This Is Revival

Revival.

that's a strong word. But what is it? How does it come to happen? Revival happens when a leader or leaders have a vision.

Visions must be saturated with the truth of God to initiate any revival of hearts. Before community revival happens, there must be a fresh personal revival. The truth of God needs to cancel out all the lies that have formed in me. This begins when I turn to God and reach out to Him: knowing He is the only hope I have for any sort of change.

I am beginning to see my heart turning back to God so I am equpped to point others toward the Truth. That is my prayer: that people around me will see the truth of God in me and they will be motivated to dig deeper into a life of intimacy with God.

The Truth of God Cancels Out Lies

Two (2) things God has taught me recently:
(1) Truth isn't comfortable
AND
(2) Truth convicts

Truth isn't comfortable because when I read His word, that requires an attitude and mind shift. When I meditate on the truth, I am aware of what keeps me from Him. Then I evaluate my life and choose to change.

Truth also convicts me of sin in my heart and mind. His truth penetrates the deepest part of me and then I question what I'm really about: God or the world?

The world is full of lies that creep into my mind that sometimes go unnoticed. And when they go unnoticed, it leads to a damaged relationship with God.
Only His truth can cancel out lies.

By bridging these two characteristics of truth together, they build my faith stronger in Him.

Faith + Hope + Love

Faith

Hope

Love
These are foundational in my relationship with God. Faith is the base, hope builds itself: it looks to the future. Love is in us and radiates through us.

Hebrews 11:6 speaks of faith: And without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith is essential for me because, without it, I cannot please God.

I Peter 1:13 states: Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be self controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

To hope for something is looking to the future, having an assurance things will change. This is also a call for me to set my hope on the grace of God.

Finally, I Corinthians 13:13 says, And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Love is greater than faith and hope. Love binds the other two together.
Working in unity, they form the base of my Christian life.

a CROSS the EARTH

Salvation is for all people. That's the reason for the cross.
a CROSS.
the EARTH.

I step away from the cross, I get away from Jesus and what He bore to save me. As a Christian, I need to embrace the cross for all my pain, sorrow, shame, brokenness, etc was laid there so I could taste forgiveness.

The forgiveness of God is a beautiful thing. Every wrongdoing is canceled out because He forgave me. In the book Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper writes that forgiveness is good because it gives us God. I agree with that statement because I am not right with God without forgiveness.

Being right with God through the gift of forgiveness enables me to forgive everyone who has ever hurt me or sought to cause me harm. Forgiveness is an act of grace and also sets me free.

Forgiveness is seen in the cross. I believe people of the earth need forgiveness and they will see it through the cross of Christ, not looking inward but outward.

The Presence of Jesus

It's Christmas time again! This year I got all my shopping done early so I could enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. It's not about material presents but about His presence in my life.

Christmas is a celebration of God sending His son to earth as a baby so we may know Him. I live every day in His presence.

I admit sometimes I get caught up in all the holiday hype and I lose focus on what Christmas really means. It's about spending time with those who are close to heart and who care about each other.

God truly and unconditionally cares for all of us.

All I Want In Life

Over the past few years, I have grown immensely in my faith. God used Indiana Wesleyan to challenge me to move beyond self centered plans to completely abandoned and surrendered to Him.

This leads me into today. All I want in life is to live completely for Him. That's all I want. I don't want to be stuck in shame, guilt, brokenness, or anything that will even seek to drag me apart from God.

Therefore, I want to share some verses that I seek to live by:

"Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall." -Psalm 55:22

"Yes, LORD, walking in the ways of your laws
we wait for you,
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts." -Isaiah 26:8

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name be the glory
because of your love and faithfulness." -Psalm 115:1

The previous verses sum up perfectly what I want in my life: I want to cast my cares on Him, knowing God will protect me. Life isn't about me but about the renown of God and spreading His glorious name everywhere.

God, Protect Your People

Every day is a gift from above.
We never know what each day holds.
Guide us in peace
Keep us from evil
Protect us from those who seek us harm

I pray Your goodness would flood the hearts of those who are committed to You and Your ways.
Give us opportunities to share Your love with the world around us.
May we be a testimony of grace, mercy, and hope when all we see is darkness triumphing

Pratect our children from harm
Help us to love them with the love You give us.


