{blessed are those who mourn}

Psalm 30:5 -- Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Early this morning, a member of the Cornerstone community passed away.

Ryan Davis.

It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers, both for the Davis family and the community at Cornerstone University as well.

Although I didn't know him well, I did feel the warmth of his smile as he passed on campus. His love for the students will carry on through the years, for it has made an impact on everyone.

As people grieve over this loss, there is also hope laced within. We will see Ryan again, whether our time on earth ends sooner than we had wished, or when we are all taken to be with our Lord again.

Matthew 5:4 -- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Friends, it is my prayer that we would remember that every moment on this earth is a gift from God. Let us not waste it on the things of this world, but let us press hard towards our goal.

We are not promised tomorrow, but our hope is eternal.

Revelation 21:4 -- He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Blessings and prayers today,

{sweet little one}

Well, after 3 weeks, I am finally getting around to posting pictures of my darling little niece, Nylah.

She was born on April 28 at 6:16 pm, weighing 6 lbs 4 oz and was 19 inches long. Of course I'm biased, but she is the most amazing little baby to grace the planet :) She barely ever cries, she's interested in everything around her, and the best part of all? She recognizes my voice! I can walk into a room and start talking to her, and she will turn her head and get the cutest little smile on her face.

Melting my heart is an understatement.

So, I won't let you wait in suspense anymore :) Here are some pictures!

Sleeping in my lap :)

I love her more than words can express.

All swaddled up and adorable!

Beautiful girl.

I love her big, brown eyes :)

Sleepy baby.

The smile that melts my heart.

I treasure every minute with her.

Oh, my sweet little princess pea; what a gift from God.

Blessings my friends,

{judgment day, anyone?}

It's almost 9:45 pm on Saturday and here I am blogging.

I'm sure many, if not all of you, have heard of the predictions made by Harold Camping, talk show host from Family Radio. He is claimed to have spent the past 50 years of his life poring over the Scriptures, in which he made an "accurate" conclusion about Judgment Day.

Only, it has failed to be accurate.

The day that he predicted? May 21. The time that he predicted that it would begin? 6:00 pm. The sequence of events? An earthquake such that the world has never, or will ever experience again, followed by the rapture of 200 million believers (yes, only 3% of the population). Finally, the people left behind were set to experience 5 months of judgment before God destroyed the world on October 21, 2011.

All across the globe, Camping's name is being mocked, as the predictions that he made have not come to pass. He made statements such as, "The Bible guarantees it." My heart is heavy for him. Harold Camping, a frail, 89 year old man, is what many are calling a false prophet.

In my opinion, he has attempted to play God, and has failed at it. Miserably.

I can't even begin to express my thoughts on his assumed certainty, but even more than that, I can't imagine making the claims that he did, only for them to prove untrue, while in the mean time turning people's hearts away from God and onto himself.

He has made a grave error, and he will be responsible for every heart that he led astray. As for the people who followed him (yes, he had his own "following"), it is my prayer that they would not turn from God as a result of this.

My friends, this incident has come to show that although the end times are near, no one, and certainly not Harold Camping, has the authority to decide the outcome of God's plan.

And that's what it is. Prediction versus Plan.

God has a plan for His creation. Harold Camping made a prediction. Predictions can be changed, whereas God's plan has been set in stone before the world came into being.

As many verses have been quoted in the past few days, I have heard this one more than any other:

Matthew 24:36 -- But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

In my own life, being a follower of Christ means many things to me, but this more than the rest: I am not God. I make mistakes. I fail, time and time again. I don't have a fraction of the knowledge that God possesses, so for me to do something such as attempt to predict the end of the world, I only make it more apparent that I am not God.

In the next few days, weeks, months and years, I pray that each one of you would keep your eyes, ears and hearts alert. The fact is that not one of us knows when Christ will be sent to collect His beloved. It could be tomorrow, it could be 10 years from now. And that is why it is so important for us to cling to the truth found in the Scriptures.

We must meditate on the Word, day and night. The enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy, but Christ came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly, not that we should worry about our futures and miss out on the gift of the present. We do not have to fear tomorrow, for we are held in the hand of God today. Our future is certain. Our salvation is sealed. We need only look to the cross, and there, we will find truth.

Blessings my friends.

In Christ,

{the matthew movement}

Here we are at Writer, Thinker, Dreamer Thursday. What a mouthful, huh?

These past few weeks, days and hours have been challenging, yet so encouraging.

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to make a difference for God's kingdom. At 5 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a missionary. I wanted to be the next Amy Carmichael. I understood at that young age that I was marked -- personally chosen by God for something that would bring about a change in the world. In the following years, it would be His will that I would strive to follow, His heart that I would long to know.

At the age of 21, I've come to a place of rest, or soul peace rather. The past year at Cornerstone University was a time of growth and being stretched..ultimately, it was the season of my life where God was preparing me for what I am being called to this minute.

The Matthew Movement.

I imagine that you're wondering what that is, and I chose the name that I did. Here is that answer.

Matthew 25:34-36, 40 -- Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’... And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

I am building up this organization from the ground up, with nothing more than the directions given by God. It's a complete act of trust for me, as I'm one who tries to hold the reigns on everything in my life.

So what is the movement about? The Matthew Movement will be a non-profit organization selling handmade (by me!) treasure boxes. With each box that is custom-designed and purchased, half of the proceeds will go to the movement's ministry funds. Furthermore, boxes can be donated (with a letter or card inside from the person who purchased the box) which will be given to:

• Children coming from low-income families or children living in children's homes
• Abused women
• Nursing home patients
• Soldiers
• Prisoners (letters only)
• Homeless in my local community (brown bag lunches + a letter)

There are so many people who need to hear the Word of God, and so many people aren't stepping up to the plate in their own communities. I want to change that.

It's our job to remember those who society has either thrown away and forgotten, or has given up on. It's our calling to remember the sick, the needy, the orphans, the widows, the homeless, the hungry, the thirsty and the naked.

As a follower of Christ, I seek to die to self daily and make an impact for the Kingdom. With The Matthew Movement, I will have the opportunity to advance the Kingdom and make a difference in a life that would have otherwise been disregarded.

You can be a part of something great and it all begins...with a box.

Blessings,

PS. It would be awesome if you could begin praying for the process, as I begin talking to elementary schools, youth groups, local churches, children's homes, abuse centers, etc. As I embark on this journey, I also ask that you would pray for every life that I encounter, that they would see Christ in my actions, hear His voice in my words, and feel His presence as I stand near them. Thank you for making a difference.