FAITH

What would life without Jesus look like? What would it be like if God never sent Jesus to come to this earth? What would it be like if we didn't have the gift of eternal life and a relationship with Him? What would like look like without His presence?

Think about it for a moment...

When I thought about these possibilities, tears came to my eyes. 

I can't think what my life would be without my Rock, my Lighthouse, my Comforter, my Lover, my Best Friend and my Reedeemer.

From this place I want to share Jesus with others. Who He is to me is why I want nothing more then to share Him.

I recently learned that I have the spiritual gift of faith.

The Holy Spirit led me to this jem in the Psalm 89 about king David. I decided to put my own name into it, because I felt God really speaking it over me. These are His promises to me:

Here goes! 

"I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young woman among the people.

I have found Tori my servant; 

with my sacred oil I have anointed her. 

My hand will sustain her; surely my arm will strengthen her. 

The enemy will not get the better of her, the wicked will not oppress her. 

I will crush her foes before her and strike down her adversaries.

My faithful love will be with her, and through my name her horn will be exalted.

I will set her hand over the sea, her right hand over the rivers. She will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’ 

I will maintain my love to her forever, and my covenant with her will never fail. I will not take my love from her, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered. 

Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness— and I will not lie to Tori— that her line will continue forever and her throne endure before me like the sun; it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky."

Woah.. Try putting your own name into these verses, and see Gods heart for you.

I am deeply passionate about leading people into a passionate relationship with Jesus.

He is so faithful! He is so kind!

Have you experienced His love?

I will jump up and down, slide across the room in my socks, shout it out as loud as I can until I can share how passionately God loves you.

Challenge? Try writing out these verses with your name on a piece of paper and signing it with Gods name.

FAITH.COMFORT.LOVE.

The 4 Corners of Christianity

Have you ever wondered why Christians disagree with each other so much?

I cant even begin to describe how privileged I am to be part of the Causeway Coast Vineyard church. This Sunday, the lead pastor, Alan Scott, shared the concept of these 4 different corners of Christianity, and it permeated deep into my theology.
 If you are up for a "my theology is messed with" experience that I had, keep reading! 

Churches as a whole and individual Christians tend to separate into 4 different corners.

  Corner 1: The Bible People

We believe that the Bible is the living word of God. Everything needs to go by the Bible. If its not Biblical, it ain't happening. How is it possible to hear from God without deeply knowing the precious Word He has left here for us?! If it isnt in the Bible, it wont fly by us.

Hebrew and Greek studies, concordances, regular quiet time, head coverings, and memory verses? Yes please! 

Corner 2: The Salvation People

We believe that it's all about getting people to make the decision to follow Jesus. It's all about that moment. The moment where a persons eternal destiny is secured. 

Yes or No? Hand raised or not?

. People are going to hell! Lets tell them the Good News and offer them to get to know Jesus! Lets go into the world and preach the gospel to all the nations, starting from our home town and going to the ends of the earth. Repent and be batpized! Lets be fruitful. Lets bring as many people into the Kingdom of God as possible. How many people can we give the opportnity to say "yes" to Jesus?
 Billy Graham "come to the front of the room and weep" parades. 

Hand in the air decisions. Evangelism. Missionaries.

Corner 3: The Signs and Wonders People

 

We are self professed Holy Spirit junkies. The Holy Spirit wants to fill us and show us His love. We speak in tongues, feel the presence of God (wind and fire, anyone?), and let Him overwhelm us with His love. 

God does want us to experience Him personally. How we love being expressive in worship and praying for everything that moves.
 Lets do the works that Jesus did, and do even greater things than Him, because that's what He wants. We aren't saved by our works, but we are judged by them. So lets get to the experience!

 Hands raised, drums, electric guitar, speaking in tongues, falling over in the spirit, and praying for dead people. 

Stereotypical Charismatics and Pentecostals. Visions, angels, revelations, and treasure hunting. 

I wont be satisfied until I see a dead person raised. Boom. 

Corner 4: the social justice people

There are children dying of AIDS right now as you are reading this! There are young girls being sold into sex slavery. Jesus said that we are the light of the world, so lets shine brighter. Whatever we do for the little kids, we are doing to Jesus. Lets save the widows and the orphans! Isnt that pure religion? 
We have the power to end human trafficking and slavery. If we all are in this together, we can being peace to the world. 

