Whats Crackalakin Vessels,

I’m sitting in a hammock on a Monday with a break.  This is uncommon because this semester has me the busiest I’ve ever been. I can count the times I’ve posted to the blog since the start of this semester on one hand.  I’ve been consistent in devotion (most days), and have maintained my involvement in church but this only makes up about 12% of the 112 hours I have awake in a week.  God desires 100% from his children.  This doesn’t mean only reading your bible all hours of the day.  This means meditating on God’s goodness throughout the day and doing all your work as you would for the Lord.

I am sharing all of this because personally, I have been doing a bad job at this.  I wake up, go to class, do online assignments, invest in the extracurriculars I’m committed to, and take the occasional nap. With the little downtime I have, I spend it with my boyfriend and friends.  I realize all of these things are good and necessary at this point in my life but they are meaningless if I don’t partake in them for God’s glory.

This is something I’ve been reflecting on a lot lately; if taking care of my responsibilities in day-to-day life isn’t inherently bad then why do I feel far from Christ?  When you ask God questions like this that expose sin in your life, I’ve found he does not delay in answering. God made it clear that he is worth a heck of a lot more than my current 12%. And this didn’t demand me joining yet another ministry or serving team, it demands me to find God in the mundane.  

These tasks and responsibilities that consume our time are just another tool Satan uses to draw us away from Christ.  Think about it; hasn’t there been a time you missed church or devotion because you didn’t feel like it or had something pressing to take care of?  I’ve definitely done that more times than I can count. Don’t let the world distract you without you realizing it.  If God only has <12% of your week now that is intentionally for him, don’t let the other 88% of life take away from that.  Once you have this down, truly search for God in every second of that 88%.  This world and everything in it is only in existence because God allows it to be, that includes your job, classes, chores, and social time.  If you look and ask God to reveal himself to you I know you’ll see him in everything.  

I see God at this moment.  Yes, I’m writing about him but I’m referring to the world around me as I type.  I’m in a hammock in Boone in march and it’s a beautiful spring day.  I am surrounded by three friends that keep me motivated in school just by watching them work diligently alongside me.  God has given me this beautiful day and blessed me with these friends.  No, we aren’t talking about Christ but Christ is still here.  I hope to soon be aware of Christ in 100% of my life; good and bad.  Don’t get distracted by busyness, rather use your long to-do list as an opportunity to see Christ in even more ways.

May the Spirit show himself to you,

A Vessel

Whats crackalakin vessels,

It’s been a while since Sydney and I have written; we both took time to enjoy winter break with our families.  Since I’ve written last the world celebrated the New Year after a long year.  Personally, I am an optimist and always have been so my reflections on 2020 include; graduating high school, completing my first semester of college, meeting some health goals I had, making new friends, and meeting my now boyfriend. Overall I would say the challenges of 2020 also brought many blessings.  

Going into 2021 I don’t have any specific resolutions but I have excitement.  I’m ready to continue my studies in college and gain further discernment in what I want to do upon graduating.  I’m ready to deepen my faith in devotion and read lots of books.  

This post is different than most; it is going to be focused on what my devotion time looks like. I know many people with a resolution to get deeper in devotion time so here is a resource. 

Prayer is the center of my devotion.  I open and end my time with God in prayer.  This includes people in my life that need prayer and my own requests but I always try to have more praise and thankfulness than I do requests in my prayers.  This always serves as a reminder of how great God is even if my prayer list is long my praise list is longer.

After prayer, my time varies between a spiritual book or just scripture.  Currently, Sydney and I are going through Psalms and wisdom literature.  When Sydney and I began bible study we both had a desire to get deeper into scripture beyond what we had been told by others.  The first thing I would recommend to anyone trying to deepen devotion is to start in the word.  Read scripture for yourself. Sydney and I go through the same words in the same bible and we discuss completely different things. The divine nature of scripture gives it the power to have infinite meanings.

If I am going through a book I will also take time to read a chapter or two. I plan to read “You are not enough (and that’s okay)” by Allie Beth Stuckey next. Vince Butler once told me “Leaders are readers.” and since then I have tried to incorporate various books in my devotion. I have read books on theology, church leadership, commentaries, and much more. For those of you starting don’t add a book just yet, get down the consistency of scripture first. 

