Jesus is the Bridegroom

"Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, 'Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them, 'Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is take away from them, and then they will fast in that day.'"

-- Mark 2:18-20, ESV

This is from the footnote in my bible:

"Jesus refers to himself as the bridegroom, who in the Old Testament was the Lord. While Jesus is present with his disciples, they are to rejoice; when he is taken way from them...then they will fast. They will then return to the practice of fasting to seek the presence of God, but they need not to do that when Jesus, the Son of God, is with them. 'Taken away' is an indirect prediction of Jesus' death."


This passage for some reason stuck out to me, but once I read the footnote, I knew why. It is amazing. This is just another passage where we are shown that Jesus is our everything, and we don't need anything else to satisfy us. He is our satisfaction. When we truly experience the Lord, and all that He is, we will need nothing. Nothing in this world satisfies us like our Father does. But we live in this world where we are told that earthly things will fulfill our desires and needs. It is hard to throw things away that we "need" or have always lived with. But how many of these things are holding us back from God and not allowing us to experience everything that He is trying to give us? Jesus is our all, everything that we need. He paid it all for us, so that we would be saved and satisfied. Why do we constantly run away, and try to find other things instead of running to the One who died to satisfy?

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

-- Philippians 4:4

Christmas Time and Your Story

It's hard to think that Christmas is almost here again (10 days to be exact). That also means there are twelve days until my 21st birthday. I'm sure there will be a post about that later though. I love Christmas, it is one of my favorite holidays, if not the favorite of mine. I love that we get basically a month off of school, I love the decorations, food, and time spent with family. This time of year can be so busy though, that people get caught up in so many things, they forget what Christmas is really about, or Who it is really about. The most important thing that we remember around Christmas time is the birth of our Lord. I can't fathom why God would send His Son to earth to die for me. Every day it blows my mind away. Why would He leave everything that is perfect and holy in Heaven, to come and be a man in a world full of hatred and sin? Could I do that? I'd like to think that I could, but I know that in no way am I as strong as our Lord. He is perfect, holy, righteous, powerful, but at the same time loving, tangible, caring...forgiving! Forgiving of all that we do wrong every day, every hour, every minute. No, being that forgiving requires such patience that I do not possess. He was born of a virgin, sent here by His Father, to die on a cross and save us from our sins. So that if we believe, we may have eternal life, and not perish.(John 3:16) If we believe, one day we will walk beside Him in a perfect and holy land. It is important for us to remember around Christmas, the love that God showed us by sending His Son to live here on earth. That He was born, and it was the start of something beautiful. The beauty didn't start there, it started when God created the world. This is just a part of the story, a part of God's perfect plan. And your life, your story, is also part of God's perfect plan, you just have to let Him use you. Will you?

Our Christmas Tree

Decorations

More Decorations

Snowflakes and Silver Bells

:-)

Hello Again...

It has been awhile since I have posted on here. However, school is out for Christmas break so a lot more posting may be coming over the next 4 weeks. There are some new companies I have found that I think are awesome and a website that gets you great deals on pictures. I want to share some Christmas spirit and sing some "Yea, Alabama." Not to mention, there is just life happening. Don't miss it. Hope you all are having a great December so far and getting ready for Christmas. Check back for the posts! 

:-)

Thanksgiving 2009

This Thanksgiving was great! First, I got a break from school and who doesn't like that? Second, I got to go hunting with my Dad. Even though we didn't see or get anything, it was a lot of fun. Third, we went to Memphis to visit the rest of the family. It was a wonderful wonderful weekend, and lots of fun, laughs, and love. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I hope your Thanksgiving was great as well! :-)

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!

Thank you, Dad for all that you have done for me and given me. I am blessed and glad to call you my dad!

I LOVE YOU!!

 

 

  Thank you for showing me how to shoot a gun.

:-)

 

Thank you for teaching me how to fish and then clean 'em!

:-)

 

Thank you for taking me camping!

:-)

Thank you, Dad for all that you have a taught me, even the things that I don't have pictures of. Like, how to ride my bike, how to drive, and how to shoot a bow.

