God Ordained Collisions!

Hey everyone!! Hope everyone is enjoying getting back into the school routine! Sometimes I wish I was back in school because I now realize that things were definitely not as stressful as I thought they were! : ) Oh, and I would LOVE to have a summer break!!! Today I am thankful that God hears us and answers us on his time. It’s such as hard concept to grasp, and it’s a lesson I have learned (and will continue to learn) time and time again, but one you can only appreciate when you look back over your life. I am so thankful that things aren’t dependent on me, because I have no idea where I would be now!!!

I recently told you about a bible study I was doing over Ruth (by Kelly Minter). It was a great bible study and had so many topics that I would love to discuss but one keeps resonating in my mind. I can’t remember what week but the homework talked about “God ordained collisions” and it has got me thinking (which could be scary…). I have had so many collisions in my life that I know could only be God ordained. I wish I could easily sum them all up and let you see how good God can be, but we definitely don’t have time for that and I know I couldn’t remember them all. (I also wish that I would’ve had a journal or something to document all the small things that I know God did for me, that would be really neat.) So I will just pick a couple to share and hope that you can see that they are definitely God Ordained Collisions…

A few months ago, I participated in the So Long Insecurity blog on Beth Moore’s website. Women from all over the world were participating as well, but I was drawn to two women who I had no idea would become really great friends. (Yo April & Beth!!) We started commenting on each others’ blogs and then emailing which lead to us doing the summer bible study online together. It was really interesting doing the study online since I have never done one before, but even though we were many miles apart, we still provided encouragement and insight on some problems that we had in common. While trying to become more secure, I found two friends who I know God brought to me.

Another collision happened recently, but I will give you a little back story. I attended a women’s bible study last summer while I was unemployed. There was an older lady there who lost her husband a few months before and my heart just went out to her. She was obviously having a hard time dealing with it. Being the emotional-phobe that I am, I sent her a card telling her that God has a plan for her and he is definitely watching over her (since I was too scared to do it in person!!). The next time I saw her, she thanked me because that week she really needed the encouragement. So every now and then I would call or send her a card, just to let her know I cared. Well, last month I lost most of my contacts in my phone, including hers. I tried contacting someone who would know her information, but couldn’t find anyone. A week later, (in an old notepad I randomly found in my car) I found her address. I don’t know how she has been doing, but I just feel like God wanted me to send her an encouraging note. We all need those every now and then. And he brought me the means to be able to do it again.

I think I have said it before, but I truly feel like God uses us as angels on earth. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but just letting someone know we care can mean the world to them. It also shows them God’s love, and isn’t that the most important thing?? I’m not telling you this to get credit or a pat on the back, I just want to maybe encourage you to listen for the opportunities to bless someone. It really does make a difference. Hope you have a great week.

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.” Rom 15:4

He can use me!!!

Hey everyone!! I’m in a really somber mood right now and am just thankful for God’s peace. It’s so hard to stay peaceful in times of trials, but anytime your mind starts with the “what-if’s” you can definitely call on God to calm you through the storm. He is there and he is waiting on you. I am SOOOO thankful for that!

I just recently finished my bible study over Ruth (by Kelly Minter) and it was really great!! There was so much I related to, from both Ruth and Naomi’s stand point. It was really neat during the last week to see the genealogy that God crafted using the most unlikely characters. It’s amazing that He uses anyone, and that gives me hope!! Haha. It also talked about leaving legacy, which is something that is important to me. You never know how God is going to use you. I mean, take Ruth for example. If you would’ve told her that she was going to be the great-great-great-great-whatever grandmother of our savior as she traveled with Naomi back to Bethlehem, she probably would’ve scoffed at you. I know I would have! But look how God provided for her in her time of trials. So much more than she could’ve hoped for!! (Read the book of Ruth, it's only 4 chapters, but it's a great and inspiring story!!) And that is God’s plan for us too. To provide more than we could ever hope for, we just have to trust in Him that He knows what He’s doing. It’s so hard in the midst of it all, but it is well worth it. Hope you have a great week!!