Consistency is key! I’m sure you have heard this before but it is so true. Devotion needs to become a habit.  Some days you won’t have a profound life-changing discovery but centering your days on christ will strengthen your faith over time. Trust in God for the long term plans he has for you by listening to his guidance daily.  

I know this post is short and not typical of our content but I hope it provides a guideline to help some get started. If you are starting to read scripture I recommend you start in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This will help you study the life and character of Jesus.  If you want to add in a book I have many many recommendations so please check out our new resources page! If devotion is not a habit you have already then 2021 is the time for you! I pray you get into the word.

May the spirit educate you,

A Vessel

Whats Crackalakin Vessels,

It’s been a while since I’ve written. Part of that is due to the stress of my first college final exams.  To begin, congratulations to all my fellow college freshmen on completing your first final exams after a long online semester.  We did it! While I forced myself not to write, inspiration still struck, and I have many many ideas. I am so excited to share them with all of you! Sydney and I also dropped blog T-shirts!! If you haven’t already checked out our shop, please do so! All the profit goes back into the website expenses, averaging $1-$2 made per shirt that y’all buy!

Now on to the good stuff, enjoy the rest of this post:

In my immediate family, I am notorious for being a chronic liar.  I wish I could say I grew out of this trait after the age of 12, but my family would be quick to correct me. In the comments section, they would argue that I always have been and still am a chronic liar.  Outside of some more serious isolated cases, most of my lies were due to insignificant things.  A noteworthy one being the countless times I lied about eating someone else’s food. (Sydney if you are reading this, I promise to ask to eat your food when we live together next year.) Every time I was caught in a lie, I felt guilty. This guilt was not from some profound self-reflection; it was a feeling of regret now that I was facing a consequence.  This guilt soon faded once I served my punishment.  With the guilt gone, I slipped into lie after lie.  This shows the nature of our worldly perception of guilt.  Whether someone committed an act worthy of guilt comes down to juries and comments on social media.  This modern guilt is put on us by others’ view of our now tarnished character.

When we look at sin, we often confuse guilt and repentance.  Christians are commanded by God to repent of their sinful nature.  This does not mean feeling guilty for actions that may change the world’s opinion of your character.  Repentance is a deep conviction of the need to turn away from sin in order to be close to God.  The word guilt has a connotation of fear stemming from possible punishment. Just as in my lying example, I only felt guilty when I was caught because I knew punishment followed. As Christ-followers, it is important to remember, when feeling this fear parallel to guilt, that our God is not one of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 states: “ For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

The spirit we have in us from God gives us the power to have self-discipline and turn away from sin.  Repent and turn away; don’t feel guilty and go back to the same sinful habit.  Repentance does not imply punishment.  Repentance is the beginning of forgiveness, salvation, and new God-honoring habits.  

No wonder we feel guilty when we sin. The concept of undeserved forgiveness is impossible to comprehend.  Back to my lie illustration: I felt guilt from my parents, but I was punished and I moved forward having “served my time.” This mentality is the same one responsible for the statistic that 83% of released US prisoners are arrested for the same or a similar crime within 9 years of their freedom. Because of the Holy Spirit, Christians have the ability to gain a new mentality, one of repentance. Repentance is the true recognition of one innate tendency to seek sinful things, and then, turning to God for help to stay away from them. We do this to be as righteous as possible while on this earth in the eyes of God.

Ultimately, our righteousness only comes from believing in the salvation coming from the resurrection of Christ, but once you believe this, you have the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit in you demands repentance. This Holy Spirit wants to bring you closer and closer to Christ to strengthen your faith.  This Holy Spirit wants to gift you with ways to share the gospel. 

But

First comes repentance.

Repentance then will demand acceptance.  

It’s one thing to believe in the narrative of Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life.  It is another thing to believe that this miracle is capable of saving you from your sins. This is something deeper than belief; this is something you need to accept.  This is a gift that you did nothing for and can’t give anything in return for.  All you can do is try to share it. That’s what the Holy Spirit is for. God will equip you, but you have to get past the guilt. Accept your salvation because God frees his children from all chains of sin and restaurants of fear.  Guilt has no place in the temple God has given you.  Don’t dwell on your mistakes, or do earthly things in an attempt to remedy your conscience. Christ died, so you don’t have to do that.

You are free from it all.

