New Direction + Announcement

As some of you may know, I have been trying to balance two blogs about completely different things, Jesus and books, for a while now. I have also been wanting to add in a bit more of a lifestyle/ adventure aspect to my blogs. So, from here on out Undeniable Joy is going to be my primary blog where I post about the things that make me unabashedly, undeniably joyful! I am going to be posting more frequently, with more variety! I hope we can all embrace this change and that it makes y'all as happy as it makes me! If you have any blog post ideas that are religious, book related, life style, or outdoors-y please comment them down below! I would absolutely love to hear your ideas!

July Wrap Up 2017

My reading this month wasn't too shabby, considering I was travelling for 16 out of 31 days this month. I went on my Chrysallis Flight, went to Washington (the State), and worked as a camp counselor. Throughout all of that, I was able to read 3 (and a half) books this month, so I am pretty happy!

The first book I read was An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I loved this book so much! It is for sure going to be on my top picks for this year! I have a full, in depth review of this book on my old blog, so click the link here to go check that out! I gave this one 5/5 stars! I adored it! The half book I mentioned above is A Torch Against the Night, which is the second book in this series. I had to put it on hold, though, to finish my books for class. :(
Then, I read On Writing: A Memoir by Stephen King for class. I did not enjoy this book at all due to Stephen King's writing and sense of humor rubbing me the wrong way. I wanted to learn about the craft of writing, not his dark childhood. If you like Stephen King and want to know more about his life, check it out. As for me, I gave it 3/5 stars.
The last book I read this month was A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. This book was horrible. I was expecting some deep connection that wove all times, places, and peoples together through drinks, but that was not what was delivered. He gave a bland, base history that only covered a few eras and countries. I gave this book 1.5/5 stars. It is not worth the time.
What books did you read in July? Comment down below because I would love to hear from you!

Only a Taste

Only a Taste

There is a feast. A grand feast, full of the most decadent, delicious foods. All of your favorite foods are here. If this were my feast, there would be Mac and Cheese, jambalaya, pizza, chick-fil-a grilled chicken sandwiches, watermelon, the list goes on and on. So, can you imagine walking into this grand room full of your favorite foods and only eating one noodle of Mac and Cheese? Then you walk out. All of that food is set out just for you. Someone lovingly prepared all of your favorite foods, only for you, and you don’t eat any of it. Who would do that?

Well, we do it everyday. God sets out platter upon platter of spiritual food and we don’t partake in the feast. He gives us the Bible, grace, worship, fellowship, prayer, love, peace, service, patience, and oh so much more. He gives us opportunities to grow and to take in his spirit, but we deny him. We don’t eat. Matthew 4:4 says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word of God.” Not some of the words of God, not a few, not one. Every word of God. We cannot stop after one bite. We can’t stop after two or three or four. We must take in his spirit daily, so we can grow and live and love.

What holds us back? What keeps us from coming to the table? Are we too busy? Do we not care enough about our spiritual health? Maybe it’s that we doubt the Lord, we don’t really believe in him with our whole hearts. If you truly have encountered the Lord, you would not quit, you would chase after him with everything that you have.

And some of us, we are at the table. We are eating. Some of us have met Jesus. Some of us know that God is good and abounding in love, overflowing with grace. But, our knowledge is only a taste of the biggest buffet in the entire universe. We know it exists, but we have no idea how vast that love and grace is for us. So, even if you are at the table, there is always space to grow more and know more.

There is one thing to remember in all of this. We cannot simply be spiritual consumers. We don’t want to be spiritually obese. Just as being physically obese is unhealthy, being spiritually obese is just as unhealthy. When you are trying to lose weight, you do two things, you eat well and exercise. Eating well spiritually means that we are only feasting on God, not on lies, not on sin, not on self-righteousness. Then, there is spiritual exercise. This is the hard part. Part of being a christian is building the kingdom. How can we build the kingdom? We make disciples, we love people, we serve them. “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26. Don’t just consume, serve. Build his kingdom. Share his love.

There is a feast. A grand feast, a never ending feast. And everyone is invited. Everyone is welcome. There are no outcasts, no loners, no mean girls. There is only God. There is only love. Come to the table and feast. But, do not stop there. What good does eating do if you don’t use the energy you have been given? Go, invite God to do his will in your life. Open yourself up. Build his kingdom.

Suggested listening: Come to the Table by Sidewalk Prophets

Suggested blog posts: Why do Serve Others?

The Problem of Spiritually Fat Christians

Suggested reading: Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, James 1:22, Matthew 7:24

Inspiration: July 20th- Morning Reading

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

I am sure we have all heard that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But, what does that mean? How can I apply that to my life? It is a calling to be a part of the body of Christ. It is a calling to serve God’s children. It is a calling to live and love in the spirit of Jesus.

Jesus did not just speak. He healed. He held. He threw his arms wide and said, “Come to me.” He has called us to build his kingdom here on Earth, not just with our words, but with our hands. Hands to hold, to heal, to help, and to hope. Jesus used his hands.

He didn’t sit at a distance and judge. He got up and went out into the crowds. He came to us, now we are called to do the same. He told us to go out into the nations. To be his feet, to travel in his name. Jesus used his feet.

Much like Jesus used his hands and his feet, we must also do so. He did not sit idle, he did things for people. We must use our hands and feet to love people and show them who Jesus is. Paul talks about the many parts of the body in 1 Corinthians 12. There aren’t just hands and feet in the body of Christ. There are eyes, ears, heads, legs, and arms. So, when we say to be the hands and feet of Jesus, it means that through the Spirit working through us, we use our bodies to do the work set out for us and to glorify the Lord.

How can we be the hands and feet of Christ? What can we do? It is so easy to say “Just love people, be positive, share the love of Christ, build a school in a foreign country.” But, for most of us, myself included, it is really not that easy. As much as I would love to, I don’t have the money to go on a mission trip. But, I do have a food bank near my house. There’s an animal shelter and an elderly home. How about we start there? Why don’t we begin with changing lives in our home towns? You don’t have to go overseas to be the hands and feet of Christ. You can show Jesus right where you are.

P.S. (a little bit of shameless self promo) You can find more art like the cover picture on my instagram, undeniable.joy.