Scissors and Jesus: A humbling moment in my seemingly mundane salon life

I woke up distracted today. Distracted, numb, and bleh. It's just been one of those weeks--the kind of week where you've neglected time in the Word and decided to take the self-sufficient trail.  Needless to say, I didn't arrive at school kingdom minded and pumped up for Jesus today.

God is gracious.

I had trudged along all day. Cut cut cut. Sweep sweep sweep. Cut. Sweep. Repeat.

Then a fourteen year old girl sat down in my chair. Hair shop small talk proceeded. Her hair was greasy (I don't do greasy) so I asked if I could wash her hair. Insecurely, she said, "I'm in DCS. We have allowances and I only have $7 left. I can only pay for the cut."  *dagger to the heart accepted* "It's on me. I'll wash and style it for you today no charge." I probed her with questions while washing her hair. Questions about her family and background. "Why are you in DCS?" "How long have you been there?" "Do you have foster parents?" "How has it been?"

The daggers kept coming. Her parents left her when she was 11 years old. She made it on her own for 2 months before going to the police station, and she's been with DCS ever since. She was put up for adoption 6 months ago, and she's a broken-hearted mess.

"When was the last time you cut your hair?" I asked.

"Well, it's been a while. The last time it was cut was when I did it. I cut it all off."

"Why did you do that?"

"For attention."

"Did it work?"

"No."

She draws my attention to the alarming number of scars that cover her arm.

"That's what these are for."

I had never seen so many scars on a person's body before. I didn't know what to say. I felt weak. I felt humbled. Despite how I've acted this past week, despite how I've not honored the Lord and not lived as though He's my all, I was reminded that I need Him. The world needs Him. Neglected and wounded 14 year old girls need Him.

"Ya' know, my dad was adopted. He never felt loved growing up. And then He found Jesus. He realized that  although his earthly father had neglected him and mistreated him, God loved Him and cherished Him."

"I've never liked church." she said. "How can I be happy when all this has happened to me?"

BOOM. The Problem of Evil.  The issue I had discussed and argued all my years at Bryan was now screaming at me in a salon chair. I don't know what I should have said to her, and there are many things I'm sure could have been said, but all I mustered was, "I understand, girl. My dad learned this the hard way, and I've learned it too, but just because God allows bad things to happen to you doesn't mean He doesn't love you."

And THIS is where I surrender everything to the Spirit of God. What I said doesn't make sense. "Ya' know all this painful stuff you've been through? You know this place in life you're in? Yeah. You're there cause God allowed it...And He loves you by the way." Eesh. Truth? I believe so. Hard? Absolutely.

She eventually left, and the only thing I had done was listen to her, sympathize with her, and tell her Jesus loves her and that she can find hope in Him. Would I have loved to see her come to know the Lord right then and there and witness her find freedom and rest in Jesus? YES. But I am NOT the Spirit of God. The phrase "Jesus loves you" can only be truly believed by someone when the Spirit, in His mercy and timing, causes their heart to. I could have said things better, better yet I could have said everything right, but it is the Spirit who brings the dead to life, not me.

I'm thankful for that precious girl I met today. And I am praying for her. Praying that she WOULD find her hope and worth in Jesus Christ, and that God would heal her wounded heart and save her. He is faithful. May we continue to live and share the truth of Jesus' love, all the while clinging to His Spirit and trusting Him to do in peoples' hearts what only He can do.

50 Shades of Grey

And some of you think, “Pleasure could lead me to sin.”

You know what? Pleasure could lead you to worship, too. And I would encourage you, don’t go for shallow, lesser pleasures. Go for the deep pleasures, the desires of God.  -Mark Driscoll

Sex. Funny how that one word can rip someone's attention. E.L. James' best-selling book 50 Shades of Grey is on the forefront of the reading America's mind, particularly womens' minds.  This sexually charged book, dubbed as "mommy porn", is being completely absorbed by many women today, leaving them wanting.  To read a summary of the book, go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey  This subtly erotic book is dangerous in that it creates for women a twisted, fleshly craving that, in my opinion, does not align with what Christ intended for our sexuality.Approximately 90% of the women at my school have read or are reading this book.  "It's just so interesting!"  "Danielle, you have GOT to read it."  "It's hot and intriguing."  "I just wanna' know how it ends!"  These are just a few of the comments I've heard about this book. Our culture is starving for satisfaction. To feel whole. To feel wanted. To feel excitement. To feel loved and desired.  

I'm praying that God would use the popularity of this book as an opportunity for us as believers to share with those around us God's intentions for marriage and sex.  This is a heavy and important issue. May we be faithful in proclaiming the truth of the Gospel and all it entails.  May we be faithful in communicating and living out God's gracious design for us pertaining to sex and marriage.  God's biblical design for marriage and sex for our GOOD, friends. Sex is a beautiful thing. May we not be silent while books and messages like 50 Shades of Grey are screaming.

http://thinkchristian.net/do-women-really-want-50-shades-of-grey

"O Man Is a Giddy Thing."

Hola folks. It's been quuuuite some time since I've produced a decent post. Lo siento. Life has been a lil' cray-cray! Let's start with the quick updates. 1) I am STILL in cosmetology school...and by "still" I mean I'm not scheduled to graduate until October, and that feels soooo far away for some reason. 2) I'm in the process of changing part-time jobs and becoming a waitress. Woot. 3) I'm still a part of the leadership team for the youth at my church, and yes, I'm LOVING it. So blessed. 4) I'm in the process of planning a road trip to the Grand Canyon! "I'm excited!"=Biggest understatement of the century.

While these past few months have not been what I expected they'd be, I have begun to cherish this season of life because, through it, the Lord has done so many good things in my heart. The Lord brought me into circumstances that I would not have chosen for my self, and has been revealing things to me in ways I don't think I would have seen had I been anywhere else in life. This is good! Huzzah!

And can we just talk about the wedding/baby epidemic right now? Holy cow. So.Many.Weddings...and babies! I'm a pile of mush at weddings. I cry at every single one, every single time. I have the privilege of being in two weddings (can I get an "Amen!" for waterproof mascara?), and I am doing hair for many more. Weddings are beautiful happenings, and I have been blessed to witness and be a part of so many. God knew what He was doing when He established that institution.

In other news, my sibling are home from college, and our house is significantly louder and significantly warmer/brighter by them being here. Yesterday, I witnessed my brother, T.J., chase Bethany out of the house into the street at least two times. I also walked outside yesterday to find my sister, Bethany, walking around with her eyes closed fumbling around to find T.J. and Breanna, who were "hiding" from her and silently laughing. Apparently, T.J. had invented a game (not uncommon around here.) He had made a square boundary inside our driveway.  One person was "it" and had to close their eyes and try to tag the other people within this small boundary. Imagine Marco Polo without the Marco Polo.  It.Was. Awesome.  I quickly discovered that this was a game I just couldn't win, however. I laugh too much....which in turn makes them follow the noise and chase me, which in turn causes me to laugh more. I'm looking forward to spending the summer with these kiddos. They're just great.

And with that, I'm out. Lata' Gatas'.

Bucket List-30 things I'd like to experience before I die

While my greatest desire is to see Jesus Christ known, exalted, adored, and loved above ALL else , these are just some things I'd like to experience along life's adventure. These are not in any particular order. Here's to living it up.

1) Sky-diving!

2) Wake up to a bacon alarm clock

3) Experience fall in Maine

4) Run a half marathon

5) Get a tattoo... Greek word for "hope" from the passage Titus 3:3-8 maybe?
6)Lead someone to Christ.  Christ does the work. I'd just like to be there for someone when that death to life experience happens.
7) See the Grand Canyon!

8)  Go to Cedar Point theme park and get my face rocked off

9) Go back to Africa and stay for at least a month

10) Randomly leave my waitress or waiter a $100 tip.
11)Ride a motorcycle on Route 66

12)Read all of C.S. Lewis' works
13) Read the entire Lord of the Rings series
14)Learn how to play guitar
15) Travel. Travel. Travel
16) Do hair for the homeless.

17) Compose a song, and be proud of it
18) Watch the ENTIRE Star Wars series in one day
19) Learn how to play Pinochle
20) Play an EPIC prank on someone.  One that will be remembered for all time!  Mwahaha.
21) Ride a horse at full speed in an open field.  I know that sounds incredibly cheesy. I'm not a horse person, I think it'd just be cool.
22) Go hiking in Colorado

23) See Coldplay, Thrice, or Iron and Wine in concert.  Either of these would be luh-git!
24)Learn how to crochet

25) Meet someone random in a coffee shop and become friends
26) Finish learning the "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven
27) Grow my own strawberries, and learn how to make strawberry jam. It.Is.Delightful.
28) Eat caviar

29) Conquer my fear of white water rafting
30) Drive a ridiculously expensive car

Short n' Sweet

Wow.  I'll admit it.  I am possibly the world's WORST blogger. These past couple of months have been busy, as well as trying, and I think it's time I delve back into writing-or feebly attempting to write, anyways. Ironically, I simply do not have enough time to create as eloquent a post as I would like.  However, I will leave you a sermon that has blessed me, challenged me, and encouraged me to think about the Gospel and revel in it. So enjoy this for the meantime, friends, and stay tuned.

