Thursday, November 26, 2009

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!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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... ;-)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

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