I am free from it all

May the spirit celebrate with you,

A Vessel

Whats crackalakin vessels,

Today marks one year since my grandmoppet passed. My grandmother on my mothers side of the family. I had no idea it was today until my Snapchat shared some photos I took and saved one year ago today.  365 days ago I took a selfie with my little cousin Ava. In this selfie, we are smiling at the filters, but we are dressed in our nicest black dresses.  I thank God for Ava today as I am reminded of how she helped me to smile.  

I have experienced a few losses in my 17 years of life but I have never wrestled with one as much as my grandmoppet.  In fact, as I write this and pray I still can’t seem to find peace with this. I have only a few memorable moments with my grandmoppet.  She didn’t live close, so visits were few and far between.  I’m not going to reminisce on the few memories I hold dear, I am writing this as a warning.  

My heart aches and this death haunts me because I don’t know if she ever, even in her last moments, accepted Jesus as the Lord of her life and savior.  This side of my family has a mix of those who don’t follow Christ and those who claim to be Christians but don’t live it out.  Prior to my grandmoppets passing I spoke about my faith to my family but, I didn’t share the gospel.  I shared how I love God and want to go into ministry, but I never really told them why.  I never shared how as a sinner Jesus rescued me and continues to daily.  I never read aloud the scriptures or invited them to church.  I didn’t call to encourage their faith and I didn’t ask them why they didn’t follow Christ.  I did not even text a simple verse.  

There are two things about family that I have learned from my mom’s side. One is that no one chooses their family.  The second being; no matter how much someone dislikes a family member it is human nature to love them.  I love every single person I have the privilege to call family. This love stands despite differing religious views and few visits.  I believe I am in this family to bring them home to heaven.  

I didn’t do anything about this.  God placed me in this family and gave a faith on fire and I didn’t offer to help light the lamps of my own blood. 

Then my grandmoppet died.

I get excited to see my grandma Smith, neighbor Mr. Ken, classmate Hannah, Mamaw, grandma and grandpa Barth, aunt Cathy, dog jasmine, and my Lord; Jesus, in heaven.  When God decides it is my time I will get to live in eternity surrounded by love in heaven.  

My concept of love is only shaped by the love I see in my earthly relationships.  I truly loved my grandmoppet.  I weep because I was selfish.  I weep because I don’t know if I will ever see the amazing woman I get to call my grandmoppet in heaven.  

Being on this earth corrupt by sin guarantees humanity will weep and hurt, but I want to try to save you from some if I can.  Please learn from me.  I know you have people in your life who don’t know Christ. I know you have people in your life who haven’t surrendered their life to God’s will.  I know that these people that need to make Christ the center of their life, could even be you reading this.

What are you waiting for? Why are you biting your tongue? Don’t be selfish like I am. Jesus is for everyone and the great commission commands us to make it our mission to bring people with us to heaven before Christ. Let the Holy Spirit spill out of you to share the word of God. Don’t leave those you love to suffer.  Don’t let them be comfortable in taking the gospel lightly.  Be an example by valuing the urgency and unfathomable power of the gospel.  

Don’t wait to share Christ.  You have no reason. Sit there and start coming up with stuff, but none of it is valid.  No one is guaranteed another breath.  If this was your last could you say you followed Christ in all your being.  

College students if you are living in sin, don’t wait to seek Jesus until after graduation.  You aren’t guaranteed that long.  The “college experience” is not worth the hype no matter how much society has told you.  Living for Christ means joy, purpose, love, and eternity. Why wait for that? Why risk missing that for four years of living for an unfulfilling societal standard.  Repent and seek strength in Jesus to sustain your life on earth until heaven.  

Don’t wait. Don’t let sinful thoughts win when you feel the urge to speak of Jesus.  Just as Christians ultimately have free will to share the gospel or bite our tongue; those you are speaking it to have the free will to accept or deny it. Don’t let this stop you either.  Share the message of salvation with everyone and pray.  Pray for God to soften their hearts so they listen to your message. Pray for God to speak through you so they hear what will awake their soul.

Don’t wait.

Please I’m begging you 

I wish so badly I looked my grandmoppet in the eyes and shared the message of Jesus.  My heart breaks from the uncertainty of her salvation and what that means for her eternity.  It means I miss you grandmoppet.  I miss your card skills. I miss your laughter.  I miss your love for wine. I miss you fostering the love in this family.  You brought together all types of people and we unite as a family around you. I am one member and I’m not waiting. This time I’m ready to experience an eternity of love in heaven filled with poker games, good food, lake trips, and genuine acceptance.  

