The things I learn from movies...

"Never say goodbye, 

Because saying goodbye means going away,

And going away means forgetting."

--Peter Pan

Beth Moore--how does she know?!?!

I just finished my second Beth Moore study (first-Daniel, second-A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place). If you have never done a Beth Moore study I would recommend you do one!! I also started an official job at LifeChurch last week. I must say I love it!! But one my first day, the day I tested, and my first interview, I was scared out of my mind. Let me just take a paragraph from Beth Moore, then you'll understand....

"Have you found yourself on the brink of the place for which God has long been preparing you? A location? A place of service? A circumstance? A position? Something for which you sense He has been preparing you for a long time?"

(obviously, being offered this job was the start of my hopeful career...I've been in prep for YEARS!!)

"Now that you see God fulfilling His promise you use you and have through excruciating preparation toward that end, are you filled with fear? An overwhelming feelilng of unreadiness? A sudden emotion that this may not be what you wanted? A little sorry you volunteered to go wherever and do whatever?"

Yep, that's what was going on inside of me. Now, I'm not emotional (or a feeler) but every time I thought about this, my heart cried out in fear. Tears would come to my eyes as I thought about everything I had done and all the expectations people ALREADY had for me. I was terrified I would fail. And fail miserably at that.

BUT I haven't. There are days when I am extremely unqualified to copy DVDs, but (here's the last portion of the paragraph)

"God will deal with those feelings and will bring them to a place of dismissal if you confess them to Him and invite Him to give you the courage to accept His personalized plan for you."

Now trust me when I say, only God could have put things in order for this. Everything happened at the right place and the right time. This is His plan, not my own. (Who'd a thought I wouldn't work in LifeKIDS first?)

I would encourage you to give your fears and thoughts to God as you stand in His purpose. He will deal with those issues, just make yourself available!!

Surely We Can Change

Surely We Can Change--David Crowder Band


And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn’t hit

And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that
And I don’t know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

And I don’t know
What to do with a love like that
And I don’t know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief
And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

Oh, the world’s about to change
The whole world’s about to change

Revealed!

1) What's my real name? Amanda

2) Where did I graduate high school? Edmond Memorial (Go Bulldogs!)

3) Was I a valedictorian? No, not even a Salutatorian, thanks to 8th grade math, physics and calculus

4) Where do I go to school now? UCO!!!

5) How long until I'm finished? 3 semesters, 1.5 years (plus some summer school)

6) What is my dream job? LifeKIDS!!

7) What reality show do I want to go on? Amazing Race!! (and I expect you all to watch it when I go on it!)

8) What is my favorite thing to do? (just wanted to see what you guys came up with--watching football was a good choice)

9) How do I "de-stress"? I bake--cookies and brownies!

10) What's something I may not know about you?? Those are some great answers!

Way to go! You guys did pretty well!

Pop Quiz!!

Just how well do you know me? Here's a few questions, let's see who knows the most!!
We'll start easy...

1) What's my real name?
2) Where did I graduate high school?
3) Was I a valedictorian?
4) Where do I go to school now?
5) How long until I'm finished?
6) What is my dream job?
7) What reality show do I want to go on?
8) What is my favorite thing to do?
9) How do I "de-stress"?
10) What's something I may not know about you??

I'll answer later this week!
I've got finals this week, and a job interview on Tuesday!!

We Give You Praise by Delirious

When the road is rough and steep 
And it leads a heart to weep 
There's an ocean of tears 
That you've held through the years 
But we're not stopping here 

On this long and winding street 
Will You guide these weary feet 
Every step that we take 
With our hearts full of faith 
And we're not stopping here 

Together we are stronger 
So put your hand in mine 

We give You praise 
We give You praise 
And the King of all the earth 
Has saved us from ourselves 
We give You praise 
We give You praise 

Through the avenues of time 
Here You meet me where I am 
We walked with glory and pain 
And You’ve broken the chains 
So there’s no stopping here 

Glory, we sing glory 
We sing glory 
In the darkness where You shine 
Let it shine, let it shine

Peace

Here's a text I received the other day. Thought I'd share it!!

Peace--

It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. 

Peace.

Pull Me Out

If you've never heard of Bebo Norman, I would suggest you listen to some of his songs. They are simply amazing. Here's his newest hit, what can I say other than it's great!

Bebo Norman - Pull Me Out
From the album Bebo Norman

So tell me now, when does this start feeling like I understand 
Everything I’m dealing with, first I was young, now it’s all just happening 
What about the way I said that made you turn around 
And shake your head like I don’t even know what I’m asking for 

This could be all about just letting go 
This could be all about just holding on 

Chorus: 
I can’t get my feet off of the ground 
I wanna run but I don’t know how 
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out 
I wanna scream but there’s no sound 
I wanna fly to you somehow 
Can you reach me here and pull me out, can you pull me out, yeah 

Remember when I was young and hungry, I could take it in 
Without much money, I had nothing at all but dreams and time to kill 
Now I feel like I’m treading water and I’m hardly real 
I’m just trying harder to make my way on the earth by standing still 

This could be all about just letting go 
This could be all about just holding on 

Chorus: 

Not a moment too soon 
You will be my rescue 
But tell me how long will it take 

Chorus: 

I can’t get my feet off of the ground 
I wanna run but I don’t know how 
Can you reach me here and pull me out, can you pull me out 

I can’t get my feet off of the ground 
I wanna run but I don’t know how 
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out, yeah 
I wanna scream but there’s no sound 
I wanna fly to you somehow 
But you reach me here and pull me out, oh you pull me out, yeah 

Irish as Barack Obama?

Happy 19th Taylor!

Today is one of my best friends birthday! Taylor is turning 19!! (Can I just say that by this time of the year, I start to feel really young because all my friends have birthdays so much earlier than me). So Happy Birthday dear neighbor!! Hope it's a special one!!

 

Declare your pick!

Today is Election Day. I'm so excited to vote, yet terrified as to what the outcome might be. In spirit of our Nation (because my pride may not last much longer) I thought I'd blog on the National Anthem and some of it's history. If you are anything like me, knowing the history of ANYTHING always makes life more interesting. ;) 

During the War of 1812, on September 13, 1814, Francis Scott Key visited the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had been captured after the burning of Washington DC. The release was completed, but Key was held by the British overnight during the shelling of Fort McHenry, one of the forts defending Baltimore. In the morning, Key peered through clearing smoke to see an enormous American flag flying proudly after a 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry. He was so delighted to see the flag still flying over the fort that he began a poem to commemorate the occasion, with a note that it should be sung to the popular British melody "To Anacreon in Heaven."

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson ordered that it be played at military and naval occasions. In 1931, the Star-Spangled Banner became our national anthem.

Some of you may not have known this hasn't been our National Anthem wasn't apart of our nation since its founding, just since 1931!!  Now doesn't it have so much more meaning?!? And to close our lesson, I brought the words. Soak 'em in. It may be a while before we get to sing this with pride again...

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight;
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Where do you come from?

