Discovering the Goodness of God

C8922AED-B00C-4698-8CD3-64C6C5FEAA26
I love to know and learn things. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved being “in the know”. I used to love being one of the first to know things so that I could be the first to tell things. In fact, my nickname growing up was “the informer”. I’m still that way in many ways. I would pick a documentary or docuseries over just about any other genre any day- anything from BBC Planet Earth to a dark true crime series. I literally love watching the morning news, reading my daily Wikipedia article, getting my dictionary word of the day, and even my daily Bible verse. I listen to educational podcasts for fun, and I’m in a million and one Facebook groups to discuss various topics. I love it all because I love learning and knowing. I guess that makes me a bit of a know at all lol.

The issue I have is that this crosses over into every area of my life, including my faith. I’ve recently been struggling in this area because there are so many things that I don’t understand when it comes to how God operates. In the last few months, I’ve found myself questioning God a lot. Not His existence or his sovereignty, but his reasoning. Becoming a mom has softened my heart to so many issues in this world that I then take to God and ask why they are happening. It’s left me with many sleepless nights and rant sessions with God. And if I’m being quite honest, there have been a few times I’ve been downright angry with Him. Why do some prayers get answered and some don’t. Why do some people seem to ALWAYS get blessed while others are left in what seems to be a perpetual struggle. Why do some people receive their healing here on earth, while others receive it in heaven, leaving their family, friends, and community devastated? I could go on and on with questions. I was to the point that the generic “we live in a fallen world that’s imperfect” answer wasn’t cutting it. That seemed like a cop-out that people used because they didn’t have the answers either.

It was so dang frustrating because I know the goodness of God. I’ve seen it in my life time and time again, but nevertheless, I was left extremely frustrated, having gone through some really tough things too, as well as having seen my loved ones and even those I’ve never met go through so much pain and struggle.

Then, then other day I saw a post that humbled me pretty quickly. It was a post that Brian Johnson shares of a quote from his dad, Bill Johnson. It was so simple, yet so profound. “We need mystery as much as we need revelation.” At first I read it and scrolled right on by, but something told me to go back and read it again. After reading it a few more times, I was so wrecked, so humbled, and so convicted all at the same time. I’ve spent the better part of the last year genuinely angry with God because I didn’t understand a lot of what was happening around me, but in that moment I knew that I was never meant to understand most of it. That was a hard pill for me to swallow given my personality, but as I’ve mulled over it the last few days, the more I’ve begun to understand that I don’t need to know everything.
C441AD4B-979B-454E-BA2A-1C22596171FD

If we as humans knew all of Gods reasoning and all of his plans, there would be no need for a God at all. And how very self righteous of me to assume that I should know everything he does?! See, while we should strive to gain revelation and understanding of who God is and what His heart is towards us, we also need to acknowledge his sovereignty and majesty, which is far beyond our understanding. Ultimately, we need to be more concerned with acquainting ourselves with Gods character rather than His reasoning, because when we know who He is and understand His heart, we understand that no matter the circumstances, he is always working things for our good!

Obviously, this wasn’t a fix-all. My questions didn’t just magically melt away because of this post/revelation, but it gave me a new way to combat my emotional responses towards God. I know my curiosity isn’t a bad thing- it’s how God created me to to be! And through my curiosity, I’m able to gain so much fresh revelation about Him, but I have to also be conscious of my mind and not allow it to wander. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:2 “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” This is in the Passion Translation, and I absolutely love the way it reads. We have control over where we allow our minds to go! And when we partner with the Holy Spirit, it results in a total reformation of how we think. Not only will it result in a reformation of how we think, but it will allow us to discern and understand God’s will for our lives. Wow- that’s so dang powerful!

It’s amazing how much one little quote can change the way you approach so much. It was so timely and so needed. And it served as a reminder that I truly need God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- everyday, in everything I do, think, and say. We all do! We all go through some really tough stuff throughout the course of our lives, and i think because of that, we can all be left questioning or doubting the goodness of God. I personally believe that, if we allow them to, these are often times the moments that result in us growing closer to God than ever before. The key is to press in, be curious, and learn more about God, who he is, and what his promises are for our lives! That being said, I want to leave you with some scriptures to help guide you through those tough times.

Psalm 23 (TPT)
“So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life…”

1 John 1:5 (TPT)
“This is the life-giving message we heard him share and it’s still ringing in our ears. We now repeat his words to you: God is pure light. You will never find even a trace of darkness in him.”
‭‭
James 1:17 (TPT)
“Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.”
‭‭
Matthew 6:25-34 (TPT)
“… Look at all the birds—do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food. Aren’t you much more valuable to your Father than they?”
‭‭
Romans 8:28-39
“So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son! So, what does all this mean? If God has determined to stand with us, tell me, who then could ever stand against us? For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give. Who then would dare to accuse those whom God has chosen in love to be his? God himself is the judge who has issued his final verdict over them—“Not guilty!” Who then is left to condemn us? Certainly not Jesus, the Anointed One! For he gave his life for us, and even more than that, he has conquered death and is now risen, exalted, and enthroned by God at his right hand. So how could he possibly condemn us since he is continually praying for our triumph? Who could ever separate us from the endless love of God’s Anointed One? Absolutely no one! For nothing in the universe has the power to diminish his love toward us. Troubles, pressures, and problems are unable to come between us and heaven’s love. What about persecutions, deprivations, dangers, and death threats? No, for they are all impotent to hinder omnipotent love, even though it is written: All day long we face death threats for your sake, God. We are considered to be nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered! Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!”
‭‭
Why are some of your favorite scriptures of God’s goodness? I’d love to hear from you! Drop them in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading- I hope to see you next week

Xoxo
ELK

April Showers Bring… Baby Keller!

