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" Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of God"

matt 5.3, niv

"For this is what the high and lofty One says–

he who lives forever, whose name is holy:

'I live in a high and holy place,

but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,

and to revive the spirit of the lowly

and to revive the heart of the contrite'."

is 57.15, niv

Alyssa here.

It's been awhile since either one of us has updated this. I know we've both been pretty bogged down with us (even though we're both on Christmas break right now). I'm really looking forward to next semester believe it or not..

So many people in my life seem to have been taken captive in one way or another. They've lost sight of total joy, simplicity, and sometimes even God. I began to notice this in myself in small areas that I kept ignoring. I remember feeling like this once before. It is not until you take the time to experience an encounter with Abba, that you are changed and captivated, rather than held captive.

Captive. This reminds me of the many times in the bible when individuals were held under strongholds, enemies. They were lost, felt hopeless, in great need of something to shake everything that could be shaken to overcome the situation(s).
It is then that I am reminded of David's life journey. The hours and hours of lamenting that he would incorporate into song and poetry. Yet, among his great sorrow, he had a glimpse of God's promise that he continued to hold onto.

Captivated. The dictionary describes this word as to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant:
I am reminded of the many times that God pursued me when I was not worth pursuit, when He held me, even when I pushed Him away, when He told me of this unquenchable love for me, even when I loved the world so much more. It's beyond any romantic action, gesture. It's the wooing of a King for His forever bride. It's the overwhelming reminder and enchantment of a God whose beauty is far beyond my deepest comprehension.

Oh God, set Your seal upon our hearts.

Here I am, almost half way done with my college career, looking towards a future in ministry. I cannot say I've ever been more overtaken by the power of my God. Oh Beloved, I am forever yours.

Let this experience touch a countless number of lives, as individuals rediscover who You are, not who we make You.

Alyssa hurrrrr.
Transition.
We love it. We hate it.
It's inevitable. It's an essential.

I am entering a new season. I can feel it. I can taste it. It's a season of renewal. It's beautiful. God is stretching me in many areas lately. This is something that i've needed. For a short period of time I felt a bit.. stagnant? I'm not even sure if that's the correct depiction. I felt like I would interceed, worship, and at some points scream, and yet I would not hear the voice of God. Was God still there? Absolutely. From this, I have learned to find God in the simplest places, ways, and situations. Sometimes I feel that we need to learn to simplify to experience more.

I guess the scripture that really changed my view was in Luke..I believe chapter eleven? It's the parable where Jesus is asked how to pray. When you take the passage apart there's something like five different sections. Yes, we are always reassured that God answers prayers. I found a new perspective on verses 11-13 though. Pretty much what Jesus is saying is that God will answer even more readily than a human father will respond to his children's requests.

In Aramaic, the word Father translates as "Abba." Although God is referred to as a "Father," it is rarely personal when translated in scripture. This passage, in my opinion, depicts a intimate relationship with a caring father.

God will answer me more readily than my father. This passage clearly states that. Wow. I can't ever say I've ever been extremely close to my dad. Yes, this is something that i'd like to change. My dad still has been an important figure in my life and has answered probably thousands of questions (probably most containing the popular "BUT WHY!?!?). Even when he is beyond frustrated with me, he still answers. To imagine that before I even ask, God has an answer hidden for me to discover in HIS timing. THE GOD who knows the desires of my heart, my weaknesses, my everything. I am foolish to be so impatient.

After dwelling on this scripture for a few days, it really sunk in and became a matter of a heart change. It brought me to more of a realization of who God is in some ways. I now find myself being challenged and LOVING it. I never want to be content with where I am. I don't want to remain in a comfort zone. I want to remain in the will of God, pursuing Him with an immeasurable passion. I want to serve not only Him, but His people. I will never accuse you, God, of being too difficult. Never. I will walk in faith in every circumstance, for you've given me faith, even if it is just enough. I want my heart to beat in align with His. I want His passionate burdens to become mine. I want my heart to MELT over Him. I want this to be my lifesong.

