Wanting much?

So it is really cool, and convicting, because I have been thinking a lot about how much I have. I feel spoiled. I am spoiled. (not fun to say) but really, we all are, if you are reading this, you are. We have all been given so much and it is so hard because we always want more, always. I have learned that really nothing can fill the void in your life but Jesus. But it is still so easy to want. I want_____. I want____. etc. (fill the blank in with what you want) But....I have been thinking a lot about this. It is so easy to give back. While we are saying I want so many people are saying, I need. They are even needing simple things such as water. A good friend used to remind me frequently about how blessed we are to have clean water. 

I have learned of many corporations who help you give back to those who don't have all of the many things we have been blessed with. One of my closest friends actually posted something that confirmed all of these thoughts I have been filled with. Read her blog here. 

A few of the sites that I have come acrossed are: 

Advent Conspiracy Send money to help build a water well.

Toms shoes  They will give 1 pair of shoes to someone in need for every 1 pair you buy.

Mocha Club Send 7 dollars a month (the cost of 2 mochas) or buy a shirt for $20. The money goes to people in Africa... (7 dollars will feed: 1 person for a month or educate 2 children for 1 school term or save 1 persons life from malaria or provide clean water to 7 Africans for 1 year)

World Vision  Send a goat or food or water or medicines or disaster relief, there are many ways to help. 

These are just a few ways of giving back, we have been given so much, why not give some crucial things to those who don't want the things you may have filled in the blank above, instead fill the blank with, "I want to give someone something they need not something I want." After all what you want is not as important as something they need.

It's not just about talking about it, its doing something about it.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, so take action in Jesus' name!

"If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" 

James 2:15-16

Golf

So yesterday Nick and I went to the driving range (actually it was more like last night) but anyway, it's fun, I have never really golfed, that is before I met Nick lol, but I'm sure with a little practice ill get decent :) the sunset was beautiful last night too, sometimes it's just nice to do things outside :)


Sent from my iPhone

One reason I love my iPhone

I can now blog from anywhere bc I figured it out on here, I guess I could have done it on my blackberry but I never did LOL



Sent from my iPhone

Do not give up!

The Lord has been reminding me lately of how important it is to continue on, to press forward, to not give up. This was the devotion on Jon Courson's web site today and it was a blessing, so enjoy!

"The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. "

Zechariah 4:9 

"Through Zechariah, the Lord said to Zerubbabel, “I know what you’re thinking. Sixteen years have passed and the project you began is now stalled. But I have good news for you. I am going to complete that which I began. And your hands will be the hands I use to do it. Therefore, be patient. Don’t despise the day of small things. Just be faithful. How will all of this come about? Not by your might or by your resolve. The stalled project will be completed by My Spirit. Just as the oil from the olive trees passes through the lamps apart from human effort, so too, I will work apart from anything man does.”

I know there is a time in virtually all of our lives when the Lord lays something on our hearts. A promise is given. A dream is placed on our minds. A vision is set before our eyes. It might be a business or a marriage, a family or a ministry. We begin. We lay the foundation - but then the difficulties come. As the months and years pass, we say, “It’s not going to happen.” And our hearts sink.

But, just as He said to Zerubbabel, the Lord would say to us, “I am going to allow the hands that laid the foundation to finish the work. You are going to bring the capstone - the finishing piece - with shouts of grace at the end. It’s all by My grace. So don’t despise the days of small things, of small beginnings. And don’t give up.'"

Chong got clean water today...

Today Chong, Jillian's goldfish, got clean water. It was kind of frightening because I was afraid that after I moved him to a different bowl I would accidentally empty the wrong one into the sink. (Don't worry Jillian thats really Chong) Anyway...I am Fish Sitting Chong for Jillian while we are on Christmas break... If you want to see the adventure Chong had while coming to my house, click here

Anyway....it wasn't that the bowl was stinking up my room (yet) but I just don't like to look at a dirty bowl so....clean water for Chong :)

Oh Yea!!...

I almost forgot....

