Quote book.

So, I haven't blogged in forever. But, it's almost 11, and I so don't feel like thinking, so I'm just going to blog some of my favorite quotes from my quote book. :)

"The honest way we share the truth from deep inside, the way I feel so free when my soul meets yours. I love you as you are, you take me as I am, and that is why I call you friend." -Lynn Moss

"Yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; but, today, well-lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope." -Unknown

"We can not direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." -Bertha Calloway

"The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through and in and by the man who gives himself up wholly to him." -Henry Varley

"The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea." -Isak Dinesen

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands during moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -MLK

"Happy girls are always the prettiest". -Audrey Hepburn

"Even if your hands are shaking, even if your faith is fading, say what you need to say." -John Mayer

"Monsters are real. Ghosts are real, too. They live inside of us, and sometimes they win." -Stephen King

"People cry not because they're weak, but because they've been strong for too long." -Unknown

"Silence and smiling are two powerful tools. Silence is the way to avoid many problems, smiling is the way to solve them." -Unknown

"This is your world. Shape it or someone else will." -Gary Lew

"God allows us to experience the low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way." -C. S. Lewis

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt


And, my absolute favorite but basically pointless quote of all time...

"A southern girl is a girl who knows full well that she can open a door for herself, but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. We know how to make sweet tea and grits while telling you everything there is to know about any basketball team in the ACC. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pitt bull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of a soft-spoken, well-mannered southern belle who could direct an army, loves her momma, and will always be her daddy's little girl."

Hidden your word in my heart.

During my quiet time today, I read through John 14:25-27. It says "But the Helper, the Hold Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." The Lord has been showing me a lot about dwelling in his word lately and keeping his word as a treasure, so that in any situation, Scripture just comes to mind. I was thinking today about how I think of a Taylor Swift song for EVERY single situation. How incredible would it be if scripture came to our minds as easily as song lyrics? Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden my word in your heart that I might not sin against you." In order for Scripture to pop into our minds, we have to spend time daily studying his word and listening to his voice. The Holy Spirit is ready and waiting to remind us of Scripture, but he have to know it in order for him to bring it to mind. We hear the most clearly from him by listening straight through his word. Just the way that I listen to Taylor Swift constantly, I want to read the Lord's word constantly so that verses come naturally to me in any situation. His word brings peace and the Holy Spirit will teach us when we spend time with him and allow him in our lives. The most amazing feeling in the world is to be overwhelmed with the peace of God. The peace that surpasses all understanding. And the only way to do that is to be so in love with Him that we study his word constantly so that it WILL come naturally to us in and the Scripture will lead us through any situation we are placed in.

Precious is the flow.

Tonight's worship was one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced. It was simple, but so so perfect. We're going through a book called Radical by David Platt and we've been meeting in a little room in the back of our youth building instead of our usual big meeting room. Troy took out the couches, pillows and lights. There is literally one light bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling. And, instead of our usual band, we've had one person playing the guitar. No band. No projectors. Just us and God. It was incredible. We sang several older worship songs, which I loved. One of them was "Nothing but the blood of Jesus"... "Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, NOTHING but the blood of Jesus." John 4:24 says "Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." and Troy challenged us that worship should be about our love for Christ regardless of the band or special effects. All that said, I'm obsessed with the light bulb at my church. YAY MBCC. :)

Therfore GO.

