Just a Random Page in a Book

We all have those things that happen in life that when we think about them, we think that it couldn't get more random. People popping into your life from the past, meeting new people, realizing small connections between friends that you thought would never know each other, finding something in a place that you would never expect it to be; the list could go on and on. Really though, nothing is ever that random. I have been struggling with some things in my life right now that are constantly in the front of my mind. At the same time, I haven't really been laying int o the Word nearly as much as I ought to. Well, this morning the Lord was really tugging on my heart to do so. I could have just sat in my room and listened to music or watched some TV in the extra hour I had before work. Instead, after much tugging from the Lord, I finally decided to pick up my book and read. I love this book but haven't read it in some time. I couldn't remember what part of the book I was on so picking it up again and starting to read made the chapter seem so random. I wasn't even in the beginning of a chapter making it even more random. I started to read and a few minutes later hit this paragraph:

"Nothing is random with our heavenly Father. He is working everything together in our stories to conform to the ultimate purpose of his story (Ephesians 1:11). God is both author and editor. Our lives are not spontaneously thrown together as collections of unrelated short stories. A large story continues to unfold, written before the world began (Psalm 139:16; Ephesians 1:3-6). God is making each of us a living epistle to be read by the watching world-a testimony to his goodness and grace. What is his final purpose? What is his goal? On an individual level, to make us more like Jesus (Romans 8:28-30). And we are never more like Jesus than when we love like Jesus.
Though his ways are not our ways (thankfully), God's plan is perfect and his timing is Swiss."
-Objects of His Affection by: Scotty Smith pg. 130

I don't know if this meant to you as much as it did for me but WOW! I really needed to be reminded that everything happens for a reason. Life isn't as random as we make think it is. The things that I am going through now, are all meant to make me more like Christ and to bring glory to the Lord. They make me stronger and help me to grow in so many ways. Not only do they help me grow, but t hey help me to see how amazing the God that I serve really is. One of the things that I am dealing with deals a whole lot with God's timing. I strongly, strongly dislike waiting on God. It is one of the hardest things to do! I want everything to happen in my time. I so frequently forget Ecclesiastes 3:11-"Everything is made beautiful in his timing". So all of these things that seem to be pulling me in so many different directions in life aren't so random. They fit into my life so well that it blows my mind. This is just one small piece of the puzzle that God uses to make me who I am and to ultimately show His love through my story. He is an amazing God that can and will use every little detail for his story. Timing and all plays a role.

I love my job!

One of the biggest blessings in my life right now is my job. I get to work for several different families watching there kids. For the past year I have been working with kids more and more, and I don't mean kids as in five plus years but two and under. Throughout the school year I worked for a Mom's Day out program in the one year old room. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about being in that room because I didn't really get to play or talk with the kids much. How boring would that be?!? I was use to being able to play sports with the kids that I watched and carry on conversations with them. Well, it wasn't long until I realized that I got to be with the best age group. I may not have been able to talk with them or intense games with them but that wasn't for long. Throughout the year the kids became more and more independent and started learning new words. Before I knew it they were putting words together and asking me questions that actually made sense and fit into the situation! To some reading this, that might not be a big deal, but to be around a child that doesn't really make much sense because they don't know what words to use and how to put them together and then have them start making sense, it's amazing! To watch them learn and discover things and develop in different areas of life is a such a blessing to be able to take part in. I am only 20 and have no kids of my own so for me to be bale to take part in this in somebody else's child makes it all the more special. The parents were awesome in letting me watch there precious child for hours at a time a couple days a week.

About half-way through the year I started watching one of the kids before and after MDO and got to know her even more. Sweet little Mallaney. Mallaney always keeps you on your toes and is so much fun to be around. With dance parties, reading, sidewalk chalk and more, there is never a dull moment. I was just reading her mom's blog (which is all about Mallaney of course) and thinking back on all of my time with her; I wouldn't trade it for anything! I am so proud of Mallaney for so many things but most recently becoming a "big girl". She is now potty trained!!!! This is pretty big for me, I can't imagine how her parents feel. No more diapers!!! Well, for another couple of months until their next one is here.

Another little girl that I watch is such a big girl because she has been helping out with her new baby brother. Ava Grace is so sweet and can always bring a smile to my face. A couple of days ago I got to bring her to the pool for the first time. It was so much fun to watch her splash around in the baby pool and be so brave to go to the big kid pool. In fact, most of her time was in the big kid pool. She even put her face in the water! Of course, this scared me at first because I wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, but when she pulled her head up with a huge smile on it, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

Towards the end of the year is when I picked up another amazing job. Little Naomi is the youngest of the three girls I watch and is almost two. She has been so much fun to watch run around and her love for dogs always makes me laugh inside. She could see the biggest most ferocious dog and still, with a big smile and arms in the air, yell out "puppy!!!!!!". When we are walking and somebody says "hi" to her, she might ignore them. Even when she just gives the person a blank stare, when she sees their dog next to them, she lights up and yells out "puppy!! keeses!!!" (which of course means kisses).

