Surrender

Is it possible that sometimes we can get so caught up in desiring to do God's will for our life that our destiny and what "we are designed to do" can sometimes take a lead on our priority list, maybe even surpassing God himself?

I realized this morning that I can sometimes do this. This is not something I like to admit at all, but I have learned that the quicker you squish your pride the less your pride can hurt you.

God is so willing to bless us. He wants to bless us more than we can even imagine. Sometimes, though I think our blessings can get in the way of our relationship with God. I have to remind myself that knowing God is so much more important than anything in the whole world - even what He blesses me with. God wants to be known, He wants to show himself to us, He wants to engage in an awesome and dynamic relationship with us that is real and life changing.

So, today I surrender to God everything that I hold important in my life. In all my searches of what He wants me to do and what step I should take next; I am holding Him above all else. I want Him to know that I hold Him first in my life. He is more important than what He has called me to do.

Surrender

Come On Ride That Train

The Aggies won today.

Jovorskie Lane played today and it was awesome. If anyone happened to see the last three minutes of the game - you know why!

Last week Chris, Wes, and I went to the Miami game and J Lane did not play. It was an awful and boring game and I was completely disinterested. Chris was greatly distressed because he thought I was falling out of love with Aggie football, but this was untrue - I was just upset because Jovorskie was not playing. I would like to note that Jovorskie's absence was not the only reason why the game stunk - I think that was obvious.

I realize that he may be a little fat but that absolutely does not stop him from running fast and moving the ball down the field. In fact, he told me one time that he ate Lucky Charms to make him fast. :)

So, thank you Mike Sherman for putting in the J Train for me today - you made my heart happy!

I am not trying to be a football expert. I am just letting you know that I think Aggie football is a lot more interesting when the J Train plays.

Joseph=every one of us.

So, God's been talking to me a lot lately through the story of Joseph. It's a story that I have studied quite a bit over time, but lately God has been randomly reminding me of certain parts of the story in order to then speak some encouragement into my life. I want to share some of those things in the hope and belief that the Lord will encourage your life too through my words here.

Some opening thoughts: Just because you aren't called to rule the known world doesn't mean this story isn't about you. That was God's unique call on Joseph's life. He has a unique call for each one of us! Living for eternity is about living to fulfill that call - your call………..Next thought – If you are willing to follow what God has for you, there will be a process. Each pit, chain, and prison that God lead Joseph into was not to hurt him. It was for the purpose of making and sculpting him into the man that God needed – a man chosen to preserve posterity for God's chosen people of Israel in a time of great need.

 

I am so amazed by this man. He did not have Christ in His heart as you and I. He didn't have the Holy Spirit walking with him at every moment to lead and guide his steps as you and I do. Yet, he consistently forgave, walked in integrity, and endured.

 

He forgave his family who sold him into slavery instead of murdering him. He forgave Potiphar's wife. He forgave Pharaohs' butler who forgot and left him in prison for two years (after Joseph had asked him to remember).

He walked in integrity when he had no reason to. In that situation, would you not find yourself asking, "What do I have to lose? I am already a slave in a foreign land. I might as well get something out of this for myself." But no, he was so trustworthy that Potiphar made him lord of his whole house. (Go read what he says to Potiphars wife!) He was thrown into prison under false charges – and it did not change who he was or what he did. Would you not be tempted to defend yourself? Would you not be tempted to curse God and die? You have just worked up to a reasonable place in a land not your own – to get thrown into prison. Would you not struggle with depression now? (Before God I must honestly say that would be difficult.) Yet Joseph remembered his dream and the God of his fathers.

He endured. This one is what I would think would be the hardest. (Ok, maybe I'm biased here. I feel like I'm going through this myself. No, I am not in prison. But I am a man who has a dream of owning a business and running it for the sake of the Kingdom. I am "stuck" in the most corporate job – waiting. This is a test. I have a choice. I can be bitter, I can lose hope, I can get frustrated and allow my heart to get hard; or, I can remember my dream and the God who lives in my heart.) Joseph passed this test. He endured the test of time, and God knew that he would steward whatever was put in front of him. By the process God led him through; Joseph was shown to have character.

 

Please allow me the position of making this a little personal. Has your family done things that hurt? How did you handle that? Joseph was sold into slavery for $20. Have you been unwilling to see what God has for you in the midst of pain and unfair treatment? Have you cursed him as you waited for His promises to come true? WE ALL HAVE STRUGGLES! How we chose to handle the processes (Processes – Chris's "spiritual" way of saying "really difficult hurt and trials.") that God supernaturally leads us through will determine the extent that we live the dreams that He has placed in our hearts. I encourage you this morning – as I encourage my own heart - to endure. I believe that the Spirit of Jesus Christ that lives within us is able and willing to give us the grace that is required for the situation that we face. I am not so naïve as to think that I can personally understand all of the "processes" God has lead/is leading you through, but this thing I know – He does. He forgave, walked in perfect integrity, and endured for the sake of the glory that was set before Him – our redemption.

