Talk to Your Father

  God has restored the joy in my life that I lost for a little while!  One thing that has been made clear to me is to lean on Him daily.  Leaning on Him daily means being in constant communication with Him.  Having a prayer life is so crucial!  Its more than just blessing each meal and thanking Him for things at the end of the day, but its about wanting to know God intimately and desperately and seeking His willl for your life.  It's a joy to get up in the morning (and everyone knows I'm not a morning person) or go to bed at night and just talk to my Daddy.  It has brought a peace in my life that I'm so grateful for!  Not only is constant communication about prayer life, but its about being in God's Word.  It's amazing the things God will show and reveal to you if you give Him the chance!  Just thought I'd share this because it's on my heart!

Bring It On

"Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance."
                                                             -Psalm 16:5-6

This verse has been on my heart recently.  I have found comfort through it!  I would say that my life has completely been turned upside down this week.  God can and does come out of no where when your least expecting it to turn you in the complete opposite direction.  The message I listened to at Millbrook Baptist yesterday was a new series on prayer.  The pastor said, "There are 4 types of answers to prayers: yes; yes, but not right now; no; or I have something better in store for you."  Sitting through that message yesterday, I realized God had answered one of my prayers, but not in the way I was expecting.  Our prayers and cries of our hearts are never forgotten by God.  God has proved to me over and over again the past few days that through Him, I have a delightful inheritance, that my future IS bright if I rely on Him daily, that I don't have to let the fears of my past hold me in bondage.  I can't say I'm not scared, but I am ready! 

Let Hope Rise and Darkness Tremble!

Where do I even begin? I was able to be apart of Passion 2012. No words can describe Passion except that it was all God! The glory of God shone brightly in Atlanta, GA this week! Over 44,000 people gathered in the Georgia Dome to worship and praise the name of God for four days. I'm so grateful for this experience! Our generation is taking a stand for the name of God and making His name known around the world! There is nothing in the world like seeing 44,000 people raising their hands and worshiping God together in one place. I guess its just a glimpse of what eternity is going to be like.

Every day we had amazing speakers and worship leaders including Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, John Piper, Francis Chan, Christine Caine, Hillsong United, Lecrae, Matt Redmon, David Crowder Band, Charlie Hall, and Chris Tomlin. Beth Moore spoke to my heart when she was saying the God can't be used up. He is there for us to come to Him about any situation, and even when we try to hide from him about our most private issues, we can't go unnoticed by Him. He wants us to reach out for Him daily! Throughout the week, God used the speakers and worship leaders to bring these wonderful messages to us! They got me fired back up and feeling like I could conquer the world! The worship leaders introduced the new "Passion songs" throughout the week, all of which were so powerful. I'm ready for the Passion 2012 CD to be out!

The theme for the week was Freedom. There are over 27 million slaves around the world today, which seems crazy since we don't really think about slavery still existing today. Human trafficking and sex trafficking (like in the movie Taken) are two huge issues they raised awareness for. Louie Giglio set up a goal for us to raise a million dollars to go to the different organizations around the globe that fight different types of slavery. Let me just say, GOD IS SO GOOD! By the second night there, we had almost raised a million dollars, and there was still 2 nights and a day to go. By the last day, we had given about two and a half million dollars, but another couple had felt led to give a huge chunk of money so our total ended up being $3,066,670! God knew the needs of the organizations! Sex trafficking has just really been on my heart ever since passion. It's disturbing knowing that it happens to normal girls like me! I plan on reading some books about it, and just praying for the organizations around the world. It breaks my heart!

Here are some pictures and videos from Passion.

It's insane worshiping with this many people!

To remember the slaves around the world, and to take action!

Excited that I was able to be apart of giving to Freedom!

New Website of Interest

One of my friends told me about pinterest.com, and it has so many great ideas! I found some really cute ideas for when I start teaching and some other DIY stuff and recipes. Check it out!

Last Night

I have a test in a few hours and I cannot focus for anything! I had to do the hardest thing in my life last night, but I'm not going to come out and say what I had to do for respect for the other person, but I'm sure its not too hard to guess. For the longest time, I have felt like God was telling me something but because I have been too stubborn to listen to Him, I ended up causing myself and others way too much pain. There is nothing that was said or done to make me initiate my actions last night except for God. God has put that feeling deep inside me, but for so long I have tried to hide it and run away from that feeling because I wanted to do my own thing. Last night, I exploded inside because I know that I can't keep doing things my way. If it were my choice, I'd still be doing my own thing. Ultimately, I was put on this earth for a purpose. This life does not belong to me, but to my creator, and I can't continue to live for myself anymore no matter how much pain or hurt I'm experiencing or will experience. God took those nails for me, so I owe Him everything.

Its only been a few hours, and without me constantly depending on God right now, I would literally be a complete wreck. God is sustaining me and upholding me. I don't know if people will understand my decision or if I'll even have support. All I can do is continue to rely on God.

The Little Things

Its so easy to get caught in the daily cycle of life. I get up, get ready, go to classes, go to work, and see my boyfriend. Since school has been back in session, I have been so busy almost every single week. Its hard to fit in time to do other things, but somehow I still manage to. Through this, God has shown me his grace and sovereignty in my life.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to work at a day camp for people with special needs. I had to volunteer for my service learning class I am taking. When I first arrived, I was nervous because I have never spent much time around special needs people. It broke my heart because I felt so unfair for me to be normal. However, I began to talk to them and get to know some of them individually. I was hoping that through this experience God would show me his glory, and He did! A thought came to my mind about Genesis 1:27, "God created man in his own, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." We are all created in God's image and this verse gave me the strength to get through the rest of the time. I felt like I created bonds with some of the campers!

Also, last week and the beginning of this week I was so worried and nervous about teaching my first lesson to my first grade class that I am observing in. I knew that God was with me the entire time, and that gave me the strength to stand on when I got frustrated or unsure of how to handle certain situations. Overall, I felt happy about my first lesson. There are things I have to work on, but it assured me that teaching is what I am supposed to be doing!

Even through some of the simplest things in life, God is still present and His glory shines!

A Sweet Memory

Last weekend, my dad's side of the family had an Easter get-together at the lake. It was the first time that I had seen some of my relatives in a while. Just like all our family gatherings, we had so much food and dessert! We played games, acted crazy, and went on a hike (got lost and had to hitch hike back).

The most memorable moment was when my grandma prayed to bless the food. My grandma has Alzheimer's. She can on occasion recognize faces, but she has trouble even putting a sentence together now. However, they asked her to pray to bless our food and she agreed to say it. To my surprise, she was talking to God, making almost complete sentences that made sense. It really touched my heart. I realized that no matter the condition we are in we can still go to God to talk to Him and it all makes sense to Him. He knows exactly what is on our hearts. It was amazing and God blessed my heart that day!