~"God Protect Your People" [A Poem]

This poem is in reflection of the tragic and senseless event that took place December 14 2012 in Newtown, CT.

My heart is with everyone who was (and is) affected by such a tramatic event.

The Prayer of Examen

Saint Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491 and wrote the book Spiritual Exercises. He also wrote Prayer of Examen inviting us to examine our daily lives by inviting God in.

Here are the five steps of the Prayer of Examen:

(1) Become aware of God's presence by reflecting back on the events of the day. Ask the Holy Spirit for clarity and understanding.
 
(2) Review the day with gratitude.
           -Gratitude is foundational for our relationship with God.
           -Walk through the day in God's presence. Note its delights and joys.
           -Focus on the days gifts.
           -Look at the work you completed.
          -Give special attention to small things such as food eaten, sights seen,  and other small pleasures
           -Remember God is in the details.
 
(3) Pay attention to emotions
          -A great insight of St. Ignatius was the detection of the Spirit of God's presence in movement of emotions.
       -Reflect on feelings of the day. Was there Sadness? Joyfulness? Excitement? Boredom? Also ask God what He is saying through those feelings.
       -God most likely revealed ways that you fell short. Make note of any potential wrongdoing, impurity, etc.
     -Also look deeply for other implications. (such as someone needing a friend, prayer, etc. )
 
(4) Choose one (1) feature of the day and pray from it.
     -Ask the Holy Spirit for direction into something during the day that God reveals is important.
     -This may involve a feeling: positive or negative, significant encounter with another person, or a vivid moment of pleasure or peace. Allow prayers to arise spontaneously from your heart, whether intercession, repentance, praise/worship, or gratitude.
  Respond to God creatively.
 
(5) Look toward tomorrow.
       -The final step includes asking God for the wisdom to see challenges.
       -Seek God's guidance. Ask him for help and understanding.

      Pray for hope

End the examen with a prayer to the Father.

And lastly:
Learn from the past
Envision the future
Live in the present.

(adapted from www.ignatianspirituality.com)

The Body is a Temple- Not an Amusement Park

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 states:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price- therefore honor God with your body."

As a Christian, my body is meant to bring glory and honor to God. In everything I do- from what I eat and drink to how I treat my body, which is a temple where the Spirit lives. Additionally, the body is a physical gift from God. How I live in the body is a reflection of my Creator.

The definition of temple is "any place or object in which God dwells", a "building for worship" (dictionary.reference.com) Additionally a temple is where the presence of God lingers and lives.

In contrast, an amusement park is a place of  recreation, fun and pleasure. My body is not an amusement park: where I just seek out thrills and pleasure and everything that gives me an adrenaline high.

God gave us bodies to be a source of where His spirit dwells in us. We worship in our bodies. Therefore, seeking out graficiation of pleasures and thrills demeans our God given bodies.

I pray that I would maintain that mentality of the body as a temple where holiness lives; unlike an amusement park where pleasure, thrills, fun live and run wild.

His Grace Has Overwhelmed my Brokenness

In the worship song, "To Know Your Name," by Hillsong, there is a lyric that says "your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness." Before that was just a line in a song.

Today it has a much deeper meaning to me and my life.  I want to get off center. I want to stop talking about my struggles, temptations, fears, etc. as if they are the only things in life that matter.

 Because of the things I went through,  I  learned about the grace of God and true humility.  For many years, I didn't struggle with anything. And for the last few years, I felt as though I was constantly falling.

Fallen from grace expresses how I feel now.

Mountains are great: I love when everything is going well in my life. I also know that spiritual mountains offered me a false sense of security. I thought I was immune to everything that I heard about growing up (alcoholism, sex, lust, greed, etc.)

I am not immune. Once I move away from faith and get weak, it's all over. I can't protect myself.  I say with conviction that only God can protect me. His grace is enough to overwhelm what keeps me weak, what keeps me broken, what prevents from depth.

