Are you thankful?

A current trend in my life is the idea of being thankful for the little things. The past several weeks the sermon topics have been along the lines of thankfulness. The concept of thanking God for the little things is an idea that is often preached around thanksgiving, but do we ever put it into practice?
My friend preached about the idea of how everyone has a thankfulness language. Yes just as the idea of people having a specific way that they show love, people also show that they are thankful in a similar way.
I show appreciation or thankfulness  when I buy people gifts and spend time with them. If I am generous that means I really do care. As terrible as that sounds, it really is true I don't spend money on others often.
This idea of being thankful for the little things really drove home when I realized that the fragility of life and the fact that people are temporary. I remembered attending a funeral for a lady that was a major part of my childhood years. She taught me the importance of smiling and that a smile can change anyone's day around. She has been dead for 3 years but the principles that she taught me about the Bible and the impact that we have on those around us changed my life.
Being thankful for those that are in your life. For you never know when you will get the chance to see them or hear them say the same old story over and over again. The things that you find as annoyances are what you will be remembering.
By being thankful for the simple daily things I have realized stress is gone the Lord provides and you always have the opportunities to be thankful for something. So as Mother Theresa said "let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

Christmas

Last week I had the opportunity to completely turn my life full circle. I told my testimony that many of you have read about my time in college. I shared this to four freshman girls and was amazed at the work that God had been doing in my life and theirs. 
Many of the girls were going through similar experiences that I had gone through my freshman year. Feeling of wanting out, not knowing why and overwhelmed with finals preparation. I found out this past Tuesday that one of the girls that was seriously considering transferring to another college made the decision to stay. God sure can use people if they are open to going through all of the experience that leads up and breaks you down. God breaks people to build them up in Him.
I am a witness of the work that God has done in my life alone. 
I hated the not knowing of why God choose to allow me to experience terrible times just 2 years ago. I hated everything about being at a Christian University, the blah of routine Christianity and the routine rules and regulations. I even didn't like the wishy washy people that were so fake in their walks with God.
God has open my eyes to the hurt and the broken and those that really havn't experienced the grace and mercy and overwhelming loving hands of God. 
I had a moment like this back in high school where I felt God telling me to stand up for a larger girl that was being bullied and I listened and stopped several of my friends from being just mean to her because she was different and a slow runner. She thanked me and later I overheard her talking about me, no not trash talking but genuine complements about how thankful she was I said something to those girls.
A seldom known fact is that I was overweight as a child and still feel for those who are still struggling with their weight. That is an insecurity that many people struggle with. I know that feeling of not good enough and really get upset when people pick on those that appear different. They know your talking about them and as the bible says "you look on the outside but God looks at the heart."
When we choose to allow God to use us, what he can do through us is incredible. Indescribable, really.SO where was I oh yeah, last tuesday when I was sharing my story I felt a peace that God gave me the right time and words to say to them and really felt like what I said was what God was saying to them through me.
Since then, I feel like God is telling me to stay open with them and allow opportunity's to encourage them to persevere and stay faithful that God's will is ultimately the best plan for their lives. We do not know when or how he reveals it to us but after the hard times always come the blessing. 
Share the Blessings this Season.

10/22

It's funny how at times the world can appear to be completely consumed with the idea of "us." The single self centered beings that many people fall into acting like is not at all a new idea. 
I was sitting in the Pew this past Sunday and I began to think about how God used the worst of the worst people to influence and impact His kingdom and further the advancement of the Gospel. Saul to Paul conversion was preached about and I began to think about how if the great God can change a heart like that from killing Christians to being a great preacher and writing most of the New Testament, why at times do I feel like God isn't able to use me or why is it that when I hear his call for my life to go out and be bold and step outside of my comfort zone I seldom if ever act upon it?
How many times have I ever sat back and instead of acting kind and compassionate just joked along and didn't step out and act as Christ would. 
The sad reality is that we all fall into the patterns of our daily life and get into a comfort zone of sorts and forget that we are the "Light of the World". This past week I experienced full circle Gods hand in my life and why I went through the experience of Hating being at college. I realized that God used that time and build me up through the rubble to now be able to encourage the Freshman in my prayer group that are just now going through that hard indecisive time. For the first time I felt lead to volunteer to tell my testimony... this is a major step forward for me really living my faith and is a great way to proclaim the good work that Christ has begun in me. As the Bible says "He who has begun a good work in you will carry it out until the day of completion." 
If we really let those words sink in we realize that the work has already been started the hard part is over Christ took on the task of all our sins of doubt and shame. He whisked away any good excuse that we could ever fathom as to why we shouldn't be out proclaiming the good peace that comes from our savior. Procrastination is not an option that we as the Saved believers should be implicating. 
With that being said the self centered idea of "us" is that the only we in our lives should be that relationship that is Christ in me = we.
Cheesy as that sounded as it passed through my fingers onto the screen, if you think it through it is true. SO what I guess I am saying is that I am guilty of this too, not stepping out and being bold for the  Lord. 
Perseverance throughout diversity produces diligence in uncertainty which leads to wisdom.