"Jesus Plus Nothing Equals Everything"    http://www.thevillagechurch.net/sermon/jesus-plus-nothing-equals-everything/

There's fall in my heart

I love the fall.  And I mean I love everything about it.  I must admit ,however, that every year when this deluxe season rolls around I get lil' pensive. It's the darn trees. I can't help but be reminded that dying can be a beautiful thing. The trees are dying, shedding off what they have had for so long, and yet the whole process is beautiful with the promise of new growth in the spring after a cold season of nakedness.  Maybe one of the reasons I enjoy this season so much is because this is what happens in me.  My vanity, my love of self, my lack of trust in God's timing and faithfulness, my pride, my lust, my fear of man, my gossip, my laziness; these things are a reality in my heart. They do not define me, but they wage war with my spirit daily.  I hate these things, and I must die to them.  Romans 7 says "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."  The old Danielle is dead, yet I still choose to live according to her at times.  And there you have sanctification.  In my heart I see my wretchedness, yet I am learning to praise God for the gracious ways He reveals to me that HE IS BETTER and HE IS WORKING.  I am fully equipped by His Spirit to live a life of freedom, abundance, and beauty. But I must die...daily. And it's a beautiful thing, because with this moment by moment choosing to cling to the Gospel and die to self comes new growth and beauty.

Teach me how to die, Lord. "Show Me" Audrey Assad

More than food

 (This post is a wee bit long, forgive me.)

Fasting.

I'm not gonna' lie, out of all the spiritual disciplines, this is one that I have had a hard time grasping.  My southern baptist background, coupled with the seemingly lack of "popularity" for this discipline, perhaps explains why I am just now discovering the beauty, importance, and depth of this biblical practice.  I've always believed fasting to be biblical, I just believed it to be a biblical practice that didn't really apply to me.  It's for the "intense" Christians. 

There has always been this underlying belief that I don't need to fast.  Why fast when I can eat my big mac and pray at the same time? (Funny, but true!) To state it plainly, I had never fasted until now because I never understood how to fast in a God-honoring way.  "If I am going to fast," I told myself, "I'm going to do it with biblical understanding and pure motives, not just for the sake of doing it."  Well friends, by God's grace I now understand (at least I think I do) why it's important and biblical to fast.  This summer we had a speaker who came and spoke on various passages in the Gospel that talk about Jesus going off by Himself to pray...God in flesh, the One who knew the very heart of His Father, went off for extended periods of time to pray and be with the Father.  It sounds simple, but if Jesus chose to do it, should we not also? Am I taking time to be with my Father?  To enjoy Him, to talk to Him? David Platt, our speaker, also spoke on the passage about Jesus fasting for 40 days.  Platt said that fasting is a confession that chooses to believe and humbly declare to God, "I need YOU more than I  need food." 

Holy cow.

This rocked my world.  I fasted for 24 hours for the first time in my life yesterday, and I can honestly say it was one of the sweetest times I've had in my walk with the Lord. It is a discipline that I pray becomes a regular part of my spiritual walk.  I NEED Jesus more than I need food, or anything else for that matter, and fasting is a choice that expresses that truth. When I'm hungry, I pray...trusting and believing that God is faithful to answer prayer, faithful to sustain me, and faithful to satisfy me. 

"But the worst of all is that we have adopted and practiced fasting as a good work: not to bring our flesh into subjection; but, as a meritorious work before God, to atone for our sins and obtain grace. And it is this that has made our fasting a stench and so blasphemous and shameful, so that no drinking and eating, no gluttony and drunkenness, could have been as bad and foul. It would have been better had people been drunk day and night than to fast thus. Moreover, even if all had gone well and right, so that their fasting had been applied to the mortification of the flesh; but since it was not voluntary it was not left to each to do according to their own free will, but was compulsory by virtue of human commandment, and they did it unwillingly, it was all lost and to no purpose. I will not mention the many other evils as the consequences, as that pregnant mothers and their offspring, the sick and the weak, were thereby ruined, so that it might be called a fasting of Satan instead of a fasting unto holiness. Therefore we will carefully consider how this Gospel teaches us by the example of Christ what true fasting is.
The Scriptures present to us two kinds of true fasting: one, by which we try to bring the flesh into subjection to the spirit, of which St. Paul speaks in 2 Cor 6,5: “In labors, in watchings, in fastings.” The other is that which we must bear patiently, and yet receive willingly because of our need and poverty, of which St. Paul speaks in 1 Cor 4, 11: “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst,” and Christ in Mt 9,15: “When the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then will they fast.” This kind of fasting Christ teaches us here while in the wilderness alone without anything to eat, and while he suffers his penury without murmuring. The first kind of fasting, one can end whenever he wills, and can satisfy it by food; but the other kind we must observe and bear until God himself changes it and satisfies us. Hence it is much more precious than the first, because it moves in greater faith."   -MARTIN LUTHER