Outside In

     Tonight as I was washing the dishes, I noticed that I tend to wash the outside first, and then the inside, and I was reminded of the time Jesus scolded the pharisees for washing the outside of the "bowl" and not the inside. It's an accurate picture. I wash the outside of the dishes first because it's easier. The outside usually doesn't look too dirty, so I just give it a quick swipe before the real work... the outsides of our lives are easier to give a quick swipe too, aren't they? Not just that, we want to look pristine and perfect on the outside because we're afraid of being judged. That fear isn't unfounded either, because you will be judged. I will be judged. There's always going to be somebody, maybe in your church, or your family, or among your friends who is going to judge you when you don't look like you've got it all together. Sometimes, if you don't have a pristine outer life, people are going to go so far as to say your faith isn't real, and you're a hypocrite. So no, I'm not going to tell you "Don't worry, you just feel this pressure to have it all together, when really nobody expects that of you." cause I'm not about to lie to you. Some people will turn on you faster than lightning. Here's the thing though... we don't have to live in fear of their judgments. The Psalmist says "The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" ~Psalm 118:6 Choosing to work on your heart, and the inside of you is a scary thing, because when you're working on your heart first, your outside life is going to a mess. Let's be honest, we're always learning and growing, and if we focus on that growing, our outside lives are always going to be a bit of a mess. We don't have to fear the judgments of man though, because God is with us. When we surrender the idea of looking perfect on the outside, God can begin to truly work on our hearts, and change us from the inside instead of us trying to maintain a perfect exterior and hope the inside comes along with time. So let's let go of this, and stop washing from the outside in (this need not apply to the dirty dishes sitting in your sink) and let God work on our hearts, and change us on the inside. Be messy, choose to not always have it together, and above all, just be real. It's not a sin to appear less than perfect. In fact, our weakness showcases the might and glory of God!  "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9  So please, stop fighting this losing battle, and allow His perfect love to drive out all your fear, and give Him control of your messy life, holding nothing back. "For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose." ~Philippians 2:13

                                                   ~Katie Stone~

You are Strong

    You are strong. Strength is not measured by the number of times that you fall, only the number of times that you decided to get back up again.

Faith is not numbered by what you have accomplished, but by what you believe in your heart

You are one of the strongest people your friends know, and if you need a minute to lay down on the ground, then let them lay there beside you and tell you that your strength is found in Christ alone. That nothing in this world can stand against Him, and that the battle of the kingdom of heaven is what we are all fighting.

That's how it goes. When the lightning flashes, the thunder isn't far behind, and the rains are gonna pour down, cause that's the way of things. But what's the promise?

What promise comes after that storm? It is the promise of hope and a future. It is the promise of provision from God, and it is the promise that you may fall, and suffer, and be betrayed, but there is One who will never leave your side. There is One who calls you worthy. There is One who wipes away your tears, and does not let you wander the night alone

And He is the One! He is the One that will make your heart sing

He is the One who will make every suffering worth it

He is the One who has called you His own, despite every shortcoming, and has loved you enough to die so that you may live.

He is perfection, can you imagine how hard it must have been to live on this earth among such sin and darkness? How it must have broken His heart? He was scorned, and He was beaten in the most horrible ways, and He was hung on a cross and died. He did it for you. You were once the unworthy scum of the earth, but the day that God Himself declared you His? That is the day that He made you worthy! He gave you a crown, and a worth that nothing in all the universe can ever take away.

He is God! And He chose you! He loves you! He died for you! He is always beside you, and He will never abandon you.

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me, Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." ~Psalm 23:4

"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?

Whither shall I flee from Thy presence?

If I ascend into heaven, You are there.

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

If I take on the wings of the morning, or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea even there Thy hand shall lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me!' even the night shall be light about me. 
Yea the darkness hideth not from Thee, but the night shineth as the day.
The light and dark are both alike to Thee." ~Psalm 139:7-12

                                                ~Katie Stone~

Because We Can

We prank people because we can.
HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :P