Tuesday, January 29, 2013

It Is Tuesday...

So here I am...writing again.  I kind of want to do this a few times a week as sort of a mini-reflection of what has been going on in my life.

This has been an extremely stressful week...but it actually has not been that bad.  Okay...that does not really make sense.  What I am saying is that this week was supposed to be one of the most stressful weeks of this semester, and it actually has not turned out that bad.  I had just spent the weekend up in Michigan with my boyfriend's family and had a fantastic time!  I was secretly very stressed throughout the weekend, but God soon gave me peace.

God is good at that...ya know...the whole "peace" thing.  When troubles come my way, I know that He is right beside me.  There has been a lot on my mind with things, but He is constantly giving me peace about them.  That is a huge relief!

In a little less than two weeks I am heading back home with Chris.  I am so excited!  Even a three-day weekend is perfect for me to just sit and relax.  Chris and I have some exciting news that we are praying about, but I probably will not say anything until it becomes official.  God has definitely blessed me with Chris, and I want to honor Him more than anything!

Well...I am going to end this.  Chapel service is starting in a half hour, and I have to finish getting ready.

Until tomorrow...(or the next...)

Monday, January 21, 2013

A Time to Take Action

So God has been putting new things on my mind.  Well actually, these were things I was pushing away from Him to bug me about.  I now give in.

I am thinking about applying to become an R.A. next year.  Whatever may happen, I know that it is in God's plan.  I have only been pushing it away from Him because I thought I would not get hired.  Right now He is telling me to take a leap of faith, and trust Him.  Even if I do not get the position, I will know that I can trust Him through all things.

God is looking out for me...I know! :)

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Our One Hope

Christmas break has arrived.  Now that I am home, I am finally able to write another blog post. I hope to write more while I am at home doing...well not a whole lot.

With the recent events of this world, it is easy to become restless and uncertain about the future.  People may wonder where God is in all of this trouble.  Something that I want to do is reassure them that God is still near!  In church today, Pastor Cal spoke deep about this issue and it hit me hard about putting my reliance on God. When God is present in our lives, there is no better security!

I want that confidence in God!  The Bible is our sword!!!  When the devil tries to mess with you, pull out your sword!!  There is no other way to defeat the devil without God!

Something I need to stop is coming up with the worst possible scenarios for every situation in my life.  God does not want me to be scared of possible outcomes; He wants me to put my full faith in Him!!  Matthew 6:33 says: "But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  I should first be seeking God, and not worrying about my doubts.

Now with Christmas in a little over a week, there may be many people in this country who are sad, confused, and scared.  This is a great opportunity to pray for our country.  God IS here, and we should turn to Him like never before.  In Isaiah 40:29-31 it says: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  

This song has been in my head all day, and I felt like sharing it.  Through it all, He is our hope!



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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Blog Posts and Post-It Notes

I feel so old posting this. Okay, not really, but this week I did celebrate another birthday.  This girl is now a twenty year-old.  Honestly, this was probably one of my favorite birthdays.  I have great roommates, and an awesome boyfriend who made it extra special.

My roommates surprised me with a toilet paper covered desk, wall, chair, bed, door, and post-it noted computer.  Ahhh, the love.  With our excessive amounts of stored toilet paper, I do not blame them for using it. Haha.

What made me the most joyful was having a knight in shining armor come and take good care of me.  My boyfriend, Chris treated me very well.  He first took me out on an awesome date to Applebee's on Saturday.  On Sunday he bought me an amazing outfit and necklace to wear for my birthday.  On my birthday...wow, he over-did himself.  He started our night off by giving me a list of 20 memorable locations that we have shared together (because it was my 20th birthday).  He even made me a really cool picture of us...like total "arts & crafts"/"took time to put together" kind of gift.  What a special guy I have in my life.

I feel that I talk so much about him, but he is a big part of my life...he is my best friend.  I see God in our relationship so much that it tears me up every time I think about it.  Why did I get so blessed?  God has given us so many good signs about our relationship, and it is our job to make sure we are honoring Him in all that we do.