I mentioned being done with school....

I am finally finished with the Semester, 19 more units done! :D

kind of a selfish blog...

Basically this is a shout out to everyone....

you should all buy JambaJuice gift cards from ME! lol basically there is a contest at my work and as of a couple of days ago I was in 2nd place, now if you know me, you know I am competitive and now that I don't have school to think about, I have this contest. So come  buy JambaJuice Cards and make sure I am working first, this contest goes until the end of December so give me a text, email, phone call, anything just make sure I am working before you go ;) Oh and I should be in first place now....hopefully....lets just say, today was a good sales day for me :D

and....its a win win, buy 25 dollars worth and get a free 16 ounce smoothie :D you win and I win :)

Determination, Isolation, and Expectation

December 10

I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. 

Habakkuk 2:1 

“I need an answer,” said Habakkuk, “so I’m going to go up into my tower and seek My Father.”

Please note three key components of this verse. The first is determination. When he needed an answer, Habakkuk said, “I will stand upon my watch.” He didn’t say, “Maybe I should spend some time with the Lord next week - or whenever it’s convenient or if I can break away from work or if I can find some time.” No, he said, “I need an answer and I’m determined to get one. I will seek the Lord.”

The Lord promises that we shall find Him when we search for Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13). But so often we lack determination. Oh, there’s an acknowledgement in our minds that we should seek the Lord. There’s an intention that we probably will seek the Lord sometime. But we don’t get answers to the questions with which we wrestle because we lack this key component of determination.

Second, notice Habakkuk’s isolation. He got away from his telephone, radio, and TV and went up into a tower. He got away from all the distractions that would otherwise bombard him. I believe we don’t hear the voice of God because there are so many other voices constantly ringing in our ears. If you really want to hear from the Lord, there is no alternative to a quiet time, a quiet place, and a quiet heart.

Finally, notice Habakkuk’s expectation. He said, “I will see what the Lord will say to me,” not “what He might say to me,” not “what I hope He will say to me,” not “what I wish he would say to me,” but “what He will say to me.”

Hebrews 11:6 declares that without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. There are many ways to please God, but none apart from faith. If you don’t believe God is going to speak to you and deal with you, you’re not going to hear anything from Him.

How do you know if God will speak to you or not? Here is a very simple test: when you seek the Lord, do you have a journal with you, a pencil and paper before you? You see, if I don’t really expect God to speak, I’ll just kind of show up, casually slumped in my chair, saying, “Wonder if there’s anything in the Word for me today . . . Probably not . . .”

We adopt a laid-back mentality in seeking God and then wonder why we never hear from Him. But those who expect to hear from God have pencil and paper in hand. They are on the edge of their chair or on their knees in a posture of expectancy rather than in a spirit of complacency and lethargy.

Habakkuk said, “I am going to seek God. I will get away and I will hear what He has to say to me.” That’s the kind of faith that honors God. That’s the kind of faith that clears the wax of the world out of the ears of the inner man.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "Footsteps of the Flock" by Pastor Jon. "Footsteps of the Flock" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the Old Testament books of Joshua through Malachi. If you would like your own copy of "Footsteps of the Flock" you may click here to go to the SearchLight Store

Falling in Love all over again

I feel like I am continuing to fall in Love with the Lord all over again lately. Maybe its just getting deeper, but it is such a blessing. I think a lot of things have contributed to this. Circumstances in my life and also, believe it or not, a paper I had to write for school. Although it was tedious, my paper for Geo Science, (which was to prove Creation and then using two different things, Glaciers and Space, to back up my beliefs and why evolution is not true) opened my eyes yet again to how Great our God really is. 

Have you ever been in worship, and your heart is so fully in it that you feel like you are all alone with Jesus? It is so hard sometimes to focus and not pay attention to those around you, but last night was one of those nights for me, when the song ended, I was reminded that I was in church with hundreds of other people around me worshipping too. I cannot wait until the day that I will be worshipping the Lord 24-7. It joys my heart so much to worship the King! There are a couple of songs that have been close to my heart lately. One of them is by Phil Wickham, its called Cannons, another is called Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin. I feel like there are so many songs that bring me to the heart of worship and get my heart right where it needs to be before the Lord. I am so thankful that I am able to worship openly, as so many people are not. 

