I need your help

Oh life is happening! Each minute is being put to good use in my life. Tonight I stayed home to reboot emotionally and physically.


One of the most difficult gifts to have is the gift of empathy. To be able to take on the emotions of other people is exhausting and draining. I've been working diligently with a family to hopefully help them get back on the right track. The mother is emotionally and physically unstable with 4 kids living in her home. The home is a mess and they are always under constant stress and in constant conflict. Why would I keep trying to help? Because the Lord has called me to. I have no doubt that I will spend the rest of my life helping families like this one. It's exhausting dealing with families that are in constant crisis but someone needs to help, we can't just turn a shoulder because it's hard.But I'm again reminded of Romans 15:1-2 that says, "Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?'"


So I'm asking those who are strong to help me if you can. This family's home is being foreclosed. They have to be out of the home by the end of November and have not found a place for them to move into. The mother is on a fixed income of about $1200 a month and has 4 kids. If anyone knows of a place in Hamilton County or North GA that establishes rent based on income, your information would be of GREAT help. I know the Lord has a home for this   family and I pray He brings it to them soon. He's already provided help when they move, so I have no doubt he's going to provide a home! Right now the family is struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel and things seem to continue to get worse for them. If you don't know of anything that is fine, please just keep this family in your prayers and pray the Lord gives them their home soon.


I easily become overwhelmed because I try to do a lot on my own without asking for help. But as a Christian, we're suppose to work as a body and not take on every task by ourselves. That  is why I'm asking for your help. In 1 Corinthians 12:18-26 its says, "But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.  How strange a body would be if it had only one part!  Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.  The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."


Even if your job is to pray, I want you to know that you are HONORED in that task. The Lord is going to bless this family and he will honor all those involved, whether it's through prayer or actions. 


Thanks you all for your prayers and help :-)

Unity.

 "Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.  He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us."
Ephesians 2:11-18


When I read this passage it made me sad. Here's Paul, writing about how Jesus was crucified and tortured so that everyone may have peace. Jesus suffered so that we could all work as one body together to serve him. The part that makes me sad is I don't see this happen very often in the christian community. We're too busy trying to convince people to come to this one particular church or this one particular denomination instead of helping one another as we discover who Christ has made us to be and how he's created us to serve him in a unique and marvelous way. Why don't different denominations unite with one another? Is it just me or does this passage state that Christ died so that we could have unity. Unity must be extremely important if Christ was willing to do what he did so that we may have it. It's just easy to let pride and interpretation to create barriers that do not benefit in furthering the kingdom of God. Success comes with unity. Jesus was right, it is important. Too bad we take advantage of our freedom and choose not to unite. Just imagine, if we all worked as one body like God intended us to. The results would be epic.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act." Psalm 37:7

Today I had a break before class started. We have a new professor over the school counseling department and he has made an effort to take each school counseling student to lunch to get to know them better. So I had just had a wonderful lunch and was left with a little break. I was in the upstairs sitting area about to attempt my mid term exam for one of my classes when a fellow classmate of mine walked into the area. We have a class together but had never really talked. She walked up and introduced herself stating that she figured we would finally get to know each other since we have class together, plus I see her on campus pretty often. We ended up having along wonderful discussion! She's in the school counseling program too and has some very similar loves and passions as I do. It was really awesome to discuss many of our idea's and beliefs. One thing that she said that stuck out to me was how society tends to create systems that show instant results. No matter whether it's a social work system, school system, or any other type of system, we want the one that shows instant results. We were both in agreement that when working with humans and changes, there's no such thing as instant results (well, without the Lords help that is).

I've been reading Ezekiel before I go to bed at night as my nightly devotionals. It's one of those chapters in the bible that's really confusing and not fun to read, but I'm in a relationship with God and a part of being in a relationship is knowing everything about someone. After I read the few chapters tonight, I felt the Lord place on my heart to read Psalms 37. Once I got to verse 7 I was reminded of my conversation with my classmate earlier today and the Lord gave me some wisdom. Our society has caught the Willy Wonka girl syndrome. You know, the girl who "wants it and wants it now." But the thing is, that's not how God is and that is certainly not how he intended us to live. He'e constantly having to remind us to "be patient". I can't even begin to count how many time scripture says this. But patients is a foreign concept to us. We've become so adapted to instant results, that patients has become a lost art. I for one really struggle with this. I'm bad about wanting things instantly as well. But I'm growing to learn that this " I want it and want it now" is not of God. He has certainly not put this in us. Therefore, feeding into this is not being "Christ like" which is what he has called us to be (2 Cor. 2:15, Ephesians 4:15)

Looks like I need to find more ways to be "be still...... and wait patiently"

"If You are the sun then I wanna be the moon. I want to reflect the light that shines from You"

This weekend was fantastic! I got to spend much needed time with wonderful friends, see old friends, and made new friends. Therefore, this weekend was awesome!


