Pursuing Jesus

“But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." And he said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:20-21‬ ‭ During a trip to Chicago with my leadership group we had the privilege of going to church with brothers and sisters in Christ we had never met before. 14 people from NY worshiped Jesus with a group of believers in Chicago. How amazing is that?! As followers of Jesus we can go to a city where we don’t know anyone else and worship with brothers and sisters. That’s the beauty of the Body of Christ. There are no lines or divisions- we are ONE body!  In the message we were going over Mark 4 where Jesus tells the parable over the sower and the seed, where a sower comes and sows seeds in a field. Some seeds take root and grow deeply, others, wither away. We stopped at verse 20, but verse 21 talks about...

"Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men  stumble and fall;  but those who hope   in the   Lord  will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;  they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 30-31 This summer I worked at a summer camp called Circle C Ranch. For those of you who don't know about it, it is a summer camp for kids that revolves around sharing the gospel with kids. I was a... you guessed it... wrangler! That means that I worked long days working with the horses and making sure the tiny humans didn't die. Not going to lie, it was hard! We woke up early and went to bed late. The work was hard and fast paced. But it was so worth it! The kids absolutely loved the horses and there were a number of the kids who said that the horses were their favorite part of camp- they had come from places where they didn't have a chance to ride so this was special for them.  Outs...

Lights swirled around her as she stood, arms open wide, looking up into the sky. Fingers outreached she swirled round and round, making it look as if she were dancing with the light, laughing with joy overflowing. She felt fierce, she felt beautiful, she felt loved. These feelings swelled within her as she basked in the love of her heavenly Father, her King, her Savior, her Abba. No one in the whole wide world knew her better. He had formed her in her mothers womb. He had knit her together. He had put passions, hopes, and dreams in her heart. He had given her the little quirks that made her her, that made her different from all the others. He had chosen her to be His daughter. Joy and thankfulness drove her to her knees in worship of her King. Her King looked down on her, smiling at His daughter, and when she rose and danced in His glory, He danced with her. This has been an scene that has been in my head for a couple of days now. As I have thought about this image I have been moved ...