Are you Compassion-ate?

    



     There are children waiting for you to love them. Waiting for Jesus' love to be made known to them. Sometimes, you will be called to adopt. Which is definitely awesome and for those of you who can afford and support it, ask yourself if God might be calling you to invite children into your home. There is another option though too, for those of us who cannot afford a kid... or who don't want one... but understand the world doesn't revolve around them.

     Did you know that you can actually sponsor a child without having to brush their teeth, wipe their tushies, blow their noses or clean their messes? You would not be obliged to wake them up in the morning, find sitters (if you have dates and such), or spank them when they are sassafrassy.

     Your sponsoring, however, WOULD feed the child, clothe them, provide education, school supplies and medical care. But wait.. there's more! Your money also provides their parents training and education so they can get better job opportunities if they aren't stably employed. And thats not all! The child's community also receives aid! (Aid varies depending on resources the country is able to offer.) All of this for ONLY 38$ a month!

     Now I know what you're thinking... Casey, how can this be true? Well, sir or madame, I don't think you were born yesterday. Im not pulling your leg. You can literally provide for a child, their parents, and their community for almost a dollar a day.


First, let me tell you why this is better than one time donations:

1.  You get to know the child you sponsor. They write letters and color pictures, and if this doesn't sound magical to you, it isn't. Its better than magic, it is sooo lovable. Bless 'your' child by caring for them.

2. You get to stop being selfish. This doesn't sound like fun because it isn't. But if you follow Jesus and have "my money"in your reasoning, you have a bad habit. Nothing is yours, everything that has been given to you is to be used for Jesus' glory! If you're not a christian, first I would stop reading this, look into who Jesus is and what He is about (which you can do in my blog if you so desire). That is most important.

3. Financial efficiency is important. While saving is good, you might die tomorrow and your money would not benefit you. Use the money you've been given to bless others today. (And get on that will!)

4. You start planning for someone else's well-being who will never benefit you. --A side-note to the 'be selfless' reason that deserved its own number.

5. You don't have to be in this alone. You can have your youth group, close friends, family, entire church, club, college ministry, or what-have-you all pitch in for the cause. If you have ten people willing to pitch in 3 dollars a month, one child and their community can benefit. And with more numbers comes more money so I would then encourage you to sponsor more than one child!

6. You will get to watch your child grow up. The time frame for sponsorship is from 4 to 22 years old. You will get to impart your hard earned wisdom on these unsuspecting children. (Who wants wisdom at 6, 8, 10 years old.. candy candy candy) And they will love listening to you because your'e not their parents. Some things don't change in foreign countries. Also your money provides volunteers opportunities to love on these children to, so they will get all the love money can buy.

7. Your investments in their life is a personal 'show and tell' that someone they have never-ever met is willing to provide for them, learn about them, love them, and pray for them. They know they are not able to give you anything! This is a representation of the Gospel, people!

8. 'Your' child will get to learn from you, consider you an important person in their life, and love you. For those of you who are hard to love, these children won't have to try. Your words of encouragement, support, prayers offered up and gifts are enough to tug at their heart strings. Bless someone by allowing them to care for you.


     If any of these reasons made you think twice about sponsoring a child, please don't ignore them. They aren't putting on sad faces, begging for your attention. They will never know you exist unless you reach down and show them. (You reach down because kids are short.)

Here is the website that has every ounce of information you could need, and better put than what I had to say. --> www.compassion.com

And if you are thinking about adoption because maybe you actually snotty noses and cleaning booboo's, (I do!) Then consider buying/loving a kid thats already been made before/while/after you make your own. Making your own is good, too.

By Your Side- Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go





I never really paid attention to this song by Tenth Avenue North until the youth band at my church sang it. It was all about Jesus... less about the music. Wow. Made me cry. ("Touched me...right here." -Said that to the guys and they made fun of me after that so had to put it in here! )


But really.. I try to earn grace. I try so very hard to be the best this or that. And those things I strive for are mostly good things! I do want to please Jesus. Its so important to me. So important. But if i'm honest... "even my repentance needs to be washed in the blood of Jesus." If my best and most 'amazing' gifts to Him have any motive at all of self seeking.. then its all dirt. All of it. 


But His grace covers just that, yall. He is NEVER letting us go. God, im tired of striving. Not really sure exactly how to stop... but giving Him the first word of every day will lead me. As will the Holy Spirit. 

Falling in Love with Jesus...

Mmmmmm... to fall in love. To be someone's beloved, not just Jesus'.... 


