Thursday, July 28

short.

I just heard a story about a lady who left work on her lunch break and never returned. She was in an accident, killing her, and leaving two kids without a mom. Please pray for their family during what is undoubtedly a very difficult time.

Oh, and lets all be reminded that life is short... make every day count for something.


"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln

Wednesday, July 20

What's coming...

I forgot how much I liked blogging about faith. Things got away from me over the last few months due to starting grad school and moving to third shift at work. I'm FINALLY getting used to it though, and so I'm back at it with the blog!

Anyway, I ventured to the bookstore today. I'm starting to read Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I really like reading Christian living books. It helps me think about God and scripture in a new way, plus I just really like to read. I'm sure that this book will be influencing my blog posts in the coming days.




Here's the basics of the book:
"Are you a follower of Jesus? Don't answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to read this book before you answer at all. Consider it a 'Define the Relationship' conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn't ready to let him cramp your style. Then again, maybe you're not into Jesus, period. In any case, don't take the question---Are you a follower of Jesus?---lightly. Some people don't know what they've said yes to and other people don't realize what they've said no to, says Pastor Kyle Idleman. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. With frankness sprinkled with humor, Idleman invites you to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you."

More to come soon. Hope this message finds everyone well!

Tuesday, July 19

Asking.

I've been thinking a lot lately. I want something really specific and I am just not sure if its ok to pray about it. I don't want to put limits on God's plans for me. At the same time, I want to talk to God about my desires. I want him to know how I feel. Praying about my feelings makes me feel better. I want to tell him just how I feel about the whole situation. I pray regularly. I have an internal dialogue with God going on almost all the time. Admittedly, sometimes its not the nicest things. There are times when I'm complaining, nagging God, trying to get my way, so don't think I'm above average in the holiness area... I struggle too. But I'm pretty much always talking to God these days. That was something that I used to reallllly struggle with. Now, I'm presented with a new dilemma. What exactly do you ask God for? How specific is ok?

Do I ask God to bless me? Is it ok to ask for good health? Should I pray that my head feels better when I have a headache? I just don't know how specific its supposed to be. Is it even alright to ask God to bless me? I'd feel selfish and guilty to even think such things. Of course, I had to investigate this. Honestly, its been driving me crazy. If I want something can I just ask for it? Well, here's what I came up with... Scripture about asking God for things.

Matthew 7:7 – 8 (ESV)
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 7:11 (ESV)
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 21:22 (ESV)
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

John 14:13 (ESV)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:16 (ESV)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

John 16:23 (ESV)
In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.

So, you may be asking … “where’s the catch?” What do I have to do to make all this happen? Well scripture answers THAT too...

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

God tells us to SEEK HIM FIRST … and then, He will meet all of our needs. This is true with all of our asking. We first need to align ourselves with God’s Will and then he will meet all of our needs. So if you're prayers aren't getting answered, then this MIGHT have something to do with it. We have a God who loves us more than anything we can imagine – which means he wants what is best for us. We have a God who knows everything, sees everything, and who is able to do anything because He is all powerful … it only makes sense that I would want the things He wants me to have because those things will be what is best for me. So … yes, we can – AND SHOULD – ask God to bless us. We should seek to be in line with His will and pray as He leads us to pray.

However, you and I both know that we do not always get everything we ask for. Why not?

One reason is that sometimes we do not put God first in our lives. Jesus told us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). We must put God first in our lives if we expect Him to answer our prayers.

Another reason our prayers aren't always answered is that we sometimes ask out of selfishness. In James 4:3 we read: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." Before we ask God for anything, we should ask ourselves what we are going to do with the things God gives us. Will we share with others? Will we acknowledge God's blessing in our lives? Will we praise him for what he blessed us with?

Finally, sometimes we put God first, and we ask intending to share with others, but we still do not receive what we want. Why? Because God knows what is best for us. Paul had a serious medical condition. He asked God three times to fix his problem, but God never did (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). God said it was best for Paul not to be healed. God knew what was best, even though Paul may not have understood it at the time. So, I'm not limiting God when I pray for specifics. He understands that we don't always know what best for ourselves. We just have to understand that HE always does.

So if you want something from God, put Him first in your life, put others' needs before your own, and keep asking Him. If it is best for you, then God will give you what you desire. He knows what he's doing... and not only does he not mind, he WANTS you to ask!

Monday, July 18

The meantime.

So... Its been a while since I've posted an in depth blog. I'll be getting back to that starting well... now.

Since I've started on third shift I've gotten to know some new people. At night obviously the patients are asleep and there is sometimes not that much to do. As such, we talk to each other... a lot. Topics range from current events (Casey Anthony has been a big debate topic lately), personal preferences, hypothetical situations, would you rather, and all sorts of other things. One of the things that seem to come up the most is future plans. Constantly one of us is saying "When I get to.." or "After _____ is done...". My go to phrase of this nature is "When I get finished with grad school...". I know this isn't specific to me or my coworkers, but its just something that I've noticed in our conversations. We all look forward to the future. Everyone has a milestone that they are looking forward to... for some its a graduation; others look forward to a wedding, a baby, or a promotion. whether its something with a specific date, or just an event that we want at some point, everyone is anticipating something. And while we're at it, lets be honest... we HATE to wait. We reserve tables at restaurants, get movie tickets in advance, and buy things online to avoid waiting in crowds.

