Another Year!

Welp folks another year has come and is about to be gone. I must admit I hear people say all the time, "this year has flown" but I feel I have not experienced that in its fullness until this year. Where has it gone??!!!

The Lord has been good to me yet again even in situations where I was REALLY having to remind myself of that constantly. My year hasn't been too grand or eventful but none the less I feel as if it was DEFINITELY a year of trying times, looking back now I am thankful because God has taught me some special lessons. I feel more than anything this year has been one of preparation. I feel He is still preparing me for what He has for me and will continue throughout my life hopefully.. I am proud to close this chapter/year of my life and have a fresh, clean, shiny page that is yet to be written. There is something so exhilarating and exciting about that. What will this year hold, what things will be welcomed and what will things will you have to trudge through?? I am thankful to be alive to see another new year and grateful to my Father in heaven for pushing and at times carrying me through this year! I wait with a childlike anticipation for what 2011 will bring....

Happy New Year!

"Another fresh new year is here..
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!" -William Arthur Ward

Lots to do!

The next few weeks are going to VERY busy ones and are full of things that I have to get done.

First I have to study and take the

But I would rather be in Arlington watching the

Then I have to

To move to

Near this fabulous city in Tennessee

My feeling on this right now...

To be continued.

Carry Me

Audrey Assad's new cd is AMAZING and such a blessing to me right now. Music really has a way of speaking to me. This girl is so talented and has a calling on her life for sure! This song "Carry Me" is such a sweet reminder for my life at this moment. I refuse to let the devil small as he is have such an impact on lives of those around me. GOD IS BIGGER MUCH BIGGER! I want those around me struggling with knowing this truth and walking in the love and strength of the Lord to rest in HIM. He loves you and he HAS a plan for you even amidst the hurt and pain. He has a plan for you life and NOTHING you do can thwart it. Step forward in HIS freedom! I am praying this over several in my life as well as myself. Lord speak so strongly and clearly like you never have before. Thank you for your love and mercy I would be nothing without it!

"Carry Me" ~Audrey Assad

Pain is a forest we all get lost in
Between the branches hope can be so hard to see
And in the darkness we've all got questions
We're all just trying to make sense out of suffering but

You say I am blessed because of this
So I'll choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me
Help me believe it

Fear is a current we all get caught in
And in its motion faith can be so hard to find
And we all falter 'cause we're all broken
We're all just trying to turn the shadows into light but

You get glory in the midst of this
And you're walking with me
And you say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, you'll carry me

And I know your promises are faithful
And God, I've seen your goodness in my life
And oh, I've found your mercy is a river
Your love is an ocean wide

You say I am blessed because of this
So, I choose to believe
As I carry this cross, You'll carry me

You'll carry me, God
You'll carry me
And your love is an ocean wide

Oh How He Loves Us

This needs to be something that I read daily to remind me how much my Father loves me (and us) and how nothing I do good or bad can make Him love me more or less than He already does. Let that marinade in your heart today as well as these words..

I found this a few years ago but I forget where:)


My Child,
I loved you before you were born. I knew what your first and last words would be. I know every difficulty that you would face. I suffered each with you. Even the ones you didn't suffer with me. I had a plan for your life before you were born! The plan hasn't changed, (insert your name) Charity, no matter what has happened or what you've done. You see I already knew all things concerning you before I formed you. I would never allow any hurt to come into your life that I couldn't use for eternity (insert your name) Charity. Will you let me? Your truth is incomplete unless you view it against the backdrop of my truth. Your story will forever remain half-finished..until you let me do my half with your heart. Let me perfect that which concerns you."

-Your Faithful Father

Are you WrAstlin'?

Today's sermon was especially good. We are doing a series about Wrestling with God. I missed last week since we were in Destin but part two really struck a chord in my heart. Lately I have been struggling with a lot of resentment with those around me, myself, and God due to the situation in our household. I won't go into it because honestly it gets really old.

