All around the world...really?

Paul to the church in Rome:

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world."

~Romans 1:8

At first, I read over this thinking nothing of it. But, then I read it again. And again. I could hardly believe what I was reading. I thought back to Bible times--when there was no television, no radio, no twitter or facebook, no cell phones or texting. There was simply word of mouth, and messengers that travelled miles and miles to deliver news.

Paul says that the faith of this single church in Rome was known around the world! That is incredible! It wasn't something that could easily be recorded on video, and people could just flip on a news channel to get the "in." No...their faith was so great, that people everywhere found it worth talking about in their everyday conversation.

I wish my faith was like that. I wish that when people spent time around me, they would find my faith worth sharing with others. We are called to be die-hard followers of our Lord and Savior. He should be our first thought in the morning, and our last thought before bed. He should be our everything.

According to the Bible, the day that Jesus' name is heard all around the world is the day He is coming back for His disciples. Isn't this something worth talking about? Something worth updating your facebook status for? Something worth tweeting about?

Lord, may Your name be known all around the world.

And Lord, would it start with me.

Spring Break Re-cap

WOW! I haven't posted anything in soooo long! Spring break has been so good.

I have nothing to say, but that God is so incredibly Sovereign. He has been showing that to me this week especially. God has blessed me so much with friends and family that care beyond all imagination!

A quick re-cap of blessings:

-I was picked up from the airport by a wonderful Man of God, Matthew. We had a nice breakfast together, and were challenged by an incredible God!

-I was greeted at home by my crazy brothers and a hilarious Daddy.

-As I proceeded to my room, I found that my mom had completely blessed me by re-doing my room (re-painting, a new bedspread, new pillows and sheets, STUNNING.) I love my Mommmy.

-I spent the majority of my week meeting friends from all over. One of my highlights was that I got to see Shelby, one of my friends who just had brain surgery. She had made it home by the time I visited, and she was such an encouragement! Shelby, you're a trooper!

-My mom took Monday off to be with me to go to a doctor's appointment, shop (yay!) and just have girl time.

-On Wednesday, I got a call from my doctor that my blood work showed that on top of my gall bladder issues, liver issues, pancreas issues and Hepatitis A, I have been fighting Mono this whole time, and currently have Epstien Barr (sp?). Holy moley! Thank you Jesus for sustaining me.

-Friday we had dinner at Viva Mexico as a family, and then we went to our church's good Friday service (amazing!). It was an amazing reminder that Jesus died so that we might find life in Him. Our God is an awesome God!

-Saturday was my last full day of no plans, I got the joy of hanging with my Mommy and running some last minute errands before Easter.

-and Sunday...EASTER!!! What a joyous celebration of Christ's resurrection! It was great to see my family, especially my cousin's baby, Logan (so sweet).

Anyways, I thought I would just give a super fast overview. I hope your weeks were filled with joy and God's blessings.

Thankful

Not my will, but yours be done.

This is the prayer of my life right now. It's amazing how God will completely flip our lives upside-down as soon as we surrender our everything to Him. This week has been a week of unpredictability, uncertainty, and un-bridled praise.

I am thankful...

when the world sees me as defeated, because God is my prize.

when there is no the light in sight, because I know the Son is still shining.

when the way is narrow, because there is no one to turn to but God alone.

when God takes away, because He gives me more of Himself.

when life is just hard, because it means God is refining me, His vessel.

when I can't think straight, because God will take control of my thoughts.

when my heart hurts, because God is my Comforter.

when I am broken, because God is my Healer.

when the tears fall, because the angels will surround me.

when I'm exhausted, because God rejuvenates.

when life is uncertain, because there are more opportunities for God to break through...

I am thankful for a God who reigns over all.

Life

I am so ecstatic to be home soon!

It's amazing how a few events can change my perspective on life! Over the last month especially, God has really shown me how much my family and friends matter to me. There have been times that I have literally thought that I could possibly die sooner rather than later. It's an amazing thing to honestly look death square in the eye.

Somehow, through it all, the only thing I could see clearly was God's hand. I saw God's hand on me, in my situation, working in the lives of others around me, using me to bring Him glory, and ultimately, His hand of healing. I am so humbled to look back and see that God really does work in the details of our everyday lives.

And so, as I look forward--12 hours from now, I will be in the air, on my way to see the ones I love most--my amazing family, my incredible boyfriend, my home church, and friends I have missed. I am so thankful God has given me a second chance at life in my own mind. It brings tears to my eyes...and as they roll off my face, I cannot help but know that God is catching each and every one of them.

