New Idea

Just wanted to let  you guys know that I came up with a new and improved idea, with the help of Hope, but it's gonna take some time to get together. So I haven't forgot about the devotional challenge or anything..I gotta make some adjustments though and then we can continue with it. Thanks for reading! :)

Devotional Challenge Day #2

Today, my time in God's Word was focused on worry. It was talking about not worrying in life and trusting God to work all things together for good. We often worry about things in life such as a job, or a family member, or anything else really. But worry does absolutely no good! It is so hard to trust God sometimes. It's especially hard when it's a life changing decision. But God DOES know what is best for us in our lives here and now and He knows our future. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6

Devotional Challenge Day #1

So today in my devotions, I read two different passages and both were talking about not worrying about the little things like food, clothes..etc..because we can so caught up in those things that we miss the more important things in life. We know that God will supply our needs. The first passage talked about how God provided for the fowls of the air and how God counts us more precious than those birds. But then in the second passage,  it talks about seeking God and His Kingdom first and all the blessings will be added to you. What really stuck out to me was not worrying about the little things but wanting to be a part of the work for my King. 1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. This verse is really something that I struggle with a lot. Humility is a hard virtue for each and every  person because we are human and it's our fallen nature to be prideful. But we as Christians have the choice you turn away from it and walk in the Spirit.

A DAILY CHALLENGE

Yet again..another struggle we Christians face that I am feeling led to talk about is being in God's Word daily! It is such a hard thing to  me sometimes. I would rather do something else or I tell myself that I don't have time today to spend time with God. But that just for  back to my last post about how much God love us. We should love Him enough to spend a small portion of the time He gives us with Him daily. If I'm being honest...sometimes I let myself get get so overwhelmed with feelings, emotions, thoughts..etc..that I don't even talk to God about it. I think about the many times I did the wrong thing because I didn't seek wisdom and guidance from Him. But you do receive wisdom that you can keep with you forever from God's Word. There is no way to retain the wisdom wisdom you need from God's Word without reading and studying it. So I am going to CHALLENGE YOU and MYSELF to post on my blog what you read or what spoke to your heart every day. It's not an easy challenge. I will fail sometimes..I know I will. But let's encourage each other as much as possible. It doesn't have to be long but let your friends know about this challenge as well! :) I will start tomorrow Lord willing and I hope to read what spoke to all of your hearts as well in your time with God.

Struggling?

Do you ever feel out of place...even in church? What about in school? I know the struggle of wanting so badly to fit in. I used to do that all the time and still catch myself in that same cycle of wanting people to accept me. But something that comforted me was to know that I am accepted. God has accepted His children into the beloved. God called Jesus, in Matthew 3:17 (KJV), His beloved son. I looked up the word beloved, the dictionary defines someone who is beloved as someone who is greatly loved; dear to the heart. Jesus is God's only begotten Son, so you would assume that Jesus would be close to the heart of His father God. But what about us? In Ephesians 1:6 (KJV), it says, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted into the beloved." So God, in His unconditional love, has accepted His children "into the beloved." EACH and EVERY child of God (one that has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord) are loved by God and are dear to His heart. Can you imagine why God would love us so much not only to send His only Son to die for our sins, but that when we asked to become His child, He accepted us into the same "beloved" as His OWN Son? What love! I understand that it is difficult now, but this life will soon be past and only what is done for Christ will last. John 4:14 (KJV) states, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." I would hate to look back on life one day and regret not living life for my Savior, the person who really matters. It is a daily struggle for every Christian alive, but it will be well worth it in the end. One thing that I remember is that no matter how left out I feel, I am accepted and I am doing the work of my Heavenly Father who loves me and accepts me and holds me dear to His heart. It is the same for every believer! And just know that if the world accepts you and they can't tell a difference, there is something wrong. So lets stay strong together as the body of Christ and press toward our finish line!

"I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14

Red Velvet Cheeseball

Red Velvet Cheese Ball

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 16 servings

The ultimate dip for red velvet lovers!! This sweet version of a cheeseball will have you going back for more!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups red velvet cake mix, dry
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• assorted cookies and crackers (my favorite was Vanilla Wafers)

Instructions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the red velvet cake mix, the brown sugar and the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and combined.
• Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap up into a ball and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Put the chocolate chips on a plate or in a shallow dish. Remove the cheese ball from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll in the chocolate chips. (This might get messy!) Place on a serving plate and serve with cookies or graham crackers.
• (Hope showed me this recipe and it looks amazing! We are gonna have to try this recipe soon!!) :D
• 

Song by John Newton

I love this song!

I saw one hanging on a tree

In agony and blood

Who fixed His loving eyes on me

As near His cross I stood

And never till my dying breath

Will I forget that look

It seemed to charge me with His death

Though not a word He spoke

My conscience felt and owned the guilt

And plunged me in despair

I saw my sins His blood had spilt

And helped to nail Him there

But with a second look He said

"I freely all forgive

this blood is for your ransom paid

I died that you might live"

Forever etched upon my mind

Is the look of Him who died

The Lamb I crucified

And now my life will sing the praise

Of pure atoning grace

That looked on me and gladly took my place

Thus while His death my sin displays

For all the world to view

Such is the mystery of grace

It seals my pardon too

With pleasing grief and mournful joy

My spirit now is filled

That I should such a life destroy

Yet live by Him I killed

                                                             

Good Reminders

Pumpkin Scones :)

Scones Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
7 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

6 Tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 Tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg

Sugar Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Glaze Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

directions:

Scones Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.

