Summer 2011 is going/ and has been so much change. For the past year and half i have been leaving with a very special lady, Aubree! She has been a huge part of my life all the way back to freshman year when God used her as a vesicle to bring me to him. She challenged me in my purpose, she has been there for rebuke, teaching, laughter, and even just a shoulder to cry on. The decision for her to leave Jonesboro was not a shock, but it didn't become real until the actual announcement at the last Campus Outreach meeting and she began packing up her room!
With Aubree leaving we had room for a new comer...well we got 4! Which means for the summer we have 6 ladies living in a 2 bedroom and laundry room (which we use as a bedroom) and 1 bathroom house! The past two weeks have been a combination of emotions! There has been stress, excitement, some frustration at times...but i think the anticipation of just having all the girls moved in and just being able to adjust to how we will be living for the next 3 months.
It will be Day 3 of everybody officially being moved in! The ladies of Melrose are 3 Pickle sisters (Danielle-who will have her own room, Karen & Lydia-who will share Aubree's old room) and the remanding 3 are Miss. Lyndsey Rush-who will be with us till the end of May and Miss. Brennan Moore and Myself. Another addition at the beginning of June is Lindsey Moore! I know that this summer is going to be good for all of us! The reactions of having 6 girls live in a house with one bathroom is shock...but I really do believe it is doable...at least that is my payer! Day 3, like i said and it has been nothing but laughter! Monday night was spent with friends and the roomies around a bonfire roosting marshmallows and making smores. Here is a link to a video Miss. Lyndsey recorded..the commentary is the best part! http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=2011986349031
For me...one of the most exciting things is...if you don't know I have been out of school for the past year and half, but all of that is about to change! I will be back in school in the fall and taking a summer course in Summer I. Registering for classes was so unreal and with the past year and a half i am so ready to be back and get this all past me and move forward! The only sad thing is missing the Family vacation to Texas in June, because of the summer class! It is disappointing but guess as you grow up you have to make those decisions!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
15 Minutes
15 Minutes left till I can GO HOME! Is it bad that I am a person who likes to keep my options open on how I spend my nights or weekends? Not really committing to anything. Sometimes I feel like that shows something about how can't commit...Maybe! It is Thursday and i really really can't wait for the weekend, although it looks like it is going to be jam packed with events! Tomorrow night is the opening night at the Malco of The Eagle...yes the new movie with Mr. Tatum....which in the near future I can see that that movie will be added to the movie collection! Laundry is a must! I am living in a two bedroom, 1 bathroom house...that i dearly love don't get me wrong, but the absence of a washer and dryer defiantly has its down falls! I keep trying to talk Aubree into some how someway of making a spot for hooks up for a washer and dryer! Yes our house already has a place for one...but Danielle is living in the laundry room...and no it is not a 7X7 cube room. The so called laundry room is MASSIVE! And to have a third roommate really helps out on rent..so that in its self is a huge blessing to have a laundry room the size of an actual closet. 8 Minutes to go! I think i am starting to become obsessed with working out, or maybe I am just really enjoying....somebody let me know if it because an idol. I am in the process of cleaning of my computer....my desktop has so many folders with photos that it is becoming over whelming and unbearable! 1 Minute!.....hope everyone has a great night...stay warm and try not to slip on the ice patches...if there are any still left!
Seeing Beyond.....
The Ideal picture of God's Woman:
-Faith in God that sees beyond the present bitter setbacks
-Freedom from the securities and comforts of the world
-Courage to venture into the unknown and strange
-Radical commitment in the relationship appointed by God.
For us to become the women that God has created, we have to first have salvation, but through that gift of Salvation we have to understand that it brings absolute joy. Faith in God that sees beyond the present bitter setbacks is a challenge for me, not to be drivin by my circumstances. The idea of having a good day because nothing went wrong, people were nice to you, your boss didn't have something discouraging to say...or you just have money in the bank. These are not were our joy should be found. On Sunday the pastor of the church I attend, hit the meaning of Biblical Joy really hard. It is amazing that the things you are struggling with God can open his word and blindside you with answers and guidance that you didn't think you would fnd in such a short time.