This picture below is amazing. This is how I would describe my life in the last few months. I cannot ignore the fact that God has been cradling me this whole time. At first, I felt like a seed--surrounded by dirt. That's all I could see. I felt that I was suffocating in icky, bad, filthy stuff. And there was no one there with me. And then, the water came, and I felt like I was drowning and suffocating all at the same time. I couldn't breath, and the dirt just kept getting more dense all around me. And then, in the middle of it all, I began to see growth in myself. Like somehow, God was using all the dirt for good--in fact, I wasn't suffocating, I was being nourished by the Living Water. Now, I look back. I see the dirt below me, I feel the water living in me and bringing life to my soul. And most importantly, I see that God has been holding me this whole time, and He will continue to do that until the day I die. His hands are dirty with my dirt, His fingertips are wet from wiping my tears...He hasn't just ordained all of this, He has hand-crafted it, and lived it with me. Abba Father, thank you.

Life is a precious gift. Live each moment for the glory of God alone.

"God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him."

~John Piper

A heavy heart

My heart is heavy, and I ask you to join me in prayer for some dear friends of mine.

First, please pray for my friend Shelby, who had brain surgery yesterday around noon. She is doing well, but has a long road of recovery ahead of her. The surgery went as planned, and the doctor is hopeful about her being able to return to a normal life after she heals. She is a senior in high school this year, so pray that she will be able to finish this school year strong. I praise God for his timing, because I get to go home Friday and I will be able to visit her in the hospital while I'm home for break. What a blessing! I will post more as I get updates.

Also, please pray for the Wright family. I found out this morning that these family friends unexpectedly lost a close relative due to an unexpected heart attack. I can't imagine the grief and pain that they are going through as they figure out how to deal with this loss. Please pray for peace in their family, and that God would be ever-present in their situation.

Thank you for joining with me, as we lift up the hurting people within the Body of Christ. We are one body and when one part hurts, we all should too--and we should do our best to make life a little easier for them, even if only by trusting that our prayers will be answered.

Wind and the waves

I was reading Mark 3-5 today, and I was reminded of a simple story:

"That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, 'Let us go over to the other side.' Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, don't you care if we drown?' He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to this disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?' They were terrified and asked each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'"

~Mark 3:35-41

It brought me back to an old song written by David Phelps, that says "Even the wind and the waves obey, why can't I....why can't I? Where is my faith, is it lost at sea? Lord, help me be like the wind and the waves." At a moment's notice, a raging storm immediately obeyed Jesus. We should respond to him in the same way.

As I learn to trust God more and more each and every day, I pray that my unbelief and lack of trust would slowly be replaced by complete faith in God's ability to do what He promises.

Lord, help me be like the wind and the waves.

Praying for healing

God is faithful to teach and reveal himself to those who seek him! Today has been a day of struggle for me. As I wait for my body to fight off a systemic infection of Hepatitis A, one of the major side effects is that I am chronically tired. No matter how early I go to bed, how I sleep at night, at about 2 in the afternoon, I get hit with a brick wall, barely able to keep my eyes open. I got so incredibly frustrated today! This last weekend, I purposely made sure to be in bed early and eat healthy foods, yet Monday rolled over me like a Mack truck!

As I lied down to take a nap this afternoon, I kept asking God, "Please heal me, so I can go back to normal living. I just want to be able to get through the day without being exhausted half-way through!"

Right now, I'm reading through the book of Mark in preparation for Easter. It's good to be reminded of the miraculous things that Jesus did in his time here on earth.

"As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them."

~Mark 1:29-31

I was so convicted! I should not be praying for my healing so that I can get back to my routine! I should be praying for healing so that I may serve others. I want to be the kind of woman that Simon's mother-in-law was. Her first action after being taken off her death bed, was to serve others! Wow! What an amazing example of what it means to be a servant--holy and humble.

You know, I honestly don't fully understand what God is doing with my life right now. I really don't. But, I'm learning to be okay with that. He is teaching me so much! And he's faithful to continue shaping me into the woman of God that he has called me to be.

Proverbs 31 speaks of a woman of the Lord in this manner, "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue."

This is my "modified prayer." No longer do I want to get better for my own good, but I pray that God might heal me so that I may continue to serve others to the fullest. I praise God for being faithful and full of grace and mercy to His children. It's amazing to learn from the best teacher of all, and know that He rejoices when we finally learn what's He's been trying to teach us all along!