Christmas photos

Hope everyone had a merry Christmas!

Christmas breakfast :)

Anna's homemade cinnamon rolls

Ben got a pipe in his stocking

ready to open presents

The boys both got tools from Dad.

Christianne got a movie

Dad got Mom a beautiful cookware set :)

Wesley got a few CDs.

Anna and I got Ben a bowie knife

Anna got an apron from Anthropologie

Christianne bought me this book. :)

Anna bought me a steering wheel cover for my car. She knows me well!

Merry Christmas!

Hallelujah, hope has come
Hallelujah, Christ has come!
We once were slaves in misery,
Til You appeared and set us free!
Hallelujah, hope has come!


God will forgive my sin and shame with this, His Son who chose today
To leave His throne our guilt to own, with blood to purchase our freedom.
Grace, grace amazing grace! How can it be that He chose me?
Saved, saved by grace through faith in the babe, the Son of Mary!

Fun updates

Last Thursday, M28 had an ugly sweater Christmas party. We played card games, talked, and ate lots of Christmas treats. We also had a contest for the most ugly sweaters, and a white elephant gift exchange. It was a fun way to end the semester.

This sweater won the ugly sweater contest:

white elephant gift exchange:

Two weeks ago a group of us made and decorated gingerbread cookies. It was so much fun to do that with friends! :)




It's so cold outside! We had some sleet on Saturday. The Christmas season is definitely here. :)

This past Sunday we were freshly reminded of Romans 8:28 "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him."
God caused the greatest evil - the crucifixion of His innocent Son Jesus - to bring about the greatest good - our salvation. Since God did /that/, how much more will He use my trials to bring good to me? He is faithful!

I'm thankful for....

• Jesus Christ, who loved me enough to die on the cross for my sin, and who loves me unconditionally. No matter how many times I fail, He is faithful to me.
• my family. I'm so blessed to have parents and siblings who all love the Lord. I love you all! :)
• my friends. All of them are such a godly influence in my life, quick to point me to the cross. I love you all! :)
• my church. God is so kind to place me in a church whose pastors love the Word and hold fast to the truth. And all my brothers and sisters in Christ are a wonderful example to me of how to be like Him. I love CrossWay!
• trials. I know, that sounds weird. But God has taught me so many things through trials lately. Even though it is painful at times, trials help me grow and learn. I'm so grateful for how God has changed me through hard times. He is faithful!
• my job. I've learned a lot from working at Chick-fil-A, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. :)
  
• my car.
• hoodies.
• movies.
• music.
• sunsets, clouds, rainbows, the moon, and the sky in general. I love everything about the sky.
• the Bible. The more I read it, the more I learn about God, and the more I want to keep on reading it. Sometimes I wish I could do nothing except read God's Word. It is such a gift!
• ASL. It's such a beautiful language!

sunsets

There have been lots of beautiful sunsets recently. :) I took pictures of some of them. Enjoy

"Behold, I am doing a new thing."

Thus says the Lord, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" ~Isaiah 43:18-19

I've been dwelling on the past a lot lately, wishing things in my life were still as they used to be. But this passage clearly says I'm not supposed to think too deeply about the past. Instead, I should be thankful for the new things that God has for me now.

Actually, thinking back a year ago, I realize I was not as strong in the Lord then compared to now. So really I should not want to go back to how things were then. God has taught me so much, I should not want to lose those lessons just so things could be the way they were before. I should rejoice at how God has changed me, and face my current circumstances with faith. Even though I don't particularly like my circumstances, I must trust that God will use them to grow me even more to be like Jesus.
_______________________________________________________________

A few updates:

-I have the first chapter of Philippians memorized now. :) Hopefully I'll stay motivated to memorize the whole book.

-I still haven't found a girl in M28 to reach out to. Maybe God wants to use me in other ways to speak to others, like being a cheerful servant.

-Work is getting hard for me. I /always/ do headset for drive-thru, so I don't enjoy it much anymore. I don't really see a point in me being there, 'cause I always do the same thing every day, and I'm not making a difference in others' lives. Plus, I'm tired from opening at work and then going to M28 at night. I wish I could stay home more, too. I feel like I don't see my family as much as I should.

But:
"Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well with my soul!"

Revival is possible!

Monday and Tuesday (the 11th and 12th), the M28 leadership team went on a retreat to Boone. The trees are already changing color there. I love the mountains! :)

After we unpacked Monday afternoon, we played volley ball and hung out until dinner. Then after dinner we had worship and a short teaching. Tuesday morning we made pancakes and sausage for breakfast, then had another time of worship and prayer. After that we headed out, stopping in downtown Boone for lunch and shopping. It was a very relaxing time away from work.

The message on Monday evening mainly focused on the importance of personal Bible reading and prayer. Joe challenged us to be committed to seek God every day through our devotions. Prayer has power, especially when we pray for the gospel to be spread. Revival is possible! Even today, with the world as it is, God can do amazing things through our prayers. Romans 8:26 says:

"We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us."

One song says: "The same God who conquered the grave lives in me."

Isn't that amazing? With the Holy Spirit living in us, helping us pray, the gospel /will/ go forth and people /will/ come to know Christ. And we don't have to be afraid, because "what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord." (2 Corinthians 4:5)

exciting new goal + update

I've made it my goal to memorize the book of Philippians. No idea how long it will take. I'm trying to memorize one verse a day, but I skipped a few days so.... Right now I have the first 15 verses memorized. I'm excited! :)

In other news, I'm still exhausted pretty much every day. I get up early for work and stay up late for M28. And when I'm exhausted, it's really hard to do my devotions. So I've been inconsistent lately. It's a little discouraging, but I know God will give me grace even when I don't read His Word. I'm going to try to grow in this area.

Being in charge of the food team for Mission28 has been fun. :) It's been a learning experience, trying to communicate to the team members what needs to be done. But it's fun learning.

I took pictures at our church last Friday:

first 2 weeks

These first 2 weeks of M28 have been really hard for me. I worked a lot at Chick-fil-A, I hardly saw Anna at all, I was pushed out of my comfort zone many times while trying new things, and I was exhausted pretty much every day.

But, in light of all that, I know God is good. He /will/ give me grace to adjust to every circumstance.

I listened to the message from Sunday, and it gave me hope. Here were the main points: God /called/ me. God called me because He /loves/ me. And the God who called me and loves me /will preserve me/ until the day of Christ Jesus.

Isn't that good to know? :)

SO EXCITED!!!!

God is so good! I got my first car today! :)

It's a 2000 Toyota Corolla, and it's in great shape. I truly don't deserve such a nice car.

new opportunity

Yesterday Anna told me that I'm going to be in charge of the food team for M28. I'm excited! :) And a little nervous. I tend to be more of a follower than a leader, and this will be my first time being in charge of a group. Basically all it will involve will be setting up and taking down the snacks at meetings, and recruiting people to help with that. Doesn't seem like that much, but I'm not sure how I'll be as a leader.
This reminds me of what I just read in the book When People are big and God is Small: "When a heart is being filled with the greatness of God, there is less room for the question, 'What are people going to think of me?' "
I need to keep my focus on God while I'm leading. That way I'll be less likely to worry about what people think of my leadership. And hopefully, if I'm looking to God, He will help me lead in a way that serves Him and others.
Wow, lately I've had so many opportunities to grow in dependence on God. He knows just what I need to stop relying on myself and look to Him.

brief update

It's been almost a month since I posted. Let's see...
I went on my first day-trip to the beach 2 weeks ago with some friends. We stayed on the beach for about 7 hours, then went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. It was so much fun relaxing with friends for a whole day! :)





Anna's been gone from Chick-fil-A for a week now. It's a little hard for me adjusting to her not being there, but hopefully it will get easier.

Mission28 is starting back up in a month! :) I can't wait to see how God will move in people's hearts this year! I've made it my goal this year to reach out to at least one new person. Even though I'd rather stay in my comfort zone with my friends, by God's grace He will help me branch out. It'll be neat to see who God brings into my life.

I don't have a car yet. Hopefully I'll get one before the 16th, when Wesley starts at CPCC. God will provide, I just need to be patient.

Things are changing in our family.....

My sister has a boyfriend! :)

The last day of June. Wow, how did that happen? Only one more month of summer, then everything starts back up again. I love summer, 'cause my friends don't have school, which means they can hang out more often. :)

So, my cousin Ian is a dad now. His daughter's name is Natalia. That's so hard to believe, especially since that means my aunt is a grandma. Time certainly does go by fast!

I'm looking into buying a used car. I think I'll stick with a Honda, 'cause I know they are reliable. I just have to pick which year and type of car would be best. And I'd really love for the car to be blue. I love blue cars. :)

Discontentment is so foolish!

So, here's what I've learned recently. Please take the time to read it. I want everyone to consider this.

"I deserve nothing except hell. Therefore, why should I be impatient if I do not get what I desire?" -The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment

"God knows better than any of us do what furthers our salvation. Our true happiness is to be realized precisely through His refusals, which are always mercies.
When Paul's flesh was tormented by a sharp thorn, he naturally wanted it removed. He made this request known to God, but the answer was No. God didn't change Paul's physical condition, He changed his spiritual one. He gave him what he needed more than healing. He gave him the high ministry of heaven called grace. Paul not only accepted the answer, he learned even to be very thankful for weakness itself, for 'power comes to its full strength in weakness'. " -Keep a Quiet Heart
_________________________________________________________________

I deserve hell, and nothing more. Everything I have - family, friends, job, clothes, house, food, water, even life itself - is a completely free gift of God. If I don't deserve any of those gifts, how much less do I deserve a relationship with the very One who has so richly blessed me? And yet, that is exactly what He has given me. Instead of complaining about things I want but don't have, I should be completely blown away by the fact that God has not already condemned me to hell, the only place I deserve to be. Absolutely everything I receive should be seen as a blessing, even if I don't like it, because it is far better than what I deserve.

Also, if God says No to a desire, I should see it as a way of His telling me, "This thing you want will not help you grow closer to me. Here, take this instead. It is far better for you." God wants me to stay close to Him, so it is out of love that He refuses to grant my requests. He truly knows what will help me grow near to Him, so He gives me those things. Instead of arguing when God says no to me, I should think that what I am asking for is not good for me. My loving Father is trying to keep me close to Himself.

Isn't God so amazing? He loves us all so much that He gives us far more than we deserve, the greatest blessing being a relationship with Him. On top of that, He gives us those things that will grow us closer and closer to Himself, so that we will never, never want to leave Him.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!" Lamentations 3:22-23

things around here lately

It's been a while since I updated. Well.....
We got a vegetable garden. It's growing nicely, and the veggies are delicious!




Two of my siblings graduated this past month. I'm so proud of them! :)

Anna graduated from CPCC with an associate in arts

Wesley graduated from Sweigart Academy, and is now a college student

Anna's going to be an intern for Mission28 this coming school year. I'm so excited for her! Can't wait to see how God will use her in the lives of others.

Chick-fil-A now has a spicy chicken sandwich. It's way too spicy for me, but if you like spicy stuff, you should definitely try it.

Tonight is the Quest222 end-of-year celebration. I'm helping serve cheesecake to all the youth and their parents. Looking forward to hearing about all God's been doing in our youth group. Should be exciting! :)