Friday, 26 August 2011

storm chaser

Dear Reader,


     OK so think about the hardest time in your life...  how did  you react? how did you respond?
     On Wednesday night there was a bad storm watch  for  tornadoes and  where i live I'm in the top apartment.  i have never had  to  deal with a bad storm by myself before.  i felt like a little  girl  scared  and frightened. I know  kind of  funny  but it was  serious to me.  I was by myself  and  needed  comfort in the storm. So i started to text people and listen to Odyssey Cd's. you  see when the  storms are  close at hand  where  do you find your comfort?
     Just yesterday i was talking to my dad. a  couple weeks ago and  he had surgery  on his  back.  there was a lump. Yesterday the  results came back and turns out my dad has Cancer.  i mean talk about  scary.  how do you respond/react to that? I mean you hear of  other people  dealing  with  cancer but you don't  realize how  scary it is  till it  hits  home and too  someone  close to you.  I have to admit  I  just started  opening up to dad. i  actually started to want my dad to be part of my life.  now I'm not saying i never had a relationship  with dad. i  just never took the time to open up and make my dad  part of my life that often growing up. 
     Maybe you are like me and you don't know how to  deal with the storms and the  hard times in your life.  maybe  for you it's  a  different  circumstance and you have hidden yourself away from everyone.You may be facing  some of the  toughest times in your life and you are too afraid to let anyone in.you try to  run from the storms  but they follow you and there is no escape for you.WRONG where there is a will there is a way.  no matter what you face no there is a hope there is a way. sometimes you have to  just trust someone . let someone in. know you are not alone. you don't have to be afraid whatever you face.
     Don’t talk about your circumstances as if they will never 
change. Confess every day that you are expecting something good to happen in you, to you and through you! –Joyce






elz

Thursday, 25 August 2011

love that reaches the sky

Dear  Reader,


     have you ever loved someone so much that you didn't see the truth? you  had a blind eye!!!!
     When I was 19 years old  i thought i fell in love with a guy over the Internet.  he was tall dark and handsome.  of  course it  took me awhile to  really  see  true colors when i say a  while i mean 2 or 3 years.Crazy  how your  heart tells you that you love when in fact you are only falling  for a  conception of love!!!!! anyways  this guy used all the right words.  he spoke words that  i thought i needed  to hear.  you  ever  met  this kind of  guy.  you ever get fooled into loving this image of love? this false identity.  this guy told me he was a christian. any ways he  left  no word  nothing from him  in 2 years.  though he was  gone i attached myself to him if that even makes sense.  it  was like i was left  abandoned and  I lost a piece of myself.  this  guy  came back and  told me this  load of lies how he was attacked  by armed  robbers and  that he needed  money  to  see me. i didn't give him any obviously. 
     the  moral of this story is  when you start looking for love you  might  find it in all the  wrong places.  see i spent  so much time shutting myself out  to Gods love cause of  insecurities cause.  i thought if i  acted a certain way  guys would like me more. maybe  you are in that  place right now reader, and you  feel  like  you  could never be loved.  your  life is full of shame and  full of  rejection. maybe you  have abandonment  issues and you don't know how to reach out for love. you have  shoved the thought the  dream that you could ever be loved.  so  you have become  cold and are shut down inside. today  this story is for you. today  you need to know how much you are forgiven and that you are loved.  i know  that it's very hard  to receive that. but  it's  the simple truth young girl it  doesn't matter what happened  yesterday today is a new day and you are  so worth it. you are so beyond valuable.  don't  lose heart take courage again. let love in let God in. Let hope arise deep within you.  there is a reason that you are here today.  you are not forgotten. you are not forgotten. so  get up stand up where you are at.
  young  person,  there is a  love deeper then anything that you have ever experienced. even  I  have a hard time  receiving love at times. we all need to know that we are worth  living for we are  worth it.  so  know that you are not alone where you stand today.  


elz




   