The Lord continues to bless, even though I don't deserve it. I have been reminded so much lately of just how deep His love for me is. Psalm 139:17-18 talks about the thoughts of the Lord toward us, they are more than the number of the sand. Thats a lot! 

Theme Fridays...

At my work once a month we have theme Fridays :) These are three of the past ones we have had. Cowboy day, Pirate Day, and today, Sports day. When I work on these days it is so much fun. There is something about dressing up or wearing something different at work that makes work more enjoyable. Of course there are people who look at you funny, or try to be funny (thats right, I said try lol) but overall I like theme Fridays. Maybe it takes me back to childhood, you know those dressing up days, or maybe its just fun to do different things, whatever the reason, I have fun :)

some Thanksgiving highlights....

Kendall and Justin on Thanksgiving :) They are so fun, I love to play games with them....we play a lot of games and I always win...ok jk Justin always wins...lol

(above) This is my nephew Colin on Thanksgiving, he is so cute! I love him so much, he has the cutest little voice. 

(above) My mom and I on Thanksgiving :) I am so thankful that the Lord gave me a Godly home to be raised in! My Parents are both huge blessings to me! 

(below) These are my aunts (my dad's sisters) with my dad :) I don't get to see them very often but I did on Friday :) What a blessing, I love visiting with them. My uncle wasn't able to make it though but the rest of them were there :)


(above) This is me and my beautiful cousin Amy. Her and I used to see each other so much more than we do now..I miss those days. Her and I and her sister, my cousin Emily, would get to spend time together a lot during our younger years, and now all three of us are in college. I finally got to see Amy on Friday :) Emily was still in Washington though but we are hoping to all get together during our Christmas breaks :) Oh how I miss them. 

It is kind of weird getting older, we were actually talking about it (Amy and I), how things change so much and your eyes are opened to what is going on and its just so weird to think that those memories we have of being little were really apart of our life. lol 

Oh, Winter....

Oh, winter....please come soon, I miss thee. 

So i know this sounds silly but I love winter so much. I love it being cold so I can curl up by the fireplace. Tonight it was cold enough that I came home to the first fire in the fireplace this Holiday season, it was so nice :)

Cherry on top!

So I took my niece (Skyler) and nephews (Dylan, on left, and Colin, on right) to Cherry on top. It was my first time, its pretty good, nothing will ever be as good as pink berry though, i think thats my ultimate fav. Anyway it was fun to spend time with them. I don't see them very often so it was a lot of fun. :) But, I might be seeing them more these days so, its a blessing!

A nice Surprise :)

Tonight after work before doing some homework, I decided to take a short nap. I knew my parents were at the store and that they'd be home soon, so I would soon be awoken. What I didn't know was that I would wake up to these! It was such a nice surprise, my parents bought me flowers, just because :) I am so thankful for the two of them. They are such a good example to me of Godly parents. They have been married for 36 years now! (Their anniversary was in October) Anyway, just thought I'd share the beautiful flowers, enjoy! :D

A Blessing from the Lord

I love Jon Courson's daily devotions. He currently has 3 books out, and each of them are great. This is today's from "Footsteps of the Flock":

November 14

"Therefore behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths." Hosea 2:6

"In Job 3, we see this same hedge of protection when God declared that He would plant a hedge around Job so that the enemy would not be able to harm him more than what the Lord allowed.

There is a hedge around every believer that protects us from the attacks and attempts of the enemy to destroy us. If Satan could, he would strike every one of us with disease or death. He would show no mercy whatsoever. But the Lord has a hedge around us and only what God allows for His purposes in strengthening our faith or developing our ministry can touch us. That is why the Bible tells us to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Nothing can come into our lives except that which the Lord allows."

