A Life Changing Adventure

Today, one of my bestest friends and roommate, left for Alaska. She is going to be gone for 9 days to a state that is not in the continental U.S. She is going over Spring Break. The time that college students usually take to go to the beach or Mexico and do who knows what. Instead, my roommate is using her Spring Break to go and minister to people in -7 degree weather! She's going to the extreme opposite of the beach, getting on planes (and she doesn't really like to fly), putting on layers upon layers of clothes, riding snowmobiles, ministering at a battered woman's shelter, helping Iditarod racers and ministering to them, giving out hot chocolate, and eating reindeer hot-dogs! Most importantly, she is ministering to people who need God. She is showing them His love and letting them know the grace that only He gives. She is obeying our God, who wants her to be there. She is furthering His kingdom. She is being a servant of Christ. 

I am so excited beyond so many points that she gets to go do this. Serving God on the mission field is one of the best things you can do! It opens your eyes to so much more and makes you aware of what is around you every day. It allows us to be obedient to what Christ has called us to do. It takes us out of our comfort zones and puts us in places we need to be, in places where God can teach us and mold us to be more like Him. To share. To teach. To love.

But don't forget that you don't have to go to Alaska to be used by God. You don't have to get out of the states if you don't want to or the country. But you just need to look at those around you and start loving them. The rest will fall into place. Listen to God when He speaks and obey when He tells you something, obey right then! Don't wait for a "better" time, because that time may never come. God's timing is the best for everyone, even when we may not think that. 

Please be praying for the Team that is going to Alaska that includes my roommate. Two of my other good friends are also going. These girls are the greatest and just love people. I thank God for them and them wanting to use their Spring Break to minister to people that live over 2,000 miles away from them. Pray for safe travels for the team as they depart from Birmingham, Alabama to Dallas, Texas. From there they go to Seattle, Washington and then Anchorage, Alaska. They will arrive there late tonight, then tomorrow board their last plane to Nome, Alaska where they will be for a week. They are set to return on the 19th.

Please pray for the health and wellness of the team. That they will be healthy and alert on the way and when they get there. Pray that they will adjust well to the environment that is much different from that here in Alabama. 

Please pray for the people that they will be ministering to. The locals on the Reservation and the people who are there for the Iditarod. Pray that they will have open hearts and spirits and become friends with the team. Pray that God will start to soften their hearts for what He wants them to know. Pray that they will see the Light that is Christ and forever be changed. 


If you think of it, please pass this major prayer request on to anyone you talk to. All the prayers will be much appreciated from me and especially from the team. 


Thank you!! 
:-)

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

-- Isaiah 6:8

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men...Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." 

-- Ephesians 6:7,10

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory and the Power for ever and ever. Amen."

-- 1 Peter 4:10-11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!

Today is my sister's birthday! So in her honor this is a special birthday post for her! I love you sis!!! :-)

You're smart.

 

You're gorgeous!

 

 

You're goofy! 

You are an awesome aunt!

You're talented.

And like they say, there is no better friend than a sister!! 

:-)

You are so much more!

Happy Birthday, Sis! I hope you have a wonderful day and that this next year will be filled of many more blessings. You deserve the best! I love you and miss you like crazy! Can't wait until I get to see you again! Enjoy your day! I love you!

Jess

The Most Powerful Thing We Can Do

As believers in an Almighty and Powerful God, the most powerful thing we can do for others, is pray for them. Right now, that is what we should be doing for the people of Haiti. They have suffered more in the past couple of days than many of us have ever experienced. We are blessed beyond measure with all the things that God has given us. The people of Haiti have had all of that taken away. Not all of us can just pack up and fly to Haiti to offer our helping hands, and not all of us can donate money, clothes, or other goods. But the one thing that we can offer to Haiti, even if we have nothing else, is prayer. The most powerful thing.

The people of Haiti have lost everything. Family members, homes, memories, food, water, gas, transportation, the list goes on and on. They are feeling hopeless, forgotten, and alone. I was reading a blog earlier today about a family that is living in northern Haiti. They weren't as impacted by the earthquake as those in Port-au-Prince. The mother and wife of that family wrote that the word of the street in Haiti is, "Bondye pa renmen Ayiti”. Which means, "God doesn't like Haiti". And that breaks my heart.

God loves Haiti. He loves the place and the people there, for He created them. He loves them. His heart is broken for them, as many of our hearts are broken for them as well. There are many people in Haiti, however, that aren't feeling God's love right now. They feel alone and heartbroken, wondering how they are going to rebuild everything, and how to get back their family. The sad thing is, many of them may never be able to rebuild. The earthquake that struck Haiti was devastating...deadly devastating. But God loves Haiti. Right now, we need to show God's love to Haiti, and if we can't go there and serve them, we can serve them here through prayer. We can lift up the Haitian people that were affected by this catastrophe to God. Praying for them, their families, their lives, the government, the injured, the lost, the grieving, the orphans. We can pray that they get relief and help, that they feel the love of others, and the power of our prayers. Most importantly that they feel the power of God's love. And that they soon change their words to "God loves Haiti". The power of Christ is so much bigger than anything else in existence. He is everything. His hand is over Haiti today, as it is every day. But now more than ever do the people of Haiti need to know of God's love.

