My Name is Jali

Psalm 55:12-16 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it:  neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;  then I would have hid myself from him:   But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.   We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.   Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell:  for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. As for me, I will call upon God;  and the Lord shall save me. It's no secret to anyone who knows me that David is my favorite hero in the Bible. And a big part of why I love him is because of his transparency when he talked to the Lord. He let go in his prayers in a way that I admit that I still struggle with now. For some reason, I get to a point where I lock up and don't push past where it's comfortable. I allow myself to succumb to tiredness, frustration, unbelief...

"Let the words of mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." - Psalm 19:14 I was hemming and hawing the other day because I wanted to do a December post, and had no idea what to write about. I'm teaching a lesson on Leah soon, so I wanted to hold off on posting my thoughts about her. But then... opportunity presented itself. It seems that ever since I've been working in a school with children who have disabilities, I am much more aware of the power of words. For example, if I'm writing a report about a child I have just finished evaluating, I don't say, "This kid is autistic and he needs help." I say something like, "It is recommended that _______ receive services as a student with autism." It's called being "person-centered," and makes it about the person and not the disability. We try to always frame things positively by saying things like, "the student w...

     "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'" Genesis 2:23 (New Living Translation)        So 4 months back, I wrote a piece about the warning signs of someone who presented as being saved and wanting to date you, but really were wolves in church clothing. And at one point I mentioned that I wasn't sure where the line was for those professing salvation. Do we do the "meet and greet" stuff that the world does, or do we rock the Old Testament Bible swag? What does "saved" dating, or courting look like?      Well, I've been praying. And studying. And watching. And experiencing. And I realize that a lot of women, including myself, do not know how to be courted properly by the time they are approaching the marrying age. It can come from being sheltered like I was. I grew up with a dad, 9 uncles total, 2 grand...

So I have somewhat mixed feelings about having church parties as an alternative to Halloween parties and trick-or-treating for Christians. On the one hand, I get the idea of standing in the face of the rest of the world and continuing to profess salvation... but I can't help but feel as if it's kind of an excuse to celebrate Halloween... without actually celebrating Halloween. I mean, I get that it's a safe place for kids to go to, and have a good time, and not have them at home looking for ways to get in trouble... Or they could do what they would normally do on the same night of any other week. This year it falls on Friday, so at my church they would be at prayer and choir rehearsal. If there's no church on Friday night, then do whatever it is that they would do, or a family/friend activity that doesn't share any themes with Halloween. I also understand that it's a chance to show kids that they don't have to conform to the world's standards and tha...

This entire year, the Lord has been dealing with me about forgiveness... ... with some sprinkles of repentance thrust in there. So can I tell you what happened?      Basically, I've always been known for being a very sensitive, emotional person. I really don't know where it came from because not too many people in my family are like that. In fact, many of them almost treated me like there was something wrong with me because it was so easy for my feelings to be hurt and for the tears to come.      So I learned to cool it as I got older. Hold it in. Don't cry so much, or at least don't let them see you. But an interesting thing happened. I became mean. I told people off. Cussed people out (at school). Cracked jokes that were intended to hit nerves, and I was RIGHT on the money most of the time.      Enter junior high. I got saved at the age of 12. I stopped cursing (at school, cus I didn't do it anywhere else). And, I o...

So here's the thing about being a Christian... There seem to be a lot of misconceptions out there about what it means to live saved and to be holy. People who aren't saved don't seem to understand the true joys of living holy, and that giving your life over to Christ is not giving up who you are, it's REALIZING who you are in Him! God never intended for us to be carbon copies of one another, and yet He wants the same thing for all of us: eternal life with Him. So I'm here to talk about some of the stereotypes that are out there about those of us who have chosen to leave the world behind and follow Him. Raise your hand if you see one you recognize.  1. Christians are supposed to be nice all the time - This one makes me laugh. Because truth be told, I'm not that nice, and I'm not that sweet. And most people figure that out after being around me for more than... an hour? And to be quite honest, I don't believe that I HAVE to be simply because I...

    So I've been talking to some people about dating lately. My general stance on dating and being a Christian is that they don't mix. Now this is my personal belief. If you're saved and you think it's cool and you can handle "emotional shopping" then do you. Not for me.       Now some may see my reticence as residue from old hurts, and they'd be partly right. But not the way they would think. Old hurts have led me to research God's view on dating, as revealed in His word. And what I found out is that God doesn't really talk about dating. He talks about being a saved woman or man, and a married woman, man, and couple. Any semblance of what we consider today to be dating or courtship, was a man approaching a young woman's father, asking his permission to marry his daughter, and then proceeding to marry her. Any direct advice we have been given falls under not being unequally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14), and how to love and treat one another as ...

Tomorrow on May 1, 2014, I will officially say goodbye to young adulthood and hello to my life as a real live, actual grown-up. I've loved the past 24 years, and I pray for many more to come. That being said, there are a lot of things for me to accomplish before I turn the big 3-0. Lord, I need strength because I'm already having a quarter life crisis!! Anyway, my friend is doing something like "25 Thoughts Until 25" where she posts something she finds profound every day on Facebook until her 25th birthday. I've decided I would make a list of 25 things I want to do before I turn 30. Some of them are serious endeavors, others little more than silly fantasies. But they all belong to me. So, here goes!! 1. Complete my dissertation and receive a Doctorate of Psychology - I'm tired of being in school, and I'm ready to hang this last degree up, as well as my "being a student" card. However, I know all this work will be more than worth it when I get ...

      I am against sin. All sin. All kinds of sins, in all shapes and forms. We, as "church folk," have gotten so caught up in this homosexuality craze, we've forgotten that our adversary is the devil. Not the LGBT community, not the legislators, not even the President of the United States. Our ENEMY, our problem, is sin.      Here's my question: If someone who previously identified as homosexual, walked up to you and said that they were no longer gay, does that mean they are no longer in danger of going to hell?      The answer is no. They still have a problem because they still haven't been saved. They still need redemption. They are still living in sin, and therefore are spiritually dead. Romans 3:23 says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Doctors rarely treat the symptoms before they find out the root of the problem because they don't want to jeopardize their patients' health even more. So w...