Thursday, July 31, 2008

Accepting

"If monotony tries me, and I cannot stand drudgery; if stupid people fret me and the little ruffles set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
-Amy Carmichael

Lord, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.-- My all-time favorite quote (and I'm big on quotes so that's saying a lot)

I'm faced with a challenge today... Acceptance. Would anyone care to agree that acceptance is one of the hardest challenges we face? Yet, I've been convicted about accepting some things in my life.
I need to learn to accept who I am. The Lord made every part of me. He made me (physically) the way he wanted me. He made me short, with brown hair, and brown eyes. I must learn to accept that I am not a tall, blue-eyed, blond. To not accept this is to say that God made a mistake. I wish I could get that through my own head.
I need to learn to accept the way my life is right now. Sometimes things are just hard. But that never changes that fact that God is still good. I must accept that He has a plan and that He hasn't forgotten me. He knows exactly where I am and what I need and what my family needs. He's always working out His purpose.
I need to learn to accept others. This is a hard one for me for some reason. I seem to have a tendency to want everyone to be like me... I mean, to have the same standards and convictions about things as I do and to care about the same things I do. I have got to learn to accept others where they are. We should never just simply accept sin, but we must allow people time to grow. I seem to always forget that I have not always been where I am now, spiritually. Nor have I attained some great perfection by any means. I can't get mad at people because they don't have the same standards about dress, music, dating, church attendance, or anything else. I didn't use to have these standards either.
It's all about accepting. That's why my prayer is that the Lord would give me peace to accept those things that I cannot change but at the same time the courage to change the things that I have to ability and responsibility to change. And of course, I'm gonna need wisdom to know the difference sometimes, between the things that I can and the things that I cannot change.
Hope this can help someone who maybe has a problem accepting things.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Just some good stuff:

"Why is it that we have more faith that the pieces of a puzzle made by a company in Taiwan will all fit together than we have that the pieces of our life that are presented to us by God will fit together? One person chooses to put like pieces together first, while another chooses to put the edges of the puzzle together first, but neither individual ever really doubts that the puzzle will somehow fit perfectly. The edges in and of themselves probably have little to do with the main image or idea of the puzzle, yet without it, the puzzle is incomplete. In fact, although these pieces appear to have little to do with the main idea or image, they are nonetheless as important to the puzzle's completion. In the beginning some pieces, even when they fit perfectly together, might not help you to understand what the puzzle is about; only in its completion can you appreciate the parts that at first seemed insignificant and pointless." - James Blanchard Cisneros

"Trust God or worry. Those are the two choices you have in every situation. Trust God and be at peace. Worry and experience stress. Your choices are that simple and you will make your life as peaceful or stressful as you choose to make it." James Blanchard Cisneros

"You find no difficulty in trusting the Lord with the management of the universe, and all the outward creation, and can your case be any more complex or difficult than these, that you need to be anxious or troubled about His management of you? Hannah Whitehall Smith

Occupying my mind

I remembered something else I wanted to talk about...
I was really worried about going to sleep last night because I knew my mind was going to want to wander to that person that I'm supposed to be trying to get out of my mind. I had told myself, and been told by others, that I have to MAKE myself not think of him. But I was worried that I would not be able to think of anything else. I didn't know how to make myself not think of something. So I read a Psalm right before bed and I read Psalm 105:4- Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
For some reason that jumped out at me. It was like the Lord said, "yeah, if you try to lay down and go to sleep and not think of him on your own, you won't be able to do it. You need me!" He showed me how to do it. He showed me that to keep my mind off of that guy, I have to keep my mind on Him... seek Him, seek His face. And I must have His strength. I can't do it alone.
I kept repeating that verse to myself until I fell asleep and I'm telling you the honest truth- I didn't think of that guy even once! And I honestly had a wonderful, peaceful night's sleep. Better than I've had in a long time. ( I usually toss and turn a lot)
It may sound cheesy but the Lord really did something great for me last night! I love Him!