The other day, my friend Elie had a classmate ask her "Do you believe in Adam and Eve?" Of course, she said "Yeah. Why?" The classmate responded "Then how do you explain black people?" Confused by this stateme nt, my friend asked me to help her find an answer (she's been a Christ follower for 3 years, but doesn't know the Old Testament stories very well). My first reaction was laughing. If this isn't proof that Christianity has been "white-washed" with the blonde hair blue eyed baby Jesus, then I don't know what is. 

(If you have a reason, post it in your comment. I'd love to see what everyone came up with). 

Had it been me who was asked that question, I would have smarted off with "Technically Adam and Eve were most likely Middle Eastern, so where did, not only the blacks, but the whites, Indians, Asian, Eskimos...come from?" But then I came up with a slightly scientific answer--being closer to the sun or out in the sun more gives you a darker pigment. If you look at where each ethnicity comes from, you can explain it like that, but then I had to think of a biblical answer....Tower of Babel!!! If you don't know this story, it is one of my favorite stories in the Bible (find it here!) Pretty much, the people got cocky and thought they could be better than God, so God, being the brilliant deity he is, mixed the people so much they could even relate to each other, much less communicate. Thus he created language, culture, and color for all sorts of ethnicities. Would you have answered it differently? Any other explanations? 

Oh Crap...a Democrat!

The election is coming soon. I hope you all know who you are voting for! If not, just ask me. :) I'm so excited to vote in a few weeks! First election ever!! :) 

 

Squeezed!

"If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God's purpose is not simple to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may SQUEEZE SWEETNESS OUT OF US." 

What is He filling you with? Are you getting squeezed? I know I am!

"He who believes in me...out of His heart will flow."  John 7:38

(From My Utmost for His Highest) 

Friends

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow; Don't walk behind me, I may not lead; Walk beside me, and just be my friend.

Albert Camus

These are some new friends whose blogs I've started reading. Enjoy!! Try them out. 

Jordan

Seth

Sheridan

Nicole

Wedge

Alec

Craziness!!

I don't know if anyone still reads this, but I'm back. School got really busy after my foot surgery and I had to spend A LOT of time on that, which meant little computer use. :( But I finally caught up, so I'm gonna get back into routine. :)

"In that day the LORD will punish the fallen angels in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison until they are tried and condemned. Then the LORD Almighty will mount his throne on Mount Zion. He will rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. There will be such glory that the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away." --Isaiah 24:21-23

Funny!!!

Go check out this video. It had me almost rolling on the floor!!

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/time_for_some_campaignin

Any other good political videos I should watch? I love this kind of humor!

Leadership Quote-2

"When I was a young leader, independent and too busy to pray,

I blew stuff up and wounded every third person I led. 

But now that I am mature and have left my childish ways...

I do that somewhat less!

And now these three remain:

the faith to follow God boldly,

the hope to press on even when my heart is breaking,

and the love to enrich the hearts of all those I lead.

But the greatest of these is love--the the love that only comes from a quiet, close, daily walk   with Christ. "

Leader Quotes-1

"Jesus didn't seek to minimize the challenge he gave his followers. Remember his words in Matthew 10:16? "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves." What is Jesus saying? "This is the real deal. The stakes are high. The possibility of failure is real. And I'm not going to protect you from all risk. You've got to step out. You've got to lead." And they did!"

Are you stepping out and leading? Or are you waiting for someone to save you from the risks? 

Freedom

Freedom by Run Kid Run

All my chains I can't disengage 
And I don't believe that I want to 
One hand sings your praise 
The other brings me shame 
I have selfishness to blame 

And I'm singing for freedom 
I know I'm not the only one 
Praying to the one 
Who can bring me this freedom 

I'm ready for change 
Broke down I lay I keep holding my chains 
No long bound but here I stay 
I scream Father please I need rescuing 
I need You and You alone 

And I'm singing for freedom 
I know I'm not the only one 
Praying to the one 
Who can bring me this freedom 

I'm ready for (change) 
Still You patiently await 
Yet I won't just let go 
I see You and You alone 
Saying freedom 

And so I'm singing for freedom 
The time has come separation lost the war to love 
Take my hand gace has found you where You once began 
You're Alive! You're Alive! in the waking of new life 
Take my hand in the end there's only love 
There's only love 
There's only singing for freeom 
I know I'm not only one 
Praying to the One 
Who can bring me this freedom 
I'm ready for I'm ready for... 
Father please I need rescuing 
I need You and You alone 

Sing for freedom, God we need you and you alone. Let it sink deep. 

Comments? Thoughts? Great song, right? 

Punish vs. Discipline

I'm back. It's been a busy week. Ok, so here's what I think the difference is. 

The word punish is derived from the word "punire" in Latin which means to attack or strike. However discipline is derived from the same word as disciple. So my conclusion? When you discipline someone, you are trying to train them or helping them learn a lesson and follow in the right path. Punishment typically done out of anger as Jabberfrog pointed out. Punishing isn't done out of love but is usually meant to suffer. 

Tune in next week to reflect on some quotes from Courageous Leadership. 

Punish vs. Discipline

Have you ever thought about what the difference is between punishing someone or disciplining them? Do you have any thoughts as to if there is even a difference (other than one sounding more harsh than the other...)?

Here are my thoughts:

(Tune in later this week to see my explanation and killer Latin skills).

Holy....Discontent?

I'm so excited so many of you are reading my blog!! If it ever goes over your head, I'm so sorry. I'm a deep thinker. :) 

One question today---

"What is it in the world that just makes you angry? What injustice just sets you off every time you see it on television? Hunger? War? Dictators? Oppressed Women? Religion? What is it that sets off a "holy discontent" in your spirit? What causes you to have sleepless nights?"

I'll give you my answer once you respond. :)

hello?

Does anyone still read my blog?! 

No one is commenting...if you're out there leave me a comment so I know you're there!!

"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this would have happened."-Frodo

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decided is what you'll do with the time that is given to you."-Gandalf

What are you doing with your time-whether you want this time or not? Are you continuously aiming for the 'goal'? Or are you wishing away the time God has given you to do His works? 

(Lord of the Rings, a great movie. If you've managed to never see it, watch all three.)

Sell it ALL!!

"Sell all that you have..." (Luke 18:22-read the story here). IN other words, rid yourself before God of everything that might be considered a possession until you are a mere conscious human being standing before HIm, and then give God that. That is where the battle is truly fought--in the realm of your willbefore God. Are you more devoted to your idea of what Jesus wants than to Jesus Himself? If so, you are likely to hear one of His harsh ad unyielding statements that will produce sorrow in you. What Jesus says is difficult--it is only easy when it is heard  by those who have His nature in them. Beware of allowing anything to soften the harsh words of Jesus Christ.

This is another devo from My Utmost for His Highest. Sell all that you have. You'd think it be easy. Are you holding on to anything other than Jesus Himself?

Final Days

These are my best friends. I've talked about them a lot, but I just wanted you to know this is our last official weekend before we become college students. Can you believe it? I just thought I'd share a little bit about them in this post.