So, tonight at church, Troy talked about The Great Commission in Matthew 28. I've heard this story a MILLION times before, sung songs about it, and prayed it over my life. But, tonight, it literally changed my entire perspective on evangelism. "I hear your voice, and this is my awakening." I feel like I always read over what seems to be "insignificant" parts of a verse. But, I LOVE how Troy always focuses on things that I would completely read over. Matthew 28:16 starts with "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee...", which is something that I wouldn't even begin to think twice about. If you look back up to verse 10, it says "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.'" So, the reason they went to Galilee was because Jesus told them to. OBEDIENCE. How often to WE make ourselves available to Christ on HIS timing? In the next verse, it says "And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted." If every one believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead, it wouldn't make sense. It wouldn't be REALISTIC. Mentioning that some doubted Jesus only confirms his appearance more. In verse 18, Jesus tells the disciples that "ALL authority on earth and in heaven" has been given to him. When we're given authority over siblings or whatever, we often use it to our advantage. Jesus used it for his Father's GLORY to benefit his kingdom. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Verses 19-20). Being told to "Go" is a huge responsibility. It requires ACTION, not just thoughts and ideas. Jesus didn't direct us to a certain location, he just commanded us to go "to the ends of the earth". When we hear "to the ends of the earth", we often think Jesus meant that we should all be missionaries to unreached regions of the world. And, some people are absolutely called to ministry in foreign countries, but our schools and neighborhoods are included in "the ends of the earth". We're ALL called to GO somewhere. For some, it may be Africa, but for others, our calling may be to simply be a witness on a day to day basis in our own schools. Troy challenged us to PRAY about where the Lord was calling us and to take action according to His plan.

Flawless Faith.

So, I remembered I had a blog... Thanks, Lex. Her New Year's resolution was to keep up her blog, and she made me want to post again! I'm definitely not going to "keep it up", but maybe I'll post once a month instead of once a year. :)

Okay, so... Wow. It's been like forever. I'm gonna try not to take too long... But, I think if I could pick one thing that the Lord's been teaching me lately, it would be faith. Trusting in Him and in His plan, even when my plan doesn't quite match up. It's such a struggle. Every day. Some days I'm pretty decent at it, others, I'm definitely not. But, the times when I do a better job of trusting the Lord, my day is SO much better. I wish I'd be smart and trust him more every day. I try, but it's definitely difficult. At the Christmas Eve service at my church, our pastor talked about how we always feel the need to be comfortable, and it often draws us away from God. We're scared that if we put our FULL faith in Jesus, He'll ask us to step out of our comfort zone. So, we just kinda assume that if we try to live without him, we won't have to do anything hard. That is DEFINITELY not true. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we live by faith, not by sight." Sometimes people ask how Christians can trust God "because of all the bad things that happen". I've always known that the Lord teaches us through hard situations, but I've never really had an answer to that question. Not an answer for myself at least. I mean, I'd heard logical answers from youth leaders, but never figured it out for me. Recently, it's become SO clear to me that the answer to that question is simply because there is NO way I could live through hard situations without him. One of my friends from church, Sydney McLemore, was in a car accident the Monday of Thanksgiving week. Instead of asking God WHY he causes things like that to happen, we should let him use it to work in our lives and build our trust in him. Syd came home on Thursday (?) and is making so so much progress! Please keep her family in your prayers and your faith in Christ!

Peace.

I'm determined to get back in the habit of blogging. Determined. Sorry its been so long... anyways... here we go... :)

Recently, I've had a lot going on, whether it be homework, skating, church, or whatever. I've been struggling with making decisions and trusting the Lord completely. At Elevation, Kristian sang a new song called "He's holding my world in His hands"...

So I will not worry or fret,
My God is the God who will never forget,
All of His goodness,
All of His promises,
He's holding my world in his hands.

How perfect. Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he will sustain you". And Psalm 37:5, 7 says, "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act... Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him". Luke 12:22 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear'". These verses and the song by Kristian Stanfill have comforted me so much these past few weeks. If I trust the Lord, He WILL work things out. Another new song that Kristian sang goes like this...

Day after day,
Our God is reigning,
He's never shaken,
My hope is in the Lord.

Time after time,
Our God is faithful,
Trustworthy Savior,
My hope is in the Lord.

My hope is in the Lord. I trust him, and I literally could not live without him. I would be a mess if I didn't have Jesus Christ as my Father that I could constantly turn to and trust with anything. Just wanted to share that. Love yall. :)

Prayer of my heart.

