What's Beautiful

Photo

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 18:06:25 -0400

Photo

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:23:00 -0500

I love Christmas!!!!

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:14:37 -0400

I love Christmas!!!!

God said it. Refuse to give up.

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:35:46 -0400

God said it. Refuse to give up.

Fall Weekend 2012! (Taken with Instagram)

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:00:17 -0400

Fall Weekend 2012! (Taken with Instagram)

Welcome home

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 08:01:57 -0400

I have an extra 1/2 hour today! Joy!

I’ve been having problems reading the Bible everyday since I try to do this in the morning and I don’t wake up in time to do this. Evenings are packed for me as well so there’s “no time” to read then either. I’ve been feeling drained and away from God for about a week since I haven’t been able to spend every day with Him.

Last night at church was powerful. We spoke about the “lost parables.” The preacher asked us if we feel like the son that doesn’t think he can come home after sinning and when he does go home he receive this grand party. Or do we feel like the son that’s been trapped at home slaving away for a piece of their reward. The preacher explained this so much better than what I just did. Sorry folks!

My answer is both.

Sometimes I feel like I need to earn my way into heaven. Rididulous right? We all know Jesus died on the cross for us and we have this right into heaven. But as I was reading Purpose Driven Life this morning I read that a Christian-life isn’t just about prayer and reading the Bible everyday. This is how I feel! Like I’m reading the Bible every day or praying to God and nothing’s changing. But when I serve him I feel like that’s what brings me closer to Him. But this distorts how I need to feel about getting to heaven.

Service isn’t meant to be our way into heaven. We are meant to serve God until the day we enter his kingdom, but it gets so easy to take pride in this and think you’ll have the better seat. Not true. Service is meant for us do what God created us to do. God asks us to be His hands and feet and that’s all He wants of us. And when we’re His hands and feet we see the fruits of our labor and that’s what service is about, to bring someone else that much closer to God and in return you get this awesome picture and relationship with God.

Wrigley field <3 (Taken with Instagram)

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:14:21 -0400

Wrigley field <3 (Taken with Instagram)

New fav song

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 15:27:37 -0400

Shawn Mcdonald - Open me

http://youtu.be/N2fEZnLu9M0

This is my new favorite song. It’s old though so sorry for blogging about it so late in the game.

Enjoy :)

Taken with Instagram

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:32:24 -0400

Taken with Instagram

I’m going to miss her so much!!!! (Taken with Instagram)

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:18:05 -0400

I’m going to miss her so much!!!! (Taken with Instagram)

My best friend gave me this for my fifteenth birthday. It was...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 15:37:07 -0400

My best friend gave me this for my fifteenth birthday. It was right after my first heart break and always reminds me that I can get through anything. I’m now 24. (Taken with Instagram)

Sorry. I said I’d blog every day and have failed. But my...

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:19:30 -0400

Sorry. I said I’d blog every day and have failed. But my creative juices are flowing today.

So as I have stated in the past, I’ve been trying to learn about any type purpose in my life. I know I probably should have figured this out a long time ago but I’m definitely slow at wanting to learn this stuff. I’m sure everyone struggles with this, but God’s been knocking at my heart for a while now to figure this out.

A while ago I got to learn about a particular ministry. Among this I was engulfed in this ministry for 6 days and prayed about it on the 7 hour flight there and 7 hour flight back and any time I think about it since I came back home. God spoke to me a lot during that time. FINALLY.

But I think this is the best Bible verse to explains what my final conclusion is.

Exodus 9:14-16 — “I have raised you up for this very purpose … that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth”

I think this sums up everything I need to remember right now. Along with anyone else who might be looking for purpose in our Christian journeys.

In this picture I’ve attached to this blog you’ll see a school bus driving down a mountain with no grass (yes I was in the dessert). This was the cheapest possible way to get these girls to camp and the bus didn’t have the best air conditioning. This particular picture was taken on the first hottest day of the year. The reason the leaders chose to take this cheap way to camp where they were completely uncomfortable was to have any single dollar possible to bring yet another girl to camp.

I’m sorry that blows my mind! These leaders cared more about bringing girls to camp to learn about God than about their own comfort. Oh here’s another fact: these girls going to camp were moms and brought their infants with them. I love children and babies, but some of these leaders had at least 6 hour drives (sometimes 4 hour flights too) with these babies. That has got to be stressful, on top of being on a school bus.

I’ve learned that we might need to be uncomfortable in a lot of places during our ministry but this story struck me. These leaders were actually uncomfortable physically and maybe mentally, but they did it to bring their girls to Christ.

It's time to come back

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:05:34 -0400

So I’ve been thinking about how to revitalize this blog since my last sad post. It’s been a few months and I’m not sad anymore.

I don’t have much to say right now about that, in fact I never have a lot of say. But I seem to keep talking anyway. I’ve been told my family and colleagues that this can be such a problem, but that’s ok. When God puts words on your lips you should say them, right?

I started this blog to show how beautiful God is and along with His miracles but I lost so much sight of this. I would write a draft of a blog and just stop in a writers block (not that I’m a writer either). (See here I am just talking again without a purpose.)

But I’ll finally get to the point of this blog. From about graduation from college to a month ago I was wondering where God could be. I didn’t understand how I let myself be so down and sad all the time. I just settled for any life and was miserable. I hated life and blamed society and everyone else for my problems. I then started blaming God.

Me: “Well God if you didn’t put me in this place I wouldn’t have problems with this sin.” (How many people are laughing at this immature Christian statement right now?)

I started reading Purpose Driven Life last fall, and picked it up again this past couple weeks. Of course now I’m grateful for life after God gave me what I wanted. Then I read Chapter 14: When God seems distant. It starts out with the verse:

“The Lord has hidden himself from His people, but I trust him and place my hope in him.” Isaiah 8:17

This chapter talks about how when we were a “Baby Christian” that this is when God will talk to us and guide us on a path. But for some reason we think God will always be there to guide us and have a booming voice over every decision we make. Well this isn’t the case. Sooner or later God doesn’t consider us to be “Baby Christians” He considers us adults (yes not just in our real wordly life) and He knows we can make decisions that are Godly without Him having to intervene.

This took me a few minutes to process.

Me: “So God, you’re telling me you trust me?”

God: (Silence)

This past year has been me being selfish and making all these mistakes and blaming God for not talking to me and telling me when the right time was for anything or what was the right decision. And I was mad at Him?

(OK First time - and possibly last - you will ever hear me stop talking to let you ponder on a thought.)

Road side

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:04:00 -0400

These last 3 months I have felt like I was dumped on the side of the road about 3 or 4 times by different parts and people in my life. The last time I felt like this I honestly just thought “Oh well I’m already in this place, might as well stay.” I’ve been praying to God to keep me joyful and keep me focused on the bigger picture, which of course is Him. I’ve been reading blogs and books to try to learn how to go through these situations as a young adult. (Disclaimer: I don’t believe you should follow a book about how to live life, but it’s just good insight.)

I decided to join a CrossFit gym for myself. I was criticized at first and thought maybe I shouldn’t do it, but I remembered how I was doing this for me. I’ve been influenced by an old good friend to do it, even though she lives in California (while I’m here in Indiana.) People have told me not to do it for joint reasons or because I’m small (5 feet and 110 lbs). But I like the challenge and needed something different in my life. I stuck with it and met a few girls who I found out are Christians which helps my Christian community grow and they inspire me so much to be the strong Christian woman I want to be. This brings me to my point.

How big is God? Last night in Bible study we were discussing 2 recent mission trips some members went on. They discussed the poverty levels, the great personalities of the orphans, the sex trafficking and where they saw God. At the end, the question “How Big is God?” was brought up. Dan stated “God is big enough to end sex trafficking.” God certainly is. God can stop so much sin because He is so big. BUT do we believe it? (ouch?) Do we believe God can stop something as large as Sex Trafficking or any other type of wordly sin?

Now please read this sentence outloud? “Yes God can.” But why do we fight God on this and why don’t we believe Him. Is it because we are on the side of the road thinking “Well, we’re in this world of sin anyway, why not just stay here because I’m going to be thrown back here because I fall into temptation or because I fall into the thought that God can’t help me.”

Every day I know I feel like this. So why am I not trying to get off the side of the road?

Blanket run! Serving those in need is such a life changing...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:12:00 -0500

Blanket run! Serving those in need is such a life changing experience. My bible study was lucky enough to go to downtown Indy to pass out blankets, jackets, socks and other warm things to fantastic people downtown. The first man we approached lived on a roof of a parking garage. He didn’t have much but said he had all he would ever need. He thanked us to being generous but did ask for prayer for his back pain.

A few minutes later we approached a group of men in an alley that were just hanging out. They took a few things they needed and thanked us for our generosity. The group of men then pointed out some more men for us to visit. I don’t know about you but I don’t see myself thinking about others like this. These gentlemen were so unselfish and made sure everyone was provided for.

God provides what we need and these men were so grateful for what they had. What great people!

On rainy days like today I need reminders of how beautiful Indy...

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:37:26 -0400

On rainy days like today I need reminders of how beautiful Indy can be. I took this picture this summer while running errands to remind myself that things might be rough but things will always be beautiful. Just like when things get rough in life that God is always there and is always the base of my joy.

Feel beautiful

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:00:46 -0400

Feel beautiful:

An article from Huffington Post of reasons to feel good about your body.

Dessert for lunch. Cheese cake. Yes!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:09:23 -0400

Dessert for lunch. Cheese cake. Yes!

Today a friend of mine played an orchestra piece at a Lutheran...

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:10:48 -0400

Today a friend of mine played an orchestra piece at a Lutheran church. I’ve never seen the inside of a Lutheran church but this one was so beautiful. It’s on the corner of 79th and Allisonville in Indianapolis. The auditorium had large windows on the sides that let the sunlight flow in which was perfect for a warm day like today. At the front of the church was a large brown cross and a stained window. The window had Jesus pointing at a cross with a crown on top. How fitting.

God makes beautiful things and to see a church as beautiful as this one makes me grateful to have an Awesome God.

Sleeping when there’s so much noise. I love dogs!

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 02:02:14 -0400

Sleeping when there’s so much noise. I love dogs!