The Glory of a heart fully alive

Today I'm not talking about my life or those things, but I'm going to share something from a book I'm reading right now "Awaking the dead" by John Eldredge and this extract I'm going to share with you just struck me.

"The heart is the connecting point, the meeting place between any tow persons. The kind of deep soul intimacy we crave with God and with others can be experienced only from the heart. We don’t want to be someone’s project; we want to be the desire of their heart. May lamented, “By worshiping efficiency, the human race has achieved the highest level of efficiency in history, but how much have we grown in love?”
We’ve done the same to our relationship with God. Christians have spent their whole lives mastering all sorts of principles, done their duty, carried on the programs of their church… and never known God intimately, heart to heart. (…)The point is not the activity – the point is intimacy with God. Attend a class and take in information; then use that information to change the way you live. None of that will bring you into intimacy with God, just as taking a course on anatomy won’t help you love your spouse. “You will find me”, God says, “when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29.14).
What more can be said, what greater case could be made than this: to find God, you must look with all your heart. To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart. To hear his voice, you must listen with your heart. To love him, you must love with all your heart. You cannot be the person God meant you to be, and you cannot live the life he meant you to live, unless you live from the heart.”

So I'm asking you, do you live with your heart, do you love with your heart? Do you desire to be in close intimacy with God?

Beyond Anything

I just cannot get the phrase "Let's challenge the status quo" out of my mind.
Let's do something that has never been done before. Let's make a difference everywhere we go. Let's leave people with an impact on their life!

As I am growing in the Lord, making steps forward I really don't want to keep standing where I am. I want to dream bigger and far beyond what I have ever dreamt of.
When I am thinking about my future and what God may have in store of me I try to not put God in a box but think outside of it.
To be honest that can be intimidating and to be even more honest I have been quite intimidated lately. Not exactly by thinking about the future, more about things that concern the present.
But I don't want to be afraid of other people, situations or the way I am. God created us the way He wanted it and He has a purpose, a plan for our lives that only we can fulfill. Nobody else can take our place in the world. God needs us here on earth as His vessels. Therefore let's be all His. Let's give our all, our everything to Him. Let's not look on situations and problems and issues. Let's look on chances, opportunities and solutions!

We are children of the living God. We belong to Him. We are sons and daughters of the King. We are princes and princesses. Therefore let us also live like the ones we are! Let's live in victory!

God is great and He has a great plan for our lives. Let's not continue standing where we are. Let's start walking! Let us be the difference and let us make the difference. Let us do things that are beyond anything that has ever done before. Let us do it for the purpose of God.

Let us challenge the status quo!

Budapest Experiences

When I was thinking about what I was going to write here my first thoughts were quite different than what I am actually going to write now.

I must say that Budapest is truly a beautiful city when you look beyond the rundown houses, the riots on the street, the unhappy people and the bad weather... There a lot of really beautiful buildings from different epochs in history. The 2nd day we were there we went sightseeing the whole day in pouring rain. So here a few snippets:



So as you can see it is simply pretty. I had the feeling that Budapest is exactly the way you would imagine a city in an East-European country. And not only that, even the people look like you would imagine it.

On the third day we went to the House of Terror and they presented two opposite dicatorships ruling over the country. During the 2nd world war it was the Nazi regime and after the World War 2 it was the Communists. Hungary truly has suffered from both dictatorships and you can still scent the past and the history when you walk among the city.
And then you look at these old buildings which are from a time and age when the Austrian Empire was still alive and Queen Elisabeth was still ruling over Hungary.
Now you look at a city with all those historical backgrounds and still you see poverty, fear and dissatisfaction and you can see that there just has not been any money to transform the city.

Therefore I belive that Budapest is a very controversial city.

As you can imagine we also went to the Opera House and we went to see Gone with the Wind as a ballet. It was simply beautiful and those pictures will give you a little taste of it:






You walk into this Opera House and you cannot stop being astonished by its beauty. It's then you start imagining yourself into a romantic story... *sigh*... I'm not going into that topic any deeper now.

The last two days unfortunatley leave a rather bitter aftertaste, but nontheless I am not going to let that destroy my experience with Budapest.

Although at first sight you could say the city is not too beautiful, I do believe that its beauty can be found, but must be searched for in a different way.

Life is good

I really feel like writing right now.
This morning during my quiet time I just thought, life is good! We have an amazing God who cares. He cares. His arms are open... I've been listening a lot to the newest Phil Wickham lately and the lyrics strike me every time! Especially the song "True Love". Here's an extract from it: "The earth ws shaking in the dark. All creation felt the Fathers broken heart. Tears were filling heaven's eyes. The day that true love died, the day that rue love died. When blood and water hit the ground. Walls we couldn't move came crashing down. We were free and made alive the day that true love died."
Pretty amazing, huh? Walls we couldn't break came crashing down. We are FREE through Jesus Christ! aaaa... that is awesome!