I am quoting Hillsong when I say "your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness."

I want to conclude by saying brokenness leads me straight to God. I also want to encourage you to not fear brokenness or weakness. God moves the most when we're in the valley.

Radical Desperation

Where do I end and where does God begin?

God begins when I reach the point of complete surrender: when I look at my life and all I see is all my weakness and failure. I have such a clear view of weaknesses that I weep over what keeps me from growing stronger in faith.

I know God is doing something major in me when I can't continue on where I am. I cry out to God in my deperation and brokenness. All  of me is pleading with God to be my strength in the midst of what makes me weak and causes me to fail in sight of Him: who is completely holy and righteous.

I have reached a critical level in my life: I am not afraid to say that I am desperate for Him.

Where can I go?
Where do I hide when life is overwhelming, when my struggles and temptations overwhelm me?

I have no where to go and no place to hide. I just stopped and cried out to God: for Him to overwhelm my brokenness and weakness with all of His strength.

I want to say I'm radically desperate.

Radical desperation is what I need.

<3 in Him,

~Susie

The Here and Now

I desire to live in the moment.
Not loooking back. Not looking forward to the future either.

I want to embrace the here and now. Life changes so quickly. And I want to take it all in by living fully in the present.

What is God doing in me now? I have no simple answer.

All I can say is that I've spent the last few years living on a spiritual mountain top and now I'm in the valley. And that's hard.

God revealed to me last night that I need to lay it all on the line for Him. I can't pretend to be somewhere I'm just not. I fooled everyone the last couple years. I masked where I was in my faith. While I was at school, I acted as though I was doing "just fine" when I was really broken.

I'm not at school currently and I'm realizing I never want to attempt to impress others with how "religious" I am. That won't save them. Love and grace will.

For His renown
always <3

~Susie

In the Valley

As I reflect on my experience at Indiana Wesleyan University, I recognize I have lived on the mountain top.

Continually I had spirtual moments that have come in the form of class lectures, Summit, chapel, conversations with friends, etc.

I greatly appreciate those experiences because they challenged me to be strong in my faith. And during that time, I wasn't struggling with anything.

I want that back: where I'm rock solid in my faith, a place where I can't be moved from where God has placed me right in the moment. But I know I can't live on the mountain top. I went most of my college career where everything was amazing in my walk with God. I was always growing and living close to His heart.

Now I'm in the valley. I'm tired of pretending I'm still on the mountain where I'm strong in my faith. I'm not.

The mask is off. I can't lie to myself.

I need to just stop and let God rebuild my life. I desperately need Him and His spirit to heal and restore me.

Each day is a step in the direction of healing.

For HIS renown,
~Susie

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for all things in my life:
~family
~friends
~God who never changes
~faith.
~etc.

Also, I want to give thanks every day of the year, not just on a holiday. Each day is a new reason to be thankful.

I am thankful that I can always come before God in every season of my life.

Blessings flow when I come simply thanking God for His mercy, grace, love, persistance, etc.

I am taking a step back toward Him after so long on my own. He's waiting.

Once again, that causes me to be thankful.

What are you thankful for?

I encourage you take a moment and give thanks for the little things in life.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

Sleepwalking in Apathy

I want to take you back.

Back to the start.

At the beginning of my freshman year of college, I was apathetic in my relationship with God. I didn't care about anything spiritual.

That's honest and real. I went to "Summit" but only because I felt obligated to attend.

God changed my life during that week (in 2008). He replaced my closed and unresponsive heart with His.

I have realized God is continually replacing my unresponsive heart with His heart. Every day that I'm not growing in God, I need to stop and ask Him to examine my heart and transform it so that He can move and grow and have His way.

Anything else, anything less is self centered and that needs to die.

I never want to be sleepwalking in apathy.
 
I don't want my generation too either.

Let us be awake to everything that God is about.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

The Way Back to God's Heart

I'm on a journey that never ends.
Each second, each moment, every day, each week will lead me closer to His heart if I let Him, if I choose His way.