I went to a conference in Athens on Saturday called "Love Life" with Mark Driscoll. It was REALLY good. To sum up the conference, it was about relationships and how God intended us to have relationship whether it's a dating relationship or a marriage. Courtney and I were not able to stay the whole time but I will highlight a few interesting things I learned.


1. Girls are talkers and Guys are doers- I've never really gave it much thought before how girls and guys build relationships differently. When girls hang out with one another, the night is filled with dinner and coffee and LOTS of talking. We are very content with this and this is how we build relationships with one another. Guys on the other hand tend not to spend their evening doing this, they tend to go play some kind of sport or go hiking. They build relationships by doing something rather than talking. Mark stated that it's important for guys to spend time talking with their girlfriends or wives because this is how women build relationship. Girls on the other hand need to be sure and do something with their boyfriends or husbands such as watching a football game with them or doing something with them that they enjoy because this is how they build relationships. It's definitely a two way street lady's and gents.


2. Friendship is key. In order to build a healthy relationship, it's important to build a friendship with your significant other. My mother has always told me that you need to marry someone who is your best friend, I've always agreed with her. It was really cool for Mark to talk about how the Bible backs up this theory in the Song of Solomon. He made a comment during his lecture that confused me, he stated that he had been married to his wife for 10 years before he found out she was a rape victim. I was so puzzled on how he could have dated her 5 years and been married 10 and had not known this. Later, he began to discuss how when relationships become physical it brings in different emotions into the relationship. The emotions that are brought in are not apart of the friendship building process. He later confessed that him and his wife were having sex before they were married, this made everything make sense. He stated that him and his wife struggled for the first 10 years of their marriage due to this decision, because they had not been able to build the friendship God had intended them to build first.


3. Confidence is attractive. When a christian man is confident enough to approach a woman and pursue her, woman finds this attractive. A woman also has great respect for a man who is willing to understand that she does not want to be pursued by him and gracefully and respectfully backs off. Not to mention that a women is more likely to recommend you to her friends if you're willing to respect her like this (just throwing that out there guys). I personally already knew this one, but I just thought I'd share it anyways :-)


Overall, it was a great weekend! I want to share a few verses I ran across in my quiet time. I think they might be encouraging and greatly needed for some people.


Love you all! :-)


"For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow." Lamentations 3:31-33

"But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, 'Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!' Yes, you came when I called; you told me, 'Do not fear.' Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:55-58

"It's getting better with the seasons."

Fall has finally made it's way in. It is beautiful outside and the temperature feels amazing. But along with the fall comes something in the air that creates a rebellion in my body that prevents me from breathing through my nose for about 3 days and causes my head to weigh about 10 lbs. But once my body decides to accept the fact that is is fall, it will go back to normal and I will be able to enjoy the weather more.

Last night, I picked up my two cousins from church. On the way to their home, Thomas (who is 4) decided that the we needed to ride with the windows down. I agreed so I roll the windows down and we enjoy the lovely weather on the ride to their home. On the way Thomas noticed something out the window. I hear "OH MY GOODNESS!" I asked him what was wrong. He continues by telling me, "Someone has their tismas(aka Christmas) lights up!". He then continues with, "don't they know it's not timas time yet?!". He then begins to yell out the window, "People! It's not tismas time yet, it's halloween! Don't have your tismas lights out yet!" I throughly enjoyed this moment, it was the best moment of my week! After he was finished informing everyone that it's not Christmas time, I thanked him for being kind enough to remind everyone that it was time for Halloween, not Christmas.


I have a MAJOR praise! I received a call this afternoon that I have been hired at the Creative Discovery Museum. I am SO EXCITED. The Lord literally threw this one in my lap. I wasn't even looking that hard for a job and he gave this one to me with little effort on my half. God loves doing these things, He loves giving us the best when we least expect it. It doesn't happen all the time, thats why it's so exciting when it does! I'm coming to learn that times of waiting are well worth the wait. When we put our boxing gloves away and accept the fact that God wants us to wait, the blessings he has to pour out is incredible! The best part is, the only thing we had to do was wait, he takes care of the rest. If you're in a time of waiting, ask God to help you accept that that's where he wants you. Trust that he will give you the answer you are looking for in time. Because the truth is, just like the seasons, what's going to happen is going to happen. We can't walk around in shorts and a t-shirt in winter because we're ready for summer. It doesn't matter what you do, winter will stay as long as winter wants to stay. By wearing your flip flop's and swim trunks isn't going to rush the winter to move into spring. I feel like that how I handle waiting periods. I try to do something to change the situation I am in, to make it go by faster. But I've learned it doesn't matter what I do, a season's a season and I just need to find a good winter coat to help me until it's summer time. FInding content in EVERY situation is the solution for many of our problems.