Chris--he's been my best friend this past year, and he's grown so much. He's taking classes at OCCC this fall (I'm so proud of him, I can't even begin to tell you). He's been very patient with me and always has my back.

Hannah--we've been friends for as long as I can remember, and she's grown up a lot this year. She's made decisions in her life I would never have the guts to do and has reaped so many benefits. I'm really proud of her too! She'll still be in high school, but that doesn't matter.

Elie--she's gone to Cali until Christmas break. She has one incredible story and it's so different from mine. She and I really balance each other out! I can't wait to hear what God is gonna do with you in Cali.

Taylor--we've walked in and out of each other's lives over the past year, but we always manage to become great friends again. He's my logic buddy. We can sit and talk about stuff forever and never reach an end as we over-analyze everything on the planet. :) He'll be with me at UCO!

Caroline--another person who has stood by me in everything. We'll be at UCO too! She's so creative, more than I'll ever be! 

Lori--I'm so proud of you for going to OBU. Leaving home is such a big deal, but it's worth it. God will give you so many experiences to grow you, you'll be thankful you left. Don't worry on missing out on things, I don't think much will happen in any of our lives. :)

And I'll close with a poem a friend of mine wrote:

"Beautiful beginnings start with an end, 

a faded dream or loss of a friend."

God's going to do great things with us~just look at our lives already~~

Here we go...the next chapter is here. 

"Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be."

This is from an incredible devotional, which this person gave me, titled My Utmost for His Highest. 

Are you attached to anything that hurts God? Will you let go, or will God have to hurt it?

In my life, God usually has to hurt it. 

Who am I?

Here's a great post on Swerve today. Really made me think. Who has God created me to be? 

Let me know what you think!

Happy Birthday Aubs!!

One of my girls has a birthday today!

Aubrey (striped shirt) has a special birthday today and I'm so excited! We're going to Chili's tonight to celebrate! She was one of the girls I nannied last summer and I just love the girl. She's incredible and this summer she just started an email she sends out weekly to all her friends! It's so fun to read and she amazes me everyday! 

I love you Aubs!!

I Caved

So my computer finally died, and I gave into the bandwagon and I now am a proud owner of a.......

MAC BOOK!!!

Isn't it pretty?!?

Have you entered the Apple world?

Another Song. They're just so good right now.

Sticking with You by Addison Road

Come on, it's me you're talking to
There's something going on inside of you
Don't have to say it, but I wish you would
Cause it would be much easier

You always hide behind yourself
You walk a lonely road with no one's help
I hate to break the news
You're headed for a fall

And if I have to jump
Then I'll jump
And I won't look down
You can cry, you can fight, we can scream and shout

I'll push and pull
Until your walls come down
And you understand I'm gonna be around
I'm sticking with you
(I'm stinking with you)

Even if you try and shut me out
I'm staying here cause that's what love's about
I might let you down, but I won't let you go

So lean into me, I want to know
Everything about the fear you hold inside
Cause you and I are better than just one,

If that's what it means to love you
If that's what it means to have your back
If that's what it takes to show you
Then I'm in, I'm in

This is a shortened version of the song (I deleted all the choruses). I just want you to know, I will do my best to stick with you. I was challenged to "love them anyway" and I'm going to. No more playing around. I'm sticking by you.

Go listen to this song. It'll make you wanna jump :)

Courageous Leadership

Here's a quote from Bill Hybels, the pastor as Willow Creek Church in Chicago from his book Courageous Leadership.

"Because the Church, the Bride of Christ, upon which the eternal destiny of the world depends, will flourish or falter largely on the basis of how we lead."

What a responsibility. It all depends on how we lead...

Definitions

Integrity. What is it?

Authenticity. How do you show it?

Leadership. Can it be learned?

Song Sense

Here's a song that hit me really hard today...

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out


Thought you'd appreciate this.

Camp Memory 2

I'm back! So my next memory is also at Switch camp. I had to opportunity to answer a complex question one of my girls had about God--"How do you hear God?" It came up every night in our small group time, and I finally found a way to answer it on the last night. I told her to look around her. God doesn't always talk in an audible voice, but he speaks through the things around us. Sometime God speaks through others, and sometimes he even speaks through His word. You have to really train yourself to hear Him. After this talk, she told me she had been stuck on this for years and it was the one thing keeping her from committing her life to Christ (which was something she had done earlier that night).

How would you have answered? Have you ever heard God?

Camp Memory 1

First I have to say my team at Switch camp ROCKED!!! We came in first place and the leaders I was with were AMAZING!! The first best memory is the night my girls finally connected with God. I never knew God would use me to minister to girls that had problems I'll prob never have to deal with. Out of no where, God spoke through me. I don't have any idea what I said, but I do know it was exactly what they needed to hear. Girls whose parents are going through an almost divorce time; girls who never get to see their dad; girls who struggle with image issues. They were amazed at how much God really loves them and how often He shows it.

Have you ever experienced this? Has someone ever spoken directly to you without actually speaking to you? Has God ever spoke through you?

Ponder this...

Here's a quote to think about before I get to camp memories on Monday.

"A leader is only as good as the people he can influence and the following he can make."

What do you think?

Home...after 10 days

I finally made it back home from Camp WOW. It was a great 10 days and after getting some rest, I'd go back in a heart beat. My Switch group was so incredible. I was really worried my girls wouldn't search their heart, but after much prayer, God broke them. And it was amazing to watch my girls that I love so dearly just let God break their hearts and speak through me. I hadn't experienced most of what they are going through, but God enabled me to minister to them. I got to answer so many questions about their faith--that is what I was created to do. LifeKIDS camp was amazing as usual. God has blessed them with an incredible team of people. And going as a leader is SOOOOO much better than a student. :) staying up talking to leaders all night...amazing! God's at work in so many people, it just blows my mind to think what He's doing!! Thanks for all your prayers. I'm trying to rest up (and I'm looking forward to a nice shower). I'll share some of my favorite moments in the next few posts.

Off to CAMP!!

So for the next week I will be at Camp WOW for Summer Switch and Rated Arrgh!! I'm so excited to be a leader. Pray that God works wonders and the kids hearts will be open. I thought I'd leave you some of my favorite posts to read while I'm gone.


In the Grip of Grace

The Curse Behind the Gifts

Children of...

Faithfulness

Well there you go! Leave me comments on this post to read when I get back!

Isaiah

I've started reading Isaiah in my quiet time recently. I haven't read the prophet books yet, so I thought this would be a good time to dive into them. So I'm gonna share some verses that stuck out to me.

Isaiah 4:2, 4-6

2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

We walk through fire and judgement so we can be purified and become beautiful like Christ. In teh end He will protect us from everything that comes against us in the world. We will not be harmed by the storms in our lives. We will not melt under the heat of wrong or foolish decisions. Christ loves us, and He loves us enough to let us stay in our mistakes.

What do you think?? I don't even know if this makes sense, but it just stood out to me.

(thanks to my mom, I got to blog!! She let me borrow her computer, but my dad said he could fix mine!)