Ellen and Randy

Our amazing friends have started their own ministry - Monologue Culture.

Ellen - who is extremely gifted in the arena of music has written a song that is absolutely amazing! I suggest all of you listen to it!

Just scroll to the bottom of the screen and press play, after you click here:
http://www.monologueculture.com/Site/Media__Blog/Entries/2008/9/24_Peace.html


So amazingly awesome!!

Bulletin

So my freaking cool wife is kicking my butt at this whole blogging thing.

I'm sitting here this evening in our apartment. She is on her way back from her super cool new Beth Moore Bible study. I am waiting excitedly for her return, drinking a Negra Modelo beer, listening to my new Randy Rogers cd, paying bills, and tending to the email.

Topofthehills readers be informed by this bulletin. I have Friday off. I am excited. There is some stuff brewing in my little self that I am very excited to have the opportunity to share with you.

 

Stay tuned hill fans.

 

Seriously though…have you read what this girl writes on here? Man, did I luck out or what? (I'll be honest, I'm so in love it should probably make you sick to your stomach.)

See you Friday after coffee and Jesus time,

Mr. Hill

Updates and Besties

About a week or so I wrote about lots of things that were changing in Chris and I's life. So I just wanted to update ya'll that God is keeping us where we are at and is not changing us in the physical sense, although He is personally changing me everyday.

We thought that we might be moving to Midland, TX because of Chris's job. Chris is an extremely brilliant and excellent oilman and so everyone wants him to come work for them. Chris's current bosses did not want to give up Chris to "them" and told "them" that they will keep him because he is too valuable. So "We" shall stay in Houston.

This will mark our third attempt to move to another city in Texas other than Houston. This will also mark the third time God has kept us in Houston. This will also mark us taking the hint and really settling down and putting our roots down. I have to be honest that my nesting nature is glad that I can finally, really, and truly NEST in my beloved Houston.

I lived in Aberdeen, Scotland during elementary school or primary school as they call it. While being in that beautiful country, which has the best cookies in the world, my heart yearned and longed for Texas and for Houston. I longed for Mexican food and to see men who wear cowboy boots. So, needless to say - WHOOP - we are staying in Houston - which outside of San Antonio has the best Mexican food within the continental United States - and a lot of men, including my husband, wear cowboy boots.

:)

This morning I was walking in circles around our apartment complex talking to Shaina who is a "bestie". First I would like to say that I love walking outside because I feel like God speaks to me best outside, and I have ended up just walking around our apartment complex because I have not found a better place around here. Second - Shaina is awesome and I love that God gives us friends who can tell us what's up. So I poured my heart out to her this morning...

We were both talking about looking for jobs. Due to the economy there are not a lot of awesome jobs out there right now, but also both of us are not totally positive what we want to do so nothing really looks appealing. During this conversation I asked her if she could do anything in the world what would she do? Then she asked me the same thing - and I realized that God has positioned me in life so that I can do what I really want to do - and that is to write.

My freshman year of college God told me to write a book. So even though I feel totally unqualified, I am going to write this book. I am going to obey because I know that if I don't God will give the book to someone else and He will not give me another assignment.

Like I wrote yesterday - His peace is where His presence is - and that is where we are supposed to be too!

Peace is where His presence is

Randy Olive told Chris and I this when he and Ellen told us they were going to start Monologue Culture http://www.monologueculture.com- which is a ministry focused on developing a strong and healthy family dynamic.

This thought helped me out today as I continued in my weekly routine of grocery shopping, seeking the Lord, cleaning, and attempting to creatively decorate. In all of these activities my heart is seeking Jesus for what He has called me to do. In a sense I know the big picture of what He has called me to do, but it is the next step of this call that I am unsure of. Patience is not something that I am extremely good at, and being patient is what God is calling me to do. He has me in a place of just simply waiting, learning, and leaning on Him - experiencing the deepness of His love for me. Some might think "Well, Jess this is simply an awesome place to be...", but you must realize that this also requires me being still. Learning to lean on and experience His love, for the moment, is requiring me to be still and to be satisfied where He has me. I feel totally humbled and my flesh wants to move forward in any direction than where I am now. I want desperately to live the life God has called me live - even at the expense of my flesh being humbled.

So I have peace where I am even though I want to see if I can find peace else where. Randy's words rang loudly in my heart today as I realized that God's presence is where I am now. So it is here that I will stay until God's peace moves me elsewhere.

A recipe for the weekend

This is one of my new favorites - it is really healthy!

I cannot take the credit for coming up with it though...

Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach Recipe courtesy Ellie Krieger

1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved 8 ounces baby spinach 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice 2 cups whole wheat couscous, cooked Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the balsamic vinegar and chicken broth to the pan and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Place the couscous in a serving bowl. Top with the spinach, chicken and balsamic-tomato sauce.