Okay, yes, yes, yes, I knowww. I haven't posted in like a zillion years. SORRY!!! I've had a crazy crazy last few months! Mission trip- 1 week; camp- 4 weeks; Sawyer's house- 1 week; home- 2 weeks; mountains- 1 week; Home- 1 weeks... then school started! Anyways, I'm finally getting around to posting again, and hopefully, it will turn back into a semi-regular routine for me :)

On Sunday morning, Pastor Kallam challenged us to let this verse be the prayer of our hearts:

"Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." ~Psalm 119:18

This should describe our prayer life. Psalm 119:41 says "Let your love, God, shape my life." If we're letting the Lord's love shape our life, then we will have a crazy desire burning inside us to see wonderful things in his law. Psalm 119:47-48 says "I cherish your commandments- Oh, how I love them!" Hmmm. Not exactly our first response to rules, is it? Not for me, thats for sure!! But, if we pray that God's love will shape our life, then we will desire to see wonderful things in the Word. If we begin to look for the splendor in the Bible, we will find it everywhere.... not just in praises and promises, but in rules as well. The Lord's rules will bring us freedom and we will begin to see goodness in his law, the more and more we love him and are drawn closer to him (vs 33-34). Tim challenged us to pray for three things this week as we strive to seek the Lord:

1. Incline my heart to LOVE your word. (vs 36)
2. Give me understanding to LEARN your word. (vs 33-34)
3. Give me strength to LIVE your word. (vs 33-34)

After Pastor Kallam gave us those three things to pray over ourselves this week, Mrs. Melick leaned over and wrote down "Love. Learn. Live." I'm sure that was Tim's point as he challenged us to those three prayers, but smart me never would have figured it out :) Those three things completely sum up what our lives should be: an offering to the Lord. We should LOVE his word, want to LEARN it, and strive to LIVE it. This week, let the prayer of your heart be Psalm 119:18... "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." As you pray that the Lord would open your eyes, pray specifically that you would LOVE his word, LEARN his word, and LIVE his word.

summer picture update.

home.

just got home. from hale county. from camp. from greenville. from raleigh.
sorry its been so long.
i dont even know what to write about... im exhausted, missing friends from church and hale county. missing camp. missing nc friends. but its good to be home. so good.
thank you, lord, for blessing me with amazing friends. for giving me the opportunity to go to hale county, for all i learned there. it feels like forever ago. thank you for camp. for the best summer ive ever had. a faaaaaantastic way to end my camper experience. im so blessed.
thank you.

Photo Update :)

TRUST.

Ohmygoodness. Every time I post, I SAY I'm gonna post again soon, and then I don't. Sorry :/. And, after this, I'm not sure if I'll post again for a while. Possibly next week when I get back from my mission trip to Hale County, but probably not til after camp in like 6 weeks! Butttt, anyways. I've been like insanely busy. Exams, end of the year parties, babysitting, Em came!!!, packing... its been kindaaa crazy. Only kinda. ;) Because of all thats been going on, I feel like I've drifted away from the Lord and just not spent enough time in the Word. So, this past week I've been trying so hard to give myself fully to the Lord. I mean, yes, I'm still packing like crazy getting ready for this summer, and although that needs to happen, God is more important. I often forget that and stray away from him when I "dont have time". The thing is... it should be the other way around. God should be FIRST in my life. If I keep him as my first priority, then everything will fall into place after that. This is kinda random... but once I explain, I promise it'll fit in :) Last year, I thought about going to public school, but ended up deciding to stay at co-op. However, this year, I've prayed and prayed and prayed and I strongly feel that the Lord has called me to leave co-op and go to Vestavia. Its one of the hardest decisions I've ever made... all my very very best friends go to co-op, and I can't even begin to imagine school without them. I mean, DUH, I'm still gonna see them, but not like every other day. (Lex and Kay and Ash, I'm gonna miss our parking lot conversations... BIG TIME. Soooo, we can still have those kind of discussions on the phone :)) But, anyways, for a while when I first started thinking about Vestavia, I prayed so much and thrived by living in God's word. But, lately, the more I think about it, the more I get mad. I mean, yeah, I am excited about going to Vestavia. I know people from church and stuff, but its not like my same group of best friends. I really can't wait, but I just wish I could stay at co-op. But, I just don't get why me of all people has to be the one to leave. So, I've kinda... not like intentionally... but because of my frustration over that decision, thats also been part of my drifting. This past week, the Lord has laid the topic of trust on my heart. "When I am afraid, I will TRUST in you. " "TRUST in the Lord with all you heart and all your soul and all your mind." "But I TRUST in you, Oh Lord. I say 'You are my God.'" And, one of my favorites:

