Passionate Pursuit

             As a Christian female in my 20s I know my Meyers-Briggs personality type (INFP), my enneagram (4w3), my love languages, and I've probably taken a spiritual gifts test. I probably take all of these tests every few months just in case my results have changed. Why? Why are we so obsessed with personality types and love languages? They so important to us that we will literally plan and center out entire lives around these results (which is rather unhealthy, but that's a post for another time). Why do we put such an emphasis on these things and purpose to weave them into our lives as tightly as possible? I would suggest that it's because we want to be known. We have a deep desire to be truly by known; to be known by our friends, our family, our co-workers, and even by ourselves. These tests give us the ability to have snippets of ourselves and our personality written out in front of us. It's something tangible that we can present to other ...

     Fear...fear is something we all face at some time or another. It can be small or it can be crippling. Some may face it every once in a great while and others face it every day of their lives. Fear can be brought on by accidents, people, wars, disease, governments, media consumption, and by simply being alive. I would venture to say that fear is interwoven into the fall of man, therefore it is interwoven into being human. However, to say that it's interwoven into the human experience doesn't mean that it should be; I truly believe that when God created humanity he never intended for us to be fearful creatures, in fact time and time again the Bible tells us not to fear. This is something that we did to ourselves. The second Adam and Eve messed up and everything came crashing down around them fear entered the picture and it came to stay.       Fear doesn't affect and interact with everyone the same way. Some people merely brush up against it...

     Growing up in the church, especially with parents in ministry, you get a unique perspective of many things. The ins and out of how a church is run, all of the billions of different types of casseroles and the exact function of each one (funerals, surgeries, potlucks, etc.), how the body of Christ should look at it's best, and the downfall of what happens when we as Christians live according to our flesh. I've seen it all, I have experienced it all. I have even borne witness to the things that church does that it doesn't even realize it does, good and bad. The church is great at many things without even realizing it, and yet there are still areas where the church needs improvement.      One of the areas I've noticed, especially lately, where the church has room to grow is sin. Specifically how we categorize sin. We all have gotten up and said at one point or another that all sin is equal in God's eyes, but the reality is we don't actually believe th...

     I have been thinking about restarting this blog for a while now, I have several topics I want to discuss and cover. The purpose of this blog was never supposed be just Thailand and reentry and yet that's what it has become. It became a memorial to a small snippet of my life. I don't want it to stay that way, I want it to become active and engaging again. I want it to matter. While there are a list of things I want to write about; serious things, impertinent things, things that I believe in and I'm passionate about. However, for a small relaunch I wanted to do a little re-get to know me. I got these "Meet the Blogger" questions from  The Tully Tales , so let's go. What’s your Favorite Book?  This is a tough one because I am an avid reader and I read so many different genres and authors. I'm going to go with Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer. It has been one of my favorites since I was in elementary school and reread it every year. I also love Anne of Gree...

     It's been a while since I posted, and by a while I mean a couple months. Before I left Thailand I tweaked the format and description of my blog because I wanted it to be something I continued no matter where I was. Originally I created this blog to cover my time in Thailand, but after a few posts I knew it was something I wanted to continue beyond the borders of that land. I made outlines and timelines and bulleted lists of all of the things I could write about and when I would do so after my feet hit US soil. Reflections, stories, and new adventures I could take and would then share. I created a writing schedule, that I obviously have not followed, in hopes of having something worth saying. Then I got back. I have spent the last 3 months in reentry trying to come up with something to write about only to end up staring at the wall because I have felt like I have had nothing to say. I couldn't write about new things until I was done processing old things. I would spen...

     I wanted to take some time to thank everyone for the support, prayer, encouragement, cards, packages, and help they provided during my time in Thailand as well as give a bit of a summary of my time in Thailand. In case you missed it, which is probable since I forgot to update everyone, I have been back in the States for about a month now. In some ways I feel like I have been gone forever and in others it feels like I was preparing to leave for Thailand just yesterday and there's no way I can already have been there and gone. Yet, here I am. I had no idea that six months could fly by so quickly and still contain so much. Sometimes it's funny to think about the fact that for almost seven years before landing within its borders, being in Thailand was something I was dreaming about and now it's happened and been over. Life really is a wild ride.       The last couple of months before I headed out I began to question myself and panic. I started zero...

     I am constantly amazed at the times and places God's presence is noticeable and moving. Raised within the American church I have become used to God moving throughout church services, prayer meetings, worship nights, retreats, church camp, and conferences. None of these are bad things. I would hope to never enter into a church service or Bible study where God's presence isn't there. He should be moving throughout our times of worship, that's the purpose of set aside times of worship and services. To commune with God and fellowship with the body, so yeah, it makes sense for the Spirit to be moving. The problem is that I expect Jesus to be present in the situations and confines that I design and delegate, and then I'm always amazed and blown away when he does something, without consulting me, outside of the time I set aside. It astounds me and messes with me. In reality I should always be amazed and astounded and effected by a move of God, regardless of where it h...