I find myself this week, being satisfiyed with God. I have literally been broke since the begining of January. Money was "supose" to come in at certian points but things obviously didn't go according to plan. I cant even count the number of days that i have eaten Noodles!, but the last 2 days I found some Frozen chicken that I had no idea that I had. Don't ever let anybody tell you that once you are out of school Life gets easier! Which now it shows me how greatful I should be for Christ that I don't have to live for circumstances, that all I need is him. And even though I have been broke (and if you dont really know me, my life has been ran by my circustance, if you haven't been able to tell yet) my car being MIA since September (and that is a whole story..maybe ill blog about later)....God is still and will remain Good!
Proverbs 31:25..."she looks into the future with confidence in God and laughs at the coming trouble." With this verse it reminds me to look beyond my circumstances, and that i don't have to worry...because worrying doesn't change, add or help those situations.
-Faith in God that sees beyond the present bitter setbacks
-Freedom from the securities and comforts of the world
-Courage to venture into the unknown and strange
-Radical commitment in the relationship appointed by God.
For us to become the women that God has created, we have to first have salvation, but through that gift of Salvation we have to understand that it brings absolute joy. Faith in God that sees beyond the present bitter setbacks is a challenge for me, not to be drivin by my circumstances. The idea of having a good day because nothing went wrong, people were nice to you, your boss didn't have something discouraging to say...or you just have money in the bank. These are not were our joy should be found. On Sunday the pastor of the church I attend, hit the meaning of Biblical Joy really hard. It is amazing that the things you are struggling with God can open his word and blindside you with answers and guidance that you didn't think you would fnd in such a short time.
I find myself this week, being satisfiyed with God. I have literally been broke since the begining of January. Money was "supose" to come in at certian points but things obviously didn't go according to plan. I cant even count the number of days that i have eaten Noodles!, but the last 2 days I found some Frozen chicken that I had no idea that I had. Don't ever let anybody tell you that once you are out of school Life gets easier! Which now it shows me how greatful I should be for Christ that I don't have to live for circumstances, that all I need is him. And even though I have been broke (and if you dont really know me, my life has been ran by my circustance, if you haven't been able to tell yet) my car being MIA since September (and that is a whole story..maybe ill blog about later)....God is still and will remain Good!
Proverbs 31:25..."she looks into the future with confidence in God and laughs at the coming trouble." With this verse it reminds me to look beyond my circumstances, and that i don't have to worry...because worrying doesn't change, add or help those situations.
Friday, January 21, 2011
True Gospel
Are we shying away from the message of the one true gospel…
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of UNDESERVED privilege where we now stand….” (Rom. 5: 1-2).
We look and see that the privilege to dwell with God wasn’t possible because of sin, it was an undeserved privilege. Only because of Christ and his obedience to the father can we come and stand, but what does that show me on what I need to give up? Today the false promise that you can find eternal life but still continue to live in rebellion against God, claim Jesus as Savior and wait till later to commit to him and obey him as your Lord, a belief that your behavior has no correlation with spiritual status, or the option of obedience…..This is not the Gospel of Jesus.
“But he was pierced for OUR rebellion, crushed for OUR sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” …’He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. NO ONE cared that his life was cut short in mid stream. But he was struck down for the REBELLION OF PEOPLE.” (Isaiah 53) This chapter in Isaiah is huge! Christ gave up his life for people who never would or never cared to. In Christ’s obedience he gave us the example….the example to follow just as Christ was obedient until death. So what does this say about the false claim to live in rebellion against God. You can read through John and see Jesus’ life. We say that we are Christians, but that saying that “I am a Christian” is sloshed around and the meaning of a true follower of Christ is being blurred by the false claims of the world that we ourselves our creating or we are sitting back and letting them become what people believe.
“The belief that someone could be a true Christian while that person’s whole lifestyle, value and speech, and attitude are marked by stubborn refusal to surrender to Christ as Lord is a notion that shouldn’t even need to be refuted.”—John MacArthur.
Jesus’ teaching and ministry always kept the issue of his Lordship at the center! You can not separate Jesus as your savior with out seeing him as your Lord. It is a two for one….Lord + Savior= Christ! He demands unconditional surrender. So the true message of Jesus CANNOT be divorced from the reality of his Lordship over your life. As Christians we are not sidekicks or admires who he can entertain…he called us to be followers.
