Jesus and I. We're like this: &

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to death---even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:1-11. I thought focusing on the entire passage would be too much, but after reading it over and over and over and over, etc, I realized that there is something about this passage that forces me to see the overview of who my Savior was and is.

It talks about what Paul would like to see in those who claim Jesus Christ as their Lord (Christians) and then it talks about the actions and humility of Jesus. I don't know about you, but when I think of Jesus, I tend to separate Him from me. We generally don't exist on the same page. Yes, I talk to Him. Yes, I read His Word. However, the idea of including myself and Jesus in the same line rarely comes up. But  Paul makes that connection because of the way Christ lives in us.

'Unity with Christ. Fellowship with the Spirit.' Here we establish the fact that Christ does not desire for a long-distance relationship. No way! He wants to kick it with you and your friends at the movies and sit with you in class. He wants to love you and be your friend. In this, we are united with Christ. And in our unity, we [need to] reflect the nature of Christ himself, this humble guy that figured dying was the only way to give me life. Go figure.

'He humbled himself. Therefore God exalted him.' These phrases reflect the nature of Christ Jesus. That means that if this is what Chris is doing, then this is what I need to be doing. No, I am not Jesus Christ, but by being one with Him, I should humble myself. In doing so, Christ exalts me.  <--that can be further explained another time.

Sooo...long story short: Jesus and I are united (friends!) thus, we share similar traits (humility)---at least we should.

It's a work in progress, but I know that it will happen. I can get there. Claim it. Pray about it. Work on being one with Christ. (If you need assistance, holla atcha home giiiirl 'cause I then can point you to the Bibliaaaaa).

I'm out. Deuces.

Much love, peace and unity grease,
    Ife 'Quipayan' S.

P.S. I'm getting ready for my Spanish TA interview process. ?Hablas español? Chuta.

She got soft

I'm sitting in my dorm room thinking about what I want from this year in college. It's my last and I'm semi-scared that I won't do everything I want to do or fortify the friendships I hold so dear to me. (The following has nothing to do with this).

Reconcile

There are some things in life that are simply difficult:

• Learning how to ride a bike
• Losing a friend/family member
• Being BROKE!
• Waiting
• Being sincere about asking for forgiveness

The latter is what this passage (Genesis 32:1-5) focuses on. These 5 verses outline how Jacob went about reconciling with his brosky. The thing is that he was in the wrrrrong! Like, the farthest point from right. That's where Jacob was. 

(Some history: Jacob and Esau are brothers. Esau is older. Jacob is a thief. Jacob stole Esau's birthright and the blessing that is reserved for the firstborn. Jacob is a con man. He tricked his own daddy into thinking that he was Esau so he could get all this. Jacob is in the wrong.

Ladies and Gents...this is HUGE. Imagine having a relative falsify their identity to be you and then take ALL the $$ that was left for you!!! How would you feel? Precisely. Esau swore to kill his brother. Jacob is a coward. He ran away to live with his uncle for 20 years, who is also a con man; it runs in the family obviously.)

Back to the story: So God tells Jacob, enough is enough. He has got to reconcile with his brother...20 years later. He could have simply forgotten about the who ordeal and kept living his life...far, far, far away from his brother. BUT....that's not the way things turned out. He:

1. Traveled long miles to his brother's hood--initiated the process
2. Sent a message calling his brother 'my master' and himself 'your servant'--he humbled himself
3. He expressed that he hoped to "find favor in your [Esau's] eyes"--he sincerely asked for forgiveness

Honestly, I have a hard time with asking for forgiveness, especially after such a long time. I like to think time heals, but the steps Jacob took led him to having a great relationship with his brother and expresses what God wants for us in our relationships. God heals.

There are people I've never asked forgiveness from (though I really don't think it was ALL my fault) and probably should; who are those people for you? Take some time to think about it and what steps do you need to take to reconcile.

Much love, peace, and reconciliation grease,

       Ife 'Quipayan' S.

P.S.I'm all moved in here at school. But I feel like I've been here forever (I got in two days ago). I have sooo much to do before Tuesday (classes begin!). Yikes. Pray for me!

Late night?

Ya'll I'm tired, hungry and awake. Not sure which to consider, but I'd really like to say hello to those who read my blogs!

You make me happy. Really though. Leave comments/feedback on them so I get a good understanding of your thoughts!

I love reading them, so comment away!!

-Good night and God bless.

   Deuces

DIY

I've wasted so much time this morning.

Yo (it's 9:09am and I've been up for an hour! That is only Jesus. I haven't done a whole lot, but I've been up.)

Basically what I gained from my devotions this morning was that when God calls me to do something or to go on a mission (ooh so serious), He provides me with all the necessary tools and gadgets I need. Ain't that something?

The passage is from Mark 6: 30-44. Jesus Feeds the 500 with just 5 loaves and 3 fishes.