I could go on and on about these precious kids and tell story after story about them, but I won't keep you reading too much longer. I love my job and I love these kids. They are a handful and ware me out, but I love them non-the-less! I love being a part of their lives and I am so blessed to be. Anytime they come up in my conversations, I light up and usually end up talking about them for quite some time. I can't help, they are great kids and I am so proud of them. They may be little, but they are BIG blessings from above.

Serving an Amazing God

Wow! It has been quite some time since I last blogged! So much has been going on in my life. My best friend that came to live with me last semester has moved back to Alabama. She needs much prayer! She is an amazingly blessed girl who is loved by so many. She wasn't planning on going back to Alabama for quite sometime, but she was blessed with the opportunity to raise a child of her own. Now, most people wouldn't exactly call this a blessing; being 19 and single isn't the best situation to be in when pregnant for the first time. However, she serves an amazing God and He is in control of all things. As most people who have been reading my blog know, I look at every situation "good" or "bad" as a blessing because they all teach us and force us to grow. At about four and a half months, she lost the baby. Not only was her life turned upside down once, it was flipped back around only four and half months later. Though it is so hard to say, this too happened for a reason and is a blessing. She is such a strong woman, but still needs prayers daily. Not only has the Lord been working in her life, but mine as well.
I took last semester off of school because of an elbow surgery and since then I have decided to take this semester off of school as well. I have been working at a couple of places and one of them is a physical therapy place. Last time that I wrote anything on here, I was passionate about physical therapy and I was Pre- Physical Therapy. Towards the beginning of the semester, my hours were cut back quite a bit at the PT place. Initially, I was infuriated because there really was no reason for my boss to do so. We had just hired somebody else that wasn't needed at the time, and then they started cutting everybody's hours. I know I know, people only get there hours cut for a reason-like them doing something wrong. But after talking to everybody else that works there, they all agreed that I was not the one that should have gotten so many hours cut. It wasn't until a month or so later wen I began to realize that this was happening for a reason. I was so mad before that I couldn't see that the Lord was working in this situation. I slowly began to lose more and more interest in Physical Therapy and I began to grow a stronger and stronger passion for my other job, childcare. I work at my church three days a week with kids that are under the age of three and then the rest of my free time I babysit. All of the kids that I watch are mainly around the age of one and just turning two. I have always said that I never want to be a teacher or do anything except for Physical Therapy. Ha, it is never a good idea to let God know what your plans in life are! He most certainly changed my heart and what I am passionate about. I still don't really want to teach, but to work with kids that are young and are very impressionable is an amazing experience. I have watched kids grow inside and out and have been with them throughout several weeks when they start talking more and more. There is something amazing about when two kids learn the important but hard task of sharing. When they develop into little people that care for others and understand when they do something that is either good or bad. So, after all that the Lord has been showing me, I have decided to go into Early Childhood Development. Kids are an amazing blessing and I am I am forever grateful that I am able to work with them daily.
Not only has the Lord been showing me knew things as far as what I am going to do in my life, but He has also been showing me things about myself that aren't necessarily good. It isn't fun to be shown your sin and see how it effects every aspect of your life. It isn't fun at all, in fact it hurts, a lot. However, it is so good that I am able to see it. If I weren't able to see my sin, how then would I be able to change it? How then would I be able to see that I serve such a forgiving and amazing God? I am reading this book with some other girls that I know called "Perfecting Ourselves to Death". It is such a good book, but wow is it hard to read! I never really thought of myself as that much of a perfectionist, but I sure am. I recommend this book to anybody. There is most probably a little bit of perfectionist inside all of us. I have been able to see how much it effects relationships and so much more. I have also realized how much I want to be God. I know it sounds so stupid to say, but it's the truth. That is so sinful of me! How could I possibly want to be God? Easy, all of us want to. We want to control everything and have things the way that we want it whether we realize it or not. Sin is a daily struggle that I have to face, but thankfully I serve a forgiving, merciful, just, gracious, and unchanging God that calls me His own. I am so glad that I am serving such and amazing God!

They will know we are Christians by our love...

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they'll know we are Christians by our love.