I surrender all!

That has been my song for the past 2 days.
I'm having a wonderful day! I'm really tired from work, it seemed to drag on and on today, but I have so much peace right now. Last night, I finally broke contact with someone who I've been needing to get away from for a while now. He's a good guy and I wish it didn't have to be this way but it does. It's not even really his fault... it's me. But nevertheless, it had to be done, for our own good. But ever since then, I have had such great peace. I had good devotions this morning and things are going good so far... granted- it's only been one day but still... :)
Here's a lesson I've had to learn more than once- If God tells you to get rid of something (or someone) in your life... DO IT! You will only be miserable until you do. You have to get rid of pride and stop worrying about what will happen and just give it to God. Easier said than done- believe me I know!
A girl in my dorm this past year did a devotion on something I will never forget. She called it the "Palms up life". She explained that when we live our life holding on to everything WE want, we live our life with closed fists. That's how you hold onto something. And if you picture someone with their fists clenched tight around something, you can imagine they would probably get tired and probably looks strained. That's how we get when we try to hold onto things that God may not want there. But if we live with our palms up (hands wide open and lifted up to God) He can take what He wants.... and also give what He wants, when He wants, when He knows it will be good for us. And that is such a more peaceful and stress-free way to live.
Ever since I heard that, every once in a while, when I feel like I'm trying to hold onto my life too much, I just literally turn my hands over and show my palms to God. Because even though I try to control everything and I want it my way a lot, deep down, I really do want what GOD wants for me. He has something so much better for me than I have planned! I know I sound all spiritual right now, but this is something that I struggle to remember. But hopefully I can help someone else to remember it.
Please read these quotes on Surrendering your life to God: Enjoy!
"Commit every particle of your being in all things, down to the smallest details of your life, eagerly and with perfect trust to the unfailing and most sure providence of God." Jean-Pierre de Caussade

"We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, "I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world." Bruce Larson

"What are you afraid of? Let God act. Abandon yourself to Him. You will suffer, but you will suffer with love, peace and consolation. You will fight, but you can carry off the victory, and God Himself, after having fought with you, will crown you with His own hand. You will weep, but your tears will be sweet, and God Himself will come with satisfaction to dry them. You will not be free any longer to give yourself up to your tyrannic passions, but you will sacrifice your liberty freely, and you will enter into a new liberty unknown to the world"Francois Fenelon

"The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you. To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else." Bernadette Devlin

"The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say,

"Father, Your will for today is mine. Your pleasure for today is mine. Your work for today is mine. I trust You to be God. You lead me today and I will follow." Kay Arthur

"God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him." Jim Elliot

"What 'one thing', what person, what position, what passion immediately comes to mind when you hear this question? "What one thing would you say to God.. Oh Lord, I will give you anything, I will do anything for you, I will go anywhere, I will give away anything... but that?" The answer to that question is the 'one thing' you need to give to the Lord, more than anything else. Often, when we surrender such a deep sense of ownership to the Lord, He in his loving grace will allow us to have that 'one thing' again, with the caution to remember we are only stewards of that 'one thing.' Oftentimes, He, in his wisdom, does not allow us to have that 'one thing' back. It is a step of submission and obedience; and a risk that is vitally important for the sake of our spiritual growth."-Katherine Walden (This is SO true!)