I’m sorry I waited. I’m so so sorry. 

May God use you and may you let him,

A Vessel

What’s Crackalakin Vessels,

I think today is a perfect day to post about something in Jesus’ character I am especially passionate about; his restraint in addressing the political climate of an oppressive Roman government.  Today the US is not oppressed by a monarchy and has an entirely different social structure/culture.  I feel truly blessed when I reflect on historical governments and the current democracy I participate in.  To compare Jesus directly to US politics is ignorant.  I say this with the acknowledgment that I also try to form Jesus around my vote.  I will be the first to admit my ignorance on political topics.

I am truly hard-headed on most things…except politics.  I wasn’t always this way and in order to fully express my belief on Jesus’ political standings, I owe yall some background. My moderate nature and ever-changing views can be attributed to Peabody family dinners and talking with my two best friends.  

Peabody dinners began expanding my views when my older sister started pursuing political science at UNC Chapel Hill in 2018.  Every weekend or holiday she visited would feature many family meals that were more of a show.  My mom, younger sister, and I would just sit back and enjoy as we watched my very conservative middle-aged father argue politics with his very liberal teen-adult daughter. My mom would try to get them to calm down and be nice, my younger sister would complain while asking to talk about something else, and I jumped in occasionally to poke at their debates even more.  Aside from the humor of my family dynamic, it has helped me consider many angles on various topics.  

My family has influenced my political views greatly; I would argue my friends have shaped them more.  Carolyn Gura would have no shame verbalizing her support for Trump.  Clayton Dowdle wears a t-shirt with Hillary Clinton riding a unicorn.  If you thought my family dynamic was strange, my best friends and I are even stranger.  The three of us were inseparable in our free time until we moved to study in different places (we are still best friends: thank you technology).  We did not make politics the topic of discussion as frequent as my family did but it would come up.  When it did it was always a polite debate with minor joking and never a hateful argument. Seeing politics discussed in a “civil” manner opened my mind to the acceptance of not placing myself in an extreme political box.  I found myself having my mind changed a lot.  Carolyn and Clayton are firm and passionate in their beliefs which I admire because they have helped me see both sides as well as learn what it looks like to put relationships above politics.  

Now that I have given you a background of my political influence, I want to talk about now.  When I think of current politics I think of social media.  Our president has various social media accounts and has communicated directly with Americans more than ever in our history.  A president on social media, as we have learned, is not the best idea.  Politicians have speech writers and campaign workers for a reason.  Aside from direct posting from the president, news now travels through social media the fastest, regardless of the source.  A big issue with this is the reliability of the “facts” and the exaggeration of most major events in attempts to gain more clicks and shares.  2020 has many events available for the click hungry news sources to exaggerate or present in a viral-worthy post that provokes 16-25 year-olds to share.  This year’s first-time voters are the most politically active in comparison to past election’s first-time voters. Why?

2020 has been a very politically draining year. The debate over science and safety protocol in the midst of a pandemic, long look at still present racism in society, increase in unemployment with a sudden drop in Americas once flourishing economy, a spike in poor mental health, lowered academic success due to online learning at all ages, and a supreme court appointment were all demanding political issues pilled on top of an election year.  No wonder there was a record turn out at the polls this year.  Young millennials and older gen z voters motivated each other through repost after repost.  I posted one political opinion on social media two years ago.  I have not posted my political views since because it changed my reputation from, Jesus freak to a _________ party member who is a Christian. 

In 2017 it was reported that about two-thirds of America’s population identify themselves as Christian regardless of denomination.  One of the US’s founding pillars was religious freedom for the protestant Christians.  Because of this many American traditions and historical writings have allusions and direct references to the Christian God. In the past few elections, the vote was not overwhelmingly won by one political party that had a consistent two-thirds of the voters.  This means that not all Christians share political party preferences.  Democratic government has led to an all-time high of the misuse of scripture and Christian faith in regards to political issues. Trump and Biden both claim to be Christians and they hate each other! My stomach turns every time I open social media and see a post bashing a political view all “in the name of Jesus”.  

Attention democrats, republicans, unaffiliates, and third party members: Jesus would not have been a member and candidate of your political party.