That’s right! We are expecting!

Baby Keller will be joining our journey on April 24, 2019.

Wow! It feels so good to finally say that. If you know me, you know that it is so beyond difficult for me to keep my own secrets. And this has been the secret of the decade for me haha. I will have several posts coming up detailing the first trimester, our testimony, answering your FAQs, as well as updates all throughout my pregnancy on how I’m feeling, what products I’m loving, and updates on baby K!

I will be 12 weeks on Wednesday, but we wanted to announce this on our anniversary (Happy Anniversary, Babes!). The first trimester has been an interesting one, filled with lots of changes, and even more morning sickness, but it has been so worth it. I will be going into more detail in my next post, but for now I’ll give you the basics. We found out super early- about 4 weeks and a couple days. We had our first appointment at 5 weeks, and due to some concerns, we had another at 6 weeks, and then the regular 8 weeks. We have our next appointment on Friday, and I am so excited!

To those who knew and kept our secret, THANK YOU!! And we are so grateful for all fo the love and support we have already received. I am so looking forward to sharing this journey will y’all. I plan on staying true to me and remaining 100% transparent through this whole process. Thank you in advance for your love and support!

XOXO

ELK and Baby K

See You Soon

It’s hard to believe that ELK is almost a year old! What a crazy year it has been- the launch of ELK, our decision to move across the country, our actual move across the county, and all of the craziness and adventure that met us in our new home of Atlanta- just to name a few things! It feels a bit strange to have the title of this blog as “See You Soon”. I have been very distant the past couple of months here on the blog, and even on Instagram. There are a couple of reasons for that absence, including the worst case of writer’s block ever, as well as just simply trying to adjust to our new life here- work, friends, family, etc. Many of you may remember that last year around this time, God placed it on my heart to take a month off of social media to seek Him and what it was that He wanted me to do with ELK. Coincidentally, that lined up perfectly with the month leading up to my 21st birthday. This past week as I was praying, God placed something similar on my heart. I felt Him telling me that I needed to do some refocusing and reprioritizing before entering into my 22nd year of life.

That being said, I will be fasting for the next month leading up to September 12th- my 22nd birthday. My goal with this fast is to do just what God said I needed to- refocus and reprioritize my life. I will be fasting from a few things, one of which is social media. I will more than likely share more about my fasting experience once I’m back online. I am so looking forward to what God has for me and for ELK in this next year, and I am so excited to see what is revealed to me during this time of fasting.

My next blog will be posted on September 12th. I am not sure what it will be about, but I’m sure it’s gonna be good!

Thank you so much for all of your continued support! See you soon- when I’m feelin’ 22!

XOXO

ELK

A Grand Proposal

Every girl dreams of the day when the man of her dreams drops to one knee, tells her how much she means to him, and pops the question. We all love the idea of the happily ever after dream we have dreamt since we were little girls becoming a reality. Most girls, no doubt, have in their minds or on their Pinterest boards what the perfect proposal will look like, and we all hope he gets it right! On the second anniversary of our engagement, I wanted to share with you the story of how it all went down!

First off, let me give you a some quick backstory for context. Jon-Paul and I knew from the very first week we started dating that this was it- we had each found the on! He had just returned from a trip to the Arizona, where he visited the Grand Canyon (important) a couple weeks prior, and after a beautiful whirlwind first week of dating, we just knew. I can’t explain the feeling. I don’t know how to describe it to someone who hasn’t experienced it themselves, except that it’s an overwhelming sense of peace and excitement at the same time. Shortly thereafter, he moved out to Phoenix in October of 2015, and I moved to Tucson with my parents in December of 2015, then later to Phoenix in March of 2016. I was waiting patiently for the proposal- okay, maybe not so patiently! We had discussed our future countless times from where we wanted to end up living to how many kids we wanted to have and what names we would give them, and I wanted that life to be a reality. I was so excited to get the show on the road!

Fast forward to the week of Easter 2016. Jon-Paul had a horrible stomach virus followed by food poisoning. It was miserable! Poor thing was completely drained come Easter Sunday when my family came up to Phoenix to attend Easter service with us, which was of course followed by a nice lunch out. Now, Jon-Paul is not a particularly chatty person on the regular. He more so likes to observe, especially when he’s around my rowdy family! Because of this, I didn’t think anything of his quietness during lunch, especially because he had been sick. The next day, he called me and said, “How are your parents with surprises?” I said, “Uhhh, well, it depends of the surprise… why?” To which he responded, “Well, you know, I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday at lunch and I felt bad for not talking much, so I decided to go down to Tucson to see them.”…………. Now, mind you, Tucson is a two hour drive from Phoenix. In my mind, I just KNEW he was going to ask my parent’s permission to marry me. I was about to jump out of my skin from excitement! I told him to call my parents and let them know he was coming, and he did.