Thank you for showing me what good music is and how to play an awesome air guitar!

Thank you for teaching me how to make coffee and 'Who Hash' (is that how you spell it? haha)

Thank you for teaching me how to read a map and for making me watch the History Channel! :-)

Thank you for being there for me, and listening to me. For giving me awesome advice, and amazing hugs.

Thank you for being my dad and showing me love.

Thank you for being you.

Dad, I'm glad to be like you.

I LOVE YOU!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! 

Why Farmer's Markets are Amazing

You get beautiful things, like these flowers.



I love the Fall season, and today for the first time it seems, it feels like fall outside. We even turned off the air in our dorms and just opened our windows. It feels great with the wind blowing and the 70 degree air. The blue skies are a nice touch as well. I love this day, and I love knowing where it came from. Only Someone magnificent and beautiful Himself could create a day like this. Thank you, Father.

I hope the weather is wonderful in your area as well. If it isn't, I hope that tomorrow will be a bright day, and that you can see the Beauty too!

Happy Fall Everyone!!!

That Time of the Year....

It's that time of year again...the leaves are changing, school is in full swing, tests are starting, and sleep is slowly diminishing from my schedule. This means two things. First, school has started back for another crazy semester. And my life is back to being full of tests and assignments. However, the other thing fall means, is college football is back. More importantly, it means Alabama Football is back! That's right, it's time again. Bryant-Denny is filled with 90,000+ football fans screaming at the top of their lungs for the Crimson Tide. Screaming when the Defensive line is out, and watching intently when the Offensive is out. It's Crimson and White, Roll Tide, Big Al, Denny Dogs, chest-painters, tailgating, Walk of Champions, tradition, pride, and Rammer Jammer. It is Alabama Football.























ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

High Ankle Sprain

On Thursday, August 27th, 2009, I fell down the stairs. I didn't fall down all of them, just the last one. After friends helping be back up the steps, out of the Student Union, four inquiries on if I was okay, and two buses later.... I finally got to the Student Health Center. They wheeled me to X-Ray, gave me some ice, and put me in a room. An hour later, the doctor came to look in on me. She was nice at first, until she touched the very swollen side of my ankle. Let me tell you, that lady was lucky that I did not knock her to the ground. Then, she goes and looks at my x-rays, and concludes that I have a high ankle sprain. Great. Campus is going to be LOTS of fun now. I asked her a bunch of questions, and she basically told me that, it was going to be a long recovery. How long? Too long. No one really knows. It varies from person to person. It actually would have healed faster had I actually broken it. So, physical therapy may be in the works. They gave me a gel ankle brace, no crutches, and no pain meds!!!! Talk about pain, all I was told to take was ibuprofen and keep ice on it. Oh, well. So after getting back to my dorm, and telling a thousand of my dear friends what happened, I went to sleep missing my Anatomy Lab and Anatomy lecture.

Here, almost two weeks after "the incident" (that is how we are all referring to it as), I can put more pressure on it, and walk better. I can go up and down stairs easier as well, I just kind of hop when I do it. Thankfully, I wasn't on crutches very long, because me on those things seemed to be worse than me falling down the stairs. I still do not have full range of motion in my ankle, and it does have it's days where it hurts worse than the day before. I know that it is going to be a slow recovery, I'm prepared. Please pray for a fast, FULL recovery. This hasn't been that easy for me, seeing as I don't like asking people to do things for me, but I was pretty much required too. I had to rely on my friends and God more than ever. He was teaching me patience a little bit, and He was always telling me that no matter what, He would always be there. And He was.

See, when I feel at the stairs, I was in a part of the building that did not have very good cell service. As soon as I got my phone out and press the "call" button, I lost service. Not knowing what to do, I started praying, and at that moment, one of my friends walked by. Now, she was on the upper level, not looking anywhere near me. I yelled her name, and she ran down there. That was not just a chance happening, that was God.

He is with you always even in the darkest of places.


Here are some pictures from that day and some days after. Today, I still have bruising in this same areas, but it is more pink. The only blackish-blue parts are around my toes.

These were from the day of the incident.

This was the day after....