Don’t argue with me on that.  You can pick random scripture after random scripture to justify your party’s platforms but the character of Jesus Christ throughout the entire bible will not put him in a red or blue tie. Jesus separates himself from politics: Isaiah 42:1-4, Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 7:1-23; 12:13-17.  I don’t want to seem hypocritical in my quoting of scripture so allow me to clarify.  Those are 4 starting places to see (a) the character of Jesus as prophesied in the old testament and (b) it witnessed in the new testament.  I am not using them to argue a “side” to anything governmental, as I said above I don’t agree with that approach.  I have found these scriptures to help contextualize the absence of Jesus’ opinion on earthly governing authorities as part of the character of God.  Jesus is the; “king of kings”, “messiah”, “son of God” and much more as portrayed through titles used in the bible.  He was all of these things and yet was born into poor living conditions and did not care about the time period’s view on social class, wealth, government, and crime.  He went against all things that were earthly governing and socially acceptable.  This is the character of Jesus.  Jesus is God.  We are human.  If Jesus came for a visit (I’m not talking about Revelation’s depiction of Jesus’ return; let me stay hypothetical because I have no clue as to what the heck is going on in the book of Revelation) and was walking down the streets of Washington D.C. and you asked him who you should vote for I don’t know what he would say. I don’t know what his answer would be because he has the wisdom and divine power of God but, I do know he would not give you an American political party candidate.  I imagine he will come at you with a witty parable saying “hey silly that doesn’t even matter! You get to be a citizen in the kingdom of God with me!” and then we would all feel pretty stupid for asking Jesus what to bubble.

The jesus of 2020 is not Jesus Christ.  Jesus confronts all worldly views, governing laws, morals, and social conduct.  Jesus desires unity in the kingdom of God and a democratic party system does not embody that.  Jesus tells his disciples to continue paying taxes and to obey the roman law because although it wasn’t illuminating Jesus, It couldn’t come near to affecting the will and power of God. So why bother getting mad? Go cast a vote, study policy, follow presidents on social media, have a political opinion, but don’t put your vote on Jesus’ name. If we put a lawn sign on Jesus’ life then we’ve blocked out some of Jesus and put the power of our pen above the power of his salvation. News flash there are democrats and republicans in heaven.

May the Spirit prioritize itself in you,

A Vessel

What’s crackalackin Vessels,

I am not perfect there are many times I have failed in obedience to God’s will, but today was not one of those days.

The free will I have as a human being did very little in my work for Christ.  The hardest part of starting a fire is creating a strong spark.  After the spark catches the only thing to do is keep it burning.  God provided every spark for every action I have done for his glory. I was only strong enough to keep the fire going through prayer and devotion. Today, I felt more than a spark from God. I felt like I was harnessing the fire of his kingdom.

In the first few weeks attending Appalachian State University;  there was a hate preacher that frequently practiced his freedom of speech on campus. After Sydney and I began to meet, she expressed her urge to make a sign so we could sit and show the students Jesus’s love. The next time we met we created two signs. Sydney’s sign had bold letters with the phrase “He would love first” to capture the spectators’ eyes.  My sign had scripture written out and mentions other scriptures for a biblical basis.  

It has been a little over a month since we had initially made those signs. This week Sydney decided to visit home. Today the hate preacher was back. Sydney wasn’t here to fight alongside me. I was equipped with faith and the Holy Spirit. If I didn’t go out there I would be ignoring God’s will.

God used me in a spiritual war today on my college campus.

The word “war” has a very negative connotation for a very good reason.  Words I associate with war include; fighting, hurt, death, loss, long, and dark.  War is never something an individual desires for one’s gain.  War is two collective purposes clashing until one meets defeat.  Everyone on this earth is part of a bigger war and many don’t even realize it.  This is spiritual warfare.  Before today, I had only experienced spiritual warfare in my human heart.  I had human desires that God did not desire for me and the Holy Spirit was there to fight for my faith.  God has kept me strong in faith through this.  

My recent biblical studies have been driven by my longing for scriptural and theological understanding.  I had read stories of disciples receiving gifts to spread the gospel, but today the stories came to life as I witnessed myself being equipped. The first aspect of today’s spiritual war was within myself. My human heart battled the Holy Spirit’s pulling by heightening my anxiety.  I have not felt this level of anxiety since before I knew Jesus. The defeat of this anxiety came in the midst of my pronouncing of the Hebrew word, “yirah”. 

