thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

What are you thankful for?!

Here's just a few of mine:

*my wonderful family!

*humor

*music

*forgiveness

*struggles

*triumph

*EVERYTHING!

And I'm SO thankful that I'm home =D  It's so great being around my family and with some of my closest friends.  God is good!

I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with quality time with those you love!

take it slow

There's so much going on in life.

In all our lives.  and it can get pretty hectic and crazy.

I know I worry too much about what will come next.  What about the future?  What about next week?

Sometimes I just need to sit and let Christ's peace rule me.  And not my own stress.  I let so many things in this world rule over me when I really should let Christ completely consume me.  He is stronger than any sin and struggle going on.

Sometimes we just need to sit and be still.  His peace, His love, His grace, His mercy will fulfill any and all my needs.

Colossians 3 is some great stuff!  Read it =D

habits

Do you find yourself getting into habits easily?

How you eat, how you wake up, what you watch, when you do certain things, the number of times you do things, how you spend your time, what you even say?!

Some things I've noticed in myself:

When someone asks how I am, I always say I'm good.  Even if I'm not.

When I wake up in the morning I turn on my computer.

I check my phone often for messages or calls.

I like to do things in odd numbers (like eat 1 or 3 cookies, not 2...weird I know)

Checking my e-mail (and facebook, but not right now!)

Even how I fall asleep-like the way I lay down!

Watching TV at a certain time

While some habits may be good, I feel like it can really consume us too much.  We become too focused on doing things a certain way.  What happens when it doesn't go that way?  I want to focus my energy on the good habits.  Like waking up in prayer, and doing my devotions.

I think what is more important, however, is how we respond when these habits are broken, or when things don't go the way we're used to during the day.  I am consciously making an effort to do things differently, to kind of mix it up a little.  

I feel like I've given up one of my habits - facebook, but I've replaced it with other habits.  Some good, like doing my devotions - but I still find myself consuming my time on my computer or the TV when I could be doing other things.

I really want to make the most out of every day.

Do I, though?

Instead of just sitting back and letting life go by, i want to be actively involved in life and how Christ is to be glorified.

What are your thoughts?

stand alive

Do you sometimes feel like you're at a standstill?

Like you're caught in the middle of everything.

You're here, but you're not...if that makes sense.

Sometimes I feel that I'm physically here but my mind just wanders when I'm hanging out with people.  I don't know...

Do I analyze things too much?

I think that I do.

But how do you change that?

And how do you draw that line?

I know that God has designed me specifically the way I am.  I know He has brought me to the point at where I am today for a reason.  But sometimes I wish I could go back to certain moments, or certain ways I acted and viewed life - more like a child like faith I guess.  It's weird, because I want to grow up...but at the same time, the more I do the harder it becomes and the more struggles and problems I tend to encounter.

BUT at the same time, the older I get, the more equipped I am to follow God and His will for me.

I am called to die to myself; to the excuses I make; to the wants I have; to worldly perfection I seek; to the attitude I have sometimes.

I pray that God would be alive in me!

bungee jumping

my dad and brother are bungee jumping right now. as i type this. in new zealand!

crazy, huh?!

gotta love them!

my big brother is a poop

I didn't say it, my sister-in-law did!

haha I love my big brother :)

but seriously.  Matt and Kristyn are moving to Nashville AS WE SPEAK! (or read)--pray for them!  And they're passing through Illinois, and they aren't stopping to see me!  I know I know.  I guilt tripped Matt last night...and it didn't work.  I wish I could see them but I understand they have to get to Nashville at a certain time (booo)  I would've bought them lunch too!  Oh well.

I actually told Matt to come by Greenville and pick me up and take me to Nashville with them.  I'm SO excited for them!  I just think its so exciting to be moving to a new place.  Scary, yes.  But so exciting to get their own place, decorate however, and really get grounded in a new community!  I can't wait :)

but I can't grow up too fast...even though I sometimes wish it

Kristyn and Matt-you better be ready to see your sister, I'm gonna be visiting!

With that being said.

It's rainy and cold today...but it will be a glorious day that God has given us!

I've started a Bible study called "A Call To Die"  where I'm fasting from something for a specific amount of time and replacing that with prayer, devotion, time with God, and music (I added that one).  It's been 2 days so far, but I'm doing this with one of my campers this summer who is like my little sister.  I know this is going to be a great growing time as I deny the things of this world (try to) and really focus on Christ and His work in my life.  It's all about Him!  I'll keep you updated with how I'm doing with the devotional, so far I'm doing good.