Poor Computer

My computer has been out-of-comission for about 4 days now...but as soon as we get it fixed or I get a new one, blogging will prob be on hold. :( pray it will come back soon! I'm leaving for camp on Wednesday and I'll be back the following Thursday...look for some new stuff then!!

Thoughts from the Weekend

"How gracious (the LORD) will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the LORD gives you the bread of adversity and the water of afflictions your teachers will be hidden no morel with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 31:19-21

PERSEVERANCE

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kind, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

WHATEVER IT TAKES

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

BROKENNESS

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." Psalms 32:7

BLESSINGS

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20




Where are you??

Spiderman??

Here's a post on Stuff Christians Like that was pretty funny! Craig even made the list. We heard from a few of these guys throughout One Prayer. Go check it out. It'll have you laughing for sure!!

Remain by Starfield

Defender of this heart
You loved me from the start
You never change
Through the highs and lows
As seasons come and go
You never fail
Day after day
Your love will remain
Faithful and true
You are good

Chorus
You are God with us
You're victorious
You are strong and mighty to save
For Your word stands true
There is none like You
And when all else fades
You remain

When troubles come my way
You guide and You sustain
Lead me, I pray
Forever You will be
The great eternal King
Now and always
Day after day
Your love will remain
Faithful and true
You are good, you are good

Chorus
When all else fades
You remain

You remain
Cause' day after day
You never change
Day after day
You are the same
Day after day
You remain

This is a song Stephen sang a couple weeks ago at OKC. God never leaves our side. When all else fades He remains. His love is consistent and unending. His word stands true for everything in our life. Go listen to the song. You'll stop everything just to lift your hands in worship.

Trash

This was a crazy weekend for sure! But so much fun! I didn't make it to Get Smart, but I did set off some fireworks and hung out with my Europe buds! The micro mission was so much fun and I think we might have even made it on TV!! I ended up picking up trash and pulling weeds for most of the day. Here's a "spiritual revelation" I came up with as Mer and I picked up some trash....

"First I chose to be on the weed pulling team. With my dad's garden and flowers, I had some experience with this. But like usual, God likes to mess with my plans a little bit. So I switched to the trash team! It didn't look like there was any trash, so I figured we'd be done fairly quickly. Mer and I headed to the back of the school to pick up the trash. The closer we looked, the more trash we saw. We ended up filling almost half a bag of trash."

It reminded me of how sometimes things (or people) can seem so perfect on the outside, but the closer you get, the more dirt and "trash" you see in and around their lives. Sometimes, I think, it really makes us (at least me) run from imperfection if we're expecting that person or situation to be perfect.

Don't really have any challenges or anything, just wanted to throw that out there. Hope you understood it!

Updated Blogroll and Weekend Plans

I decided to finally update my blogroll. So here are some new blogs I read...

Stuff White People Like--I know it sounds odd...but it's hilarious!!

Michelle Wyatt

Nick Frary

Stuff Christians Like--just as HILARIOUS as Stuff White People Like

Jessica Waszak--a new found friend with a crazy story! and incredible insight

Mansour Journey--Katie and Alexander's journey to the Holy Land and beyond (you'll learn a lot)

Gina McLain--someone who took a chance on me (she's got some interesting question)

Erica Buchanan

Alex Lange--just started his blog (i'm sure he'll bring up some great insight...already does)

Alec Warn--just started his blog too


Go check some of them out. They're good! This is quite a busy weekend--tomorrow is worship night at Victory before the OnePrayer Missions on Saturday. After that, I'm going to hang out with the Evans family to watch CAMP ROCK!!! Saturday is the Micro Mission and church Saturday night. Sunday is a day full of church then I have a camp meeting at 1. After, I think I might hit up the movies for Get Smart. Then Sunday night we're having a ONE YEAR EUROTRAIN REUNION!! I can't wait.

Any cool plans? Will you take part in a One Prayer Micro Mission Saturday?

The Curse Behind the Gifts

Recently I've struggled a lot with being judgmental and condemning towards people, not intentionally, but that's just how my words and attitudes have appeared. And despite all the warnings from my mentor and the signs my friends have given the past few months, I continued to deliver my words in this manner...so it got me thinking. My parents told me one time about a sermon they had heard about the downside to spiritual gifts. I was looking through our cabinets for a spiritual gift test and i ran across one that had the benefits and pitfalls of gifts. Here are my pitfalls...

1) Discernment--temptation to always be right; easy to trust in personal judgment and not consult God
2) Teaching--tell what people want to hear, not what's truth; legalistic or overly dogmatic
3) Knowledge--ability to "puff up"; prideful; overbearing; insensitive to other people's opinions
4) Prophecy--easy to be pharisaical; negative; judgmental
5) Wisdom--temptation to just use human wisdom; stop listening; prideful

Well, that just clears a whole lot up-not that I'm making up excuses, but at least the last few months make a little more sense. I am believing God is more powerful than any of my "pitfalls." And someday I will manage these gifts with perfection, but for now, I'm truly sorry.

What are your gifts? Have you ever experienced their pitfalls?

Looking for the Good Stuff

I'm currently (almost finished) reading First Break all the Rules as an assignment from Allyson, and I stumbled across this quote, and who knew it would be so perfect for today!

"I deliberately look for something to like about each of my people. In one, I might like his sense of humor. In another, I might like the way he talks about hsi kids. In another, I'll enjoy her patience, or the way she handles pressure. Of course, there's a bunch of stuff about each of them that can get on my nerves. If I'm not deliberate about looking for what I like, the bad stuff might start coming to mind first."


Are you looking for good in everyone, even if you aren't on good terms? If not, try for a day to see how your life is different when you look for a little bit of good in everyone. You'd be surprised at what you find.

Just what I needed

So I went to Edmond tonight to attend the experience (if you missed church, def make time to see it!) and as I was leaving, a staff member stopped me and thanked me for coming. At first, I thought well sure, this is still my home church, but as he continued to speak, he made me tear up. He told me that just seeing me there made him want to worship God more. He was tired from the other experiences and he said just seeing me engage in worship affirmed that he could do the one last experience. (I was in need of some genuine encouragement today).
Friday I hung out with Jessica for about 6 hours...again, just what I needed. I love my friends dearly and thank God for them daily, but I was at the point where just being around them was pulling me down. Right after my mentor suggested I spend some time with some other people my age, Jessica called me (how crazy is that!?!?!)

Needless to say, my God takes care of me. He shows me daily how much He loves me. What more can I do, but love Him back! With that, I close my weekend with a smile (which was very much needed).

How did He show you how He loves you this weekend? How does He do it daily?

Gotta love HIM!!!

You might have grown up in tornado alley if...

The first thing you do if you hear tornado sirens during the day is check your watch to see if it's noon.

You don't get worried unless the sky looks "green".

You might go indoors when there's a tornado, but you won't "seek shelter" for anything less than an F3.

You know what Doppler radar, Hook echo, wall cloud, and rain-wrapped all mean.

You've never exactly memorized the tornado precautions, but you've heard them enough times that you know them by heart anyway.

