When Two Worlds Meet

Leslie Marie Shelton is an UNBELIEVABLY good piano player. I'm listening to her right now. Nice. (Shouts)

Where was I....? 3 months later, so much has happened. It is well documented in my journals. To continue on with things current...

Tuesday night is the immediate burden on my heart for prayer right now. Some people are getting together at my house to go reach the lost, treasure hunting style. I'm so excited for it. And that alone is a HUGE testament to the Lord's genuine, real change in my heart. How crazy to be excited, and anxiously anticipating evangelism!?! Lord I praise You for evidences of Your life-changing love! Haha!

Any who...Tuesday. I asked a friend of mine Justin if he could head over, and he said he might could bring some acc'ers. Nice. I'm excited for multiple reasons, mostly because it's another chance to watch the Lord use the power of the Holy Spirit to make Himself known. Here's the verse on my heart:

But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!" 1 Co. 14:24

Something interesting about that verse, "secrets" is sometimes translated as "treasures." Does this verse have another meaning? :)

Okay, I'm done. Admittedly, this blog is a by-product of my procrastination.

Toodles!

Seeking

I was praying today about my future. Like I do A LOT. Anyway, I have been praying about it for a long time, especially these past few months. At the beginning of the semester, I received silence. Then for awhile, He was pressing patience and waiting on Him. Today the message changed! Bear in mind, these messages lasted months, and a new one merits praise!

He told me, "Seek righteousness." What a great message! It involves real action; I'm very excited. And talking with Ell's today (shout out) she told me, "Yeah! Like in Micah 6:8, my favorite verse!" Which I knew, cause I know her so well :) But there is something about timing that our timeless God understands. Anyway, here is that verse:

⁸He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

I am excited about what He is slowly revealing. I will seek what He has revealed.

On Love And Identity

Successful first week! ...... sort of. I found out the OJ i was drinking has Vitamin D3 in it, which is ALWAYS from animals. Fail. But as for that oversight my first week of eating no animal products proved successful, as I did not fall over and collapse from malnutrition! And that is success.

Me and Kayla are reading through 1 John, and we came across one of my new favorite verses in the Bible as of now. Here is the passage from 4:16-17 -

¹⁶So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. ¹⁷By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

The title of this section is "God is Love" in the ESV. Here was the revelation that came through this. We are love. Crazy, right??? But what I love about these verses is that they touch on our Identity. These verses are crazy similar to earlier, at the end of chapter 3, where John urges us to love our brothers. I had thought before that he was just repeating himself in the later chapter 4 verses in this section. But it is entirely different in nature, in that it's defining feature is that it tells us "as He is, so also are we." As He is Love, in this world, we are Love. He touches on Identity here, verses loving in action as earlier in chapter 3.

This entire book has been so encouraging. One of my favorite verses from here ties into this, it says "He who loves his brother, lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." We ARE love, what is in us to make us stumble? Let all our actions be motivated by love, and we cannot stumble!

Let it Vegan!

Haha, the pun on "begin" sounding like "vegan" isn't a new one, but I will use it since it's new with me!

Yes all, I am vegan now. I know that some know and some don't, but for the past three days I have, to the best of my knowledge, stayed from things and foods that dealt with animals in their process of being made. I know that I am not perfect. I am still studying, learning and reading as much as I can as to what to avoid and, most especially, what I can eat! I understand that I work at a food restaurant that sells meat, but it would just not be wise or realistic for me to quit my job over it. I do know that I can do what I can to what I know the Lord has called me to.

Since my transition, the Lord has had so much grace with me, in that I don't ever feel at all like I'm dying for a hamburger or some cheese. I actually don't feel any desire to eat meat, at least for now, though I can't imagine wanting to.

As to how it began, suffice to say that I have felt convicted in my heart. I know that in my heart is where the Holy Spirit is. I am no stranger to His voice or His movement, and when I learned about what happens to animals in the meat industry, how they are abused, mistreated, brutally murdered, I could not help but feel such pity and sympathy. I know for a fact that this was not a decision that was made by me, but rather for me. I didn't simply 'decide' I was to be vegan, but just knew in my heart that this was the next logical step for me to take, fully knowing that it has been the Lord guiding me the whole time.

And such freedom it has been! It is one of the most freeing and exciting endeavors I have ever undertaken! It is fun planning dinners and checking nutrition!

On top of that, it is sweet seeing the confirmation in the word, and seeing how He has blessed me since stepping out in faith towards what I felt so strongly for. One of the most distinct things I know is from the book of Romans. It always scared me, truthfully, because of its intensity and I was afraid that I would not understand it. Two years ago, I started to try to independently study it, to no avail. I stopped after a million things I had read I didn't understand, and one that I always remembered very distinctly was the verse, "Everything that is not from faith is sin."(14:23) I freaked when I read that. How do I put that to practice? What does that even mean? How can it be tested? So many questions, but I just gave that to God....until NOW!

I feel very strongly in my heart that He has shown me how to put that into practice now. But as to how to word it......simply following His convictions? Knowing the movement and will of the Spirit, indwell'd? I don't know how to say other than what someone wise once told me, "work out your faith with fear and trembling."

I do not think becoming vegan is for everyone. I think it unwise to make a religion out of a conviction. If you feel it, it is in your best interest to follow through. I was scared, because I had NO IDEA how to be one. But the Lord has Grace enough for that, and has blessed me considerably. However, if there is no movement of the Spirit in this way, He is surely calling your attention to other things. I know, though, that to veganism is where I am called, and to Him, how can I deny? Truly, He is more satisfying.