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; TRUST in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun." ~Psalm 37:4-6

By trusting him, the Lord will reveal his plan for me. HIS plan. Not my plan, but his. I trust in him that he will use me as an example at Vestavia, and let the "justice of my cause [shine] like the noonday sun." I'm gonna miss my friends so much, but I am CONFIDENT that I will still get to see them! They can come to Vestavia football games and I'll still go to ECS games :) As hard as God's plan is for me to grasp, he has a purpose for my life and he will use me in ways that I can't even imagine. One last thing, then I promise I'll quit rambling :) When I was flying home from North Carolina about two weeks ago, we saw and AMAZING rainbow as we were heading down to the ground. Took it on my phone so its not a great picture butttt.... its still pretty :)

Then a few days ago, I was in the car and I saw another one! It was aboslutely amazing! (Okayyy, well forget the picture on this one.. its not loading, but it was a beautiful rainbow and you could see every single color!!) Anyways, both times, I was reminded of the Lord's promises. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is with us all the time, guiding us and walking with us through everything. Even though I've been busy and had such a hard time with my school decision, the Lord is right there with me!!!

The Battle for Lucinda's Heart: Briarwood Ballet 2010

Ohmygoodness. I do not have words to describe how amazing the B'wood Ballet performance was!!! Like, ohmygosh. I just, I just don't even know. It was AMAZING! All my friends were beautiful and I'm so proud of each and every one of them!! Here are some pictures :)



Love these Immanuel girls :)


Mrs. Barker!!!


Empress Shelly ;)


McKenzie was the main character, Lucinda, and she was absolutely perfect!


Kay and Anna as the Spider and Little Miss Muffet :)


Sarah as the ballerina doll! She danced beautifully!!


Emily and all the other trees from the forest scene!


Dawn :)


Courtiers! LOVE their costumes!


Finale :)

Aren't they gorgeous?! Yep. So, if you didn't come this year, you missed out big time, buttttt that just means you'll have to come next year!! :)

Pslams 105:1-6

"Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered- O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen."

Testimony.

So I just did a post but... here's another one! For missions training, we had to share our testimony, so I thought I'd share it on here :)

Probably like many of y'all who are reading this, I grew up in a Christian home with great parents who taught me all about God's word and his love for me and how he died on the cross to forgive my sins. I loved Sunday school and when I learned how to "read" in Preschool... more like my parents read to me so much, I memorized my favorite books... I loved reading these Bible stories that we had that had like 4 words on a page... literally. I love that about a little kids faith. Its so simple, and they know so little, yet they trust the Lord. I wish I could be like that now! But, anyways, two of my favorite stories were when Jesus calms the storm (Matt. 8:23-27) and Jesus' first miracle, when He turned water to wine (John 2:1-11). I feel like now, we so often overlook miracles and how real they are. God is a powerful God and he works miracles every day. Some are obvious, more physical ones, but the Lord also moves mountains in our lives. As strong as my faith was when I was little, I drifted from the Lord when we moved to Pittsburgh. I had lived in North Carolina all my life, so as a 12 year old, I was NOT ready to experience something new. It wasn't like I hated God or even necessarily blamed him for my family having to move, but I just kinda quit caring. I hated leaving my friends and didn't think I would ever make new ones. So, when we moved to Pittsburgh, I just pretty much shut God out. After living in Pittsburgh for 9 months, we moved back to Raleigh. 3 months later, my parents announced to us that we were moving to Birmingham, which of course set me off all over again. I had just made friends again in Raleigh, we lived right down the street from one of my best friends to this day, my grandparents were 5 minutes away and I loved my school. Then we just picked up and left my life that I loved to come somewhere new... again. Moving to Birmingham was even worse, because I was so excited about moving back to Raleigh and then it lasted for 3 months. When I moved to Bham, people were so sweet and welcoming and I made friends fast... friends that I still have 3 years later. But, I was still just mad, and I didn't make the most out of that year. I didn't like going to church and I was mad at my parents for moving again. Over the year, things got better, but I still had just kinda put the Lord out of my life all together. That summer, I got involved in the youth group since I was headed into junior high and made even more amazing friends, but still didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus. In August of my 7th grade year, I went to Elevation, and annual in-town weekend retreat at my church with amazing worship and a great speaker. It was the first time I had felt the Lords present. I was overwhelmed with a peace, but I didn't really get that it was coming from my Father. I accepted Christ as my Savior, but still didn't really get it. At Breakthru, a retreat over Christmas break that same year, I understood more and more what it meant for Jesus to live in my life and to have a PERSONAL relationship with him. Elevation and Breakthru were both unlike anything I had ever experienced and the Lord moved my heart. Ever since that August, I've been a Christian and committed myself to becoming closer and closer with the Lord. My life is still far from perfect, but without Jesus, I couldn't do it. That 7th grade year, I learned a verse that I love! "Be kind in the way you act toward outsiders, making the most of EVERY opportunity. Let your conversation be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:5-6) Lately, I've felt myself busy and not having time for the Lord. With finishing up school; taking tests, writing essays, studying for exams, I've pushed the Lord into a corner of my life where I think if I do my devotion every day thats fine. But, thats wrong. Jesus is my FRIEND and if I talked to my friends for 5 minutes a day and that was it, we wouldn't be best friends. So, despite my busy schedule, I'm learning to make more time for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5). We must ABIDE in God and TRUST him in ALL circumstances. There have been some situations lately making it hard to trust him and I constantly have to remember to "Trust in the Lord with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding, but in all my ways, acknowledge HIM and HE will make my path straight." (Proverbs 4:5-6). So, thats pretty much it. Sorry it was so long :)