I must find that since my recent realization, I have found myself more open to being vulnerable, to taking risks, to being real. More importantly, I am more in love with my Father than I have ever been before. How blessed are we to experience such a love.

AHH! Going out for a few hours. Will finish this post later.

alysssss hereeee.

So, after church today I took my youngest brother, Ryan, to the parade. He's almost ten years younger than me, yet has a personality almost identical to mine.

In the middle of the parade a man who was passing out candy stopped and started talking to him (in a non-creepy way). He said something along the line of "you seem like a really special and unique kid." Here's something that I'm not giving anyone else. He gave Ryan a candy mustache. As odd as it sounds, it made my brother's day. It wasn't so much the fact that someone had given him something, but the fact that he was called special. I hadn't really thought of anything about the situation until he came home and talked about it to both of my parents and my other brother, then proceeded to call our grandmother and cousin, lamenting about how someone had acknowledged him as something other than just "some kid."

There's two things I really thing I can relate to my life out of this.

#1 kids set our example for faith. it's such an awesome time in life. There's so much to be learned from it.
The bible commands us to have childlike faith, though I feel that I don't always understand the depth. living in faith is living in words, no question. If someone came up to me and was like "here's to you, special girl," i'd probably think of it as sarcasm...... or just be really freaked out. We question everything. Perhaps this is what I do to God in similar situations.

#2 Serving Others, Lately, i've felt called to just served in the oddest ways. I absolutely love making people feel that they are appreciated, love, and respected. Like kids, small, nice remarks to others leave a lasting impact. It's one of the best ways to make someone's day.


So yeah, just thought i'd share this! Other than that, life's good! Being stretched. Learning. Although things aren't always easy, I love every second of it. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Shalom.

Kate Butt here.

I'm pretty sure things never work out the way we want them to. Not like, huge things. But little things in our everyday life. It always seems like when I need to get to class on time. I get there late. No matter how early I wake up. I will get stuck behind some OLD woman, or just a stupid driver who actually obeys the speed limit- who does that anymore?? It seems like, whenever, I need to get a paper in or something scanned for this LAME online math course, my printer decides to hate me and stop working all together. BOTH of my printers AND my mom's printer. How does that happen?

It's quite frustrating, to be honest. It's the little things that make me so angry and agitated. Unfortunately, that can put a whole new spin on my day. One minute, I'll be having a great day and the next moment that old woman who obeys the law put a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the day! ( that sounded gross) Why though? Why is my printer or being late to class a legitimate reason to be pissed off for the rest of the day? The truth is, it isn't. We often focus too much on the little things in life and forgo the big things. We are in a constant state of looking at the negatives, when there are so many fantastic things that God is doing in our lives.

I encourage you to take a step back today and think about all the phenomenal things God has done in your life. It'll brighten your day up.

Alyssface hurrrrr!

So, it's Sunday. Let's recap back to Friday. Friday was b-town coming. Of course another reunion was in order. After grabbing Addison, a blankie, and an um-ber-illa..illa.illa..., I raced to the land of the bears. My first old encounter of the night was Fava Flava. Nothing had changed. He has remained ridiculously hairy and obnoxious. Eventually Katebutt arrived to save my life. Peach Fuzz was in her company. The rain was brutal and we barely failed to survive. We were sure to melt. We stalked old teachers who probably will never forget us, merely for the fact that we drove them crazy on a daily basis. (although, with kushie it had the opposite effect)..... Katebutt imitated cheerleaders. Addison renamed Peach Fuzz as Cinnamon Buns. Nothing totally out of control took place......

It was then time to relocate indoors after the bears dominated.

New spot: applebees ( go figure )

This is where it happened. More stories from the old days were encountered. Much of the time we laughed until it hurt. It was plain amazing. KateButt, Lauryn, and I encountered interesting individuals while checking out the bathroom. Cinnamon Buns and Addison became friends with random people who sang with them. It was plain amazing.

I must now shift my attention to fully waking up from a nap.

Shalom

Alyssface