Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New summer plans & new summer goal

               In the last blogpost I posted about three goals I had for this summer. In addition to those goals, I've added one more goal. I've decided that I want to by mid-August have the number of Diet Mountain Dews I drink to 1-2 (it is currently at 7-8 a day) a day and I want to drink 8-10 cups of water a day by mid-August. I want to do this so that I can be more healthy but most of all to glorify God with what I put in to my body.
                I also have a huge praise to share with you all. Since finding out about a month ago that I would not be going to Malawi this summer, I have prayed that God would show me the next steps I am to be taking in regards to mission. Very specifically in the last week, I have been praying that God would show me what (& if I'm supposed) short term mission trip I'm supposed go on this year. (CrossChurch is having a campaign of having people go on a short-term mission journey during the 2012 year & I know that I'm supposed to participate in that.) This last Friday I had a conversation with a friend about the possibility of going to Haiti at the end of July for a week.I told her that I was going to spend the weekend praying about it & would have answer give answer today (so that I could get the ball rolling with everything if it was the Lord's will.) I am confident that the Lord wants me to go to Haiti at the end of July. As I prayed this weekend, I kept trying to talk myself out of going or would try to come up with excuses as to why I shouldn't go. This was especially true Sunday night when I woke up after midnight and couldn't go back to sleep/didn't have peace until I said "yes Lord, I will go." I am reminded of the passage in Isaiah 6 when Isaiah says, "Here am I send me." I want to be like that and go wherever the Lord would have me go. I would greatly appreciate your prayers, as this journey is only seven weeks away!!! the following is a list of things you can be praying for me about regarding the trip:

  1. satan would be bound from attacking me or the team
  2. that I would be able to raise the support needed to make the journey (the journey costs $1600-1800, I only have seven weeks to raise it, & the financial aspect of a trip always scares me (this is from satan I know and I need to rest solely about Christ)
  3. that God would put together the team that He would have to go on this particular journey to Hait

I am thankful for how the Lord continues to show & reveal to me the plans He has for me this summer!! I want to leave you with the verse that I am encouraged with & that is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you"

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Summer Goals

                Every year people come up with New Year Resolutions, but I've decided to be different and come up with Summer 2012 resolutions.

  1.  I want to start my reading through the Bible through a year plan & stay on track with it. I've tried so many times but let worldly things get in the way. I want to do this to continue to get the big picture & a bigger picture of who God is
  2. You may laugh at this one but I want to learn how to ride a bike. Yes, it's confession time. I don't know how to ride a bike. But I've decided I really want to do this.
  3. I want to start training for a half marathon again. I started training a few years ago but stopped because I got sick & never got back up to full speed. I enjoy running but enjoy running distances even more (I know that sounds crazy but it's true.) I also feel like it will help teach me Biblical lessons such as discipline, endurance, relying on the Lord for strength when I don't feel like keep going, etc.


Though I don't know what this summer will bring these are some of my goals that I thought I'd share.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Step by Step

                 What? When? How? Where? Why? All common questions that we (myself included) ask God. We live in an age where we want to know and we want to know now. God doesn't always tell us now. Sometimes He makes wait a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade. In the meantime God wants us to walk step by step glorifying and making His name known and seeking Him in all that we do. Everything else will fall into place as we seek those two things. He will guide our each and every step and with the Holy Spirit in us, He will stop us when something is not His will. This is something that the Lord has been teaching me as I wait and seek what is next for me. 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Words I Would Say

         
    Since finding out a couple of weeks ago that I would not be going to Malawi this summer, I have been praying that God would help me understand what He has planned for me this summer. He has been faithful to reveal a few details (and those details won't be easy but I know that they are a part of God's plan). God has also used the following song to speak to me:




Towards the end of the song there a couple of lines that go "But don't forget why you're here, take your time and pray, Thank God for each day." As much as I would like to know every detail for this summer, the Lord has reminded me to just take time to pray everyday over this summer. I don't know what it holds, but He does and I need to thank Him for each day that He gives me because it is 1) a day that I'm not guaranteed and 2) a day that will be used for my good. This song also talks a lot about not giving up hope. Though I've written before about never giving up, the Lord continues to show me where I've given up. The one thing I have to remember about not being able to go to Malawi this summer is that it doesn't mean I won't ever be able to go back (I'm just not supposed to go right now) and that the LORD will accomplish big things in and through my life (and He will do it in your life too!!) but I can NOT give up hope (and I highly encourage you not to give up hope either...just take your time and pray!!)


Another thing that the LORD has been teaching me is to take it one day at a time. So often I want to plan for the future and get so caught up in worrying about the future that I miss what the LORD has given to me that day.  Besides not being guaranteed tomorrow, we miss out on seeing what God has blessed us with that day.



This may have sounded completely scatterbrained but I really felt like it was something the Lord wanted me to share.