This is such a blessing and a great reminder of the Lord's promises to us, He is so faithful!

P.S. if you are interested in reading the daily devotions from Jon's "Footsteps of the Flock" click here

In class!

So I'm in class....and I'm on my comp. (obviously)

anyway, I don't normally bring it to class but today I did. And I'm soooooo Typative, that's right, not talkative, but typative, I just keep typing messages

I am talking to Anna, Biggy, Kenton and April. Not to mention Jillian and Bethany who are sitting right next to me! lol this has made class go by so quickly. I haven't gotten the work I wanted to do done yet but eh, its been a fun class! haha :)

My friend Jayden.

This is my friend Jayden, he's 4.

I met him one Wednesday night at church, and we've been the best of friends ever since :) isn't he cute?

He's even cuter in person, and a lot of fun :D

Christmas.....

They played this video in chapel today... It's very interesting.....

... Something to think about.

Christmas is coming :)

So...I made an unexpected trip to Starbucks tonight. Not with the intentions of getting coffee, but once I got there I couldn't resist. Tomorrow I register for classes, while I'm working. SO....the plan is to take my break right when my time opens up so that I can register for the classes I need. I am actually kinda bummed about registration. The classes available this semester that are those I need to take are at lame times, I don't know how I will ever be able to work. I know the Lord will work it all out though.

Anyway...so the reason I had to go to Starbucks was bc they have wireless and are located right next to my work. SO.....in order to use their wireless you have to register a Starbucks card. So, I bought a gift card only with the intentions of registering it. I have always wanted to register one for the cool benefits it comes along with, but always figured I don't have money to go there enough to benefit. But tomorrow makes it all worth it, so now I can register while I am at work :) yay! lol

SO anyway....all this to say that...The Holidays are coming! I am so excited, this is my favorite time of year. (the lights, the weather, the family get togethers, the food, the baking, everything!)

Lately at work no one really wants to listen to the November CD because it is mostly Christmas music, but you better believe when I am there, that CD is playing. I LOVE this time of year, everything about it! So when I went to Starbucks tonight I was reminded yet again of the time of year we are going into. :) I cannot wait until it is consistently cold, and I can curl up by the fireplace with a hot cup of coffee, or hot cocoa and watch a movie or enjoy the company of friends and family. :)

Ok well I have hw, and this was yet 1 more way I am procrastinating haha.

"But let him who glories glory in this..."

"But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth, For in these I delight says the Lord" Jeremiah 9:24

This is one of my favorite verses right now. The Lord has continually been reminding me over and over of this verse. It has been such a blessing because nothing can be better but to have scripture on your mind. This verse has been something I have been trying to implement more and more. It is so often that we try to let people know how much we know, or at least make it seem like we know a lot, or have a lot, or get to do a lot, really people try to make others jealous everyday. Daily, we as humans, are constantly trying to make ourselves look better or in other words boast in things we are doing. It has just been a constant reminder to me to glory in knowing the Lord. I want to know and understand the Lord and for it to be evident that this is true in my life.

The Bible continues to bring up this idea of boasting and glorying in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 it says,

 " But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--that, as it is written, "he who glories, let him glory in the Lord"'

Lately the Lord has been speaking to me very clearly and getting more of my attention. I have been realizing how much people need to know the Lord and how lost so many are.

When the song, "Hosanna" came out by Hillsong United many months back, I really made it my prayer. Part of the chorus says, "Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me"

 I have been praying for this in my life and the Lord has been answering my prayers.

More recently.... For a couple of months now one of my favorite songs has been "Give me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath

" Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me Your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the once forgotten"

These words have been my prayer for a few months now and the Lord is really opening my eyes to people. I have always thought about people around me and how they really do need Jesus but just recently my eyes have been opened to how lost people really are and how they really try to fill their lives with things that will only bring them temporary satisfaction. I have many friends and family members that I want to reach out to, if only they would just realize what this life is all about. It is not about us, and saying you are a Christian doesn't mean anything in today's society. It is so sad how many people don't even know Jesus. They can know about Him and have heard many things but there are so many who don't actually KNOW Him. It breaks my heart, my prayer is that I will constantly remember that it is not about me, that the Lord has a bigger plan that He wants to follow through with, and I know He will do it. While His plan is carried out, I will glory in one thing, to know and understand Him. 

 

Halloween :)

For Halloween this year, Nick and I decided to hang out with Kendall and Justin at my house. Justin and I created a cool contraption for when kids came so he could scare them.  Nick and I went to Chipotle to pick up some food and there were people covered in foil because they had a sweet deal: Dress up like a  burrito, get a free burrito. Neither of us did it but it was fun to see. We also carved pumpkins (Justin's was super cool, he made the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland) and watched The Twilight Zone and played games it was a lot of fun, and...I ALMOST beat Justin at Monopoly..... :( But it was a really fun night and I had a blast :) 

Sailing

On Saturday I went Sailing with Nick, his mom, dad and sister. It was a blast! I had so much fun. We sailed in the San Diego Bay. There wasn't much wind, it was kind of sporadic so we used the motor most of the time but nevertheless it was a lot of fun. I had never been sailing before. When I was little I went whale watching and have been on a few other boats over my 20 years here on earth but, this was my first time on a sail boat. Anyway, we stopped at Coronado Island and walked around for a little while and then got back on the boat. 

Then...we got stuck! For about 10 minutes the boat was stuck in a sand rail but Nicks dad, the good captain he is lol, got us out of it. 

Then later we got back to the dock and went and had a nice dinner. I had a lot of fun on Saturday, this whole weekend was actually a blessing. Friday night after witnessing I went with some girls to see High School Musical 3 (super cute movie) and then Saturday I was in San Diego all day. Then Sunday I went to a birthday party for one of my friends. The Lord has truly blessed me in many ways and I am truly thankful :)

Thank you Lord for blessing my life in so many ways, you have blessed me with a fun life and gave me great friends and family, thanks for choosing to use me for your glory. :D

I went to Philly.....and NY!

So.... I haven't really posted anything in a while. I don't think I have since I went to Philly....

Philadelphia was awesome! The Lord did great things there. It was a blessing to be able to go. We also went to DC for a couple of days when we were out there which was cool because I had never been there before. 

SO..... we got back from Philly and I had been back to work, actually not very excited to be back to work. I was lacking motivation, I just wasn't ready to be back...anyway....

We had been back for about 4 days when I found out there was another spot to go on the NY trip which was 4 days away. The funny thing is that I had already felt the Lord was calling me to go but brushed it off like nothing because to me, there was no way I could miss another week of school and get another week off of work. Well, I kinda brushed it off but was praying that the Lord's will would be done. So.....

The very next day I got a phone call asking if I was available to go to New York, again I said I don't think so but I will see what I can do and call you back. So... I was thinking, "man Lord this is crazy! Are you serious?!?"

So...I prayed about it and talked to a few people about it and it was evident it was the Lord. Who am I to doubt what the Lord can do right? SO....I made a phone call and said well I dont know if I can get the money together or get work and school off but I will let you know in a few minutes what the final decision is. So....within 10 min...the money came through :D

And I sent an email to all of my teachers and called my mgr. I was going to have to let them know by 9 AM the next day if I would for sure be able to go so they could change the plane ticket to my name.

Throughout the night, emails came in and ALL of my teachers were willing to work with me, which was amazing because it was the week of midterms and I just missed a week prior. I also talked to my mgr who said "we will work it out, we can get your shifts covered" So the next day I got my shifts covered all but 1. It wasnt until the night before I left that the last shift got covered, but, needless to say. The Lord is Good!!!!! How in the world did I get the money to go, my shifts covered and more time off of school? only through God. This was a great reminder to me of the Lord's faithfulness.

If you're struggling with doubting what the Lord can do, trust Him! He will pull through!

Anyway...so I went to NY!