Anyway, all this talk about future plans got me to thinking... what do you do in the mean time? How do you make the most of right now while still looking forward to what's to come? I've been chewing on this question for a while now. Partly because this anticipation seems so rampant through casual conversation, and partly because I struggle with the issue myself. I've read a little bit and I came up with a few ideas about making the most of the present while anticipating the future.

Do not boast about [what you’re going to do] tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1

The truth of the matter though, is that no matter how worried we are or how much we hate to wait, God operates at HIS pace. We can't rush him or slow him down. God knows what he's doing and he operates at a certain pace for a reason. The 'wait time' we experience can be a valuable time to grow and learn life lessons.

Even when it doesn't seem like it, God is in control of the situation. Sometimes we feel like he's doing nothing, but the truth is that he's not doing anything we can SEE. Its sometimes difficult to trust, but God tells us that he is always at work, and some of his handy work we wouldn't even believe:

"Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it” (Habakkuk 1:5).

I read an article about waiting recently that was really interesting. Its important to remember that some of the most prominent figures in the Bible had to wait for God's blessing too:Abraham waited 25 years before his wife Sarah gave birth to their first child. Joseph slogged through 13 years of betrayal, false imprisonment and abandonment before assuming the leadership of Egypt. Moses spent 40 years tending sheep before God called him as a deliverer of His people. David spent 14 years before he took the throne of Israel that had been promised to him. And in Jesus’ own ministry, He often told His disciples, “My hour has not yet come.” We aren't the only ones waiting...

We're so anxious for that “next step,” that we don't enjoy the present. We just ruminate on what we yet have. But James 1:4 reminds us to “let patience have her perfect work.” Just because we are technically waiting doesn’t mean we can’t be accomplishing valuable things. Times of uncertainty and doubt are useful periods in which we can draw into God, hone our skills and prepare for the time when that big thing comes along! So, in these times what should we be doing? The Bible offers a couple really good ideas about handling an uncertain future.

1. Let God set your goals. It’s silly to make any plans without first consulting God. He’s the only one who does know the future, and he’s eager to guide you through it. So, why wouldn't we talk about the future with him as much as possible? The Bible says “We may make our plans, but God has the last word” (Proverbs 16:1). In other words, planning without praying is presumption. This is never a good idea. Start by praying, “God, what do you want me to do?”

2. Live one day at a time. While you can plan for tomorrow, you can’t live in tomorrow until it arrives. Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future, they have no time for today! Commit to making the most of each moment every single day. Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too." So, the best course of action is to live one day at a time. (Matthew 6:34).

3. Don’t procrastinate. Procrastinating is a subtle trap that sooo many of us (including me) fall into on a regular basis. Procrastination wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow. We promise ourselves that we will do it “one of these days,” but then days continue to come and go and our tasks remain unfinished. Id we want to get to the big thing, then we have to get started on the little things now. The Bible says, “Do not boast about [what you’re going to do] tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

What have you planned to do that you haven’t done yet? When do you intend to start working on it? Is it what God wants you to work on? It seems that these are the key to making the most of the meantime.

Sunday, July 17

YUMMY!

Now that I work third shift I keep a weird schedule. I used to get up in the morning and start my day with coffee. I was a coffee addict for certain. Now though, i wake up in the late afternoon. In July in SC late afternoon is HOOOT. As such, I'm in no mood for heated beverages. So, I started making smoothies! I'm now addicted. I decided to post my favorite of the recipes I've tried. Hopefully you'll think its as good as I do. Its pretty healthy, totally vegetarian of course (well vegan actually), and super easy to make! I prefer frozen raspberries and fresh mangoes. It doesnt really matter as long as something is frozen to make the smoothie cold.


Raspberry Mango Smoothie
1 large serving

1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 fresh peach, pitted, skin on (bananas, apricots, or additional mango also works here)
1 cup almond milk, fresh orange juice, or water (I opt for the OJ personally... or yogurt on occasion)
juice of 1 lime
dash stevia or agave to taste
1 cup ice
generous handful of fresh raspberries

Blend everything except the raspberries until completely smooth, adjusting the sweetness as you like. Toss in raspberries, and briefly pulse until the berries are just broken up, but the individual seeds remain whole (the smoothie should still be peach-colored, not pink).

Drink, hunched over a computer at the office while typing furiously, or in class trying to stay awake and listen to ANOTHER presentation!

If you've got good recipes you should definitely blog them and send THIS girl a link!

Wednesday, July 13

accomplished!

I'm feeling accomplished! I have been straight up stalking winthrop's internet data base for a week to see what I made in my summer classes. It has been driving me INSANE not to know. I feel certain that nobody else in my program was nearly as obsessed as me. haha.

Anyway, I had dinner (AT MOE'S!!!) with my sister tonight and she totally related. I'm SO blessed to have her going to law school while I work on grad school. Its so nice to have someone who understands the stress.... because its certainly different than stress from other sources.

My stalking paid off today. I made As in ALL my classes. I was SOOOOOO excited to see a 4.0 beside GPA! Just thought I'd share. God is so good! I cant wait to get started on fall classes!

Saturday, July 2

SCL.

I LOVE the blog 'stuff Christians like.' Its hilarious satire about being a Christian. Anyway, today's post is excellent. Go read it here. Oh, and you're welcome for the laughs! =)

Friday, July 1

Happy Friday!




I <3 this picture! It pretty much speaks for itself.
Hope everyone is having a GREAT Friday!