Watching the weather is entertaining. And red on the Doppler radar is exciting.

The phrase "Tornado on the ground, take your immediate tornado precautions" sends exciting shivers up your spine.

You've seen photos/videos of tornados and said, "Wow, that's a nice one!"

You can feel/smell tornado weather brewing a few hours before the storm actually begins.

There's an odd feeling as though you've misplaced something if you make it all the way to June without a tornado warning near you.

You think people that live in earthquake and/or hurricane prone areas are crazy.

You know what people are talking about when they mention the "May 3rd/Moore" tornado and the "Greensburg/May4th" tornado.

You watch the movie "Twister" just so you can point out all the inaccuracies in it.

You know your weathermen by their first names. i.e. Gary.

When you hear the tornado sirens go off, you go outside to watch the storm and take pictures.

Most of the tornado video footage comes from everyday people with camcorders instead of from actual news/weathermen.

You're sure there's a giant tornado magnet hidden somewhere in Moore. And that there are smaller ones distributed throughout trailer parks.

You know that the four seasons are actually: summer, late summer, winter (if you're lucky), and tornado.

You don't consider it windy until the windspeed is faster than 30mph.

You are highly entertained by people from outside tornado alley when there is a tornado watch.

You learned that some other states don't have tornado drills from this list.

There's enough random stuff in your tornado shelter that you could live there for a year.

You stand under your carport or open your front door to watch hail and/or thunderstorms.

You know the difference between a basement, a cellar, and a storm shelter.

The weather is a completely acceptable subject for conversation, at any time, for any occasion.

Your local mall has "tornado shelter" signs posted.

It doesn't bother you the next day to find out that your area was under a tornado watch the night before and you had no idea. Unless, of course, it caused you to miss some interesting cloud formations.

Getting to "play" in the basement/cellar/storm shelter numbers among your favorite childhood memories.

You keep matches, candles, and candleholders in more than one place in your house.

Your town will never get hit by a tornado because you're between two rivers or because an old Indian legend says so.

You complain about severe weather reports that interrupt the TV show you're watching.

You can get together all your most important possessions in 2 minutes flat.

When tornado sirens woke you up in the middle of the night...you rolled over and went back to sleep.

You've ever tried to reassure someone by saying that "if anything forms it will only be a little tornado"...and couldn't understand why this didn't calm them down any.

It's normal for your area to be under a tornado watch for multiple days in a row.

When looking at houses/buildings you give them a "tornado survival ranking". i.e., how big of a tornado it would take to destroy it. Also, if you are in a new building or house, you evaluate in your mind the best place to take shelter.

You've ever asked (probably w/ disdain) "Don't they know the difference between a warning and a watch?"

You know what towns/cities a tornado normally passes through before coming your way.

From watching radar maps, you've heard of almost every small town in your state. And you know what towns are around them, but you have no idea where in the state they are.

You laughed at everything in this list, but you also respect a tornado's power. And you know that after it's over, clean-up and re-building has to begin.

Well, looks like I grew up in tornado alley :) did you? would you add anything to the list?

Full Weekend

My week was so crazy last week, so I wasn't able to blog. I was gone almost every night with something. And the weekend didn't slow it down: Fri-Toon Town training, Sat-Wendy's 17th birthday party and Nick's wedding! then Caroline's Graduation party, Sun-church and LIFESTOCK!! Needless to say, I was exhausted this morning. Last week I finished one of my books of "summer reading" and it reminded me of something I blogged about earlier this year...

"I once took a little dog through a course in obedience school. One of the lessons he had to learn was to respond to my voice only. There were forty-nine other dogs and their masters in the circle, adn commands were given by more than one person at a time. Each dog had to distinguish, out of all hte noise, the one voice that called to him. so do we who are trainees in God's obedience school. We learn to love the sound of His voice, and our obedience to Him, in matters large and small, changes us into His image, "from glory to glory" (2Cor 3:18). That is a promise."
--Be Still My Soul, by Elisabeth Elliot


Are you listening to His voice among the other sounds calling out to you? Are you being obedient?

UnEqual

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Cor. 6:14

What does "unequally yoked" mean to you? Some believe it just means you can't marry someone who isn't a believer, however I would never call someone a "best friend" if they aren't progressing in their faith. I believe we are called to reach out into the world, but should we rely so closely on someone who doesn't believe Christ is their Savior. Or should you even engage in a dating relationship where the boy isn't leading, or isn't stronger. Just some thoughts for today.

What does this verse mean to you? How strict are you on engaging in intimate (meaning anything past a friend) relationships with non-believers? Go read the whole chapter and see if it sheds anymore light with you. Please, tell me what you think.

One Word

I asked my friends to describe me in just one word. What was the first word that came to mind when you thought of me? Most said more than one, but here's the gist of what I got...
1) Leader
2) Judgemental
3) Confident (but not arrogant)
4) Honest (but not rude)
5) Good Advice Giver
6) Good Friend
7) Needy
8) Dramatic
9) Demanding
10) Inquisitive
11) Reserved
12) Observant

As each word reach my ears, I just stopped. Some I was really excited to hear, others I was kinda blown away from what they said. Now I know that what people think of me doesn't matter, but it put a lot into perspective. Obviously, I have some things I need to work on, and it was obvious which friendships were healthy and which weren't. I think sometimes we need to stop and evaluate how we're doing. Some of these things would have NEVER come to my mind (aka "dramatic" and "needy") so it's a good thing to get a perspective from those who were close to you. Just a random thought from today. Feel free to leave any comment you'd like.

(So it's official, all of my friends have graduated high school...)

Enrollement

Today my daddy and I went to UCO for Enrollement. We went prepared, so it was pretty much waisted time. However, I got to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (for the 5th time). And here was my final results...(I hope they make you laugh, because they sure made me chuckle)!

Introversion (I)
I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing.

Sensing (S)
Paying attention to physical reality, what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I’m concerned with what is actual, present, current, and real. I notice facts and I remember details that are important to me. I like to see the practical use of things and learn best when I see how to use what I’m learning. Experience speaks to me louder than words.

The following statements generally apply to me:

• I remember events as snapshots of what actually happened.
• I solve problems by working through facts until I understand the problem.
• I am pragmatic and look to the “bottom line.”
• I start with facts and then form a big picture.
• I trust experience first and trust words and symbols less.
• Sometimes I pay so much attention to facts, either present or past, that I miss new possibilities.

Thinking (T)
When I make a decision, I like to find the basic truth or principle to be applied, regardless of the specific situation involved. I like to analyze pros and cons, and then be consistent and logical in deciding. I try to be impersonal, so I won’t let my personal wishes--or other people’s wishes--influence me.

The following statements generally apply to me:

• I look for logical explanations or solutions to most everything.
• I make decisions with my head and want to be fair.
• I believe telling the truth is more important than being tactful.
• Sometimes I miss or don’t value the “people” part of a situation.
• I can be seen as too task-oriented, uncaring, or indifferent.