It was a blast, it was my second time and I loved it!

The best part was that the Lord was glorified and all the glory goes to Him.

Anyway.... so thats an update :)

O...and....I'm going sailing tomorrow with Nick and his fam :D

I'm so excited :)

It was so cool because I had to work so we were going to get back in time, but I was kinda nervous because it would be cutting it close so...I asked one of my co-workers if they would cover for me (which I was SUPER hesitant to do since they just covered a bunch of shifts for me while I was in Philly and NY) but they are. So...if any of my co-workers read this, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate you guys :)

He is good indeed!

The Lord is so good! I am so thankful for the many blessings he has poured out on me.  Not only a beautiful sunrise but also a gorgeous sunset, all in one day. I have seen many pictures on peoples blogs, facebooks, myspace etc. that have also commented on this today...Check out Jillians pic, it is awesome!!!!

Today I woke up on time for class!! (as you could tell since I was awake for the sunrise :D )

Anyway, on my way to class Jillian called me and once I sat down in my seat I got a text from Michelle, both to make sure I woke up for class today :) What a blessing those two are :D Special thanks to the two of them.

One more day of classes then Philadelphia here we come! I know the Lord has great plans for our trip, please keep us in prayer while we are there. You can watch it live on the Harvest Crusade Website for Philly. :) 

To behold the Beauty!

The Sunrise was BEAUTIFUL this morning! I got ready for school and as I walked out this is what I saw...So...my camera on my phone doesn't give this real life view justice. But the sky was gorgeous! As I was driving I could see more of the sky (I would have taken a better pick but, I didn't want to get in an accident) and I was just reminded of how beautiful the Lord's creation truly is. 

Psalm 28:4 says 

"One thing I have desired of the Lord 

That will I seek: 

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord 

All the days of my life, 

To behold the beauty of the Lord, 

And to inquire in His temple."

If I am awestruck daily by the Lord's creation here on earth, I am excited to see what He is preparing in Heaven.

Happy Birthday Sky!

Ok, so her birthday was September 19th...

But today I took her to lunch and out shopping to celebrate. My niece, Skyler, turned 11!!! Thats crazy, I cannot believe how old she is getting....

So we went to Miguel's for lunch and then I bought her, her first pair of rainbows. If you know me, you know I love rainbows...lol

Anyway, I also took her to get a pedicure...at my fav place, Red Persimmon. And then we got See's candy :)  Her toes looked so pretty, and looked real cute in her new sandals :D

I love her so much and don't get to see her that often so it was nice to spend some time with her today :)

A Lesson Well Learned....

Lesson Number 1: Buy an alarm clock that works all the time, not just sometimes....

Lesson Number 2: Thats what friends do......

This morning I missed my first class :( (Hence Lesson number 1.) I was so bummed because I will be missing 3 classes in the next week and a half because of the Philly trip....so anyway I was thinking about how these types of things happen and how it is nice to have friends who will help you out. Bringing me to Lesson Number 2, Thats what friends do.....

.....A couple of weeks ago a fellow classmate of mine missed a class and sent out an email to all of the students in our class asking if anyone could please send her their notes that she missed. Immediately when I got that email I blew it off....thinking, just show up for class...but after today I realized that things happen, and although I do not know the person, I should have helped them out.(so...whoever you are, if you are reading this, I'm sorry) Because, thats the right thing to do. SO...although this morning was frustrating for me, it was also a blessing because the Lord reminded me how thankful I should be for my friends.....My friends are awesome! They pray for me, let me copy their notes when I miss a class, Help me out with stuff I don't understand, Wake me up if I oversleep, and are always there for me...After all thats what friends do!

So...a special thanks goes out to all of my friends, I truly am blessed!

I'm going to Philly!

SO..... on October 1st I will be going to Philadelphia with the SWAT team from Harvest. Please keep us in prayer, I know the Lord has great plans for this trip and I am super excited to see them unfold :)

Jillian will be Proud.

So...I finally got a blog. (Be proud Jillian.) :D