Saturday, 20 August 2011

inadequacy of the heart

                               Dear Reader
Have you ever  felt like you just don't  fit? 
    On Wednesday  last week i was playing the keyboard at tribe and it was a sudden discouragement that overwhelmed  me. i know how to play my instrument but the connector  box would  cut  out  so i couldn't  here  the  worship  leaders.  my timing was so off.  and  the  more i played the  worse i felt.  like  why am i  here this feeling of  complete unworthiness overwhelmed me. when worship was over i truly  went to the washroom as  tears  were about to  flow out of me. it was in the moment that i truly wanted to hide.  i wanted to leave church but my friend  Amanda  told me that  when we  don't  want to be there that's  when we  most need to be there.  so i went in to listen as  Paul oxby  spoke a  simple  message.  the  words  i walked in to were.... "sometimes  we just want to run and hide from God." how true those very words were to the depths  of my heart. 
   I mean why does the simple truth seem to hurt so much  sometimes?
   many times in life i have had  some very  difficult  moments and i  just wanted to give up. i felt unworthy  and not good enough for anyone. it was this  thing called  fear.did you know the  bible  says  that perfect love casts out  fear.  what is perfect love  anyways i often think and i know if you are out there reading this  you may be thinking the  very  thing.  truth is  perfect love comes from God alone.as humans we can't fathom the love of god our father. when we are going through trials and tribulations  bet  we aren't thinking about how much God loves us.  we are thinking about  how much value we are we aren't  thinking that we are  worth anything  in fact we  think the opposite.
  Even today when i walked into work honestly  i just wanted to be left alone and have a cry  to myself.  but the tears just won't come. so I go back to what is comfortable i just want to hide myself away so no one can see the insecurities that try to over take me.  in fact honestly it's hard to be comfortable in my own skin sometimes.believe it or  not  i have a lot of  insecurities. and every day is a struggle to gather the  confidence to be me.  i know that's hard to believe.  but i know that as girls we struggle with  the same being  confident, actually loving ourselves. i mean how  can we love ourselves  when we  focus on ALL our flaws. we spend  more time trying to live up to the expectations of other's.  why do we make it so hard for ourselves anyways??why can't we  see ourselves in all confidence. we are victorious  we are beautiful we are diamonds in the rough. we are not mistakes.  every time  we speak negative against ourselves we are saying God you don't know what you are doing.  you only make mistakes. 
   young woman where ever you are at. maybe like me  you are  overwhelmed by insecurities  deep and you are so tired of feeling like you just don't fit. like you are good enough.  you are tired of feeling like you aren't  worthy.  today where you stand i want to tell you that you are.I wrote this song for a dear friend  and it  healed her where she was at. and  i know that it will heal you as  well if you will let it...


                         how beautiful you are
verse 1: 
 when you feel like you're inadequate, look at the horizons. do you see who you've been? look above arise in love, you are worthy, oh yes you are!
Chorus:
how beautiful you are, like a diamond in the rough, you are like a dove, innocent and kind.
Verse 2:
you've been standing at the edge, standing waiting hold close, you just want to trust again, you're a light in the darkness hold on.
Bridge:
just be yourself he will lift you up, just be yourself he'll make you strong enough, make you strong enough, so just be yourself he  will lift you up.


Chorus again
how beautiful you are. like a diamond in the rough, you are like a dove. beautiful and kind.


           today be encouraged you are worth it!!!!! 
daughter you are most beautiful there is nothing at all wrong with you. 
                            song of songs 4:7


elz 
  

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

simple truths

Dear Reader,
     let  me take  a few minutes  to write  you a simple truth.....

