Owl City - In Christ Alone

God has really been doing some amazing work in my life recently. It's both exciting and

kind of scary at the same time, but I totally love the change and work He is doing in my

heart. I'm learning to trust Him more everyday and really lean on Him through the tough times

[those sometimes seem to never let up!]

and it's really been forcing me into a deeper relationship with Him. And also helping me to learn grace and forgiveness. It's quite the journey and I love it :)

This song has always been a favorite of mine and every time I listen to it, the lyrics really hit

me hard and remind me once again that only in Christ am I truly able to live.

This version by Owl City is wonderful! Enjoy :)

sunday's revelation

First of all I would like to send out a great big thank you to Frills for Thrills for featuring me in her latest post!

It was so much fun and great blogging opportunity!

[thank you Frills!]

Today is what I like to call a very lazy day. I have done nothing worth mentioning really.

[ya know..just watched 3 movies and laid in bed since I've been sick..]

But I've been thinking a lot lately about how much of a difference I want to make and the impact I want to have. I have started reading

[again]

the Purpose Driven Life- such a great book! I would highly recommend it. Anyway, some stuff has been going on in my life lately

[both good! and bad]

that has made me want to dig deeper into my purpose here on earth and how I can further better God's kingdom. Remember how I told you I have some good news here? Well, I am super excited about it! And then yesterday I kind of got blind-sided by some things and it made me question a lot about why I am here and why bad things have to happen. I have been having to constantly tell myself God is in control and nothing and no one can change that. So needless to say, even in the last 24 hours God has been faithful to soften my heart and attitude to

one that desires to focus on Him and not on the bad things. This is huge for me people. I tend

to worry a lot and when I worry I can easily become consumed by the problem or even begin to make up bad scenarios in my head and worry about those.

[how silly.]

As a dear friend of mine who is now with Jesus once told me

"Don't look at bad things as problems, they are opportunities. Opportunities to become closer to God and to become a stronger person."

[don't you just love that?!]

So folks, I am declaring right here that those things will not consume me and I will choose instead to trust in the Lord. Besides, I am not going to let those things take away the happiness I got with all my good news this week! :)

Oh, I guess I should share that. I won't share all of it though.

[ya know, that way you'll come back!]

I am so excited and blessed to have the opportunity to work at the hospital for my practicum this spring! I went there on Friday to talk with them about my hours and asked the gal if I would be able to do a summer internship and she said

YES!!!

I am so excited! This has been my dream for so long and now I can finally see the light at the end of the school tunnel. :) Praise God, right?!

[via]

I want to leave you with some happy thoughts. So here you go!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3: 5-6

I hope you have had a happy weekend

[and maybe a lazy sunday like me!]

God bless!

looking on the {bright} side

Today was just one of those days where I had to look for the positives in all the negatives.

To say the least..today was {rough}. Okay correction- the beginning of this day was not too great. I woke up at 5:15

[that should be your first clue]

to go to work

[at OSU Catering].

I usually don't mind the morning shifts because I can get some hours in and then be done for the day and do whatever I want. But this morning was BAD. I had several orders right in a row and on the very first one all of the coffee, orange, juice and water spilled. grrreat. Oh, and the doors were locked to all the rooms I needed to get in and a customer asked me for more food on her order after it was set. Double wammy. But everything was set on time and good to go. Then I was off to class and then a nice workout to relieve some stress ya know. I got back to my car and found a parking ticket. Nice. I had a breakdown right then. I called my mom sobbing and just feeling {really bad}.

[I'm not overly exaggerating...I am also boggled down with schoolwork]

Man, I hope someday I can be as amazing of a woman as my mom. She is so wise and helpful and would do absolutely anything for me. My conversation with her really changed my attitude and helped relieve some more stress. God has totally blessed me! My day has only gone up from there.

I had coffee and talk-time with my wonderful friend Kendra, who I adore so much! It was such a blessed time to chat and just relax. Seriously {so blessed}. In my afternoon class I didn't have a quiz

[always a plus!],

and we got out early

[yay!].

I got to say hi to my friend Jessy, and even though it was only for like a couple seconds that girl can seriously light up my day

[thank you!].

And of course I have been praying and asking God just for a better attitude and motivation to help me get through the rest of my huge load of homework. He is so faithful.

I am so looking forward to this night. I am home in my cozy {pink fluffy} socks, sweats, and with my hair on top of my head, and I am totally motivated to do my paper, project, and study for my midterm. In fact, I am {excited} to work on it.

[okay, yes I am a nerd and total dweeb]

And I will probably have Lucky Charms for dinner... :)

This verse kept popping in my head today: "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." {psalm 118:24} Even when you think your day is going badly, just remember all things happen for a reason and that ultimately you can choose to rejoice and find the positives! :)

[this picture {totally} made me so happy]

Addison Road - What Do I Know Of Holy

I have seriously been obsessed with this song lately and can't get it out of my head. The words make me think so much about how much I truly don't know and how much more that I actually do want to know about God. Just thought I'd share :)

the REASON for the season

As Christmas time is here, it's important to not lose sight of the true meaning of this special holiday. When Christ came down in the form of a baby to save us all. It's such a miracle that should be remembered more throughout the year than just Christmas-time.

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

---> God's gift to us is greater than any gift that has ever taken place.

As we go about the busyness of our Christmas day with the food and the gifts and the family, let's not forget the true reason for the season.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

.if you would like to read the story of Christmas and Christ's birth please click here.

sermons

I love listening to sermons online. They can be so refreshing and it's great in the middle of the week to have something encouraging to hear to help me grow more in walk with the Lord.

