Be moved. Stand strong.

Have you ever had someone come into your life and they just... Moved you?

You're not expecting it. You're not searching for it. They just come into your life, and in the most unexplainable way they uplift your very core. The very sight of them. The very thought of them. Something. Anything. It just moves your soul. You can't explain it. You can't control it. It's invigorating. It's joyful. It makes you feel like God plucked this person JUST for you. That God wanted you to know this person, so that in this relationship, God could be glorified in some significant way.

I've had people like that come into my life. When this person arrives, you never want them to leave. You don't want to say goodbye or wait for something else. Unfortunately, sometimes it does happen. It hurts when it does. The pain is real. You ask yourself, why? You don't know what to do. But deep down you know God has this in his holy hands.

I am a romantic at heart. I believe that a woman is to be treated with kindness, respect, and every bit of love I can offer. Even in friendship I give all that I can give. But I save that special love for the one that is out there for ME. I wait for the time to be right. I give my life, my soul, my mind, my heart, my purity, and my focus to God. Because through Him... that special person will be revealed. Whether she's been apart of my life already or not.

Theres something you should know about me. I'll fight for love. I'll fight for whats meant to be. I'll stick it out. I'll wait. I'll be strong. I'll stand. I'll do what it takes. Because I believe in a Christ centered love that is so deep that no boundaries, hardship, or uneasiness could ever stop it!

You came into my life and moved me. I'll wait here and be unmoved. I'll fight. I'll smile. I'll find joy. I'll do it all for you. I'll do it because my God did it for me!

Thanksgiving. This and That.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope the day is filled with food, family, games, laughing, fellowship, and football of course!

I'm going to be cliche and write what I'm thankful for. Ready? Here goes:

I'm thankful for a God who loves me!
I'm thankful for friends who can make me laugh at any moment!
I'm thankful for my family who supports me in every decision!
I'm thankful for a job in this tough economy, even when I hate it sometimes!
I'm thankful for a place to live, and food on my plate every day.
I'm thankful to have a car.
I'm thankful that I have clothing.
I'm thankful that even when I'm sinful, Jesus still loves me!
I'm thankful for the patience that God is teaching me to have.
I'm thankful for music!
I'm thankful for fall weather!
I'm thankful for this beautiful earth we live on!
I'm thankful for little children that say the darndest things!
I'm thaknful for people that make me want to be a better person!
I'm thankful for the things God has shown me that are yet to come!
I'm thankful for heartfelt conversations with people I care about!
I'm thankful for the opportunity to spread Gods word!
I'm thankful for the ability to take walks and look at the stars!
I'm thankful for God showing me what I should do with my life!

Whew! I could go on for days. But that is some of the many things I'm thankful for!

As I sat down during my quiet time today, I started looking back at some of the things I'm so thankful for in my past. What moments really took me by storm to help mold me into the person I am today? I started thinking about the mission trips I took back in highschool. I was a young 16 year old who wanted nothing more than to serve God and have fun with my friends! Our church decided to take a trip to the Bahamas to run Vacation Bible School, and do a bit of manual labor at local churches.

It was the trip of a lifetime! I can't remember the last time I had so much fun while also doing the Lords work.

One moment in particular I will cherish forever.



The picture above pretty much sums up the entire trip for me. The look on my face, and the joy on the childrens faces. It was such a blessing. I'm so thankful for that moment and for that picture.

It's one of the many reasons I long to do childrens ministry. As I'm still praying about what I'm to do in school, that picture helps me remember that Jesus loves the little children. That they are the future for our world. They hold the key to what becomes of us. And as I'm still asking God's direction in what It is he would have me do in this life. I find great peace in glorifying his name in childrens ministry!

Have a blessed Turkey Day!

Underdog.

One thing in life that I've always had a passion for, one thing that I just always felt on my heart was right, was to stick up for the little people. To fight for the underdog. It didn't matter what the situation was. It could be someone about to get beat up by a group of bullies, someone who wanted to be with someone else so bad but couldn't get their attention, or someone who had no chance of making friends on their own. I fought for them. I helped them. It wasn't because I had too, or I felt bad for them. It was because I believe that everyone deserves a voice. Everyone deserves to be heard. Everyone deserves to love and be loved.

To this day, I still love the underdog stories. I'll volunteer to help friends, and even sometimes strangers.

Now, I'm not here to blog about how great I am because I help others, or what an awesome person I am for my good deeds. Far from it!

My passion to help others is due to the fact that Christ first helped us out! We were dead in our sins. We were beaten down. Our sins kept us from greatness. But when God sent Jesus to die for us, it was the greatest underdog story ever.
Jesus not being the underdog, of course. But us.. our selfish, sinful, disgusting selves. We are the ones who need the help. We need the guidance. We need love from an all sufficient savior.

The best part about it is... GOD LOVES TO GIVE US THAT! He makes it a point to help us out when we can't help ourselves. We don't have a voice of our own, and we can't forgive our own sins. But Christ does speak for us! We're the little guys. The world doesn't care about us, but Christ DOES!

So, that is my challenge to anyone who reads this. It's the challenge I give myself every day. Seek the underdog. Show them the love that Jesus first showed us! You'll be blessed beyond what you could expect. Thats the beauty of our God. If we have a servants heart, he is faithful to his promises. Promises of love and hope!

Just my thoughts for tonight. Never give up! No matter what the obstacles are in front of you. If Christ proclaims his words into your heart, then you should pursue them until the very end. If you're the underdog, then heed to God's word. If you need a friend -- I love you! But better yet, Christ loves you!