"Give your life to God; he can do more with it than you can!" Dwight L. Moody

"Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that's what I want." Richard Baxter

"If my life is surrendered to God, all is well. Let me not grab it back, as though it were in peril in His hand but would be safer in mine! " Elisabeth Elliot

"People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: 1. they are facing only one direction, 2. they can never turn back, and 3. they no longer have plans of their own." --A.W. Tozer

I hope that I can better learn to live this way!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Getting back where I need to be

"I've heard it said that a day of worry
Is rougher than a week of working hard
I've looked too long at what concerns me
Instead of just looking at who you are
I'm gonna start trusting in your timing
And trusting in your love
Cuz as long as my life is in your hands
I'm gonna be taken care of

No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today
No more living in fear and sorrow
For what hasn't come my way
No more lookin' for trouble to borrow
Gonna take what comes with faith
No more lettin' the clouds of tomorrow
Steal the sunshine of today

You tell me to cast my cares upon you
In everything I do I always see
That even before I ask you, Jesus
You know what I need
Cuz you care for me
There's so much that you've shown me lately
Reminding me again
It's an old, old truth that worry ends
Where trusting you begins"
Legacy 5

I've been praying and reading my Bible the past couple of days and I really feel like I know what I need to do... the first step anyways. I was begging the Lord to show me something and I ended up in Isaiah 58. (Isaiah is one of my favorite books in the Bible... practically the whole thing is underlined.) This chapter is talking about the proper way to fast and then in verses 8-10 it explains how to hear from the Lord when you are praying about something and fasting. It says, basically, that you need to get rid of the things that are enslaving you and distracting you and keeping you from a right relationship with Him and then get the focus off of yourself and focus on helping others. Then it says in verse 11 that if we do this then the Lord will guide us continually. That was such a blessing to me. So now I know what I need to do. I have to get rid of the things in my life that are distracting me, as much as it's going to hurt and focus on helping other people. So that's what I'm going to do. Then, I'm praying that the Lord will be able to speak to me and guide me and show me what the next step in my life is.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Confusion!

"If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.” Amy Carmichael

I so desperately want to know what God's will is! I'm having a bit of a hard time right now discerning what God's will is. Here's my confession... I've been neglecting my Bible reading lately and my prayer life has been pretty shallow. Confessing that is not the hard part. How do I fix it? I seriously do not know how to get out of this rut! I'm just stuck! I want to read my Bible everyday and get something from it but I don't. I want to be a prayer warrior and reach God for people and have a clear communication line with God but it's not like that. What do I do?
I'm so confused about what the Lord wants for my life. I still don't know if being in the ministry is the what the Lord wants. I can't imagine any other life but then if you knew my spiritual life you would know that I'm probably not ministry material. I can't even be consistent with my Bible reading for a week straight and haven't led someone to the Lord in a long while.
There is also a person in my life right now that I'm not sure is supposed to be there but I'm not sure what to do about it. I like them being there.... a lot! But I don't know if it's good for me nor is it what God probably has for me. But then, for certain reasons, I start wondering if it is what He has for me. Why do I get like this. Why can't I just stay close to Him and leave my life in His hands. I don't have peace right now. I feel very lost and confused and it's making me miserable. I need the joy of the Lord back. Does anyone else ever feel this way?
I just want to know what God has for me. I want to be close enough to Him that he doesn't have to scream at me. I want to live my life so that a whisper is enough. It's something that I do truly desire and I'm going to work at. I'll keep you posted.

"There's a place
Of quiet comfort
I know there is Joy
Beyond what I can see
When I am weak
I run to the Savior
I know he in all his love
Will lead me

Lead me to the rock
That is higher than I
Lead me to the fountain
That never shall run dry
Lead me when my soul is faint
And I ask "Why"
Lead me, Lord, Lead On

When the path
Ahead is stormy
When the waves
That surround overwhelm
When your life
Keeps on tossing, rolling, turning
I know he, in all his strength
Will lift you high"
The Hooker Sisters