So please, if there is one thing you do for Haiti, pray that they will feel God's love and presence with them. Pray for peace of mind and comfort as they try to rebuild whatever they have left. Pray that God will be glorified and shown amidst this tragedy. Pray that people will see the Truth. Pray that people will come together to help their neighbors, and hold hands during this difficult time. Pray for God's love to cover them. Pray, because it is the most powerful thing we can do.

To read more on the family in Northern Haiti and learn other ways to help, go here.

Click the banner on the right that says "Help Haiti" to donate through Compassion.


"But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. O my Strength, I sing praise to You; You, O God, are my fortress, my Loving God." -- Psalm 59:16-17

Texas Love

I'm a Bama fan through and through, I scream Roll Tide, bleed crimson and white, and scream my heart out for the guys on the field. But, I have no disrespect towards Texas and their fans. They are some of the best in the land. And I hated to see what happened to Colt McCoy last night. He is an amazing, talented, and respected guy, player, and leader. I honestly have nothing bad to say about McCoy. I don't think that he was unfairly targeted by Alabama players, because honestly, I don't think they would do that. If they did, well they are in the wrong. But, I would have much rather had McCoy in the game, it would have been an incredible game, more than it was. Gilbert stepped up and also did an amazing job at the QB position. I know he wasn't ready to go in for an entire game, especially during the BCS Championship game, but man, he did a heck of a job and deserves major props! The entire Texas football program is a great one, and my favorite in the Big 12. So, to Colt McCoy, you are an incredible athlete and leader. I hate that you were injured and wish you could have been in the game the entire time. I hope your injury and any pain in your arm goes away and I will be praying for you. I know that right now, there is nothing worse you could be going through. To Garrett Gilbert, you did an amazing job last night! We were all wondering what to expect when you stepped foot onto that field and honestly, you exceeded my expectations. You are going to be a great Texas quarterback. I know the circumstances weren't the greatest that sent you out, but you really stepped up and showed talent, agility, and leadership. Can't wait to see you later on! So congrats to the Texas football program, you guys played a great game and I'm glad that we got to play you guys for the Championship.

Roll Tide and Hook Em' Horns!

Pictures

Many of my friends and I are into photography. They are far better at it than I am, but it is still fun to take pictures of anything and everything! Here are some pictures of some things that I have captured! :-)

Bryant-Denny Stadium

 

Alabama Flag

Denny Chimes

 

University of Alabama

Lloyd Hall at the University of Alabama

  President's Mansion at the University of Alabama

Business Square at the University of Alabama

 

Business Square at the University of Alabama

 

Business Square at the University of Alabama

 

Camp Worldsong in Cook Springs, Alabama

Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham, Alabama

 

Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham, Alabama

 

  Sunset over Birmingham, Alabama

Beth and Daniel's Engagment

 

Beth and Daniel's Engagment

 

Beth and Daniel's Engagment

 

Beth and Daniel's Engagement

 

Thanksgiving at my Uncle's House

 

Thanksgiving at my Uncle's House

Bullet, my Uncle's dog

Thanksgiving at my Uncle's House

My dog, Bonnie

  

My dog, Koda

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

 

The Vulcan in Birmingham, Alabama

  Methodist Church in downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Enjoy!!

:-)

Christmas and New Years 2009

This Christmas and New Years was a great one spent with friends and family. For Christmas, we went to Memphis, TN and celebrated with my sisters and the boys at Jen's house. I got some great stuff, check it out.

I got a lot of great things from my sisters!

 

 I got some great scarves! I am kind of obsessed with them and have quite a collection going! 

:-)

 

 My sister Jen gave me this! She painted it herself!!! 

:-)

We also celebrated my 21st birthday, which was the 27th, by going out to eat at J. Alexanders! It was really good, but they give so much food! It made for good leftovers. I also got to see one of my best friends Emily that I don't get to see a lot. :-)

My Rattlesnake Pasta

 

Me and my parents

 

Me and one of my best friends, Emily!

:-)

Blowing out 21 candles!

New Years was also great! I spent the weekend in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham hanging out with some great friends! For New Years, we had a girl's night! Then, we went to Birmingham and hung out with some more of the group. We took a trip up to the Vulcan Park. It is this area that overlooks all of Birmingham. It was a great view, but very windy and cold! Then we hung out at one of my friend's houses and played board games all night! It made for a great weekend! I will be glad when we are all back in Tuscaloosa together again!

Some of the girl's on New Years!

 

At Vulcan Park in Birmingham! It was a great view, but very windy and cold!

 

Vulcan himself

 

At our friends house. We got poppers and inside were paper crowns! 

:-)

I had a great way to start the New Years! I hope it will be a good year, and that many wonderful things happen, for me and for you! What did you all do for New Years? Happy 2010 everyone!!!

:-D 

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