Live Out Loud

Wow. I cannot believe it's been over a month since I've updated. I haven't been too committed to this blog.  I do apologize.

Anyhoo..
I have been crazy busy since the beginning of this year. I've been trying to finish my senior year (woo hoo!), getting ready to take off to Texas this summer, and also getting ready for college. It's been pretty insane around here but I think I like it.

I have started a new event at church called Momentum. I had been praying about what I could do for awhile, and this idea kept coming to me. I finally decided to go for it and see where God would take it. Of course, you cannot do for God without the devil showing up. There are times where I get discouraged but I can't give up. I know that God is in this, and I have a passion for the youth at SBBC. Momentum is pretty much something I thought of for teens, such as myself, to come to without worrying about tradition, coming together, getting into God's word, uniting as a youth group and just having fun with each other. I really hope that this is something that will be able to grow and continue on. So far there has been a lot of positive feedback. I am really excited about it. God is going to do some great things. I just have to remember that it is not about me, it's about Jesus Christ. That is who I live for. As long as He is first in everything, I will not fall.

My best friend, Ashley showed me a few verses that have stuck with me.
               "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." - Hebrews 12:1-4


God has a plan for your life. It may get tough at times, you may think it's not worth it, you may feel alone, you might get discouraged, but don't give up. God's going to be with you through it all, and He's got a purpose for everything.
 

Wake The Dead

Happy New Year!
So far this year has gone pretty well, there are some exciting events to come this year and I look forward to them. I was able to ring in the new year at Liberty with Skillet, which was pretty awesome I must say. The lead singer spoke before the countdown and gave me something to think about before the clock struck midnight. He was talking about how if he took God out of his music, he would sell more records and be more popular and he had a choice to make. Was he going to follow the world or was he going to stick with God no matter what the cost? He asked a good question. For the last 20 seconds of 2009,  I thought about what side I was going to be on. Was I going to be on the world's side and take God out of my life to raise myself higher, or was I going to be on God's side and fight for him, even if that left me on the bottom. You can't have both. You have to choose.

Whose side are you on?

You Got Me.

So there are only two days left in the year 2009. That's pretty insane. It doesn't seem real to me yet. This year came and gone so fast, but I am excited for next year. There are so many opportunities and new adventures waiting for me and I cannot wait to experience them. God's going to do some great things.

I thought I would take a break from cleaning and packing to update my blog and let you know what I was doing and what's on my mind. I'm looking forward to Winterfest tomorrow. It's going to be awesome. It'll be my first time seeing the campus, so that excites me as well.

I guess I will write more when I return home next year.
Let me know if you're reading, it's nice to get a comment every now and again. :)

Welcome back.

Sometimes I forget I have a blog. My apologies.

It seems like Christmas took forever to get here, finally came, and quickly left. It's always nice to see family during this time to celebrate the season together. Now I am packing for Winterfest and trying to find time to write all of these scholarship essays. I'm learning that essays are no fun over Christmas break - but it's not like I have anything else better to do with my time nowadays.

I best be getting to the library to find some more books on nonviolent civic action..
Maybe I'll have something better to write about soon..

Here Comes Trouble

I can't believe it's already September. August just slipped away too quickly and school is starting back - and I'm already almost two weeks behind in my Government class. Oops?

.....

Anyway...
I'd like to take the time to let each one of you reading know how much you're worth. Everyone has flaws, imperfections, and differences, but doesn't that make us beautiful? God created each one of us different - a unique design. Our imperfections and our flaws show just how perfect and flawless our God is. We just have to realize that. And trust me, once you do, you'll be a lot happier.

I wish I had more to say tonight, but it seems that I cannot find the words to keep writing, so I will cut it short. Is that alright? Good.


Awesome September Albums to pick up:
See Through Secrets - Jimmy Robbins (September 8th on Itunes)
Fashionably Late - Honor Society (September 15th)
Found - Push Play (September 29th)
Live Life Loud - Hawk Nelson (September 29th)


And by the way, I'd like to know who's still reading.

New Creation

Once again, I write.

The past couple of days have been pretty chill, I guess. Yesterday morning at 5:30, I was up comforting my bird. Apparently, he had fallen in his sleep and it scared him. So he is fluttering around the cage for a good while before I finally get him to calm down. Charlie was so scared that he wouldn't get off of my fingers and he actually let me pet him. I gave him a little book light, which he stared at for who knows how long until I got up again.

In other news, my application for Liberty University was sent yesterday. My major has changed from Biology to Inter-Cultural Studies - which is pretty means that I'm studying to go into missions. I have to say that I'm excited about all of it. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my life.

That is all for tonight.

Consume me from the inside out, Lord

Greetings! It has been a long time since my last post. I've been a bit occupied recently...

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to World Changers with my church youth group. Two days of driving isn't very fun but we got there and to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it. The first couple of days in St. Louis, I had no idea why I was even there. Of course it's a great experience, you meet other teenagers from around the country, have fun, blah blah blah... but for some reason I just didn't feel right. But, as always, God has a plan and a purpose for everything.
Monday comes around and it's the first day of work. I am struggling to get up at 5:45 to rush down for breakfast before the "Great Send Off", wondering if anything is going to happen to me this week. So Monday rolls by and at the end of the day I am exhausted. I still had 4 more days of this! But by Tuesday, something had changed. My spirit had been lifted just by meeting a few kids in the neighborhood, around the house we were working on. Just by talking to them, getting to know them, and playing games with them, I realized one of the reasons I came. I have never played mother may I so many times in my life - but I really enjoyed it; and I think they did too. Tuesday night we had the concert of prayer instead of regular worship and that was when God really spoke to me. I had been struggling with Him for awhile with His plans for me, I knew what I wanted and I knew what He wanted, but they weren't exactly the same thing. So that night, I surrendered to Him and now look forward to being a missionary. It's kind of scary because I'm not sure where God's going to send me and if I'll go alone or not, but it's also exciting to see what God's going to do though me. I was happy to share with the rest of the group and my parents about it also, I just wish I hadn't of started crying.
So the rest of the week was great. Wednesday we went to the zoo, then went up in the arch - which was extremely cool. The kids hung around the rest of the week at the work site and I was able to get their addresses to keep in touch. I just hope they write me back.

But of course, the devil likes to sneak in after something great happens, after God has done so much, and mess things up. On the way home, I got sick. Monday I went to the doctor and found out that I had gotten the flu. Joy. Luckily today, I am a whole lot better and ready to get back on track with things.

I will leave you with some pictures.
Thanks for reading.






P.S: I had the BEST crew ever.