God's Plans

Hey everyone! It has been so long since I have wrote. I've been pretty busy and when I'm not busy I just haven't felt like writing. Maybe it's all this cold weather that makes me not feel as motivated as usual. (I'll blame it on that and not laziness!!) So, I'd like to thank God for the wonderful weather we are having today. It's in the 70s and I couldn't be happier. Oh, and I am going with my nephew to Hot Hearts tonight to see TobyMac!!! It's so awesome to see young kids who love the Lord. It's such a blessing!!


As many of us know, God's plans aren't always exactly our plans. I've wrote about this before but everyones situation is different and you always have to look for your silver lining. It may not be the answer you are looking for at the time, but maybe one day you will see it.


I have been through a lot in the last couple of years, but I definitely know that everything happened for a reason. It's still a reason that I can't even begin to comprehend, but God knows. Looking back, I can see things that happened, that changed me to bring me where I am today. I know for certain that I wouldn't have as much faith as I do now, I wouldn't be able to handle all of the small/medium things in life, and I certainly wouldn't be able to share to others what God has done for me. I am still working on that...actually God is. : ) I now know that I can get through MAJOR trials in my life with God and it has shown me that I can get through anything as long as I trust Him.

I thought about this the other day... God will never give you more than you can handle and obviously He has way more faith in me than I do. : ) I feel he has put me in certain situations so I can be there for people. You never know what someone is going through, but just knowing that you are there for them and that you have been in their situation (and made it through!!) may be a huge help! Hopefully you notice areas in your life where you could be a light to others. Hope you have a good weekend!!


And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God. Romans 8:28 NKJV

Happy New Year 2010!!

Happy New Year!!! I am hoping that everyone had a great 2009. Mine was very interesting to say the least, but with the help of God I made it! I am so thankful for God's peace. You can't really understand it till you experience it. Actually, you may not even realize you have it during the trial. But when you do it realize, it is so awesome. And I thank God everyday for his peace!

So, I'm sure you have heard someone mention their New Year's resolutions. I have never been one for resolutions. I normally don't make them but if I do I don't keep them and that sometimes frustrates me. You mostly here of people wanting to become healthier, reduce debt or to decrease the stress in their life. I have been thinking about it and I think this year I want to have a closer relationship to God. Then I started thinking about it a little more and realized that should be a lifetime resolution. But maybe that seems a little intimidating. I normally like to set small goals that I can accomplish, like organize my closet. :) I don't know why but it just sounded overwhelming for me! I guess I don't want to mess anything up, or do anything wrong.

But God doesn't look at it that way. He looks at our heart and knows our motives for why we do the things we do. We aren't always perfect but He doesn't expect us to be. He actually already knew we wouldn't and that is why He sent his Son to die for our sins. The ultimate sacrifice. We should always be so thankful for that gift. I know it is something that I could never do. He is an understanding God, who really cares for us. We need to honestly seek Him and desire to have a better relationship with Him. That should be our lifetime resolution. Hope you have a great year!

"God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Understanding

Hey everyone! It has been a really long time! God is really good. He is always there for us and surprises us with answered prayers in unexpected ways. I am so thankful that I can be called a child of God!

The other day I was memorizing one of my scriptures, Phillipans 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ." It made me start thinking about understanding. I can't tell you how many times I have thought I understood something, and really didn't. Or that I tried to "act" like I understood, when really I had no clue. If we all depended on my understanding, we would be in big trouble!! I am so glad that is not the case, and I'm sure you are too. : )

It's just amazing to think that God understands everything, from the complexities of the galaxies to the desires of our heart. He is so amazing and always working things out for the good of those who love him. Especially when we have a situation that we "think" we know how God should handle it but then He works it out in a completely different way that is so much better than our human understanding can comprehend. It happens all the time and hopefully, in our fast pace world, we recognize God's hand moving in our favor.

As we all get ready for the holiday season, please just take time to remember the real reason for the season, Jesus. He was born into this world so we could have life and have it more abundantly and I am beyond grateful for that!!

P.S. I just wanted to let everyone know that I just submitted my 24th memory verse for this year!!! I am really excited that I have perservered! To be completely honest, I can't recite every scripture from memory. There are a few I have trouble remembering the chapter and verse number. But I am human, and God knows that I am trying and I am thankful for that!

"Nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37 NIV

Thanksgiving

Hey everyone. Hope you have had a wonderful thanksgiving. I know I did. It was so nice to be able to sleep in! But then I had to rush because I was told lunch was at 1:00 when it was really 12:00. But that's ok, I was only 30 minutes late! I really enjoyed this lazy day of visiting with family and eating till I couldn't eat anymore!

I just wanted to write about some things I am thankful for... my relationship with Jesus. It is amazing how God created the heavens and the earth and He still cares and loves me, even though I am a sinner. I am so thankful for his grace. I am thankful for my family. They are all awesome and I love them all dearly. For my friends, who are always there for me and know what to say. They are all so special and I am glad they are in my life. For my job, God has provided and I am thankful that I trusted him because it has worked out for good. My health and just every day! It is also a blessing to be able to live the life that we live, without persecution for our beliefs. I thank God for everything He has given me! And I thank Him for you too!!

"In everything give thanks" 1 Thes 5:18

Memory Verse

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a good week. I had some down time after work today and it was really awesome. Just lounging around catching up on my TV shows (thank God for DVR!!), reading a book and not having to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off was really nice. After spending a weekend with some family, I just want to take some time to say that I am so thankful for all my family. Even though we are crazy and sometimes moody, at the end of the day we all love each other and would be there if anyone needs it. I am so blessed to have my wild and crazy family!