This song is on the Jars of Clay CD Redemption Songs. I love this song because it is so true. Often times people will notice how we treat each other and they want to be a part of it. One thing that I have come to realize recently is that it truly is much harder to love fellow believers and forgive them. I know for me if a non-believer does something, I am quicker to forgive them because they may not know better. When a fellow believer does something, it is much harder for me to forgive. I heard this sermon recently that really shook me up and made me realize that I do this. Yes, they may know better, but they still make mistakes. I know when I am sinning, and I still mess up and do it. If I were to look at them the same way that God looks at them, then I would see perfection through Christ. If God can look at them and see this even though they have sinned, I ought to be able to look at them in the same way. Recently I was put in a situation where I dealt with this same thing. I was very upset with this person and I should have been able to forgive him, but simply because they never said that they were sorry, I held it against them and I was holding onto this hurt. I realized that I am now in the wrong. I can't justify my actions just because he hurt me. I still have to be able to forgive him or I am in turn hurting him. I am not only hurting him, but I am not showing my love for a believer in the way that I should and I know that doesn't look good to non-believers watching. We all are supposed to be working towards the same goal; glorifying the Lord. If I am not able to forgive and work with them in this same goal, how do I expect to accomplish it? It is so important to love our sisters and brothers in Christ and treat them the way that God sees them. We too mess up and still want people to treat us with love.

Amazing Grace!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

Yet another amazing song! I listened to a three year old sing the first verse of this song and I couldn't help but tear up for a couple of reasons. The words are so true and so strong! If we really thought about this song on a daily basis, we would probably struggle with insecurities a lot less. Another thing that I thought was really cool was when I heard a three year old sing it. We are to train up children in Christ and it is so sweet to hear a child of God at such a young age worship the God of everything. Instilling these values at such a young age is not a waste of time for even when she is old, she will not depart from them.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.


I am pretty sure that I have already posted this song on my blog somewhere, but the lyrics are so good that I had to do it again! I encourage you to really meditate ont hese words and what they really mean.

Finally Satisfied!

All my life long, I had thirsted
For a drink from some cool spring,
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! He has found me
The One my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies all my long - ings
Through His blood I now am saved.

Feeding on the filth around me,
Till my strength was almost gone,
Longed my soul for something better,
Only still to hunger on.
(Chorus)
Poor I was, and sought for riches,
Something that would satisfy,
But the dust I gathered round me
Only mocked my soul's sad cry.
(chorus)
Well of water, ever springing,
Bread of life so rich and free,
Untold wealth that never faileth,
My Redeemer is to me.
(chorus)

*I love this song because it goes along with one of the songs in a previous post "All I Need". It is so true, all that I really need is Christ. Apart from Him, I am nothing and I have nothing. I know this seems drastic, but it's true; this is what I strongly believe. I still continue to search daily for things of this world that bring me no true satisfaction. I wish I could say that I base my life fully on words such as these, but, unfortunately, I am sinful and I mess up day after day. You'd think that I would have learned a long time ago that people and things of this world will always fail me at one time or another, but I haven't. Thankfully He gives me more time each day to try to take my eyes off of wordly things and focus on Him and bringing Him glory.

Being Single is a Blessing

In RUF Brad has been talking about sex, love, and relationships. This semester has been absolutely amazing. Last night he talked about how our ultimate goal in life is to glorify God. Yes, we all may "know" this already, but do we really apply it to everything? I know that I don't.For me it is easy to say that I want to get married so that I can glorify the Lord to the best of my ability. Ha, that's not the point of marriage. We are more than capable of glorifying the Lord while single. In fact, I tend to think that I must not be doing things right and I should be more content if I am still single because obviously the Lord isn't blessing me with a boyfriend and future spouse. The Lord used Brad in an awesome way to turn my whole perspective of being single around. First of all, marriage is not something that can be earned. It's a gift that we cannot earn. I find myself trying to be content in hopes that if I am content with being single, then the Lord will bless me with some amazing husband. If I can't earn it, then why am I so dumb to keep trying to earn it?? I ought to focus on the Lord and be content in the fact that He loves me. Secondly, being single is a blessing. I would have thought that you were crazy if you had told me that just yesterday morning, but now I see that it really is a blessing. I shouldn't be looking at who can I find that will love me, but instead, who can I be loving? after all, that is the whole story of the Gospel. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to die for our sins. For God so loved the world. Take a minute to take that in. He has loved us first. The whole Bible is a love story. This love story talks about how He has loved others. He didn't sacrifice His one and only Son so that we would look at Him and praise Him. We praise Him because He sacrificed His one and only Son. I need to be looking at me being single as an enormous blessing! Because I am single I have more time to go forth and love others that need to see Christ's love for them. To me that is pretty exciting; I hope that it is exciting to you too.