Saturday, July 19, 2008

My quirks

My mom tagged me with this thing where I'm supposed to post 6 quirky things about myself. So here we go. Some of them might just be little known facts and not necessarily quirky but oh well...
1. I'm a big time movie quoter! lol- If it's a movie I liked I can quote just about the whole thing. (I have a pretty good memory like that) And me and my mom and brother and friends quote movies ALL the time, whenever it fits into a conversation. Sometimes I will do that with people who have no idea what I'm talking about and I get some really weird looks. I just tell them "It's from a movie..."
2. I have a genuine phobia of birds. Anything with feathers. When I was little, my brother was literally attacked by a rooster. Ever since then, they seriously scare me to death. I'm a grown woman now, and if you bring a bird anywhere near me, I will probably scream and run in the other direction. lol Ostriches are the devil! And turkeys are evil too.
3. My parents and brother and I are Andy Griffith addicts! We have dvds of that show and watch them over and over and over, and it's also something that we like to quote often. ("He's a nut!"- Barney Fife's words of Earnest T. Bass. And- "I said you could stay but not on the bed!"- What Otis says to the imaginary elephant in his cell on the episode 'Otis the Hot Rod'- One of my favorite episodes.)
4. I pick at my nails when I get nervous talking to someone and I shake really bad when I have to have a confrontation with someone. Oh! And I have a really hard time making eye contact with people unless I'm really comfortable with them. If I can make eye contact with you for longer than 2 seconds, you should feel special. We must be getting pretty close. lol
5. I have a hard time thinking of things to talk about with people unless I feel really close to them but I could sit down and write them a 10 page letter. I love to write.
6. I am a picky eater (although I'm getting better at trying new things... Thanks Amy and Josh!) and I don't eat Strawberries or cherries but I love just about anything strawberry or cherry flavored except ice cream. Weird I know. lol
Well, there ya go. Don't know who would care to read that but hey, now you know a little more about me. How much of that did you already know? :)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Joshua's specific calling

Dad preached tonight on Joshua. I can honestly say that Joshua has always been one of my favorite characters in the Bible if not my number one favorite. There are others that come in close behind but I love the courageous attitude Joshua had.
Dad preached about Joshua's calling and assurance. My favorite part was when he talked about how Joshua's calling was a personal calling. God specifically called a man to do a specific job. Every person who is saved was saved for a specific mission in life. Think about that. God has a specific mission for you to complete. It's different for everyone but there are certain people that God has planned for you and I to meet and to make a difference in their life. Now, what would happen if we were so far from God that we never took the opportunities that he gave us to touch someone else's life. Then that person may not be able to reach the ones that God had for them to reach and the domino effect begins.
It is so exciting to me that God has a special purpose for my life. He has a specific church he wants me to be part of and minister in (in some way or another, even if it's just through a bus route or something) and a specific mate that he wants me to be a supporter of and specific friends he wants me to be an encouragement to and specific enemies that he wants me to be an example to. He has people set in my path years and years from now who will need me specifically and whatever talents or experience God has given me specifically. Perhaps there are young girls right now who will someday be in my husband's youth department and they will someday need encouragement from me. Maybe they are girls that God knows only I could reach, maybe because of an experience I have had to go through or because of something I've had to learn. (Of course it will be the Lord working through me, not my own greatness by any means!) That's just a "for instance"... I have no idea what the Lord has planned for my life. But think about it... The people God has for me to meet down the road need me to be in my Bible daily. They need me to not get mixed up in the wrong kind of music and they certainly need me to stay focused and not get side-tracked by the wrong guy!
I'm so glad God has a special, specific purpose and plan for each of our lives. Take a minute and think about what it could be for you and see if it doesn't encourage you to live for Him!
"What the world requires of the Christians is that they should continue to be Christians."
- Samuel Adams

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Learning to deny myself

"May the Lord lead further and further those who do in earnest want to live the Joshua [i.e., transformed] life. It means a daily dying to self and what self wants; a daily turning to our Master with a "Yes, Lord" to everything, even to what is most against the grain. May He quicken those who have not yet begun to live this life to see what they are missing, before it is too late"
I found this quote by Amy Carmichael and it goes perfectly with what i read this morning. I read in Matthew again where Jesus says "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
I was just praying, before I read that, that the Lord would teach me how to not waste my life. I don't wanna look back on this summer and realize that I wasted time. I have to remember that my days are numbered. I want my life to count for Jesus! Then he showed me how to do that in this passage. There must be a daily dying to self. I must learn to deny myself the things that I want, especially if they keep me from the things of God.
I pray the Lord will help me to meditate on this thought today and not just forget about it like I sometimes am guilty of doing.

