Wash the Dirt Off

Our Mission...

2011-01-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 2:1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord

Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

How true. This is our mission...this is what we are all called to do.

We are supposed to be the light shining for Christ.... Sharing His love here and across the world. Love does not see color. It does not see wealth or material objects. Love is blind and should be extended, especially, to those who need it most. The ones who feel no love; who feel abandoned; who feel as low as you can possibly get. These are the ones we are supposed to go to...to seek out.

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Christ is love.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. We are not called for our own selfish benefits and enjoyment.... we are not called to make us feel better about ourselves.... we are not called to be a shadow on the works and name of Christ. We are called to be that light. We are called to spread His word and love all over the world.

God has given me an enormous passion for orphans and those who are broken and suffering. I have a huge passion for the least of these. My heart is especially driven to Africa.... Swaziland. God has allowed me the amazing opportunity to go there... and spend time with his children. He has allowed me to have a love for them...an unconditional love... a love that is so real and strong. The love that I have for them empowers me to be a voice for them. To spread the word of their reality. Their reality is only a nightmare to us...they live it. I am called to do all I can.

What I can do is pray for them. Tell their stories. Share the memories that I have to people who are blind to the reality across the world. What I can do is get help for them. I can get help by finding more believers to pray for them...some to go. The more eyes, hands, and feet that actually go to them...and see the real truth about life there... to hold the children and love on them.... to just be there. That is the way to spread Gods love.

Most of these children do not get affection... some children only know the touch of an abusive hand. For a few moments, that child has your attention, your hands to hold and comfort them. For a few moments, that child is embraced and cared for. Feeling your love for them and seeing that God loves them. For one second they are able to just be a kid.

Those few moments are worth every struggle and battle faced to get there...to get to where God has called me. To take that first step, that leap of faith.... to be "Jesus with skin on" to children who have no one; who have nothing. I don't seeing anything in the world that is better than that.

If we are not doing what God has called us to do; then why are we here? What is the point of everything. The point is Jesus. That is the reason we are here. To spread his love and glorious name all over the world. One God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all (Ephesians 4:6)

I have finally figured out what I am supposed to do with my life. With every breath and step that I take... I am to serve. To serve God and the least of these. To use my passion and gifts to advance His kingdom.... to do His work. What we see are the devil's attacks in the form of insults, setbacks and temptations...with God's perspective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours.

I lay my life down. I lay my fears at the cross. I lay my doubts down. I surrender completely to Him and His calling on my life. Philippians 4:6 Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Philippians 4:13 For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.

When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. - James 1: 2-3

Battle Wounds

2009-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have not written anything in a long time, so I decided to start back with an update about where I am at in my walk...

This past weekend I was able to go on the Westwood Women's Retreat to Orange Beach. I did not realize how much I needed to be there. I was able to spend time with my best friends and also have several sessions with a great speaker, Debbie Childers (who is awesome by the way).

While I was there God spoke to me about alot of my past.
He spoke to me alot about forgiveness. I realized that I was able to forgive people who have hurt me and I have been able to ask Him for forgiveness...but I could never forgive myself for things that I have done or been apart of. This was a really big burden that I was carrying around...one that I never seemed to lay down at the cross. I laid everything else down...why could I not let go of this? This has been what has been holding me back.

I have never admitted that things of my past were still things I battled all the time. The battle that I faced was not a physical one... but a mental one. Thoughts of my past would come up when I would be certain places...or see certain things...or hear certain music... or even see someone I used to be friends with. I kept the thought in my mind that my past defines who I am... I did not understand that when you have a relationship with Christ then you receive a new past as well as a new present and future.

While there I spent a very special time on the balcony of our condo with two amazing women, Crystal and Katie. I was able to open up to them and say some things that I have never in my life been able to say. They helped me see things that I was blinded from before. I think it is so amazing how God puts people in your life who can relate to the same things that you have experienced. I could not have had that convo with any other people. It was a beautiful moment...and could not have been anywhere else or with any other people. On the balcony listening to the waves crashing against the shore... after listening to a whole session on past/forgiveness/freedom.

The moment that I said aloud what it was that had me in chains...its like they broke. I felt freedom like never before.

I came home a different person than when I left.
After I got home I was replaying the weekend. And something so amazing came to mind.... it was about Africa.

This past trip I was so pumped up because I was going to get a chance to speak to the older girls there. We spent the week building relationships and getting to know eachother...and I spent a good bit of time with these girls that I would be speaking to.
Well, I never got the chance to speak to them... it just didnt work out. I was honestly heartbroken about it... I felt that this was something they needed to hear. I felt like I was supposed to talk to them about not having sex until marriage/how beautiful and worthy they are/how if they have made mistakes it is okay because God can erase it all and give them a new beginning if they have a reltionship with Him (stuff like that). All really good stuff, right??

