Matthew 4:4

"Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

I'm on an email list where I get a devotional emailed to me every day. Yesterday's emphasized the importance of knowing Scripture, and there was a list included of ways in which the use of Scripture is a powerful tool:

"Speak the Word of God:
1. To yourself first.
2. To God in thanks and praise.
3. To the devil.
4. To circumstances."


"For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow." Hebrews 4:12

I came across this photo, entitled "Trying Too Hard", in a concept gallery. At first I blew it off as a humorous piece, but as I read the author's thought process as she created this scene (the wannabe candy corn on the right is a Bugle, by the way), I was led to realize how true the metaphor portrayed in the picture actually is. Who hasn't felt like the Bugle at some point or another? One of the first things that came to mind when I began to think about this is the scene in the movie Mean Girls in which Cady goes to the costume party dressed as a scary "ex-wife," not realizing that in girl world, "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." As hard as she tries to fit in by dressing up in the spirit of Halloween, she sticks out like a sore thumb because she doesn't know the unwritten rules. Why do we try so hard? The candy corn on the left looks just fine being itself; why can't the Bugle be comfortable being itself too?

I don't know, I guess that's a silly example, but it really made me think about how many times we become Bugles to try and fit in, but we end up making a fool of ourselves for not being who we truly are.

Relient K lyrics = great.

I was listening to Relient K's most recent album this evening, and a lyric jumped out at me:

"I'm just trying to be a better version of me for You."

It seems so simple, yet so often we miss the mark. We try to be someone who we aren't to impress God. It doesn't work. He knows us inside out; He created us. The Message paraphrase of Psalm 139:1-6 says, "Even from a distance, You know what I'm thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of Your sight. You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence."

Why do we try to be anything besides a better version of ourselves for God? Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." That's all He asks. God doesn't expect us to give Him anything He hasn't first given us - how can we?

If we offer Him ourselves--our entire selves--He will make us a better version of ourselves for Him.

an excerpt from cassie's blog.

i don't know.
i'm just interested in life.
i wish i could have two lifes to live, so i could live one as like a trial-run and just observe everything other people do, and know all their thoughts and what motivates them to be who they are... and then use that knowledge when i started my for real life.
you know?
that's weird.

and you know what else is weird?
we only get to be one person forever.
no matter what i do to myself or my life or my appearance, no matter what friends i make or where i move... i'll always be cassie. i'll never be anyone else.

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out."
--Anton Chekhov

"All sunshine makes a desert."
--Ron Hutchcraft