“However it is written: no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has done for those who love him.” 1 Corin 2:9

Yes, I hear you! : )

I know! Don’t be worried! Two posts in one week!! I may have fever! Haha. Just kidding. I have so much to say, especially since the last blog! But I’ll start with this…This weekend was my god daughter’s first birthday. I can’t believe a year has passed since she was born!! She has changed so much and is growing up so fast! I am so thankful for my little Camilla-bug! I’m so glad you’re in my life Haha.

Well, like I said earlier, I have so much to talk about and hopefully I don’t ramble and it makes sense to you. God has been showing me so many things lately and I feel like it is all due to the fact that I have been purposefully spending more time with him! It’s not always easy to set time aside, but it’s so much fun when He shows you things that make you realize He is greater than I even imagined!! (Ok, I’ve already tried writing this twice because I feel like it won’t make sense. This is the faint glimmer of the overachiever side that I used to be!! Haha.) Alright, here we go….It starts with a scripture (Isaiah 43:18-19) that I wrote in my “verses to remember” notepad a few months ago. I revisited it Friday during my bible study lesson and thought it would be a good one to memorize. Sunday, during my Sunday school class, we talked about the Proverbs 31 woman, who is pretty intimidating but should remind us of what we should strive for, with God’s help, of course!! : ) Just stick with me...

So, that brings me to Monday, and the day I posted my memory scripture on facebook. A friend asked me if I followed Proverbs31 ministries (http://www.proverbs31.org/) because that was the scripture for the day in their daily devotions! How ironic, right?? After reading the message I knew a friend could use the same message so I sent it to her. Then, (yes, it keeps going!) as I started my summer bible study, it discussed the Proverbs 31 woman too! Could this all possibly be a coincidence?? Doubtful. It’s obviously God trying to tell me something or tell me something so I could tell a friend! Oh, and there is another “coincidence” that God brought to my attention for another friend last night! It’s more personal, but it definitely left me speechless!

I feel like what he is telling me is that nothing is a coincidence and that there are some areas I could work on to be more compassionate to others. (Oh, and I am so glad that I actually heard Him!!! Woo hoo! I always worry I don't listen enough!) I really like doing things for other people, it’s just that I haven’t done that much lately because I have been so “busy.” I need to focus on what’s important and remember it may not be a big deal to me, but it may be a huge deal to someone else. God is really working on me in this season in my life and I am really thankful for all He’s showing me! It feels so awesome when He feels near. Oh, and one more thing, I promise!! I saw a church sign yesterday that cracked me up… “Shine, don’t whine!” How awesome is that?!? Hope you have a great week!

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Streams in the Wasteland

Hello everyone in bloggyland! Haha. It has been awhile since I have wrote but just to update you, everything has been going fine, fine, fine! I’ve been spending a lot of time in the sun and it’s been a great summer so far! I’ve been building close relationships with new friends and of course keeping up with my old ones (don’t be offended if you’re an old friend, you should take that as a compliment!!). So yes, I am truly thankful for this new season in my life. It has been wonderful and eye-opening all at the same time!

The last two posts I’ve written have been dealing with hope. In a short summary so you don’t have to read them, I feel that I have held back from God in the area of my hopes because of fears that I have absolutely no control over! I was scared to hope because I didn’t want anyone I love to be taken away from me, because I wasn’t sure there was someone out there for me, because I didn’t want to put myself out there to be hurt again…and the list goes on, especially because I’m a worry wart!! But over the last month or so, God has brought to my attention that I need to hope and I need to trust Him with my hopes. It’s not something that came to me one day, God gave me a couple of verses about hope and then I read a few articles/blogs over the past month, that have drove the issue home for me. This is so hard to explain, and I hope I do a good job but God wants me to hope and it’s even silly for me to act like He didn’t know my hopes and dreams in the first place. And here’s where I know God is still trying to help me to understand.