walking alone

I thought I was finished with blogging and thought I had grown past this stage in my life. As most of you or whomever reads this knows I blogged monthly about what was going on at the time in my life for all of last year may-may. In june and july I landed a job working at an elderly home serving their food or doing whatever needed to be done.  I experienced the quality of life that the elderly can experience. I saw it all those who couldn't move or hear or even speak, and i witnessed first hand the need that people have to interact with other people. A simple smile and act of kindness toward them made them smile and genuinely brought them comfort and joy even just for that glimpse of a moment. I worked with the lowest of society those that had rough circumstances and had made poor life choices and had to work for they had no formal education or family to rely upon.

The main thing that working allowed me to learn was that people are there but for a season. Eventually I needed to come to learn the ultimate lesson from God... only HE is always with me.

I am back at college writing for my school paper and learning daily that the Lord is my strength and my comfort He is my provider and guide through every situation.

Yesterday this truth became apparent as my roomate and I were left to wander the streets for over 3hrs walking home from raquetball practice. We were totally lost and in the bad part of town when the Lord walked with us and directed us to find an old civil war map landmark, benefit of being in the south. we read the map and were able to get close to school before nightfall. The only way we made it out of there was with the Lord walking with us.

I have great respect for Jesus and all of the apostles that walked all over europe proclaiming the good news and Gods working. Walking for 3hrs straight allowed me to experience just a glimpse of the physical commitment that the apostles devoted themselves to and allowed me to bask in the glory of Gods creation. The mountainous terrain at times was a disadvantage when walking up hill both ways literally. But in the end I recognized the values of the hills and Gods creation is truly something that I have taken for granted.

Walking with the Lord is a lesson all should experience at some point in their life.

Tonight I was awoken to the need to fully stop trying to understand what was going on in my life. Many trials and just plain confusing things have been happening to me and my friends and I had been at the point of lying awake just thinking about how can I be a better friend and Christian. I know I dont show the Love of Christ as often as I should, sadly I know and recognize that I need to implicate my faith and really act on my faith. If i say I have faith but do not act upon it then what use am I in furthering the kingdom? Tonight the passage of Job was preached upon and I realized that is my life why am i questioning why things happen. why do i think that i even deserve the explanations of why situations are arise all at once in my life.

Walking with the King was my High schools motto the year I graduated. All things in life are circular i am finding out. I had a terrible Jr year of high school, I was depressed and at times suicidal. I was constantly doubting everything I knew and always was feeling alone. I stopped associating with people and just went day to day not making any effort to enjoy the days. I realized that I wanted to come to the place I am at now because I needed to snap out of what I was feeling and this college was easy to be accepted into. When i visited, I walked around for about an hour and really felt drawn to this place.

As you know from previous posts I have had my fair share of doubt about being here but ultimately the Love of Christ and the power of HIS WORD has reassured everything. Tonight was just another one of those nights where God spoke and said let go and truly trust me. I know I can't have it all together all the time and I need God for everything. I need to act upon how i feel about my savior. I walk with God and He walks with me literally. Tonight I gazed upon His creation and prayed for everything I had been trying to control myself. "Lord empty me of me so i can be filled with you" "never once did I ever walk alone"

Philippians 4: 6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

AMEN

World domination

Here's something I continue to find truly amazing. You the readers live all around the world and actually read what I write. I'm just a college kid in America who enjoys writing about important issues and practical advice. Mexico, Indonesia, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, Russia, amazing places I can only dream to visit. I think its great that even though I have never traveled to any of those places we still have something in common and can relate because we all feel. Some of us feel more than others and experience situations that cause us to feel sorrow and hurtful emotions and other times we feel joy peace comfort happy emotions. A midst the struggles and blessings that each day contains we can feel like there has to be someone out there that knows and has experienced what we have gone through. Through the power of prayer and belief in salvation from sin we are united in faith in Christ Jesus and know we will never walk alone. 