Blessed be your name.

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
------

That song is such a challenge to me. Like for real "Blessed be your name on the road marked with suffering"? That is so hard! Yesterday was just not a good day. Well, actually, it was a really really really good day, but then there was just some not good stuff mixed in with it. Last night, I sat on the phone with Ash and we just both cried for like ohmygosh I don't even know how long. And then she started telling me how her problems felt so little compared to so many others, and here we were crying over them. People are dying, struggling through cancer, trying to find food and don't know where there next meal is coming from. Its crazy how insignificant our problems are, yet we think they are so big. I was so reminded of God's plan. Through EVERYTHING. I don't know what His plan is....

okay, hold on, pause... Ash, American Honey is on ;)

...But, like I honestly don't know what the Lord's plan is for my life or anybody else's and so frequently, I don't trust the Lord with my life! He CREATED me, I'm pretty sure he does indeed know what's best for me. So, God, Blessed be your name, even on the road marked with suffering. Help me trust you, FULLY, with my life God. Let my lifesong sing to you. As I was talking to Ash, we were doing my Bible study together over the phone. Just looking up verses and stuff. And, every single verse we looked up was exactly what we needed. Talk about a God thing. Okay, wow, another God thing. I was flipping through my Bible to find the verses to put on here, and guess what verse I came across. "Cursed is the strong one who depends on mere humans, who thinks he can make it on muscle alone and sets God aside as dead weight... But blessed is the man who trusts in God and the woman who sticks with God." (Jeremiah 17:5, 7) Wow. God is amazing.

Here are some of the verses:

"You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." ~Proverbs 27:17

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." ~James 4:14-15

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." ~Ecclesiastes 4:12

"For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of self-control." ~2 Timothy 1:7

"By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God's call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home." ~Hebrews 11:8

"Give [God's word] plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct each other using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives--words, actions, whatever--be done in the name of the Master Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way." ~Colossians 3:16-17

So, God, BLESSED BE YOUR NAME. God, even in trials and suffering. No matter what we're going through, Father. We will trust you. We love you so much.

Doesn't understand.