Judging (J)
I use my decision-making (Judging) preference (whether it is Thinking or Feeling) in my outer life. To others, I seem to prefer a planned or orderly way of life, like to have things settled and organized, feel more comfortable when decisions are made, and like to bring life under control as much as possible.

The following statements generally apply to me:

• I like to have things decided.
• I like to make lists of things to do.
• I like to get my work done before playing.
• I plan work to avoid rushing just before a deadline.
• Sometimes I focus so much on the goal that I miss new information.

And here is my personality in a whole...

ISTJ
Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.

Graduation

Well, today's the day. I've been waiting for 12 years for this day to come, and here it is. My high school career is almost over. I'm finding it hard to believe, but I'm ready for this day to come. I'm ready for a new adventure with new people. I'm ready to take the next step into God's plan for my life. And I'll leave you with this quote I heard at the midnight showing of Prince Caspian (a must see!!)...

"I do not think I'm ready."-says Prince Caspian to Aslan
"For that reason I know you are."-Aslan

As today grew closer, I felt like I wasn't ready. So much of my time was wasted on things that didn't matter the next day. But as always, God thinks I'm ready, so I must be. Here's to the next part of the journey!

This poem was given to one of my friends during her quiet time and she asked me to share it with you all. So please pass it to your friends as well.


Why?

Why must I see such evil things when I close my eyes
When I open them to the world it makes me realize
God made the world for good not for all the pain we see
But man disobeyed God's wish and took the fruit upon the tree

Why must I see such hurt and sorrow everywhere I go
It makes it hard to realize but at least I know
That God made the world for good not for all the pain we see
God sent Love in the form of a man to die upon a tree

Why must evil rule the world we know and live in now
It’s hard to say we'll make it through but I know we will somehow
Cuz God made the world for good not for all the pain we see
And the Spirit lives in you while the Man on throne with He

Hmmmm....

So my parents are convinced this dream probably doesn't mean anything, and I just over-thought it, which is probably true, but let me tell you what I came up with:

1) Bombs--I was under attack, and a lot of it was with the stuff at church, but I wasn't ever hit because I was hiding out in Central LifeKIDS. For a while things would be ok and then out of nowhere something else would happen.
2) Significance of the people:
Lori--our main interaction is at church, we're both incredibly busy
Hannah--our friendship fades in and out (busyness), but we always end up together
Chris--we go through a lot, but always end up ok in the end
Taylor--just in my life for short periods of time, but is always focused on what's ahead of him
Family--at the time, I didn't involve my parents in much of my life, so they didn't know what was happening (but that's changed, so don't worry)
The people in the field--I think they were all people I knew and that had a part in my life.
3) Don't know about the field
4) Warehouse--I'm hiding from something big that I'm supposed to be apart of, but won't join without coercion and support
5) Mountains--they are a place of peace for me
6) Bombs--get ready, they're coming again.



So whether or not you think this dream had any meaning, you have to admit, it was strange. :) I don't know what I think, sometimes I think God speaks to me through dreams. You can believe as you will (and I'm the first to admit I over-think A LOT), but here it is. Take what you will :)

A Dream

Here's a freaky dream I had. It happened about 7 weeks ago. The week after we got back from Mexico.

"I was at church, downstairs in the LifeKIDS Central Offices (if you have been there, I was between Kendra and Shawn's desks). I was with lots of people (around 7), but the only person I remember is Lori. Next thing I know, bombs (almost torpedo-like) come through the walls and we all hit the floor and covered our heads. After about 5 min, the bombs stopped and we all got up and none of us were hurt. We gathered ourselves up and go on doing what we were doing. About 15 minutes later, bombs (again torpedo-like) and the same thing happened, we all hit the ground hoping we didn't get blown up. Next thing I know, I had left the church and I'm with Chris and Hannah. We're walking South on Coltrane from 15th to 33rd. Next thing I know, Hannah is gone and I'm just walking with Chris. As we approach 33rd, everything around us turns into ice: the road, the green trees, the cars---EVERYTHING was ice. Then, Taylor is in his car and passes Chris and I in the intersection. You can barely see into his car, but you could see his face. I kept yelling at him to go check on his dad (remember bombs just went off) and he kept pointing behind him. As he went through the intersection, two kids on bikes followed him. He was just gonna make sure they got home safely. Chris and I walk through the intersection, but we had to pull on the iced trees to get up the hill, but we made it over the top together. Where there are houses on Coltrane after 33rd, there was just a field--a field that had never had anything on it, but it was full of families. We (Chris is still with me) run through the field searching for my family. I found them sitting in their lawn chairs, chatting away as though nothing had happened (remember, bombs just went off at church). I ran to them making sure I was ok, but they didn't hear me. All they asked was what I was doing, and I told them I wasn't sure. Hannah and her family coming running over, and soon all of my parents' friends are with us. Chris, knowing Hannah and I had made it to our families, went on a search for his and he walked across the field to 33rd and Bryant. The rest is kinda fuzzy. I was in this big warehouse, but I was hiding in the rafters. A spotlight kept trying to find me, but it never did. Below me, there was dancing and singing, almost like they were putting on a production. A guy was in the rafters as well and he convinced me to join in the dancing. So now I'm dancing in this circle. Next thing you know, this same guy is pushing me out the front door telling me something bad is gonna happen and we have to hide. I think more bombs might have been going off. So he pushes us out the door and he makes a run for it, but I just stood on the outside of this warehouse. To my left are mountains of great size. The people I traveled to Chihuahua with are with me now and we are climbing these mountains. We get to a plateaued spot and we, along with some kids we picked up from somewhere, are sitting in a circle, holding hands. Just as we sat, bombers come in from behind the mountains and I'm yelling to this group, "WE SHOULD MOVE!!! MORE BOMBS ARE COMING!!!!!! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN?!?!?!"

Here's where I woke up. I know it's long, but I wanted to give details. Craig said to write it down, so I did. Do you think there's any significance in the dream? What might your interpretation be. Look soon and I'll show you what my friends and I came up with. They thought it was such a bizarre dream, it had to have meaning....keep in mind, I have the gift of prophecy...I don't know...

Lessons Learned from Toy Story

I was babysitting last night for a new family and we watched Toy Story (1&2). And as I watched, I picked up a few lessons I learned from Woody and Buzz and the gang:

1. Jealousy is NEVER good.
2. Sacrificing old friends for "new, cool" friends generally isn't a wise thing (sing with me "Make new friends, and keep the old..." I don't know the rest...) Like my parents say...don't burn bridges
3. Embrace who you are to your Owner and don't let other "toys" convince you that you were worth more than your Owner knew.
4. Sacrifice always comes with love.

If you don't know the story, I suggest you go rent them both. I'll do a quick summary of the situations of the lessons, but I don't want to make it too long.

1-When Andy gets Buzz, Woody gets jealous. He was always the favorite, but now he lives under the bed instead of on it. His jealousy goes so far that he "pushes" Buzz out the bedroom window.

2-The other toys fall for Buzz's newness and immediately turn their back on Woody. They keep the two from getting home and almost get Buzz blown up by Sid, simply because they had traded in their trust of Woody for Buzz.