For the last 3-4 weeks, I have been doing a bible study with some new friends I have met online. (Hey April & Beth!!) It is an in depth study of Ruth and so far it hasn’t disappointed. We’ve been dealing with loss, perseverance, standing strong in adversity and this week it’s been kindness. As I finished session 3, I read the introduction to session 4 and it knocked my socks off!! (Oh, BTW in case you’re wondering the bible study is Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy by Kelly Minter!) This week is titled: the Proposal and she talked about all the hard decisions that Ruth has had to make, even if they weren’t easy, which I can totally relate. But as she wraps the introduction up, she tells us about a discussion her and her friends were having about being single. She asked a friend if she thought she would ever get married and her friend replied “I don’t let myself go there”. (p.92) It was as if she had asked me. For so long, I didn’t let myself go there when I should have. Who was I kidding?? Like God didn’t have it in his hands the whole time!! He was just waiting for me to learn, grow and realize that I have to trust Him for every little thing! Why are we so hard headed, and feel we can do these things on our own?? We can’t! We just need to remember, He’s making a new way! Hope you have a great week!!

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wastelands.” Isa 43:18-19

Some day my Prince will come.....

Happy Friday everyone!! Hope all is well! I am sort of nervous about writing this….especially since I really don't like sharing lovey stuff like this!! I bet that has you hooked! Haha. I have something to be VERY thankful for and I just felt like I should write it: A) so I don’t forget since I am so forgetful and B) because the boyfriend should get all the recognition for it! Just so you know, I am so thankful for him! : )

Ok, we (me and the boyfriend) have a busy weekend ahead of us. We’re going to an out of town wedding and Thursday was the only “free” day I had. I really wanted to go swimming in his pool but since it is a lovely shade of green and he wanted to add the chemicals to clear it up, I didn’t get to swim. What a sacrifice! Haha. So I settled for dinner at one of my favorite places….Waffle House! And before you knock it, you really should try the Texas Bacon Chicken Cheese Melt!! It is heavenly and soooooooo healthy!! Haha. After dinner we stopped by Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a gift for the soon to be wedded couple. (This is a side note…while I was there, I saw something called Booty Pop. I can't help but add the picture because this is hilarious!!! Please don't let it take away from the boyfriends sweet moments!! I can't quit laughing when I see that! Whew!)

As we were leaving (it was around dusk), there was a few big, dark clouds that had the heat lightning in it. (Wow! That was a horrible description!! But that’s not the point!) As we were about to leave the parking lot, the boyfriend stopped the truck just so we could watch the lightning. It was really pretty since there weren’t that many clouds in the sky and the sun was setting. So we sat in the parking lot of the mall for about 5-10 minutes just holding hands and watching the lightning. How sweet….

THEN, (I know, he must’ve been in a super sweet mood yesterday) I had to paint my toenails for the wedding since I didn’t have time to go get a pedicure. I was just going to do it while we watched a movie. When I finally sat down to watch the movie, the boyfriend volunteered to paint my nails. Even though the fan was on too high and the polish dried sort of clumpy, it still melted my heart that he would even think to do that for me.

Maybe this is TMI for some people, but I am truly grateful that God has brought him into my life. He is exactly what I needed. Being single was a really big trial for me, especially thinking there may not be someone out there for me but God knows. Whether this relationship lasts a season or a lifetime, I am trusting God that he will provide that special person for me. And boy will he have to be special!!! : ) Hope you have a great weekend!!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Hope...

Hey! Ok, I have something really big to be thankful for!! Two weeks ago, (yes, I know…it’s taken me a long time to write…I’ll try to do better!!) the bf was involved in a car wreck. It wasn’t his fault and there was a lot of drama that ensued afterward, but he is ok! It’s a long story but after he initially called to tell me he was in a wreck, I didn’t hear from him for over an hour. I tried texting him because I wasn’t sure if he was busy, with no reply. So of course, I started panicking, and all these crazy scenarios ran through my head. So I prayed that God would let me know he’s alright. Well, 5 minutes later he called from a friends’ phone and said his phone died but that everything was ok. It’s the everyday things that we need to be thankful for and realize in the moment that it wasn’t a coincidence that our prayers were answered, it was God! So thank you God, for keeping him safe and that everything worked out the way it should!

