Mackenzie Standing

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. -Galatians 3:26-29 I'm not going to lie: I do not treat people equally. I do not love people equally. I struggle with understanding and accepting people who are different from me. I'm not proud of it. I'm not going to cover it up, though, because that simply aggravates the problem. For years, I've adored knowing that I am a child of God. My broken, lonely heart took comfort in a God that not only loves me, but chose me and adopted me. Christ does not reject; Christ envelopes. Is there a better truth than that? I don't think so. Here's the thing, though: I'm not God's only daughter, but it...

Grace, what have you done Murdered for me on that cross Accused, in absence of wrong My sin washed away in your blood Too much to make sense of it all I know that your love breaks my fall  The scandal of grace, you died in my place So my soul will live Oh, to be like you Give all I have just to know you Jesus, there's no one besides you Forever the hope in my heart. -Hillsong, "Scandal of Grace" Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind but now I see.  -John Newton, "Amazing Grace" I do not understand the mystery of grace- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.  -Anne Lamott Of all the words in the dictionary, I'm pretty sure grace is my favorite. Of all the gifts in all the earth, I'm pretty sure grace is the one I need the most. And of all the concepts in the Bible, grace is the one I often struggle with accepting. I'v...

This is my New Year's Resolution. Well, okay, not this post, per say, but being more intentional about blogging in general. So often, though, I want to write but struggle with deciding what to write. While I have nothing against the types of blogs where people post every day about what they had for dinner, I never wanted to be like that. There's not much meat to those kind of posts (pun intended). Instead, I issued myself a challenge. I decided to pick a book of the Bible and spend an entire week on each chapter. At the end of the week I'd blog about something related to what I'd learned and what God had been teaching me. Sounds pretty easy, right? Here's the thing, though: A week is a long time to spend on just a chapter of the Bible. A looooong time. With this in mind, I set out to pick a book with two stipulations: 1) It had to be one I hadn't studied intensely before (where's the challenge in picking one I know super well?) and 2) It had to be a s...

Today is my 20th birthday. While in the grand scheme of life, birthdays really aren't a big deal, I still like the opportunity they give to reflect on where God has taken me. And so, since I love lists and today is kind of all about me, I present to you a list of the top twenty things I've learned over the last twenty years: 1. Twenty years is really no time at all. 2. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life--for me and for you. My life is so much better with Him as priority number one. 3. After Jesus, family is the most important thing. 4. Sometimes, you get really lucky and have friends that become family. 5. Popcorn over the stove beats the microwave stuff everyday.       6. Oftentimes, God calls you to participate in His plans in ways that you really don't want to. However, oftentimes you find yourself liking what He's called you to much more than expected. Which leads me to... 7. Montana's not as bad as it seems. 8. Travel is fantastic, but th...

There's a book that goes almost everywhere with me. The pink cover is decorated with textured swirls and a brown pleather stripe; my name is embossed on it in shiny silver letters. Its life of travel is evident by the way the edges are slowly turning gray, some pages more crinkled that they were previously. They testify to a life of getting packed in purses and backpacks and thumbed through around campfires and in classrooms. It's a book that brings so much peace and joy, yet one I do not love nearly enough. Open it up and you'll find many stories. There's the story of my life as told through the mementoes tucked into the pages. A paper crown from a Christmas cracker. A letter from a dear woman of God written after she prayed for me. A notecard full of all of the InterVarsity announcements I presented sometime months ago. A square with Ephesians 2:10 printed on bright green card stock, passed out at church to remind us that we are, most definitely, God's masterp...

One of the greatest blessings of this past semester has been this woman right here: My roommate, Bri, is one of the best people on this planet. She's compassionate, listens to me when I need someone to talk to, and brings the spunk to our roommate relationship. I've so loved growing closer to her this last semester. She says some darn funny things, too, which I've written down to blackmail her with. Or, at the very least, add to my toast at her wedding. There were too many to wait until the end of the year to post them, and so, without further ado, I present to you the Fall 2013 Roommate Quote Book (with some commentary from other awesome members of our community): Bri: You know what I need? I need practice wearing a corset. Just “huaugh” and that’s it. I’m going to go order one. I just need to learn how to breathe properly. Or improperly; whatever it is. Bri: And don’t try to undress me, because that’s not cool. Mac: I’ve had so much Emergen-C today, I ...

I love being home. There's something about Wenatchee that is so inexplicably Wenatchee. Maybe it's the years I've spent, maybe it's the memories I've formed, maybe it's the people that plant their lives deep here and become as great a part of the landscape in my mind as the Columbia River and Saddlerock--probably, it's a combination of all three--but there is something here that makes me never want to leave. I come home and feel like I'm wrapped in a warm brown hug that smells of sagebrush and tastes like Stemilt apples and Caffe Mela coffee and looks a whole lot like love. It's in an attempt to counteract tonight's warm gushy feelings, though, that my pessimistic head lets other emotions creep in: Dread. Doubt. Sadness. I don't want to leave; I never do. I'm 36 hours from having to say goodbye and yet my heart is already protesting the pain; I'm only in Bozeman again for two weeks and yet somehow that seems like forever. Maybe it w...