Have I told yet, that I'm dancing again? Yes I am back to Jazz dancing. Can't explain how much I love it and how happy it makes me. I feel that dancing is the way for me to express myself in an artistic way. Training is pretty tough but I don't care because I just love it soooo much!
I'm also dancing a lot in my room lately. I don't know why... I just can't sit still when listening to some great music!

So... if you feel a little low today or mellow. Turn up the volume on some fast, crazy song... or better a worship song and just dance. Dance like crazy in your room. My promise... you'll feel great afterwards...

So far... Keep coming back to my blog... Love the Lord, love life, love your friends!

I love you guys out there... more than you will ever know!

Love. Ramona

PS: Watch High School Musical 2... awesome! Makes you wanna sing and dance... maybe that's why I've been dancing so much lately haha

A whole new Me

I call this officially the beginning of Fall! While biking home from school today I got really excited about the beauty of it all. It was a beautiful, sunny day, the leaves already turned into colors and the chill air in my face. I loved it and it lighted up my heart and soul.
The summer after coming back from Santa Barbara has not entirely been good and rather filled with a lot of challenges. But life is a result of the decision we made. That's why I am doing good. Life ist good. God is good and I'm changing. I'm taking small steps.
I went through the dark valley for a while, but God's light guided me and I'm climbing the mountain. It felt a little like in Goethe's Faust when in the first Act after that night in his dark celler he is filled with new life on Easter morning. Well, Faust was besieged by the devil, which I am not so I can't really compare myself with it...
Anyhow... do you know the feeling when you go hiking up a really steep hill and you can see the end. You give everything, you're highly motivated. You don't know how much longer it'll take and when you finish climbing up but you know that the most beautiful view ever is waiting for you. That's where you will rest and enjoy the creation of the savior.
And that's where I am right now. Highly motivated to keep climbing up, keep pushing, keep going, keep trusting for I know that there will be a beautiful view and I will see clearly.

A Season for everything

I have been going through a lot of emotional ups and downs lately and I felt emotionally drain. I felt distant from the Lord and didn't have that joy I ususally have. I was questioning myself, I was unhappy with myself and I was asking where the Lord was. My usual spiritual high seemed faded.
I was desperatly longing for refreshment in my life. I was longing for adventure. I was longing for love. I was longing for someone to be close to. I was longing for a girl-friend to share life with.

Last week I was so deep in the valley of faith that it seemed like I couldn't see anymore. I felt surrounded by darkness.

And then sometimes we just have to hear things we actually know but it's just very necessary to hear them again. A friend said to me that there's a season for everything and that it is ok if I am in this season now. All I have to do is cling to the Lord. So true.
The only problem: Whenever I spent time with God I felt empty. I looked around me and saw my friends growing like crazy in faith and where was I?

Last Saturday I was all by myself the whole day. Had the house for myself. That was truly wonderful. So in the afternoon I sat down and just spent a lot of time in praise and worship. I talked with God and this is what I said: "Lord, I am not feeling anything right now and I cannot see you. I know you're there and you care. I want to use this time, this season now to grow, may it be in patience or trust. Maybe you're preparing something big for me and I want to be ready. So teach me to be patient. Teach me to trust you." So that's what I decided.
And guess what happened? No... no miracle where I was totally wohooo or anything. But! I felt steady again. I'm just waiting and trusting. This is the season to wait and trust and wait and trust. Listen to the Holy Spirit and walk and wait and trust. I want to be ready. I don't want to miss the "big" things he has in store for me.

Lord... I'm ready! Ready to be transformed from the inside out. I'm ready to follow. I'm ready to do anything!

Where...?

Here I am again with some thoughts. I confess I've been thinking a lot lately... or to be really honest I think all the time about all kinds of crazy things and sometimes that's just not the best thing to do but that's another topic that I'm not going to talk about right now.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Don't we hear that question every once in a while? But I'm serious. Where do I see myself? I've been thinking a lot about the past and things that have have happened and I've been thinking a lot about what's going on right now (- or lack there of) and then I've also been thinking a lot about my future. To be honest. There's not a whole lot that I see. Everything looks so blurry and foggy. I don't know where I'll be in the future, don't know what I'll do or who I'll be with (if anyone at all!). I know that I am open to do anything and live anywhere but I would just like to have a little glance...
As much as I love surprises and the unknown and as much as I love adventures, this time I would just love to get this little glance to have something to strive for. Something to look forward to.

God, is this on purpose? What are you trying to teach me and where do you want me to grow?