"I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." Philipians 4:12-13

To You our hearts are open, Nothing here is hidden

I've never been a 'natural' runner. I started running in high school to lose weight and to get in shape. When I started out running it was a challenge just to run a half a mile without feeling like I was going to die. The first time I ran a mile non-stop, it took me about 13 minutes, but I was SO PROUD of myself. It was a huge accomplishment. I kept in the habit on and off through out college getting a little better. At one point I was running about 3 miles every other day, at about 12:00min per mile. But I'm a busy body and my social calendar became filled with events to the point that running was put on the back burner. I would run maybe once every other week. After I graduated college with my undergraduate degree, running was rarely happening. Then once I started my job at Youth Villages, the thought of running only made me laugh inside because I had ZERO energy to do it. After I quit YV, I decided to reintroduce myself to the treadmill in our home, the same one I use to run on in high school. For those who have ever started running then quit, then tried starting back, you know that you have to start back to square one. So lucky for me, I was back to barely running a mile without feeling like was I dying.


I'm telling you my running history as an introduction to my running experience I had tonight. I've been doing fairly well lately and had run 1.5 mile last night without stopping. I had planned to do the same tonight. But tonight was different from the past nights I've been running. Tonight, I walked into the room with a heavy weight on my shoulders. Loneliness, disappointment, and discouragement had crept it's way in on me. As I stepped onto the treadmill, my heart felt heavy. I plugged my ipod into my head phones and cranked up "All My Fountains" by Chris Tomlin. I started the treadmill and as my legs begin to run at the set pace, so does my mind. As praise and encouragement flow into my ears, my mind is throwing everything that is weighing me down. "This dry and desert land I tell myself, 'Keep walking on' Hear something up ahead, Water falling like a song. An everlasting stream, Your river carries me home."


All the thoughts of disappointment, confusion, and loneliness are pounding in my head, but I keep running. I promised myself at the beginning of this day that I am going to PRAISE my God, despite what I feel, despite what I see, and despite what my circumstance may look like. I decide at this point that I'm going to listen to the whole Passion Album instead of my set running list, I need Jesus to help me right now. More songs pour into my ears while every thought possible is trying to over take the truth that is pouring into me, I turn up the volume on my ipod. I've almost reached a mile at this point, I begin to pray, "Lord, let me sweat all these discouraging thoughts out of me." I keep running.


At this point, I begin to tell all the negative thoughts in my head the promises the Lord has given to me. He has PROMISED that he will send someone into my life that will work along side me in the journey he has laid out before me. He has PROMISED me that he will show me the ministry he has set out for me, he will tell me how it's to be run and what steps I need to take. He has PROMISED that he will never leave me, he will never forsake me, and the work he has laid out for me will not be done in vain. He PROMISED that he will use me to help uplift troubled souls. I've reached 1.5 miles at this point, but I'm not stopping, I keep running. 


The Lords plan is bigger than mine and his love for me and his children is far beyond my comprehension. I have to trust him. He has always, ALWAYS shown to be faithful. I was reminded of Jeremiah 29:11-14 that says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” Right before this verse, in verse 10 it says, "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again."


He said it would be 70 years before his promise will be fulfilled, BUT he said IT WILL BE FULFILLED. HE WILL COME!!!


Sweat is pouring down my face now. I can feel it all down my back and my arms. The weight doesn't feel as heavy anymore. As I reach the 2 mile mark, I'm reminded that the Lord will fulfill his promise, it just might not be in the timing I want. I pray that it won't be 70 years like in Jeremiah, but even if it is, I will praise him, because no matter how long the timeline might be he will be at the finish line with the ultimate prize. We might have sweat pouring down our faces but we will finish and his promise will be there with Him saying, "Well done my child, you pushed through the trials, and trusted that I would be faithful. Here is what I have promised. By the way, it's even better than I had originally stated and I decided to add a few other blessings on top of it."


At 2 miles, I slow the treadmill down and hear the words of David Crowder say, "When all seems lost. When we're thrown and we're tossed, We'll remember the cost. We're resting in the Shadow of the cross."


I know that won't be my last run, I'll keep running until I reach that over flowing fountain. I'm going to keep running the race no matter the struggles that may come with it because I know that in the end the weight will be gone and I will struggle no more.

I'm waiting for the real pearls.