Well... I figured out why it is that we didnt have time on this trip. Because I wasnt ready. God had more work to do in me. I just didnt know it at the time.
How could I tell these girls to believe all those things when I couldnt believe it myself.
I didnt wait until marriage. I didnt feel beautiful or worthy of anything. I didnt believe He would erase my past...I just thought He wouldnt look at it (until I messed up agian).
I could not talk to these wonderful girls...because I needed to hear it (and believe it) myself.
I couldnt talk about something I knew nothing about.

Well this past weekend was exactly what I needed. Spending time in the arms of Christ, spending time with great friends that I love, and hearing a love note that God had for me (and believing it!)
God is so amazing.

So I am free. MY CHAINS ARE GONE!

I'm not who I was

2008-03-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Being an Iwitness:

I have been thinking alot about change ( like how and why and the purpose..ect).
In my last blog I said that "healed & saved= life change"...
Here are some notes----

If I have a true relationship with Jesus Christ I know it.
A true relationship with Jesus leads to life change.
When a person becomes an iwitness, not everyone is pleased because they don't "get" the change and don't understand why you don't do what you used to do. I have been there!
If I am a true iwitness, Jesus wil not embarass me.
If I've been an iwitness to what God has done in my life through Christ, I want others I love to experience the same thing.
We need to plant seeds in the unsaved.
Iwitnesses can do more together than they can do on their own.
Real iwitnesses care more about God's opinion of them, than what other people think.
Genuine faith in Christ is based on fact, not just feelings or wishful thinking.
Salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake. His love will run farther than you can run away.
Jesus is victorious where human beings fail.
When my eyes are on God, I bless Him in good times and bad.
When God is my vision, other people see Him as well.

How would you live if you only have 30 days to live?.... Would you keep falling short and not changing your habits or would you be praising the Lord and change your habits ( would you be able to take off the mask of the world?)

Keeping this in mind... how hard is it to actually change? All it takes is the will power and keeping your eyes on Jesus. When I was watching the movie Passion of the Christ...I was thinking about the pain that Jesus had to feel to save me from my sin. I couldnt watch it.

Its funny to think of all the selfish people... what if Jesus was selfish?.. we'd be messed up. I think about everyone who knows that what they are doing is wrong and they still mindfully do it. I know b/c I was one of those people.... still struggle with that.

I have something to say but not sure exactly what I is that I am trying to say. I am just overwhelmed.

I think about where I used to be, where I am now, and where i'm gonna be. I thank God for everything He is doing in me.

I pray that He keeps me broken for Him... and that I remember that its not about me... Its about Him.

I pray for all those who have strayed away.... for all of those who are facing some type of struggle.... Don't be fooled. Take off the mask of the world and take up the cross....

This world has nothing for me.

Hopefully in my next blog I will actually figure out what it is that I am really trying to say....

~Shiny People~

2008-03-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

When I looked up my name, Cassandra, it meant "to shine" or "to shine on man". I started thinking alot about it....
It is starting to make sense to me. I have to learn how to shine... or what it "means" to shine.
Where I am now, I think I am headed in that direction.

My Pastor said," A true relationship with Jesus leads to life change" (healed & saved= life change)
I have the saved part, but still working on the healing part. I still have alot that the Lord is teaching me and restoring in me.
He is healing me everyday.
Things that I know need to be restored or healed in me are: my mistrust in people (I can't make them pay for things that happened in my past), my broken heart, my need to be "accepted" and my closing off or shutting down when I get scared or nervous... and so on and so on...
So there is alot that is being worked on.
When you begin to "shine" for Jesus your values and habits change. Alot of people don't "get it"... and thats okay. Some people don't understand how you are changing or what is causing this change.
Change isn't easy. Infact, it is probably one of the hardest and most emotional things I have ever gone through.
I cant understand how the not so shiny people couldn't understand.
I didn't.
I was so covered with all the junk of the world that I couldn't believe what God was telling me. I couldn't see why He would want me.

Just like a rock. It might be dirty, chipped or broken. Everyone walks right past them, unnoticed. Those rocks are the unsaved...and the saved that aren't changed or restored yet. All God has to do is wash the dirt off. Underneath all that dirt is something strong and beautiful.
The broken ones tend to shine more and come with an awesome story.

Knowing where I am now and seeing where I was... makes me want to shine brighter. I want to be the broken rock. The one that shines and tells a story of amazing grace and how Jesus washed the dirt off and how He polished me with His love... to make me shine.
You can't do it by yourself.

We need to be able to shine so bright for the Lord, that the ones lost in the dark will see it and come running.
We need to plant seeds in the unsaved. Help wash the dirt off.
That is what Jesus did for us.

How do you shine for the Lord? Do you allow yourself to shine bright or are you scared to be that bright light? How much dirt were you covered with before you were saved and cleaned (or changed)?
Do you help to wash the dirt off of the unsaved?