Spring Break

Spring break, a time for crazy college kids to go off and get into all kinds of ruckus, trouble and rigamarole. So as a crazy college student, because I'm not like most [; I went up north with my best friend to take photos of Duluth. Now if you've never been to Duluth MN, it is gorgeous and you should go! There are not words to explain its beauty. It's like nothing you've ever seen before. Lake Superior is like an ocean - as far as the eye can see and when I'm there I feel so amazing.

So back to the photos. I wanted to share some with you guys! I took some of the city and a lot of the lake - there is one in particular that really caught the emotions I was looking for and after, in the hotel when I'm looking over them, it hit me! It reminds me of this one picture we used to have in out house when I was very young. I think it was supposed to be a painting of heaven, and it had a table set up, but the table never ended it went down the picture until you couldn't see anything - and this is what I was trying to capture! When I was little that painting blew my mind, seriously I couldn't take it all in, it was so cool. Endlessness, peacefulness, heavenly.

I'm rambling. Hope you guys enjoy the photos!

Reminds me of this crazy picture: http://oneyearbibleimages.com/invitation.jpg

Nehemiah 9:6

6 You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Trust

Trust. That word is something I need to do a lot more of. When I say that, I don't mean trusting in people. Who we put our trust in is who we decide to trust with our lives. Can we trust any person with our lives? I see so many of us (maybe its just teenage drama) trust our everything with our "best friend" and what happens the very next day? So-and-so told what's-his-face that he said, she said, gossip. Leading us into a lot of pain and confusion. I never really understood why people put their trust in other people, which is just going to end up a mess. It's like giving away pieces of you and what happens when it goes to the wrong hands? I think it leads a lot of us away from trust all together, thinking that there is no such thing as trust.

I find it very difficult to trust anyone, maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing. All I see is we're all people, we mess up, we get hurt - but it's comforting knowing that there is one who will never make you regret your trust in Him. That's the only one I trust. That's the only one who knows the real me, there are no secrets there. I can completely trust in God, I know that anything He tells me is truth, that anything He shows me is real. I can believe anything that comes from Him. Where with people we are constantly on guard. We, I don't want to speak for anyone . . . so this goes for me anyway, are always questioning what people are telling us. Is it true? Is it right or wrong? Should I believe it? Should I trust this person? It's a very hard thing to do and it's something that is always on us even if we do not realize it. But that pressures off if we trust in HaShem!

When I say I don't trust people, I know for everyone of us, including me, that there are people we trust a lot: friends and family, and how can we not! They are around us all the time, some we have grown up with. I trust my family. I trust some of my close friends. But never will I trust anyone of them completely. Thats only for God. Bringing us back to Adam and Chava - who do we trust when there are little lies hidden in the truth, how can we see that? I gave all my trust to God - my whole life, my whole heart, my whole spirit, my whole soul, my whole mind and my whole body. In troubled times it's hard to remember that. We worry about something, over think it when really all we have to do is lay it down before HaShem and TRUST that He will take care of you. It doesn't mean saying "Alright God, I'm not gonna worry about winning the lottery - you'll take care of me! I'll win it!" Well, I'm not complaining if that happened - but no. It means that trusting in Him will give you something else, something more. Relying on our God is giving us knowledge and wisdom not to trust in our selves. When we trust in ourselves or someone else - what is that based on? Nothingness! Just pure emptiness.

Let's remember to trust in God in all things, little or big problems. Whatever it is, just give it to Him, He is in complete control and we can trust Him with everything in our lives. That is indescribable love right there.

Psalm 9:9-10

ADONAI is a stronghold for the oppressed, a tower of strength in times of trouble. Those who know your name put their trust in you, for you have not abandoned those who seek you, ADONAI.

Prayer

I've never stopped to think about prayer. What is it? A little thing you say when you don't know where to turn? Something that is required of our faith? I think its so much more than that, prayer is your heart pouring out, your spirit talking to The Most High. How cool is that? Prayer is endless, it had no rules. It is freedom from our flesh. Just you and God talking. Dang, thats amazing stuff.

The beauty of prayer has no limits - its as easy as singing a song from your heart. Worshiping God, giving Him thanks for keeping His promise to us. We can ask Him of anything and know that He can do anything. Of course, that doesn't mean He will, He will do His will, always. But the comfort of knowing He is there and He is listening to us. Let me say that again . . . He is listening to us, us who are nothing compared to Him. He is so incredible!

Prayer really pulls us closer to God - it tunes us into the spirit and that is when I think we listen to God. A lot of the time when we say God isn't speaking to us, I think, I could be wrong, but I think that He is and that we just don't hear Him. Some Jews like going through their prayers from a siddur. I have one, and I think its helpful because sometimes we want to say things that we aren't sure how to say. If you look at a siddur, it's a big book! Its amazing going through it and seeing all the prayers for everything. Morning prayers to evening prayers - its amazing. Its beautiful! "I gratefully thank You, O living and eternal King, for You have returned my soul within me with compassion - abundant is Your faithfulness!" This is a simple prayer upon arising. Before I read this I never thought about thanking God for returning my soul within my body in the morning. I just wake up and usually complain about how early it is, or how I hate waking up. When really we should see it as a blessing that we are waking up at all. Though, I don't think we should be emotionlessly reading a prayer, rather read the prayer and see how it moves you into other prayers.

Even if we don't have words to say, Romans 8: 26-27 tells us that the Spirit knows, speaking in tongues is like the perfect prayer, it is too deep for words of our own. I know some people who speak in tongues actually do speak another language and the things they say in that language are amazing - and they have no clue what they're saying. His Spirit is powerful and through prayer we can see that power.

In conclusion - I think prayer is amazing. It nourishes our souls, it revives our spirits. It leads us closer to God and keeps us from tripping up so much. I think it would be cool to pray a few times everyday, even if it's while your at work, school, home; just a silent little prayer its amazing how close it can keep you to God, how focused you are just on Him, which is the most important thing - staying focused on Him. The more I pray throughout the day the more shalom I have. The more connected to God, the more I listen, the more I don't care about the worldly things that we carry - it just all melts away. Hallelujah! He is good.

Philippians 4:6-7

Don't worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. Then God's shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua.