Journey in the South

Where He Leads Me I will Follow

2011-12-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

Trust God, Erica. Just trust God.

My friend's words still linger in my ear, having been weeks since he said it.

Trust God.

Will I? Will I really?

Simple concept, we hear it all the time as Christians. It's what we teach in Sunday School amidst the squirming, giggling little kids. Knowing it so well in my head, you'd think I would know it in my heart by now. But that is simply not the case.

God lead me through the fire last year. I felt it's heat, more than once. And he proved faithful. There is something consuming about realizing the fact that God really is in control...and I'm not. And this whole time there was one lesson I absolutely overlooked.

Nothing is in my control.

My heart was breaking, my Dad kept having flare ups with MS and all I wanted for Christmas - or for the rest of my life at that - was for him to get well. And I remember what I said, "I just feel helpless. It's crazy. I mean, I can't do anything."

Exactly.

I can handle sickness in my own body, feeling pain at the most inconvenient times, being humiliated about my condition, wanting to die to be relieved of the pain, being bed ridden - been there, done that. I can take persecution and being laughed at, mocked, rejected, judged wrongfully, overlooked, treated like I'm invisible. But when someone I love is in those kind of circumstances, it takes all I can do to not lash out in anger and dynamically "fix" the problem. Maybe it's the fact that I'm female... Or maybe I'm still stuck thinking I know best...?

All I know right now is what I've learned, that which I seem to forget every single aching day of my life(!)...I cannot control anything. (Except my own choices.)

And when I've fought doubting God and can't fight anymore, finally collapsing onto my knees only to question him, "What are you doing!?" he always answers the same.

"I Am God."

As long as I can remember, he is God, and his thoughts are higher than my thoughts, his way are higher than my ways. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, it's never entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that love him. If it is his will, whatever I desire, no man will be able to separate me from that. But if it is not his will, my wrong choices, and going after it anyway, could get me what I want; but it could also ruin my future, and perhaps others' futures also.

He says "I Am God." and it seems like such a vague answer. But it's everywhere in his book. "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted amoung the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Who made me? Who put the earth together and holds it together as we speak? Who made the blind and the lame? And who makes them whole? Who can take a wicked heart and make it white as snow? Who gives out wisdom freely to all who ask in faith and doesn't take back? Who gives and takes away as he will? Who saves all who trust in him? Who has always been the one who helped me go forward when I felt pushed back or too weak to continue? Who has given me test upon test and taught me that the only way through life is to hold onto him? Who

has always been there when my whole world was shifting? Who has been on my side, so compassionate, when no one else was? Who put the moon and the sun in place and sends the rain and the drought? Who helps me see beauty in the ugliest of places? Who gives so much grace? What's his name and what is his Son's name? His name is God. And Jesus is his Son. And as long as he reminds my feeble heart of all he has done for me, and who he is, I will trust him. There's no other way.

Year's End

2011-12-27T07:52:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that almost a year ago we started 2011! It has been a very long year. But it was over so quickly! I think what I have learned this whole year is that I have to know myself.

Know thyself, the Greek aphorism.

None of us ever arrive - on this earth. And I'm still growing into the woman of God I will be one day... and when I've reached that point, I will still be growing more into a woman of God. I'm learning that my way of thinking is in fact upside down, and in turn, the Lord has been flipping my world upside down so that I may finally see right side up! I've learned more about life and death. Have you ever felt like you were dying inside? Ever felt like a martyr at heart? Let me tell you - God is there too. He hasn't left me this whole long year. He's helped me, he is my Great Helper. The lifter up of my head. I have not fallen to the ground once without him. He is there.

Peace on earth, joy to the world, and praise God in the fires of life. So true - Isaiah 24:15

2011-11-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Commitment, n. The act of committing; a sending to prison; a putting into prison; imprisonment.

(Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ..." Philemon 1

Make it a personal commitment:

____________, a prisoner of Jesus Christ.

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day." from 2 Timothy 1

2011-11-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is my gospel. My good news, freely given. And if I don't let it touch me, and change me every single day for the rest of my life, there may be one person along my way who will miss hearing what Jesus did for them.

2011-10-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Lift up your head. Your redemption draweth nigh.

All's Grace

2011-10-04T13:40:00.001-07:00

2011-10-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

Photography is on my life's front-page column right now. Truly, life is not much in itself, we are all like vapors that appear one moment and are gone the next. Taking each picture is a preserving moment, as each moment passes. This year has been *the most* eventful year of my life (emphasis on "the most"), and will close being probably the most tried, the most difficult, and also the most joyous. The one year in all nineteen that I've lived with the most experience in "real life".

"Welcome to the real world."

I've been told that probably twenty times so far. Go figure...

So among photography, stencil- and free-hand painting old furniture, a twisted ankle... and I'll be brave enough to mention they were only one-inch heels! yeah... I won't run in heels ever again (yeah right). So anyway, among these things, plus helping out with a revival at another church in Brownfield, my passion for working with and just plain riding horses still lives and thrives, and music is an ever present joy, life is busy. I never got to Ukraine. Some things in life are just not meant to be, I reckon.

So as life goes on and tests, trials and tribulatons are literally one after the other, exhaustment has threatened my path.... but as the Bible says in 2 Corinthains 4: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed..."

I know we all reach our stride, we all reach our climax, we all reach the milestones in life, we all have our own story to share... but I am fascinated and awe-struck, still amazed and stuck on this one thing, how faithful our God is and how strong He is when our strength is gone.

2011-06-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

They say you never know what you've got until it's gone. I have found that what you have may not always be gone for good, but while it's gone, you realize what you had and that it might just have meant the whole world to you. And you desperately want it back. My brother recently went on a trip with our cousin. Just for a while. But it was so hard for me to be without him for that short amount of time. He is almost like my second half...lol! Seeing him walk through that door tonight was like sunshine shining through the clouds... or like sparkling rain during a drought. There's other loved ones that have been gone for a while. I'm seeing that, as more time goes by, all I can remember are the good times, and how much they meant to me, instead of all the times they made my blood boil cause I was so angry or they just made me cry! When it's that love that Christ works in you, it makes all other memories fade away except the ones that help you appreciate them more. Knowing what you've had, and now that it's gone... makes me wonder why I got so mad or why I allowed some things to hurt me so much. And then when you get back into routine and life starts to become normal again, it's easy to let frustration take hold again when you may not agree. Then all I have to do is remember how much I learned to appreciate them and how much more glad I am that they're here, rather than far away. It's thankfulness. It changes the whole perspective. A thankful heart. We are given so much that we take for granted, me especially. Take it from someone who knew the power of thankfulness and left it for a season. I have been blessed! I am so blessed. We never know how long we have. Life is too short to complain or take all we've been given for granted. I've got to praise Him as long as I breathe.

2011-04-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

Living my whole life feeling I am owed something doesn't get me anywhere. It doesn't make me strong, or pure, or honest, or cheerful. That kind of thinking will make me bitter, leaving me ultimately unfulfilled and unthankful, always expecting something more from all the people in my life. And my expectations will only leave me disappointed.

I will care for others, and let God take care of me.

2011-04-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I have been away far too long! And I have come back with a single thought to share with y'all.

How could I expect to willingly die for Someone who I won't even live for?

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

All That Thrills My Soul.

2011-03-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

There is a dark state we can find ourselves in when God feels far away. But where did he go? He said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." So I must have been the one to leave. There's something potentially tragic about treating God like a wish-granter rather than seeing him for who he is, an all-glorious King. Demanding things of our Creator is destructive to that relationship. Who wants to be ordered around when they've already given us everything? In the darkest night, we shouldn't remind God of his promises, but look up to him and trust him to carry us through. When we receive a blessing, we don't ask why it was sent. Aren't all things made beautiful in his time? But certain times can truly be distressing. We can ultimately despair. It is in that time of trouble that we must attach ourselves to the Lord's presence. For who can cheer the heart like Jesus? We've gotta seek his face during the dreary days and the long, cold nights. He is there to hold you through those times. Walking by faith is all we can do, and he will surely never let us down.

All that thrills my soul is Jesus.

He is more than life to me.

And the fairest of ten thousand

In my blessed Lord I see.

Iced Lavender

2011-02-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

So, as I was boiling water to make lavender tea, I was remebering when my family and I went to the lavender show last summer in our little antique town. You could smell the enticing scent of lavender-everything before you even got close to the door. I remember all the wonderful scents and vast shades of purple as we walked in. There were lavender bunches tied with brown raffia, young and sprouting lavender in planting pots, lavender soap and popery, lavender-flavored honey and scented candles... And before the long and well-stocked table was a smaller one with lavender lemonade and cookies with purple icing! I was in awe, I never knew lavender had so much potential! I definitely wouldn't make dandelion cookies or iced plantain tea and hand it to you just like that! The couple who grow the lavender live just a couple streets away from us and keep lavender plants growing all around their house. The man that talked to me and my brother was such an influential person, I can still see his face as he told us how good God had been to them and how he and his wife have taught their whole family to love the benefits of lavender, as well as the beauty!

After my reminiscing, I decided to make my own version of lavender lemonade. Oh... no lemons. Well, we have pink oranges. So after I had strained the lavender water and let it cool, I juiced a pink orange and added that, stirred in some Stevia (natural sweetener - WAY healthier than sugar or Splenda!), and when I tasted it... not exactly how I imagined, so I poured in a little cranberry juice. Stiiiiirrrrrrred again and iced that glass - WOW - Mama Miá!!! And it was filling as an afternoon snack, I won't need to eat for hours now! But that's just me.

Lavender can be used to stop inflammation from minor burns and the oil has been used for centuries as a beauty product. As a tea, vapor rub, or oil inhalation, it is effective to treat colds, flu, pneumonia, and many brocnhial and throat issues. It's also a hard core decorative, and did you know that the color purple is believed to awaken creative thinking?

So here's what you do for one glass:

After you've boiled about 1 cup of water, turn the heat off, sprinkle 1-1/2 teaspoon of lavender flowers into that water and make sure you leave the pan on the stove to let it steep. While that's infusing, juice one orange/lemon and add to that... um... let's say a tablespoon of crandberry juice. Can you tell I do NOT use measuring spoons!? lol, Now your lavender water should be cooled sufficiently. Strain the lavender flowers from the water and mix your fruit juice with the water. Now, if you use sugar, add to at your own discretion. I put two packets of Stevia in mine. If you put that many packets of Splenda, it'll probably be too sweet. Ice, do not forget the ice, and voilá!

2011-02-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

I can remember some pretty warm days in January where I'd go out into the field and take pictures of my sister in a summer dress. Well, the last couple weeks have been snowy and slushy... and icy. You can see the first snowflakes on my Mom's rosemary bush. Yep, it is time down in the South to get cozy and warm by the fire (or infront of the tv with a thick blanket). I got so spoiled this year with the mild winter weather - not many snow-ball fights for me this year! I used to be a little snow bunny, but my little sister has taken over that roll! I did go slide on the frozen pavement one day! And I might go out again if it freezes again, but there's nothing worse than being wet and cold.

There's a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm going on a mission trip to Ukraine in May.... possibly April.... with my missionary friend that I've been with so many times! I'll be gone for a whole month and will come back to welcome home others who have also been gone. We'll be going mainly to the orphanage in the town my friend will soon be moving into permanently to continue her ministry. These kids in the orphanage are sent out at sixteen years old onto the streets, some finding comfort in drugs and alcohol, and few living a life where they feel loved and wanted. When we go to Ukraine, we'll be ministering to those kids, and encouraging them to find the very best and we'll be witnessing to them. My Russian-speaking skills are still pretty basic (lol) but I can say "Jesus loves you"! I'll mainly be there for the expirience and the opportunity to serve hundreds of kids living across the ocean! And I know I'll learn lessons that will last me my whole life, and I'll be so greatful to have learned them.

So, as I'm working hard to pay for the plane tickets and passport.... and ALL the other stuff, we're trying to stay warm down here! God is soooooooo good to give us all this moisture. Spring and summer should be beautifully green!

Changes... lol, Apparently

2011-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, this is still that southern girl's blog. lol... I decided to use that new template designer and now I'm obsessed it!! I might change it three or four times before something sticks. On the other hand... I just love this one. Like sunset colors.

Let the Blood of Calvary Speak For Me

2011-01-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

When the harvest has been gathered

And all my work is done

When the last mile has been traveled

And I've sung my final song

When I'm called to give an answer

At Heaven's judgement seat

Then let the blood of Calvary speak for me

May He write me down as righteous

Where no righteousness has been

Shielding me from wrath and judgement

As it covers all my sin

There's no work that I've accomplished

Nor my goodness I would plead

Just let the blood of Calvary speak for me

There may be some friends who'd witness

And speak a word so kind

But their voices would seem so feeble

At such an awesome time

But there's a voice that calls for mercy

Ringing through eternity

Just let the blood of Calvary speak for me

Christmas Cheer!

2010-12-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

Boughs of pine, apple cider, noels, and the ballads of Christmas... Some are perfect as pumpkin pie. Others are... uh... how shall we put it?

Candy canes! We all know the candy cane story! A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would remind people of the true meaning of Christmas. He made a pure white candy to remind everyone of the pure virgin birth. He used hard candy to represent Christ, the Solid Rock. He formed the candy into a "J" for "Jesus", and when you turn it upside down, you can see the staff of the great Shepherd (Jesus!) who will lead all those home who are lost and dying. Lastly, he stained the pure white candy with stripes of red to remind us of the stripes Christ was born to receive for us. His blood that stained the cross washed us white as snow.

"Merry Christmas!"

When I say this, something goes through me that makes me soooooooooooo happy, even if I don't get a reply. I don't know exactly when Jesus was born, but I know He brought hope to the world and merriness of heart to me.

Presents!!!

OK, that is actually a pagan tradition, but there is (almost) nothing more exciting than waking up to boxes of love wrapped in pretty paper all for ME!!! (Don't worry, I'm not as greedy as I sound! lol) Anticipation even after peeking through the wrapping (ahem, I stopped that habit last year). Giving... joy after opening a pair of socks!!! hey, I'm really not that hard to please. Give me socks (cute ones), gift cards, just a regular card..... a diamond ring... yep, I'll be thankful for you thinking of me! But, I'm not gonna use your gag or white elephant gift, so wait for next Christmas when I give it away to your three-year-old. ☺

"You Can Be a Santa Too!"

This song scares me. I don't even think I've listened to it the whole way through. One line says "Santa lives inside of you!". Whoe, that's scary. And speaking of Santa.....

Did you know if you scramble the words a little, you can spell "Satan" instead of "Santa"!? You may wonder why I am so against the big, jolly guy who brings you goodies and loves you so much. One statement sums it all up: it's a lie. A big, fat, mean lie. My loving parents (whom I love so much) told me the lovely Santa story, only to confess their half-truth to me when I was about 4 (yeah, I know, there's no such thing as half-truth). What they told me was that Santa was in fact this good 'ol Saint Nick guy who really did deliver presents to those in need. But then - the killer - my loving Mom told me he died. If you decide to lie to your kids about Christmas, don't make it worse by telling your child someday that Santa died. I was changed for life (not really). Actually, it's all very funny now. If my man (see future references) tells our kids about Santa, I'm keeping my mouth shut tight. "Mommy, is Santa comin' tonight!?" they'll ask. "Let your Daddy answer that." I'll say.

Christmas is probably my favorite holiday... well, the 4th of July is close. And Thanksgiving, since I'm sooooooooooooooooo thankful for everything God gives to me... and takes away. Christmas cheer is not dead and it's so worth it.

So, there's my thoughts on Christmas. Some things about Christmas, I laugh over and ignore. Some things, I cry over every year (remembering the deceased Saint Nick - lol). I found myself singing so joyfully this year all 12 days of Christmas (still goin')! ☺ It's truly the most wonderful time of the year.

So This is Christmas...

2010-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

Whoe, this Christmas is gonna be a hard one. Almost ALL my cousins won't be able to come, unlike every Christmas when we're ALL together. So it'll be me, my lovely family and both sets of grands at their houses, extended family dotted all around town at their homes, and friends in my heart.

I've lost many family members this year. Yep, it's been a tough one. And they're not gone - they linger here long after the last good-bye. Some of the greatest men and women that ever lived! And this will be my first Christmas without them. Some people live so much life that they leave behind breaths of legacy on each and every one of us, and they are never wiped away from the hearts of those they touched. We are who we are because of who they were. I have many stories, and many memories... many pictures. And I have others in my life that will leave the same marks.

There's a list of ups and downs from this year, but I have angels watching over me (yeah, right). They're just true, true friends, and they told me to keep my head up and pray through it. So I did every time. And every single time, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed to be, when I called on Jesus and humbled myself in the sight of the Lord, begging for Him to help me, He did. I'm always welcomed at His table, and I am pierced into His heart by that spear that He took for me on Calvary. Who cares about a bullet? Christ took my spear!

Who have I taken for granted this year? Who have I taken advantage of? Are there just too many people in this world for me? What about that little boy fighting leukemia that smiles as his family sings carols to him in the hospital room? What about the amount of babies being aborted every day? Really... too many people? Thank God Momma didn't abort ME! Seriously. Have I felt that everybody's out to get me? Who am I out to get!? How many times have I gone about my day knowing some things are just ridiculous, yet I do them because I love those that I am serving? How many times have I spit in the face of those who tell me over and over again that they love me! What's it gonna take for me to believe them? Wouldn't hurt to ask yourself these questions. This year I can say and mean this more than ever: "I am blessed and God is so good." I have learned life and learned to love more in this year than all my 18 years combined. God has nourished me and tenderly brought me up, shielding me from the killer weather, yet allowing me to experience the dry spells and winter freezes. I am better for it. God is so good.

And to all you who have been cheated, lied to, picked up and shaken like a rag doll, left to fend for yourself... maybe feeling all washed out by the rains of life... All you who have spent your last resource on someone or something and are at your rope's end... All you who have had your face spit on in return for abundant love... Rejoice. And again I say, rejoice. Christ suffered the same. God is perfecting you. Peace on earth, good will toward men. The King came, and is coming back again.

So, this is Christmas. Probably the best one yet, though many loved people weren't here. I ate a LOT and didn't gain a pound (joy!) and I'm so excited to get all my presents lined up and start thank-you cards (so special!). Merry merriness to y'all and good night. May God bless you richly. If I could say one last thing, and I can, lol, it would be this:
I feel more loved every day by God my Savior. I never have to wonder if anybody loves me, and it's not just because I have a wonderful family and friends that are real friends. It's because God has a plan for me and He thinks peace, and no evil toward me. It's because He's longsuffering with my faults and He forgives me of my sins so often. He puts up with so much, and I don't know what I did to deserve to have my heart broken so often and open up to Him with so much ease. I must have somebody who loves me very much that prays for me every day. Grace has been my whole life and Love is my song. The joy of the Lord has strengthened me so that I have withstood more than I thought I could bear with God alone by my side. And I'm so sure of the Lord that I'm ready for more if there has to be more! He has answered every prayer I ever prayed, and whether it was no or yes, it was always good. And you, whoever you are, can have this too. There are no exceptions - God and His grace is free to everyone who will ask.

For God so loved the world

that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

2010-12-20T20:37:00.000-08:00

I've found lately that the less control I have of my life, the more I surrender to God... because He's the only One that can do the right thing with it.

And that is NOT a synonym for "giving up".

How Real is God.... Really?

2010-11-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

I sat, shocked, at what I had just read. Every single word was the epiphany of convicting truth in the form of questions.

"...if I really believe Almighty God is real, shouldn't my life shake.... with wonder, praise, awe?"

quote from http://www.aholyexperience.com/

You'll find it there... somewhere!

The answer is.... YES. We saved people spend our whole lives hiding under a bushel, lifting it occasionally to let a little of Jesus' kindness shine out, or allowing our God-given joy to seep through the cracks, just so the world will know we're a little bit different.

Arguments aren't enough. Sure - they fire us up and shift us into defensive gear, words of God spilling forth in memory verses. Words we always read alone... where no one has a glimpse of the glory that fills our eyes from those red letters on the pages of history.

When is there proof in my life? Proof that God breathes in me - that His hand holds me at all times. Where is the proof that I am dead and He lives for me & in me? Where is the passion of the disciples that defied heat and flame, rising from boiling oil that did not effect, burning purely inside already with the fire of the Holy Spirit?

"But what is hotter than having ourselves pressed into the very heart of Someone?"

(another quote)

Didn't the spear that pierced His side spill the last of Himself for me - that living water - when all His blood had run? I may believe He is real, but they won't if all they see is little bits and pieces of Him from me. WE are all the world has! Stop pretending like people aren't going to hell. Jesus took my cross, my nails, my crown of thorns.... He took my spear. My sin pierced His heart. In went sin and death, and out came justification and life. Why don't I live justified?

Do I really believe?

They say once something as big as God moves in, He can't help but show out. But I don't know why God would want to show Himself through the life of a doubter. That's the bottom line. I believe that God is good enough to get me into Heaven and keep me. But do I believe He's great enough to send down fire from Heaven at my humble prayer? Why aren't the mountains moving? Why aren't the lame walking? Why aren't the blind seeing? Why aren't His arms reaching? Where is His glory? It's in me, a sinner saved by grace. God says, "Fear not, though worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Lift the bushel and burn it. Once and for all. I should stop trying to live without Him. I shouldn't be living at all. I died with my sin, and Christ is all the life that's in me now. I am to reflect His image now. Is my faith in Him strong enough to accomplish that?

Is the reality of God a reality in my life?

final quote:

"Do I think God sleeps?

Or is that just me dozing, blanketed in semi-comatose faith?"

2010-11-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

"Perhaps... instead of asking questions of our trials, trials are meant to ask questions of ourselves." -Esther

One Night with the King, 2006

A Few 2010 Pix

2010-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

The Beautiful California Desert...

WHY do wires have to be in the way???

The rugged and elusive tree-grabber (or grabbing-tree) can only be found in California, so we think. Funny story...

NO WAY -- is that a heart?

I don't know which shade I like better.

Guitar Princess...

Out'a town...

Camping last week...

Slip

2010-10-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

About two years ago, me and my Mom were shopping at Ross, when a storm hit the town and rain came down, bombarding the parking lot til it was about 3 inches deep in water. With hard droplets still running from the sky, me and Mom ran out of Ross to the classy, black Pilot waiting for us at the front of the store. Now, remember, I was running... in the rain... on the sidewalk. "Don't slip!" she said. And just as I said "I won't!".... out from under me came my feet, slipping on the wet concrete and falling hard. My black and blue basketball shorts were soaked. And after that fall, those shorts weren't all that was black and blue. I thought I had my footing. I was running, sure of myself and focused on my destination - the warm Honda Pilot. I was totally unprepared for that fall. I barely noticed my feet lose their grip in those shoes. And all the sudden, out of nowhere, I was utterly let down by my own confidence in my ability to tangle with the weather and smile at the same time. A group of people were coming in as we were going out, and I'm sure they were laughing at me, though I didn't hear anybody snickering in the background. The sensations from the fall and the cold and wetness was all around me. I cannot to this day explain how I lost my footing so easily... I mean, I can usually at least catch myself!

That's not the only kind of slipping I'm familiar with. There are days when I'm on cloud 9, with nothing to search for because I feel I've already found it. Totally at peace with God and content to stay in His presence. The next day may come to be unexpectedly hard and with a new battle like I've never experienced before. Sometimes like the only hell that I, as a Christian, will ever see. No matter how a day goes, whether good or bad, I can say it's easy to slip, at times, with little or no effort.
You can be bored, searching the Internet, and suddenly an idea strikes your mind. Without a second thought, you can find yourself in a trap, hovering over images or words that will leave you with big scars. Maybe you can't explain how your fingers got you there... it just happened.
Here's another scenario - something might not go exactly the way you planned it, somebody ruins your plans, and perception leads you to believe, for the first time in your life, that this somebody is out to get you. So the next time they get in your way, that perception kicks in again, and before you know it, you have a bitter, un-named grudge against this person. The next week, your friend says something about getting into a fight with this somebody, and you mention that this somebody sounds like that kind of person who would do that, but get this -- you'll never guess where I saw them the other day......... Just like that, with the slip of the tongue, you've let a monster out.
Maybe you'd be at a buddy's house. They've invited a bunch of friends from high school. There's a flirty girl there. She's cute, kind of annoying at first, but you really warm up to her as the hours go by. She invites you into a room by yourselves.... hey, you're a tough guy, you can handle this. All the sudden she turns Delilah on you, opening her smooth lips in the most seductive way and beckoning you further.... further... and... slip! It is so easy. One weak moment, all of Truth whispering graciously in the back of your mind, in the midst of your heart, warning you, "Don't slip!" while you take the devil's hand, whispering back "I won't". And slip. That's all it takes.
We are to be vigil, ever watching. For our adversary, the devil, walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It's not hard to slip. It can happen with us scarcely knowing, until we're on the ground, fallen, black and blue. Wounded for life sometimes. And trapped. We must face the shame and look into all the faces that warned us. All the souls that told us to slow down... to not go there... to watch out. Because they've been there. Slipping is not hard. It's almost not even our fault. That's why it's so easy to blame others when we slip up into sin. But if we would have watched, listened, and trusted, we would have never slipped. Our Deliverer is great. But He would rather us stand fast, than see us fall and have to come free us from the snare.

So, today, and every day... for the rest of your life... please don't slip.

2010-09-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Thou hast made me to know the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Acts 2:28

We never know how short of a time we have here.

Speak sweeter, love deeper; live, laugh and love.

We, Christian, are light, and the world is dark. Let your light shine while the world has you.

We have life, and they have only death. Live your best while they can see life.

Jesus showed us how to live.

Live and love fearlessly like Jesus taught us how to. Perfect love casteth out fear.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

It's.....Everywhere

2010-08-30T07:57:00.001-07:00

I can look up and see a heart-shaped ray of sun peeking through the leaves of our big oak. Now that's His love. And I feel it every time pain cuts its deepest in this life. And every day as I realize more and more that it's not what I say but what I do that matters most. I have a thing for finding hearts everywhere I look. And finding the clock just at the right time to make a wish (11:11, 4:44, &c.). God is always pouring out His love to me in little ways that most people would brush off and go about their days.... on and on and on.... never noticing His gifts that none of us deserve. Every day, in every way, even in the times when I feel He's not listening, I know that He's repeatedly saying and trying to show me... saying "I love you."

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variablenes, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

Does He still feel the nails every time I fail? "I love you" written in red - written in His blood. Jesus' blood. Precious gift, precious love. And the more I see how horrid I am, and I see me, who Jesus died for.... how could He see so much in me? Why does He love me so much? Seriously - WHY!? I am greatful.... humbled. His love draws me. The more worthless I feel, the more I feel His love. It wraps itself into my soul, weaving every gentle thread of lovingkindness into my hard heart every day. And when I push it away, He plunges me with all my hardness into the deep luscious waters of His grace. I could never ask for more. I never knew a Love like this existed. And He's mine.... for eternity.

My King S.M. Lockridge

2010-08-02T20:14:00.001-07:00

It's Real

2010-07-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, how well do I remember how I doubted day by day
For I did not know for certain that my sins were washed away
When the Spirit tried to tell me, I would not truth receive
I endeavoured to be happy, and to make myself believe.

When the truth came close and searching, all my joy would disappear
For I did not have the witness of the Spirit bright and clear
If at times the coming judgement would appear before my mind
O it made me so uneasy, for God's smile I could not find.

But at last I tired of living such a life of fear and doubt
For I wanted God to give me something I would know about
So the truth would make me happy, and the light would clearly shine
And the Spirit have assurance that I'm His and He is mine.

So I prayed to God in earnest, and not caring what folks said
I was hungry for salvation; my poor soul it must be fed
When at last by faith I touched Him, and, like sparks from smitten steel
Just so quick salvation reached me. O bless God I know it's real!

But it's real, it's real, O I know it's real
Praise God, the doubts are settled and I know it's real!

H.L. Cox

My Present Cravings

2010-06-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Wisdom

If I'm gonna know God's will for my life, I'm gonna need wisdom to try the spirits, whether they are of God. In Ecclesiastes, it says the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the fools abide in the house of mirth. They that are wise and abide in Christ are joyful, but I want to know more of why the wise are found in the house of mourning?!? I don't want to abide in the house of mirth. A wise man put it this way: Fellowship and fun are the spice of life, but who wants to eat a meal of just ground cinnamon or table salt? I want wisdom... in everything. I want wisdom to know how to make an appeal, when to charge and when to calmly approach, how to act and react..... whoe, there's so much.
Key verses: Ecclesiastes 7:4, Proverbs 14:15

Knowledge

I have more questions than ever before, and they're not being answered fast enough for my running soul. I am an over-flowing cup of curiosity! The whole world seems to be screaming at me to go to college, when the knowledge I've been blessed with so far tells me the truth - college can't teach me anything that I can not teach myself. I pray that one day, if God chooses to bless me with children, they won't waste their years wondering and day-dreaming so much about things without looking it up, especially if the information is within their house! Knowledge can save lives, it can reform ways of thinking, it can prepare us for the life that's coming - a hard life. We'll be under the yoke of a tyrant for the next 4 years, and with the right kind of knowledge, we'll be okey. I'm glad I'm still young and single and free to study study study. Key verses: Proverbs 1:28-33, proverbs 24:3-5

Cranberry juice

Why, you may ask? Let's just say it helps ALOT to cleanse and heal the liver and kidneys, and it helps to detoxify the whole body, as a matter of fact. And it's sooooooo bitter, until you dilute it with water and add Stevia powder (alternative to sugar - NO I am NOT on a diet!). Yummy..... it also masks the bitter taste of Milk Thistle and Herbal Detox drops. lol... I love my cranberry juice.

Patience

Lotz of things are about to start happening in my life, and some things just aren't coming soon enough, while other things are arriving too quickly. My passions are being tested and encouraged in so many circumstances. My convictions are being challenged and strengthened every day by different sources. I have more questions than ever before, and they're not being answered fast enough to satisfy my running soul. I've been asking - begging - for patience to be given me, and God has been allowing trials to come up, raining tests upon me, and much more. Every trial is welcomed through the trouble it brings. Every test is so loving and given with grace to face and conquer. Key verse: 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

2nd Edition on Memorial Day... Couldn't Forget This

2010-05-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here dead lie we because we did not choose

To live and shame the land from which we sprung

Life be it sure is nothing much to lose

But young men think it is, and we were young

A. E. Housman

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

It is a happy day, for we true Americans can remember the loving sacrifice of every American soldier that ever lived, and died, for freedom. For our freedom. Freedom is never free. And greater love hath no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends!

I pray we'll remember the sacrifice today that is more and more being forgotten, as we relinquish our freedom to aliens who want our country. Soldiers, Marines, Fighter Pilot, captains and privates - all of them have given what cannot be gotten back. The closest thing a Christian will ever come compared to hell. Some are tortured and imprisoned, some wondering if it is all in vain. But it's not. I am totally greatful and resolved to remember them for the rest of my life. Some members of my family, and some of my friends are over seas, or preparing to be, to go and fight evil all around the world. And I am so thankful for them and the others.

Support our troops. Pray for our troops, and please remember them. Don't forget the true America. Tell your children of it. Teach them all that America ought to be. I wonder what it could at least be if we all remembered.

WILL YOUR ANCHOR HOLD? (WE HAVE AN ANCHOR)

2010-05-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite hymn (besides Amazing Gace, of course).

One More Pic

2010-05-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is Break the Chains in color... I wish the front wouldn't have been so blurry. I'll try again another time.

Long Lost Photos

2010-05-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Some of these pics are from last year! Whoa....

A girl's dresser.....

See the heart?

Me driving the big green tractor...

just kidding

sleepy.....

Break the Chains...

What's Comin' This Summer

2010-05-15T14:09:00.001-07:00

This summer will not be like any ordinary summer. See, I won't be pursuing any extravagant vocation or career. I AM graduating soon and am so excited! I won't be getting a real job (i.e. Starbucks, Cavender's, Aeropostale...) and I won't be going to college. Online coarses that teach on herbalism and (*ahem*) medicine woman classes. lol Ü I'll also be focusing on the tasks at hand here in the lovely Southwest, meaning horses.... what else? And now that my camera has been recovered after it went missing for two months, I can resume photography!!! My Dad rescued it... it has hardly left my side ever since.

I think it's been a hard year so far for all of us. Nothing's gonna get better, let me tell ya. Sinners, get ready, Jesus is coming. Christians, get ready, we'll be going home soon! I'm praying almost every day... "Lord, come and take us away soon." Don't lose heart, y'all. He hears. He sees. He wants to come. He's waiting on the Father.

I have resolutions for this summer.... master piano and guitar (yeah right), take even MORE pictures than last year, keep riding, keep up with friends who are graduating, and make sure I don't lose sight of the Lord. I can't breathe without Him.... nobody can. I plan on planting many seeds in people's hearts this whole year. Seeds of the gospel. Especially this summer when I'll have so much more time. And I plan on reaping what I sow. There's not much else to say right now. This post has been on hold for about a week now and I wanna get it DONE. So, there's the Southern Summer, probably with more on the way!

It was May 1st... 2008

2010-05-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today I am two years old. Ü

OK, whatever, laugh all ya want... but I wonder how many of y'all know about the day I became a child of the most High. Yes, 2008 on May 1st, I was so burdened down with sin... no happiness was found within. I had never known the meaning of joy down in my soul.

I read a verse. "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matthew 24:12.

I realized, I did not love the One who bled and died for me. My conscience was so seared, and my heart so stony and cold, but God reached down and touched my heart, made it melt... and I cried out to Him. I didn't want to repent. I loved my sin, and hated God. That was the plain truth! But I knew only Jesus could make everything right, and that there was nothing right in me.

So dirty was I (still am) and so clean was He. So guilty was I, so innocent was He. But He paid it all. My sin debt, and I came to Him with a rebellious, pathetic, useless, and pleading heart, asking Him to change me and save my soul from hell. And He did just that.... 2000 years ago. I finally excepted His offer. And today I celebrate that day within my heart, so changed and transformed by Him. I have a new knowledge now... not just of good and evil, or defeat, but of victory.

Victory through Jesus Christ my Lord.

True Beauty

2010-04-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

The LORD says beauty is vain. A beautiful face, in the sight of God, is worthless - equal to an ugly face - if not paired with a beautiful heart. God used Esther's beauty as well as Ruth's to accomplish great things in History, but if they would have had hard, selfish and rebellious hearts, their beauty would have got them wood, hay and stubble. They would have been written down as an example of failure, much like Jezebel or Sapphira - warnings to the believers. Tell me, Christian... tell me, Sisters, what is true beauty?

Words like Beauty and Beautiful can't be found much in Scripture. What does God in His Word say about it!?

"O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness..." Psalm 96:9

Four times in the Word is this written... beauty of holiness. The lights of Creation and the stars were formed on the fourth day of History...a beauty that not one man can accurately describe. The fourth day of the holy convocation in Numbers 29 called for much sacrifice. Sacrifice was a picture of the sanctification and purity of Israel made possible to them by God. In 2 Chronicles 20, all of Judah praised the LORD in "the beauty of holiness" after a great victory had been wrought over the Ammonites and Moabites; and on the fourth day, they blessed Him in the valley of Berachah. So - there's some awesome things from the number 4.

Sisters, and Brothers (hey, David and Absalom were called beautiful), let's remember always what the Lord esteems beautiful: holiness. I know all you guys out there are interested in getting buff, and every girl wants to be gorgeous. But don't think yourself to be anything if you purpose in your heart to prepare your body (or your face) for the day ahead before you prepare your heart for the battles ahead.

"Because it is written: be ye holy, for I am holy." 1 Peter 1:16

The great I AM calls us to holiness. He desires our beauty, but not artificial. He tries our hearts, and lovingly sends us trials to purify us to even greater beauty, like gold. He cares about us being holy. He cares about our beauty. Do you have any?

Elderberry

2010-04-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

OK, at first glance, I thought, "It must be for the elderly." That was when I knew absolutely nothing whatsoever about herbs. But as I slowly started opening up to my Mom's obsession, it became mine as well! And I can't tell ya how grateful I am! Elderberry has the power to fight off and completely wipe out viruses. Every time I feel a cold coming on, I take about 4 capsules (most herbs are available in powder form capsules). So far, it only takes one dose, and the on-coming sickness gets the boot. If I wait too long, and the virus officially takes over my system, elderberry kills it. It does its job quickly, too. Elderberry is my favorite herb in curing viruses. Every body gets viruses, and some more frequently than others, but if you notice them coming in time, and faithfully take elderberry, it will 9 out of ten times keep your body under control. Taking it even after you feel all better is a good idea, as this will ensure that the virus is chased completely out of your system. I cannot begin to tell y'all how amazed I am at the power of this natural medicine!

So, you can buy elderberry capsules, or administer it naturally! Capsules alone work fantastically.

New Blog

2010-04-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm TRYING to get a new blog set up. Thus, I am in the process this minute. I'll still be posting on this blog (even though some of y'all may have thought I was DEAD!). lol... see, I'v been spending all my time planning for this second blog. Anyway, this blog will still be my photo/regular posting blog, and my new one will focus specifically on a few certain topics. Things I'm really passionate about - Biblical things. It's been easy on My Southern Sky to talk about anything, but I want to focus on mainly truth in this new blog. Truth is - I think we can all agree - fact and not man's opinions. truth is precious, and it is my passion. I'm soooooo excited to get it started! So in about a week (if you haven't already), you can check out my other blog at http://www.orevertheearthwas.blogspot.com/

♥ Thanks y'all!!! ♥

2010-04-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

"How different is the mind of Christ from the mind of Satan! To which does yours bear the greatest resemblance?"

-Pam Iannello
Before she passed from this life June 18, 2008

Patience

2010-03-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Content to linger,

Content to rest~
Content to wait for your very best.

And thought it seems You tarry long,

In the night You give a song

And whisper "Peace, be still."

Content to linger,

Content to stay~

Content to wait for Your perfect way.

Knowing You are in control

I rest the keeping of my soul

Upon Your loving will.

~ AMP '04

Revive Us Again

2010-02-19T20:19:00.001-08:00

The only time I have ever even tasted a sample of revival was last summer at church camp in the Rockies of Colorado. I climbed up those gigantic rocks almost every day, a little ways into the trees, and just sat. Alone. Quietly pondering the Lord. It felt so free. (except for that one day when I thought a mountain lion was following me... I never ventured that far away for the rest of the week! btw, are there lions in the Rockies?) But seriously, have you ever had revival? I mean, these times are sooooooooo desperately wicked and people are so desperately greedy and blood-thirsty. In such a cruel, tiring world, where can one have his soul strengthened to victory? With satan fighting so hard, and not many men/ladies left standing.... when will there be revival? Will there be another before Christ's second appearing? At my church, starting this Sunday, we're having Revival (Sun.-Wed.). It's not supposed to be a meeting to get revival in our church though, we're praying to be revived before it starts. Y'all, I want ya to know I despise the devil. Hate his guts. He sure has been fighting against our efforts. There's something I've learned over the past year, and that's when you finally decide to start doing something for God, the devil is ready to keep you from it. Every time a battle ceases, and peace comes in, there's a surprise attack waiting just around the corner. What is revival anyway? It's an awakening, a strength that bursts and energizes you, as if you've been sleeping for a thousand years. But it must be much more than that, because I have never in my life seen true revival. Only heard of it. Only experienced a spark. But that spark didn't last long enough to start a fire.

America is in heavy need of revival. To be revived to the truth. I heard of a man that was part of a true revival that happened once in his church. Many years passed where the revival slowly waned away, as he reached his elderly age. A young man who decided to visit the church came in early one day, only to enter a dark auditorium. Soft murmuring could be heard over by the pulpit. He slowly approached, and saw in the dimness, the elderly man who had seen revival back in his younger days, kneeling and weeping, praying "Do it again, God. Do it again."

If you are weary and heavy laden, tell it to Jesus. If you are getting lazy or feeling apathetic, tell it to Jesus. If you don't understand, tell it to Jesus. To be revived, we have to open the door for Christ and let Him in, not just his foot or his hand. We need to repent from things we have been holding onto so tightly. So tightly that maybe we have forgotten about them, and they lay still within us, bound up in the cords of our sins. It took me a while to finally see what I had been holding onto... the future. My impatient heart. My stubborn will, asking God to work, but not giving everything into His hands. What's holding you back?

Will you try?

Will you seek revival... seek God's face with your whole heart?

Or, will you not even regard the thought of revival?

What if we never see it at all? The day of the Lord is at hand, but think of going our whole life through - our whole entire generation... never seeing revival...

We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love

For Jesus who died and is now gone above

Hallelujah! Thine the glory

Hallelujah! Amen

Hallelujah! Thine the glory

Revive us again...

Tag

2010-02-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

Y'all can find this tag at http://www.aintperfectjustforgiven.blogspot.com/

#1 Your favorite color

orange blue

#2 Your favorite branch of the military

I like all the military, but.... Air Force

#3 What is your dream vehicle?

Dark green Humvee with aaaaaaaall the accessories!

#4 Hats of choice if any

Dark brown wool cowgirl hat, otherwise nothing (unless my hair is crazy!)

#5 What's the last movie you watched?

Persuasion (2007)

#6 have you ever had a pet?

dog, dog, dog and puppies! I've also had a horse, but as this quote says "A horse with spirit owns himself ". I believe that.

#7 What is your favorite movie or TV show character?

Gladiator and Hidalgo are about at the top!

#8 Do you have any firearms?

Will one day... guns are precious, especially in these times. (lol)

#9 Favorite 2 quotes?
a JR Miller quote (it's a secret!), and for the moment, "Everything we do in life echoes in eternity."

#10 Have you had an MRE?
Yeah, when me and my brothers camp outside, we eat MREs by the fire.

Whoever wants to do this tag can do it. I just think they're fun!

hehe... changes

2010-02-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Soooooooo...... I decided to try a new template! I could possibly decide to change it later though, so be prepared. The black Minima looks pretty classy. May try it later.

It's For Guys Too!

2010-01-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody... sorry I left so abruptly on that last post !! (The date for this post may say Jan. 24, I dont know, but's actually Feb. 13!) Many things have been taking place down in my part of Texas and my mind has been filled to the brim with thoughts. If I can get them all sorted out, there may be a lot of posts coming up!

Proverbs 31 is mostly recognized as the "Proverbs 31 Woman" chapter. There's basically a whole outline for young women and grown women alike to base the pattern for their lives--how they care for the home, the greatest virtues to be pursued after, giving of themselves unselfishly, it mentions the blessings of their children and husband, how they can help elevate their husband's role in society as being a man of honor and dignity.

But looking at the chapter as a whole is when I finally noticed that the whole chapter was written too a young man! It is a lesson to king Lemuel, that his mother taught him. Proverbs 31 is actually like a three-layered cake. (mmmmm.... yes the Word is so sweet) The first is to guys, middle is to everybody, and the third to girls. However the whole chapter was written to Lemuel. I wonder if guys actually study Proverbs 31 as well as some girls do? I have no clue, so I just wanted to encourage you guys to read it and study it! It will tell you how to conduct yourselves, some of what to do and what not to do. It calls you to act nobly. Instead of warning you to look out for a brawling or contentious woman, as you find in Proverbs 7, it gives you the picture of a virtuous woman, and encourages you to seek that in a wife. One of my favorite verses in Prov. 31 is verse 5: "Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings."

New Name!!!

2010-01-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

My family seems to have a thing for names. We are so interested in the meanings of names and their "histories". Especially me! I like to look up the origins of names like Liz or Pat, which are diminutives of Elizabeth and Patricia. OK, some names are weird, but they have so much meaning. Hildegarde, for instance, means "battle stronghold". I like names with meaning. But names that mean "born on Friday"--Afua--and similar others, are somewhat degrading in my view. Who wants to be named "pillow"? Yet this is what the name Cody means. And I happen to like the way this name sounds!!! My name means "ruler forever". I did a deep study on my name and found like four different meanings.... one I did NOT like one bit, another I found very pleasing. Ü "Honorable ruler" is one I really like, but the first I mentioned seems to be the most accurate. My name is also related to a Latin term for the heather plant, which thrives in desert places. One of my friend's middle names is Catherine, meaning "pure". I LOVE it!

So far this whole post has been random, but now I'll get down to the point. It does have something to do with a new name!!! My brother and I were looking at my cherished name-book a while back. I decided to look up Maximilian (which I think is so awesome!) and I happened upon Maximos. Both mean "greatest". I showed my bro and we laughed for a while about how funny it would be if one day I were to have a son (Lord willin') and name him Maximilian! "Come here, little Maxy!" No, just kidding. But then, something else happened! My brother starts calling me Maximos. So it is officially a new nickname--added to my beloved collection (there's many, many). It began the beginning of this year and is still holding out, hopefully forever, for I really do like this one a lot!!! Some are fading out lately... is it because I'm getting older and those other nicknames are just not for adults? Hope not. I wanna be called Pocahontas til Jesus comes back! lol :D

2nd Edition - 2009 Pics

2010-01-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

(lol...I cut an apple in half & it looked like a heart!)

*GLAAAAAAAAARE!*

Don't ask... I just thought it looked cool.

(Ground wheat grain --I made another heart !)

2009 Pics

2010-01-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

The past year brought me a lot and here's a little of it for y'all to see! Some of it I was *PRACTICING* photography, others are just snaps. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

Most people celebrate Christmas with their own traditions in mind. Some people don't even celebrate Christmas; instead, a different holiday. Some traditions are placing the star on the Christmas tree at midnight, some kids (actually probably most kids, lol) stay up all night long, some sing carols in the dark with only the tree lighted, some just get together for family gatherings every year, and some even do like ten different Christmases in one year because of so much family coming in at different times!!! Tradition isn't neccessarily wrong, but making that the main goal of the season... feeling as thought "it just isn't Christmas" without our festive traditions............?
I heard a story of a family who made it their tradition to give Jesus a part of every Christmas with them. Even though he was not there in flesh, they set an empty chair at one end of the table - just for Him. They made a birthday cake, even though He did not eat any (lol). And they sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus! Now you know He heard them singing. Ü One year a distant relative came for Christmas. When he asked the six year old girl of the family if she got everything she wanted for Christmas, she thought for a moment, and then replied, "No... but then, it isn't my birthday."

"Out of the mouth of babes..." Psalm 8:2

That little girl knew and understood the true meaning of Christmas, when most adults don't. She'll touch her generation. She has touched every generation, even though we don't know her name! This year, whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday, if only once, remember Jesus and thank Him for His gift to us. Even if December 25th is your birthday, it's the time we remember Christ's. And no one would be here to celebrate this blessed day if He had not come on that glorious night. Born to die, Jesus my Saviour. Have a merry Christmas and God bless!!!

Once Saved Always Saved... With Proof

2009-12-14T11:23:00.000-08:00

Okay y'all, I'm gonna tackle one thing about salvation before this year is over, and then start a series about it after 2010 hits. I want y'all to know that once you have asked Jesus into your heart to save you from eternal hell (which you got yourself doomed to with your sins) you cannot lose Him.

A very good friend of mine once told me she did not believe this because she read this verse out of Revelation 22: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

So, according to this verse, if any one who is saved, takes any information from the Bible's prophecy, he loses his salvation and he is once again doomed to meet all of hell some day. But I want to open a new thought to some of you... which may sound absolutely CRAZY... oh well... I think believing you can lose your salvation is absolutely crazy!!! lol...

Here's the thought: What if, with the understanding that we are all wanted and hoped for by God, everyone's names are written in the book of life from the beginning? Hold your horses - I'm getting somewhere with this!

Romans 8:29-30 says "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

What does that verse tell you? Answer for yourself. Has God EVER justified the wicked? No! He's a just God! You are justified when you get saved. God has called everyone to repentance. He has foreknown every person to ever be born - and unborn. He has predestinated everyone to be saved. But just because someone is destined, it doesn't mean they will fulfill that destiny - because we are all given a choice. God has crowned man with glory and honour from the beginning. He made us all upright, but we have sought many inventions. (Ecclesiastes 7:29) We have not sought after God, but after ourselves. I believe every person's name was, at one time, written in the book of life. So, what now?

There are two sins that get your name blotted out of the book of life: The one in Revelation 22 and denying the Lord Jesus Christ while on earth (Matthew 10:33). If on earth, and you do not accept Jesus's blood to cleanse you from all your sin, then after death your name is blotted out because you rejected - denied - His offer. A truly saved person will not deny Him anyway. A truly saved person won't take away from His Word!!! Even if you believe in God, believe in Jesus, believe in heaven and hell, your name will be wiped out of that precious book if you go your whole life without accepting your need of a Saviour. Think about it - Who goes to hell? Who is in hell? The dead which are unsaved - whether they refused to be saved or knew not of their need to be saved. Right up until that last breath, there was still a chance for them to accept Christ and be eternally secure. But once they deny Him - swipe. Once they change His Word - swipe. Is forgiveness possible? Always - this is the age of grace. But death is the happening that seals the deal - when we are either separated from, or brought into God's presence. Once that last breath is taken, it is too late.

Now, I cannot even commit to you that a saved person would actually do such terrible things. "What if I just try it out... ya know, see what happens?" you might say. You-are-a-fool. In fact, might wanna check your heart to see if it's genuine.

In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul said, "For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have comitted unto him against that day." So, therefore, Christ is obligated to me, to keep my salvation. He promised. Our part is to trust, His part is to keep us.

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"

You can't argue on this point because then you'll be pushed to prove that you're right. How prideful.

Now - if you believe that this concept is too far to grasp, that's OK. By no means am I pushing you! But it is important to me that all know the truth. This is a subject that defines how a daughter or son of God views their Father in heaven. Remember, we were put under grace when Jesus came, and were freed from the law. So without further ado, here is your proof.

"Then he said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first [law], that he may establish the second [grace]. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Hebrews 10:9-14

I'm going to stop right here for a second and bring to light that those verses say "for ever" ... not "for ever, unless the sanctified defile themselves again." If you are a true child of God, why would you change or take away from His words? Why would you deny him? You wouldn't. So why even consider the possibility of losing one's salvation? It continues on in verses 15-18:

"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us; for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin."

The debt that we owed (our sin debt, as seen in Romans 6:23) was paid in full by Jesus, once for all, from the beginning of our sinful lives, to the end of them. And God knew all the sins we would commit... don't you think He would make a way for us? Even for the most lost - the most wretched? The Lord says He will remember our evil no more! So what if someone takes from God's Word - or flat out rejects Him during their life before death? That's what atheists do. Is it possible for those souls to be saved before death? Hebrews tells: once for all. Of course it is possible. BUT, they have to accept Christ BEFORE they die. Remember, death seals the deal! John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

...not an everlasting life that depends on one wrong choice. Works cannot save you (Ephesians 2:8,9), neither can works un-save you. Do you doubt? God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He saves anyone who will call on the name of His Son... for ever, because God is not partial. I really hope y'all see the truth presented right from God's Word - not with your eyes, but with your heart.

Jesus, Who is Faithful and True, said this in John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

'Bout Time

2009-12-12T14:49:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all....
I think it is about time I told you about my brother's blog! He started it about a month ago, but wanted to wait til he had got everything all fixed up and ready. Here it is:
www.strongandofagoodcourage.blogspot.com

Go check it out - he'd LOVE some new followers!!!

SORRY GUYS!!!

2009-12-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

After recently editing my playlist, this head-bangin' metal song somehow wormed it's way onto my playlist. I took it off when I noticed it, but some of y'all may have heard it, since my playlist is set on shuffle. I want y'all to know I don't listen to that kind of music - it's from the devil. So, if any of y'all were so unfortunate as to hear that song while it was on my playlist, know that it was totally accidental and I'm sorry about that!

Charity Never Fails

2009-11-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave herself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth..." from 1Corinthians 13

And what is charity?

Love

Think On These Things

2009-11-04T13:03:00.001-08:00

I got this idea from another blog that I follow and decided to share it with yall!

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Phillippians 4:8

The waves crashing on the sand

Horse hooves beating into the ground

Sharing a bowl of ice cream with Mom

The sweet, warm aroma of coffee

Snuggling with a puppy

Running through a big, wide, open field with my friends

Holding my little sister

The Texas sky

2009-10-29T17:55:00.001-07:00

Working On...

...a post that will be about salvation. Have been working on it for the past month!!! So.... I'll do a different post for the time being ...... tomorrow. Or perhaps next week! this week has been crazy.... I mean CRAZY! Nothing but hustle and bustle!!!! here's a little something I want to share with y'all:

"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust him." Nahum 1:7

The only 100% positive verse in Nahum! The rest is condemnation and prophesied destruction to a certain people. Thank God for his goodness - that amidst turmoil, he still reserves deliverance for those who serve him - for those who trust him. Ü

2009-10-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Breaking a Habit

"How shall I a habit break?"

As you did that habit make.

As you gathered, you must lose;

As you yielded, now refuse.

Thread by thread the strands we twist

Till they bind us neck and wrist;

Thread by thread the patient hand

Must untwine ere free we stand.

As we builded, stone by stone,

We must toil, unhelped, alone,

till the wall is overthrown.

But remember, as we try,

Lighter every test goes by;

Wading in, the stream goes deep

Toward the current's downward sweep;

Backward turn, each step toward shore

Shallower is than that before.

-John Boyle O'Reilly

Not all habits are redundant and not-so-big-a-deal. Someone could possess the habit of cursing, forgetfulness, gossip, procrastination, or lying. Even prejudgement can be a habit!

A habit could also be known as a tendency or a practice. If some practices are not stopped, they can lead to destruction. If a tendency - however slight - is not broken, it can tend to dishonor and penury. "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." Proverbs 14:23

We all have a will. No matter how sweet the heart, every single will is stubborn and strong. And I promise and guarantee we all have at least one tendency, one practice, one habit, that is not worth keeping. We must conquer our habits with our will, and when they are too binding to overcome, the Lord Most High is there to help us break those chains.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25

My Life Verse

2009-09-26T19:43:00.001-07:00

Well, y'all did pretty good on the most recent poll - "What's my life verse?". But, there is only one right answer. My life verse is 2Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Wow, that's powerful. Just sit down and think about every little phrase in there....... Ü My back-up life verse (haha, if you wanna call it that) is Ephesians 6:10-12. All the verses listed are on my blog and they have made tremendous impacts in my life. I think the greatest thing about Bible verses is that when you actually apply them to your life, then you see how much they really mean... how true they are. And you can see how serious and powerful God's Word is. Because it's alive! There's no word like it - no letter - no reading... no other book. I haven't read the whole Bible yet, so for now, that's my life verse. Just wanted to share that with y'all, in hopes that you'll find the promises... and power of the Lord through it.

Fun Stuff!

2009-09-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well tonight when my brother and I, two other people from the youth group, and our youth pastor and his wife went out visiting our friends (which we never got to really do because we got lost twice and then another person wasn't even home) we got to talking about my trip I'm going on this weekend. They tried to get me convicted about not being there on Sunday (like they called me "a heathen child" and "an unfaithful wretch", "you sinner!".... but they were just kidding.... they're great. I love 'em!). Anyway, it did not convict me - just made me feel so loved and important (*snickers*)! They said "Ya know how you can't walk without your little toe? Well, you are like that toe - without you the church is disfunctional. We cannot operate without you. Even though you're little, you're a very vital part of the church." So I'm a very little person, yet so important! haha... They wanted to make me feel bad for leaving, and I kind of do feel bad.... I'm gonna miss ALL of them on Sunday!!!! We had fun tonight. They took my brother and I, and one of our friends to the donut shop...... yummmmmm.....

Actually, my friend and I had a show-down about Tech and Texas (the wretched Longhorns who are too bull-headed... haha... for their own good)! She tried the oldest attack in the book "You don't like Longhorns!? You're a sinner - you need to get right!" So I was classy and in such a sparkling way, replied, "Well, you know..... wisdom is justified of her children." Oh yeah - gotcha girl! (Check out Matthew 11:19 and you'll totally understand what I meant by this). Oh, I'm so proud of myself, I got her on that!

So, God bless all of you guys, (and gals), please pray for my trip with my missionary friend, that God will keep us safe. Ü Til next week!!!!

I'll be Gone This Weekend!

2009-09-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

Where am I going? Somewhere far, far away......

No, just to Kansas. I'm going with my missionary friend on her excursions of deputation before she leaves for a wonderful place - the Ukraine! She has a ministry with the kids there at an orphanage..... oh how I WISH I could go too! So I'll be gone with her this Saturday through Monday. Please pray for our safety! I'm kind of nervous because I don't know what the church is like. Some churches are so warm and inviting, welcoming you right into the family (that's my church!) but some are cold and lifeless - God help us (if that's the kind of church we go to on Sunday!). But through it all she and I will have soooooooooooooooo much fun. She's an awesome girl and I'm crazy. Together we're both unstoppable and part-controllable...... don't worry, we'll behave. Maybe I'll have some pics to put up when I get back. I don't think I've ever been to Kansas before......

Ten Thousands of People!

2009-09-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

"...Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about...Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah." Psalm 3:2-8

Dandelion Eater

2009-09-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

So, last time I did a post on herbs, it was about ginger. I am so ashamed that I haven't done any more since then!!! 53 posts so far, and only 2 have been about herbs! I mean, here I am claiming to be very interested in herbs and I hardly ever talk about them. I think it's soooooooooooooo important that we use the natural (100% natural) resources that God gave us from day 1 to keep ourselves healthy. Our bodies are the Lord's temple, and I personally am passionate about feeding and nurturing this temple with things that come straight from the hand of God. So, without further ado.................

Dandelion. You probably know it as a pesky weed that grows ALL AROUND YOUR HOUSE (outside of course - haha). I think the flower is really pretty, but some mothers don't agree - especially when their two year old runs into the kitchen with a big smile and a handful of them. What those mothers don't know, is that while their toddler tottles back outside to pick some more, and they (loving mothers that they are) secretly throw the weedies away, they are actually throwing away tea, coffee, salad toppings - and the roots? - yummy stuff there. Actually, my Mom's herb book says that you can peel the roots (yes, dandelion roots!), slice them, and cook them in a pan, all smothered in butter, then serve them seasoned with salt and paprika...... I might try it with cayenne pepper and parsley. Anyway, I thought it sounded good. The roots can also be used to make coffee.....somehow!

The flowers can be plucked off the stem and put in a salad - *edible flowers*! And while you're at it, go ahead and throw some leaves in there with the lettuce - or just do an all-out dandelion salad! A lemon-dill dressing or Greek dressing would be great - it would bring out the yummy flavors of dandelion. Yes, there are some bad flavors - actually mostly bad. haha!

Let's try this salad: be a little daring and use dandelion leaves in place of lettuce, and layer your salad with feta cheese (or any other cheese), sliced purple onion, chunks of tomato, and purple grapes. Then do this 3-2-1 Dressing. It has 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and then add a minced garlic clove, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and then blend this all together. Pour your dressing on and top your salad with a few dandelion flowers. OK, at least ONE of y'all better do this!

You can boil the roots or the leaves and make a tea - just a plain dandelion tea! The tea (I will be honest) is very, very bitter, so you would of course only want to use it for medicinal purposes. Add a sweetener like Stevia or agave nectar, and it's bearable.

Now for the medicinal examples.........

The tea helps your liver to be stable. Got liver problems? Dandelion will help tremendously with that - just be tough and get over the taste. It is known as one of the best liver cleansers. The coffee, I'm pretty sure, is only for pleasure with healthiness involved (though I don't know who drinks coffee for pleasure - blah!). If you do drink coffee because you like it, you're probably gonna like dandelion coffee, too, is my guess. The leaves are good for the liver, also. If you're really crazy and want to be really daring, blend up some dandelion leaves in a fruit smoothie some time! It's pretty good! Next, dandelion is also one of the best blood purifiers. Low blood pressure, high blood pressure, "bad blood" (wow, that's a little 17th century), dandelion has got ya covered. It has in it all the nutritive salts for the blood, so all the deficiencies in blood salts that cause anemia are taken away! It's also good for your spleen, pancreas, good for treating kidney stones (which my youth pastor has right now, please pray for him), gall stones, indigestion, diabetes, even Alzheimer's disease!!!!! It's rich in many nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Calcium is one of the main minerals. When used externally, it helps skin diseases such as eczema, acne, age spots.... What you do is crush the fresh leaves, boil them for 10 minutes, strain and apply. You could probably even add that to a face scrub -I don't know, just some thoughts. If you take the stem, squeeze all of the milky juice out of it, and then apply that to a wart every day, about 3X a day, it will be gone very soon (less than a week), depending on how big the wart is. So you can drink to your health, eat to your health, and apply to your health! There are sooooooo many different things you can do with dandelion and none of these remedies are designed to fail! But I would suggest, that if you're really interested, you should try to teach yourself. I won't stop sharing herb stuff with y'all, but there is so much, I can't fit it all into my blog. We people of America would be so much more able and healthy if we gave herbs a chance. In other countries, herbs is all the medicine they have over there! No side-effects, no counter-reactions (unless you're allergic!) But most likely not. So next time you're about to mow the lawn, pick your dandelion first. Enjoy!

*If you are on any medication, always talk to your doctor before using herbs- the medication and herbs may interact in a negative way.

Proverbs 17:17

2009-08-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

"A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

Once Upon a Time...

2009-08-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

...a little girl with dark, soft curls was born to a young father and his bride on August 20th, 1992. It was Sunday morning and the sun did indeed shine brightly. No wonder this girl was called Sunshine throughout her life! You know, of course, that was not her real name. The girl was adored by her whole family and grew up always being taught about the love of God and the story of Calvary and what Jesus did for her there. Until about 1 1/2 years ago, she did not fully understand that story - the significance of it. She made some mistakes along the way, and wandered from the good path that her parents had set for her to follow, a narrow road it was. But her loving Lord showed her all the sins she had committed, how sad she had made Him, and with shocking horror, she discovered that those sins - those mistakes - were what nailed Him to the cross of Calvary. The young girl let the Lord lead her back to the right path on which she finally accepted His gift of salvation and is now living a life blood-bought and saved by grace. She is living blessed and ever-sincere on following Him. If you ask her why she loves her Lord so much, she will reply with passion, "He's the one who freed me from bondage. He paid a debt I was not able to pay - though it caused Him great pain. He won a victory I could never win. He did it all for me." This young girl knows she does not love Him as much as she ought, she may never be able to love Him that much. His love for her puts her love for Him to shame. But she will never forget the price He paid for her - and she will never stop being greatful. She is greatful for another year of life - as today is her 17th birthday!

(Drum roll please...............) It's my birthday! The Maiden of the South was born today, August 20th to two wonderful parents. Ü I am indeed greatful for another year of life and am looking foward to all that's going to happen today..... and in the upcoming year.

So far, I've been called by 5 people - one of whom is my friend from Illinois. She called me at 8:37 AM - the exact time I was born 17 years ago! And when she finally got me on the phone (she called right when 2 other people called - haha) she put her phone on speaker and played me Happy Birthday on the guitar, while singing! What a talented friend I have... that was one of my favorite parts of the day so far. I've never had someone who's half way across the country sing me Happy Birthday! Then I went over to a friend's house and rode her horse - yes, I wanted to ride on my birthday! So it was just me and Savvy (the horse) running across the countryside, and the dog, who tagged along!
Later today I'll begin traveling to a far, far away place..... (lol, still in Texas) with a bunch of my family members to a restaurant that I've never been before, but my grandparents say it's really good..... so I'm takin' their word for it! It's a Texas Grill house....... now, I don't know if y'all have Montana Grills, or Ohio Grills, supposidly not a New York Grill, but a Texas Grill house is strictly superb!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're talking steak, chicken fried steak, chicken friend chicken, ribs, you name it (in the meats, of course). haha!! And while there, I'll get to open *presents*!!!! I'm also expecting a little surprise at the end.... but nobody's suppose to know that! :> Maybe I'll get a surprise chocolate cake 'n ice cream deal (because everyone knows how much I adore chocolate!).

Earlier, the best daddy in the world (*ahem* my Daddy!) came in from a hard day's work and handed me a bouquet of yellow daisies! They're gorgeous!!! And they smell sweet and mellow..... like a summer day. Well, there may be more later, but if not, "Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me!...."

Thank You Lord for giving me life, for allowing me to be born a free girl in the best place on earth - America! And in the best, most sovereign state - Texas...... And thank You for letting me be born to two parents who will never quit their stations as followers of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Thank you for every breath of life that I take for granted, for every sunrise and sunset I've ever seen, every loved-one, every friend, every blessing.......

What Happens in God's Time

2009-08-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Lately, God has been testing our faith as a family. I won't go into deep details but I will give you one instance where our faith has been tried, and God has done a work soooooooo great!! (I was planning on posting this like, four days ago..... yeah.) Here's the story.

One day we decided to get a new used van. So we went to the dealership and bought a blue Dodge-mini. But..... we didn't pray over our choice. We did not include God in our search. And we've been paying for it ever since! We had this blue Dodge mini-van for over 5 years, and the thing gave us problems all along. Around the beginning of this year is when all the big problems started. It began with an oil leak, to the transmission being totally shot - worthless - useless. (*big, sarcastic smile*) Dad took it to the shop time and time again.... still, the piece of junk wouldn't get better! We were spending a lot of money, with added gas expenses, topped with other things we were still trying to pay off. Until then, I was the encourager, aiding everybody on to believe and have faith in God. My faith was now being tested. We prayed for a long time, and twice, we actually considered two different vehicles! Once it was a Honda mini, next a Honda Pilot. Ahhhhhhh..... I loved, loved, *loved* the Pilot!!! But neither of those worked out. Besides, a Pilot was a rather insensible choice for this family of six - so we thought! I know we could have managed, but anyway... Mom and Dad looked and looked and looked (!) on the internet for another vehicle that wasn't gonna break down on us, but it seemed like they'd have to travel half way across the country for a good used one. And with gas expenses like they are - yeah right! So, eventually, we gave up. Well, not really. But we gave it all to God. We decided to stand still and let God move. Then one normal day, as my Mom was just wishfully checking out vehicles, she found a black Honda Pilot in the town right next to us! No way, it's just a fluke. Dad and Mom decided to take us kids and go check it out anyway. So they did, and they thought it was a pretty good deal. Until..... a car salesman-friend of my Dad's told him that it was really worth $4,000 less, and that his dealership could find us one for the lesser amount. Oh no! You gotta be kidding me!!! We gotta wait!? Until... the dealership we had started with, called and offered to lower the price exactly $4,000. They had some how found out what my Dad's friend was planning to do for us. Oh yeah, we're getting this Pilot!!! Until... we found out that there was an oil leak. Dad was going to call it off if the problem couldn't be fixed. We all agreed that we weren't going to take anything that had a problem. We wanted it whole. So, Dad took it to the shop..... v`oila! It was fixed, stayed fixed, and.......... we got a new vehicle! We got this totally awesome Honda Pilot, that God just set in our lap! We gave the whole situation to Him, and He worked without any effort. It makes me think - maybe He was just waiting for us to let Him have it. Through those five years we have learned as a family to include God in everything we do - not just in our choice of a new vehicle. This is just one situation of many where God has answered our prayers. Maybe God's just waiting around for you to give Him a situation in your life so He can fix it. And he doesn't just want your faith in Him - He wants the whole, entire situation. Just sit back, be still, maybe even close your eyes, and let God move!

*Thanks to Mom for making sure I got all the information correct! (haha)

Song

2009-07-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Reach The World
It all starts with just one voice

That takes a stand, that makes a choice

To live for God and not hesitate

To tell the world about amazing grace
One day that seed somehow breaks through

Where there was one, there now stands two

And soon another takes his hand

A ray of hope that spreads across the land.
Across the mountains.

Across the sea.

Soon other's join in harmony.

They've found the cross still standing strong.

And soon a mighty chorus sings along.
Go reach the world, touch one more soul

Bring one more lamb back to the fold.

Each soul another flag unfurled.

Each voice another chance to reach the world.
Don't let me pray, Lord, for wealth or fame.

A spark that sets the world aflame.

But help me reach the lost and alone

Tell of joy and hope where hope was gone.

-Mark Bishop

I REACHED IT!!!!

2009-07-21T11:00:00.001-07:00

Yeah! I got 21 votes on that first poll! More than I was aiming for..... that's soooo cool!

Your Skill

2009-07-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

I play the piano Wednesday nights at my church for the worship service. Until about 3 months ago I wasn't that great at improvising hymns, and so it was basically a banging of every note to the ear! I listened to the piano player on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings, and it discouraged me because she was so GREAT and I was so NOT GREAT!!! Of course, my Mom would encourage me, "Honey, she's been playing piano since she was little, through college, and you've only been playing for three years." I well understood, not to mention that Karen is the most amazing piano player I've ever seen in my life (she's better than Bach or Liszt - TRULY!) And, I'll say it, I am not a practical person! Impractical people don't often think practically. I was thinking impatiently and hastily. So, even though I was getting the best training, and slowly improving, I still didn't look forward to banging every Wednesday night. While Karen was teaching me how to improvise, and I was being self-pityish ("I'll never get it!"), I read a verse out of Psalm 33.

"Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright...Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise." Ps. 33:1 & 3

Doesn't say anything about piano in there, but it spoke to my heart, telling me to keep on going. Keep trying and have fun doing it! Why? Because it says to play skilfully, with a loud noise!!! Well, I had the loud part down, but skilfully? Oh yeah, aren't we supposed to give our best to God? I hadn't reached my full potential at that time, and I'm still improving on some things, but while sitting there, sulking about my sorry state, I could have been challenging myself to move up! When I read that verse, I thought, "Shame on you! get up there and practice!" So I did. And now, I won't lie (haha), I'm not that bad on the piano!

So I want to encourage y'all to give of your very best to the Master, and to put forth all your skill for His glory. Our potential is never complete - we'll never arrive, so keep giving and aim high! Don't wallow in self-pity, because it's a sorry state, and believe me - you'll regret it!
It doesn't matter whether it's piano, singing, archery, drawing, or another talent you may possess... even learning to talk to people. Give the Lord your best, and He'll bless you. What was my blessing? Enjoying every second! Now I'm working on the guitar...

The Southern Summer

2009-07-18T18:19:00.001-07:00

Well, while I don't have anything else to write about, I'll share what's going on in my Southern life. I recently got new batteries for my digital camera (ahhhhhhhh... yes!!!) and I've been practicing my photographic skills (which are getting better every day, but anyway)... I've been on the blog a lot lately, watching the polls get more and more votes!!! Will I reach 20? Thanks to all of you who are helping me reach my small goal!!! And I'm so glad that NONE of you have said you don't even listen to music.... Ü

Other things going on are: working on scrap-booking, calligraphy (I need more ink!!) and other arts (*ahem* drawing, sewing, decorating)..... There's so much to do, but when I finish everything, it'll be time to find something else to occupy this little mind with. There's always a "hangin' around" feel down here. That's life in the South for ya - lazy summer days. I love that phrase - "lazy summer days..." In a picture, it would be a hazy blue sky, with a hammock under a canopy-like tree. My family and I watched Toy Story earlier tonight, and I forgot how hilarious it is!!! It must have taken a long time for the actors to stop laughing their way through the script (at least that's what the case with me would have been). If you're looking for a laugh-out-loud movie, you should watch Toy Story. Ü I haven't been to the beach this summer.... :( But I've been training a horse to do barrels..... ahhhhh... exhilarating!!! And it's so worth it....

Another thing that's been going on is stories..... I've dreamed up so many good stories that would make excellent books..... I just can't seem to put them on paper. But I draw them out!!! There's probably close to 200 sheets of paper in the box under my bed, but hey! it keeps the stories coming, and helps to increase my drawing skills. Those stories would probably make better movies than books, now that I think of it. What I'm saying is I would be better at script-writing than book-writing!!! If only I could make everything fit together... Maybe there's just not enough thought put to a pen and paper when they're in my grasp. So I go from a busy activity-based girl, to a haze of summer, to a barrel trainer, to a wishful wanna-be writer. I hate to use the term "wanna-be" but a better word couldn't be thought of at the moment! There's more coming to my summer, and I maybe I'll have pictures next time!

A Lot of Votes!

2009-07-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm having a lot of fun with all these polls. Ü Maybe by the deadline there will be 20 votes on each one!? I know, I shoot pretty high goals. But we'll see.... Anyway, thanks for voting, everybody! I'm learning about you all (even though I don't know who votes what!). I'm really wondering who has the family of 20 or more???

How to Beat Your Wicked Flesh (You Can't!)-Part2

2009-07-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so terribly long to get back to this. Y'all probably forgot all about it! You can go back to "Keep Yourselves From Every Wicked Thing" (part 1) to review this series if you want.

Anyway.....

Remember the text we started out with? Deuteronomy 23:9&14 "When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing...For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."

Well, hehe, I know I haven't posted on this series I started for at least 2 months, but.......... Have you kept yourselves from every wicked thing!? If you've come back from any lost battles lately, I hope you've returned with a resolve to conquer this weak flesh that envelopes our willing spirits. I hope you'll join me. Let's take a look at these verses -

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41

The same words are echoed here: "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38

So to avoid wickedness, what must we do, according to the Bible? Watch and pray. Be watchful and alert, because every time you feel that life is going smooth, the devil is just around the corner with a fiery dart. Pray - seek the Lord and his face. Seek his guidance and ask for protection. You will be in dangerous battles throughout this walk of faith, but that doesn't mean God can't put his Hand upon you to protect you from the enemy's blows. Also, notice that he says to watch and pray to avoid giving into temptation. A blow from the enemy that could always get some one is temptation. Something that looks so good - something we will desire. Like inappropriate TV shows or websites that our flesh can feed off of. But it will destroy us if we give in. And it will be very hard to fight temptation if we aren't watching and praying.

"There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 16:25

This is a good verse to describe the way of temptation. We could follow the tempter's path, thinking it will lead to good fortune. Only to find the bitter end - death. Giving into temptation can be deadly. Alcohol or drugs, greed, intimate relationships outside of holy matrimony.... and we are supposed to be holy. Think of rebellion. "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry..." 1Samuel 15:23. I am a stubborn person, and sometimes I act upon stubborn pride and plain self-ish-ness. It doesn't matter if your parents tell you to do the "dumb dishes" every day of your life, you need to do it with a willing heart and not a bitter or rebellious heart! Have you ever thought "One of these days, I'll get outta here and never have to do anything for them again!" That is wicked rebellion, my friend. Devastatingly wicked. Or maybe your parents won't let you date this awesome person.... so what? They love you - they don't make a pact to keep you in your room til you're 30 (and parents, don't ever joke about that around your kids - just a hint Ü ). Besides, if this awesome person is as awesome as you say and really does love you just sooooooooo much, they'll WAIT until you're allowed to see people. They'll wait for you. This brings to mind another verse!!!

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5,6

If you feel life is unfair, trust in the Lord and listen to him. Read his Word and don't listen to your heart. Yeah - don't listen to your heart. Wow, isn't that just totally opposite from what the movies tell us to do? And the books, and the famous people - the whole world, in fact? Do not trust your heart. Trust in the Lord. Obey his word and get rid of all the junk that's keeping you from being happy, healthy and holy. I know it's hard - I fought it for a while! Trusting your own heart sounds so wistful and good. I learned from harsh experience, friend, that it doesn't work out. OK, back to the point (I got pretty far from it, didn't I?) How can we beat our wicked flesh??? Here's the answer:

WE CAN'T!

If we can't save our own souls from hell, what would make us think we can save ourselves from ourselves? "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9. WHO can know it? "...God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." 1John 3:20. Isn't that just amazing??? But there's still a problem. God does know all things, but we still don't know how to beat our flesh - it's impossible....

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

So it is possible after all!

There are battles to be fought, and battles to be won, but it won't happen if we aren't holy. It's not easy to be holy, but it is possible. We can beat our flesh - with God as our help.

"...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Check out the Polls!

2009-07-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!
I'm going to put up a few polls in the next few days, so be sure to scroll down my blog page and cast some votes! I have two polls set up already.

The Highest Goal

2009-06-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

What are you doing with your life?

Are you using it to help or support someone in need?

Are you just waiting around for adventure to come to you?

What are you doing with your life?

I've been noticing lately, that my life hasn't been much of a story... yet. I haven't let it be. I know a few of you who read my blog are younger than me - let this be a lesson to you - do something NOW. Go and change someone's life by the way you live. Go, without fear, into the world and speak your convictions. Give your whole heart to the Lord and let Him work in a miraculous way in your life NOW. I've only been saved for a year (May 1st, 2008 - YEAH!!!) and I'm just now realizing that life is not about what the world has to offer you, it's about what you give to it. 2 Corinthians 12:15 says "For I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved."

There is so much to occupy ourselves with - talents, searching for the "one", pampering ourselves (manicures, plastic surgery.... yeah right), world wide fame - but that's what just about everyone seeks. And you know what they all find? It's not worth it. What about a higher goal? Honour, dignity, service, strength. Strength sounds pretty basic, but are you strong? Do you stand for what you believe? Do you love it enough to die for it? "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you." Would we serve a cause greater than us? There IS a cause greater than us. The cause of Christ. Would you give yourself to a people - devote yourself to them - even if they hated you for it? Jesus did that. He gave himself abundantly to us, above and beyond, and we nailed Him to the cross. So, the bottom line is are you serving yourself, or somehting greater than you?

I ask again, what are your goals? What are you aiming for? An average spot in the game of life? A reasonable pay, good food, nice house and car, football games, a beautiful wife and 1 or 2 kids? Maybe your'e aiming higher - trying out for the Nobel Peace Prize? Gimme a break. Global warming won't happen til the tribulation - and you can't help!! Aim high, but not for yourself. I've said it again and again and you still haven't gotten it!!! (haha)

But, maybe your'e a Christian, trying to be all you can be for the Lord, yet you feel you don't deserve the best God can offer? Let me put it this way - do you feel that you don't deserve the best husband/wife God has planned for you? Like maybe you don't deserve them... Or that you aren't good enough to be called into the ministry? Again - the best God can offer... He saved you, and made you perfectly whole, white as snow. He did His best on renewing yor soul - to perfection through Jesus Christ, and now you say you don't deserve God's best? God's best is something He wants to give you, but you need to give Him your best. Don't be stubborn or prideful (yeah, it's pride). Humble yourself and aim higher than you ever have in expectations and prayer. There was a reason God wrote Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." That is your promise to claim if you are a child of God, who never changes, who is merciful to the end. Stop beating yourself up and claim it! Don't settle for anything average. Expect the best - the very best. But give the Lord your best, also. The highest goal. The hardest to reach, but so worth it. Don't give your life to average things - God wants to give you, His child, the best. Because He loves you.

My Hero

2009-06-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

"There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up." Proverbs 30:29-31

Well, my hero is Jesus Christ!!! No hard thinking to do on that point. But I also have an earthly hero. It's my Dad. Do you know anyone who reminds you of a king? My Dad reminds me of a king. He's wise and humble, meek and understanding, but he also rules his home well and demands the respect due to him. Mom is his "queen" and my siblings and I are the princes/princesses - though we don't act exactly noble sometimes. And we "princesses" are NOT like the pink-on-everything, whiny, "Daddy please this" or "Daddy please that", spoiled little girls. My Dad teaches us to conduct ourselves with dignity and to hold ourselves to the highest standard possible - to God's standards.

My father is like the king in Proverbs 30 - against whom there is no rising up. When his mind is made up, it's final and no one's going to change it. When his children act disrespectfully towards him or any other adult, we get due punishment (of course, I'm just a little angel - it never happens to me.... watch, I'm probably speaking too soon. But anyway...). Y'all know the main reason why my Dad is my hero? He watches out for me and even when I think he's being unfair, he's really being too fair. He shows me the right path to take instead of letting me learn the hard way. Sometimes I hurt him and my Mom in the mistakes I make, but they never turn me away - they welcome me into the safe circle of their counsel. My Dad serves God with all his being and tries to be all he can be for God. My Dad's not perfect, he knows it, and I think that makes him even more of a humble person, and he gains the respect of others because of it. He hasn't always had my respect, though he's always deserved it, and I haven't always had all his trust - but God has a hand in every decision of his, and it keeps us safe and able as a whole family. I'm so glad my father listens to God and obeys Him - even when he may be afraid. My Dad's obedience to the Lord is such a wonderful example to me and my siblings. We've been through so much as a family, but he's kept trusting the Lord through all of it. And the Lord has blessed us all by showing my Dad more and more though the Word.

I just wanted to encourage y'all to pray for your fathers - the ruler of your home. Does God rule him and his heart? Does he protect you and listen to you? My Dad and I haven't always been close, but as we both grow in the Lord, we grow closer to each other. It's a blessing and it's vital in times like these. Pray for your father. Support him and encourage him. But most of all, pray for him.

Lookin' Out for this Maiden

2009-06-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how brothers and sisters are so cold towards each other these days. Then again, some siblings unite into so great a pact that they (if they were geniuses) could take over the world together! But they unite in mischief, of course. Not a good combination - unity w/ mischief in mind. (hehe - sounds like me and my brother...) But rarely do you see blood-brothers and sisters naturally united and close enough to share secrets and thoughts and to look out for one another. My brother and I share this kind of relationship. So many people see it as weird, but they do admit that it's cool to see... and I know it's what everyone would secretly want for themselves.

My brother and I are similar - we're both stubborn, we like to joke around, we love the country and can't stand the city (thank goodness we live in "town" and not a BIG bustling city), we like Celtic music, we both agree that Texas is the best state in America, and the best place in the world, we both love to be around friends and family in a big group and have a cook-out or fellowship at the church. But we have some differences, too - like he hates sandals (boots are his thing) and I like flip-flops, he can't wait to grow up and get out on his own but I could be content just staying with Mom and Dad for a few more years.... we have our differences. But we get along really well 98% of the time. The one thing I like a lot about our relationship is that we look out for each other. When a girl I don't like is flirting with my brother, she gets the boot - from me. And when a guy that my brother doesn't like flirts with me he gets the boot from Ian. Now, my brother is the quiet type, so when he speaks out like that, guys know he means business. I'm so grateful that we have that trust in our brother/sister relationship. We need to build trust-relationships with our siblings. If you're getting into any kind of relationship with someone outside your family, they could see things you can't, and know things you don't, just by being around the person for a few minutes. Or if you're framed for anything, they could bail you out. But best of all, girls, your brothers can protect you from guys who are not the best for you. And if you'll trust them, it will serve you well. You could do them a favour as well and make sure they don't fall for any silly, clamorous girls.

Girls, we are maidens - young, pure maidens. Don't let that be taken away because of your stubborn pride and unwillingness to listen to your brother's advice. Let them protect you, as well as your father. Build trust with one another, so that you can have some one to live with and learn from and have fun with while you're not married!!! It's definitely not a 21st century thought, but it is a good one!

I'm Back!!!

2009-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

I got back from camp Saturday evening.... and it started pouring down rain while we were unloading the trailer!!! Oh wow, I had such an amazing time!!! I made new friends, I saw and lived in a beautiful land for 5 days, and best of all, God worked in my life. Five people from my church got saved!!! (They accepted Jesus' saving power into their lives.) Ü I was so happy because of their salvation, and I was encouraged many times throughout the week. I learned a lot about myself, too. God opened up my eyes to many, many things about my heart that I needed to get right. I was able to encourage brothers and sisters in the faith, and they encouraged me too.

The best message was the last message. Bro. Bill Marshall preached from 2 Samuel 23 about David's mighty men. Eleazar was a man who fought in a battle for the Lord until he was weary, and kept going! It was explained that he had been so "lost in the battle" that in the end, his hands clave unto his sword, and they had to pry his fingers away from it. Talk about battle severity! I can imagine him, eyes wide and focused on a battle that had already ended, (maybe ready for more?) and friends helping him relax on the blood-stained field. Bro. Marshall also talked about how the Lord won the battle, as it says in the Bible. Not Eleazar - God won!!! I realized that until I surrendered everything in my whole being to the Lord, I couldn't fight and win anything because the battle wouldn't be God's anyway. I hadn't released it to Him. So I grabbed a sweet lady from my church and she prayed with me and encouraged me.... I feel much better now. Ü When I asked the people who got saved how they felt, they gave me a relaxed smile and sighed, "Better!" One of them knew that he knew it all in his head, but he did not know for sure in his heart. You can know Jesus in your head and not have Him in your heart, y'all. I know who the President is, but I don't know him personally. Do you know Jesus personally, and not just know who He is? Do you know him as you personal Saviour? There's more to say, like the scenery was beautiful!!! It was cold aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllll week, though. Except for a couple warm afternoons! There are huge, gigantic rocks that I and my friends from church climbed on every day, and sat and talked while eating ice cream. Other times, we hiked, ran around camp, played basketball (while I just watched - haha), or sat and listened to a sermon. There's more things I'm gonna be sharing with y'all, but not now....

I still miss my cousins ...... :( But it's OK, I'll live (maybe) hehe! Yesterday we worked all day in our kitchen - painting. And today we'll do the same thing - paint. But then tonight my family and I are going to a BBQ with out church. It's soooooooooooo fun, I love get-togethers like that! There will be football, softball, FOOD and other things to do, plus fellowship... and that's the sweetest part of all!!!

Tomorrow - Joy and Sadness... Smiles and Tears

2009-06-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, happiness and sadness will come tomorrow. I've never understood how the heart can hold so much joy, but sadness at the same time. We've all felt these feelings before, and tomorrow, I'll feel it again........ My cousins from North Carolina (NC's still the South, ya'll - we discussed that yesterday) have been here since late Wednesday night and my family has spent Thursday and Friday with them, will probably spend tonight with them, and then they'll come to our church tomorrow. We have had the most AMAZING time! We haven't gotten to see eachother for maybe...... 3 or 4 years??? We've already become so close - all of us - and I'm sittin' back thanking God every single day for such wonderful cousins! There's 7 of them, and then me and my sibings make 4, so 11 altogther!!! We've bonded so much over the past 2 days, and then tomorrow afternoon, there will be a tearful, sad good-bye to all of them as I simultaneously, and happily, get on the church van with my brother to go to camp. I feel like they're our real brothers and sisters! All of them! They'll be leaving Tuesday, so me and my brother won't get to see them again until the next time they come. But it won't be too long - either later this year, or half of next summer!!!!! So, there's one other thing to be happy about!!!! Count your blessings, Erica... Trust me, I am. I have a million!!!! My cousin Aubrey and I are so similar! A few differences here and there, but we're very alike! She's younger than me and taller - 2 or 3 inches taller!!!! It makes me feel like an elf, I mean, her two older brothers are taller than me, but they're also younger than me! So, just a fill-in for the week that's coming - I won't be posting til I get back. Ü Please pray for their journey back to NC and me and my brother's journey to and from camp with our church. Thanks y'all!!

My piano recital was Thursday - and to be honest, I had a wonderful, almost enchanting expirience! For the first time, I did the prelude music, then turned the pages for my piano teacher playing the flute and this guy playing the guitar (no big deal turning pages, but it was my first time!), and then played my piece Romance by Lizst, then my piano teacher played the flute and I played piano to Nocturne by Lovland (there's words to it, but we decided to leave that out), and then another student of hers and I played Fantasy (a duet) by Timothy Brown. The whole thing was like magic. Normally, I hate recitals, but this time.....

...................til next week!!!!!

Thoughts of......... Many Things

2009-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Y'all will have to forgive me for changing the blog so much. I'm just experimenting!!!!

I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited!!! Why? I'm going to camp!!! My church camp is in Colorado in the mountains...... oh man, I love it! I just love the mountains - almost as much as I love the beach. But Texas is "God's country" as we call it down here, and it is better than any place!!! I'm just so excited. Me and four of the girls in my youth group are going to be singing up there, a song called "I'm Still Amazed". It's a (sort of) fast, and definitely joyful song about how amazing it is that the Lord would do all he did for a horrible sinner like me. Y'all, if you knew my past, you'd be shocked at how I've changed - my speech, my thoughts, my actions - everything!!! Maybe I'll put my full-throttle testimony on here one of these days. I say full-throttle, because it's REALLY (well, maybe not REALLY) long!!! At camp, I get to give a devotion in our cabin, and I'm totally ready for that, but I'm nervous........ I've never given a devotion before. I'll post about it when I get back from camp. We're all going to leave after church, Sunday morning, and we'll be back Saturday. I think we're taking..... 58 kids approximately??? Truly, I'm not quite sure. But that's not counting adults or little kids. Up at camp, there's horse-back rides (but I might not do that, cuz it's just the little trail-riding thing and you have to wear helmets and the whole nine yards... so yeah) and there's a snack stand (which I won't be going to much, unless for water - I'm healthy! gotta stay healthy - no candy bars! well, maybe a Reese's or chocolate...), there's also a gift shop, a zip-line, hiking trips, sports, singing competitions, and a few other stuff. I'm going to get some disposable cameras and just use those up there - don't wanna chance my precious camera's existence! I can tell you one thing I won't be doing! I'm not going to meet anybody special (like some giddy girls who do go for that reason)! Anyway, I'm sooooooooooo excited!!!(have I mentioned that yet!?) I love camp, because you're surrounded by believers who just want to be with God on the mountain top. It truly is a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by God's awesome design of nature. The strong and jagged cliffs, and majestic trees that seem to whisper in the wind at night..... all this praises the Lord's name. Psalm 104 talks a lot about creation. Oh, I love it. Nature does praise the Lord. If nature, not able to talk or see, walk or shout, praises the Lord just because it's natural, wouldn't we also need to praise the Lord? He gave us mouths to praise him.... gave us eyes to see his miracles and read his Word.... our whole being, everything about our bodies ,was designed to praise the Lord in some way. It's so cool, and it makes God be shown all the more powerful!!

Banner?

2009-05-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

DO NOT LAUGH! .... I think I made a banner.... (think)... I do not claim to be a great computer genius, so don't laugh, y'all! I finally figured out how to really work the Paint Windows thing and so this one's a little different than the last ones..... I'm so PROUD of myself!!! (*snickers*)Ü Maybe I can do some different things now like I've been wanting to do!!! Well, here it is!!!

2009-05-24T20:10:00.001-07:00

Memorial Day weekend!!!! And everybody's at the lake, or out of town.... except my family and some others... we went to church today. Ü Hallelujah!!! haha..... anyway...

I just wanted to shout out a thanks to the soldiers who give their lives on the battle field every day for us and for their families. I can't express my gratitude for those few who are still willing to go straight to Irag after training, leaving their loved ones. I can only imagine how trying it is - probably a battle just getting on the airplane to leave! And the families who allow their sons (and daughters) to go fight...... it takes guts. Keep praying for our American soldiers, and pray for more to come. They need backup over there. Thank God for men of the past who believed in fighting for freedom - a godly and God-given freedom that they knew was a gift. Thank the Lord for men who have given their lives just so we could walk on free ground. I'm so glad I was BORN in a free country. I'm so thankful I was here to behold its days of glory and power. I'm greatful that I was allowed by God Almighty to live to see how great my America was before these days of darkness came. Thank you soldiers, and thank you God, especially, for giving me that.

Keep Yourselves From Every Wicked Thing - Part 1

2009-05-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

"When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.

For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee." Deuteronomy 23:9 & 14

This post is gonna be (kinda) about the battle field and soldiers on it, but it's also about our spiritual battle field and us soldiers on it. If you've been washed in the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and you've been ransomed and freed from guilt, sin, death and hell, you are a soldier and whether you like it or not, you're on the battle field. The moment you asked Jesus to save you, you "signed up" to fight the invisible (and sometimes undetectable) battles of the soul. You will be fighting a battle for the rest of your life. Yep. But not to worry - the Lord will go before you, to fight for you. You just trust in Him and His strength and you'll win those battles. In Deuteronomy 23 it shows how God would have us behave in the battle camp. God says for us to keep ourselves from every wicked thing. So, in our camp, God wants us to have pure hearts, pure minds, totally separated from every wicked thing! It's hard to follow when it says every wicked thing. When you think of something that's wicked, you'll find just about every time that what God thinks is wicked is totally different from what you thought was wicked! There's no room for compromise when you are determined to live God's way. And if you don't live God's way, it tells you in verse 14 up there what will happen if you don't follow God's command. It says "...the Lord walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee..." God's ready to give your enemies over to you so you can win the battle! But think it out "...therefore shall thy camp be holy..." Holy? Yep. It's hard to be holy. Let me tell you, when you think of holiness - when I think of holiness - more than likely, you'll find that what we think is holy and what God thinks is holy are two different things. God knows more about holiness than we do. He's always had it. He IS holiness. We have not mastered it - will never master it - if we've even attempted to gain it at all. Yet God says to keep our camp holy. Keep your heart holy before the Lord. That is something that is going to be sooooooooooooooooo hard to do. I want to be holy before the Lord. My parents want to be holy before the Lord. Oh man, holiness is so beautiful! I've learned that being holy isn't boring or stuck-up or down-cast looking. It's free and pure! It's wonderful!!!! I'm praying so hard for God to help me be holy. I WANT him walking in the midst of my camp. Look at this: "...therefore shall thy camp be holy; that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee." When we are unclean and when we've turned away from God, maybe have some unconfessed sins that we're aware of, or have this sin that we just can't seem to let go of, God's not gonna fight for us, because we are at enmity with him. God wants your whole heart, ya'll. He wants everything - and he wants the battle! If you have some sin that you never knew was sin (just like we don't always understand wickedness or holiness the way God understands it), you need to ask him to reveal it to you so that you can get right and gain more power for the battle! Sin is like a burden before you're saved. When Jesus saves you, he washes all your sins away with his perfect blood. But when you discover something wrong in your heart that you never knew was there and you just refuse to get rid of it, it acts as a burden that you've given yourself, and it hinders you from fighting all those battles successfully. You'll tire out too quickly! You can't win the battle when God's not helping you, and he SAYS that if you have unconfessed sin in your life (uncleanness, wickedness, etc.) and you're not letting him take control, you won't have his help! It's like Jonah. (Read about him in the book of Jonah, in the Bible - haha) So, Jonah heard the call from God to go and tell a town called Nineveh about God's coming judgement for their evil works. Jonah didn't like the Ninevites, and he was afraid of them, so he ran away from God. The battle inside him raged and fought against his desire to obey God, and the fearful spirit took over. He deliberately disobeyed God, and God punished him for it. In the end, Jonah surrenders and he does go to the Ninevites and they ask God to forgive them, which God does forgive! But while Jonah was running before that, God allowed him to get thrown off a ship and swallowed by a gigantic fish. He stays there for three days and nights, praying to be delivered. He gave into the enemy in that first battle, and now he was in a worse scrape than he probably would have ever been in if he would have only obeyed the Lord! The Lord did deliver him from the fish's belly - he got thrown up onto the shore!!!! SICK!!!! Hey, that's what ya get for refusing to keep yourself from every wicked thing. Jonah let fear of the Ninevites control him. So, in this story, fear was a sin - a wicked thing. Yep. Something as simple as fear can be wicked. See how serious this is? What happened to trusting in the Lord and leaning not on thy own understanding? What happened to not being afraid of sudden fear? Keep yourselves from every wicked thing. Please. It's not going to be easy - it never has been for anyone! But it's possible. Do you want to win the battles or not?

Get Wisdom

2009-05-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the Proverbs post! Lately I've been asking God to give me wisdom and understanding. His Word says that wisdom is a gift, and there's also the verse that says "Ask and it shall be given unto you..." Well, I asked, I've sought, and the Lord is helping me to understand his Word much more! My Mom's been reading us the Bible in the mornings, we started with Proverbs, and she has a keen understanding of the Bible - she's studied a lot. My Dad still does devotions with us at night, and we're studying the Ark of the Covenant - maybe I should post about that too. It's amazing!!!

But anyway (haha)...... How many of y'all have wanted wisdom? How many of you have dug for it as if it was precious gold? Psalms 37:4 says "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." To delight in God is to delight in his Word. I'm here to tell y'all that when you have wisdom, you can choose either to live by it or turn from it, as Solomon did. Wisdom is the principal thing. You need it first before you can be discerning, understanding or even truthful, because wisdom is all these things! This is God letting wisdom speak: "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world ... Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." Think I'm crazy??? You should read the whole chapter of Proverbs 8!!!! God possessed wisdom before the earth was ever thought of. God IS wisdom! He gives it and it is his to give. I'll tell you what - I WANT wisdom!!!! Here's some amazing verses about wisdom.

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Pro. 4:5, 7

How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! Pro. 16:16

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Pro. 2:6

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman... Pro. 7:4

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Pro. 9:10

For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Pro. 8:11

Isn't that awesome??? God says wisdom is no to be compared to ANYTHING. That's right - ANYTHING!!!! See how much wisdom is worth? Now, I am not professing to be anything close to wise - I'm a fool and a sinner saved by grace.... but someday, I want to be called wise. I desire to be an understanding, wise young woman. It's a hope and a desire of my heart! And I hope you will desire wisdom as much as I do... oh, it's so precious - its what God has!!!

Still Obsessed

2009-05-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, not obsessed - just thinking about it a lot! My friend Karen is getting married in June and I've just been thinking a lot about weddings...................

This is a wedding DRESS!!! The girl is spinning in this pic... so gorgeous!
(come on guys, you gotta admit this is cool!)

Okay, done! Now I'm going to post something from Proverbs later. Ü

Hey Gals - What about Weddings!!!!!!!!

2009-05-10T21:15:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys...... this one probably won't interest y'all one bit!!!!! Recently I've been almost, I guess, obsessed with weddings! Maybe it's because my friend is getting married in June and that's almost ALL she talks about (haha)! But honestly, I've always loved to watch weddings, go to weddings, be in weddings... I just think they're so beautiful..... Especially when the couple has kept themselves pure as pure can be. Oh - it just grips me!!!! And to think "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." That's an adventure right there. So anyway, here's some pics that I think are awesome!!!

We're All an Abomination to Something!

2009-05-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

I was reading in Proverbs 29 the other day and verse 27 says,
"An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked."
A funny thought struck me - either way, we're all an abomination to something! You can be dishonest, vile and wicked, and be a corruptible sight to the righteous, but the righteous are abhorred by the wicked!!! And even though it struck me as funny, it's really a serious thing to ponder. These days, people trying to serve God and be good are disliked and trodden upon by the wicked and called "haters", while we that follow God sit back and are disgusted by the sins of the world. Abomination to abomination - I'd rather be an ugly, abominable thing in the wicked man's eyes than in God's!

Southern Maiden - Done with Paint (Windows)!!!!!

2009-05-01T13:45:00.001-07:00

I had soooooooooooo much fun with these! And I feel quite proud of myself..... Ü I'm in calligraphy so I thought I'd try doing The Accolade with the paint brush. There's more that I want to do, but I was so excited I wanted to get these up now! Gotta go - my Mom, my sister, and I are going to take a walk to see the horses. God bless y'all - bye!

2008 Pictures!!!!! (and a little 2009)

2009-04-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

2009

"Like Heaven's shining pearl..."

Love this one... Ü

Look closely and you can see the moon!

The ring my Dad gave me that I never take off no matter what...

except for this picture!

2008

The next four were taken by my brother!

What Runs Through my Veins...?

2009-04-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

In my most recent poll, I wanted y'all to guess (or try to remember from a deleted post) which nationalities I am... Here's the results!

English - 1
Irish - 5
Italian - 2
Israeli (sorry, I spelled it wrong in the poll!) - 1
Dutch - 3
Scottish - 3
Egyptian - 2

And here are the answers:
I am Irish (good job, y'all!), Scottish, a tad bit of Dutch (don't ask), and a little, itty-bitty bit of English! I'm also 3 kinds of Indian - Cherokee, Comanche and Kickapoo... so in all I'm about 1/4 indian. Oh how I love my indian heritage!!! So anyway... y'all did really good! Thank you for thinking I was Egyptian! haha!! And Italian is cool, too. I love the culture of Italy, Greece and a few other Europian places... like Spain, Rome... Beautiful places!!!!

Pictures Coming Soon...

2009-04-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been here lately!!! I'm wanting to put up some pics from 2008 - it'll be a tradition for my blog. Ü I have soooooooooo many pictures to download!!! But I can't do it right now - too busy and plus I need batteries for my camera! God bless y'all - 'til next time!

3 Quiz

2009-04-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

I got tagged with this quiz by e-mail and decided to take it to the blogs!

Give three answers for each question!

Three last:
1) Foods you ate - peanut butter chips, cookie dough, bagel
2) Things you touched - the door, a spoon and this keyboard
3) Words you said - "words you said" (haha!)
4) Cars you saw - expedition, chevy and ford
5) Songs you listened to - uh.... Be Thou My Vision, Hymn to Hope and Rebel Heart on Livvy's blog!
6) Things you thought - I'm not going to get on the computer anymore today, (more ideas about) the book I'm attempting to write, and I wonder when Mom's gonna get in here so we can bake cookies!
7) Places you went - outside, garage and dining room where I'm typing this on the laptop
8) Websites you visited - friends' blogs, my blog and my e-mail
9) Things you smelled - soap, Honeysuckle lotion and soap! haha!
10) Movies you watched - Love Takes Wing, Mary Poppins and Pilgrim's Progress
11) People you talked to - Mom, Dad, Camille
12) People you hugged - Mom, Dad, Camille
13) People you kissed - Mom, Dad, Camille (haha!)
14) Songs you sang - O Perfect Love, May it Be, Everything to Me
15) Sounds you heard - Dad playing a racing game on the computer, Mom's hair dryer and Camille running around (my brothers aren't here at the moment)

Three favorite:
1) Animals - horses, tigers, lions
2) Cars - honda, jeep cherokee, humvee
3) Songs - (at this present moment) Be Thou My Vision, May it Be and Hope for Every Man
4) States - Texas, Texas and..... Texas!!!
5) Countries - America (not for its present situation, but because it's my home!) but that one doesn't count. Ireland/Scotland Australia ad Africa!
6) Things to do - ride horses, um, anything active like swim and run everywhere and climb trees!
7) Websites - my blog!!! e-mail and google is pretty helpful
8) Genres of music - Celtic, Spanish guitar being softly played, and uh.... Celtic
9) TV Shows - Endurance, and that's about all
10) Movies - Hidalgo, Pocahontas and Chronicles on Narnia series
12) Colors - orange, gold and white
13) Places to go - forests, grandparents' houses, somewhere fun where my loved ones and friends are
14) Fruits - peaches, strawberries, oranges
15) Devices - hmmmm. let's see. guns are fun to shoot, arrows are too, and swinging swords is a graceful art! :)

Three:
1) Things you don't want to do - the dishes, stay home all day, get sick
2) You want to do right now - bake some cookies!!!! be at the beach riding horses or be at the beach, learning to surf!!!!
3) Things you see - the windows, my Dad, my hands
4) Random words - Lord, sky, defiant (yes,very random indeed.) haha!
5) Friends online - Nessa, Becca, parents (& more)
6) Things you are wearing - brown skirt, grey shirt and blue & white plaid button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up
7) Things you hear right now - Camille eating chips, Mom talking while opening the freezer and Dad talking to her
8) Thoughts right now - that I didn't dream anything last night, excited about church tomorrow, and hoping that we can go to the lake today
9) Things you do most days - climb trees, help around the house, run around outside
10) Funny things - loony tunes, my brother, and my Dad
11) People you will talk to today - Ian, Karen Mrs. Amy and lots more
12) People you want to talk to - Meemaw, Nessa, Meagan W.
13) Languages you want to learn - Spanish, French, Rom
14) Emotions you feel right now - happy, fun, determined
15) Things you will do tomorrow - go to church, go outside, and maybe walk to the lake

Now....I tag Livvy, Earwen, & Nessa

The Bright Morning Star

2009-04-13T07:28:00.001-07:00

As I watched the sun rising from the East this morning, I remembered a thought I've had for a long time that sort of lifted me up when I was down, but had never told anyone. I'm going to share it with y'all. Ü

The sun was making its way up past the violet sheet of clouds. I was on the roof watching and reflecting on my life's present situation. This morning's sunrise was unexplainably gorgeous. Simple, no fireworks or blinding gold, but gorgeous. I didn't bring my camera (stupid!) but I didn't want to leave the sight to go get it. (why? The sunrise can shine a once-in-a-life-time scene right before your eyes that only lasts about 20 seconds. I've witnessed it!) Anyway, the whole thing made me think of what hope and joy would "look like" if they could be described with a sunrise. Y'all, sometimes my troubles and struggles rage so loudly within me, I feel as though I can hardly hear God's calming voice. But this sunrise reminded me to "Be still and know that I am God..." (in Psalms); for as I kept my eyes fixed on the rising sun, its brightness seemed to melt everything else out of sight. The trees, the birds flying around, the blue sky on every other side of me - everything just disappeared and all I could see was the bright sun. A wonderful thought came to my mind! The Word of God describes Jesus as the Bright Morning Star. Just like the sun, if I keep my eyes on Jesus - the Son - and just follow him anywhere, live by faith and not by sight, all things - every obstacle - will fade away. His glory, His brightness... His majesty... will tune it all out of vision. I know this to be true. (I'm disappointed in myself - I can't really fathom this to y'all. I can't express myself in the way my heart sees this. I'll try.... ) The whole of God's power and Jesus's brightness is unfathomable. It shines in the darkest night. It gives hope when only the weak are left. It gives joy when the hardest times are among us. God gives me beauty to behold every day, even when all of life seems to be ugly (though it's very beautiful right now!). He lets me hear the birds praise him in the morning, even though the world curses Him. And His brightness, if my eyes are fixed on it, keeps me traveling the straight and narrow path, hardly even aware of the ugliness around - that's what joy and hope do. And his brightness is joy and hope.

Words have a Purpose

2009-04-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I guess y'all watched the Inauguration Emancipation on TV in February? I and my family only watched little bits and pieces. But from what I watched, it was uneloquent and unmeaningful. Almost everyone there was filled with pride of heart and pride of life. And when you are filled with pride, your head will get REALLY big. Let me tell y'all - when you become prideful, your head can get sooooooo big, you'll start to think it's attractive while everybody sits around hissing about how silly you look. Pride can be detected in many ways. In the way you act, the way you walk or carry yourself, the way your eyes scan a room, or the way you speak. God gave us words to speak to express ourselves. He gave us beautiful words like 'beautiful'! Some of my favorite words are life, abundant, everlasting, endurance, strength, righteousness, justice, light, passion, glory, lucky, cabello (Spanish for horse :), mustang, free, liberty, gorgeous.... words are powerful and meaningful. They can refine or deform. Beak down or build up. Honor or disgrace. Puff up a heart (or head) or humble it. I say all that to say this - we are losing (and some have lost) the powerful, elegant and dramatic use of words. Some are content to know little about speech. But some are just totally ignorant! It's disgraceful! That's why I brought up the Inauguration. Did y'all listen to those people ramble on and on and on.......? Here's a short poem that I found in my Rod and Staff English book. The credit goes completely to them -

"One there is above all others,

Well deserves the name of Friend

His is love beyond a brother's,

Costly, free, and knows no end."

This is true poetry. True, meaningful words! Is there not someone in an influential position for America who is so eloquent and convincing? The Inauguration Emancipation shows just how loose we Americans are becoming with our speech. Just think - we have millions of words to choose from and yet we use (probably) only about 10% of them. I could be exaggerating, or I could be just right! Think - the Lord God gave us all those piles and bundles of words - and we use so little. How sad! What beautiful words we exclude from our vocabularies, leaving us dull and colorless. No secrecy or mystery. No charm or intelligence. My Mom use to harp on me about improving my vocabulary. I never really listened to her until now, and I'm practically repeating her words. I started trying to get a better grip of words just a few months ago. I'm sixteen now and I'm doing exceptionally well (I think)! It's not hard! This is just a thought. I'm not trying to convict you, just share what's in my heart. There are lovely movies in which the characters have particularly picked out words for them to speak. Life's words can't be that perfect - but it can be close. We speak a beautiful language, but most of the time it sounds harsh and dry because our speech is so 'limited'. It doesn't have to be that way......

Ginger

2009-04-05T18:43:00.001-07:00

As ya'll will read in my 'Interests' on my profile, I am really into herbs - healing herbs. And just other natural healing foods. I learned about ginger root recently. Did y'all know that you can just stick a chunk of ginger root in the ground (moist ground) and keep the ground moist and in about 5 months, it's ready to harvest! Ginger is a rhizome - an underground root. The lady that wrote the lesson on ginger root said that she and her kids planted it by their outdoor AC unit so that it would send an aromatic scent throughout her backyard. The ginger flower is gorgeous!!! So exotic! But ginger root is where most of the nutrients lie. If you have motion sickness, an upset stomach, head ache, congestion, or mood disorders, it can help if you brew a tea or steep some in a hot bath - that especially helps high fevers to go down. Note: if you have an upset stomach, don't take a lot, because I did a while back and it ended with me throwing it all up!!! (hehe...) It's a spicy food, and therefore raises oxygen levels, and helps along blood circulation. If you're pregnant and have morning sickness, this can aid you. Ginger cleanses colons, heals colds and heals thinning blood, and it's used in other countries to make candy, ginger ale, and for pickling! I love learning about things that heal. Ü

For Such a Time as This

2009-04-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

The story of Esther is one of my favorite Bible stories, besides the story of Jesus. Ü I think we all know the story of Esther. Just in case you don't, I'll give you a very quick over view. A beautiful orphaned Jewish girl (Esther), sworn to secrecy of her nationality by her cousin, is suddenly chosen to be queen of all Persia. Everything's going great, until evil, bad-sport Haman the Agagite talks the king into destroying all the Israelites. Mordecai, the cousin who had been raising Esther, asks her to go to the king, tell him of her true nationality, and plea for her life and her people's. She is afraid and gives an excuse (a pretty agreeable one).

"All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days."

She feared for her own life! Who wouldn't!? If she came into the court and made the king angry, she'd be put to death. If she was allowed to speak, but couldn't convince the king to help her and her people, she'd die anyway! Two obstacles.... two big obstacles. But read Mordecai's reply to her...

"Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Then Esther told the messenger to answer Mordecai:

"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."

Another thing my Mom told me in those few days I was devastated about the things going on in this country, was to remember this story. I may have been put here by God for such a time as this. I most definitely won't be a queen or a renowned leader, maybe just a simple girl to do a great work, like Jael in Judges 4. God does everything for a reason, and he knew that putting me in this era of time was the perfect time. Maybe I was put here to put courage in the hearts of the faint, just like my Mom has done for me. Or to fight for a freedom that we're losing.... that we've lost. Or maybe I'm just here to simply remind others that God will be our deliverer. Whatever the reason, God has a purpose for me being here and now. For such a time as this. I want to find that reason and live out my God-given task. And if I perish, I perish. Oh - Esther's story ends well! Her courage prevails and the king harkens to her pleas, he has Haman hung on the gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai, and the king defended the Israelites on the day of their supposed execution! Just to know we all have a purpose, and that that purpose is meant for us.... But if we don't fulfill that destiny, we are warned just like Esther was warned by Mordecai. If we don't fulfill our purpose, someone, somewhere different will rise up another time and claim the victory that was meant to be ours, in our time. I'd rather perish than lose the present victory and relinquish the battle to someone else because of fear. I was placed here for such a time as this. And so were you.

Forever Free

2009-03-27T14:35:00.001-07:00

"... ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God ..."

I never understood that phrase from 1 Corinthians 6:20 until my Mom talked to me a few days in a row about it. I was complaining (almost crying) about how awful our country is getting to be - how we are becoming worse than communist countries who bar their citizens in with walls like a prison. I won't name all the evil, disgusting things that are being done these days... there are too many! Anyway it took about 2 or 3 days for me to cool down and finally listen and thankfully grasp what my Mama was trying to tell me. I realized that I have been so fed up, so hatefully angry and so set on rebelling against the injustices and wrongs that are being done to true Americans (patriots, freedom-seekers, etc.) that I have even began rebelling against God. I have asked forgiveness from Him and He forgave me, just like He promises to always do in His word, if a heart is truly contrite. Let me share with you what I learned.

If I am bought with a price - bought with the blood of Jesus - then I am Jesus'. I don't mind not being my own. I have eternal life! And if I am Jesus', I have everything I need - 'cause He's all I need! But there is something I couldn't seem to filter through my thick skull - if I am Christ's, and I am bought with a price, and He has promised to take care of me, why is He letting me live in this day and age when the most triumphant country in all of history loses its blessed freedom? Well, "you are bought with a price!" That's why!!! That wasn't a good enough answer for me. I kept on getting bitter, and then one day I found a couple verses.

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32

Yes! A little relief flooded over me. I am Christ's, and I don't have to obey anybody on this earth but Him. If they take away the freedom I have, it's not really taken away, because God opens doors no one can shut, and He shuts doors that no one can open. If he takes something away from me, no one else but he will be able to restore it unto me. He gave me a gift that no one can take away - salvation - freedom from sin and laws that are sinful - in fact, freedom from all the laws, because now I have the power over sin. He is my King, and I ought to obey Him rather than any man. The freedom that we have in Christ Jesus is true FREEDOM!!! I will never be in bondage, because if I am, God allowed me to be put there, not some person I don't even know. No one but God controls what happens to me. Ü There's more, though...

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36

That goes along with what I was saying... when I excepted Jesus into my heart, I was freed from all sin, from all guilt. I should just repeat what I said in the paragraph above (maybe in a different sense?). If I am free from all sin, I am free from all sinful reign. I follow, obey, serve and honour no man - only God. I am not of this world. My kingdom is not earthly - it is eternal. Immortal. I'm just a pilgrim passin' through. And even though we of America are no longer free-free-free, I find comfort in knowing that God allowed that. I am his and he can do what he wants with me, for I am bought with a price. My freedom and my rights are still the same in Christ Jesus! I may die defending those rights, but what would you expect if a spirited, free person from a foreign land (me) lived in a familiar, though rather hostile and tyrannical country (the world) and still declared my birth-right freedom? Uh, wouldn't go so well with the authorities. So I am commanded to obey the laws of the land - except if they are contrary to God's Word. That is a dellllliciously victorious feeling!!!!! A wonderful freedom! I can actually rebel against the laws that confront God's laws (in the understanding that it is to be done respectfully)! The best part is, if you're a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus and his blood, you're forever free! Not just temporarily, or only free if you're good. Those things never saved your soul... only Jesus - the King of Kings! And it is still his power and grace that enables us Christians to remain free. Free from the law and free from sin! But better yet - under his rule and no man's!!!!

I Will Wait

2009-03-23T18:35:00.001-07:00

Golly, where have I been!? Oh, here and there... everywhere..... living a regular busy life with chores, piano, riding, and such...

But I've been thinking about this one thing alot lately. This one thing seems like I might not live to see it happen, but then again, I hope with an everlasting hope. This one thing is - my Prince. My Prince of Peace. My Jesus. Someday, when God my Father commands Jesus to come and rescue His children from this world, the Heavens will open, the trumpet will sound, Jesus will come in a cloud with great power and dignity around Him, and I will ascend up to Him. I can't WAIT!!!!!! I'm soooooooooooo excited! It's a hope that's turned louder and louder as the days go by, and it's turned into a song in my soul. I'm like a princess waiting, what seems forever, for her knight in shining armour.

But He is coming soon! He said so!

All my life I have dreamed of what kind of man I wanted to marry. All my life, it's always been an adventurous, daring, spirited guy. But as I got older, I was more specific - more particular - til I was saying "someone perfect"! Shame, shame on me..... no one is perfect. I then realized..... I'm asking for Jesus. Sometimes I'll be laying in bed at night or sitting on my roof watching the sunrise, and I think "Come get me!!!" I've never seen His face or heard His voice, but I know Him and I know He's the knight in shining armour I've always dreamed of. I'll probably get married someday to a wonderful, adventurous guy that's always been my ideal. But waiting for him will never surpass the longing I feel for Jesus. I want Him to come back today and take me home!!!! But even if He doesn't, I'll be waiting til I die, because when I die, I'll see Him them!

When I am Down...

2009-03-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

Is there a certain Bible passage y'all go to when you're down, or a person who just automatically lifts your spirits? Maybe a picture drawn by your kid or a song that gives you hope? My two greatest spirit-boosters is God's Word and my Mom. I'm so much like my Mom in some ways, yet so different from her in others. Nevertheless, she always seems to have an answer for everything... and when she doesn't have a direct answer to every problem, she still has a very helpful answer - "Pray." I go to God's Word when I feel most alone. Going back and reading how He pulled Israel through - out of their trials - out of the wilderness.... and reading of how Jesus calmed the raging, deadly seas and caused peace to take hold immediately.... it's as if I can almost hear Him whisper "Peace, be still" within me. Some of the Psalms have helped me, too. There are 150 psalms, and many different ones comfort and strengthen different people. When things like tragedy or doubt come into your life, believe me, I KNOW it's easy to become bitter and say "God, I didn't ask you for this! How could you let this happen to me?" or "The one thing I never wanted, Lord, you've allowed to happen in my life!" It's understandably easy to become bitter when tragedy or even small trials get in the way of life's path. But God is not cruel. No matter what the circumstance, this will be proven to us if we trust in God and wait patiently.....

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

Sometimes, God sees down the path that is before us and knows that, no matter what, His will must stand. God sees things so differently than we do. Going before us - looking into our future - He may see that trial or tragedy will bring good to us, whether we realize it or not. We'll know someday - in Heaven. So, be strong and brave.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." Psalm 37:23-24

I've Been Tagged!

2009-03-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was tagged back in February by Sara!!!! Oh, what an honor! The Excellence in Blogging Award!!! Thanks so much!!!! Ü

Sara,

Sorry for not responding sooner! I've been so so so so crazily busy I haven't been on anyone's blogs lately!!! I was looking at your older posts and - what! - you awarded me!! Ü

OK, I have been tagged.... here we go!!!

the rules: erase my answers and put yours in. Use the first letter of your name to answer ALL of the following questions. If the person before you has the same 1st letter pick a new one. You CAN NOT use anything twice, and you CAN NOT use your own name for the boy/girl question. After you are done, tag 5 people...

Here is my tag:

1. What is your name? Erica

2. A 4 letter word: Eden

3. A boy's name: Eric (haha)

4. A girl's name: Enna

5. An occupation: Engineer

6. A color: Egyptian Blue

7. Something you wear: Earring

8. A Food: Enchiladas

9. Something found in the bathroom: Essential oils

10. A place: Ellesmere Island

11. A reason for being late: earthquake

12. Something you shout: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

13. A movie title: Ever After..... aaaaaawwwwwww.......

14. Something you drink: Energy drink

15. An animal: Eagle

16. A song title: Everything to Me (one of my favorites!!)

17. A verb: Erase

Alright, I tag Maiden of Purity (Vani), Aspiring Homemaker (Mia), A Pondering Heart (Jocelyn), Preserving Life, and Joyfully Home!!!

Full of Heart, Full of Spirit

2009-03-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is about the book of Job. My Dad's devotions to us kids are about Job at the moment, and we're finding some pretty interesting stuff. I wish I could type the whole book out, but that would be extremely strenuous.... though I hardly trust anyone to just go and read the whole book on their own (42 chapters!). Nevertheless, I do encourage it! The book of Job will change your life (as any other book of the Bible will, if you let it). So I'm gonna challenge you (whoever you are) to go and study and read the book of Job. I'll only give you the first few verses from chapter one, and maybe some bits 'n pieces throughout.

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually."

OK, so here we have Job - a righteous and wealthy man (if you had animals in abundance back then, you were loaded) who had many children that he dearly loved. He took care of not only their physical well beings, but also their spiritual well beings. Just in case one of his sons or daughters sinned against God, whether it was secret or not, Job went and sacrificed a burnt offering for each one at the appointed time, to make sure God's face was not turned against any of his children. The Bible says he feared (reverenced) God and eschewed (loathed, cursed, etc.) evil.

So while Job was living a blessed and full life, Satan came to 'visit' God one day. Satan challenged the Almighty to see if Job would curse God when He allowed Satan to afflict Job. God allowed it on one condition - Satan could not kill Job. Enter Tragedy. One day, in only a matter of hours, Job lost everything. His oxen and asses were attacked and killed by the Sabeans (eastern tribe), his sheep were burned up by the fire of God from heaven, the Chaldeans (another tribe) stole all his camels, plus all the servants (except three) were killed in all this. But the worst was not over then. A fourth surviving servant came and told Job that all his children (and more servants) had been killed. A great wind from the wilderness had shaken the four corners of the house and the house fell upon his children while they were eating and drinking together. Job mourned all he had lost, but never cursed God once. Instead he said "...the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

Later, Satan curses Job with painful boils from his head to his toe, and he had to scrape them off with a potsherd. Satan did his very best to try and get Job to curse God, but Job would not be taken in this consuming torment. Even Job's wife eventually turned against him. She tells him to just "curse God and die!" I think we know who's side she was for (whether she knew it or not). No one - not even Job - knew that Satan had challenged God. This whole story will just seem to some people like a very sad story. But it was more than a sad story. Even more than tragic! It was more than one man could handle alone! (You'll understand perfectly the awful seriousness of this true story if you READ it! anyway...) God never promised us He wouldn't give us more than we can handle. He DID promise, though, that no matter what comes into our lives, He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Job believed that. He faced it with our dear Father God by his side. Still, his sufferings increased. To top things off, he had three great friends that stayed with him and "encouraged" him through this hard times (yes, I am being sarcastic). They totally destroyed every glint of hope he might have had! They accused him of sin and blamed him for all his misfortunes! They began to get brutal and throw out, what seemed to have been, anything to get Job to break. Anything. Towards the end, it sounds as if they may have even been a bit jealous of Job's fortune at the beginning, and are now pleased with his sufferings! (like those people who are your friends when you have a nice, shiny, red convertible you take them in rides for, and when it's crashed, they snub you...) Those are how I'd describe Job's friends. Only, they were worse. They made sure the bitterness of loss really got rubbed in. Job got discouraged. He even wanted to die! But he NEVER cursed God. Job never dishonored Him or gave up on His righteousness and just judgement. Full of Heart, full of spirit, he persevered til the end, and was blessed with twice as much as he started with, plus his health was renewed. If God takes something good away, He will restore it, or will give you something better to take it's place. I fervently believe that. Job's relationship with God became strengthened to the extreme (I would expect!). He got twice as much cattle and camels as he began with, his daughters were the fairest in all the land, and he even got to give a little righteous payback to his "friends". God chastised the three friends (Zophar, Eliphaz and Bildad) and had Job go and sacrifice for them, so they would be forgiven. How shameful for God to have a friend ask forgiveness for you, because your jealousy against him had turned so cruel. How embarrassing! I declare - no matter what trials would come into my life, I'd rather be a Job than any of them! To be in favor with God even though not in man's. And to be as righteous as Job. I KNOW Jesus Christ's righteousness would make his look like a fool's, but it's hard enough to try to imagine living as righteously as Job did! I won't exalt him though. God put that spirited, strong heart in him. It was a heart that could face any storm, any raging madness that swept across it's world. He even wished to die, but he did not curse God or forsake God's name. He trusted in his Redeemer. He held fast to that which is Good and Strong all-together. And he won the battle.

Listen...

2009-03-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids

On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run each day on the fly?

When you ask "How are you?"

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Because you never had time

To call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day

It is like an unopened gift.... Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music before the song is over.

That's a poem written by a young girl before she died of cancer a few years ago. A friend sent the poem to me through e-mail and there's such a wonderful message in it! Cherish each day you have, they are special gifts from God and we shouldn't fool around with them.

Strength and Honour

2009-02-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

While I type this post, I'm sick - feverish, absolutely stuffed nose and head, tired and achy, and I need y'all to pray that I'll get better. Ü

Anyway... hehe....

What do y'all think when you hear of a "Virtuous Woman"? Proverbs 31 tells us of the virtuous woman. How many virtuous women do y'all know? After reading the Bible's definitions and after clearly comparing the women I know, I can tell you I know few. I myself am NOTHING close to being virtuous either, but I would like to be. I would love to be! In Proverbs 31, it states "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." What a verse! What a standard to live up to as daughters of God! "She... worketh willingly with her hands." (she's not lazy) "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms." (she takes care of her body - exercises, keeps herself fit and clean, etc.) "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." (she is compassionate and kind) "... in her tongue is the law of kindness." and "She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet." She properly cares for her family... "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." This is one of the most important verses in Prov. 31, I think. It also talks about her husband being known in the gates (in Bible times, the gates were where all the social events, gatherings and meetings were held - where it all happened), so I assume her husband is an honourable man. It doesn't say he is the richest or the handsomest, the most talkative or the most achieved. It just says that he is known (of course well known) when he sits at the gate. Surely he is respected and honoured. Right? It also says that her children rise up and call her blessed. They praise her and bless her name! What an honour for a mother's children to be so fond of her! But this virtuous woman is not pampered and pet by her family. She doesn't earn the respect her family holds by being pretty or eloquent. She earns all these blessings by being a Proverbs 31 woman. It is vital and necessary to be virtuous now as teenagers if we girls are to be known as Proverbs 31 women when we grow up. And as daughters of the King of Heaven, we owe it to God to be virtuous, so that we will cause Him nothing less than a figure of honour and majesty. We are his ambassadors, after all. I can't even begin to get into the deepness and importance of being virtuous. Look at the women in the Bible who God used to do great things - Esther, Ruth, Jael, Sarah, Mary, even Rahab (a harlot at the time!). All where chaste, discreet, diligent, and willing. All were virtuous. They bettered the world because of their heart conditions - virtuous heart conditions. Now, Jezebel, Sapphira, Athalia, and a few other women in the Bible made wrong choices - chose to be immature and dishonest, not reverencing their husbands and being cocky, lead to their defeat - their deaths. Being virtuous is not only something we should want for ourselves and our family, it is a wonderful testimony of a woman of God! I don't know about y'all, but I WANT that testimony to be MINE!!!! Let's pursue it together...

Godspeed

2009-02-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

We're in a war at this time of life. A war that doesn't seem like it will end. But do not lose hope - God is in control. That is a wonderful peace. But right now, let's pray for the soldiers that are fighting. Many of my friends are fighting over in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and other places. All I want is for them to live their faith so that others might be saved, and for them to come home alive. Many people have lost loved ones, and it is a cruel and devastating tragedy to lose someone through war. But even still, God is in control. Let's pray and wish our soldiers Godspeed and send them our love. They are sacrificing themselves for our beloved freedom which we prize so highly. They are leaving their families and friends to go fight not only for them, but for me and you - someone they don't even know. Many will die with honor, with loyalty to America. Let's honor them and give them the credit due - to be remembered as heroes. Let's thank God for men (and women) who are selfless enough to go and fight for us. Godspeed to you, soldiers, and may God protect you, encourage you, and lift you up. The wars are fierce now, and the days are dark and seem hopeless. But God will save His children. Have faith and fight, soldiers. Fight for your country and your freedom which God has given you. "For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Isaiah 41:14 "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you." Isaiah 35:3,4 "...Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you."

Ways God Shows Himself

2009-02-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

How has God shown himself real to you? Do you even believe in Him? If not, you may haven't ever given him a chance to prove Himself real. I have many proofs of His existence in my own life, and I'd like to share them with y'all. 1 - He saved my soul! 2 - He is merciful to all these wicked people that I know of. If I was in God's authoritative position, I'd have zapped those bad guys by now! 3 - And, God is merciful to me. I'm a wanderer, a prodigal daughter you might say. I am so unfaithful to my Savior, but every time I turn back to Him, He shows me mercy and opens His arms to me. The peace I get is enough proof, and you can see it in the Christian's face. 4 - I've seen him save a weak baby's life. I've seen Him save a man from cancer - the guy had a 15% chance of living! I've seen him give me the baby sister I prayed for even after my Mom lost a baby before her, and I had given up. I've seen shy, private and quiet family members of mine suddenly receive fiery passion for God that I never thought they were capable of. 5 - You can't possibly, truly believe that this beautiful world - all the rocks, trees and mountains - not even the heavens - got here by accident. How could one big bang create everything? Things can't just turn from one thing to another by it's own will. We cannot make one hair on our head white or black by our own will. (yeah, there are dyes, but that's not the point) You can't grow your hands into feet by free will. Evolution is IMPOSSIBLE! The Bible says creation speaks for itself, in that it was created. 6 - If evolution isn't real, ofcourse reincarnation is, right? NO! Explain how this is possible? That's what I thought - you have NO total, sensible explanation for that either. Yet, man strives for something more than life - more life! "PLEASE! Oh, let me live more! There must be something more to life than this!" And you people who think that way - wanting more life - are absolutely normal. It makes perfect sense that there is a soul in man, and the verse in the Bible "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" makes perfect sense to me! And if we are present with the Lord, where is He? Heaven, where else? It is truth, my friends. And I will own to this - that truth is often stranger than fiction. Only some narrow-minded fool, who is too afraid to hope in something wonderful would reject this truth. Yet, many people do reject. And it breaks my heart, because they are causing themselves pain and hopelessness. Oh sinner, believe and come home to Jesus and receive His grace. You can't reject it - you know it's true. No man alive can truly reject this truth in their heart. There is a place in our hearts that is reserved for God alone - put in us when were created by Him. Only HE can fill that place, that empty place.

It's truth and it's no joke. God is real, and He proves Himself to us every day. In one of the books of Psalms, it says (speaking of God) "...who walketh upon the wings of the wind." God does. He is present in our lives daily. He gives us every day that we live, every breath is form Him. How sweet He is, and how merciful to let us wretched people live each day. We lie, curse and steal, murder and commit adultery, but God loves us and gives us second chances - many times a day. God shows Himself to us, He proves Himself. He is real, and the reality is terribly wonderful. So, the next time you feel a little lost in the maze of life, confused about everything inbetween, or just wanting someone to listen, remember God is always there, ready to help. The Bible says he is "...a very present help in trouble." He will show Himself very real to you if you ask him to.