Then They Will See The Glory of the Lord

Download this quote here.

I actually didn't intend on writing a Good Friday or even Easter post. I just felt like everyone else was doing posts for it so it wasn't necessary for me to do so. 
But then I decided to open up my Bible and do the She Reads Truth Good Friday devotion for today. 
Every time I read the story about Jesus' death on the cross and reflect on all the ways I have sinned and failed, which is the reason He is on the cross to begin with, I can't help but break down in tears. We are imperfect people who have put the most perfect person in the universe on the cross because of our selfishness. 
But then I remember that shame isn't of the Lord and I am thankful that I have been redeemed. My only hope is for God to use my sin and brokenness to illuminate His perfect love and grace that he has shown us as humankind. 
To explain the quote above, it is found in a song that we have been singing for choir this year called "Your God Will Come." Here are the lyrics to that portion of the song:

"Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a dear, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Then they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. For your God will come, yes your God will come." 

I think that specific line is very much relevant today because eventually the whole world will see and be in awe of God's glory that is displayed through Jesus' death on the cross. They will see that He will come. And He always does.

So today I ask that you take a few moments to reflect on what Good Friday stands for and what happened today long ago. I hope that you don't feel shame today but that you feel the love and peace that comes from Christ alone.

Pursue Him: 4 Ways to Find Your Own Faith

It's still the beginning of the year where people are still talking about any resolutions or goals they may have for the year. And the point of goals is to basically become a better person. A goal that a lot of people make in some form or another usually has to do with their faith. 
Most people (especially those that identify as Christian) usually make some kind of goal or resolution to better their relationship with God in the new year, myself included. So many people claim to follow Christ or believe in God, but how many of them actually do?
I have realized over the years that most people grow up claiming to be people of faith. It's not a bad thing, but the question is, how many people really know what they believe? Or how many people even believe what they say they believe? 
I'm not saying this to bash on anyone for anything, but I believe that it is so important for all of us to evaluate why we believe what we do. Are we believing it because it's tradition? Because of pressure from others? Or is it because we genuinely choose to believe what we do?
I think that it is so important for everyone to have their own faith and to choose what they believe. Sometimes it may line up with what your parents believe and many times it may look a little bit different. 
Just like how we are encouraged to explore and develop our own interests throughout adolescence and into adulthood, the same goes for your faith as well. Whatever you decide that you believe, I always encourage exploring your faith and beliefs and comparing them to what you grew up with to see what means the most to you. 
Some tips to explore and find your own faith for this year: 
1. Examine (and question!) your parents'/family's core beliefs and rituals they practice.  Whether it is sitting down and thinking about how much you agree or disagree with what your parents believe or talking with your parents about what they believe (if you're comfortable doing this with them), this is the first step. Growing up, I never questioned what my parents believed (they believed different things), until one day I noticed differences in what they believed. I talked with people at my church about some of the differences in my parents' beliefs and chose what to believe for myself. 
There's this stigma that questioning what you believe is of the devil or something bad like that, but honestly it's not! It's good to examine what you believe, and if you are a Christian like I am, questioning doesn't always lead to becoming an agnostic or some other religion. I've questioned what I believed and my parents believed, and it has helped me figure out my faith and has made my faith stronger. 
2. Read! Bibles, blogs, books, everything you can about your faith. This is not only to educate yourself, but to tie back with your parents beliefs, you can read and compare with your parents' beliefs and see for yourself what you want to believe. It's always much better to read up and learn for yourself rather than just take everyone else's word for it. 
3. Explore different churches.  Every church is different. As a Christian, it is so important to be in community with other people who are like-minded. Trying out different churches allows you to find where you fit depending on the style of the church, how the pastor preaches, and the people that you get to interact with. 
I've learned throughout the past few years that a good church is one that makes you feel comfortable to be with the people around you, but yet you always feel challenged to do better, not pressured. A good church has people who want to encourage you and love you. A good church has pastors who are real and transparent with their congregations. A good church always strives to be better. 
4. Talk with others.  Being in community is so important, like I said in #3. So when you go to churches or read your Bible or examine what you grew up believing, talk to other people about your journey. Find people who you can trust and that have a faith that you admire and maybe aspire to have someday. It's good to have other people that you can talk about questions and discoveries you may have along this journey. Don't forget that you are never alone.
------------------------------------ It is a new year, and so it's the perfect time to have a new goal of finding your own faith this year to differentiate yourself from the people around you. Your faith is your own, and it's so important that you have developed your own personal thoughts for it and aren't just following a crowd (or your parents). 
This year, I'm going to be working towards pursuing God with brand new eyes and spend time with Him. I've decided to make the word "pursue" my word of the year, and I hope you have a word for the year as well.
What are your goals for your faith this year? How will you encounter God this year?

I Love My Church // On Coming Back to Faith

As I'd mentioned once over the summer, I started going to Family Church Signal Hill as courtesy of Darell. And after being there for a few months and being involved with the worship team for a few months as well, I must say that I am beyond blessed to be at this church. 