Scenario: The disciples were kickin' it with Jesus, listening to His stories and all the knowledge He was dropping. But, clearly, that knowledge was just so fly that others got wind of it and started gathering to hear too (share the wealth)! The disciples and Jesus decided that, after some time, it was time to go. So, they left....to rest and debrief maybe?
    But, the people still followed! Tough.

    Nevertheless, Jesus was not going to turn them away. They followed Him to this remote area of the city and there was no turning back. It had gotten late and dinner was OVA'. They missed it. All 500 of them so that they could hear J.C. talk. :Tummy rumbles: Yep, someone was hungry and one of the intelligent disciples suggested, "Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."

"FEED THEM" Jesus said.

"Jesus say what?" the disciples responded.

Jesus wasn't trying to play jokes. He really wanted the disciples, those that noticed the need, to fill it. Do it yourself. The disciples found out that there were 5 loaves of bread and 3 fish (es). The need could be filled.

There was a need. Jesus wants me to fill it. He provides the things I need to fill it.Then He does His stuff. In this scenario, it was the multiplication of those 8 items into thousands of items.....and then some.

The mission (oo so serious) He calls me for is never unorganized, ill-prepared or a spur of the moment. If I need a gun, He provides it (J.C. does not endorse violence of evil nature). If I need a map, it's there. But He is asking me to go on that mission (oo so serious) and be His hands and feet when He calls me to Do it myself.

So, go on a mission (oo so...never mind). Fill those needs and be sure to know that Jesus will provide all you need. Just do it (not endorsed by Nike)!

Much love, peace and mission grease,

     Ife 'Quipayan' S.

P.S. School is around the corner and I've gotta get ready for work. Yesterday, Tofe turned 17 and there were more boys in my house than I have seen in a while! Ooh. I need to go back to schoooool!



All I Do Is Win

Isaiah 41:17-20 Read this. Then read the blog.

Good day, mates! Welcome, again, to LIGHTING THE PATH! :applause: As you may know, I like to write, but am not that good. You may also know that I have work at 10:30am and it is now 8:44am...so, I unfortunately will make this quick. Rapid writing and less-than writing don't make for a great combination, but I have a secret weapon...I'm writing about the Bible! What?!?! Yes. La Biblia. Check it.


So, I read that quick passage (it's a shortie, so read it if you haven't).First thought: God is definitely flexing His muscles in this one. It reminded me of magicians that say things that we all think to be impossible: "I will make this deck of cards disappear!" Crowd is normally half skeptical and half trying to figure out how IN THE WORLD will he do it. At least, that's the way I think.

But, unlike magicians, there is no trick factor with God. There is no 'here's how I do it' segment. He just does it. Time after time. Day after day. And in this passage, He says "I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs." (Are you skeptic? How does He do it?!)

This is God winning. How? Because He does it all the time and when He does, it makes people realize His greatness. When this happens, some sort of understanding takes place that what God is doing is definitely not a human thing; it must be a God thing. And that's the beginning of a great relationship. #winning.

When you decide that winning is what you want to do, take time to read this passage if you haven't already and converse with God about how you can start winning, winning through His strength. It's a God thing.

*All I Do Is Win*

Alright, mates. Chao for now.

Much love, peace and #winning grease,

      Ife 'Quipayan' S.

P.S. School starts in two weeks. GET HYPE!

Psych yourself up

Well, howdie there.
Welcome to my blog! Thanks for taking the time out to read. It's pretty sweet that you found it (or stumbled across it)! I'm glad you're here. But hold your horses; you have to keep reading to get the gist of this blog here.

Psalm 77: 11-20.

Have you ever tried to psych yourself out? As in, you're feeling one way, but you're telling yourself to feel another or do another? That's what the psalmist did in this passage. At least that's what it looks like to me. I started reading the passage from 11 onward and thought, "Wow! This writer sure sounds happy to have God in his life." Maybe, or he's really sad.

The verses beforehand, the ones I hadn't read, are pretty sad and anguish-filled. The psalmist was probably crying his eyes out. He says "my soul refused to be comforted." If feel that this could be as sad as it gets. Not only was he distressed, but his own soul was troubled! Snaps.

That is the general tone of the 9 verses.

But.....there is a twist!

In verse 10 he says this: "Then I thought, 'To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." A light turns on in his head where I tries a new approach to begging God for a change in his life. He remembers the good.

By remembering the good, he psyches himself out to forget the awful. He makes the decision to appeal to God's grace in his life. I would have kept moping and producing waterfalls. But seriously though.

Let's remember "the deeds of the Lord: yes...remember [His] miracles of long ago." This is how we appeal to God's kindness and mercy in our lives. For troubles will always come, but once we make the decision to recall the great things God has done, we psych ourselves up, but not on false promises or works, but on true, longstanding acts of the Creator of the heavens and the earths.

Ya'll it's been real. Much love, peace and remembering grease,

Ife  'Quipayan' S.