in here, i want you to see this video.’
and let me just tell you, i’m not even the same person today. not after seeing that. i don’t think i ever will be.
it’s a video where he describes in detail the majesty and glory of god displayed in the entire universe. and that part was wonderful. it really was.
but there’s more….

he then went on to talk about isaiah 40:28-31. i’ve put it below in the amplified version of the bible, one of my new favorite versions:

 28Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

    29He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].(I)

    30Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;

    31But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.(J)

well, i’ve been familiar with those verses since i can even remember. but they had never taken affect. i mean, i can’t really say that i have abundant strength and that i feel like i’m soaring on wings of eagles. quite honestly, i feel sleepy. most of the time. and i think what causes that is, even when things are going great, i start to imagine possible negative situations that could take place. or i begin thinking about all the things i have to do, even if those things are days, weeks, months, or even years away! and that’ll make a girl tired. soooo fast.

but i took away from that sermon that god gives us the strength as we need it. each morning. day by day. moment by moment. i don’t have to dread responsibility. i can rest in the fact that christ is taking care of me, preparing the way for me. and that feels so good :)

oh, and after we watched it, our boss asked us to take a minute, close our eyes, and pray about/reflect on what we had just seen.

can you believe i have a job where we take an hour and a half during a monday to reflect on the creator of the world? i sure cannot.

first item on my christmas list

well, technically the first thing on my christmas list is rosetta stone spanish. but then i saw this!!!!

i want to put ‘cb’ on one and ‘d’ on the other.
my, my, will it be lovely :)
maybe i’ll wear it forever. yes, i believe i will.

confession:

it might be true that i look at this picture of d a few times a week. it’s just that he’s so good looking/adorable/handsome. i have to.

sorry if this embarrasses you, derek. i really am. ;)

your unique design

another part of my job that i love (aside from all the other wonderful things about it) is that i get to help out with a personality test that people take all over the world to help them figure out what it is that god created them to do. it’s called your unique design. you can take it at http://youruniquedesign.com/. it costs a little money, but it’s worth it!

once people take the personality test, they get their results and then wait for me to send them this little booklet called a profile companion. the profile companion tells them all about the details of their personality and helps them see where their talents can best be used.

although my part in this process is incredibly small, i love love love, that i have a part in it at all. as i put the names and addresses on the envelopes from malaysia, california, missouri, australia, virginia..all over, i think about each individual, and about how they’re trying to do whatever they can to be used by god in the best way possible. and i believe that’s precious to god.

when i send out the profile companions, i read every single name and address and think about what their life might look like today, right now, in this moment. it’s a cool experience, one that i look forward to a couple of times a week.

beautiful guidance, part 4

part 1
part 2
part 3

“christians are a spiritual city set on a hill. we are called to be the light of the world so that god can reveal the radiance of this glory through our lives. yes, feel the weighty responsibility of it, but also feel the privilege. christ is not ashamed of us (hebrews 2:11). what honor! what relief!”

“i thanked him for being the kind of king who gives a woman dignity instead of taking it, a righteous king whose commands are always for our good and whose ways are always toward our wholeness. in contrast to the gods of many world religions, our god never asks anything perverse of us.”
-in the world these days, that kind of purity sounds beautiful.

“we who comprise his bride will make ourselves ready for the king through nothing less than the soul-healing pursuit of purity. and where we’re going, there will be no night. no darkness at all. we will dwell in the bright, broad daylight of christ’s glorious presence.”
-CANNOT wait!

“esther managed to walk the fine line of moderation without making others feel judged because they didn’t.”
-ummm, totally applicable in my life right now. lord, teach me this. let me serve you, with love and tact.

“our rebellious human nature makes us resistant enough to doing what we’re told that over time the effort to go against the grain-to choose the excellence of christ over the minimalism of man-will distinguish us from countless peers.”
-i always feel the need to be different, but not crazy different, just to stand out. choosing the difficult path of following god can be just the thing that meets that need in my heart-to be different.

“sometimes providence can be defined as times when god trumps your perfectly good plan with one of his own…then seems to disappear from it. take heart, beloved! he’s right there and he’s there right.”
-i can’t describe to you how much i love god and how much i love that he’s in charge, and not me! oh please god, don’t let me try so hard to take control all the time!!!!

i love my job.

each weekday morning i pull out of my apartment parking lot about 35 minutes before i have to be at work. i usually arrive right, exactly on time, but still, i’m usually the first one there.

the building where i work is a comforting place to be. i don’t feel like i’m walking up to work, but to visit someone at their home. although it’s a on a busy street in little rock, our building resembles a large, ranch-style home from the 70’s (which could bring to mind not so pleasant architecture, but that’s not the case with this building, it’s cozy). the entire building is surrounded by trees that have obviously been there for years.

i walk up the pebble pathway, up the cute little steps and unlock the door. the small, glowing lights in the foyer that stay on all the time, they welcome me. without those lights, i can guarantee you i would be too scared to go in and open up shop. thank you lord, for those lights :)

once i’m in, i walk to the hallway in front of me and turn on the rest of the lights, now it looks like someone is home. then i unlock the door to the offices. turn on the lights in there, especially the little lamp that sits on the counter by my desk. i set my things down, check my work email, check the phone messages (there are rarely any of these), and then make my way to the adorable little kitchen where i make some [more] coffee or get some trail mix or quaker oatmeal squares for breakfast.

i take my humble breakfast back to my desk and officially start my day. then anxiously await one of my most favorite parts of the day: when the mail comes. i don’t know why i get so excited about this, but i do. i love sorting it and taking it to everyone in the office as they arrive for the day and get settled in. also, i’m guessing it has to do with the fact that i kinda sorta have always wanted to be a postwoman that walks around to old homes in a downtown area somewhere and delivers mail. there i said it. it’s out there now.

i love that my desk is right by the front door, so i get to greet everyone as they walk in. inevitably, the girls in the office and i talk about what we did the night before, our plans for the weekend, our boyfriends (or husbands for them), and how much we love them :)
my office is the home of several different businesses, if you will. we are in the business of planting churches all over the world, running a youth football league, being an NFL agent, running a men’s bible study that restores marriages and changes lives, training pastors to plant churches, the list goes on and on. and i get to be a part of it all. i get to watch all of this happen. i answer the phones, and make calendars, and welcome guests, and ask them if they would like some coffee, or a snack (because we have p l e n t y of those)

and the best parts? let’s see, if i ever need to talk about anything. i have the most precious people to talk to, and they have the best advice. and if i’m crying (yes, that has happened more than once at work and believe me, i’m embarrassed) they put their hands on my shoulder and say, carriebeth, i’m praying for you.

sometimes, on fridays, my boss comes in and says, everybody, go home early! and we all act like, oh okay, first let us finish up some stuff. but as soon as he walks out of the room, we pack up like mad to go start our weekends with the people we love.
and i get two whole weeks of vacation.
and when i leave to run errands, my co-workers actually say, we’ll miss you!!
this is getting emotional. i have to stop.
just know that, i’m so content in life right now :)

“Home represents our point of identity, our base of operations, our primary realm of responsibility. Home gives life its roots, its sense of purpose and direction. Even with the hammer blows of pressure, stress, and struggles, home is the anvil used of God to forge out character in the furnace of schedule and demand. We count on it over the long haul and thereby develop security, stability, and consistency.” -chuck swindoll

blog bookshelf, what could be better?

books that i have loved/am loving/think i’ll love:

My Library at LibraryThing