Two days after....
The third day after.....
This is the last picture that I took of it, but it did get worse. The bruising progressed down along the side of my foot up to my toes, and wrapped around on top of my foot. Then, it started bruising on the other side of my ankle. I still have swelling going on and lots of fluid in my foot.


So, what's the worse injury you have ever had??

Arizona 2009

This is also written on my Facebook.

___________________________________________________________________

Hey everybody! I just wanted to ask for your prayers as I leave for Arizona again today. This is my third year out there, and I am excited to see the people again! A lot of ya'll have heard me talk about AZ at least once...or twice haha. But it has a special place in my heart, the place and the people. God is doing incredible things out there for His glory, and I am so blessed to even be a part of that. I am leaving today, Wednesday, but will not actually get onto the Reservation until Saturday. Thursday I fly out to the Grand Canyon, and will be there until Friday, then on Saturday drive down to the Reservation. We fly back to B'Ham on the 27th. Please pray for the safe travel of me and the rest of the group I will be with. There are 8 more that will be along with me. Pray that we will all be safe. Also, please pray for the rest of the groups that are out there, and will be there the rest of the month.

We will be in Sells, Arizona on the Tohono O' Odham Reservation. The people are called the Papago's, and we will be staying and working with First Papago Baptist Church. During the week, we will do VBS in different villages around Sells. For the past two years, I have gone to Choulic, however this year, my group will be going to San Miguel. At night, we will hold Revival at the church. Pray for all the children that we will encounter and for the people that will come to Revival. Pray that their hearts will be open and receptive to God's Word and Will. Pray that He will speak through us, as we live among these people for a week. This reservation is one of the largest Indian reservations and definitely one of the poorest, living in poverty. Please just pray for these people and what God is doing, and please pray for us as we work with them, and travel.

I won't be able to update throughout the week, so I will just have to tell you all about it when I get back! But, I love this trip, and this is one place that I love dearly. I love the people and the children. I love mostly that God allows me to go out there and work for His glory.

Thank you! I love you all!!

Wake Up Your Time With the Lord

My college minister sent this out to all of us, and I wanted to pass it along. During the summer, and after awhile of the same quiet time daily, it can get monotonous. This article from Discipleship Journal's website gives some fun and new ways to change your quiet time. Time with the Lord is important, and we should love it. He loves it when we spend time with Him. I hope you find a way that works for you. Enjoy!


20 Ways To Wake Up Your Quiet Time
Pam Farrel

Behind closed doors, many of us yawn through our quiet times. Somehow, our routine time with God slowly and quietly degenerates into a boring, predictable rut. As spiritual cataracts grow over our sleepy eyes, we may grow disinterested and frustrated. Such seasons demand a fresh view of the Creator. Like any good relationship, quiet times with God need a little variety. Instead of rolling over and hitting the snooze button, try one of these ideas for your next quiet time.

1. WRITE A LETTER TO GOD about your life. Give it to a friend to hack mail to you in three months. In the letter, talk to God about the areas of your life that are bothering you. Write about how you'd like to grow and what attribute of His you'd like to see more clearly.

2. WRITE OUT AND PERSONALIZE Scripture by inserting your name into promises relevant to your life or current struggles. For example, I would personalize Ps. 84:11 in this way: "No good thing does God withhold from Pam when she walks uprightly." Many of the Bible's promises come to life and seem more powerful and relevant when personalized in this way Spend some time meditating and praying over verses that you personalize. I once copied a set of verses and strung them together as a personalized love letter from God's heart to my own. I have it framed and hanging in my room. Those personalized verses help me keep a trig view of God.

3. GO ON A PRAISE WALK. Thank God for everything you see. Take the opportunity to look closely at God's creation, praising Him for His creativity and the beauty of the world He's crafted. After hiking for a while, find a quiet spot to read one of the many psalms that describe His creation. Isaiah 40 and Genesis 1 are two other chapters that will help you focus your heart and mind on God's creative character.

4. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE, mark it up, and give it as a gift to a child. If you begin early, you can plan to give the Bible as a gift to your child before an important transition, such as when he or she enters high school, leaves home, enters college, or gets married. Try to picture God through his or her eyes. With that season of life in mind, mark verses you think will help your child see and trust God in the transition to come. You might also make notes in the margin to help guide and direct the child's thinking about a passage or explain how the passage is relevant to this stage of life.

5. SPEND YOUR ENTIRE TIME WITH GOD SINGING and praising Him. Church hymnals and books of choruses are great resources to enliven your quiet time with personal worship. You might even try creating a song of your own!

6. DANCE BEFORE THE LORD like David, who danced "with all his might" (2 Sam. 6:14). David's dancing was a heartfelt and spontaneous expression of rejoicing. So put on your favorite hymn or praise song, and dance away. Interpretive dance is a wonderful way to express your heart and soul in praise before God. If you enjoy Jewish folk dancing, ballet, or some other kind of dance, dedicate your talent to God.

7. WRITE DOWN EVERY SIN that continues to haunt you. Then write 1 Jn. 1:9 over each sin. Destroy the list—God has. This is a strong visual reminder of how God blots out your sin.

8. WRITE OUT a Phil. 4:8 list. What is lovely to you, worthy of praise, excellent, etc.? Hang the list in a place where you tend to be grumpy, such as above the washer and dryer or on the dashboard of your car for that frustrating commute!

9. PRAY IN A POSTURE you don't normally use. Try praying on your knees, prone, or standing with your face to the heavens and your hands raised in worship. It's amazing how simply changing your posture before God can change your attitude and help you experience Him in new ways.

10. READ A DIFFERENT TRANSLATION of the Bible. You might consider purchasing a Bible that has several translations in parallel. Reading a new translation or comparing different ones can stimulate new insights into Scripture. If you've used and marked up one particular Bible for many years, reading a different Bible will enable you to see the Word with new vision. Because your eyes will not be drawn to notes and highlighted passages from previous study or devotional reading, the Scriptures will feel as beautiful and inviting as a fresh snowfall on a crisp winter morn.

11. PRAISE JESUS FROM A TO Z. For example, "Jesus, You are amazing ... Jesus, You are beautiful...." This activity will challenge you to think deeply about who Jesus is and why you love and serve Him. As you praise Jesus using each letter of the alphabet, spend some time meditating on each word you use to describe Him. Thinking deeply about Him is more important than racing through each letter of the alphabet as fast as you can.

12. WRITE OUT YOUR PRAYERS TO JESUS. You might write them in a journal, or purchase special stationery for these precious letters, as you might do if you were sending a letter to someone you have fallen deeply in love with. At the end of the letter, sign your name, just as you would a normal letter. Something powerful and deeply intimate happens when you record your thoughts and prayers in a letter to Jesus.

13. MAKE A LIST of the hurts and needs in your life. As you come to a verse that shows how God can meet that need, write it down next to that need. Like the letters mentioned above, you can do this in your journal, or separately. You might even create a journal that records only your needs and relevant Scriptures. As you do this, you create your own book of God's promises!

14. REREAD THE NOTES OF THE SERMON from the previous week. If your pastor is doing a series and you know what Scriptures he'll be addressing next, read ahead in the passage to be covered next Sunday. This will prepare you to think more deeply and listen better during the next sermon, as well as helping you remember and apply truth. Find a verse in the text that has helped you grow, and write a note to your pastor thanking him for his sermon and insight on the passage.

15. READ YOUR FAVORITE HYMN. Spend some time meditating about each of the hymn's verses and its overall message. Find the passage in the Bible that the hymn was based upon, and think about how the hymn describes and reflects that truth. Spend some time researching how and why the hymn was composed. What were the circumstances? Your pastor or worship leader might know about a particular hymn's origin. Your Christian bookstore may also carry books that detail the history of certain hymns. If you're able to locate such information, think about how the hymn reflects the author's response to God during his or her circumstances.

16. SPEND A PERIOD OF TIME FASTING from food, TV, or a hobby to spend more time with God. If you're able, combine your fast with a day at a quiet retreat center, the beach, the mountains, or even tucked away in a library to reflect upon God's Word and His hand in your life.