I don't really understand a lot of things. Like a whole whole WHOLE lot of things. Like math. Period. It makes NO sense. And, books... like The Great Gatsby... um talk about CONFUSING! And, pretty much anything else that relates to school... cept history makes sense :) And, lots of things my mother says... like getting in trouble for not wearing sunscreen because I might burn up and die or something. I'm not even burned! And, why things can't just BE clean, without me having to clean them. And why my sister has to hog the computer. And, a whole lot of other things. But I'm rambling, so now I'm gonna stop. But, I really don't get how a judges brain works. I personally think I would make a much better judge than some of the ones in Alabama. But whatever. No, not whatever. It's really totally super kinda a lot not fair! So, one of my very best friend on the entire earth ever's little sister got taken away by DHR and now she's not coming home. Ever. Loooooong story short. For the long version, go to the "Bring Kayden Home(Please Join)" group on Facebook. But, basically, its not fair. But, apparently, its God's plan, so we're gonna have to trust Him. Even though I'm pretty much failing in that area at the moment. But, for real, I truly TRUST that God does indeed have a plan, but at the moment, thats another thing I don't understand. AT ALL. God's mind is like way hugely bigger than mine (clearly... since I've already listed off half a million things I "don't understand"...), but sometimes, I would just love if he would let me in on his plan just a little bit in advance. But, then again, then that would defeat the point of having faith.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~Proverbs 4:5-6

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your GOD is with you, WHEREVER you go." ~Joshua 1:9

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you a hope and a future'". ~Jerimiah 29:11

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, let your requests be made known to God. And let the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in CHRIST JESUS." ~Philippians 4:6-7


Those verses are all such overused and misunderstood verses. Or a better word/words would be not thought about. People.. including me.... frequently use all four of those verses without thinking about them. God has a PLAN. For EACH one of us. Not just A plan but a PERFECT plan. We have to TRUST his plan though. We often look past the "lean not on your own understanding part". I mean, I think I've clarified my lack of understanding about a lot of things... which is the whole point of that verse. Lean NOT on YOUR understanding but TRUST in the LORD's. Do not be anxious, but let the PEACE of GOD which surpasses all UNDERSTANDING, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. What a powerful verse! God is with you WHEREVER YOU GO, so do not be terrified or discouraged. Despite my lack of understanding, I thank the Lord that he has a plan. God, help me trust you!

Not my will, but YOURS be done! (Luke 22:42)

Soo... Its been awhile. Yeah, I know, I'm doing a terrible job at updating... ; )

But. Okay. Here are just some verses and thoughts from our mission training for the Hale County 2010 trip!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off all that hinders and the evil that so easily entangles, and let us run with PERSEVERANCE the race marked out for us." ~Hebrews 12:1

I think its significant here that we are to run with perseverance. God doesn't just call us to run, but to run without giving up. To stand out and be different. To Persevere.

"Let the message of Christ COMPLETELY fill your lives, while you use ALL your wisdom to teach and instruct each OTHER. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And WHATEVER you do, whether in word or deed, do it ALL through the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to him to God the Father." ~Colossians 3:16-17

Ohmygosh. I love this! (Even though I didn't exactly memorize it like I was supposed to...) Clearly, we are supposed to give God 100%. Completely, whatever, all. Those words mean not just half way, but all the way. For God. To HIS glory. Serving others. Not once does God's word say 'Use ALL your wisdom to serve YOURSELF'. Or 'Use some of your wisdom to serve others'. No, He tells us, no try commands, us to give him our all! To give thanks to Him as we serve others. Yeah, thats kinda not what our world operates on is it? Nope. Thats why its GOD'S word. Because God is different... an EXCELLENT kind of different! We are called to stand out by serving others while giving thanks to God. I pray that for myself as well as our whole entire team of students going on the mission trips. That not only would we serve God with willing hearts, but that as we work for others that we would THANK him for such an amazing opportunity to be salt and light to the world!

"The grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of God stand forever." ~Isaiah 40:8

This one is simple, but still amazing. Things on earth, including us, are temporary and don't last forever. But the WORD OF GOD lasts FOREVER. For all of eternity!

"All scripture is GOD-BREATHED and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be THOROUGHLY equipped for EVERY GOOD work." ~2 Timothy 3:16-17

This verse just shows me how useful the Bible is. I mean, duh, God wrote it for a purpose, but I love the specifics of this verse. Scripture has God's breath on it! How amazing! It helps us be COMPLETELY prepared for anything!! Don't you just love God? He makes things so easy for us, giving us his word as a guide, yet we ignore the Bible and make everything so difficult!

"Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition, let your requests be made known to God. And, let the PEACE of God, which surpasses ALL understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:6-7

Again, notice the anything, everything, and all. God isn't a half-hearted God, He does everything full out and wants us to do the same! Also, peace is so amazing! We rarely let Christ's peace fully soak in us, but when it does, it can help us accomplish amazing things! Let God's peace GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS!!!

Oh, and I almost forgot the whole title of my post... haha. Okay, well my favorite favorite verse from mission training so far is "But please, not my will, but yours be done." ~Luke 22:42

Such a great reminder to focus on God's plan for our lives instead of dwelling on what we want!

Random songs... :)

My God is not dead,
He is surely alive,
Living on the inside,
Roaring like a lion
***

I need you, Jesus
To come to my rescue,
Where else can I go?
***

Because my sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the Just is satisfied,
To look on Him and Pardon me
***

You never give up on me,
You never give up on me,
Though I'm weak and I'm strong,
You've told me I still belong,
No, you'll never, Never give up on me
***

We will shine like stars in the universe,
Holding out Your truth in the darkest place.
We'll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we'll be living for Your glory.

We will burn so bright with Your praise O God,
And declare Your light to this broken world.
We'll be living for Your glory,
Jesus we'll be living for Your glory.
***

Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here.
Sin would reduce me to utter despair,
But through Thy free goodness, my spirit's revived
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.
***

:)

"GOOD Friday"? ...A cry of VICTORY not defeat.

Happy Good Friday. Or not really happy, or good for that matter... because our Lord died, but on the other hand amazing, because he died for US. The "Good" Friday service at my church tonight was AMAZING! Marcus, our pastoral intern, did the sermon and it was soooo good and SaraBeth sang (!!!) and ohmygosh, I just absolutely loved it!! We sang In Christ Alone, The Power of the Cross, There is a Fountain, Lead Me to the Crosss, and I can't remember what else.


In Christ alone,
My hope is found,
He is my strength,
My life, My song...
----
This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

This, the power of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross...
----
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

Lose all their guilty stains
Lose all their guilty stains
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away...
----
Lead me to the cross,
Where your love poured out,
Bring me to my knees,
Lord, I lay me down

Rid me of myself,
I belong to you
Oh, lead me,
Lead me to the cross...

Well, that was a lot of songs, but honestly, truly, take some time to read through those lyrics. No joke. Do it... yeah now.







Okay. Wasn't that worth five minutes of your day? Did you think about the words? Because tonight I did. They struck me in a whole new way. Lead Me to the Cross gets me every single time... "Rid me of myself"??? Talk about humbling. It's not everyday that we say "Rid me of myself". I mean, really. That's completely admitting you're wrong... telling God to TAKE OVER your life... your full life... not just the parts you tell him to, but surrendering your WHOLE self to him. Trust me. You have NO idea how hard that is for me. You shoulda seen me this morning, fighting with my mom. Um, yeah, to say the least, I was NOT letting God "rid me of myself". Not at all. We all have our moments... I will be the first to admit that! We're are sinful; not a day goes by that we don't sin. But sin isn't necessary. Can't we at least try our hardest to keep God in mind... truly IN MIND... THROUGHOUT the ENTIRE day? That is my prayer this Easter. To LOVE the Lord with my whole heart. To TRUST him with my life. To SURRENDER my whole self, yeah, you heard me. WHOLE SELF. To Him. Him ALONE. God shouldn't be "first", but he should be "only". I'm proud to be in a RELATIONSHIP with Christ. A relationship. That means two people... not just God. ME and God. Which involves me LOVING the Lord with a whole heart, TRUSTING him with my life, and SURRENDERING my whole self to him. So, I got a little off topic with what we talked about at church tonight, but on my blog posts I normally just type out my thoughts as they come to me. And, as I'm SURE you've noticed, I have quite a random brain ;) But, back to Easter...