Some of my favorites are from:

• Pastor Dee Duke via

• Bayside Church via

• Itunes also has a great selection and sermon archive

There are so many different styles that these men teach, and it's so great to get a different Biblical perspective in an area that I may need to work on. Check it out!

"When I say..."

When I say that 'I am a Christian' I am not shouting that 'I am clean living.' I am whispering 'I was lost, but now I am forgiven.'

When I say 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are all to visible, but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches so I call upon His name.

When I say 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou, I'm just a simple sinner who's received God's grace somehow.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Footprints

For some reason I have really been drawn to this poem for quite a long time and just recently it has come back to my mind. Sometimes it's so hard for me to trust God in trials and not just think He has abandoned me. I think this poem is just a great reminder of the truth of His promises that He will never leave or forsake us.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

One night I dreamed a dream.
I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

---

Margaret Fishback Powers, 1964

Wrapped in Love

For some reason these past few weeks have been a struggle for me. I feel like a lot of stuff has been thrown my way and I'm having to deal with it one step at a time. The thing is...I would really like to take care of things NOW. It's always interesting to see what God can do through any situation. I am totally blessed to be able to already see what He is faithfully doing and am so happy that I actually can receive it!

Tonight as I was doing my devotions I was reading in Galatians chapter 5 and there right in front of my face the first verse talks about Christ coming to set us free and to stand firm so that we are no longer burdened by sin. Wow. It just amazes me how often I get caught up in my own day-to-day activities and so easily forget that the Lord of the universe came to DIE so that I could LIVE and be FREE! It really got me to thinking that no sin is worth ever jeopardizing that- ever! I want to honor Him and stand firm!

Later in the chapter it says, "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." (vs 9). When baking bread you only need a little yeast and it works to make the entire batch of dough rise. It plays a huge part in the outcome of the bread. Sin works the same way. If we allow it to be in our life- even just a little bit- it can worm its way into every nook and cranny and eventually will play a role in the outcome of my life. In the same way God can work if I allow Him. This is such a comforting thought to me! My deepest desire is to live wholly for God and to show others His love. If I would just continue to let that work through my life, God will shine through and work His way into every nook and cranny- how awesome! :)

The Lord yearns for us to want to serve Him everyday no matter what our circumstances may bring.

These verses were exactly what I needed today. I was so excited that God showed this to me. I have a call in my life to be free and show others that freedom. I don't want any worldly thing to change that, it's just not worth eternity. Praise the Lord for His love :)

Tip for the Day: do a random act of kindness to show someone you care :)

His Princess

I have this book that I just recently started reading again with my devotions. My mom got it for me a few years ago when our family was going through some struggles. It's a simple book really, but it has made a big impact on how I perceive God's perspective toward me.

The book is called "His Princess: Love Letters from Your King" by Sheri Rose Shepherd. It's a really small book, but full of "letters" from God and how He longs for us. Each one is also accompanied by a verse! Although the book was directed toward women, the same "letters" and concepts apply to everyone!

Lately I have been struggling in certain areas with just wanting to have the approval of everyone, and it's so not right and not realistic at all. Some of the things I've read in this book have sort of helped me to think of how God would view what I would do to "fit in." These are a couple of exerpts of some of the letters (all of these one's fit into the same theme).

You don't have to fit in.

"I know you want to be accepted by others, but you were not made to fit in. You were created to stand out. Not to draw attention to yourself, but to live the kind of life that leads others to Me. Remember, it is your choices that will pave your path to life. I will not force you to do anything. I have given you a free will to walk with Me or to walk away from Me. I want you to know that you can put on your crown at any time and let people know that you belong to Me. You have royal call on your life. I want you to remember you wear the crown of everlasting life, and through you I will do abundantly more than you would ever dare to dream. Love, Your King and Crown Giver." [Galatians 1:10]

Run to win.

"You are destined to win. I know how tired you often become, just be trying to do and say all the right things. Take that pressure off yourself, because I did not put it there. The world may judge you by what they see and hear, but I look within your heart, My child. I see your desire to please Me, and I see your struggle to please others. If you want to win this endurance race, you must let go of your need for the approval of others and seek My will and My pleasure. Simplify your life, and let go of the burdens that weigh you down. You'll find that My grace will lighten your step, and My favor will even draw others to join you. Yes, at times you will stumble and fall. But don't worry. I'm here to help you get back up again-as often as it takes. Make it your daily passion to run with Me, and I will carry you over the finish line of your faith. Together we will win! Love, Your King and your Companion." [1 Corinthians 9:24]

Freedom is a choice.

"I long to give you the keys to be free from the things that bind you and see you break through to a blessed life in Me. But your freedom is a choice...your choice. You can be totally free in Me or try to set yourself free. I promise I am the only One who can give you the life-giving keys you need and want. The keys are hidden in My Word, empowered by your prayer, and completed by the work of My Holy Spirit living in you. Choose the way, My love...choose life. Love, Your King and your Freedom." [John 8:36]

It seems that these days everyone longs to be different and yet at the same time everyone goes about doing it the same way. It is popular and "the thing to do" to rebel. That's how everyone is showing they are different. So, I've decided now that if I want to be different, it is not by doing anything rebellious, but instead living a simple life of following God. That's how we shine to be lights. And that's when people notice a true difference. Temptations still come and different struggles will always happen, but it's how we handle them that shows if we are different. This is a new step. How will you be different today?

Tip of the Day: compliment someone else :)