"All want their lives
To count for something
To leave their mark
When life is through
But vain pursuits
Will count for nothing
Time will erase
Whatever we do

I want my life
To count for Jesus
For earthly things
Will quickly fade
No need to add
To worldly riches
I only seek eternal gain

Inside my heart
There burned a question
What was I placed
On earth here for
It truly was
To build a kingdom
Not of my own
But of the Lord's"

Monday, July 14, 2008

Remember...

I was reading today in Matthew about how Jesus fed the multitudes with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes and then another time he did the same with 7 loaves and a few fishes. They even had tons of left-overs! In the very next chapter, it talks about how the disciples were worried that Jesus was upset with them because they forgot to bring bread. Jesus says "O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?"
This made me think... How often do I do that? I start to worry about things and get upset over things and wonder if God will really provide when all I really need to do is remember how he provided before.
When my family moved to Arkansas from Cleveland, Oklahoma, I was afraid that I would never make any friends. I'm a pretty shy person, and although I'm getting better thanks to some friends I've had, it's not always easy for me to make friends. But I remember praying that the Lord would give me at least one good friend there. And he did more than that! He gave me a whole youth group where I felt like I was part of and a couple of the best friends I've ever had, Nikki and Mrs.Abby. He came through! He provided!
When I went to college, I was TERRIFIED that I would be too shy to make any friends. The Lord put me in a room with Kimi who I was able to become really close to, and later Amy and Rachel and others who are now my best friends. Once again He provided what I was so afraid he wouldn't.
So whenever I get to worrying about going to a new place I just need to remember how the Lord has provided friends for me in every place I've been, and he can do it again!
One of my favorite stories of God's provision that I like to tell is from my freshman year in college. It was time to make my very first school payment and I did not have enough money. But I scraped up the money somehow (I forget how now, my parents may have loaned me some) and went up to the office. I knew that after I made that payment it was going to be tight until payday. I got up to the office and told the lady my name and that I needed to pay my bill for that month. She said "Looks like you're already paid for this month. You don't owe anything." I could not believe it! I couldn't even talk. I just started crying and walked back to my dorm room thanking God. That was $300 I got to keep! Apparently I had over-paid on the down payment so they just credited it to my account. I had heard about God providing in amazing ways for others but that was the first time it had happened to me! When things get tight- instead of worrying, I should just remember how he provided then and so many other times.
I remember how God has provided even little things. He showed me His ability to provide so much during my freshman year. I remember when I got to one of my classes and realized I had the wrong kind of concordance. Well they cost like $30 or so and I did NOT have $30. I didn't even have $20 because I hadn't been able to find a job yet. I went and told the teacher the situation and he said that it was ok for that day but that I would have to have one next week. I guess a girl sitting in the front row heard me tell the teacher I didn't have one and she said "I have an extra one if you want it." I was so happy that I, again, started crying. I don't know why but that was such a big deal to me! What a blessing that some girl that I didn't even know was going to give me a brand new concordance for free!
God has always provided right on time what I needed him to. He has somehow made payments less than they were expected when I was broke or laid it on someones heart to take me out to eat when I had no food in my dorm and no money in the bank. Maybe we would worry less if we would just remember how he has provided so many times before. He is still the same God as he was then!
Hope this long entry was an encouragement for someone. :-)

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I love my job!

