Holla y'all!
And so my diary blogging journey begins! My main heart for this blog is that it will continue to foster an introspective and reflective spirit in my life, so that I can listen with open ears (and an open heart) to what God has in store for me in the coming seasons, and in this one--of course. I hope that this project provides encouragement to whoever stumbles across it on the sometimes lonely desert of the internet.
I feel strongly encouraged by the fact that the Lord is transforming my heart in such a radical, tangible and real way, and as a result, recently felt that I would need to dedicate a large portion of each day this summer to reflection, meditation and prayer to process the transformation that has already occured within me, and to pray through the things placed on my heart as they come along. I have literally no idea in what this is going to provide, but I have faith that big, life-changing things are going to result from it. Each day I am going to devote at least two hours to quiet time with the Lord, whether that be through prayer runs (or walks, haha), journal sessions (praises for a good journal!), or just straight-up sitting and listening times. I will update this blog weekly as an accountability measure (every Thursday...because today is a Thursday), and I pray that encouragement results through the posts.
I am so, so, so excited for this journey. The Lord has shown me this year that true, real, and sincere intimacy with Him can occur WHEREVER you are--even in the busiest of times, and that this intimacy is so life-giving. As we all go out this summer to the distant ends of the earth, or to our parents' houses, know that is He who will sustain you wherever you go. I personally have been truly blessed with community SO of the Lord in college, and am forever thankful for these soul-sistahs, but I pray that as we all go our separate ways and leave this blessing of community in Athens (or wherever you are), that the solitude provides its own fruitful blessings!
Last year, I was convinced that I needed to give up everything I had to truly follow the Lord and walk in the path he had for me. Not knowing or understanding what that meant at the time, I planned to WWOOF (aka become an organic farm intern) through the world in order to eschew the human world and the trappings of modern society, these plans fell through, however. Not because it's a bad idea. Really, I think it's a great one (adventure, sun, vegetables), but because the Lord has truly shown me that He really wanted me to give up the bars on my heart that the world had given me: vanity, pride, control and countless more, and replace them with things of his own...and so, that is where this whole prayer without ceasing summer came about.
I invite you to pray with me on the topics that He has already been laying on my heart:
1) Exodus--and freedom for the Lord's peoples (from personal bars of the heart...i.e. pride, control, vanity, sin of the flesh, depression, greed, insecurity, condemnation), and also that unreached hearts would come to know the Lord personally this summer.
2) Continued revival in Athens...that in this next year, passion like never before and a yearning for the Lord is unleashed amongst all peoples in the city and that it radically transforms those affected to possess more and more of the Lord's heart, and that this wave of love spreads like a tsunami around the world. (forgive the natural disaster metaphor.)
I love you so, so much (whoever's hands this falls into), and thank you for reading this long blog post. The prayer journey begins in less than two weeks...what the what?! SO, SO excited, and I pray that you join me in this prayer journey. My heart is SO full right now for what it is to come, and I am totally relishing this sisterhood of the traveling pants moment I am having right now.
And so it begins!
Peace, blessings, and SO MUCH LOVE!
Seriously, So. Much. Love. for you...and this summer,
Lauren
