Good Morning! How’s your Wednesday going so far? Mines been pretty good so far. I didn’t have to work early this morning, which is always an added bonus:) Anyways, hopefully you are noticing some changes around the blog this morning. I know, I know, it looks pretty primitive right now, but it’s getting there. I didn’t want to take a long break from posting to give the blog a facelift, so you’ll just have to bear with me as I make the changes [as quickly as possible]. So far, I’ve switched from blogger over to wordpress, but am still working on the cosmetic details:) I promise it’s gonna look awesome when it’s done! [Side note—please let me know if there is anything you can’t see, or if you find links that don’t work, etc., etc. As previously stated, I am not the best with technology. More of a work in progress…so yeah, just let me know if you see any glitches on your end.]
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The Lion’s Den.
Hi all! How’s your Wednesday going so far? So far so good over here. Last night James and I were able to check out a young adult group at a church called Convergence in Fort Worth. It’s a bit of a drive out there, but was definitely worth it! Then, we decided to work on my blog [get excited for the changes!] when we got home, so, needless to say, it was a late night. So I’m a little sleepy today, but nothing a few cups of coffee can’t cure:)
Anyways, you’ve probably noticed I’ve been reading and sharing a lot from the book of Daniel lately. For some reason the Lord led me to Daniel, and I have really been gaining a lot of insight from reading through it at a slower pace. This morning I was reading the section where Daniel was thrown in to the lion’s den because he was caught praying to God. The king who’s decree caused this event was distressed because he actually really liked Daniel, but there was nothing he could do about the consequences—Daniel had to be thrown into the lion’s den as punishment.
Never Too Young.
Hello and Happy Friday! Hope you all have had a great week so far. I have been looking forward to this weekend for a while now, because The Hobbit is finally in theaters! Yay! I’m planning on going to see it sometime this weekend [let’s be honest—probably tonight], and I only hope it is as good of a bookà movie rendition as the Lord of the Rings films were. Fingers crossed! We also are going to put together the new grill my parents got us for Christmas [sadly, it came in a box], and hopefully have our first grilled-meal tomorrow:) Pretty excited to finally have another option for cooking burgers/chicken than the stovetop. Anyways, I read another one of my favorite verses this morning, and thought I would share it instead of the usual Friday Favorites…
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12
Just because we are young, doesn’t mean we don’t have important things to say. God can use anyone at any age with any experience level to accomplish his plans. What’s important is that we live our lives in a way that brings glory to him, and in doing so set an example for living to other believers [young or old] around us. We shouldn’t be afraid to fulfill the calling God has placed in our lives just because we’re young, or feel unqualified or inexperienced. With Christ working in and through us, we are more than qualified to accomplish any task he has for us.
This is something I have been struggling with lately, and definitely what I needed to read this morning. Just because I am young, doesn’t mean I can’t be used by God to do great things for his kingdom here on Earth. I don’t need to feel unqualified. I just need to keep on living in a way that brings glory to God, and continue to set a good example for those around me. God will accomplish his purposes through me in spite of my age and experience level.
Just some food for thought. Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! I’m off to go get a few things done before work. God Bless:)
Focusing on the Unseen.
Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. It got into the 80’s here in Texas [so strange for December 1st!], but I won’t complain. We didn’t really do all that much…went grocery shopping, walked around Central Market [coolest store ever] looking at all the interesting foods, walked around South Lake [the lights there are super awesome right now—plus, it reminds me a lot of Holland, MI which is always a good thing!], and just relaxed at home. Overall a pretty good weekend. We even took Samson for his first car ride last night—he was so good! I’m glad he was good because tomorrow I have to take him to his first vet appointment…hope that goes okay!
This morning as I was reading in 2 Corinthians, I came across a very relevant passage I’d like to share with you guys…
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Have you ever felt so worn out by a certain situation that you feel like throwing in the towel and giving up? Sometimes life can be so hard, especially when we are pursuing our destiny in Christ. Living the Christian life is not without its hardships and trials—but those trials are put in our path for a reason; to grow and shape us into the people God intended us to be. If life were always easy, would we really appreciate the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross? I think not.
Often when we feel our situations are too difficult for us to handle, it is because we are looking at them from the wrong perspective. We are seeing them through our own eyes, instead of through the eyes of Christ living in us. Instead of giving up so easily, we need to reassess the situation by changing our perspective. Because, when we look at our problems through God’s eyes [focusing on things unseen] we realize that nothing is impossible for him, and that he will help us through any circumstance we find ourselves in.
Instead of focusing on the problems in your life, focus on God—what seems impossible to you is completely possible through him. This is something I have really been struggling with lately, and I need to do a better job of focusing on God instead of the problems in my life. I know that when I shift my focus, things will begin to change as I allow God to work his peace, love and joy into my life.
Well, I hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)
No Favorites.
