"The Earth explodes

She cannot hold Him!

And all therein is placed beneath Him

And death itself no longer reigns

It cannot keep the ones he gave himself to save

And as the universe shatters the

Darkness disolves

He alone will be honored

We will bathe in his splendor

As all heads bow lower still

All heads bow lower still"

( The lyrics and intensity behind this song get me every time)
Lower still- My Epic 

____NatalieEmma____

Forgiveness

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? “Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22 

Forgiveness like this is a hard concept to grasp. To be able to forgive someone over and over again. No matter how many times they mess up, no matter how many times they hurt you. We are called to forgiveness. 

What a hard concept to grasp. But if you put it in the eyes of Jesus, that is what He does for us. Even if we talk poorly about him, try to lie to him, attempt to hide things from him, or knowingly do something that hurts him. He forgives us." Be Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 No matter what is going on in your life. I pray that God would bring peace into your heart. Have your hope placed in Christ, have your roots in his love. And in every season, bear fruit that will honor and glorify his name. You are children of the Almighty God. John 7:38 says that if you place your heart in Christ, then out of your heart will flow rivers of living water.

So I challenge you to look up to Christ in every season. Forgive those who hurt you. Honor them, love them, and bless them as best as you can. Ask God for the Ability to forgive the people who hurt you, 

Ask Him for the courage to love even when you are in pain. For this is Gods will for you.

 " Bless those who curse you, bless them and do NOT curse them." (Romans 12:14) "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who hurt you." (Matthew 5:44) "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, and do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you." Luke 6:27-28
--NatalieEmma

"I have been thinking hard about us trading places. Maybe I could wear Your beauty, if You put on my shame. Jesus, I've been trying so hard to look like You that I almost missed the worst of what I put You through. You didn't die for sins, You died covered in them. A prideful, lying thief, gasping out my final breath."

Alone by My Epic
-BrookeAnn

Jesus, You're beautiful.

Thankkffffullllnnnessssss

                 ^{Psalm 16
7} I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful^[b] one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

          

             Okay, so recently, I've found that when I read that verse, I'm reading a list of things to be thankful for. How cool is that? When your day proves to be hard, stressful or frightening, it's nice to know that God has lists of reasons to be thankful. God has recently been highlighting the things, people and experiences in my life that are worth being joyful about. It's easy to fall into the cycle of sadness. It's simple to point out our frustrations, hurts and disappointments. However, It's so worth it and rewarding to recognize the good things. I've really been thinking about that idea. Lists. If I'm being completely honest, I'm a list person. I write my days down. I write my groceries down. I write lists for almost everything. So that made me wonder. What about my mental list? What kind of a list am I making for each day. Is it a list of hurt, frustration and anxiety beat down with depression? Or is it a list of thankfulness, joy and courage? I decided to start making a list. I'm writing down (mentally and physically) a list of good things for each day. It has shown me how to be truly thankful for each day and the people in it.
             And, with that I'd like to challenge you. If you can, grab your favorite pen and a piece of paper. Write down your highlights or lessons learned. Most especially, you should write down the things you're thankful for.

My list for today:
1. God's continuous grace for me.
2. My lack of extraneous amounts of school.
3. My keyboard.
4. My family's Mississippi gumbo.
5. My Dad's job ending for now.
6. Sleep.
7. A seemingly never ending poking war.
8. Random text messages from fantastic friends.
9. Singing..sometimes;)
10. Warm sweatshirts and blankets.
11. Good friends.
12. Choir music covers.
13. Slowly but steadily learning guitar.
14. My Bible.
15. The Left Behind Series.
16. Good music.
17. This connect the dots game. It's harder than it sounds.

       I would encourage y'all to get your thankfulness grove on. It's fun and I know it helped me to recognize God's hand in my life.

                       Colossians 2

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him,

⁷ rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

 ANNNDDDDD, so ends my late-night thoughts. Goodnight, everyone. Happy Monday.

-BrookeAnn

Not my own will, father. But yours.

It is in these moments, when we are at our absolute breaking point. When the tears are flowing and our hearts our hurting. When we feel as though we are beginning to lose all that we have ever known. That we as people, must turn our face to God, we must humble our hearts before him, and we must lay down the desires of our hearts.
Any one who knows me knows that I cannot stand to see hurting, broken, or lonely people. My heart is for those who have seen the depths of depression, loneliness, and confusion.
Because of this, I am currently learning how to be the friend that God has called me to be. I am learning how to suffer not for my own name, but for his. God is bringing me into a place where I am used by him to tend to the broken. And it is by far the most humbling experience of my life.
As a Christian, I am a strong believer in that fact that we have to place our roots of happiness in the love of God, and not on the happenings of this world. I live by the Bible verse 1 Thessalonians 5:16 " Always be Happy." Now, That isn't to say that I am never sad. I could never claim that without being a liar. However God had shown me through many personal encounters with sadness, and what feels like the death process, that just as Jesus was strong in the midst of death, so must I be when I am face to face with something that seems bigger then me. We all have our battles, we all face what feels like spiritual death, but it is in those moments. When we feel like the smallest people in the world. That we must discipline ourselves to not look side to side and try to find fulfillment in this world, but we must look up to the Creator of the world.
For " Jesus did not die on the cross so that we wouldn't have to, he died on the cross to show us how."
Pick up your cross and bear it with honor, even when beuing brutally whipped. Scream out the name of Jesus and pray for those surrounding you. Look up. Look up to the one who made you, the one that you depend on for your strength, pick up your cross and truly learn what it means to suffer for Christs sake and for the establishment of the Kingdom of heaven,

Phillipians 4:5-7  " Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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."

BE ENCOURAGED. YOU ARE LOVED MORE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE. AND GOD IS WITH YOU EVERY. STEP. OF. THE. WAY. 
--Natalie Soto

“You are a unique creation made by God to live and not simply exist. You soul longs to find its ultimate purpose. It will not rest until you do. Your soul craves its destiny. Your soul desires. It always will. You were created as a creative being. You were made to grow, to dream, to achieve. Your soul is letting you know you come from God and your life is intended to be God-sized and God-inspired."-- Erwin Mcmanus