“

Crown of Beauty:

How did you know Drew was “the one”?

Ellie: He was my best guy friend I swore I’d never date, but he had been such a good friend to me that I began to get sad at the thought of dating anyone else, because I would miss his friendship so much. I was amazed on our first date by how natural the whole thing felt. Peace describes the feeling well. I never grappled with whether or not we should be together forever because my heart felt total peace in a way I’d never experienced before in a relationship.

It was our second date when he said this to me: “Ellie, I’m crazy about you and I want to love you really well, but I’m just a man. I’m going to fail you, hurt you, and disappoint you. I don’t want to do any of those things, but I’m only human.

So I need you to run as hard as you can after a relationship with Jesus because He’s going to be able to love you far better than I’ll ever be able to, and I want you to be loved the best.” I knew that I’d found a man who would point me, over and over again, to Jesus, the Author and definition of love itself.

”

—	Ellie Holcomb

“

God has a way of stripping everything that we think we need, and He leaves just Himself to us. It is never an easy thing to be in that situation; one day praising God for His goodness and the next crying out to Him to make Himself known in the storm.

When we have rooted ourselves to a safe place, God tends to rip us out of the ground and plant us somewhere new. We may hate it, revile Him for it, and even reject Him for a time. But when we look back, we will see that we needed to be uprooted, to be changed from that place that was slowly killing us.

God is the master gardener, He knows all His plants by name, He delicately removes the bad weeds and waters the good seeds. He does what needs to be done, so that one day we can look back and see the majesty that He was doing.

You are being made into a beautiful thing, something that God loves to watch grow. So the next time you are taken out of your comfort zone, know that Christ is slowly making you something great, because He is doing it; and He is the greatest thing.

”

—	T.B. LaBerge “Let life break your heart until your heart becomes unbreakable. Try. Fail. Risk. Jump off the deep end. There are no conditions to love. And no end to its depths.” —  Jeff Foster

Stir My Heart

“You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you. Forget them. Are you brave again?”

- C.S. Lewis // Prince Caspian

“The more you know about Christ, the less you’ll be satisfied with superficial views. The more deeply you study His life in the fullness of His grace, the more you will see the King in His beauty. You will long more and more to see Jesus.” —  Charles Spurgeon

I sometimes have to pinch myself to get a handle on how utterly real and amazingly beautiful this life is. It's almost hard to believe that this is my life now, especially when reflecting back on the lens I once looked through. The contrast is surreal.

Shifting the mindset. Letting go. Forgiving. Trusting. And following Light and Love.

Jesus IS everything anyone could possibly want and yet as clear as that was, it was so hard to see back then because I didn't allow myself to do so. It's as though I thought covering myself from Him and everything else would protect me.

My hope now is for everyone to open their eyes to the Light and see! Simple as that.

It actually hurts reading on the social problems out in the world. It hurts even more when your textbook reinforces it as normal. Where is the love?!!?

me right now treating sfu couches as if they were my own

Things that stir my heart at 1:57 am while grinding on a month's work of school work.

“

I wonder how they could yell Barabbas instead of Jesus.
I wonder how they sang Hosanna and days later, Crucify him.
I wonder how Pontius could wash his hands of it, as though a dirty conscience could be so easily cleaned.

 

But — I am Barabbas, sinner set free.
I yell Crucify him as I sing praises with ease.
I am Pontius, who turned a blind eye to glory.
And yet, so Christ still died for me.
Still he died, where I should be,
a perfect love on that tree.

”

—	J.S. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of solo adventures. Everything from eating lunch by yourself to strolling in the park alone all help to shape your sense of independence. If you’re never by yourself how will you ever know yourself.” —

For the soul

“I never saw a wild thing 

sorry for itself.”

D.H. Lawrence “He could not see what was ahead except that it was all open… It looked endless: wild and lonely and free.” C.S. Lewis “I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” Hosea 2:14

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. 

Those who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing, and are nothing. 

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, or live. 

Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves, they have forfeited their freedom. 

Only a person who risks is free.

Let your love for the Lord and others shine in all that you do!!

“You’ve got too much soul to be handled by someone who has never been passionate.”

THE GAP by Ira Glass from Daniel Sax on Vimeo.

Thanks Colleen!!