17. HAVE A QUIET TIME WITH ONE OF YOUR CHILDREN or grandchildren. This would probably include reading a passage from the Bible out loud. You can give children a powerful peek into your relationship with Christ by inviting them to share your regular time with God. As you ask them questions about what they see in the passage, you'll teach them to think more deeply about God's Word. Their responses and observations may surprise you, stretch you, and enrich your own perspective.

18. WRITE ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD from a different point of view. Think about how someone else would describe your walk. For example, my teen son might say, "My mom has a radical walk with Jesus. She really got pegged (convicted) by this verse." Several friends from the mission field explained how this activity helped them communicate the parable of the sower to the tribe they worked with. In their translation work, they described the seed that grew as the one that fell on "mulchy" soil. In that tribe, the best heart is one that resembles a compost pile. When you consider your walk and God's Word from the perspective of another, you will think differently, cross cultural barriers, and gain a fresh view of god.

19. MEMORIZE ONE OF THE PRAYERS of the Bible, such a Mary's prayer in Lk. 1:46–55. Then act the prayer out as a monologue.

20. WRITE OUT A LIST of theological questions you'd like answered. Choose one and begin researching it. "God, what is in your heart toward women?" was a question I had that led me on an exhaustive study of all the women in the Bible, and all the verses with the words woman and women in them.

ABIDING DAILY

Remember, the purpose of all these ideas is to enhance your relationship with God and your intimacy with Him during your quiet time. The goal is to abide ever more in Him. As Fern Nichols, the founder of Moms In Touch, says, " If you seek to abide in the vine daily, you never know what day He might choose to change you life forever." Enjoy the adventure!


I hope some of these help, if you are looking for a new and fresh way for your quiet time. I plan on doing some of them as well. I always think about how I can make my quiet time better, especially on those days that I forget to have my time with Him. Daily quiet times are wonderful ways of expressing yourself to God in the way that you want to. What do you do for your quiet time?

The Fight for the Invisible Children

For the past 23 years, a war has been raging on in Africa, in Uganda to be exact. During the past two decades, young children have been taken from their homes when the sun sets by a man named Joseph Kony. A man who claims to be a god, a leader, a person that the African people should listen too. He is anything but that. Kony is man that has been stealing children from their parents, and turning them into child soldiers, to fight in the LRA, the Lord's Resistance Army. Young boys, and girls, taken by Kony have been forced to fight, kill, and kidnap others themselves. They are no longer children going to school and playing with their friends, they are having their childhood stolen from them, watching their brothers and sisters killed before their eyes. Kony is making these kids experience things that children should never see.
Three young guys found about silent war happening in Uganda, and they decided to not be silent about it. They took off on a journey to Africa, with their cameras, and hardly any money, in hopes of finding out the true story of what was going on, and why Kony hadn't been stopped. They created a documentary that has now been seen by thousands of people entitled, Invisible Children. It shows the world the dark side of Africa, and what is happening to the thousands of children as they hide together at night, and pray that they don't fall victim to Joesph Kony.

In the recent years, the revolution to rescue these children has erupted. Peace talks with Joeseph Kony have failed at least 5 times. And the hope of getting Kony out of "the bush" was slowly diminshing. The three young guys who brought the issue to life, now have thousands of young, mostly college age, people supporting them. All of us who support the three, our main focus is getting those kids out of the desert and back to their families. We want the children rescued, and we want Kony caught, and punished for all that he has done. During April, in 100 cities, in 10 countries, thousands, if not millions, of young people abducted themselves in the hopes that the world would finally find out about the invisible children. The abducted people waited outside, with limited food and clothing, writing letters to their Senators and Government officials about the issue. They lived outside for however long it took, until a Mogul, or Rescuer, came to save them. The mogul was either a government official, singer/songwriter, band, or t.v./movie star. Some of these moguls included actress Kristen Bell, singer Matthew Mayfield, many congress men and women, and Oprah, who after 6 days, rescued the crowd in Chicago. For 6 days, people stayed abducted in Chicago in the hopes that someone would rescue them and the children of Uganda. The almost 500 people in Chi-town, were the last of the 100 to be rescued. They stayed outside through freezing weather, and severe thunderstorms, to get attention to the children. Finally, Oprah came to their rescue, and told the world what those young people were up too. She gave attention to the story of the invisible children, and what Kony has been doing.