I was kissed by a handsome boy today! lol...Let me explain... I work at a daycare with the Infants and Toddlers and I have really become attached to those kids. Today was a great day. We bought a baby pool to put in our playground and today was our first day to use it. The kids loved it! It was so much fun to help them play in the water. Its so neat, too, to have them come running to you when they get hurt (lol not that its neat that they get hurt) but just how they come to you and want you to kiss it and make it all better. I love how they laugh and dance and play peek-a-boo. I seriously just love kids! I love having a job where I can laugh all the time. Those kids just crack me up. And today, I was down to 2 kids by 4:30 which is unusual. One of them is my favorite little girl. She is one year old and she is ADORABLE! And she loves me to death for some reason. Probably because she is always the last one to leave and we get to spend some quality time together at the end of the day. I was chasing her around the room and she was laughing so hard. Then we were making weird faces at each other and dancing together (to little kid music... and all we were doing was bobbing our heads and spinning in circles and bouncing up and down) It was so fun! How many people get paid to do such fun things. And then the other little kid was a blond haired, blue-eyed boy, and one of the cutest there ever was. He was getting cranky so I put a bink in his mouth and wrapped him in a blanket and rocked him. He just laid in my arms and stared up at me with those pretty blue eyes. The kid seriously stared into my eyes for like 5 minutes straight. It was so cute! And right before he left he gave me one of those toddler kisses! lol- one of those mouth wide open, drool all over your face kisses. But it was so adorable. I don't usually write about my every day life like this but I just wanted to say how much I love my job. I can't wait to someday have my own kids, Lord willing.
Well, I hope everyone loves their job as much as I do... Even though it wears me out sometimes and I say "NO NO" a lot, its so much fun!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Great Faith...

Dad preached tonight about the faith of the three Hebrew boys that were thrown into the fiery furnace. He preached that great faith is faith that Stands in the face of opposition, Decides that death is better than compromise, and Stands when God is unseen. I have always thought it was interesting that the Bible never says that the boys saw the Lord. That wasn't important. What was important was that others could see the Lord working. We may not always be able to see him, but he is working! God is always working out his plan. We can't see the whole picture but He can. And we can trust that when it ends it will be for our good and for his glory.
I loved the part of his sermon where he was talking about the blind man that Jesus met who had been blind his whole life. The disciples asked him "Who sinned?" and Jesus said "No one. This man was born blind for this moment. So I could heal him and God would get the glory." Imagine-- That man had probably wondered every day why he had been born blind. Little did he know that it was part of God's eternal purpose to give God glory and point others to Him. All those years of suffering would have been worth it on that one day. We complain after just a couple of days maybe. Maybe we should just wait and trust God. (we, including me) Maybe he is about to do something really really amazingly great! I wonder how many times our faith breaks and we doubt God right about the time he was fixin' to do something amazing!
Great Faith always pays off!!!!!!!..... Just keep trusting! He's in control!

"While crossing over Galilee
a storm it was raging
The disciples they feared for their lives
But Christ the Lord
He was on board
And he spoke to the wind
It knew his voice
And everything was in control
He's in control though the storm
Around you is raging
He's in control in your life
No matter what you're facing
Even in your darkest night
When there seems to be no light
He's always with you
He'll never fail you
He's in control
Now there are times in this life
When there seems to be no answer
To the problems
And troubles we go through
But Christ the Lord
He's still on board
For he lives inside me
He has the answer
And everything is in control"

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

He can do anything!

Hi-
I'm on my lunch break. I finally got some more hours at work which is a huge blessing! I'm working 7:30-6 every day this week. I know to some people that doesn't seem like that big of a deal but it kinda takes a lot outta me. I'm in a pretty small room with 4 or 5 toddlers and 2 babies for 9 1/2 hours! Its fun though.... most of the time :). I love working with kids. I hope the Lord allows me to work with them in some way or another even after I graduate college and get away from daycares.
I'm really getting anxious about school. I always get really scared right before I go back but I think right now I'm also a little scared about HOW I'm going back. So far, no money. But we are working on getting a loan. It seems that is the only way. At first, I wasn't sure about it cuz I felt like that was me making it happen instead of trusting God. But I realized that God does want us to trust him but he doesn't want us to be foolish either. We should use the resources he gives us and pray that if it is His will then it will all work out the way it's supposed to. I really really hope it does work out though. Here's the song that popped into my head when thinking about this...