3-In the 2nd movie, Woody is stolen and is sold to a museum in Japan. He came from a TV series and his "co-stars" convinced him, Andy wouldn't love him forever and he should give up and sell himself. BUT in the end, Woody remembers Andy will always love him and returns with his new friends.

4-Buzz risks his life to rescue Woody all because Woody once risked his.

What lessons have you had to learn. Just in the last few months, I've experience each of these at least once. What other movies have you learned from?

Glorious One

Our hands are lifted high
Our hearts are bowing reverence
And we're surrounded by
The glory of Your presence

With every creature every tongue
We're lifting our voice to the Glorious One

Glorious One
Glorious One

Light of the world
You outshine the sun
King of all Kings
Eternity sings
Glorious One

God of infinite worth
With hands that carve out the ocean
You hold the universe
And still You run to the broken

With every heart that's been redeemed
We're lifting our song to the Glorious King

There is none more beautiful
There is none more wonderful


Glorious One, by Steve Fee

What do we do without a leader???

Today I work, I only had 2 kids left by 4 and so we went to the duck pond. We spent about 45 min watching the mother duck and her ducklings and anxiously waiting to see the school of fish that lives in the pond. About 30 min into it, the mother jumped out of the pond and walked in the grass. The moment she jumped out, the 8 ducklings chirped constantly for their mom. They even tried to jump out with her. They followed her around as she walked on the outside, but they were completely lost with out their leader Even though she was out of the pond, every time she quacked, the ducklings knew just where she was. It reminded me of one of Jesus' parables:


"3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:3-5

Go here and read the rest of the story. My question--can you recognize your Father's voice? Have you ever been lost and then you hear His voice? Any cool stories you have hearing Him?

Be Still My Soul

I'm reading this book called Be Still My Soul, by Elisabeth Elliot, and I wanted to share a part about prayer...

"I realized that the Bible itself is full of written prayers, including the one Jesus taught His disciples when they asked for a model of prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven...(Matthew 6:9-13) The older I get, the more I use that prayer and the more I realize that virtually everything that really matters is contained in that one prayer. I am not praying to get an answer to every question or a solution to every problem, but rather to put my whole live and all the lives of those whom I love in the light of heaven."


How has your prayer life changed as you've grown older? What are your favorites ways to pray? Do you have any prayers you pray every day?

Memories

So I don't have anything really great to say, but I want to hear stories....so what are some of your favorite stories of me??? I'll post back what my favorite stories of you are :)

OKC---

This was my first weekend at OKC!! I'm exhausted (Sundays are so much longer...) but I had so much fun! I got to be in rooms that I haven't been in before and every time, God sent me someone I knew, or at least someone who was personable (you'd have thought we'd known each other for years...). It was different not knowing anyone and starting from scratch. I had no credentials. Left and right people asked and told me what to do, and I just bit my tongue and learned. Thanks for all your prayers. It's gonna be great, just pray I make new friends easily. :)


***Side note...only 3 more weeks until graduation! I can't wait! I'm headed to Edmond now for Konnect!

Lesson 1....

Get all your strength from God...He'll supply all you'll ever need.

Here's something that amazed me about my experience in Chihuahua: 1) I didn't eat half as much as I usually (I can only remember being hungry once...on the way home--Domino's night) 2) I slept very little, I mean like 3-4 hours a night (not once did I feel worn out from exhaustion) 3) I did some major work out and managed to always make it up the mountain (in my own time...another lesson, so stay tuned).

The whole week I pulled so much strength from my Jesus. When I painted all day without rest, He guided my brush. When I spoke after having no sleep, He guided my words. When I ate enough food to be polite, but not enough to fill my tummy, He gave me the Bread of Life. When I felt I couldn't walk any longer DOWN the mountain, He sent me a friend to walk with. When I needed a day of silence, He spent the whole day at my side, just listening, but never speaking. When I doubted I could make it UP the mountain, He sent me a helping hand. When the journey seemed like forever, He sent me a guide. When the blister grew on my foot, He gave me a friend who let me borrow their socks. When I knew I couldn't walk anymore on my knee, He brought someone to carry me. When I was in pain, He sent a friend I could lean on. When I needed some encouragement, He sent me a beautiful sunset. When I felt lonely, He blessed me with a sunrise. When I needed some real food, He blessed me with potatoes and ketchup. When I needed affirmation I was doing a good job, He spoke through everyone around me.

Get all your strength from Him, He's all you'll ever need.

Nothing left...

"Here’s a story that started on Christmas
When a baby was born in the night
And those who came far, who followed the star
Were seeing a heavenly sight ...
a heavenly sight.

Well the years hurried by, and the boy, now a man
Could make the blind see with a touch of his hand
He was born to be King -- he was Rabbi and Priest
But the best that he had, he gave to the least ...
He gave to the least.

He was born and he died, almost 2,000 years ago
He laughed and he cried, he felt all the fears we know
But what does it matter? A story so strange ...
Even if it is true, what does it change?
What does it change?

Well he spoke like a prophet -- like no one they’d heard
This simple young carpenter -- crowds hung on every word
He hated injustice -- He taught what is right
He said “I’m the way, and the truth, and the light.”

His friends soon believed that truly he was the one.
The Savior, Messiah, God’s one and only son.
But others, they doubted, they did not agree
So they took him, they tried him,
He died on a tree ...
He died on a tree.

God has made a way
for all who mourn and grieve
Death will never be the end
if you just believe.

There is nothing left to fear
nothing Heaven knows
For he died for us to give us life
and to give us hope He rose
He died for us to give us life
And to give us hope He rose."


This is from "An Easter Carol" produced by VeggieTales. We were watching it today at work and I had kinda tuned out the lyrics--after all I had already seen it so many times--but I just happened to tune in to

"There's nothing left to fear, nothing Heaven knows.
He died for us to give us life and to give us hope He rose."

As most of you know, I've really been battling some fears. For the first time in my life I can say I'm genuinely scared of change. But as I'm facing this huge change (graduating high school, friends going to college, going to a different campus...and the list goes on) I have to remember Jesus suffered the worst just for ME! No matter how many times I'm hurt, no matter how many times doors keep closing, no matter how many times people leave, I always have hope...my Jesus never leaves me, He never hurts me, and He will always open the RIGHT doors at the RIGHT time. (Go check out the video by clicking on "An Easter Carol" at the top...)

Journey back home!!!!

