Deep-End Discipleship

"The people who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion: never shaken, lasting forever. Mountains surround Jerusalem. That’s how the Lord surrounds his people from now until forever from now!" - Psalm 125: 1-2 CEB - "'Because you have little faith,' he said. 'I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do.'" - Matthew 17:20 CEB - I was never someone who wanted to be outdoors when I was younger. I don’t like bugs, heat, dirt, and am always terrified of what creature may be lurking under a bush or behind a tree. That being said, sometime in the last few years this changed drastically. I do not know if it was a random hiking trip, or getting tired of the north Texas landscape, but I suddenly started longing to be in the mountains. I love the weather, the hiking, the smell of the air, being surrounded by trees,...

“Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back.  You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.” - Psalm 139:1-6 CEB - I am a planner. I function best when I have multiple to-do lists, a detailed calendar, and I know what I need to do months in advance. Part of the reason I do this, is because it seems like there is always a billion things to do and a lot of pressure to succeed. I’m also an obsessive planner because it helps me cope with stress. We have so much pressure to be successful in life and to have our whole future planned out. I get a lot of comfort by being able to list of my 5-year plan to someone who asks. I feel accomp...