He loves us well...

"When God blesses our hearts with boredom, discontent, anxiety, emptiness, or restlessness, He loves us well. For His goal is to wean our wayward hearts away from things that hold no ultimate satisfaction."

Objects of His Affection by: Scotty Smith

This is just one of many short passages that have hit me hard from a book that I have been reading. I encourage you to meditate on it; when is a time that this applies to your life?

It is well, with my soul

"This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in Spaf­ford’s life. The first was the great Chi­ca­go Fire of Oc­to­ber 1871, which ru­ined him fi­nan­cial­ly (he had been a weal­thy bus­i­ness­man). Short­ly af­ter, while cross­ing the At­lan­tic, all four of Spaf­ford’s daugh­ters died in a col­li­sion with an­o­ther ship. Spaf­ford’s wife Anna sur­vived and sent him the now fa­mous tel­e­gram, “Saved alone.” Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. They speak to the eter­nal hope that all be­liev­ers have, no mat­ter what pain and grief be­fall them on earth." http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

---

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!" Psalm 146:1

Psalm 51:10

This song is based on Psalm 51, an amazing chapter that shows us how we ought to yearn for a clean heart.

Create in me a clean heart oh God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Create in me a clean heart oh God,
And renew a right spirit within me.

And cast me not away from Thy presence oh Lord,
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation,
And renew a right spirit within me.

*The lyrics are so simple, yet so important. This song shows a heart that is truly repenting. often times it is easy to say that you were in the wrong and recognize your sins, but it is much harder to really fear the Lord the way we ought to and truly repent.

How Great is our God!

1)The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

2)Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
all will see
How great, How great
Is our God

Name above all names
You are Worthy of all praise
and My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all will see
How great, How great
Is our God
(x2)


*This song just blows me away! We have this amazing description of our God and I bet that barely any of us really sit back and meditate on how amazing He really is. I love to just read the words to this song over and over and really drive that point home-our God truly is great!

A little blog updating...

Wow! I have so much stuff that the Lord has been putting in my life as encouragement and growth, but I haven't been putting it on here. I am going to take some time right now to start putting some of that stuff on here, I have several songs, verses, and various other things that have been awesome that I would love to share. I am going to break it down into several posts so that it doesn't seem so overwhelming! And thank you to everybody that reads my blog, it means a lot to me.

You Were There

I wonder how it must have felt
When David stood to face Goliath on a hill
I imagine that he shook with all his might
Until You took his hand, and held on tight

'Cause You were there, You were there
In the midst of danger's snare
You were there, You were there always
You were there when the hardest fight
Seemed so out of reach
Oh, You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So there he stood upon that hill
Abraham with knife in hand was poised to kill
But God in all his sovereignty had bigger plans
And just in time, You brought a lamb

'Cause You were there,
You were there
In the midst of the unclear
You were there, you were there always
You were there when obedience
Seemed to not make sense
You were there, You were always there
You were always there

So haven't I learned that my ways
Aren't as high as Yours are
And You alone keep the universe
From crumbling into dust
You are God and though we would
Not have understood You
There You were

Hanging blameless on a cross
You would rather die than leave us in the dark
Every moment, every planned coincidence
Just all makes sense
With Your last breath

You were there, You were there
During history's darkest hour
You were there, You were there always
You were the Victor and the King
You were the power in David's swing
You were the calm in Abraham
You are the God who understands
You are the strength when we have none
You are the living, Holy one
You were, You are and You will always be
the Risen Lamb of God

You were, You are and You will always be
The Risen Lamb of God

"You Were There"

Prone to leave the God I love

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fettor
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee;
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Robert Robinson (1735-1790)

It is mind boggling how no matter how much God shows His love to me, I still want to run from Him and do things my own way. I am so grateful for the fact that no matter how much I mess up and run from Him, He is still going to welcome me back. That is what is so amazing how about His grace!

Thy mercy my God...

"Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue.
Thy free grace, alone from the first to the last,
Hath won my affection and bound my soul fast.
Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart.
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground
And weep to the praise of the mercy I've found."