Let me explain; I have never spoken a word of Hebrew in my life. When I read the bible aloud in small groups I trip over simple English.  I took two years of Spanish in High School, and still, barley know “Hola, Come Estas?” Which is probably spelled wrong.  

The word came when the man began to command every student to fear God because of their eternal life in hell.  He read scriptures about our command as Christ-followers to fear God.  Then “Yirah”  slipped out in a steady voice no longer wavered by anxiety.  Through my voice, God said “this Hebrew word is oftentimes translated to fear but it actually means; reverence and respect, having yirah for the Lord is the motivating factor in the Christian ministry” 

This brings me to the second level of spiritual warfare I experienced. That was much bigger than myself.  For the first time, I felt like a weapon of Christ.  I did things I have never done before. My physical body was wracked with anxiety, but my soul was on fire for the Lord.  The Lord used my fire. He gave me the words to say and the ability to say them. When the hate preacher challenged my theology, I flipped to scripture after scripture after scripture as if I knew what to say to questions he had yet to ask. I knew the Bible like the back of my hand– in a way I have never known it before. 

My peers listened to me in a way they never have. 

Little did they know they weren’t even listening to me.

 I wasn’t finding scripture.

 I wasn’t speaking the truth. 

God was the doer in every single one of my actions for his glory.

Students approached me with respect. Some fellow believers on campus give me thumbs up,  nods,  fist pumps,  and one read scripture for me when anxiety closed my throat. The other students that approached me did not know Jesus. They didn’t yell at me like they did the hate preacher. They recognized my passion for God and respected me for it. None of them committed their life to Christ in front of my eyes, but I could see the spark in their future. I knew they recognized my passion by their confused struck faces. Most of the looks I got we’re ones of wondering. Wondering why a student; whom they didn’t even know the name of, would share personal experiences for a God who they thought hated them.  

When I was done I joined my friend’s under a nearby tree. I went straight to prayer. I praised God for my strengths. I prayed that nothing I did was for my own Glory. 

Satan was going to do everything he could to manipulate my human heart to stop the spread of the Gospel. Although War has a negative connotation, the victor of any war will tell you that it was a good thing. The Bible tells us that God has already won the war. Jesus defeated death.   We as Christians are fighting a spiritual battle on Earth, that we are the victor of already.  No matter the strategy of Satan or the depth of a wound he inflicts upon us, he will never win. I got my sign and I walked out there. The entire time I stood there I fought two urges;  one being to yell at the hate preacher, and the other to stay completely silent.  Both would have aided Satan and yet, I chose neither. The shortcomings of my human nature are nothing in comparison to the miracles of God.

We fight the spiritual warfare in our human hearts daily, which gives the ability to find joy because of our faith in Christ Jesus. There’s bigger spiritual warfare going on in the world, on a larger scale. Every person is a warrior in this.  The Warriors that fight for God can take heart because the victory has already been won. When Believers go to battle as Warriors for Christ not only are they equipped in the armor of God, but their faith in God will equip them as they go. Every Warrior has their own strengths and gifts, but only Warriors who are able to trust fully in the power of God to equip them will become the sharpest swords. 

 Spiritual warfare is everywhere but this war isn’t scary. We’ve already won.  

May the Spirit equip you,

A Vessel

Photo taken by my roommate and cheerleader; Shania.