I've been trying to spice up the blogs a bit! I'll get more in depth, and not so preachy all the time. But I really felt like I needed to speak on this tonight. Until next time... ;-)

Every day is a new adventure...

The past couple weeks have given me an amazing opportunity to search myself. I've been renewed in Christ, and It is simply AMAZING. I can't quite put to words how I have been feeling with this new sense of renewal, but anyone who has felt the power of God knows what I'm talking about. It's like you're doing your same routine every single day. You're getting by. You're living. But you're not really LIVING. Life is so much more than just going through a routine. It's God's quest for us. It's the journey he's laid before us.

I've been living. But not the life that God has planned for me. I'm still not quite sure what his plan is. Thats just it, though. Thats the exciting part! I wake up every single day thinking, "I wonder what great plans God has for me today?" I'm not living for the future anymore. I'm not living for all of MY plans, but for the plans that HE has set for me. It's been such a relief to do that, too. It's like this burden was just lifted off of my shoulders.

And when I say It's a new adventure every day... I mean it! God has blessed me with new things almost daily. I've met amazing people, I've enjoyed fellowship with friends, and I've been able to figure some things out about my future.

It's like this rain cloud has been following me. Nagging me. Saying, "What are you going to do with your life!?". And for so long, I've been afraid to answer that question. I've been afraid to take any further steps towards my future. It's like, once my first plan failed. I just froze. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know why I just couldn't make a decision about my life! Finally, God made it clear to me what I should do.

I'm going back to school!

I've still got some praying to do on this matter... Like what I want to do! I want to do something that will enable me to help others. Something where I can live out my faith. I'm seeking God's direction in what it is he wants me to major in. I'm giving it all to him. This is a big thing for me. School isn't exactly my favorite thing in the world. I tend to become lazy, and procrastinate. So, we'll see how this goes. Haha. But I'm just thankful for a God who knows my fears and will stand with me through it all!



"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24

Jesus Was A Rebel.

What is a Rebel?

What do you think of when you hear that word?

For the most part, people associate the word Rebel with someone who is bad or does wrong. Someone who opposes something good. They don't listen to authority. They don't obey.

A rebel has their own agenda. Their own plan. Their own ideals.

It's safe to say that the world is often times a terrible place. Sin and curruption consume the earth on a daily basis. A murder here, a lie there, some lust, plus adultery. It never ceases. It never ends. Sin crawls in the shadows of the earth 24/7.

Sin is everywhere. Everyone sins. Sin is a product and a government of Satan. As we know, it's what he uses to make people fall into dark helpless corruption.

There is no such thing as a sinful rebel anymore. Because everyone has rebelled in a sinful manner, so If everyone is doing it... what are they rebelling? It is technically no longer rebellious to sin.

Because we see it so often. In the media, in the papers, and in our every day life. Sinful rebellion is a part of life. It influences, and effects us every single day.

Rebellion in the terms of doing something bad or sinful, is now a way of life. It starts as soon as we're born, and stays with us until we die. We may not be a crazed rebel with a gun getting ready to kill someone. Or a rebel in school who doesn't follow the rules. But we may know someone who is. Sinful rebellion is everywhere.

It's no longer rebellious to sin...

Enter our Savior.

Jesus Christ came into this earth. Not with guns blarring. Not with a sword of fire. Not with death.

He came with a message.
He came with a purpose.
He came with his perfect will.
He came to rebel.

Jesus rebelled AGAINST sin.
His message was LOVE.
He stood against sin.
He stood against such things that make us fall every day.

Jesus came in as a perfect being. His message was pure. Love one another! Follow him and accept him into your heart. Drop your life, your thoughts, your ideals. And follow him. He asked the people to rebel against their sinful lives, to live a sinless life with him. In one love!

What happened?

People didn't want to accept him. Why would they? Christ was a rebel. The people were so against this Rebel-Savior, that they asked for one of their own... A man by the name Barrabas. They screamed out his name. "BARABAS! FREE BARABAS!" A murderer.
Pilate listened and freed Barabas.

So, it was set... Jesus was to die. A rebels death.

He was beaten, bruised, and crucified.... But He didn't give them anything! He didn't back talk. He didn't smite them for doing what they did. He kept quiet. He rebelled against his anger and the emotions that were rushing in his mind. He rebelled against the thoughts he could have shouted out in a sinful manner.
He was a rebel.

He rose again, and made it possible for us to be with him. Jesus rebelled against death. He went into hell and back. Tell me that isn't the greatest rebel ever!

He left us his legacy. He left his disciples to spread his word. He encouraged them to make rebels of all men.

Those rebels are now called Christians.

I'm a bonafied rebel. Jesus told us to be the difference. He told us not to conform to the ways of the world. He told us to fight satans lies. He told us to Love. He told us to rebel.

That is EXACTLY what I plan to be. I will follow his steps. I will be a rebel for the Lord our God.

Will you join me? Will you rebel? Rebel against a sinful society? Rebel against Satan?

I challenge you to think on it. Being a Christian isn't just about sitting in a pew on sundays. It's about being the change. It's about rebelling against all evil. Satan is trying to conform everyone to his destructive ways. What life will you choose?

Be like our Savior, Jesus Christ. Be a Rebel.

Ahoy!

Here is my new blog *looks around* - pretty nifty right?

Hopefully, I'll stay with this one. I've had quite a few over the years. The biggest one I had was LiveJournal. Remember those? Sheesh, seems like everyone had one of those! Now.. not so much!

Anyway, this is a blog to show off my lifes lessons, lifes fun times, and of course my photography. I post most of my photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/pictures-in-odyssey/

So, bookmark it... like it... love it... hate it... give me feedback!

I don't have much for now. I'll post more later.