The Rest Stop

Collide last night was, well very emotional. I know so many people, myself included, who have just felt so stressed and exhausted. We've been running ourselves ragged with school, work, home life, friends, complications, you name it. It seems as if it's a never ending process. We stay up late, drag ourselves through school and work, attempt to do homework while we're on the computer or TV, and it's the same thing all over again the next day. I know with some of the things I've been going through lately, I've been just beyond exhausted, and I just feel weary and empty. But it's because I haven't had rest. And I don't mean rest as in sleep, thought that's probably a factor. I mean rest as in quieting my mind, sitting in silence and solitude. Just me and God. We all need a chance to rest. We all need a special place to go to be alone, where we won't be disturbed. If you're anything like me, the idea of this scares you a little. Silence is not something that I much like, so I don't often sit in it. I've realized though that I need to. We all do. The myriad emotions I feel when I'm alone, and in complete silence is overwhelming. Even though I've realized that I need to do this, to essentially rest my mind, I still struggle with the thought about actually performing the task. I used to have this place where I used to live in Ohio, that I would go to all the time. It was the perfect place to just be alone and think. It was a  small section of woods, and I would always quietly wander through, going to the deepest part that I knew of. I would sit on a log, and just be still for hours. Occasionally I would see some deer pass by, or even once a coyote. Nothing could keep me from those woods. I would even go there in the winter, when a good 2-3 feet of snow was blanketing the ground, or gently falling from the sky to create the typical canvas picture of wintry woods. The solitude and beauty of this place was astounding. I'm not sure what drew me to that place, because as I was there, I was never thinking about God. That was before I truly became a Christian. I was always thinking of other things though. But it's the ability to calm your mind, organize your thoughts, and just connect with God. Want to know why you're weary and exhausted all the time? You're running on empty (Which makes me think of the song Running on by Jackson Browne) with your connection with the Lord, and it needs to be filled again. Your soul needs to be replenished. Find yourself a quite, beautiful place, and rest and refresh your mind. I'm trying to do the same. It will do you wonders. Psalms 23 "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake."

Check out our Sermon! It's goofy, but very insightful as always. :) 
The Rest Stop

Giants

Everyone in the world is dealing with giants right now, whether it's depression, guilt, or whatever. We're all dealing with some form of giant. Wednesday at Collide, Pastor Will talked about David and Goliath, and how every single person in the Army was terrified of Goliath. With good reason too, the man was 9 feet tall and weighed like a bajillion pounds. His armor alone weighed 5,000 sheckles! That translates to 125 pounds, but saying sheckle is more fun. So David, this tiny 16 year old kid, goes to King Saul and asks to fight Goliath, because at that moment something came over him. He wasn't afraid to fight this giant. He knew that God was there to protect him. So David, with his slingshot and 5 smooth pebbles, walked over to Goliath. After throwing insults at each other, David ended up killing Goliath. We all have problem we're dealing with. Some of ours bigger than others. But no matter how big they are, we can overcome them with Gods help! I know when I'm going through something, I tend to shy away from everyone. Including God. but I know that when I ask Him for help, He delivers. He won't deny you. 


Check out the sermon! You'll get a good laugh out of it too, my pastor was so hyper that day. 

The Charted Course


Also, shout out to Sam because he pleaded me to mention this. Elizabeth, you have the most adorable ears ever. Stop worrying about the way they look. It's who you are. Remember the song Beautiful Things? Yep, that's you. Absolutely gorgeous! :) Love you girly!!