I am THE worst when it comes to surprises. I have a love hate relationship with them. I love the excitement, but I hate not knowing what is happening. So, from that point on, I made sure to have my nails done every 10 days or so, always made sure that my makeup and outfits were ON POINT, and may or may not have done some snooping through Jon-Paul’s phone trying to find out some details. We had planned a trip for my mom’s birthday up to the Grand Canyon, and I thought maybe it would happen on that trip, but I had convinced myself it wasn’t going to happen then. My mom had the whole thing planned out down to the minute. She had told me multiple times that we needed to be at the canyon by 11am on the Monday after her birthday because we still had a 4 hour drive back. She probably mentioned it in every conversation for like 2 weeks. This, logically, led me to believe that something was planned at 11am! Then, the day before our trip, she told us that the 11am arrival time was not a thing anymore and that we could take our time. In fact, she encouraged us to stop at some towns on the way up and make a full day of it. I was in shock! That is so 100% the polar opposite of her personality!

The next day, we started on our way up to the Grand Canyon. We stopped about an hour and a half into the trip to get breakfast and wander around one of my favorite towns, Sedona. As much as I was trying to enjoy myself, I was so stressed about time because I was convinced my mom would still be upset if we arrived too late, and our trip would be ruined! I also reeeeaaaly wanted to see the GC! So I rushed Jon-Paul to the car after about 2 hours in Sedona and told him we had to get going. But, he had other plans. He wanted to take the scenic route- a route that would add a whole hour onto our drive! As worried as I was, I went along with his plan. We drove through the most beautiful national forest and stopped at a beautiful lookout and took it all in for a minute. Then my brain kicked back into overdrive and we were on our way again, only to have Jon-Paul tell me he needed a potty break. We stopped at a gas station in the middle of nowhere and I pumped the gas while he did his thing. I finished pumping and pulled up to the store parking lot and waited. And waited. And waited. I wondered if he had fallen in! 10 whole minutes later, he came walking out with a gigantic jug of windshield wiper fluid. “What the heck is that for?!” I asked. He responded with, “Well, you’re almost out and there’s a lot of bugs out here. We will probably need it.” I rolled my eyes and waited as he fumbled around with the hood and started pouring the liquid. You would have thought he was pouring molasses!! He was moving soooooo slow. I finally went over, snatched the jug from his hand and dumped it all in the container myself! I was slightly annoyed at this point, and rushed us back on the road.

When we arrived to the canyon, I was so taken aback. It didn’t even look real. It looked like a painting or a green screen. We walked up to the main overlook and were just in awe of the beauty. Then, my dad, who was in the middle of a Facebook challenge promoting awareness for ptsd, saw a little cliff that we could hike to and said he wanted to film his pushups for the challenge down there, and asked Jon-Paul to film it. I said I’d go along as well. We hiked our way down there and filmed the pushups, after which Jon-Paul asked my dad to take a picture of us. Little did I know he was actually recording. Jon-Paul took me to the edge and started to tell me that a little less than a year before that, when he visited the Grand Canyon, he was in this exact spot trying to send me a picture and couldn’t get it to send. (fun fact, there’s like zero cell service out there) He told me that it kept failing to send, and he said out loud, “Ugh! I just want to talk to her!”, and in that moment he realized he had feelings for me. He then got down on one knee and said some stuff that I honestly don’t even remember because I was so flustered and excited! I immediately said yes before he could even finish asking me to marry him! I was shaking and so so happy. Then, he turned me around and his whole family had flown out to be apart of the day! In fact, because they were using buddy passes, they weren’t able to fly in on Sunday as planned and had been traveling right behind us our whole trip! They only passed us while we were at the longest gas station stop known to man lol! As if all of that wasn’t enough, he proposed on the anniversary of my grandfather’s passing with a diamond from one of my grandfather’s rings. It was simply perfect. We drove back to Phoenix and went to dinner that night and celebrated the day. It was so beautiful and magical and wonderful.

And that’s how I would sum up the past three years since Jon-Paul and I have been together. Beautiful, magical, and wonderful. I’m so grateful everyday that God brought us together. It was definitely not something either of us expected, but it has been the best years of my life. He is the most kind, loving, funny, caring man I could have ever asked for. He surpasses all of my wildest dreams everyday, and I am so glad I said “Yes” to him two years ago. Ladies, if you get one thing from this post, let it be this- Do not settle for a man that treats you less than what you deserve. I promise you that it is worth the wait! There is absolutely nothing that can replace the feeling of knowing you are with the one that God intended you to be with. Wait for the man that will exceed your expectations and surpass your wildest dreams, and give you a beautiful, magical, and wonderful life.

XOXO

ELK

You’re Never Gonna Let Me Down

I have been stressing about writing this blog for a long time now! I was supposed to do a “first week in Atlanta” update and got completely swamped with the move. I was honestly so stressed because I made a commitment to building up the blog this year, and in order to build it, I had to actually be posting on it! We had so many great things happen in that first week, but I just didn’t feel led to write- something that I rely on God heavily for. If He doesn’t give me the okay to release something, it doesn’t get released! Needless to say, there’s quite a few backlogged blogs! But now, after more than a month here in the blessed ATL, I understand why God had me wait.