       How many times  have you been bullied.  pushed around  maybe verbally physically or other.if you are like me  i have this little thing called  "passivity" kick in. I  don't  want to hurt anyone so  i don't  always  speak up...
     Today I would like to write about  stepping up  and  taking authority in culture's  sinking  sands. we have AUTHORITY. maybe you struggle with "Authority" I know we all have  at least  once in our lives. it's part of growing pains...anyways here it is in simple truth....
       I  bet you don't think you are good enough to speak up.  to speak out. you  see i was  caught in that lie  for years.  in fact those that know me  will not believe  what I'm about to tell you........  before I started at crossroads i had this  thing with whispering and mumbling. i was bullied and  had  no sense of confidence. so when you talked to me I would  just speak so quiet that you  couldn't understand me or not at all.  
      I truly believe that in order to speak in authority you have a confidence . an inner strength that doesn't come from you.               
     Maybe for you  it's a matter of  trust  issues all your  bridges have been burned. and you find it hard to speak... now don't  get me wrong here... there is a time an a place to speak out. there is a few  things to consider before you speak up.....

1. make sure your motives are right...Never speak out of anger
2. speak truth with love.... don't assume you know it all till you hear all sides.
3. build the person up with exhortation afterwards..... with  criticism there can be offense.... we Want to try to AVOID offense.
4. think about how you would  want to here the truth.... then put yourself in that person's shoes.
       proverbs 15:1 says  a soft answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. 
     so today if you run into a situation and you need to confront someone. think about these simple truth's.
      may God use you and bless you and  give you wisdom to know when to speak and know when not to speak.




Elz









Tuesday, 16 August 2011

hiding places

Dear Reader,


 we have all played  hide and go seek.  the  concept  you have  one person seeking and  then you have your hiders. you always  look and search for the most ultimate hiding place right? if i was shorter i'd so call dibs on the dryer!! ok that's a little silly i admit!!.  
  How many times  do we run and hide  and we wait to be found.  we wait for  there to be a purpose in our lives.  we dare to dream bigger because we get hidden behind insecurities.  thinking maybe if  we run and hide  will there be anyone to find me in the darkest, most lonely places.i know  when  im the most insecure i tend to hide in a  little shell.  why do we hide behind walls  hide in the storms are we really that afraid to be found? I'd like to think that I  have it  all figured out  but truth is I don't  have a  clue where  i'm  going in life but i do know this if  I  don't get out of  hiding i'll be  stuck and too  afraid  to  get out  and live life  for  God. 
  Just maybe  life is  really  hard today and it's much easiar to bury yourself then to reveal yourself.  i spent so many years hidden by  fear of  what will become. or insecurities  thinking am I  really  worth it. I  don't  know when God changed me exactly  because everyday i live is a day he  changes  me. if you think about if we were always the same how much fun would  this world be  BORING.  so  today i  dare you to get up and get out of  your little  shell.  live life with purpose with passion.  be the best you that you can be.  don't  let fear hold you back from your greatest  victories. maybe you need to reach out  and let someone find you.  will you let god  seek you out where you are at?. He wants to be the seek you where you are. the cool part is  it's never too late  to  step out  in faith and come out of hiding.


  let this be my prayer for you today reader where ever you are.. 
may you  allow God to find  you and capture you in his loving arms embrace.  may you let freedom come.  may you reach out  desperate  for the greatest  adventure you ever live.  may God bless you beyond all measure. may  you  find peace  in every  circumstance that you face.


elz

Monday, 15 August 2011

the rescuer down under

reader,

 OK  here it is the  adventure of your life time and  you get  caught up in the storms of life!!!thinking overtakes you to  new  horizons new  adventures  at times  dark places  we don't  want to go there...


I  keep thinking of shrek and princess Fiona.  i mean the first movie. we have shrek the ogre and  this beautiful fairy tale  princess  but what we  don't  know at first is shes  under a spell.  .  so  we all know that  shrek had to fight to  win her heart  she is this spunky fighter singing princess.  but i kinda think there was a story inside the story....


did princess  PREPARE for her rescuer. I'm sure  that she  had  a plan. and  an image how she would be  rescued by  a  hansom prince.. not to  say  shrek  doesn't  have  hero  and rescue qualities.  shrek is this big ogre  he probably smells.and  has issues  kinda the under dog  i mean the last  pick to  be the rescuer  down under...