We woke up bright and early at 3:30 (well, not really bright, it was still dark...), loaded up the van, and fell asleep again. :) I slept for another 4 hours, until the sun came up, another beautiful sunrise!! Everyone woke up slowly and we crossed the border around 8:15. We were stopped by the military again, this time, however this time they made us all get out. Thankfully we were all awake when we crossed the border. :) When we were crossing the Rio Grande, we sang the National Anthem, and Mel recorded it. She still had her camera out when we got to the border patrol, and they "confiscated her camera and made us all get out of the van while they searched it. A van, with an x-ray inside of it, which was kinda cool to watch. After some rigorous searching, we were on the road again. We drove for another 3 hours without stopping, and Lori decided she couldn't wait any longer and we pulled over and she took her orange trowel and went on the side of the road!!! In TEXAS!!! We were in such a hurry to get home, we stopped at a gas station for lunch, grab our food real fast and jumped back in the van to continue our voyage home. We were all just giggling and laughing at all our funny moments and next thing you know, our conversation turns completely serious and we all opened up and had some incredible discussion about the trip and the things we learned, about our favorite parts and our least favorite parts. It's amazing what God can do in an instant. We started to get a little hungry, and almost simultaneously, we (the students) had this brilliant idea to buy the leaders dinner. We wanted everyone to be able to sit down and talk (we hadn't sat together as a group the whole week). After much debate, we stopped at an Arby's and somehow got our food correctly (there was some poor management...) and were able to just sit and talk. Lance opened up to us about how he felt the trip went and we told him exactly what we thought...WE LOVED IT!!!! About 30 min later we hopped in the van again, and headed home. Sarcastically I said, let's say our favorite thing about each other, well, Lori took it seriously and so for the rest of the drive home, we simply encouraged each other. Talk about cool. This pretty much blew Paco's mind...here we are, a bunch of teenagers and we're sitting in a van talking about Christ and each other so positively. He didn't stop going on about it! We made Chris (the leader) cry because of how much of a leader we all were at age 16, 17, 18. Mel couldn't stop complimenting us either! It was so cool, probably one of the coolest "drive-backs" I've ever had. I will never forget some of the things people said about me (it's crazy how you see yourself one way, and everyone else sees you differently). You were all such an encouragement to me, I hope I spoke half as much life into you as you did to me. Well, that's about it--we got home at midnight Sat (the next morning was Easter). I went with some people to IHOP (as always) and we sat and talked for some time. I think I finally made it home around 1, and took a much needed shower (I think it was 4 days...), and fell asleep around 2am and woke up bright and early at 7 for Easter Sunday!!

Thanks for sticking through this all and reading it! It's amazing all God did in me. I'll be posting what I learned from people and from My Jesus in the next few weeks!

Day 6

The next morning, I woke up to the sun and hurried down to the lake to watch the sunrise. It was quite cold, but totally worth it. The lake was covered in fog, and as the sun inched up over the mountains, the fog followed it and there were even some small "tornadoes." The sun came up and brightened the water quite a bit. I hurried back to camp and Lance prepared coffee cake for breakfast. It was AMAZING!! We finally got moving around, packed up again and started to head out. Before we left one of our leaders Chris did something that I thought was pretty cool. He took each of us students and told us something he had noticed about each of us that had inspired or encouraged him. I bet you'll never guess what mine was...that's right, my smile, along with perseverance. He said he could always count on seeing my smile and that my smile gave everyone the energy to keep moving. (I thought it was pretty cool anyway). We loaded up and start the drive to the hot springs. I think the drive was only about 30 min, but the rest of the way to the hot springs was grueling. As we pulled into the park, the guy who took our money told us it was only a 3 kilometer walk, however, it turned out to be about a 7.5 kilometer hike into the canyon (keep in mind, we were in our shorts, a swimsuit, flip flops, and a t-shirt). Then when we got to the hot springs, they were PACKED and were just little pools, not really hot springs, but we swam anyway. Everyone else there was more or less drunk or were at least on their way to getting drunk. But we stayed and swam for a little while, but lunch time came, and we were ready to hike back up. It took me and Mel an hour to hike back up (I had a growing blister, and my knee was throbbing, as was Mel's, so we took it slow). We got to a stopping place where everyone was waiting on us and I drank 2 full bottles of water. The leader Chris ran to the top and drove the van down to get us. We drove to Divisadero (the touristy spot of the cannon) and shopped and looked at a great deal of the canyon. After about 2 hours, we loaded the van and headed back to the orphanage to sleep for the night before we headed back to America. This was a 6 hour drive and by the time we got back to Chihuahua we were starving, so we pulled in some money and ordered 6 boxes of Domino's pizza!!! For 8 of us to eat!! And all but one box was eaten. We stayed up a lot of the night talking and laughing and made it to bed around 2:30 only to be woken up at 5 to start our journey home.

We've got one more, the journey home...look for it on Thursday!!

Day 5

We started to drive to Creol, which is a four hour drive. We went on the side-of-the-mountain road again, but I was laying down, so I didn't stress so much. :) A lot of us slept on the way to Creol since we had gotten little sleep the night before. The map we were using to get to Creol was 30 years old, so where we were going was a little sketchy. We had to stop and ask for directions and after about 30 min of driving around Creol, we found our destination. It was a lake (I'm not sure of the name of it). The first entrance we went in was full of people. Apparently the Mexican fair was going on, so after we couldn't find anywhere to camp, we left and went further down the lake. About 20 min later, we found a nice quiet spot where no one was and set up camp. Hannah, Lori, and I went to the lake and Caroline eventually came too. The four of us sat around and talked (we hadn't spent a whole lot of time together) for about an hour while admiring the lake and birds. Eventually we had to go back to the campsite for dinner. Lance and Mel made us meatloaf, green beans, and potatoes. It was DELICIOUS and I'm not much of a meatloaf fan. For desert we had peach cobbler, which was also DELICIOUS, at least the part I ate. After dinner, Caroline, Hannah, Lori, Chris, and I went back to the lake to watch the sunset. It lit up the lake in beautiful shades of red and orange. It was almost as pretty as an Oklahoma sunset in the summer. :) We came back up and had some hot chocolate and some "'shrooms" (or marshmellows as most of us call them), and told funny stories. We discussed some leadership stuff from Habitudes and after the fire died, we went to bed.

I'm almost finished, we've got one more day, plus the journey home. Thanks for reading. I know this is taking a long time.

The Stand

If you didn't read about Day 4 of Mexico, don't forget to read it. I had to blog twice, this just couldn't wait. I ran across this song today and it just stuck with me, so I thought I'd share it, along with a little bit of my heart.

"I'll stand, arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all.
I'll stand my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours."
---The Stand by Michael W. Smith

How many times do we forget that we must be surrendered to His call 100% in order to find fulfillment? I know I forget a lot. From the time I was 13 I knew God was calling me to ministry through LifeChurch. I've been waiting for a job for what seems like forever and just when it opened, my mentor suggested I continue growing and start serving at another campus. Let me just tell you all, I've NEVER attended another church and even when I go to another campus it's with all my friends and family. But after this suggestion from my mentor I was reminded all we can ever do is surrender our lives to His plan. We never know what He might be calling us to next. I believe whole-heartedly I am called to ministry, but like I always say, just wait for the right timing, because there's not timing like His timing. All we can ever be is His and just let Him have control. All this to say, I'm leaving my home campus of Edmond to venture out and start serving at OKC. I'm excited, but nervous. But I'm choosing to believe God has an even greater plan for me, and I'm excited to see it! So don't forget: we are surrendered to His call and it is the best!!!