Food for Thought

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing, and perfect will."  ~Romans 12:2

This verse has been on my heart a lot these days. I'm not exactly sure why God's been giving this part of the chapter to me lately, but it's been getting me to thinking. As Christians, we are supposed to be non-conformists. This doesn't just mean that by calling ourselves Christians that we are not conforming. No, living this verse is so much more than that.

Think about everything that happens in your life on a daily basis. What consumes your mind? Are you more focused on hanging out with your friends, making sure your car is the one that everyone envies, which person likes whom, musicians, movies, or celebrities than on what is pleasing to God? Do you choose to become so consumed in your life that you don't even realize when you are grieving the Lord? Are you willing to throw your morals out the window to fit in to a group of people?

Sadly, this is true for many people that call themselves Christians. They become so obsessed with their lives, money, social standing, and posessions that they take their eyes off of the Lord. It reminds me of a song by Sanctus Real, called "Things Like You":

Everyone wants everyone else's eveything. Sometimes the more we have the less we really gain. I'm tired of life and all that money has to buy. Get out of my heart, out of my mind, leaving you behind.

Again, I'm not trying to judge here; I'm just voicing what's been on my heart and mind lately. I feel that, as Christians, we should be standing up more and more for our faith and pointing others towards Jesus. We can't show His love to people if we're acting exactly the way the world does. Think about it... as Paul said in verse 2 of Romans chapter 12, we are not to conform to the pattern of the world. We must be IN the world, but not OF it.

So there's some food for thought.

God bless!
Elyssa =)

You've Gotta Love Technology...

Oy, me and technology do NOT get along very well... I accidentally deleted all of my posts, so if you happen to see a ton of posts from me, I'm just trying to get back the important ones that I really hope will encourage you guys. Anyway, sorry if I'm a bother or anything!

Hope your weekend is great!

God bless,
Elyssa =)

Good Friday

What came to mind when you read the title to this post? Did you think of just another holiday on the calendar, did you think "oh, hey, there's only 3 more days until Easter!", or did your mind instantly go to chocolate bunnies, dyed eggs, and dresses? Let me ask you one more question: did Jesus come to mind at all? 

Bear with me here, alright? I'm not bashing anyone or being judgmental or anything. I'm just simply voicing a question that has been on my mind a lot these days. When has Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday become Easter, the holiday for more candy and rabbits? When did it become all about gifts instead of the gift that Jesus gave us that day on Golgotha when He hung on that cross? This is a time to remember the unfathomable love of our Lord and Savior, a time to remember how much He went through all because He wants us to live forever with Him. 

Think about it... Jesus didn't have to come to earth and become a man. He could've stayed in heaven with God and let us continue on in our sin- but He didn't. He loves us so much that He became a man, died a criminal's death when He did nothing wrong, and bore so much pain and affliction. 

The wonderful thing about this story is that it doesn't end there; three days later, He rose again from the grave and proved that not even death could hold the Son of God. He conquered death, rose from the grave, and now sits at the right hand of the Father. He wants us to remember that this holiday isn't about spring finally being here, loads of candy that will keep you crazy for weeks afterwards, or the eggs that are hidden in your backyard. He wants us to remember His unconditional love. 

Some of you might cringe at the thought of what Jesus went through, and might not even want to imagine all of it. But you know what? It really happened. Jesus endured much more than what even the movies show. Yet He did that all for you: 

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of many sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him striken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." ~Isaiah 53:3-5

I don't know about you, but every time I read this, the weight of everything Jesus endured hits me hard. Deep, that's for sure!

Well, anyway, I hope that you and your family have an amazing Resurrection Sunday, and that you never forget how deep the Father's love for you is (check out that song... simply amazing!)! 

He is risen indeed!
Elyssa =) 



What mercy was revealed 
What selflessness and peace 
My fate was surely sealed 
Until He rescued me 
His pardon for my sin 
His bounty for my need 
From slavery and shame 
I am redeemed 

And Heaven can't contain 
The glory of the Son 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One 
His love has made a way 
The grave is overcome 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One 

No fear can hold me down 
Nor darkness steal my joy 
For blood has been poured out 
The enemy destroyed 
Death could not hold Him down 
The cross was not enough 
To steal away His throne 
For He is God 

And Heaven can't contain 
The glory of the Son 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One 
His love has made a way 
The grave is overcome 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One 

Anyone who calls upon His name 
They will be saved 
They will be saved 
Anyone who calls upon His name 
They will be saved 
They will be saved 

And Heaven can't contain 
The glory of the Son 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One 
His love has made a way 
The grave is overcome 
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One [x2]

Anyone who calls upon His name 
They will be saved 
They will be saved 
Anyone who calls upon His name 
They will be saved 
They will be saved 

Sanctus Real - Forgiven

I've been hearing this song a lot lately (LOVE it!), and thought I'd share with you guys. Always remember: "When I don't fit in and I don't feel like I belong anywhere, when I don't measure up to much in this life, I'm a treasure in the Arms of Christ!"  