 OK where am i going with this you may ask.  how many times  do we think we are too small or  not  good  enough to  reach out when someone needs saving.you  see  it doesn't  mater how  young or  how old  you are.  God  doesn't  make  mistakes.  he  handpicked  you personally  to  do  big things  but  it's  up to  us  what  we  will do. we  could  sick back in a  slump  and our  normal  routine of a  life and never step out in courage. i mean how scary is that really  getting  past your circumstances and having enough courage to  get out of your  routine.
 think of  shrek  he was  not  happy to  get out of his  perfectly  mundane world.  he  had  more  strength and not just  cause of his  nasty temper.  but you see he  took his  circumstances and took courage, he  not  only  went on a journey for him he fell in love in the meanwhile.  
so  you  never know what  will happen if you will  just step out  in courage today. maybe like  shrek you  will find yourself  and  maybe  true love will come  as well.  but  you  need to  get up and  stand  strong.  
Joshua 1:9
Do not  be afraid  but  be strong and very courageous  for the  lord your  God is with you where ever you go. 
   so  step out  in faith  and start a  new adventure.  i know  for  some  it's not exactly easy.

Friday, 12 August 2011

hero's they do come to your rescue!!!

Dear Reader
when i was like 5  years old i used to go this christian camp up north called  linger long lodge.  every  night there was a garbage run  and then the  kids would  go back and explore the  beaver dam. any sort of curiosity would   peak  the sense of adventure in the young boys. being i was alot younger then most i wanted to join the adventure as well you know how  younger sisters  want to be just like there  older brother  OK maybe it's just me  anyways. one night there was a young guy and i and we were going for a walk and the garbage  pile was on fire well i ended up stepping in the  fire and my foot got burned. this young guy  rushed  over to my rescue. he  grabbed a  stick  so i could get my balance when i was too tired  he  picked me up and carried  me the  rest of the way. to the  a frame  where my  mom and dad  and  grandma  was there.  he then waited to make sure i was going to be alright before he left.  in my  5  year old  eyes this guy saved my life he was my hero.
  OK  so imagine if you will if  a human guy could  reach out for my rescue  and save me in the moment  how much more  can God do?  I mean God is huge he hears  our every cry our every prayer our  every tear. he wants to stay  close by and love you today where ever you are know that there is a hero that wants to rescue you where your at. there is a love that can break every defense that you have ever built  up.  will you allow yourself to be rescued in the moment or  will you stay in the pain and the brokenness.
  may you have been  so lost and afraid trying to reach out for help but feeling like there no one  can see thru the  hurt. maybe just maybe you  feel alone  so much and  wish that  just one  person could reach out and see beyond the tear see beyond your insecurities and love you.  cause where it stands you have  been  broken and lonely for so long and  now you are getting tired of waiting for the right person.you feel  so lost and abandoned  just holding out  but barely holding holding on to the dream of having  someone love you and hold you. maybe you are  one that has  had  true love  come and go and now you're left  crippled from the fears of rejection.  
reader may you find peace that you are not alone in this.  see now i am 25 and  go through the  same  insecurities  well what if I'm not good enough or  you  keep waiting but the  rescuer has come and gone and  you missed  your  rescue  by a fraction maybe  you are just fed up with  all these romance  ideas floating  around  cause you have lost the  hope to love. your  heart has been broken to  much and you want to let  someone in but it's  just to hard.too hard to actually let anyone love you.  for you feel like you have nothing left you offer.  you are feeling completely abandoned where you are at.it comes down to  trusting  someone enough to love you.  you  can trust  young  one.  it  won't  always be easy but it's worth taking the  risk to trust again.




elz

Thursday, 11 August 2011

breaking soul ties!

alright this  one is  very dear to my heart.......