John Stocker (1777)

My future plans

Today I made the drive down to Charleston, South Carolina to see my friend Mariah. Although it was hard to drive the whole way by myself, it was very nice; it was nice to just be alone and think and pray. One of the things that I have been thinking a lot about recently is my future. Not only has this been on my mind, but also being able to trust the Lord with my future and knowing that He is sovereign and no matter what I end up doing will be the best thing possible as long as it is His will. Anybody that knows me knows that I am very passionate about Physical Therapy and sports. Not only do I have a passion for those, but I also have a great passion for people and sharing God's love in any way possible. (Unfortunately I mess this up a lot but that's another blog another time!) Growing up my life was very sports oriented. Because of various physical ailments, I am not able to participate as competitively as I would like too, so I really enjoy helping others be able to participate. This is one of the main reasons why I really enjoy Physical Therapy. To be able to help people get back to their daily lives faster is an amazing blessing to watch unfold. As I watch the PTs that I work with do their jobs, I can't help but wonder if I am really going to be able to do that some day. Not because I think that I may not be good enough, but because I wonder if I will be able to physically keep up. I want to be a PT so bad, but Sometimes I wonder if I let my ideas of becoming one get in the way of me serving the Lord. Don't get me wrong, I know I can serve the Lord as a PT, but I don't know if I would be willing to give that up if the Lord called me to do something else. I pray that I will be able to though. I don't know, it all just seems so weird to think about how I might end up doing something different than what I have always thought that I would be doing. Another passion that I brought up earlier was talking with people and showing them God's love. I love getting to know people and learning why they are they way they are. It is so interesting to me to learn about a persons upbringing and what events have helped shape them into the person that they are today. Everybody has a story to tell and I love hearing them. Also, I love getting to talk to people and be able to give them a different perspective on things, remind them of who they are in Christ, or, if they aren't a Christian, talk to them about what I believe and give them something to think about. No matter what though, I love listening to people and talking with them. If I could do some kind of ministry for the Lord I would be more than happy. I don't really know how to go about all of this, but I am very interested in it, especially since I am physically falling apart and may not be able to go through with PT. I know I am rambling on, but I wanted to share a little bit more about what is going on in my life right now. Please keep me in your prayers, it is always appreciated. I am still young, but I do have to start thinking about my future and really be sensitive to the Spirit and where He wants me.

Love is an action

It is so nice to have friends that really love me. When I say love, I mean they don't just say that they love me, they show me that they love me. I have had a couple of great conversations since classes have started back up with some ladies that are a large part in my life. These conversations were hard, but much needed. Nobody wants their sins to be pointed out, but we all need it. It hurt for me to sit there and here people that I love and respect tell me about my sin. Although it hurt at the moment, I am so glad that they talked to me. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to love each other and point each other to the Lord. If they hadn't done what they did, they wouldn't have been loving me at all. I know that all of this is redundant, but it is so important to know and I have to just write it out and share how awesome it is to be loved by God so much that He puts friends in my life to point me back to Him. It's also important to know that we are to be able to do the same for others. Now don't go crazy with it and tell everybody everything that might be wrong with them, but in a loving way, if you are close enough to them-let them know how you feel and what the Lord has laid on your heart. We are to spur each other on. Another thing that I noticed was that when I was having my sin pointed out, I just wanted to defend it. When somebody is confronting you, don't flip out on them. Listen to them, I bet they are talking to you out of love and want to help walk you through your hard times.

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

These are such great lyrics! I can read them over and over and still be moved by the words. I especially, at this point in my life, love the last verse. "Jesus commands my destiny" How awesome is that? I can be at peace knowing that He is in control. Nothing can ever pluck my from His hand! I am His and He is mine; I am His child and He will always love me and care for me. He is with me always and won't let anything happen to me that He can't carry me through. Thanks be to God!

Slow it Down!

Some of you that check my blog from time to time have noticed that I haven't written anything in quite some time. The reason I haven't written in so long is because I haven't really been staying in the Word. I have been doing so much stuff and hanging out with various people that I haven't taken the time to slow down and focus on the Lord. I am seeing how this is affecting my life in so many ways. I was sitting in my room with Blakely and she pointed out that I was in a bad mood. I knew I was in a foul mood, but I didn't really have a reason to be. I sat there for a moment and thought about what was bothering me. I couldn't come up with anything that I could really justify. When I really thought about it and was honest with myself, it was because I wasn't focusing on the Lord. This morning in college class, Brad said something tat really caught my attention. He was talking about how we really need to meditate on the Word. By this he meant that we need to slow down, read, and really ponder on the importance of a passage in the Bible. I have been so "busy" doing a whole lot of nothing. Really, I have had plenty of time, but I haven't been giving the Lord the attention that He deserves. Whoever is reading this, please keep me in your prayers that I will have a thirst for the Lord and slow down and take the time to focus on Him. From now on, if you notice I haven't written in a long time, chances are, I need your prayers because I am going through something and I am not focusing on the Lord. When you aren't growing, you're dieing.