Marcus talked about how loving Jesus was to die for us. Well, duh. Everybody talks about that at Easter. Yeah, I know. But think about it. Jesus' death was unlike ANYBODY elses. EVER. He took on the SIN of the WORLD. Even his own father turned from him. Imagine not just the physical pain, but the spiritual pain. And yet,
Jesus cried out
"In anguish, not anger.
Compassion, not resentment.
Submission, not rebellion.
Victory, not defeat."
His last words "It is finished". A cry of VICTORY, not defeat. THAT is the true meaning of Easter. Jesus, a humble, sinless, perfect man. Son of God. Died. For US. His father turned away from him. The people mocked him. Spat on him. Pierced him. Stabbed him. KILLED him. Yeah, KILLED. Like as in dead. Not only dead, but died the Most. Painful. Death. EVER. Ever seen the Passion of the Christ? Um, yeah. That sorta sums it all up. (And, I haven't even seen all of it!) Throughout all of it, JESUS CRIED OUT IN VICTORY, NOT DEFEAT. Victory? Over being killed? Doesn't make much since, does it? But, Jesus paid the ULTIMATE PRICE. The price that was so worth paying. He loved us so much, that he DIED to save a bunch of scrappy, sinful men that were mocking him and killed him. Talk about LOVE. So, that's pretty much it. VICTORY. Just think about it : )

Tavern or Crackers?

Sooo. This blog thing hasn't been working out too well... obviously. I did a good job for 3 months and then I kinda just quit. I've been so super busy, but things have settled down some, so hopefully I'll get back into updating more frequently : )

Yesterday was our first Mission Training session for the Hale County Mission Trip this summer. (We go to Hale County, AL and serve for a week. Our team works on/with different churches in the mornings... anywhere from construction to landscaping to tutoring kids... and we have a day camp at a local part for the kids from the area in the afternoons. Last year it was my favorite thing I did the whole entire year! Such an amazing way to give back some of what the Lord has blessed me with, develop relationships, share the Word, and draw closer to God!) The reminder text Mark sent out said "dinner provided". Turns out, that wasn't exactly the case. For most of us, "dinner provided" meant saltine crackers with peanut butter and water. When we walked in and sat down Troy passed around a hat filled with pieces of paper. Every one had either and A, B, or C on it. (And, thanks to Mark, most of the C's looked like J's :P) Most people had C's, but two people had A's and four had B's. We had no idea what they were for, so anyone who had an A or B was nervous. Then Mark called up the two A's and gave them food from the Tavern, gave a pizza to the four B's and told everybody else to dig into the saltine crackers, peanut butter, and cups of water. Of course I got the crackers. Awesome. After we ate, or snacked... Mark talked about how people aren't always given the option of being rich or poor. Certainly if you re lazy you're going to have less money, and if you're a hard worker you're generally going to have more, but a lot of times people can't help their social status. If someone in Africa is born into a dirt poor family that lives in a shack and becomes determined to work hard and move to America, they might never get that opportunity. Not because of their work ethic, but because there is no money to be had and they started out poorer than most. But if that same person was born into a middle class family, they would likely have the opportunity to become one of the richest people in America if they continued their same work ethic. All that goes to say is when we go on mission trips, wherever they are, we shouldn't look down on the people that we're serving. Often, they work harder than anybody on the mission team, but still don't have a lot of money. I think that is an amazing reminder to think about people's lives before we judge them! We are given a perfect example in James 2:1-6, 8-9. "My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor... If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers."

Clearly, we are NOT to show favoritism, but to love everyone equally just as the Lord has loved us.


"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver..." ~Isaiah 33:22

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ~Matthew 7:2

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." ~Luke 6:37

"And [Jesus] has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." ~John 5:27

"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat." ~Romans 14:10


My challenge to y'all this week is to LOVE like you have never loved before. Do as Jesus commanded and "do not discriminate among yourselves or become judges with evil thoughts". Remember that it isn't a person's "fault" if they eat at the Tavern or eat crackers. Bring a lunch to someone less fortunate than you. Next time you go on a mission trip, talk to the people you are serving on the same level and let them be independent. Help them if they need help, but remember that we were ALL created equally in GOD's image. God doesn't make mistakes. We are each designed by him to be our own unique person, no matter what our social status is!