Have a great day!

God bless,
Elyssa =)

Musing

I thought I'd share some verses with you guys: Proverbs 3:5-6, Philippians 4:6-7, and Philippians 4:13. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

These three verses have really been speaking to me in the past few weeks. God's been showing me that, yes, things in my life are changing and new, but if I trust in Him He'll take care of everything. He's showing me to not be anxious about anything at all- not even small things-, and that I really cando all things through Christ who strengthens me. These verses have been really encouraging, giving me the peace each day when I start my day. It's just a good reminder that when I lay everything down at the feet of Jesus I have nothing to worry about- He'll take care of me and the situation I might be going through. All I have to do is trust Him and remember that it'll be alright in the end. 

I don't know about you guys, but I find this really encouraging! I hope you do too! 

Have a great week!

God bless, 
Elyssa =)

Quote Time!

I thought I'd share some quotes with you today... I hope you enjoy them!

"God never suns out of grace. In every season of life, in every heart that knows Him, loves Him, and seeks to serve Him, God's grace abides." ~BJ Hoff, Where Grace Abides

"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." ~Helen Keller

"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway." ~John Wayne

"Humility is a strange thing- when you think you've found it, you've lost it." ~Amish proverb

"Stand firm in the Lord. Stand firm and let Him fight your battle. Do not try to fight alone." ~Francine Rivers, A Voice in the Wind

"The truth is inconvertible; malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is." ~Winston Churchill

"...Most men and women will yield to the strong currents sucking them into the seas of ruin. Only the strongest in mind and spirit will swim against that current." ~Ted Dekker, Red

"The great thing to remember is that though our feelings come and go God's love for us does not." ~C.S. Lewis

"A Bible that's falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn't." ~Charles Spurgeon

"Unbelief says, 'How can such and such things be?' It is full of 'hows'; but faith has one great answer to the ten thoughts 'hows', and that answer is- GOD!" ~C.H.M.

"Compare yourself only with Jesus." ~A.W. Tozer


I hope some of these made you smile, and maybe even encouraged you in some way! 

God bless!
Elyssa =) 

Some Encouragement

Good morning and Happy New Year, fellow bloggers! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year! I thought a great way to start 2012 would be to share a Scripture with all of you. It's one of my favorites and a huge reminder of how great God is. It's from Psalm 139, verses 7-10:

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast."


Whenever I hear this verse I'm once again reminded that no matter what, the Lord will be right by my side. He'll never leave me, and I don't have to worry about what comes my way- He'll take care of me the entire way. With the start of a new year, it's always a good thing to remember- especially with new experiences, challenges, and maybe even so some trials that might come our way.

Alright, so that just about wraps it up. I hope these verses encouraged you this morning, and that you press on in every area of your life. Remember, you're never alone!

God bless!
Elyssa =) 

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. 
            His love endures forever. 
Give thanks to the God of gods. 
            His love endures forever. 
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: 
            His love endures forever. 
 to Him who alone does great wonders, 
            His love endures forever. 
who by His understanding made the heavens, 
            His love endures forever. 
who spread out the earth upon the waters, 
            His love endures forever. 
who made the great lights— 
            His love endures forever. 
the sun to govern the day, 
            His love endures forever. 
the moon and stars to govern the night; 
            His love endures forever... 
 ...to the One who remembered us in our low estate 
            His love endures forever. 
and freed us from our enemies. 
            His love endures forever. 
He gives food to every creature. 
            His love endures forever. 
 Give thanks to the God of heaven. 
            His love endures forever."

~Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26


I don't know about you guys, but I have a LOT to be thankful for this year! I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, and that you enjoy your day with your family and friends. And don't forget to take some time to think about what you're thankful for and what God has blessed you with!