I have been memorizing scriptures along with Beth Moore and all of her "Siestas" this year. (see http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/ to find out more about "Siestas" & the Scripture Memory Team) Ok, I have to admit that I had real good intentions when I started. I bought a cute spiral, found a scripture that really spoke to me and I was off... but I memorized only 3 scriptures and then I fell off the wagon!!! I still kept up with the blog (Beth and her two daughters started the blog) but I just didn't participate in memorizing scripture. I guess I am more of a slacker than I realize and I need some motivation (obviously more people are like that than they like to admit), and Beth provided the it. She is having a Siesta Scripture Memory Team Celebration in Houston, the only stipulations are that you have to respond to the Memory Verse blogs 20 out of 24 times (it's twice a month) with your memory verse and be able to repeat 10/24 of your verses at the celebration to someone there (she said not on stage, so that was a relief!!). So, I have rededicated myself to memorizing scripture (thank goodness she is letting us catch up if we started late OR if we were just a plain slacker). I am really excited and hope that I can make it to the celebration! Please pray that I can be diligent and that my little brain can actually memorize this scripture!! : )

Why am I telling you this you are probably asking?? I just want to get more people involved in memorizing scripture and if you are in my ladies sunday school, I'm gonna talk to you about this in person!! So be ready! Ha ha. I believe that Beth is going to be doing this again next year and I feel it is an awesome opportunity with an awesome motivation. I have memorized 13 verses as of today (I'm working on #14) and yes, I may need a little reminder of how they start but it is 13 more than I knew at this time last year. This way is really neat too because you memorize scripture that is relevant to you and it makes it really personal with God. Just remembering all of his promises is really amazing.

So hopefully you can join me in 2010 and in January 2011 we can fellowship together at a Scripture Memory Celebration knowing 24 more scriptures than we do now. And don't try to tell me you can't do it because...

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:1 (NKJV)

Have a great day!!

Hopes & Dreams

Hey everyone! It has been awhile since I have wrote. I have been very busy since starting my job and haven't found the right schedule or balance to get everything done that I want. It's a work in progress!! : ) I wanted to take some time to thank all of the Veterans who have served their country for our freedom. Alot of times we forget how big a sacrifice that these men and women make for us. We need to thank them more than just one day a year, they are truly heroes!

The other day I was thinking about where I want my life to go, such as my next plan or goal to acheive. If you know me, you know that I am a planner! I am NOT a girl who can fly by the seat of my pants because it induces a panic in me like no other. I don't like the unknown. It's just how I am. Ever since I can remember, I've always had a plan. I planned to go to college, get a good job, get married to my high school sweetheart and have kids. When I finally graduated college and got a great job, my plan was on track. Then, one night, it was all gone in the blink of an eye. Everything as I had known it for many years, was gone. And as you can imagine, I panicked! Not being able to envision what my future would be like was horrible to me. And even thinking of it now gives me chills!! I went through a season of being scared to even hope for normal things, of not trusting that God was good enough to handle my problems. Of course, I believed in God but I was hurt, confused and not sure what to do now. When in reality, I should've turned to Jesus. Recently becoming more dedicated to him is the best thing I have done. I now know that He is with me and He knows all of the desires of my heart, I just have to realize that it is on his time schedule, not mine. And that is so hard for a planner like me!!!

It was and is still a journey, a learning process. I have to choose to "let go and let God" work his will in my life everyday. It's really hard but when we bring the focus on Jesus, and not the troubles of the world, it makes it alot easier. I have learned I need to lean more on Jesus to get through this crazy ride we call life. He can provide more comfort and protection than any earthly person and He has our best interests at heart. He knows exactly what he is doing and it is all for his glory. Thank you Jesus... hope you have a good weekend.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perserverance." James 1:2-3

I just don't understand!

Hey everyone! Everything is going really good right now! I really like my new job and everything seems to be on the up and up! Thank goodness!! It does feel alot better to be able to tell people how God is working in my life. I have started feeling more comfortable telling alot of this to my ladies sunday school class (I hate talking in front of large groups!!). They are so awesome and understanding and I am really thankful to have them as a part of my church family!! I often do not know what to write about and I don't want to put anything on here just to be doing it. I would like for my blog to be meaningful and helpful to others. Then God inspires me....

Sometimes, I just don't understand why things happen the way they do. I know that it's not for me to understand, but I still wonder and sometimes things bother me. It's just the devil trying to weasel his way into making me doubt God and second guess everything that God has done for me. It is still so hard to not feel some resentment sometimes. I guess instead of beating around the bush, I just need to say it. I don't understand how some people can be so unhappy when they have so much to be thankful for. I don't understand how some people take for granted everything that they have and don't appreciate where they are in their life. I don't understand why some people are so wrapped up in themselves that they don't even realize how their actions are effecting other people. And there are some who just have no clue!! It's really sad. I know I'm not perfect and I don't know everyone's situation but I pray that God can soften my heart in these instances. As much as I want to just say "Are you kidding me?!?", I want God to put the right words in my mouth to encourage everyone. It's not for me to judge, but God.

I understand that God has a specific plan for everyone and I believe that we go through hard times to become stronger and closer to God. If you are having a hard time, you just need to know that God is there. His word provides many comforts and I am thankful that God does care all of us. For every time I feel down and wonder why..... (even when the devil is trying his best) I just have to remember God is always there. Hope you have a good weekend!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9