And when I don't?
When I choose to go my own way?
That only leads to disaster. Sometimes I fail to see the disaster that is sure to follow poor decision making or anything that acts as a hindrance.

I can say today I'm out of sexual temptation and sin. That old life has been nailed to the cross. God has taken that desire from me.

Thank you, God, for taking that desire from me.

When I do struggle with anything that distracts me from God, I need to submit to His authority and get into His presence.

I know I'm on the way back to the heart of God.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

God Works for The Good

Romans 8:28 states, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose."

I recognize not everything that happens is good. Bad things sometimes happen to good people. That doesn't stop me.

I just keep on keepin' on. For I know in ALL things God works for the good of His people.

Everything that happens in life is meant to teach me something more about God. At the same time, I need to take responsibility of what I can control

I got caught up in sin and I let it control me and my life. I ran from it: thinking it wouldn't catch up to me. I've learned I can't run from sin because it will just keep coming back.

I desire to let go of sin that so easily entangles and run after God.

Why would I choose anything else?


For HIS renown,

~Susie

Robots

Prior to attending college at IWU, I worked in retail: Hobby Lobby and Bass (shoe & clothing store). When I worked in that type of environment, I had to have a tough skin: I couldn't let anyone or anything get to me personally.

Looking back, I felt like a robot: I couldn't feel anything. Or I wasn't allowed to feel anything. I had to "blow everything off." I recognize now that wasn't healthy: to block everyone and everything out.

As a creature of God, I am not created or wired to be a robot, the inability to feel anything. I want to feel something, even if it's pain. Because honestly, that's all I feel.

A deep soul wrenching pain that I know only God can heal. So I let him in.

I say to Him, "Father, heal me from this pain that is so crippling to me."

I know He hears me as I cry out to Him.

I'm not created to be a robot.

None of us are.

I encourage you to embrace whatever you're feeling, whether it's positive or negative emotions. God is glorified in us when we are real and when we come before him vulnerable.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

Consumed

The following is an excerpt from my journal in July 2005:

"Do any of us know where we're going?

As in, throughout this life? I don't know about anyone else but I'm aware my life isn't my own, it's God's, so it makes perfect sense that I would (and want) to live my life for Him alone.

He (God) never said the journey would be easy, he just said that if anyone would come after Jesus they must deny themselves (meaning their wants, needs, aspirations, dreams, etc.) and take up their cross and follow Him. Although, it's hard sometimes, I will continue to follow Him all the days of my life. To put it another way: it's much easier for me to let go and put all my trust in God, my creator. He knows where I need to go (and where I don't).

Another bite of food for thought:

Sometimes we say we love God yet we don't trust in Him completely. Honestly, when we rely only on ourselves, what good are we actually doing to our spiritual health?

The point I'm trying to make is don't lean on your own understanding. Just trust God. Eventually everything will fall into place. Even though I may question faith by asking, what's the point to all this that I can't see? sometimes, I will live my life for God. Nothing else is worthy to consume me." (edited)

Now it's October 2012 and I said back then that I want God to consume me. Not just aspects of me, but all of me. To say much has changed is an understatement. I rely on myself to get me through each day. I don't look toward God. I am consumed with everything else except Him. That needs to change before I come to spiritual ruin.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

Reach Higher Go Deeper

I am being pulled in deeper in my walk with God. I grow "hardcore" for a while then suddenly I think "I'm getting too close to God." I need to stop spending time with Him.

So I do.

I know that sounds horrible. How can one be "too close" to God? It's not that I'm getting too close to Him. It's more that I can't have both worlds: I can't live for "earthly" things and still pursue Him.

In the core of who I am I sense God wants me to reach higher in pursuit of Him and go deeper in intimacy.

I have fear of what people will think of me if I truly let go of the world and recklessly pursue Him. How would my life change if I did just that?

How would my life change if I continued to live for all that is temporary?

I need to let go of the world and go after Him with everything in me. I don't have the strength to. I pray He would give me the strength to let go.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

Religion vs. Spirituality

For the last few months, God has been teaching me about everything I don't want:

~Apathetic

~Complacent

~Comfortable

~False

~Mediocre

~Superficial Christianity.