We need to raise funds and raise awareness.

 Movements and campaigns. Bake sales and fun raiders. 


.........................................................................

Stereotypical? Maybe? 

True? For the most part.. 

The things that blows my mind the most is that when you are told only one perspective, it seems so Biblical and right.

Which corner do you lean towards? What corner do those around you lean towards?

  Have you noticed that the people in these corners often fight with each other?

The Bible people tell the salvation people, "It cant just be about a single conversion moment, but about reading the Bible and getting to know what God is currently saying. The morality has to follow the convertion!". The signs and wonders people say to the Bible people, "You only know God in your head, you have never experienced Him in your heart. Phrarisees!!" The social justice tell the salvation people, "Its great that these people are coming to faith but what does it matter if these new converts aren't doing anything to help the poor and the sick?" The salvation people are telling the social justice people, "You are helping so many people, but are you actually leading them into salvation and into eternity?"

The examples here could be countless. Sadly, if you have been around Christian circles for a while, I am sure that you have heard one of the corners crying out against another.

If these are the 4 corners, what is in the middle of this room?

Jesus.

I wonder how He feels to see all of His kids fighting with each other. I wonder how much it breaks His heart..

I am not saying that we should wipe out denominations and different belief systems, but what I am saying is that UNITY is the thing that Jesus prayed for, for His church.

I wonder how much more impact Christians would be able to have in the world if we stopped arguing with one another and showed the world the love of Jesus.

After all, this is how Jesus said people would be able to tell if we are His disciples.

I pray that every single person who reads this post would be filled with the desire to be united with their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Why? Because thats where I think Gods heart is.

How can this happen? I believe that a time is coming for the uniting of the Bride of Christ, the Church. I believe that a time is coming where the 4 corners will stop fighting. I believe that that time is here. Is this the Kingdom of God that Jesus kept talking about? When the 4 seperate corners become one whole room?

My heart is broken when I see the 4 corners fighting. I was part of the battle for far too long. The Bible corner had me convinced there where no other corners in this room. 

I repent and change my ways. 

Whos with me?

Loner Dates

  If you think over the last month of your life, what would you say has been your highlight? 

When I asked myself this question, I came to the conclusion that my highlight last month were my "loner dates".

 I've been going on a lot of "loner dates" recently. Loner dates is what I call when you just get to spend some time with yourself doing something that you really enjoy that you would normally only do with someone else.

Why did I do this? In my current season of life, I found it very easy to simply go through the motions of every day without ever getting a chance to draw back and reflect on what I was doing. I was physically present in what I was doing, but emotionally, I have been quite distant for quite some time. 

Have you ever had that feeling where you wake up in the morning and think.. Didnt I just wake up?! How could a day have possibly gone by? I felt as if I was trying to hold steam in my hands; everything kept slipping through my fingers. I realized that I needed to start taking time for myself.

 Time to just be silent and just be human. 

To breath. 

To slow down. 

So I went on some loner dates. 

I went for a walk in the forest without listening to any music. I took time to listen to birds. I took a nap by the river in the morning. I put up a mirror in front of me and watched myself eat. 

The craziest thing? I used to feel really lonely when I was alone, and now spending time in solitute and reflection is what I crave to be able to love people more.

The older I get, the more time I need for reflection.

What are some "loner dates" you could go on? 

I challenge you to take some time to "loner date" yourself.

Life happens in a blink. It happens in a flash. It happens in the time it took to look back. We try to hold on tight, but theres no stopping time. What is it that ive done with my life? It happens in a blink.

No Longer a Vegan?

 

 

Freedom
 

Vegan

As many of you that know me may know, the past year I have been a vegan. I didn't eat any animal products or sugar or sweets. I was really focused on health, working out, and posting pictures of my delicious vegan food. -wink wink- 

Beginnings

Why did I start being a vegan in the first place? Well, contrary to what I would tell most people, I originally became a vegan because I had a disease for 2 years that affected me every single day of my life. I won't go into details here, but it was something very severe that left me lifeless and drained. I didnt tell anybody but a few very close friends and family members because I was so ashamed of it. My identity became rooted in this disease of mine. It was something that was always on my mind and I suffered greatly from it. I remember visiting doctors and them saying that they can't do anything about it. I tried everything from natural medications, to herbal treatments, to wierd Russian folk medicines, but nothing was able to help me. Since I didnt yet know that I could ask for God to heal me, my last hope was trying raw veganism to cure me. I read stories of how people's lives were changed because of raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

 

 

Restoration

So I decided to give it a try! To my utter relief and joy, my disease went away within the first week of eating this way! I felt relief sweep into my life like a tidal wave. I forgot what it felt like to be healthy and care free! I felt 2 years of guilt, shame, and anxiety fade into freedom.

 

 

Head over heels commitment

Because veganism was the thing that brought me such freedom, I fell head over heels into a strong commitment and passion for it. I became so strict in what I ate and let fear of my disease returning stop me from having any sweets that I wanted. But if I'm honest, for a period of about 8 months, my desire for sugary sweets and animal products completely was gone. I was honestly enjoying my vegan food very much and didnt crave anything else.

It was a season of honest healthy satisfaction. I have never been as healthy as in these 8 months.
 

 

Boundaries

During this season of my life, I grew so much in my knowledge about health, about my body, about my likes and dislikes, and in what it really means to be healthy. I grew so much closer to God and saw that His heart was also for our bodies (that I believe He made) to be healthy. I learned about self control. I learned about boundaries. I learned how to say no. I learned how not to be offended when people would tell me that "I'm killing myself by not eating meat" and "how stupid and childlike I am being for thinking I can live only on fruits, nuts, veggies and grains." If I had a penny for every time I was asked about where I got my protein, I'd be rich! (By the way, cabbage and broccoli) I learned to be patient with people who just simply didn't know my background and didn't know about my disease. I learned to be forgiving and understanding when people would try to force feed me meat or dairy or sweets, make fun of me for eating this way and tell me I am living in self denial. It was such an amazing experience to learn and grow these new character traits.

Don't you sometimes wish that things can stay the way they are? Don't you sometimes wish that change didn't have to come? I don't know whether you believe in God or not, but in my personal experience, I love Him so much because He keeps challenging me and taking me out of my comfort zone.

I believe that God saw that I learned what I needed to from this season in my life, and so He challenged me to move on. This was one of the hardest things I ever had do do. Even harder then giving up certain foods was going back on my words of "I will always be a vegan". Veganism became an identity for me, and because of this, it really hurt and confused me when I started to crave sweets again. It shook my world, because I started thinking " I can't eat this, because I am a vegan". I guess I didn't get as much self control as I thought, because I would start sneaking something sweet, like chocolate, once in a while. When I did, I felt guilt and shame again.

Frustration

I can remember the confusion and frustration as if it were yesterday. HOW could I feel guilt and frustration from the very thing that just a year ago was what saved me from guilt and frustration?! I felt like I lost so much ground, like I was taking one step forward and five steps back.

 

Freedom

My relationship with God grew really close at this point. I really needed Him at every second of the day because I had no idea what I was doing. I was physically healed a year ago, but this year I needed emotional healing. Through some wise counsel from one of my mentors, and having God speak into my heart through the Bible, I decided that it was time for a new season. I would give veganism completely over to God, and ask for my freedom back. I asked Him to let my identity be SOELY in Him, because He is the only thing that will never change. My food cravings, desires and thoughts changed, but my God is still the same. This loving, patient, forgiving, kind, comforting Father of mine was willing to help me get through this.

Uncertainty

This was the decisions that I made: to use this whole situation for Gods glory, and to help other people with what I was going through. I was going to have freedom, but I wasn't going to use it to indulge in unhealthy foods. Health is still very important to me, and I really respect people who take care of their bodies. But if I'm craving some chocolate, I'm gonna eat that darn thing to the glory of God! How does that bring Him glory? I believe that He loves me, and loves seeing me be like a kid who is just enjoying a delicious treat.

I can't say that I have this whole veganism, food, body image and self control thing figured out, and I strongly doubt I ever will. All I know is that nothing, not food, not veganism, not choices, not self control or the lack thereof, can separate me from the love that God has for me. I am secure in a Father who will go with me through every feeling of guilt, shame, rejection, self accusation and happiness, joy, health and self control.