It is always nice to get your parents' approval about the person you are in a relationship with, but it is even nicer when another adult goes up and says that as well.  My favorite professor has come up to both of us this week and gave us affirmation.  So cool!

This post is not meant to be a big bragging session.  Let us be honest, Chris and I are figuring out this relationship thing every day.  It takes work, and full reliance on God to make it.

Now that I am twenty, I should be stepping up and becoming that woman-of-God that I have been striving to be.  Last year I was figuring out who I am as a woman and what God has planned for my life.  This year I have a better idea about who I am as a woman, and am more open-minded to listening to what God has planned for my life.

I have been making it a goal to go through the entire Bible by the end of the year.  I have now reached the gospel of John.  This may sound bad, but I feel that everything that I have been reading since I started in Genesis in January is now finally clicking.  Everything points to Christ.  Christ should be my ultimate goal in everything I do...this includes my relationship with Chris.

I hope to start blogging more, and am debating on doing a blog-a-day again December.  It is kind of something I will pray and see if God puts it on my heart or not.  Till then, I am going to open up my Bible :)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Perks of Being a Communication Major

It is only Tuesday?!

Wow, within the first four words of this post I seem to have successfully turned my once optimistically thought of post into a...not so optimistic post. Let me re-word this...It is only Tuesday!

I keep telling myself that classes will get better after each week, but they never do.  This week...I believe there may actually be some light at the end of the tunnel!  Honestly, I do not understand how I still have A's in all of my classes.  This year has been tough for me.  I can only point my finger to God when I explain how I am getting through this year.

Before I came to college, everyone said I will most likely change my major.  Reluctantly, the thought of changing has never occurred.  If anything, I have grown to like my major more and more.  Sometimes I get really annoyed and anxious when I think of the classes I am taking or have to take, but then I remind myself, "There is not a major more fitting for me than Communication."  Overall, I love it.  My stressful nights will pay-off in the end.  I am pretty much almost done with all of my Gen-Ed classes, so it is nice to actually take classes applicable with my life.  At least my professors tell me they are applicable...

To take a little break from school, I spent a weekend at home.  It was my first visit home since I moved in this year, and it was nice.  This last weekend was the only weekend till my birthday that I could make it home to celebrate with my family.  We might have celebrated two weeks in advance, but it is always nice to come home and enjoy a nice home-cooked meal.

As I went home this weekend, I realized how much I put off the thought of school because I was so excited to be home and wanted to give my attention towards my family.  Sure, I may have had a little homework to do, but overall, I tried to eliminate school as much as possible out of my mind.  This thought makes me look at how I spend my time with God.  Something I need to work on is removing all of the distractions surrounding me when I am with God, and put my full attention on Him.  How am I supposed to have a real conversation with Him, if I am not completely in the conversation.

Recently I have been so distracted with stresses of school that I have struggled to give God all of my attention at times.  With two tests to take today and two more tomorrow, my life may seem booked.  In reality, I should not be planning my time with God around my other tasks, and if I cannot fit it in than I leave it out.  No, I should if be placing my time with God as one of my top priorities.  God knows I have a busy life, but He also knows that I need to get out of my distractions and go to Him.

Behind this busy life, I know I have a God right by my side.  Before I work on my communication homework, I should be at home working on my communication with God!

...that...was cheesy.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

'Nuf said

Why hello there! It's been awhile...too long.  It has been months since I have posted.  Well...here I am, a college sophomore already over a month into school.  Fall break is this weekend...I need it...badly.  You see, I have been wanting to post a blog for some time now, but quite frankly, I am constantly swamped with homework to where actually sitting down to write about myself sounds...ridiculous.

So here is a quick update in my life (Not in APA style):

It has now been forty days since I last saw my family.  Sadly, I never have time to talk to them.  Earlier this week I did get to actually talk to my mom for the first time since I got to school instead of just having short talk.  My life is spent in the library every night...the coffee shop...yeah, I am a regular.