As followers our foundation is build on Christ. “Anyone who listens to my teaching and FOLLOWS it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (Matt 7:24). Jesus calls out to everyone to follow him, but for a majority, we aren’t willing to count the cost and see that through his submission to God in his death that is the call for us to die to ourselves and submit to God. We need to understand that Christ died, because he wanted to please God and the shedding of blood was the only way to punish our sins. Everything that Jesus ever did in his life was pleasing to the father. Christ’s motive wasn’t just to please the father, but his death was because of LOVE!...”And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” (John 17:19). Christ gave himself up so that we could be made holy and righteous before God, because if we look and began to question our purpose, I think you will come to find that it is to know and bring Glory to the one true God! “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive Glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
If you know the one true God and the true Gospel that he sent forth through Jesus. Your life would change radically. You would no longer want to live in rebellion against God….”So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.You won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the spirit wants. The spirit gives us the desires that are the opposites of what the sinful nature desires…..” (Gal. 5:16-17)
Who are you living for and how are you living? Are you living in light of the false claims that says your actions and your attitude has no relationship with your spiritual life or are you trying to separate Christ as Savior and ignore his Lordship over your life?
“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of UNDESERVED privilege where we now stand….” (Rom. 5: 1-2).
We look and see that the privilege to dwell with God wasn’t possible because of sin, it was an undeserved privilege. Only because of Christ and his obedience to the father can we come and stand, but what does that show me on what I need to give up? Today the false promise that you can find eternal life but still continue to live in rebellion against God, claim Jesus as Savior and wait till later to commit to him and obey him as your Lord, a belief that your behavior has no correlation with spiritual status, or the option of obedience…..This is not the Gospel of Jesus.
“But he was pierced for OUR rebellion, crushed for OUR sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” …’He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. NO ONE cared that his life was cut short in mid stream. But he was struck down for the REBELLION OF PEOPLE.” (Isaiah 53) This chapter in Isaiah is huge! Christ gave up his life for people who never would or never cared to. In Christ’s obedience he gave us the example….the example to follow just as Christ was obedient until death. So what does this say about the false claim to live in rebellion against God. You can read through John and see Jesus’ life. We say that we are Christians, but that saying that “I am a Christian” is sloshed around and the meaning of a true follower of Christ is being blurred by the false claims of the world that we ourselves our creating or we are sitting back and letting them become what people believe.
“The belief that someone could be a true Christian while that person’s whole lifestyle, value and speech, and attitude are marked by stubborn refusal to surrender to Christ as Lord is a notion that shouldn’t even need to be refuted.”—John MacArthur.
Jesus’ teaching and ministry always kept the issue of his Lordship at the center! You can not separate Jesus as your savior with out seeing him as your Lord. It is a two for one….Lord + Savior= Christ! He demands unconditional surrender. So the true message of Jesus CANNOT be divorced from the reality of his Lordship over your life. As Christians we are not sidekicks or admires who he can entertain…he called us to be followers.
As followers our foundation is build on Christ. “Anyone who listens to my teaching and FOLLOWS it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” (Matt 7:24). Jesus calls out to everyone to follow him, but for a majority, we aren’t willing to count the cost and see that through his submission to God in his death that is the call for us to die to ourselves and submit to God. We need to understand that Christ died, because he wanted to please God and the shedding of blood was the only way to punish our sins. Everything that Jesus ever did in his life was pleasing to the father. Christ’s motive wasn’t just to please the father, but his death was because of LOVE!...”And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.” (John 17:19). Christ gave himself up so that we could be made holy and righteous before God, because if we look and began to question our purpose, I think you will come to find that it is to know and bring Glory to the one true God! “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive Glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
If you know the one true God and the true Gospel that he sent forth through Jesus. Your life would change radically. You would no longer want to live in rebellion against God….”So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives.You won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the spirit wants. The spirit gives us the desires that are the opposites of what the sinful nature desires…..” (Gal. 5:16-17)
Who are you living for and how are you living? Are you living in light of the false claims that says your actions and your attitude has no relationship with your spiritual life or are you trying to separate Christ as Savior and ignore his Lordship over your life?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Joy of the Family
Better Late than Never
I thought I should share a little about my Christmas Break, yes I do know that we are coming upon the end of January and this post is late, but better late than never. Christmas break was extremely relaxing, but going home always is. I was able to hang out with a few old friends, which is always great when you can get your old crew together. It is amazing to think about how even through the years of having to move on or things in your life change....having a baby, getting married, working non stop....even though all of this you can still go back to your roots and it seems like your friendship never changes. You can look back on your past and what seems like forever ago, a little part of you wishes you could go back, but these you can laugh because those experiences of stupidity and spontaneity have shaped who you are. I am so grateful for them, for those same girls who have been there and continue to be there.