Today is a special day. It’s the day we set aside to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Every church will have a special service planned out that was undoubtedly rehearsed at least 3 or 4 times. The choirs and pews will be significantly more full, attire will be nicer, and hats will be bigger- if you’re in the south, that is. The band will rehearse to make sure every note is perfect. The singers will make sure the know every lyric. The preachers will try to write the perfect message to inspire newcomers and veterans alike. I truly love the excellence that we strive for on special services- in fact, I think we should have that standard for every service- but what’s so funny and so beautiful is, the Spirit Of God will show up regardless of our attempts at perfection. He always does, as long as He’s invited! I think sometimes we forget that. We get into a situation and wonder if God will show up this time.

I’ve found myself in a couple of scenarios recently where I got to the point of wondering if God would show up. Just because Jon-Paul and I had the faith to make this move to Atlanta does not mean that that faith hasn’t been tested. We have faced circumstances that seemed insurmountable. And at times I wondered how in the world God was going to provide and what I could do to “help” him. I was driving down the road one day and felt to Holy Spirit say, “Baby, how can you have enough faith in God to obey Him and pick up and move your family across the country, and not believe He will provide in your everyday life?”

I was so taken aback, and in that moment, my faith was taken to a whole new level. In our short time here, we’ve seen God move more powerfully than ever before. We’ve seen our bank account tripled TWICE, been offered and accepted amazing jobs, locked into a great church, and seen God provide every step of the way. We’ve been given prophetic words and words of wisdom left and right- as if God is reassuring us that we made the right decision. To use the words of Jon-Paul, it’s like we are reading a book and there’s a new surprise on every page. We didn’t have all the answers when we came here and we still don’t , but God does. He has been so unbelievably faithful.

I think it’s so easy for us to underestimate God. We think we have to help Him out, like He isn’t capable of doing it himself. Or even worse, we think he’s too busy with other stuff to show up. But honey, He always shows up. Every time. He gave His only son for you. And that Son was beaten, whipped, scared, hung on a cross, and pierced; he died, took the keys to death, hell, and the grave, rose again and ascended into heaven ALL FOR YOU. What makes you think he will let you down now?! He worked to hard to save you to let you go now! He loves you too much! If he battled hell for you, I can guarantee you He’s willing to take on your current earthly circumstances.

On this Easter Sunday, while you are in your church service or eating a delicious meal, just remember how much you are loved and cherished. You are loved by a God who will never let you down. He will show up in your life and meet you right where you’re at. You just have to invite Him (Revelation 3:20). I sincerely pray that you have a wonderful, joyful, safe, fun-filled day.

Happy Easter, Y’all!

XOXO

ELK

Georgia On My Mind

The saying, “God works in mysterious ways” is used pretty commonly- Lord knows I’ve said it way too many times to count. It is usually the follow-up to an ironic story with a happy ending, or when something happens in our lives that we don’t quite understand. It’s like implying that, though you may not know how something is going to play out, but you know that God will work it all out for your good. He knows how to orchestrate events in your life- good or bad- to bring you out on top. He takes the ugly and makes it beautiful, the tragic and makes it joyous, and the unknown and makes it territory to conquer. We go through life as Christians knowing this and believing it, but it’s not until we have to fully rely on God to make our nonsensical situation make sense that we truly understand the beauty and the mystery that is our loving Father.

For Jon-Paul and I, that season is in a way just finishing, but also just beginning. We have recently been going through a season of having to fully entrust our entire lives to God more than ever before and believing that He would make a way where there quite literally seemed to be none. It’s so funny, because we thought before this season that we had given it all to God. But, it took going through this for us to realize that there were so many areas we were still relying on our own strength in and not giving God room to be God. At one point it seemed that we were getting bombarded from every angle possible with problems, from finances, to family, to friends, it seemed like new wounds were being made and old wounds reopened every way we turned. Needless to say, it was a very trying season. But, hindsight is 20/20. I still 100% believe that we heard the Holy Spirit clearly. I believe it was a God ordained season that we had to go through in order to draw closer to Him. He does, after all, work in mysterious ways.

Rather than focusing on the negative consequences that were many, but brief, I want to take time to give honor where honor is due. We talk about God being our loving Father God (any Father-God-ers out there???), but what Jon-Paul and I had the privilege of experiencing over these past few months made that more real to us than ever before. It was like when a parent takes the training wheels off of their kids bike for the first time. You get them all ready- elbow pads, knee pads, and a helmet- and take them out to the street, show them how balance and steer, and hold the bike as they start to pedal. They are wobbly at first but soon have the hang of it, so long as you are holding onto the back. Then the time comes for them to try it on their own. You tell them to start pedaling and they yell pack, white knuckling the handle bars, “Don’t let go!” You tell them you won’t, knowing full well that if they are going to learn how to ride, you are going to have to let go at some point. But, just because you let go doesn’t mean that you aren’t still running behind the bike, ready to pick them up when they inevitably take a tumble. You pick them up and dust them off and tell them to try again.