Those thoughts of ours are sweet, but blasphemous. To desire anything over Jesus is to whore for the world. (Judges 2:17 -They whored after other gods)

So God wants to be our everything. That includes 'husband' so to speak. In a way that He becomes our obsessive thought during our 'courting' or times we pursue Him back, for He is constantly pursuing us.

How can I allow Jesus to fulfill my relational needs by Himself? with Himself? 


I want to be loved. - "...I have loved you with an everlasting love..." (Jer. 31:3)

I want someone to adore me. - The King has brought me into His chambers to adore me. My love is       outstanding among 10,000 (see Song 1:4, 5:10) .

I want someone to hold my hand. - "...I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Is. 41:10)

I want to be accepted and valued. - I am accepted in the Beloved. (see Eph. 1:6)

I want help in my days of trouble. - "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you..." (Psalm 50:15)

I want a champion of my causes--one who is willing to fight for me. - "The Lord will fight for you..." (Ex. 14:14)

I want intimacy. - The Lord is intimate with the upright. (see Psalm 140:13)

I want someone to help me in my life. - There is no one like God who rides the heavens to help you. (see Deut. 33:26)



I don't necessarily think I'm supposed to "date" Jesus.... but I do believe that He is more than enough to fulfill what I THINK a man is needed to fulfill. Obviously, there is no need I have that Jesus can not more than satisfy. Jesus is more than sufficient to provide for our relational needs.

Studying how Jesus wants to be my everything has made me very conscious of how easily I've taken my heart and given it so easily to others; friends and boys alike. God is a jealous God, I forget. How many times have I looked forward to a date, text, or hangout OVER God. Not that those are bad things, but the way I gave them attention when I did not give The Word a respectful or obsessive amount of time is sinful. (obsessive because thats how I become with relationships...I get too girly) My daddy once instructed me to spend more time in the Bible than I did in any other one thing. I would read a book a day and give Jesus the attention I would give a TV commercial. Proportionately blasphemous. So now, its still hard to give Jesus Word more time than a good fiction. So they've been set aside for the time being. (Jesus did that for me, the books I ordered have taken a ridiculously long time to come in.)

Norah Jones song, "The Nearness of You", is a near perfect explanation to how I feel about Jesus sometimes. Have a listen. (Mind you, its a little loosely represented)

"I need no soft lights to enchant me, (no romances), if You only grant me the right to hold You ever so tight."

Dont waste your life

Ive been thinking about how everything really is meaningless. (ecc.)

I really like to wear dresses, pretty flow-y sundresses in particular. I feel so free.. like a bird sort of.. when I wear one.

That wont matter when i'm dead.

I also love my friends, and there are certain ones im particularly fond of!

Wont matter when we're all dead.

The things we spend money on, spend our time doing, spend our time loving, most of it wont matter.

Ive heard it said "Preach Jesus and die. " that pretty much sums up what a meaningful life is.. assuming whoever is preaching is loving and living out what they preach.



And living it out is so much simpler than we make it out to be!!

It occurred to me recently its not some huge task we have to do every day, but in everything we do just do it for someone else.

Driving? Pray for someone. Be a courteous driver... you know when there is a nice guy who gets over just to let you pass or something. Makes my day better!
Got money in the bank? Give it to someone in need
In a public place? Compliment someone, or encourage someone! How about share the love of Jesus with someone!
Idk what other circumstances you live every day.. but lets just be real honest here. If everything you do points to yourself then your life wont count. And it wont matter that it doesnt count. Yay Jesus loves you, but its not about you. And it sure as heck fire aint about me.

We dont remember anyone from 100 years ago, there have been significant moments in the past and people who have molded our society.. but they dont matter.

The only thing that matters is God and His glory. THE only thing.

... I drafted this a few days ago so i could read it later and see if i wanted to post it. I still do... but just wanted to clear up somethings.

Don't belittle the love the Lord has toward you... because that does matter. And you matter to Jesus. Very very much... just not so much to someone you'll never meet. So while on this earth point to the things that will matter so those people you will meet might know and really know the love of Jesus.

"Valentimes" Day

My Daddy has the ability to get on my very last nerves, push my temper to the limit, and make me cry. (Either by laughing or by being in trouble..)

But Daddy has always been loving, and every year for valentines day he has been the one giving me roses or chocolates and always big kisses. Literally this year, being my first year ever not waking up at home on valentines day, he gave me a 7 oz Hershey's Kiss.

I'm so glad to have my Dad, to me, this holiday is more about father daughter ties than anything else.

And I'm more than happy to get my phone call from Daddy and visit my grandma, life is more than dates  and kisses, so much more! Enjoy it!