Being with Family is always great. There is absolutely nothing normal about my family. Christmas Eve was spent a the grandparents house. Entertainment came from my brother, Christopher, who did wheelies in a wheel chair and told his ever exciting trips to Wal-mart and the salvation army acting like a cripple. As you may be able to figure out....we don't need much to be entertained!
I spent a week in Nashville attending the New Years Conference. You can not go to a conference like this not go away changed. I have learned in the past that in order for God to release and give more of his knowledge, it is you that has to be willing to seek. I went to a seminar about prayer and intimacy with Christ. One of the things Kenny shared with us was the higher you are trying to grow and get that higher level the deeper the foundation has to be. In order for me to grow in Christ there has to be a foundation....a foundation for getting in the word, for prayer, for fellowship. I saw that all these different things that were once projected to me as things on a wheel. If there were areas that i wasn't getting enough of or spending as much time doing, my wheel would not spine properly or even be able to pick up speed. For a year i had been driving on a newly pathed road, but each day air was beginning to escape from the tire. As the days went on of choosing not to get in the word or going before the Lord....my perspective on my life and the perspective of others began to change..I became the victim, I began to wallow in sin and being able to find joy in my life here in Jonesboro was nonexistent. My life became something I walked through day end and day out, i was driven by my circumstances...there would be good days, but they never steamed from Christ.
The intimacy with Christ had stopped, my obedience in some aspects had stopped. I no longer respected authority, I became my own Lord and the opinions and directions of others went in one ear and out the other.....It is amazing how easy it is to put on a mask and act like everything is okay, because I'll tell you that I am really good at hiding. It is still hard to believe that even through all of this, God still wants me! He calls me to be intimate with him..... Which takes me praying through Psalm 63, that I would EARNESTLY be seeking God, my soul would be thirsting for him gazing upon his power and majesty and experiencing his love in its full capacity---> Viewing his Love better than Life.
Building a Foundation that is build around Christ....brings me to my Faith! During NYC and even now a verse that is really hitting home is Luke 9:23-24. Faith will and always cost you something. So right now,I am asking God to show me what my life is costing me and recognizing his authority over my flesh.
As we deny ourselves we recognize the authority that Christ has over our lives. Christ is far above any ruler, all things have been placed under his authority (Eph. 1:21-23). As I submit to Christ's authority HE makes me full and complete......This is just some of things God revealed to me over the Conference....I can't say that it is a summary or even half. Below are some Photos from the Conference.
Being with Family is always great. There is absolutely nothing normal about my family. Christmas Eve was spent a the grandparents house. Entertainment came from my brother, Christopher, who did wheelies in a wheel chair and told his ever exciting trips to Wal-mart and the salvation army acting like a cripple. As you may be able to figure out....we don't need much to be entertained!
I spent a week in Nashville attending the New Years Conference. You can not go to a conference like this not go away changed. I have learned in the past that in order for God to release and give more of his knowledge, it is you that has to be willing to seek. I went to a seminar about prayer and intimacy with Christ. One of the things Kenny shared with us was the higher you are trying to grow and get that higher level the deeper the foundation has to be. In order for me to grow in Christ there has to be a foundation....a foundation for getting in the word, for prayer, for fellowship. I saw that all these different things that were once projected to me as things on a wheel. If there were areas that i wasn't getting enough of or spending as much time doing, my wheel would not spine properly or even be able to pick up speed. For a year i had been driving on a newly pathed road, but each day air was beginning to escape from the tire. As the days went on of choosing not to get in the word or going before the Lord....my perspective on my life and the perspective of others began to change..I became the victim, I began to wallow in sin and being able to find joy in my life here in Jonesboro was nonexistent. My life became something I walked through day end and day out, i was driven by my circumstances...there would be good days, but they never steamed from Christ.