Source: FCSH's Facebook

Before I went to FCSH, I hadn't had a home church for a few months, and although I go to a Christian university, I still felt like something was missing. I tried getting involved with the church on my school's campus, and although I love it there, something just didn't fit right with me. 

Darell had found the church because it's not too far from his house and he knew someone who had gone there before. He decided to check it out back in February and he loved it. Because I was still in school, I couldn't really visit his church regularly except during Easter weekend when I went for the first time. I started going more in the summer and went to the young adult services and the community groups. Soon enough, when I wasn't on my mission trip or at camps, I was at church. 

It was a nice feeling to be involved with a church once again. I was still getting used to how it was run differently and the people, but I enjoyed it there. Although I didn't really know anyone just yet, there was a comfort and sense of community that I loved. 

This past year was the first time that I had jumped from a few churches before settling at one because I had always had a home church growing up. Going a few months without a home church left an empty feeling in my heart. Now I know that only God can fill the voids in your life, but I knew that there was something out there for me that he wanted for me. And as the extrovert that I am, I needed to have a Christian community outside of school to fellowship with other people. 

After spending more time with my church family than I have since coming back to school this past weekend, it has reminded me of how grateful I am that God uses every little situation in our lives to bring us to where we are today. 

I was talking to my friend, Hilary (who is also my pastor's wife), and we were both exchanging stories of examples that we've seen God use situations in our lives or others and how it has brought us to where we are and allowed us to get to where we are at today. It's a little hard to believe if you think enough about it. For example, the idea that I almost could've gone to one of my friends' churches instead of my old home church could've meant that I would've never met Darell and that I wouldn't have been at Family Church or even Vanguard (my old youth leader introduced me to my school). 

A lot of people say that college is the time where most people question and even leave their faith, but why not make it the opposite? College could just as well be a time for people to explore, even grow in faith. I know that some people have bad experiences with church and/or religion, but please don't think that every single church or person who has any belief in God is that way. Not everyone fits the mold of whatever kind of bad experience you may have had with your faith. 

I originally wanted to write this post just to show appreciation for my church, but now I feel like there could be more to why I wrote this post than that. Maybe someone needs to know or read that there is hope in Christianity. Not every Christian hates gay people (actually I don't think that most do to begin with), not every Christian is "holier than thou," but yes, all Christians are hypocrites to an extent. We all talk about not sinning, but because we are human we are going to do it, whether we know it or not. But, I will say that not every Christian is afraid to admit that they still do things wrong. 

I don't know how this will benefit you or if it will at all, but I still think it's important to write this. 

So, do you want to find/come back/grow in your faith? 

My first tip? Pray. Prayer doesn't have to be formal and you don't have to use big, fancy, "Christian" words. Just have a conversation with God. Want to close your eyes and bow your head? Go ahead. Want to talk to him like you talk to your friends? You can do that too. Do what feels comfortable. Personal prayer is between you and God. If you are coming back to God or want to just grow in your faith, pray to God exactly about that and to keep you on track towards Him. If you want to find Jesus for the first time, then pray a prayer asking him to forgive you and to invite him into your heart. It doesn't matter how you say it; as long as you're genuine with what you say then it will definitely mean something to God. 

What's next? Dive into God's Word. Start reading the Bible weekly, then eventually daily. If you don't own one, there are apps for your laptop, tablet, or smartphone for the Bible, or you can even go on a website like Bible Gateway. Some people say to start with Matthew or John to learn about Jesus and his ministries, but I personally would say to start reading Proverbs because it's my favorite book, and the advice given in the book is straightforward and encouraging. But no matter where you start, you'll end up learning and reading some good stuff [: If the Bible is too intimidating for you to just pick a place to start reading, try looking for a devotional, whether in your Bible or in a devotional book or a website. I really like Hillsong Young & Free's Devotional. 

My last tip for now? Talk with others. Fellowship with other people who are going through what you're going through and see things in a similar way in regards to faith helps so much on your faith journey. Talk to your Christian friends or family. Talk to people in your church. If you don't know anyone or don't feel comfortable enough talking to anyone in your life about this, there is a website called chataboutjesus.com. It sounds fake, but I actually tried it once after seeing a commercial for it because I wanted to see how it worked. The people volunteering for that website are good people. Or, you are free to email me at throughtheeyesofacaligirl@gmail.com. I would love to talk and help as much as possible. And no judgement here--I've done lots of things wrong so I can't judge on you. If you don't have a home church, this would also be the best time to start looking around for one until you find one that fits you and makes you feel comfortable and safe enough to grow and confide in the people there. 

So those are the ways to start getting on with your faith. Faith isn't a three-step process, but I wanted to divide it and simplify it as much as possible to make it easy to understand and manageable to do. I know that the post is long but I hope that this helps. Until then, God bless you all!

Chau for now♥