Although all of the towns have been rescued for awhile, the fight to save the children of Uganda and those in the LRA is far from over. The 20 year war will not be over until Joesph Kony comes out of the bush and releases the children, or he is pulled out. The war will not be over, until all of the children have been found, rescued, and returned to their families. The war will not be over, until the killing, fighing, abducting, has ceased. Kony's main location is known, but nothing can really be done, because anyone who enters the area, and gets close to Kony, will be killed. Joesph Kony must be stopped, and those children need to be rescued. I cannot express how important this cause is to me. You have to watch the documentary that started it all, to truly see the extent of what is happening. Even the film does not show it all, because we do not live over there. Please, watch the film, and get involved. Even if all you can do is pray for the children every day, that is something, and no prayer goes unheard. Please learn more about this, and tell your friends and family about it. There is power in the numbers, the more people who know about this, the greater the fight for the children is. Together we can rescue the children from Joesph Kony.

To watch the film, Invisible Children, go here.

To visit the website for Invisible Children, go here, or here.

For more information on the event, The Rescue, go here.



Together we are Free.
One Love.
Peace.

Views Around My Town(s)

My sister posted a picture of what her drive home looks like. Go check it out. So, this gave me the idea to post a couple of pictures of what my town(s) look like. Some are places that I actually live and others are pictures of places that I love. I love skyline and "over-looking the town" pictures. :-)

These are some roads in Grove Hill, Alabama.

Bryant-Denny at the University of Alabama -- Tuscaloosa
Overlooking Gatlinburg, TennesseeTohono O'Odham Reservation -- Sells, ArizonaLooking out on Arizona

What are some of your favorite places? Or places that you want to go one day?
Happy Travels!!
:-)

I Went Barefoot

Today I went barefoot, for a cause. Today I went barefoot to put myself in the place of millions of kids around the world who do not have shoes. Kids everywhere, especially in other countries, have to go without shoes everyday. They put themselves at risk for cuts and sores that can lead to diseases. Some kids are even denied education because they need shoes to attend. Here are some more facts about why I went barefoot today:

* Fact #1: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.
* Fact #2: Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
* Fact #3: Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
* Fact #4: In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
* Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

Today is not the only day that we can go barefoot for these kids. If you missed today, I hope that maybe you will go barefoot on your own time. It gives you a tiny hint at what these kids have to go through almost everyday. For more information about the event, and for more ways to support the cause, you can click here.

Hope you can go barefoot sometime and happy walking!

"Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen chains of injustice...to set the oppressed free...Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter...Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here I am." -- Isaiah 58:5-9

Wordless Wednesday

"I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."
Psalm 52:9

The Greatest Friday in History

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." -- John 3:16

Today, over 2,000 thousand years ago, a man gave His life, so others may live. His gift, was the greatest display of love that anyone could or will ever do. He gave His LIFE, so that you and I could live eternally with Him, if we only trust and believe in Him. Now, with the world in despair and destruction, people are turning away from the One who can solve everything. They are putting their hope and trust in other things that will eventually let them down. There is only one thing, one person in this world that will ever always be there. And He is Jesus Christ. He was sent by His Father God, to live among the worst people, teaching and preaching, and saving us, so that we can be His ambassadors. So that we can spread His word to others, so they may live with the only hope that will ever save them. Today, all praise goes to Him, the One who died for me. The one that said my name, and yours, while He was on the cross. He knew all that would, and will happen, in the earth. He knows what we went through and what we will go through. I cannot say it enough, He is BIG. He knows you and me inside and out, more than we will ever know ourselves. He died for you. He died for me. He died for the ends of the earth, so that we may live, and that God may get the glory.

Thank you, Jesus, my Father for giving your life for me. There are no words that I can say besides thank you, and I love you with all my heart.