The intimacy with Christ had stopped, my obedience in some aspects had stopped. I no longer respected authority, I became my own Lord and the opinions and directions of others went in one ear and out the other.....It is amazing how easy it is to put on a mask and act like everything is okay, because I'll tell you that I am really good at hiding. It is still hard to believe that even through all of this, God still wants me! He calls me to be intimate with him..... Which takes me praying through Psalm 63, that I would EARNESTLY be seeking God, my soul would be thirsting for him gazing upon his power and majesty and experiencing his love in its full capacity---> Viewing his Love better than Life.
Building a Foundation that is build around Christ....brings me to my Faith! During NYC and even now a verse that is really hitting home is Luke 9:23-24. Faith will and always cost you something. So right now,I am asking God to show me what my life is costing me and recognizing his authority over my flesh.
"If any of you want to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give your life up for my sake, you will save it."
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| ASU GroupPhoto |
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| Tedashii Concert |
Friday, December 10, 2010
Benefits
You could almost see me with a camera ever where I go. Multiple times in my life as a photographer, i have gotten to the point of not even wanting to pick up a camera...it is almost like a dry period. I love memories! Tonight I realized that even through the massive amounts of photos that I have taken...you can find joy! The joy...of friendships that bought you laughter and tears. The Memory of a time in your life when you thought your world was crashing in on you, but then you realize and see the Goodness of everything up to the point of today. My photos do that for me!
They remind me of how much I have grown up not only in photography, but also in life! People will come and go in your life, but you don't really realize how much of a blessing they were until after they are gone! I always saw my photos as something that didn't matter to people, but they matter to me. They are my timeline! They map out my story, and the different things I have done and been able to experience. They bring me back to a time before I even knew Christ, indulging in my sin and living a life devoted to myself, but also they bring blessings and a thankful heart.
They bring me back to the faces that shared the gospel, they take me to NYC 2006, where i surrendered my life to Christ, they take me back to the multiple times I have turned away from God with idolizing relationships and choosing a boy, alcohol, and just a constant battle against my flesh. They remind me of the love of Christ, and just how God has blessed me with friendships that will bring me back and push me to know Him even when I didn't want to be obedient and they show me the power of Christ, through their lives of being made a new creation or living a life that is following fully after Christ.
We are never content with our lives and always wishing for something different, to be somewhere different. Antisipating and thinking/planning on how our lives will be in the next 5 to 10 years. I look back at the massive amounts of photos I do have and even catch myself wanting to go back, ponding on memories of decisions made or actions taken, wanting to take them back or just wanting to experince them again because they brought joy and laughter and it seems like everything was simple, easier.
They remind me of how much I have grown up not only in photography, but also in life! People will come and go in your life, but you don't really realize how much of a blessing they were until after they are gone! I always saw my photos as something that didn't matter to people, but they matter to me. They are my timeline! They map out my story, and the different things I have done and been able to experience. They bring me back to a time before I even knew Christ, indulging in my sin and living a life devoted to myself, but also they bring blessings and a thankful heart.
They bring me back to the faces that shared the gospel, they take me to NYC 2006, where i surrendered my life to Christ, they take me back to the multiple times I have turned away from God with idolizing relationships and choosing a boy, alcohol, and just a constant battle against my flesh. They remind me of the love of Christ, and just how God has blessed me with friendships that will bring me back and push me to know Him even when I didn't want to be obedient and they show me the power of Christ, through their lives of being made a new creation or living a life that is following fully after Christ.
We are never content with our lives and always wishing for something different, to be somewhere different. Antisipating and thinking/planning on how our lives will be in the next 5 to 10 years. I look back at the massive amounts of photos I do have and even catch myself wanting to go back, ponding on memories of decisions made or actions taken, wanting to take them back or just wanting to experince them again because they brought joy and laughter and it seems like everything was simple, easier.
"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."-Psalm 139:16
Everything that has, is and ever will happen in my life, has happpened because God allowed it to happen. Just as I made a choice to surrender my life to Christ, with that choice I choose to accept everything God had instore for me.
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