I received a job at the Admissions office this year.  I can only blame God for this awesome job.  Before school started I was asked in for an interview with a different job in the Admissions Department.  I thought the interview went great, but apparently she did not like me that much.  To my current disappointment at the time, I could only go to God.  Later that night I received an email about another job position.  Honestly, I was not expecting to get it when I walked into the interview.  I felt as if I was setting myself up for failure.  The next morning I received a call that I had received the job!  What was the weirdest thing was that over 100 people applied!  How did I manage to receive the job?!  I absolutely love my job.  I am the Campus Visit Assistant.  For better understanding, I set up campus visits by calling the professors and coaches to schedule appointments, mail out confirmation letters to prospective students, and put together visiting student's folders for their visit.  It is such a relaxing...yet extremely stressful job.  I can only thank God for this combination of feelings that I rather enjoy.

This year I have the awesome opportunity living in an apartment with three other girls.  I enjoy the freedom...the space...my food.  I have gotten the opportunity to bond with my roommates and...we are figuring out how to live together.  The thing I enjoy most about them is that I really see that they have a heart for the Lord.  I always know I can go to them if I need accountability or any have any prayer requests.

My boyfriend and I have gotten closer through these last few months.  He truly is my best friend and one of the coolest brothers-in-Christ I have ever met.  God has definitely shown His place in our relationship.  We have given our relationship to Him, and we are just along for the ride.  Chris and I have reached a point where we realize that the only thing that can tear our relationship apart is by our own sinful ways.  Our goal is to keep our relationship glorifying in Christ, and we have individually received accountability from others.  I do not want to brag about my relationship to make myself sound better...honestly, we are learning as we go, but I will have to admit that I am proud with where our relationship has been headed.  Let's be honest, when you see something that God has been very present in, you automatically have this inner joy.  It also helps that my family likes him... ;)

School has been so crazy.  I know that I am definitely no longer a freshman.  Papers...aghh...so many papers!  As I am typing this I am laughing at how I now miraculously have the ability to make papers (or blogs)...long.  My hardest class is...hard. (Go figure.)  Honestly, it has been a very interesting class and I do love learning in it...the tests...ehh...not so much.  Another class I am taking is called Service Learning.  It is a class that requires us to go out into the community and work with marginalized groups.  Our job is to not only volunteer, but to gain a learning experience as we serve.  It is almost a give/take relationship.  We are their to serve them, while we are also there to learn from them/about them.  I cannot wait for that to kick off!  For this class this semester I get the opportunity to help with Teen MOPS (Teen Mothers of Preschoolers).  This will be an amazing opportunity to help serve teen mothers and show my compassion towards them.  I start that next week and I am so excited!

Tomorrow is a great day for me...well...after work and class.  Tomorrow begins fall break!  Yes, I have been in desperate need for a little break.  This weekend I get to go with Chris to his house in Michigan. It will be an exciting little road trip, and a great time to bond with his family again.  God is so good!

You heard me...God is so good!  Behind all of the stresses of my daily life, I can look back at my day and see how God was so present.  I have been maturing so much in...so many ways...this past month or so.  A lot of my time has been digging into my Bible trying to build up my beliefs.  I love college...I get to learn what I take a stand to, and research why I believe it.  I have always loved researching.  Learning can be so much fun...it is the writing on what I learned that kills me...

I will end this, (mainly because I need to get ready to meet with people to write our five-page group research paper due tomorrow) but it has been nice hashing out my life.  If you actually read the whole thing, I commend you...you probably just wasted eight minutes of your life.  I hope to write again next week.  God is so good...'nuf said.


Saturday, June 30, 2012

Audience of One

I did it.  Another month of posting blogs.  It is so cool to look back on these and read what God was doing.

These were originally intended to be written as another communication device to God, but it slowly turned into something I was doing to please everyone else reading.

This blog is my way of talking to God.  He deserves all of the glory.  He is the one that was always there.  He is the one planning out my life.  I am only here to follow.  This blog is for an audience of one.

God,
Thank you for such an amazing year.  There were hard times, but your love proved greater.  I have so much to be thankful for, and I owe it all to you...even when I do not deserve it at all.  The people you have placed in my life mean the world to me and I do not want to let them go.  I have know that there will be awesome opportunities to prove your love to others this year, and I find that so exciting.  I am not anticipating...I am here participating.

I am yours!