Sometimes I have to rule out everything that is unappealing so I know what I do want.

What do I want? What does God want from me?

I believe He wants real spirituality; a relationship where I can be honest with Him and don't feel as though I have to put on a performance.

A couple nights ago I felt suffucated because of all the religion I'm around. I couldn't breathe. God spoke into my heart and I knew I didn't have to "act" a certain way in an effort to impress people at IWU. That is not what God wants.

That's religion.

I believe religion and spirituality are different.

When I think of religion, thoughts narrow to Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity etc. Also, religion is man made and comes from outside sources: Mosques, Temples, Churches, etc.

Spirituality, in contrast, comes from within a person. I was created to be spiritual: my soul united with the Spirit of God. (John 4:24) That is God in me- not religion. I could care less about religion. I grow deeper and stronger in faith by the work of His Spirit in me.

In closing, I've heard the expression, "I'm gonna push my religion on you" and "I feel as though they're shoving religion down my throat." It's unappealing and people are turned off by that kind of evangelism.

Reverse that. No one says "I'm gonna push my spirituality on you" or "I feel as though they're shoving spirituality down my throat." That makes no logical sense. Honestly, it sounds kind of stupid.

There is something attractive about spirituality and being spiritual, rather than being religious.

I don't want to be labeled as "religious." When people look at my life, I want them to see that I'm "spiritual."

For HIS renown,

~Susie

The Reality of God

Summit concluded last night. Since my Freshman year, I have attended because the majority of IWU students go.

I conform. I feel I'm a bad Christian if I don't attend.

Last night I was at Summit for about 10 minutes when I thought I didn't want to be there. So I left.

I had the wrong motivation to go and I didn't want to be forced to be there.

God was in that night and I had an opportunity to have a productive conversation with a couple girls who live in the townhouses.

I talked to them about how I am deeply intimate with God but I seek superficiality in my friendships and relationships simply because I don't trust people.

If God is truly calling me to a speaker for this generation, I must move beyond my fear of being vulnerable and transparent.

I must let people in: to see where I truly am.

That is difficult. I don't want people to see my struggles, to see me in my weakness. All I want them to see is how I am strong in God.

That's all they really need to know. My relationship with God is private and as long as I'm doing okay, then I have no reason to share what God is doing in me.

The fact is, I'm crazy passionate and I want everyone to see that but I don't want (or haven't found a way) to vocalize what God is doing in my life.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

The Last Semester

In a few days, I will be beginning my last semester as an IWU college student. I'm excited and sad at the same time.

The last four years have been AMAZING. I have grown deeper in my faith through everything that I have experienced.

But I'm ready to move on. In a few short months, there will be no more chapel, classes, assignments, tests, etc.

After graduation I can finally do what God is calling me to: ministry. After almost a year of searching, I finally found an internship.

Yay!

I start my internship in early 2013 at Youth Unlimited, an organization based in Grand Rapids, MI. I am thankful that God provided for me.

So this semester I'm going to soak up every moment, because it's coming to a close.

For HIS renown,

~Susie

For His Renown

I have been given the gift of life.

I am called by God to glorify Him in everything I do.

Not some things, but in ALL things.

All things are true in Him.

Apart from Him, there is no righteousness or holiness in me. Even when I'm stuck going my own way, God is there waiting for me to return to Him.

All of me is for His renown.

I need to process that for a moment. Every part, every aspect of me is made for His renown.

Shouldn't that somehow influence the way I live?

Many times it doesn't, to be honest.

I just blend in to the world around me. I'm afraid to take a stand out of fear I will offend someone.

I can't shake that: I am here only for His renown.
Everything else is fleeting.

Always <3
For HIS renown,

~Susie

Happy August :-)

It's August 1st, one month closer to fall.

Yay!

Fall is by far my favorite season, I love pumpkin carving, seeing the leaves changing colors. It's just a beautiful season.

I love when summer begins to end, and fall starts.

A new season.

New lessons to be learned.

New ways for God to transform my life from the inside out.

That is my plea and my prayer: for God to continually transform me from the inside out.