Why am I sharing this with the world to see? Because I want to share how I experienced Gods love to be unfailing. I have found Him to be an unchanging rock that I can plant myself on and not worry about the storms of life shaking me.

I have no idea what tomorrow will hold for me. Will I want to stop eating sweets again and go back to being a vegan? I don't know. Will I want to start eating meat again? I don't know. Will I still be as fascinated in health? I don't know.

 

 

But I do know this- no matter what life brings to me, my Heavenly Father will be right there with me, encouraging me and holding my hand.

My Journey with Food

Food. 

I cant think of a more painful journey.

I have spent the last couple of years worrying about food. Before I could even finish one meal I would start worrying about the next one. Would I have enough food? Would it make me fat? I would be so greedy when it came to food. Hoarding, gluttony and obsession.

Eating disorders

I was a food binger. I remember eating till I was sick. It was a beggar-like mentality. I felt like I could never get enough.  I remember turning to food for comfort. After a long day at work as a waitress, I would drive to McDonald at 11 pm to buy my comfort. I would crawl into my bed and eat my comfort. But that only lasted for a few minutes. After the binge was over, guilt and shame flooded into my head. HOW could I make such a dumb decision again? Why did I keep eating so much when I already felt fat? Why was I so helpless against my own dumb decisions? I was destroying my body.

Baby Fat

I was a chubby preteen. I remember being told by the boy I had a crush on for a couple of years that I was fat. I was told that so many times that it took deep root in my identity. FAT wasnt something that I had, but it became something that I was. The people who liked me and the ones who didn't were all singing the same song: that I was fat and needed to loose weight. If you dont think that that will MESS YOU UP at thirteen years old, well.. you are wrong. 

All I wanted was to be beautiful to somebody. I wanted to be lovely. I wanted a man in my life to look at me and see me this way.

I channeled all of this emotional shame into sports. I joined the volleyball, basketball, track, swimming, and cheerleading teams. None of those things could help my food addiction, but they did help me loose the evidence... If you know what I mean. The more pounds came off, the more attention I received. Those same people who commented on my fat body were now commenting on my skinny one. Every "Wow, you lost so much weight" compliment only sent me deeper into the hole of my disorder with food. I think that people normally like those compliments but they just made me remember the past and feel ashamed. Why did people still comment on my body?

Some of the guys around me started noticing the changes in my body too. Maybe the revealing clothes I could finally fit into helped a little bit. A few unhealthy relationships later and my body image was even more messed up.

Some days were alright, others were really hard. I turned to food for comfort, and to exercise to take away the guilt. When I looked in the mirror I felt either pride of how well I have done disguising that little fat girl or shame for how much she was still a part of me. 

I turned to veganism to feed my food idol. Surely if I eliminated all of the unhealthy foods from my diet I would finally stop thinking about food! NOPE. Exact opposite effect. Surely if I obsessively counted calories I would be able to control myself! Nope. Even more binge sessions. Nothing from my own strength could set me free for the long run. 

Why couldnt anybody set me free? Why was food always on my mindWhy couldn't food and my body image get off my mind? Why couldn't I look in the mirror without criticizing? 

And you may now ask..     

Why am I sharing my shameful past? 

JESUS

Because I don't have any more shame. 

I found somebody who took me out of my obsession, my hoarding, my greed, my shame, my guilt, and my sin and gave me life, healing and restoration. He calls me beautiful even when I don't feel it. He tells me that He loves me even when I feel horrible about myself; that is Jesus. I don't think I have known Him in a more beautiful way then I did when He restored me out of my body image addiction.

The craziest thing is that I have had a relationship with Jesus for a couple of years before I let Him heal me from all of my bitterness in this area. Even while I was a Christian, I would still look in the mirror, and see myself as fat. I would condemn my body by criticizing. 

God was gracious to me and allowed me to recieve healing. Here are some of the things I have been journeying in the past few months with healing. For me, healing didnt come all at once. It has been a process.