I'm starting to write music more too! YAY =D

ALSO-today is Veteran's day.

God bless America and those who have served and are still serving our country!

gas

I took this picture over the weekend on my way to my roommate's house.

This is at some small town in Illinois.

I thought of my fellow Virginians back home.  :)

I bet ya haven't seen it this cheap! (I really have no idea...but here ya go!)

what to doo

So I woke up at 6AM this morning.

Why?

Who knows!

But I don't have a class until 10:30...so what did I do for a few hours?

Well I woke up to find one of my pod mates still awake...she hadn't gone to bed yet!  Crazy, huh?  I then sat, got on my computer, wrote some e-mails, watched some Saved By The Bell, caught up with some people, took a long shower, got ready.  This was all before 9:00.

At 9:15 I went and got my allergy shot and on my way walking there something hit me.  I woke up so early this morning for no reason.  And what did I do?  I did random stuff.  What could I have done?  I could've had some good quality time with my creator.  I did read a devotion, but it wasn't complete silence with me and God.

So when I got back from my shot, I took out my Bible and read.  And prayed.

I want, I need to manage my time better.  God's given me that time, and I ignore it.  So my desire is to really grow in Christ, but I can only do that if I stop wasting my time with other things.  

Here's what I read this morning:

Psalm 61 (look it up!)

and

2 Corinthians 1 (some good stuff there!)

habakkuk

So a good friend of mine recommended to me a podcast from his church up in northern IL.  There are 3 sermons on the book of Habakkuk and I just finished listening to the first one.

I really enjoyed it and it challenged me to really embrace God.

We are to embrace God in everything and all that we do.  And it also challenges to wrestle with God.  Not at Him, but with Him.  Through this I can truly sense His grip in my life.

One thing that I've thought about is that it is OK to question God and it's ok to be upset.  But we still need to embrace God and bring our questions and worries and fears to Him.  Through that we can come to know Him more and grow in relationship with Him.

Habakkuk begins his book by embracing/questioning God, then moves to wrestling with Him, and then ends with praise.

How often to I end with praise?  Not enough.

I'm growing

I'm learning

I'm gripped by the best hand of all

PS-I wrote another song yesterday =D

a little something

My grandma passed away yesterday afternoon.  Though it is hard, I know that she's in a WAY better place (seriously now.) and is suffering no longer.  In fact, she's dancing and singing in the presence of our Savior.  I'm kind of jealous :)

Walking home from work yesterday, I looked up to the night sky and saw the many many stars (yes, here in the midwest-we actually can see the stars!) and knew that my grandma is smiling down on me and everyone else.  That's comforting.

In Habakkuk it talks about the prophet who questions God about why things happen.  And Habakkuk 3 it says that even though things may go wrong and fail, we will still praise the Lord and rejoice in His joy.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and your love.  It means SO much to me!

God is Sovereign

God is Mighty

God is my ALL

love from afar

I just got off the phone with my dad who is with my grandma in the hospital.  She isn't doing well at all.  The past 2 days she hasn't responded hardly at all and she hasn't eaten.  It's so hard not being there next to her and next to my dad and grandpa.  So yesterday after I talked with my dad and found out how serious/bad grandma's condition is, I grabbed my guitar and wrote a song.

This was the first time in a while I've written a complete song in one sitting.  I told dad I wanted to sing it to her.  The song is really for all three of them.  When I talked to grandpa last night about singing it, or having dad play some of my songs he said " know that's what will wake her up".  My grandpa is so sweet toward grandma and loving her while she is sick.

So I woke up really early this morning - I just haven't been able to sleep that well lately, and I decided to call dad and see how everything was.  Nothing new.  He didn't get a chance to play my songs last night, and so I decided to sing/play the song I just wrote.  I played it and grandma responded!!!  I couldn't understand anything but she was speaking.  My dad said it was the liveliest she's been in the past few days.

I wish I could be there right now, but I know that God can still use me from afar.  And I know that God is in control.  Even though this is so hard, He's watching over me and my family.  

Please keep our family in your prayers, especially since we are spread across the country (and then there's my brother in New Zealand).  Our love is given from afar.

"I'm near but I'm far

You can feel my heartbeat next to yours

Just one call away

Through the silence I'll speak to your heart

and it's back to the start"