I desire God to change the way I think (Romans 12:2) so I can change the world around me by His power at work in me. And one area I need God to change is the way I view love and sex.

Society has blurred the lines between love, sex, lust, and infatuation. How am I to navigate through all these different states?

Right now I'm learning the difference between love and sex.

This is a no brainer but sex never equals love.

I wish I couldn't say this, but because of life experiences, I have this conviction: having sex is easier than actually loving someone. Love is hard. It takes effort, dedication, and work.

This makes me think back to when I accepted Jesus into my heart, I made a commitment to follow Him.

Love is a commitment, a promise that can never be broken. This describes the kind of love God has for His people.

I believe I am meant, created, designed by God to radiate this kind of love to everyone around me.

When I do this, God is glorified and the world around me sees the love of God in me.

Genuine love can never be broken, but redeems those facing pain, brings light to those who live in darkness, brings hope and heals  those who are hurting, etc.

All for HIS glory + Always <3,

~Susie

A Vain Attempt

For the last few weeks, I have been growing spiritually very quickly. It seemed I couldn't get enough of God. I was doing my devotions daily.

It was great! I felt all these intense emotions (excitement, fear, reluctance, etc.).

Then it all came to a crashing halt.

Earlier this week, I had an appointment with One Mission Society (a missions organization) for a possible service trip to Ireland.

The appointment was canceled and I was discouraged, frustrated, and disappointed.

I then felt everything I was learning was a vain attempt to reach God, which I can never do.

I sought to please Him with how I "religious" I could be.

That's wrong.

That's sin.

God showed in a painful way exactly what I don't want:

~mediocre

~complacent

~superficial

~comfortable Christianity

I want real Christianity. I want Jesus, not anything else.

I then asked a question, "can I leave my emotions out of spiritual growth?"

Emotions change quickly, I can't depend on them to fuel my growth in God.

I know God sees past all my emotional highs as it relates to faith and growth in Him.

I'm guilty of being how I always complain about when Summit week approaches. I always say, "I want more than a spiritual/emotional high. I want God to wholly transform my life."

I just spent two (2) weeks (or longer) on a spiritual high.

I know now when all the emotions are gone, all is left is a vain attempt to grow stronger in faith.

Is it Enough?

I grew up in a Christian home and I went to church on holidays (Easter and Christmas). I I went to vacation Bible school once.

That was enough.

Then in middle school (7th grade) I became a Christian and as a result I began to attend my older sister's church where I got involved in their youth group and small group girl's Bible study ("Impact").

That was enough.

During my high school years I attended numerous weekend retreats (conferences as their called now) at various Bible camps (Spring Hill!, Lake Waubesa Bible Camp, Lake Geneva Conference Center and Camp, Phantom Ranch Camp) and the summer between my junior and senior years, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) "National Youth Conference" at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA. After that week, I was on a "spiritual high."

Once again, that was enough.

After high school, I went from church to church, and I finally found one that I stuck with for longer than a month (LOL). At Calvary Church, I was a youth leader to high school students. Serving others seemed like a good way to demonstrate my level of faith.

This was enough.

Then in 2008, I began attending Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) because I wanted a quality Christian education. I visited campus twice and loved the friendly staff and faculty and appreciated the spiritual atmosphere. That's the reason I came here amidst the myriad of college options.

Above all, they put Christ center with chapel three times a week and "spiritual emphasis week" (Summit) at the beginning of each semester.

One of my favorite things about IWU is Summit. I love the community of it and gathering in corporate worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. The "spiritual and emotional high" Summit brought me excitement and I was able to push through and continue growing closer to the Lord.

All this was enough.

And now, after four years of being an IWU student, of attending chapel, Summit's, and sometimes "The Rising", it is no longer enough.

God has changed me continually since I became a student. I can no longer settle with "comfortable" Christianity. No longer is it enough for me to say, "I'm a Christian. I believe in Jesus." yet watch as the world suffers.

I want to go where no one else wants to go.

All the rituals aren't enough.