Here are some of the steps on that journe

• through allowing God to be my Comforter, 
• through giving up my rights to fight for and hoard my food, 
• repenting of being greedy
• through repenting of constantly worrying about what I am going to eat,
•  through NOT focusing on the food I am eating, but on the plans He has for me
• through worshipping Jesus in dancing and singing
• receiving prayer from women who have been set free from the same struggle themselves

It is so absolutely wonderful to know that somebody thinks I am beautiful. Jesus doesn't see the fat kid I saw when I looked at myself, but He sees His child, who He adores. A child dancing before Him without blemish, shame or scar.

Changes are, that if you are still reading, you or somebody you love has gone through something similar. You would probably agree that this journey cant possibly be explained on a few blog pages, but I hope that this has somehow made you see that you are not alone.

I just want to tell you that Jesus can heal everybody. It is still a battle on some days when I feel like I am a fat pig, but that is not from God! Those thoughts are from the enemy. Rebuke them in the name of Jesus Christ! Give your worries to Him, and He will provide for you! Don't think that you have to feel ashamed about yourself or your past. That is not Gods plan for your life! He is calling you to greatness.

I pray that every person who reads this blog post will be set free from any body image issues, worry or eating disorders right now in the name of Jesus Christ. You are NOT ALONE! The enemy is trying to get many of us down, but it will not work, because we are Children of God. He thinks you are lovely. He calls you by name. He is your Comforter. He is your Rescuer. Nobody could be more wonderful, good or loving. Is the battle hard? YES. Is it worth it though? Yes!!!!

And as for those thoughts in our head?.. That is a battle that we are victorious in if we are in Christ. 

Dont yet know Jesus? Let your adventure begin!

Lonliness sucks

Growing up as an only child, loneliness is something that I have really been struggling with for as long as I can remember.

Some of my earliest memories are playing in the forest behind our house by myself. Have you ever had an imaginary friend? I did; more than one actually!

Feeling alone is something that  I have struggled with for a long time. Sometimes you feel alone because you ARE and other times you are physically with people but feel alone in their midst. Do they care? Do they understand? Do I matter? Why doesnt anybody  pay attention to me?

Loneliness sucks. It lead to crying alone in the car, depressing thoughts, and wanting to lay down in bed and never get up.

So whats the solution?

For me, it was Jesus. 
 He told me "I will never leave you or forsake you!"

Ive learned over the past few months that even if I feel alone, I am not. That moment when Im thinking that nobody cares, nobody understands or loves me, God is thinking...

"IM RIGHT HERE!!! IM CRAZY ABOUT YOU! IM THINKING ABOUT YOU! YOU ARE MY CHILD! COME TO ME, GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR BURDENS! I WANT TO BE INVOLVED, I HAVE A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE, YOU ARE SO SPECIAL TO ME!!!!"

I wonder if God feels hurt when we say that we are so alone.

Seek God, and you will find Him.

But another thing I learned was that God loves to give us healthy and stable friendships. A few weeks ago I asked Him to give me a close friend here in Northern Ireland that I can talk to about Him and that can encourage me in seeking Gods face, and He did! He loves for His children to be in community!

What is it that your heart truly desires? 

I think that what God really desires is for us to desire Him above anything else. To LOVE Him with all our hearts, souls and minds.

How do you feel about this desire of His?

If you are feeling lonely, tell Him! He already knows anyway, but He wants to hear it from you. Ask Him for a friend who will encourage and support you. Seek community with the people of God.

But most importantly, seek Jesus and His presence. He is the one who will always be there. Nobody else can fill that space for us. Jesus is the best friend I have ever had. He's never messed up, said something to hurt my feelings, manipulated me, left me, or abused me. HE IS SO AMAZING!!!! If you don't know Him, getting to know Him is the best decision you will ever make.

So please allow me the honor to make the introduction.. "Dear ____, (insert your name here), Id like to you to meet my Best Friend, Father, God, Savior, Doctor, Lover, and just the most amazing identity in the universe" (no overstatement necessary.. hehe :) 

....and THAT, my friends, is the solution for lonliness and friendship, if you ask for my two cents :)

Why do you read the Bible?

The Bible is boring to read.

Wait, before you judge me, this is what I used to think. I never would verbally say it, but it is what I used to think. 

I read it to get it off my to do list. 

Now I have a hunger to read the Bible. It gives me life. I need Gods word to survive. One hour isn't enough for me anymore. 

Here is what made all the difference for me:

http://youtu.be/lJUdLYUxK44