I believe that God sometimes allows us to go through things so that we learn to rely on Him and become even closer to Him. He’s like the parent teaching their child to ride a bike. He gets us ready- prepares us with a vision or word, gives us the tools through His word, and gives us promises that He’s faithful to the end and never forsakes us- and then begins to teach us. He doesn’t cause the storm or hardship, but He uses to His advantage what the devil meant to take you out, knowing full well that you have the full armor of God and can handle anything with His help. I believe this is why we went through the season we did. We followed God’s word, and though He didn’t cause the problems, He used them to draw us closer to him. He drew us out into the deep where the waves were crashing, and we had to realize that he didn’t want us to fight to keep our heads above water, but rather He wanted us to let go so he could guide us safely to the other side. We had to rely on Him like a child does with their Father. He had to dust us off, bandage our wounds, and take us to a vulnerable place to give Jon-Paul the biggest word He’s given us in our relationship.

In November, Jon-Paul and I went to Atlanta to visit his side of our family for my sister-in-love’s wedding and Thanksgiving. Now, on previous trips, I fully enjoyed myself and loved seeing friends and family, but could never see myself living there. If you aren’t familiar with the area, it’s very humid, there’s about a million freeways surrounded by trees, complemented by like 5,000 little small towns and suburbs. It’s all very pretty, but for the absolute most directionally challenged person in the world (a.k.a moi) it can be a little (a LOT) overwhelming. But for some reason, from the moment we landed this time, I felt so at peace being there, and a very strong pull to be there. I was a little (a LOT) freaked out by it to say the least. So much so that I kept this to myself for 5 days. I was concerned that I was just feeling this because of the turbulent season we were in, and I didn’t want to make any rash comments. But after 5 days, the Holy Spirit was not letting up. So on our drive up Chattanooga to see some good friends, I sheepishly asked Jon-Paul how he was feeling about Atlanta. His response was one I was not expecting. He replied, “It’s weird, I’m actually feeling a strong pull to be here.” I couldn’t believe it. He used the EXACT wording I had been mulling over in my head for five days! My first thought once I wrapped my head around that fact was, “Oh, crap.” This had come out of nowhere. Despite the tough season back in Phoenix, we were still so in love with our life here. After all, we have an amazing church, friends, mentors, etc. So we spoke with some mentors in our lives and decided we really needed to lift this up in prayer. We had every reason move- proximity to family, more music opportunities for Jon-Paul, not to mention the undeniable move of the Holy Spirit in giving Jon-Paul and I the same wording; but we also had every reason to stay. So we asked God to give us a “No”- a reason not to move. We prayed and asked God to show us by a specific day. We asked that if He wanted us to go, that he would give us an abundance of confirmation and clarity. The days following that prayer were suspenseful. We were awaiting God to give us direction, and He did.

We are so excited to announce that the Kellers are moving to Atlanta on February 23rd of this year! This is such a bitter-sweet time, to be honest. We are so very excited for what lies ahead, but also very sad to leave this wonderful place called Phoenix. All emotion aside, we know that God has prepared a way for us in the good ol ATL. We are so appreciative of all God has done here in Phoenix. He brought so many amazing people into our lives here, and we will never be the same because of it! I’m a firm believer that we as Christians are not meant to stay put in the same place for our entire lives. I believe that we are to glean from every stop along the way and take with us to the next place everything we have learned. Lord knows the amount of knowledge we have gained here in the past 2 years. So now we are asking you to join us in praying for this journey! We know that God has already gone before us and made a way for us to prosper. We are truly so excited and a little nervous, not gonna lie!

I know now that if we had not been taken to that vulnerable place with God, we may not have been receptive to His word for us to move- especially myself given how closed off I’ve always been to the idea. And as hard as that season was, I would do it all again if it meant I would gain this new level of intimacy with God. Not only did it strengthen our relationships with God, but it made Jon-Paul and I grow closer. We truly relied on each other during that time for strength and emotional support, and also comedic relief! I just love seeing how God works all things for our good! He loves each of us so very much. He knows exactly how to communicate with us and show us His love. He knows what we need in our moments of despair. He knows how to mend our wounds and comfort our hearts. He goes out of His way to show us His love. He is such a magnificent, mighty, loving, kind, powerful, gentle God. If you get one thing from this blog today, I want it to be this- never take for granted a trying season. Never think that just because the seas are rough means that God isn’t there. He is always with you. Guiding you, protecting you, helping you up, dusting you off, and telling you to try again. Even when you can’t feel Him, He’s running right along side you, ready to catch you. He will always catch you. He will always work it together for your good. His plans for your life are so much bigger than your storm. The destiny He’s placed on your life alone is enough to carry you through the hardships. Never doubt God’s intentions for your life. He’s got it all figured out, no matter what you choose to do. He does, after all, work in mysterious ways.