I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I have the ability to break any car that I have. Since high school I have had 5 cars, all of which have had something random break on it. Thankfully the majority of the issues are usually minor. But, the trigger to any of my car issues is when my parents go out of town. No joke. Almost every time they leave for a certain period of time, something always happens to my car. This weekend they went to pigeon forge for the weekend, when I went into my car to meet a friend for lunch the check engine light came on. I wasn't about to take my chances with my history of car issues when they're not in town. So I'll be driving my mom's car, just to be safe.

This weekend has been pleasantly nice. Last night and tonight I have spent my time home alone. I've watched many movies and have taken on some much needed rest. 

Last Sunday at church the pastor spoke on faith. He gave an illustration that has been in my mind all week. He told a story about a little girl and her father. The father had given the girl a pearl necklace. The girl loved the pearls and cherished them very much. One night, the father comes into the young girls room to put her into bed for the night. When the father walked in, he asked the young girl to give him her pearl necklace. The young girl was very troubled by this and refused to return the necklace to her father. The father did not argue and said the prayers for the night and put the girl to bed. For the next couple of nights, the father continued to ask for the pearl necklace and the girl continued to refuse. Each time the girl refused the father would proceed with their nightly ritual and put the girl to bed. Finally, the father walked into the girls room as usual and found his young daughter with tears in her eyes and the pearl necklace in her hand and handed the pearls over to her father without him asking. The father takes the pearls from the young girl and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black bag. He hands the bag to the girl and she reaches in to find a REAL pearl necklace.

When he told this story, I couldn't help but see myself as that little girl trying to keep the first pearl necklace. 

When it comes to relationships I've always been very picky. I've always been cautious of who I date and I've only dated those who I cared deeply about and saw a future with. Much like the little girl and her first pearl necklace, I loved very deeply the few relationships God gave to me. I wanted to keep them and never give them back. But like the father in the story, God came to me and very patiently and lovingly asked that I give them back. I am very much like the little girl, I was stubborn and I didn't want to give up what he had given me. I loved what he had given me, why would he ask me to give them back? But my story is a little different from the little girl, I came to God with tears in my eyes and gave him back the pearls he had given to me except I returned a broken necklace. See God knew it would break, he knew that I needed to give him the weak set of pearls. He held me when I cried because I had not listen to him and I had broken what he had given me. He wiped the tears from my eyes, he told me how much he loved me, and how he wants to give me so much more. He never yelled at me. He just held his arms open and loved me. I don't deserve a real set of pearls, I mean, why would he give me the real thing when I could barely handle the one's on loan. But God is merciful, He's loving, and despite my stubbornness, he still  wants to give me the real pearls he has picked out for me.

It's hard to be at a place in life when everyone around has found someone they can spend time with and enjoy their company. People tend to either over look the one's who are alone or anxiously try to find someone for the lonely so they don't have to be alone anymore. Loneliness is seen as the ultimate torturous situation in our society. But really, it's just like anything else that is difficult in life, the longer your in it the more you grow in learning how to handle it. Don't get me wrong, it's not always easy, but isn't that the same for relationships? There not always peachy and easy to handle. 

I'm on this topic because I'm running into a lot of situations where people are struggling with loneliness. I see multiple people trying to find a relationship just so they don't have to be alone and don't have to have someone feeling sorry for them because they haven't found a significant other. I tried running from it, I tried holding on to relationships just so I wouldn't have to be alone. The result? I think the previous illustration of the broken pearls can answer that question. If you're reading this and you are alone, I can't sit here and say that God will send a significant other your way soon because I honestly do not know if that's what he has in store for you. But I can promise that he has something MAGNIFICENT in store for you. If he hasn't given it to you yet, it might be because your still holding on to the first set of pearls he has given you. If your wise, you'll go ahead and hand them over to him so that he can give you a better set of pearls. If you don't, the first set of pearls will break, causing a bigger mess. Looking back, I wonder what would have happened if I had just given him the first set of pearls back when he asked me to. The truth is, I can't hold onto the "if's". God is faithful. He has promised me and you real pearls. Each of our real pearls might resemble something different but I believe God has the BEST in mind for all of us, no matter what it is.

So keep holding onto the promises he has given us. Keep patiently waiting for he is faithful to follow through with the words he has given us. And despite the difficulties that come with the waiting the Lord is using those difficulties to build us and make us strong. I'm leaving you with this quote a friend gave me. Enjoy :-)

"Your focus will determine what you believe. 'When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do, but on what God said He would do.' God is not slow in keeping His promises, but the enemy will try to attack you in the interim as you wait. Don't get focused on the negative. Don't let fear overwhelm you. Even Jesus was tested by satan with the question, "If...", but Jesus did not focus on Himself, He focused on what God said about Himself. Like Jesus, we have a defense to guard our hearts and our minds and stand firm in faith – the true Word of God's promises."