Learned this year

Tonight the question was posed what have I learned this year. Great thing to think about.
learned...
1. How to express myself without swearing, I used to curse like a sailor and think nothing about it
2. How to find the joy in a situation and turn around my outlook
3. Nothing school related
4. What good friends I have
5. There are more important things in life than drama
6. Experiences are blessings good or bad, you experience them for a reason that only God knows
7. People will always fail you but its how\who you turn to to make things better

MILATARY

Recently I have been watching too many military themed movies. Red Tails, Black Hawk Down, Act of Valor, are just a few. All of these movies make me recognize the fact that America might be called the "land of the free and the home of the brave" but at the expense that people pay. The brave that call America home, are the ones that seldom return to enjoy the freedom. Military personal are being killed and sacrificing themselves everyday in the battlefields for US. Are we living as free people should be living? If anyone who served came back and saw the way that we are living would they still be proud to say they fight for us? Would you want to give your life to protect a bunch of gangsters, drug addicts, club rats, slackers, unemployed people, broken  sinners? 
Jesus did. He died for US and protected us from death and sin consequences. 

Reading

The other day I was thinking about writing but never got the chance to sit down and put letters to thoughts. Today is a beautiful day and thoughts are escaping me, I can't seem to remember what I was going to write about. 
Have you ever thought about why the last book we reach to read is often the books that will benefit us the most by reading them? Textbooks, Bible, other encouraging books. I recently finished yet another novel and said I have nothing left to read but then I remembered I have a Bible. 66 books. All at my disposal whenever I want something to read I have the privileged of living in a country that allows me to be able to carry a Bible and read it freely. The Bible contains many stories that cover the vast spectrum of any type of story that you would ever want to read. Why is it that the Bible is most often the book we only open when we are experiencing struggles and don't ever just read for the pleasure of the stories. The Bible has the best author that ever existed and is the best selling book in the world. The power in the book has been recognized by those that oppose the Faith and because they realize the power, that is why certain country's ban the Bible. 
Just something to think about...

.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest Matthew 11:28
Tonight I wrote. Pen, paper, thoughts flowed in illegible cursive. The forgotten penmanship.
I'm sorry I haven't been faithful writing on here but life has been busy.

Choices

It has been said that you can tell a lot about a person by the choices they make. What the wear, what they eat, what type of car they drive but the most important deciding factor has to be who they associate with. Their is an old saying that says something along the lines of "birds of a feather flock together". Animals have a distinct instinct when they know someone has gone missing, and often will never leave one of their own alone in the world. Friendships are like animal packs, never leave a man behind. If one of your friends is struggling or hurting in anyway you should be the friend they need that hits them with the hard questions and is there to help them through the tough situation like animals do. Recently I have readdressed the idea of getting out of here because of the issues I have previously written about. If you have never gone to a Christian college or are still at that deciding point of what to do after you graduate, I am going to advise you with the best advice. DO NOT pick the University on solely how easy it is to get accepted. Challenge yourself and really look into where YOU want to go because You will be the person actually attending classes there and spending part of your life in that environment. My experience at this University has been quite the roller-coaster experience. I still to this day have to trust God in every choice I make. For the past week and a half I have been stubborn and honestly thought I could decide for myself where and what I am doing with my life. It is MY life, and MY lie that I was believing about the grass being greener at home on the other side at a state school. I honestly thought that I could control lifes twists and turns and I could be adult and get what I want my way. Fortunatly God taught me the best lesson I really needed to learn I AM HERE FOR A PURPOSE, and only He knows what that purpose is and how I am going to play into that scheme. 

History

Throughout the course of time people have often wondered about the possibility of time travel, and if it were possible would they given the option go back in their lives and change anything. I think that as cliche as the phrase the past makes you who you are today is somewhat true. If I hadn't had such a terrible time in high school and written everyone off my senior year, I would never have thrown myself fully into college friendships and never would have opened up to meet the great friends I am blessed with. At the same time I do try and connect with the people I remained friends with in High School, but someway or another it does not end up working out. I suppose that's fate for ya you try and be kind and right the wrongs you committed in your youth and show them you are a changed person and try to rekindle friendships for what for them to blow you off every chance you try and reach out to them. That's life. People dishing out the karma you are dealt and having to respond in a loving Christ like attitude and not just write them off again. Honestly that is life and people will always be holding a grudge about how they were treated back in the day and no matter how badly you improve yourself and try to make changes for the better it will just never be enough and people will never forget or even forgive.  That is why it is extremely important to remain faithful and consistent with the relationships you have. Don't burn the bridge and expect to cross back over it again because that will never happen. May this advice help you to stay out of the dead zone with your friends. 