XOXO

ELK

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I want to talk about a relatively hot topic right now. It is a controversial subject, and I understand that not everyone is going to agree with my stance. That is totally fine by me. I wrote majority of this blog a few months ago in an effort to release some of my frustrations in a healthy way. In fact, it was not intended to be released, however I later felt the urge to release it, and I believe that the one year anniversary of last year’s election is appropriate timing! It is absolutely impossible to go anywhere without hearing something negative about our government and its leaders. Whether it’s the president, a congressman, a senator, or a police officer, negativity is quite literally everywhere. News headlines are “This person is a racist bigot”, “So and so had an affair” “Someone can’t seem to keep their mouth shut”, etc. Very rarely do we see a positive headline. When you are constantly flooding your mind and heart with negativity, especially toward one demographic of people (in this case politicians), eventually you begin to exude negativity yourself (Matthew 12:34) This is why God told us in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for out of it flow the springs of life.” In other words, the environment you allow your life to soak in will be absorbed into your heart, and you will begin to live like that which you surround yourself with.

Back to the topic of our leaders. I understand completely if you disagree with what they say or do. Just as an example, for the most part I like him, but I do not always agree with everything President Trump says, or how he says it. If you allow that disagreement to fester into anger, and you start secluding yourself into groups that only feel the same as you do, you begin to soak in an environment of negativity. Negativity exudes from you and you begin to only speak negative things against the person you disagree with or have even been disrespected by. My question for you is, does the Bible not say to love your enemies? (Matthew 5:44). When you love someone or something, you naturally show respect towards it or them.

You may not like the leadership we have in place as a nation today. You may not like certain aspects of our functionality as a nation today. I know there are areas I don’t like. And that’s okay, because there is always room for improvement. You may not like it, but you should respect it. I want to encourage you- If you are a Bible believing, God-fearing Christian, God has commanded that you respect the leaders He puts in place. Romans 13:1 says: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” There is so much in this! Let’s break it down:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities: No one is exempt from what Paul is about to say!
There is no authority except from God: God- our amazing God- is in charge! He is over every leader, and He alone puts them into their respective leadership role. Be it a parent, teacher, employer, policeman or president, God has put them there for a reason.
And the authorities that exist are appointed by God: God put all our leaders in place. You have to grasp this concept. Paul is literally writing this to the Romans who had one of the most corrupt, tyrannic, cruel governments ever! And he is telling them to respect their leaders! I mean, we are talking murders, incest, slavery, and huge injustices from the roman government, and Paul is telling them to respect their leaders. And you thought our government was jacked up.

A lot of people would argue respecting government officials with, “Well, they don’t respect me, or my race, or my religion, so I am not going to respect them.” But if this is a command from God, who are you to say who deserves respect and who doesn’t? Just as God commands to respect leaders, He also gives several other commands such as, “Thou shalt not lie, steal, etc. And, love thy neighbor” So if we apply the same, ”He doesn’t respect me, I’m not respecting him” principle to those, it would look like, “He stole from me, so I’m stealing from him”; or “He lied to me, so I’m going to lie to him”; or even worse, “He didn’t show love to me, so I’m not going to show love to him”. Ultimately, you cannot fight disrespect with disrespect. By all means, stand up for injustice, speak up for those who don’t have a voice, and love those who need love, but do it in a respectful manner. When you disrespect someone, you are ultimately disrespecting God. The same is true for the opposite- when you honor someone, someone created in God’s image as a child of His own, you are honoring God. If you truly cannot find it in your heart to respect someone, I would challenge you to, at the very least, respect God enough to give Him the benefit of the doubt that He might actually know what He’s doing. I am fully aware that we have some big issues to fix in the country. I know and believe that racism still exists today. It breaks my heart to see it. I have, believe it or not, experienced it myself. I think it’s disgusting and ungodly to the max. I cannot wait to live in a world where we define each other by our actions and not by our skin color. But you cannot fight racism with disrespect. Instead, prove them wrong. Show them that they are the ignorant ones, not you. Real change can only come about through radical love. Love everybody, even your enemies. Respect everyone, even those that disrespect you. The Bible says in Romans 12:1 (MSG), “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Would you honestly present a life to God that’s littered with judgement and disrespect just because someone may or may not have done it to you first? God did not call us to live according to how the world treats us, but according to the call on our lives. (Eph 4:1-3 MSG, I Peter 3:8-12 NKJV)

My heart breaks at the state of our Nation. There is so much division and hatred from ALL sides. But we were not called to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). Renew your mind! Try to see things from a new perspective! I may not like the state of our beautiful land- the land that so many have worked and fought and died for; I may see a million things that need to change and improvements that could be made, but it doesn’t worry me. It doesn’t stress me out, because I know that we are and always will be ONE NATION UNDER GOD. He has never failed us, and he never will. I also know that God has appointed the proper leaders for such a time as this. He is in control. He knows what he is doing. Now it is our job to pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2). Regardless of if you like or dislike your leaders, you should pray for them. Below are some scriptures to pray over our leaders:

The Fruits of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”

This is pretty much all-encompassing. Pray that your leaders would walk in the fruits of the spirit. That they would not only portray them in their own lives, but that those they come in contact with show them as well.

Wisdom:

I Corinthians 2:16 “16 For ‘who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

Proverbs 3:21 “My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion;”

James 3:17 “17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.”