"It's out of your hands
You've done all you can do
You've given God the problem
It's no longer up to you
You've prayed the prayer of faith
You're standing on Gods Truth
While you're waiting on the answer
He has a question for you
Is anything too hard For God?
Who's got a problem beyond His power to solve?
Are there situations He's not the master of?
Is anything too hard for God?
Only believe
Trust His Word you'll see
His plans are still unfolding
Performing perfectly
It's clear how much he loves you
Look at all he's done
For all your questions
There's really only one
Is anything too hard for God?
Who's got a problem beyond His power to solve?
Are there situations He's not the master of?
Is anything too hard for God?"

I know He is able to provide! "With God nothing shall be impossible!"

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Conviction from Amos

"Can two walk together except they be agreed?" Dad preached an awesome message this morning about being in "agreement with hell". He said that hell wants us to be preoccupied with the world, comfortable in our sin, spiritually blind, and mingled with the world. When he was talking about being mingled with the world, he mentioned that verse in Amos. It's as simple as that... I believe this is talking about the people you spend most of your time with. If you were not in agreement with the lifestyle they lead, the music they listen to, the attitudes they have, the way they talk... then you wouldn't be comfortable making them your closest friends. As I've said before, You are what your friends are! (or soon will be) That's why we should spend time around people who are going to lift us up and encourage us to be better, even if they aren't the most popular people you will meet.
I am really excited about going back to school this year. Amy and I are really going to try to hang out with a better group than we have before. We want to be friends with people who really love the Lord and live godly because that's how we want to be. Who you hang out with says a lot about who you want to be.
I think we can also apply this verse to God. You cannot walk with God unless you're in agreement with him. And you cannot be in agreement with him unless you are right with him. And you can't be right with him if you are living in sin. Think about that.... Are we really "walking with the Lord"?

Friday, July 4, 2008

Bless God America!

One of my favorite sermons that my dad has ever preached was one called "Bless God America". After 9-11 everyone was running around saying "God bless America!" And Yes, we should want God's blessing on America but how can a nation so wicked ask for God's blessing? Maybe, instead, we should be saying "Bless God, America". 2 Chron 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Maybe, if America's Christian people would learn to bless God (try to please him), then God will continue to bless America in the way he so greatly has.
How great it is to live in a free country! Thank you, Lord, that I was born in America! Thank you that you allowed it to become a free country on this day so many years ago!
Happy Fourth Of July everyone! :)

Today it's a cactus...

"One day, there was a man who asked God for a flower and a butterfly. But instead, God gave him a cactus and a caterpillar. The man was sad. He didn't understand why his request had been misunderstood. But he decided not to question it but just trust that God knew what he was doing. After a while the man went to check up on the request he had long ago forgotten. To his surprise the thorny and ugly cactus had a beautiful flower growing on it and the unsightly caterpillar had become the most beautiful butterfly.
God ALWAYS does things right! He is ALWAYS the best way, even if, to us, it seems all wrong. If you asked God for one thing, and received another... Trust. You can be sure that he will always give you what you need at the appropriate time. What you want is not always what you need. Today's thorn is tomorrow's flower! God gives the very best to those who leave the choices up to him!"
Someone sent me this story in my email and I thought I would share it. Hope it was a blessing. :)

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Pics of friends...



















Top is a more recent picture of me (November of 2007) I'll have to get one from now sometime soon cuz I just got my hair cut.
Under my pic is my friend, Kimi.
The bottom picture is Rachel (left) and my best friend, Amy (right)



"No" can be a blessing!