What’s crackalakin Vessels,

I, the writer of this blog post, am Holy.
Holiness, let’s talk about it. What does it mean to be holy and how did I just make a bold statement claiming to be holy? These are questions I did not have intentions of tackling in my devotion time recently. In fact, I find most times that I hear God’s answers; it’s to questions I have yet to even ask.
This answer began when I heard a statement made at a college ministry I am involved in. The statement was “nothing unholy can be in the presence of God.” I don’t remember who said it, what prompted it, or really any significant detail. I do remember wrestling with the phrase for multiple days after. It felt like something I had heard before– something generic. But God made it clear that I wouldn’t stop thinking about it until I dove headfirst into this statement’s depth.
My thought process began with the biblical history of God’s presence. Adam and Eve were in the physical presence of God…until sin. Satan was an angel in the presence of God…until sin. So, because God is holy; he can only be in the presence of holiness. The two biblical examples above were both holy until sin. That is still true today: every human being is created holy by God…until sin. This made me realize that it is physically impossible for God to be in the presence of sin. God is perfect and perfection is without sin. If we are to believe God is perfect, then the concept of sin is impossible in the holiness of God.
I however am far from perfect. I have sinned my whole life, sometimes completely ignorant of the sinful nature of my actions. But I stand by my first statement of holiness. This is because of a really cool guy you might’ve heard of before. This is the entire reason for Jesus! How is it possible to be in God’s presence without salvation? Easy, It’s not. In the Old Testament, there is a constant theme of the first Jews messing up, God making more laws, and sin.
God loves all of his children. I am not a parent (yet) but the feeling of being separated from your children and watching their choices cause them hurt and suffering is one I hope I never feel. God had to watch the human heart be grasped by sinful nature, causing him to become further and further from his children. I have an image of God weeping every time one of his children says no to salvation. He’s lost them forever to hell.
God is Holy. His wisdom is not able to be understood by humans. It is impossible to live a life of perfect holiness. God misses his children.
Jesus is God. He showed wisdom in parables. He lived a life clean from sin. He came and taught God’s wisdom to his children in a way to be understood. And then he died. He bleed and suffered a long death. He rose and defeated the grave.
Why? For our holiness. If we can be holy, then we can be in the presence of God. God desired to be in the presence of his children and that required a savior.
I, the writer of this blog post, am Holy. I am not perfect. I am a sinner. But I am Holy because I have salvation, wisdom, forgiveness, righteousness, and holiness through the teaching, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

May the Spirit fill you,
A Vessel.

Scripture: Matthew 13, Philippians 2:5-11

Welcome to twotypingvessels.com! We hope you see Christ in every word on this site. The goal of the blog postings is to be a vessel for Christ; hence the name. In less vague terms we want to share what God reveals to us as we experience college. We both attend Appalachian State University; a secular state school in North Carolina. We are in a phase of life thats proven to weaken most believers faith. We want to be a light to this generation because rather than a weaker faith we have seen growth in each other. We believe God is calling us to share this growth on this new platform.

So now you may question; What do they have to say about christianity that is unique? We learned we have unique things to share from getting to know each other. Our spiritual realizations we feel the need to share are very different. We are excited to bring two perspectives of the same God to light. The main point is that no matter who you are, where you come from, or who you desire to be; God wants to know and use you as a vessel.

Who are the typists who claim to be vessels? let us introduce ourselves:

Hi! I’m Sydney Farmer. I was born into a Catholic Church and by the age of eight began attending a Lutheran church that I still call my church home. Growing up, I always knew of Jesus but never pursed a personal relationship with him. Upon coming to ASU and meeting Lindsay, I had begun to hunger for deeper biblical knowledge and a relationship with Jesus. This has opened my eyes that there are many believers raised in the church missing the relational side of the christian faith. This inspired my now deeper devotion and writing that I hope will encourage others to do the same. As a student I am studying Marketing while balancing my faith, family and current dating relationship. I’m excited to share more my life and roller coaster of a faith as a writer on this blog.

Hey everyone, I’m Lindsay Peabody. Jesus met me where I was at the age of 15. He saved me from a purposeless life plagued with mental illness. I was blessed with Lifepointe Church to help me grow since then. This multisite nondenominational church equipped me with internships and mentors that helped me discern my calling into full-time ministry. As of now I am studying physics. Yeah, I’m not sure what God is doing with that either. I think I might be the only physics major at ASU with plans to attend seminary. Regardless of my organized mess of future plans, Gods voice has never been more clear. Meeting with Sydney has shown me the value in being present. Until recent I was focused on God’s will for my future which distracted me from what he was teaching me in the present. I can’t tell you what church position I’ll fill 10 years from now. I can’t tell you what seminary I’ll attend 3 years from now. I can’t tell you how my physics undergrad degree will fit with my spiritual gifts. I can tell you that right now that God is commanding Sydney and I to share what he whispers to us.

That sums us up in a nutshell! We are different and God has a unique plan for how he will use us to grow his kingdom. We are sure there will be lots more revealed as we write. Although we want you; the reader, to know the writers– we hope the message portrayed is always one that puts Christ above. We are only vessels for his kingdom.

“What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” Matthew 10:27 NLT