Proverbs 2:11 “11 Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you,”

Our leaders need wisdom. They are making countless decisions every day that not only affect them, but their nation, as well as the rest of the world. The wisdom they need is one that only God can give.

Rest:

Matt 11:28-30 “28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Stress, anxiety, and restlessness should probably be included in the job description for any government leadership position. Pray for your government officials to have supernatural rest amidst the craziness that is their lives. When you are rested, you are more likely to make sound decisions.

Protection:

Psalms 59: 1 “Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Defend me from those who rise up against me.”

Psalm 91

Threats are made against our government officials every single day. Whether they are empty or legitimate doesn’t matter. The fact of the matter is there are legitimate enemies of the United States, both foreign and domestic, that would love to bring harm to any of our head honchos.

Health- Spiritual and Physical

3 John 1:2 “2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”

In order to do their jobs effectively, our leaders need to be healthy, both spiritually and physically. Plead the blood of Jesus over them and their families. Declare that no weapon formed against them shall prosper.

I truly hope you hear my heart through this. I do not want this to be the start of a political debate. We get enough of that from the news media and social media, and quite frankly, I’m exhausted from hearing it all. We never know if what we are being fed is fact or fiction when it comes from those sources. But the one thing that will always remain true and constant is the Word of God and what it commands us to do. As Billy Graham said, “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and my job to love.” Stay in your lane. Love. And where there is love, there is respect.

XOXO

ELK

It Is Well

It’s no secret that life can be hard. For some situations, that’s an extreme understatement. It can present situations that are cruel, painful, sorrowful, and seem insurmountable. It is an unchangeable and unfair guarantee that you will face difficulties in your time on this earth. So, how then, do we keep moving forward? Take a look at the lyrics below from the song, “It is Well with My Soul”:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

when sorrows like sea billows roll;

whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:

It is well with my soul,

it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

let this blest assurance control,

that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

and hath shed his own blood for my soul.

(Refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

(Refrain)

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

even so, it is well with my soul.

(“It Is Well with My Soul”)

Some of you may be familiar with the story behind this song, but I’m going to go ahead and share it for those who are not. Horatio Spafford was a businessman residing in Chicago with his wife and 4 daughters in the late 19th century. He and his wife, Anna, knew all too well the cruelties of life, as the death of their son to pneumonia and the loss of their business in the Chicago fires happened in the same year. They managed to push forward, trust God, and rebuild a thriving business despite these great losses. Little did they know what lie ahead of them. In 1873, two years after the loss of their son and business, Anna and her 4 daughters boarded a transatlantic ship heading for Europe, leaving Horacio behind to manage the business in their absence. Four days into the trip, the ship carrying the five Spafford ladies collided with a much larger, iron hulled ship, resulting in the death of over 200 passengers- all four of the Spafford daughters included. Anna managed to survive and was taken to Europe. On his way to join her, Horatio Spafford was called up to the captain’s deck 4 days into his journey and told that they were passing over the final resting place of his four beloved daughters. According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born to Horatio and Anna in later years, her father left the captain’s deck and penned this very song.

After reading this story, I encourage you to re-read those lyrics. What does it mean for it to be will with your soul? How does a man who has lost everything write something so beautiful about the goodness of God? How do you attain a state of wellness of your soul? The answer to that question is a very simple one- you can’t! Not by yourself. No man is strong enough on his own to attain wellness of the soul. Try as you might, it is just not possible. But when you enter into a partnership with God, all it takes is a whisper and He is there to comfort and console you. He sends Holy Spirit to flood every fiber of your being, soul included, with His love, joy, comfort, and peace. There is often confusion during the storms of life that God has brought them about to teach someone a lesson or because He is angry, when, in fact, the storm was never God’s doing at all. The reason we experience hardships in life is not because we have an angry God, but because we live in a fallen world gripped by sin. The good news is, God may not have created the storm, but He can certainly take what the enemy meant to destroy you and make it a platform for you to stand upon, undefeated, to declare the His glory.

In order for it to be well with your soul, your soul must first be healthy. So how do we achieve that? I’m glad you asked! Accessing your direct line to the peace of God is vital to a healthy soul. The Bible speaks so many truths pertaining to the peace that accompanies God. Philippians 4:7 states, “And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts, your minds through Christ Jesus.” There is no natural way to keep your peace when all hell lets loose- but THANK GOD (literally) we may live in a natural world filled with a million anxiety triggers, but we have the ability to believe and function in the SUPERnatural. God knew exactly what we needed in this life, which is just one of many reasons He sent Jesus to the earth as a model for us. Jesus gave us multiple examples of what it looks like to have peace even in the chaos. He exemplified the attributes of having a soul that is well. He WAS peace. Because his soul was well, he changed the atmosphere just by walking into a room. He could walk into a chaotic situation, and suddenly it was still. Because His soul was well, his physical demeanor followed suit, and in turn, so did the atmosphere wherever He went.

Secondly, He allowed God to be God. If you can grasp the revelation that God is God, and you are not, you will be SO much better off. Who would want that responsibility anyway? You have to know that God is in control. He knows what He is doing. You have to come to the realization that it is not your responsibility to make it all happen- it is your responsibility to let God make it happen, and to open your ears and heart to what He would say to you and where He would lead you. Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.” The reason for you not wanting anything is because your Shepherd already knows everything that you could possibly need and He is ready and willing to give it to you! Part of having a soul that is well is letting go and letting God! Trust Him- He will never fail you.