June is obviously the month for weddings!! We have 3 weddings this month! So pretty much every weekend, we are busy. Well, with all this wedding hoopla, I have been getting the questions. Questions that every single couple gets…when are you getting married?? What kind of wedding are you having? What are you going to do at your reception?? And honestly, I have no idea!! I don’t know why, but that kind of stuff normally just escapes my mind. Don’t get me wrong, when I am at a wedding and I see something I like, I often think “I need to remember that when….” but I don’t think about it all the time. Maybe I used to (ages ago ; ) ) but in the last few years it hasn’t really been a priority. If that makes sense…

I guess it goes back to when I had my hopes and dreams pulled out from under me. Being the ridiculous planner that I am, it was so hard not to know how my future would turn out. It has taken a lot of prayer and A LOT of heartache to realize that everything is on God’s time, not mine. Just within the last year, I have come to grips with it more. Once I realized that everything that I have been through isn’t going to be for nothing and God knows what’s best for me, it has been so much easier to accept the unknown. So now, the unknown future didn’t seem that bad, but I still held back on declaring my new hopes and dreams. I’ll admit it, I was scared to have them taken away again. But God has other plans. The last few weeks, (through my scripture memorization with my sistas!!) the verses that have been catching my eye have dealt with faith and hope. (And believe me, that’s no coincidence! It’s God!!)

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

But when he asks, he is to believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the ocean, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6

I feel like he is trying to tell me it’s ok to hope again. It’s ok to have faith because whatever happens He can get me through it, good or bad. I definitely want the good times (who doesn’t?!), but I know they aren’t guaranteed. Obviously God has more faith in me than I do, and when I think about it, that’s pretty awesome. So, since God has brought this to my attention, I feel like I have really begun to hope. I have brought my hopes to him, asking his blessings and favor over my hearts’ desires and I feel he has started to open my heart again. I think the process could’ve been shorter, but of course, I got in the way. Isn’t that how it always is?? Hope you have a great week!

And we know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Rejoice!

Hello everyone!! Hope your summer is getting off to a great start! Have you ever played bunco? I have started with a group of new friends and it is so much fun! It's just a bunch of girls, getting together, laughing and competing to win at bunco. Needless to say I won "Least Wins" Monday night, but I'm ok with that because I won my $10 entry fee back! Woohoo! But seriously, I want to thank God for my new friends. They are super nice and have been really welcoming. Such a blessing.

Well, sometimes I try to think of topics to write about and sometimes they just click and flow. There are definitely times when I try to start writing and there is just a little flow, but not enough to write something that I can look back and feel it meant something. So hopefully, as I begin this post, there is a flow because I feel the message is important. For a few months now, (well…if I want to be honest probably years) I have been battling with my thought process. Being the over analytic person I am, I have the awesome ability to over think every situation, thought or even an imaginary action over and over again. Ok, it’s not really awesome, it’s really sad when you think about it…just don’t over think it! : ) I can take simple situations and make them into HUGE issues all by myself. Even stuff that has been long and dealt with, every so often comes back up and I find myself having that crazy internal conversation with myself! And what’s even crazier is that 99% of the time, it never happened. It’s just what I think would happen. Does that make sense??

So, after reading some articles and doing some different bible study lessons I have learned that you have to capture these thoughts. I think it’s your minds tendency to run away with your thoughts (or at least after many years my mind is trained to do that). So, I want to retrain my brain and start to capture those thoughts before they drag me down in negativity and rejoice!! Lately, I have noticed when I start down that path and I thank God for bring it to my attention. (Granted, it’s not every time but it’s more often than not.) I need to realize that I shouldn’t focus on things I don’t have, or things I should have done. I need to focus on the present, the here and now and be thankful for what God has done in my life. I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to practice that, when I know it’s what I should be doing. Not just for my happiness, but because it’s the right thing to do.

I get so down on myself sometimes for the negativity, but I think everyone goes through it and God understands. It's not something that we readily talk about, I mean, who likes to talk about their failures?? I know I don't! But God knows our hearts and hopefully we are sincerely trying to change, as hard as that may be. Hope you have a great week!

"Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again: Rejoice!!" Phil 4:4