I pray that in my life I would be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Always <3

All for HIS glory

~Susie

The Vision I Have for the Church

I write this with thankfulness that God has placed in my heart a vision for His people, the church. This is relatively new and fresh so I'm not entirely sure what the vision will look like when it comes into full development.

I do know that revivals start with a vision and that is what I want to see: a revival first in my own personal life, then my friends' lives, my educational institution (IWU), the local church, and then finally reaching the global church.

Writing this vision helps me sort out all my thoughts and organize them.

The vision I have for the church starts with a deep passion for Him, a passionate love and compassion that can't help but set the world on fire.

Next the vision moves toward discipleship: equipping, motivating, training, and encouraging others to gain knowledge as to what it means for members of the local church to realize who they are called to become in God. We are all unique and have something different to offer each other.

There are many issues in the world that need to be addressed. I'm motivated to help those around me because I want to see lives improved not simply because I'm a Christian so I have to be right. I believe (and hope) I have stepped out of that mentality.

Please understand I write this with humility in my heart and mind. God has placed in me a depth for His people and that is what is fueling this vision.

I invite you to pray with me that lives will be turned onto God.

All for His glory + Always <3

~Susie

Focus: Habits [Part 4]

This is the last in the series "Focus." Habits make me think of spiritual disciplines I exhibit in my life. Simplistically, habits are things that I do on a regular basis.

What sort of spiritual "habits" do I illustrate in my life?

Well, first, I keep prayer journals kind of obsessively. Through journaling, I can get out whatever I am feeling out on paper rather than just praying openly-when I write to God I feel I am expressing a deeper part of me than I can see on the surface.

For example, over the last few months, I can see that God unlocked a passion for Him I never knew existed. Also, habits seek to ask the question "What do I do that enables me to live the life I am called to live?"

There is no simple answer to that question. I try to live in humility, peace, and love. That is the foundation, after God of course.

I just think how I need to be continually developing different spiritual "habits" that will cause me to become who God wants me to be.

Without Him, nothing will happen.

All for His glory + Always <3

~Susie

Focus: Hands [Part 3]

The third aspect is "hands", which focuses on the service aspect of my faith. How do I live out my convictions?

Without action, my faith is dead.

Making my faith relevant to the world is critical.

All for His glory + Always <3

~Susie

Focus: Head [Part 2]

Within the last couple years, I have been through some hard times.

Looking back,  I am thankful God brough me through those times. The lessons I learned are irreplaceable.

One of the critical things God taught me is that I need to focus on what will bring glory to His name.

When I think about where I was when I started IWU almost 4 years ago, I was completely a different person. I have seen amazing growth and maturity in my life.

For the longest time, I wasn't founded on the truths of God. I went my own way. Now I am focused on God: I am slowly rebuilding my faith.

All for His glory + Always <3

~Susie

Focus: Heart [Part 1]

I feel a crucial part of my relationship with God is the state of my heart.
Where is my heart in connection with Him?
After everything I've been through so far this year, my heart is pure and ready to be molded into something that will glorify God.

Prayers need to be focused on asking God to protect His heart- which is living in me.

How often do I think that His heart is living through me? This also makes me think about what attritubutes characterize His heart.

I honestly don't know what I'm learning here, but I let Him direct my life. and all growth that is taking root.

I have a new heart placed in me so I'm ready for God to rebuild my faith-from the ground up. Because without a strong foundation, there is nothing. Additionally, how can I expect growth to take place if I'm not rooted in Him?

All for His glory + Always <3

~Susie

Focus: Heart, Head, Hands, + Habits

There are many things I could focus my life on. However, I want these four characteristics to always be a priority in my life:

Heart: This is the wellspring of life itself. Also, the heart is where my emotions and passions flow from.

Head: This is the belief that my faith is reasonable and having a desire to know what I believe is imperative and the understanding why this shapes who I am as I live out my faith in the world.

Hands: This seeks to answer the fundamental question, "how then should I live?"

Habits: Finally, how does what I do enable me to live the life I am called to live?

Not only do these serve as a focus, I want these to continually direct my life and my faith, so I'm not wandering around aimlessly.

Always <3

All for HIS glory,

~Susie