Hello! Hope you all are having a fabulous Thursday! Mine’s been pretty good so far…I got to sleep in a little bit, and get some things done around the house this morning which was very nice! I also got to talk to my mom and play with Samson, both of which have the ability to make any day a little better:)
I was reading in Acts again this morning, and I came across the story of Cornelius—this passage in particular…
“Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”
Acts 10:34-35
Peter was speaking to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, along with his entire family. Now, Cornelius was not a Jew, but he was definitely a God-fearing man. An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a vision, telling him to call on Peter, and invite him to come speak in his home. So, being the God-fearing man that he was, Cornelius sent a message to Peter requesting him to come and visit his home. Prior to this point in time, this request would have seems very strange to Peter—Jews and Gentiles did not typically associate with each other. But, through this situation, God was revealing to Peter that the gospel needed to be preached to everyone—not just the Jews.
God does not show favoritism—and neither should we. Just as God led Peter to share the gospel with the Gentiles, we too are called to share the gospel with anyone and everyone—regardless of race, gender, age or walk of life. We need to be open to share the good news with whomever God may place in our paths—even if it is someone we were not expecting, or doing so puts us out of our comfort zone. There are no comfort zones with God. Don’t be afraid to step out of yours.
Hope you all are having a great day! I’ll see you tomorrow with some Friday Favorites from the week. God Bless:)
Just Believe.
Hello and Happy Monday! Hope you all (y’all?) had a great weekend. James and I took it pretty easy and did a bit of sight seeing and exploring. We were supposed to get our furniture yesterday, but it was delayed until this evening…only a few more hours! I seriously never knew how much I could miss a bed. Anyways. I finished Matthew and started Mark over the weekend, and this morning I came across a short but impactful verse…
“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Mark 5:36b
Like I said—short and sweet. Let me give you a little bit of background information so you understand the context. Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of Jarius, on of the synagogue rulers, when word reached them that Jarius’ daughter had already died. Assuming they were too late, Jarius became sad and afraid. But, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” I don’t know about you, but I think if I were Jarius I would have found it rather hard to believe anything right then. I would have been thinking about how my child had just died—not that there was still any hope left. But with Jesus all things are possible—even bringing the dead back to life. They carried on towards Jarius’ house, and when they reached it Jesus told all who were there that the daughter was not dead but merely sleeping. Onlookers laughed, but Jesus had other plans. He went to the child, held her hands, and brought her back to life. Amazing.
“Don’t be afraid; just believe.” It sounds so simple, yet it can be so difficult at times. When times are tough, fear and doubt seem like the easiest places to turn. So often we fall into fear, when what we really need to do is trust and believe. When tempted to be afraid, we must remember these words spoken by Jesus. No matter what the circumstance may be, Jesus is much bigger, and able to overcome it. We don’t need to be afraid. Instead, we need to believe in him and in his perfect will for our lives. When we begin to feel hopeless and afraid, remember that Jesus is king of all, and that his ways are higher and better than ours.
Is there something that you are struggling with today? Perhaps it is something that is causing you to live in fear. I challenge you to remember the words of Jesus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe,” and let him guide you through whatever it is that you are going through.
Hope you all are having a great day so far—God bless!
God’s Plans.
Hello and Happy Monday! Hopefully you all had a great weekend. Not too much happened over here—just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather we had all weekend long. It was beautiful outsideJ
Over the weekend I also read one of my all time favorite verses…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Like I said, one of my favorite verses. I can still remember memorizing this when I was quite young, and it has definitely stuck with me through the years. When ever I’m feeling a little stressed or unsure of what’s next, I always think of this verse and it reminds me of God’s promises to me. That he always has a plan and purpose for my life, and his plans are always full of goodness and hope. When we allow ourselves to trust him, we can have new hope in that goodness of his plans for us. But, just because these plans are good doesn’t mean we will be spared from all heartache and pain. We all go through things at different times in our lives—test, trials, heartaches, and sometimes lots of pain. However, we can rest assured that the end result will be glorious—better than anything we could ever have imagined.
Trust that God has a perfect; good plan for your life, and allow yourself to trust him enough to see it through.
Hope you are all having a great week so far!
Hope in the Lord.
Happy Monday! Hopefully you guys all had a great weekend. We didn’t do too much over here, which was nice, but we did watch quite a bit of Olympic actionJ
I’m going to get right in to the portion of scripture I read from Isaiah over the weekend…more specifically one verse that happens to me a favorite of mine.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will sore on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
I love this verse. It always makes me think of the movie “Chariots of Fire”, which is one of my all time favorites. As I was reading it this time though, it hit me in a deep and personal place. When I read the footnotes for this verse, it mentioned how “hoping” in the Lord means to “trust” in him. Trusting in him helps us be prepared for when he speaks to us. “Then we will be patient when he asks us to wait and expect him to fulfill the promises found in his word.”
Lately I have been so tired—weary. I’ve been pretty stressed with different things going on in my life, and it is causing me to shut down emotionally and physically. I’m sure most of you have felt this way before at some time or another. I need to refocus and remember that God is in control, and that his plan for my life is perfect—I just need to trust in him to fulfill it in his own timing. Putting my trust in him completely will give me more energy and strength each day.
Have you been struggling lately? Do you feel tired or weary? Maybe it’s time to refocus, regroup, and remember that God is in control. Run to him, abide in him, and he will renew your strength.
Hope you all are having a great week so far! God BlessJ