Refreshing Refurbishment

Partly cloudy day, is the best way to describe what today is. Cloudy outside and cloudy inside my head. Today I take the time to reflect back to the title of this BLOG, the idea of PERSEVERANCE. How to keep moving forward and what choices that have to be made to keep progressing. Throughout our lives there are those situations that arise that make us have to decide one way or another. Choices that have to be made despite what level of sound thinking you have at that time. Opportunity arise everyday where a choice has to be made, the severity of the repercussions fro those choices is something to be considered. Today I turned to the Word of God to help me clear up this idea of Perseverance. I found that the New Testament alone has addressed this idea many a time. JAMES 5:11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Everyone knows the story of Job was infused with constant trials and pain and the Lord came through for him on every occasion. In Romans 5:3-4  the idea of remaining faithful and confident in our faith is presented; Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope. That's right they rejoiced in their suffering, and their character was enhanced because of it. In Revelations this idea of perseverance is addressed and commended.Revelations 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

You might be asking yes Perseverance is important but why write about this now? Well I think that there comes a time when everyone hits that wall where they don't want to do something they know they should, as a college student it is clearly studying. People of all ages need to be reminded of the truth in the Word about continuing on in hard times and keeping consistent in the faith. :) Yes I titled it refurbishment because just like something old that is worn down and needs to be replaced we become that way spiritually when we are experiencing hard times, and just get old and burned out. 

Love

February is supposed to be considered the month of love and heart disease awareness. Somehow I have missed this theme and given the month a new perspective.
The entire month of February I have been dwelling my thoughts on how I don't want to be at this stage in my life. I am still struggling to accept the destiny of why am I here at this college. This stage has been eventful and makes me ponder quite often more often than it should about choices. Personal choices that I have made that have impacted relationship[s with others and God. My relationship with God has taken a turn towards the nonchalant ah i know he is there but not really involving him in my life anymore. I have made choices that i know are supposed to be beneficial to my future and education that have instead left me feeling discouraged and more empty and alone. I know that this is one of the ways that Satan uses to undermine our confidence on Christ. In christ alone my hope is found he is my rock... so the song goes but sometimes you really just need to break down and cry out to him and be apologetic for not viewing him as your rock. I have experianced that feeling of helpless and just needing the Lords comforting hand. My recent revelation on life is that despite not wanting to be here and hating it, i realized how can i make those around me better how can i see their need and help them. Helping others is a gift to not only them but also i have found it make me feel good as well. Talk about a win win. So i would like to challenge you whomever you are when you feel like life sucks just find someone else that looks like their day hasnt gone their way and do something special for them. Making the best of every situation will help you in the end to find that sense of joy and fullfilment. Today I implimented this idea and bought my friend her favorite juice because she looked like she had a bad day. Considerateness is just as important as kindness, its like kindness in action. I hope this helps who ever reads this. Just my Perspective.

Waiting wondering

Here I am first week done at school, and all i can think about in my free time is the ever looming question of why. WHY AM I BACK HERE. I really don't see the purpose of being at school when I hate it here always have always will. education for the field I want to go into is useless since Journalism is a dyeing industry. All the time while sitting in class I hear oh eventually the internet will replace paper newspapers. Which is what I want to do so useless when I go to class and get my dream job shot down daily. That's why I am here and even that is a waste of time and money. I really have no idea why I am still here. I know i have previously written about Gods plan for my life and how there must be a reason why i am here. Still I wonder when that plan will be revealed and if I should stay here. I understand to some degree how the old testament prophets must have felt, trusting God for greatness to be revealed but waiting amid persecution for what would happen. Patience is a lesson I am continuing to learn. 

Wilderness wanderings

In the bible there is a time where the people spent about 40 years wandering around the wilderness because of their inability to trust God and his plan. I am beginning to think that maybe that wasn't a terrible thing to wander the wilderness it gave the Israelite s a new found appreciation for the provisions that God had provided them with and allowed them to learn from their trust mistakes of the past to grow closer literally in their walk with the Lord. I found myself doing my own version of a wilderness walk today when I took my dog to the park. it was a brisk afternoon and I just needed some fresh perspective on life situations. as I strolled around the lake and reflected about the upcoming semester I realized that my life is going nowhere. I thought I had an idea a game plan but ulitematly I have no idea what I'm doing in life. I ascended the steps up the hill and perched myself upon the bench overlooking the lake and thought this is beautiful. The sun rays were shimmering across the half frozen pond and peace was surrounding the area. Quiet time to reflect and think about how hectic I make my life be. Really the simple times are the times that i value the most when I am home and just truly genuinely relaxing. Doesn't get any better than that. Most of my life I am always being shuffled here and there being told to do this or that and really why what is the rush there are 24 hours in a day. Twenty-four. that's plenty of time to accomplish what needs to be done and then still have time to relax and hear Gods voice talk to me. Quiet times is when He speaks the loudest, when you allow Him the time work will get done. So relax and rest in the Lord.