Feelin' Famous

I mentioned that I'd post when my new blogs for Cedarville were posted. Well, guess what? They posted today! SO, you can go here and check out my last two CU blogs. We have our pictures up and everything. Not going to lie, I've kind of always wanted to have my picture on the website, so this is really exciting.

Anyway, for those of you away from Cedarville (which is probably most of you), I wanted to give you a little update on the awesome things God is doing on campus. Apparently, every freshman this summer received the book "True Religion" by Palmer Chinchen. I have not read the book, but in it he starts talking about the 1+billion people around the world who have no shoes. He began by having on "Barefoot Sunday"s where he challenged his congregation in CO to bring their shoes to the alter and go the rest of the day barefoot. He's been doing these Barefoot Sundays every year since. 

One freshman was inspired and challenged the freshman class to have a barefoot day at Cedarville. Palmer Chinchen came and spoke in chapel this past Thursday- the perfect opportunity for this ministry. They advertised it for about a week and "Barefoot Thursday" ended up gathering 3276 pairs of shoes. How awesome. I encourage you to go to Cedarville's Facebook page and look at the pictures taken that day of students going barefoot, thousands of shoes at the alter, and students gathering around the shoes pile bowed in prayer. Thank God for one freshman students' vision.

                             

Life as a Senior

I think I'll make it a point to update my blog whenever I write an entry for Cedarville. Considering I've posted my first one, it's time to update! I'll make sure and post a link here when my blogs are posted on the website, but mine might not be there every week. It's a little different writing when you know people will be reading it, especially when those people are prospective students, alumni and current students' parents. So much pressure.


Anyway, I'm really excited about the year so far. I love love love living off campus, my apartment and my housemates. We're getting along so well and having so much fun. We just had a photoshoot with one of our talented photographer friends for new pictures to hang in our family room. I think we were laughing in about every picture. I love making memories...it's kind of one of my favorite pastimes.


I'm really learning to make the most of everything. Unless I have already committed my time to something else, I'm trying to take up the moto "why not?" unless, of course, it's inappropriate or unreasonable. For example, right around the time school started, a bunch of friends and I drove to Columbus to go to Jeni's ice cream. Yes, we drove over an hour just for ice cream. Believe me, it was SO worth it- amazing!!! This coming Sunday, I have the opportunity to go moonlight canoeing in Columbus with some friends. How often in my life will I have these types of opportunities again? I'll definitely let you know how it goes.


I'm very thankful right now. Thankful for my friends, my housemates, my family and just where God has taken my life up to this point. I'm also thankful that He is in control and that I don't need to worry about what my future holds. I'm glad he knows, because I don't even want to think about it right now! Haha.


Oh, pray for my roommate, and very good friend, Meagan. She is flying to Bangladesh this coming Saturday for her 10-12 week student teaching. She's flying there alone (for the most part) and doesn't know anyone over there. She's getting really nervous, but pray that her flight goes smoothly and that she will feel God's peace and presence in the whole situation.

Meagan And I in the Sear's Tower

Reminders

Watching the beginning of my senior year creep closer and closer into reality I'm reminded of the things God has taught me in the last three years at Cedarville. Situations from Freshman year have resurfaced and I'm reminded of the lessons I was taught the first time- value people, invest in them, show Christ's love always but don't lead them on, manipulate them, or take advantage of them. I'm still on the edge of the delicate process of mixing all of these elements together and figuring out what exactly it looks like executed. Pray that I can deal with a touchy situation delicately and with consideration. 


Another thing I've been reminded of is to take advantage of the opportunities I have at this time in my life. I'm afraid I took many things for granted the past three years and I'm realizing there are so many other things I want to do, and I have one school year left to do it. Yes, I probably will be over committed this year, hopefully I'll be able to keep everything in perspective and still be disciplined, but between 17 credit hours, two jobs, two orgs, and possibly intramural volleyball, as well as having some kind of social life, it should be a fun year. Pray that I can be grateful for the things I have done, instead of pining for the things I missed out on. 


Lastly, I've been reminded to keep God as the main focus of my day. If I do not spend daily time in His Word, the reality of me speaking love and representing Christ effectively are so much less than if He is at the core of my day. The Word is not only to be respected or liked, it's to be enjoyed, craved, and delighted in. And although I openly acknowledge it's a constant struggle, it's a struggle worth fighting against. Pray that I will long to spend time in Scripture even when school work and responsibilities pile up. 


Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but [I] trust in the name of the Lord [my] God."
Proverbs 22:11 "One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have a king for a friend"

photo credit: Zach Murphy 

New Blessings

For those of you who don't know, I am one of 17 Cedarville students a part of Cedarville's Alumni Association. We help the Alumni office by helping with homecoming and other on-campus events as well as assist them in their chapter and regional events throughout the year across the country. This past week was our fall trip which is designed for training and team building. Our destinations included Rochester, NY, NH, CT, Boston, MA, and Warren, ME. On top of getting to know some of the sweetest, funniest, and down-to-earth people I've ever met, God worked in us this week and I am so blessed and thankful for these new additions to my life.
We had so much fun being goofs with each other, getting to know each other's lives and humor but my favorite was that we grew and challenged each other spiritually. When we sang, we sang unashamed in a small classroom in the mountains of NH, on the top of our lungs worshiping our God together. It was such a beautiful thing. We grew together as a family and for all of those reasons, I thank God for every single one of them and the unique aspect they bring to our group.


In NH, I was refreshed to be around a group of believers my age who were so in love with Christ and had the contagious joy of His presences in their lives. I desired to spend more time with them in His Word and worshipping together. God is so good to us, blessing us daily and I was reminded of this everyday on our trip...and every day since. I've been saying this for a while, but God is doing a work in my life right now and I am so excited to see how it plays out. Yes, I'm always nervous when life changes up a little, but my God is a God who controls the sun, each star, every cloud, bird in the sky, and each moment I'm alive. He is in perfect command of my life and it is His to do as He pleases. God is continuing to work. May I have the diligence and obedience to do my part and spend time with Him, that I can carry out His will for my life to glorify Him alone and spread Him through the world.

Blind Blessings

I know I really need to be in bed after a 13 hour day at work and church early in the morning, but I'm in the mood to write. First of all, I wanted to share an awesome site my mom's boss and friend got us hooked on. It's called Pinterest.com and I can post things that I like in all kinds of categories. It's a little hard to explain, but check it out...here!


Anyway, I can't believe the summer is coming to an end and I am beginning my last year of college. I hardly feel old enough. Not only that, but I'm a planner. I knew my major when I was in first grade. I knew what school I wanted to go to in sixth. Now I cannot see a single day past May 5, 2012- graduation day. In high school whenever I thought of life after Cedarville, I always assumed I would be engaged or married and then find a job wherever my husband had a job. Well, considering my current status that is obviously not going to happen. And that's okay. It's always a little nerve-racking when you have to rely on God blind, that is, not having any idea what He has for you. God put the desire in my heart to be a teacher and to go to Cedarville and I trust Him fully to provide for me and take care of my when I graduate, I'd just like to see what's going to happen! I know He is faithful and he has already blessed me in so many ways. And while I am anxious about how He'll provide, I'm mostly excited to see how He'll exceed my expectations once again. 

For His Plans are Not Our Plans...

God has a funny way of changing our desires sometimes, you  know? Without going into too many details, I can feel the desires of my heart regarding my future change in a direction I would swear would never happen. I can't say I particularly mind either. I'm just amazed by God sometimes. When I think I have my life all figured out and planned down to the last detail, circumstances change, people move in or out of my life, and I find what I was so passionate about at one point, has completely diminished and the fire goes out.  How can you describe this sudden change with someone who has not experienced the presence of Christ in their lives? My only explanation, as a Christian, is that God has far better things for me than I could come up with on my own and therefore, He has to take my desires and passions and change them so I become passionate about what HE is passionate about. Yearn for the things HE yearns for, and pray to fall into alliance wiht HIS will for my life. I hope and pray that He will continue working on my heart, changing my dreams to fit HIS dreams for me and living a life worthy of a testament of HIS work. 
                                 

My Lord, My Savior, My...BFF?

I must admit that I am loving my summer vacation and until recent the idea of going back to school put a knot in my stomach, but God has been teaching me a lot recently and one of the lesson is that I have a lot to learn. Another lesson that hit me hard is my insecurity. I didn't realize how much I put my personal worth in the opinion and acceptance of other people. It wasn't until I felt that acceptance become shaky that I felt my entire foundation crumble beneath me. Not only did I feel like a junior high girl, I felt that my God wasn't that main focus in my life and once again, I felt his love and sweet grace poor over me like a fresh rain. 
Sure, I still value my friends, after all, good friends are wonderful gifts from God, but I am reminded that "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." -Prov. 18:24. I am loving my time with Christ and spending more time with him. He has given me such a peace I haven't felt in a long time. Needless to say, His grace rescues me daily and I have learned to be content with Him as my new best friend. How blessed I am to be living on His daily Grace. 

In Colorado it's impossible not to see His fingerprints all over. I loved spending time today outside admiring His creation. This, my friends, is one place I would love to live.