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!" -- Philippians 2:8

"This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross." -- Acts 2:23

Many Prayers and Lessons Learned

This week has been a trying one, and one of the hardest I think of my college career so far. I have had 4 tests and a project due, all this week. Thankfully, I only have one more of the four left, Chemistry. It will be nonstop amino acids and enzymes until tomorrow night at 6:30. So, if you remember around that time tomorrow, please say a little prayer, or say a short one right now. They are much appreciated and I thank you SO much for them!

I have learned some important life lessons these past two or three days too. I'll save what I have learned about my God for last, because it is great stuff! First, you learn a lot about someone by living with them. I live in a dorm, so I have a roommate, well three of them in fact. However, only one of them actually lives in my room with me. I know her from church, but have really gotten to know her this past semester, and I have learned a lot from her, and she from me (she says). This may not seem a lot to readers, but to me, I know a lot more of the situation. But believe me, you learn a lot by living with someone. Staying up until 3 AM leaves you with little sleep, but I will not forget some of those conversations.

Second, when you have a close group of friends that number around 12-15, you are a family. And families have problems. Oh have we learned this during the past month! It really tried all of us, because everyone felt like they were involved. But among all of the problems, we all turned to the One person that could help us, our true Father of the family, God. We all dug ourselves into the Bible looking for answers and ways to fix things. We all prayed more than we ever had, because we wanted our family to be okay again. Thankfully, the situation(s) were resolved and we are good, and closer to our Father who put our family together.

Third and last, the biggest thing I have learned this past week is that my God is big! Not just big, but HUGE, GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS! And at the same time he is LOVING, SUPPORTIVE, and HELPFUL. He is a HEALER, a FRIEND, a FATHER. God is so big. I sometimes do not know how to put it into other words. I have always known that my God is big, but it seems that every time I hear that again, I am more amazed and broken by it. He knows everything that has and will happened in my life. Before I was even born, He knew everything that was going to happen in my life, good and bad. He knew the troubles my mom and real dad would have, he knew that one day my mom would meet a wonderful man, and he would be the best earthly father I would ever know, he knew that I would flip off my bike, learn to swim, move to Alabama, go to Arizona, go to college, change my major. He knew that I would have 4 tests this week. He knows if I will actually get into Nursing School, graduate, get married, travel the world, have kids, go to Africa, move to another state. He knows ALL of this! The more that I think about how BIG my God is, and think about all that He knows. The more I want to shout praises to His name and fall on my knees at the same time! Even better, I have learned that if God did not believe I could get through all those things, and the ones to come, He would not have put them in my life. He only gives me what I can handle, and when it feels like I cannot handle something, He knows that I will learn a lesson (sometimes over and over again), and give everything to Him again. Turning things over to God is a daily thing. I cannot get out of bed every morning without knowing that God is in control of everything that happens that day. Whether it may be good or bad, rain or shine, hot or cold, God will always be in control. That is what gets me through the weeks that have been like this one.

Please, this may have been rambling, but just know that my God is BIG, and if you feel like you are missing something, He can be big for you. He WANTS to be BIG for you, He LOVES you. He already knows everything about your life, why not talk to Him more about it? He LOVES you!


My Father is BIG, and I am His daughter, whom He LOVES.

Wordless Wednesday

7 Things I Love.

1. Praising God!

He is my everything, my ultimate best friend!
And he deserves the best from me, and that is
what I try to give him everyday!




2. Taking Pictures

I love taking pictures of anything!
I never want to miss a moment, especially
if something needs to be captured!
Sadly, I am without a camera right now.



3. The Beach
Enough said, or seen.



4. My Crazy Friends
We are a giant family, and we have our
moments. But we always have a lot of fun
where ever we go. And we have a lot of love!


5. My Puppies!Koda (top) and Panola (bottom) are
my two 5 month old, energy filled puppies!


6. Music



Music is great because it can get you through
any mood, whether you are happy, sad, or angry.
I have way too many favorites to narrow
it down. So please do not ask me
to do it.


7. Alabama Football

Roll Tide Roll!
You had me at Roll Tide!
We bleed Crimson and White!
Yea, Alabama!