 have you ever loved  someone  so  much and the timing was always wrong? you liked  them  and they didn't like you and vise versa!! i'd  like to say this  kind of thing happens all the time.
   when I was 17  i met a guy at a christian conference and a  smile that could light up a  football  satdium. eyes  that shined brighter then the sunlight. a  young man of great strength and charistma. he  is spanish and sweet well my  17 year old  emotions thought that.  i would  say he was the  very first  love. you know when you get in that "in love phase" there's no changing your mind. how many know what i'm talking about? anyways absalon is his name and being he was my first true love it's been next to the hardest  emotional  aka soul tie for me. (soul tie is  holding onto something you need to let go but you can't) confusing or what? OK so going back to absalon when I first realized that i was "in love" with ab I told myself he  must be the one the one my heart has been waiting for.  so i determined not to love anyone  else and wait  for absalon to tell me that he felt the same and those words  never came from ab! it was in a sense  me  making  something that wasn't  real.  how   many of us  fall for that assumption the "I  love you and hope they might love you back phase".
for all these years of thinking  i was in love with ab it has protected my heart from so much yet  been  such a hard  reality.  it's  holding onto  to what once was and having to let  go of  what is.
   it's  funny  but i know now that I  can't  hold onto the past relationship.  today is a new day and even if you are like me and facing the facts is really hard. 
   letting go and letting god.  he is the only one  who will love you  and never let you down. his love  lasts forever. you see  letting  go  sometimes means surrender  and  saying God it's hard i trust you.
     here's  my attempt  again  letting  go and trusting  god enough to love me  even when I'm difficult loving me when I'm sad  when I'm happy.  etc.

dry times in the desert!

Dear Reader,


So I'm  going to write  hot off the press sort to speak! I can't say i understand  what I'm going through at the moment.  just know  every now and then a little feeling of discouragement  overwhelms me.  it's  like i could  cry and  cry and  cry  in a moment then I'm happy.  
 so to explain this  i have to write/talk  it out so just bare with me if you will.....
there is a point in all our  walks  that we get knocked down.  sometimes it's  easy to stand up and  fight. and other times it  feels  like you are on constantly sitting on the  lines of defeat.but if you are like me  i don't  enjoy reading so  getting daily devotions into me isn't always  easy. i think that the  source of my struggles  come  from lack of devotions with God. you might think it's crazy  but it's the simple truth.  when you get the word in you things in your life begin to change.  so maybe  you are out there  reader and you  can't sit down long enough or just quiet your spirit down enough to read Gods word  today. 
    our walk is like the waves out on the sea, when life is  good we are all smooth sailing  but when the storms and  hurts of yesterday's come  its  next to impossible  to make it out. the  waves come crashing  hard against the rocks of your  emotions,you want to cry from the loneliness that never seems to leave. your heart hurts  from  broken heart.  you are  struggling to just make it through and you are barely holding on. when all of a sudden you see the sun  it's your  glimpse of hope and gives you reason to keep going on in the moment.
  maybe like me your rescue is as simple as an encouraging word.a loving gesture. i know many  times  I've been here in the desert  longing  for someone to see right through my brokenness,  someone  to reach out for rescue.
i remember i had a dream once i was by myself  near a waterfall crying  there in the dark when a  young  guy  came behind me and  reached out. he  asked me  what was  wrong and i just kept crying. the  tears of my  heart were crying out for rescue. as he sat there beside and waited  for my tears to fall.  i calmed down enough let his  gentle words hit me. i can't remember what he said exactly  but it was what i needed to hear. 
sometimes  we are at the bottom in life and we need a  glimpse of hope a reason to keep going on. all  i can say is don't give up keep your head high  for God has nothing but good plans for you,
   when you are going through the hardest times in your life it's hard to believe that there can actually be a hope but trust me there is. sometimes putting someone before you helps you look past your problems and you begin to see that life is not always just about you.
   I bet if you took the time to  read your  bible that things that seem so hard now  would  soon  dissipate or disappear. your worries  your fears wouldn't be  so strong.  so go on  i dare you to read the bible. cause you got so much to offer someone and maybe what you are going through just maybe the  bible has stories and lessons in it that happened long ago that can help you.




elz