Verse 1:It starts with a desire,
planted deep within your heart
You pray in faith, and wait for God to move
But Time passes and you wonder
Did He hear me when I called?
Should I even have prayed that prayer at all
Chorus:You never pray a prayer,

your Father will not answer
He can't ignore His child's earnest request
While you're waiting and believing
For what you thought was best
Trust God if He says no….. You're still Blessed
There must be a greater yes
Verse 2:There comes a time when child-like faith

Must graduate to trust
Trials come and you're convinced you're on your own
But the teacher's often silent
When you're in the hardest test
But He'll answer when It's time with what is best
Bridge:Sometimes God will answer -

just like we prayed
Then other times what's on His mind
Is a better plan, a another way, a greater yes"

Another one of my favorite songs that spoke to my heart big time this past semester. Instead of being upset because God says "No" when we want something, we should remember that He knows what's best and that He is saying "No" because he has something so much greater for us down the road. There is something better to say "Yes" to.
If you want to marry a certain person but God says "No", don't be too upset, there is a greater "Yes". If you want to have a certain job but God says "No", there is a greater "Yes". This can be said in any situation where we are praying for something. I know from experience that it's easier said than done. But Amy showed me something in the book "Discover your destiny" by Carey Schmidt that changed my whole outlook- This is basically the story he told.
(Lance is his 5 year old son)
' My wife and I picked up my son, Lance, from Kindergarten one day and told him when he got in the car that we were going some place really really fun that day. I told him to guess what it was and he sat there a thought for a minute, then said "DIMPLES?!" Dimples was a storefront play place we took Lance to for some cheap fun on occasion. Lance loved Dimples and could not imagine any place being better. I said "No Lance, We are going some place better!" My son sat there with a sad look on his face. "I wanna go to dimples." He pouted. "Lance, you don't understand. We are going to ....... DISNEYLAND!" In my mind there were little trumpets playing and confetti being thrown. But Lance just sat there, pouting. " But I want Dimples!" Now he was demanding! I tried another approach. "Lance, Disneyland is where Mickey Mouse lives! You are gonna love it Buddy! Just trust me on this!" Lance was insistent on Dimples. I didn't understand this and to tell the truth I was getting frustrated with my son. What kid on earth wouldn't LOVE to go to Disneyland! It was so clear that Disneyland was so much greater than Dimples. The comparison was ridiculous! I almost decided to give Lance what he wanted and take him to Dimples... it sure would have saved some money, but I was too excited about Disneyland. "Lance, I promise, once we go to Disneyland you will never want to go to Dimples again!" My son was now sitting in the back seat crying. " I want Dimples" he shouted! I was extremely agitated. When my wife reached back to console our crying son I finally realized.... Lance doesn't want Disneyland because he doesn't understand how great it is... he's never been before! In his mind, Dimples was as good as it gets! Well, Lance finally cried himself to sleep and we drove to Disneyland. Needless to say, Lance got out of the car, took one look at Disneyland and never looked back! In fact, when our budget called for some affordable family fun at Dimples a couple weeks later, Lance was crying for Disneyland.
It's just like that with God's will. We get some idea in our head or we find something or someone that we think is the best (Our "dimples") and refuse to give it up. All along, God is trying to take us to "Disneyland". Maybe in your mind, that guy or girl is as good as it gets. But if you would let God handle finding a mate for you then you would realize that he has Disneyland waiting for you! That boy or girl compared to who God has for you is like Dimples compared to Disneyland.
God has such a bigger plan for you than you have for yourself. God wants to give us what we would ask for if we were smart enough to ask for it. He has a Disneyland for you! Stop worrying about Dimples! If we will just trust him, he will give us what is best. All we have to do is peacefully trust him from the backseat and let him lead!'
Hope this was a help to someone!
Let go of "Dimples" (whatever it may be in your life) Let God take you to Disneyland! It's so much better than what you have planned! Guaranteed!