Communication with God is essential for maintaining the wellness of your soul. This is a two-part explanation. First- like my pastor always says- If you REVEAL it, God can HEAL it! God loves hearing from you. He loves listening to you. I am not a parent yet, but I am a child, and I know for a fact that I annoyed my parents more than once. But, our heavenly Father does not get annoyed with you talking to him- be it your needs and wants, or just conversation with Him. Too often we feel we are burdening God if we present our needs or talk to Him about our problems. Some of you were probably even told growing up that God is too busy with more important things to listen to you “complain”. Well, my friend, that couldn’t be further from the truth. His word would not tell us to cast our cares on Him (Ps. 55:22, I Peter 5:7) if He didn’t want to hear them and help you! God has also given people the gift of the ability to counsel those who are hurting. There is such a negative stigma towards counseling, and it is truly unfortunate. We are such a prideful people that we don’t feel we have license to not be okay. We have to be seen as “perfect” in the eyes of the world, and going to see a shrink must mean there is something wrong with us. But you are only as sick as your secret. I would love to take credit for that awesome revelation, but that belongs to Pastor Carl Lentz. Nevertheless, it’s a profound truth. If you continue to bury and make hidden every hurt, disappointment, frustration, need, want, or desire, it will being to manifest in your behaviour. Part of keeping your soul well is giving God the parts that aren’t.

The second part of this is what happens after the storm, once you’ve decided to ask God for the things He wants to give you and you get them. For most people, our prayer life is never better than when we are in need or when things are cray-cray. We’re like, “God, I need a new, higher paying job, a car, and a few husband prospects STAT!” or, “God, I need you to speak to all 67 of my unsaved family members in a way they understand so that they will be saved by the end of the year. M’kay? Thanks! Love Ya ;)” God, being the loving Father He is, gives us the desires of our heart all in the proper timing, but more often than not, as soon as we get those things, we revert back to maybe praying at church and, if we’re feeling super holy, over our meals, and that’s about it until the next storm. Now, there’s a few problems with operating this way, but a big one is, you get all of these things, and now you have new relationships to build, a new occupation to learn, a car that needs gas and maintenance, a romantic relationship to nurture and a decision to make on whether or not this is the right person for you, and a family of baby Christians to help teach and lead, and you decide to play God and leave Him out of the equation. Cuz you got this, right!? Wrong. Because, then we get mad when we become burnt out, bitter, and back at square one! We are a funny people, aren’t we. The Bible is very clear on how to find rest and sustain it. Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, “28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It also says in Psalms 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you;” As it turns out, the secret to keeping your soul well is not so secret after all. You have to give it to God! And, in order for you to give it to God and for God to sustain you, you have to be in communication with Him! When you have an open line of communication with the Father, He is able to dispatch His Holy Spirit to help you and His angels to protect you. This doesn’t just mean praying here and there once or twice a week- it means being in your Word. If you want to hear what God has to say to you, you’re in luck- there’s a 66 chapter book chock full of His logos words for your life! It means going to church, building relationship with your fellow sheep, and being an active participant in corporate worship, even when you don’t feel like it! Some of the greatest breakthrough comes from pushing through your emotional and physical comfort to connect with the supernatural. Do not disconnect from the source of divine rest for your weary soul (another nugget from Mr. Lentz).

It is possible for it to be well with your soul, even when it is not well with your world. You cannot allow yourself to become a victim of your circumstances. Trust me, I know just how crazy life can be. The enemy is no respecter of persons- his mission is to steal, kill, and destroy anything our God gives us. That includes our peace. But, our Jesus didn’t give His life freely for you to go and live in a constant cycle with the same outcome of a tired and worn out mind, body, and soul. He did it for you to be more than a conqueror, to have the best life possible here on earth because of the beautiful bridge between heaven and earth He created. There comes a point in life where you have to make the conscious effort to say “It IS well!”, even if it’s not. This world is in a very negative state, and if you do not know the worth of your soul, the world will be the first to place a false, cheapened value on it. When your soul is well, nothing negative can stick. Remember that saying “I am rubber you are glue, whatever bounces off of me, sticks to you”? Imagine your healthy soul as rubber and the enemy as glue. When your soul is well, whatever the enemy throws at you bounces off of you and sticks right back onto him. When was the last time you checked up on your soul? Maybe it’s time to start working your way to a healthy soul. That may look different for each of you, but I encourage you- never be ashamed to reach out for help. Sometimes it just takes talking to someone. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the right direction. If you feel led to go to counseling, do it! It doesn’t mean you’re crazy- it means you’re human. Make sure THE counselor is in on it too. God is the ultimate counselor, and He wants to listen because He loves you more than you will ever know. I definitely do not have it all figured out, but I am here for you, as well. Day or night, call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me! My prayer for you today is that the peace of God- the peace that passes all understanding; the peace that allows parents who have lost everything to rejoice- would flood your heart, mind and soul. I pray it is well with your soul.

XOXO

ELK