The sermon was from Jeremiah 20:7-18. Brady talked about how in a relationship your goal isn't to have NO conflict because that's just not reality but instead how to navigate through conflict that is inevitably going to come. He basically said it's okay to wrestle with God sometimes. If you are in an intimate relationship with God there WILL be a times where you will get frustrated, feel disappointed or wronged, and not understand and it is good to be honest and voice frustrations with him just as you would with a human being. God wants us to come to him and be 1o0% honest with him. God desires that relationship with us so much. A lot of times we can let reverence get in the way. Don't get me wrong we need to be reverent to the King of Kings but when you are in intimate relationship with him the reverence will come. If you are going to wrestle with God be ready for a response because He WILL give one. The ironic thing is that we complain to God (i did ____ for you, i served and gave up ___ and you let ___ happen to me??) do we not use God in the same way(protect me from this, provide this for me) we are accusing him of using us? It is alright to come to God with all of our hearts, the good, bad, ugly. The beauty is that God remains unchanged, loving, and present in our lives even when we feel like he's not there. He promises us that he will NEVER leave or forsake us NO. MATTER. WHAT. We have the opportunity to have be in a relationship, and intimate relationship with the creator of the universe, the one who spoke the world into being!! That is incredible to be and almost too much to grasp.

All that said i have been halfway honest with the Lord about how i feel very frustrated that he is allowing the things that are taking place to take place and I have to be completely and utterly honest with him. He is my father and I need to start treating him like he is instead of trying to take control of my own life. I can't do this alone, the burden in too heavy for me to lift. I am going to choose this day to LET GO!

Lord, maker of all things, forgive me for not being honest with you in every aspect of my being. I want to know you like I've never known you before. I want to be in the most intimate relationship with you. Help me to stop running to anything and everything else that won't solve anything when I have troubles and instead run with steadfastness toward you, the one who controls all of this mess we call the world. Thank you for being patient with me in all my hardheadedness and doubting you when I do. Deep clean my heart, mind, and soul. Make me new. Help me to feed my hunger for you before anything else. I praise you for who you are to me!

Get Inspired!

I don't know if you've ever been introduced to TOMS shoes, if you haven't get to know it! This company is so inspiring and I first heard of it from a local coffee place here in Waco, Common Grounds. Watch this video that was on Good Morning America and see what it's all about.. then go online and buy yourself (and a child in need) a pair of these shoes.

These are some of my favs:

WEEKEND!!

I'm getting ready for a MUCH needed trip to see some of my girlfriends Ali and Anna that is LONG overdue:) These are the first two people I met when I went college and let's just say we were inceprebale from then on. They both live is Dallas not.. Ali is working and is a speech pathologist and Anna, married now, is a school nurse. We have enjoyed many good times together and our trips never disappoint! I love these girls and am so thankful and blessed to have such good friends. I will update later on the details and I leave with a few pics from the past:)

One of My New Favorites...

"Lead Me to the Cross"
~Francesca Battistelli's version

Savior I come
Quiet my soul, remember
Redemption's hill,
Where your blood was spilled, for my ransom

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross, where you love poured out
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself, I belong to you
Lord lead me
Lead me to the Cross

You were as I
Tempted and tried, human
Word became flesh
Bore my sin and death, now you're risen

Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross where you love poured out
Bring me to my knees, Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself, I belong to you
Lord lead me
Lead me to the Cross

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Refreshment

This week was a hard one.. Cheyenne, my little cousin who lives with us, came down with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized last Monday night...Thus my mom had to take off the whole week to help take care of her. I took over my mom's days at school so that she could take care of things. I have been trying to take all my tests for my certification also so it has just been REALLY hectic and stressful but it's life.

Luke's parents were doing a short little conference in Brownwood this past weekend and most of his family was going to be with them so we headed out there to spend some time with them. It was such a refreshing weekend and something we both needed. It was a great reminder of how to be living and we learned some new things too. Some of the things that Bobby talked about was when Adam and Eve sinned their spirit died and every man/woman born since have been born in "Adam's" image thus we are all born into death not life.. When Jesus "the second Adam" came and died on the cross for us and offered us spiritual life. Most of us are still living like we are dead instead of living in the Life we have as believers and letting Jesus work through us.. We read Romans 6:1-9 and here is what it says..in a nutshell it says that if we are believers we are baptized (immersed) in his death on the cross with Jesus when he died for our sin and that when he rose from the dead we rose with him in NEW life. Most of us, me included, have been living like he is still dead. One of the people at the conference said that the degree to which you are immersed in the water is the degree to which Christ lives in you. WOW!!! That is so true how many times do we just immerse ourselves enough to get what we need at the moment to get by instead of being TOTALLY immersed and experience what REAL life is like??

There were so many good things talked about at the conference and I am so glad that we went and got to learn so much....It is so exciting to see God work and to be a part of it.


Today I am going to FULLY IMMERSE MYSELF!!!!!! How about you???????