God bless!
Elyssa =) 

Sanctus Real The Redeemer

The first time I heard this song I instantly fell in love with it. I've followed Sanctus Real pretty much from the beginning because of my sister, but really hadn't listened to their latest album, Pieces of a Real Heart, since it came out last year. But I had followed the lead singer, Matt Hammit, and his wife as they had their baby boy, who was born with a heart defect a little over a year ago. Their story is amazing, and I encourage you guys to Google it. It's more proof of how amazing God is!

My favorite part of this song is, "I don't have every answer in life, but I'm trusting You one day at a time. 'Cause You can make a weak heart stay alive forever." At this point in life I wish I had answers to some of my questions, yet I don't. But like the song says, "I'm trusting You one day at a time." If I didn't trust God with all of my problems, I honestly think I'd be crazy right now. I just have to take one day at a time and not think about what the future might hold.

I encourage all of you to listen to this song, to relate it to your life. The lead singer wrote it because of what he and his wife knew about their baby boy being born with a heart defect, but it can also relate to my life where direction is concerned. I really feel that this album (now that I've actually listened to the whole thing, lol) has relateable songs on it, and that it can encourage and cheer anyone up that needs it. So if you know Sanctus Real but haven't heard their new album, or even if you have no idea who they are, check this song out! I hope you enjoy it!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 6:34

God bless,
Elyssa =)

Have You Forgotten?

If you would, picture with me a fourth grade classroom. You're a few days into the new school year, and you're ready to get the day started one sunny, beautiful Tuesday morning. You walk into your classroom like you do every morning, but as you're putting your backpack in the closet and grabbing a chair for your desk, a kid tells you something you don't hear every day: "A plane crashed into the Twin Towers." Now, you're eight years old; you have no clue what that could mean. It couldn't be anything big, right? Just a small plane that did little damage.

The day continues on normally, until your teacher gives you a paper on safety. You've gotten these before, so you naturally assume it has to do with some creeper guy in the area to watch out for. You put the paper in your backpack, head on the bus, and walk the short distance from the bus stop to your house, where your mom is standing at the door waiting for you. Everything seems normal... until your mom sits you down at the kitchen table, kneels in front of you, and tells you about how terrorists hit the Twin Towers.

This kid was me ten years ago.

I seriously can't believe it's been this long. Back then I really had no idea the extent of all that was going on, only that it seemed so strange that people would think killing themselves and other people was the will of their god. My initial reaction all those years ago was, "Why?" My eight-year old self couldn't fathom the idea of all of it. Why would someone want to do something so awful? Why would they want to kill all those innocent people? Why New York City, only a few hours from where I live?

Even ten years later I still don't have all of these answers. But one thing I do know: God let it happen for a reason. I honestly don't think our nation has drawn closer to Him in these ten years, and it really gets me sad. To think that it took such a horrible tragedy to open some people's eyes to the truth, while others blatantly turned their backs on God for allowing this to happen breaks my heart. Some people refuse to talk about it all together, only because it's a subject that's touchy and they don't want to think about it.

Well, I don't think that's right.

September 11th happened whether they want to acknowledge it or not, and I think that people shouldn't forget what happened. I feel that our nation needs to turn back to God, beg His forgiveness, and needs to follow the principles our nation was founded on all of those years ago. I feel like we need to remember what happened that fateful September morning, and that we shouldn't take our freedom for granted. My grandpa, who was by far the most patriotic person I've ever known, taught me well. He always told me to be proud to be an American, to be thankful for the freedom we have.

As a Christian, I know that I need to pray for our country. It's in desperate need of help, and not help from people. We need help from God, who can turn this country around and lead us back to Him.

9/11/01: Never forget!

God bless,
Elyssa =) 

On A Rainy Day

Again, this title really has nothing to do with the post, lol. It's a little (okay, VERY) rainy this week, and I guess you can say I really would like to see the sun come out. 

Oy... I'm babbling once again, aren't I? Okay, let's move on, shall we?

I was reading last night (okay, if you didn't read the about me page you weren't warned that I'm a huge bookworm) and this quote popped up: "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." ~Corrie Ten Boom

Hmmm... that's something to think about, isn't it? I know it definitely is for me. You see, it feels like everything about my future is up in the air. Once again, I'm scared to death. But you know what? All I have to do is trust in the Lord, lean not on my own understanding, acknowledge Him in all my ways, and He'll make my path straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). He knows the plans He has for me, and I don't have anything to worry about. I just have to trust my unknown future to a known God. Pretty cool, huh?

Very wise words from Miss Ten Boom, don't you think?

*Looks out window* Oh hey, I think it stopped raining! ;)

Hope all of you are having a good week!

God bless,
Elyssa =)