4. With a fork, pastry knife, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain. Set aside.

5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk pumpkin, half and half, and egg.

6. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.

7. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide).

8. Use a large knife to slice the dough into three equal portions. Cut diagonally to produce 6 triangular slices of dough.

9. Place on prepared baking sheet from step 2.

10. Bake for 14–16 minutes until scones turn light brown.

11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Sugar Glaze Directions:
1. Mix the powdered sugar and 2 Tablespoon milk together until smooth.

2. Brush glaze over the top of each cooled scone.

Spiced Glaze Directions:
1. As sugar glaze firms, combine the spiced icing ingredients.

2. Use whisk to drizzle over each scone and allow to dry before serving.

Motives for Service

So tonight, we had youth group like we always do on Wednesday night. My youth pastor spoke on grace and how we don't deserve it but yet God gives it to us. We need it in Salvation but we also need it in our every day life. But he also talked about how that we try to merit praise in our service and how their can be no joy if we have the wrong motives in service. If we are looking to be praised by men for the good things we do, we have the wrong motives. I remember having so much joy just serving in Utah on our missions trip. We can so easily compare ourselves to someone else and complain about not being noticed or not being put in the position that that other person has been placed in. We can have so much joy in serving our Savior with the right motives. I just loved his message tonight and thought I would share that with you. So please pray for me as I try to serve in my church and wherever else that I will keep the right motives for service.

P.S. I am going to post a yummy recipe tomorrow that I just made yesterday. :)

"but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." -2 Corinthians 10:12b

Summer

I apologize for not putting up a recipe yesterday. I had an all morning class and then a test in the afternoon. It was hectic. But now that I am out of school for the summer, I should be able to update posts more often. :) :) This past week, I feel like I have been almost forced to rely more on God. It has been wonderful to realize that He is there for whatever, even if it is something little. This past week, I took some pretty difficult exams but I do think that they went well. I also have to take a placement test for our community college if I want to take classes there next semester. So its a long process to be able to take it and it seems to be moving along but please pray for me to pass with a high enough score to be able to take the classes I need to take. I am also applying for scholarships this summer which means that I have to take the SAT and the ACT. So I am scheduled to take those as well. I have several different camps that I am going to but most important is tests right now. I am hoping to take classes at my community college in the Fall.

Homemade Cow Tales

Homemade Cow Tales®

Yield: approx 45-50 eight-inch length candies...probably more.  I lost count.                                Special equipment: Candy thermometer Zip-top bag or disposable pastry bag Parchment paper or wax paper Plastic wrap Rolling pin Caramel: 1 cup clear corn syrup 2 cups heavy cream, divided 2 cups white granulated sugar Pinch of salt 4 1/2 tbsp butter, unsalted - cubed into 8 pieces Extra butter for buttering pans 1. Generously butter two 10x15 jelly-roll pans.  If you don't have this size pan you may use sizes larger than  10x15. I would not suggest using sizes smaller than 10x15.  Place both the pans on two cooling racks. 2. Turn stove-eye or burner to medium heat. 3. In a large saucepan combine the corn syrup, 1 cup of the heavy cream, sugar and pinch of salt.  Stir well. 4. Set pan over heat and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a bubble. This will take about 10-12  minutes. Mixture will appear milky at first, then as it heats it will slightly lose its opaqueness. 5. When mixture boils, very slowly add the remaining heavy cream stirring constantly- be careful not to  disrupt the boil. Lower the heat to medium-low. Set a timer for 6 minutes and allow mixture to bubble.   It will rise high and bubble quite a bit during this 6 minute stage. 6. When time is up, add butter, 2-3 cubes at a time and mix until butter has melted.  Repeat with remaining butter cubes. 7. Insert candy thermometer and let mixture bubble until it reaches 250 degrees.  When you first insert the  thermometer, the temperature will be around 200-217 degrees.  It will take a good 30-40 minutes for the  mixture to reach 250.  Do not rush this phase by turning up the heat.  It is within this time frame that the  caramel takes on its amber color. 8. When 250 is reached, remove pan from heat-source and pour half of the caramel in one pan and half in  the other.  Allow caramel to cool to room temperature. While you're waiting for the caramel to cool, make  the creme filling. Creme filling: 5 cups confectioners' sugar 1 cup vegetable shortening 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 oz. packet of unflavored gelatin 1/4 cup water 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together sugar,shortening and vanilla. The mixture will be dry and crumbly and you'll probably wonder if you've done something wrong.  Nope! You're on the right track.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the edges several times. 2. Place 1/4 cup water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over.  Let stand until absorbed. 3. Microwave gelatin for 10 seconds or until clear and liquid. Add to the bowl of the running mixer. 4. The mixture will soften and become thick and doughy.  Mix the heck out of it until it starts climbing the  sides of the bowl.  Scrape down the sides (and bottom, especially if using a Kitchen Aid) and mix again. 5. Place a portion of the dough in a disposable pastry bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped.  Make  sure the hole is big enough to pipe a nice thick line of creme filling - at least 1/4".  Set aside. Note:  Cover remaining creme filling with a damp towel so it doesn't dry out. Assembly: Confectioners' sugar for dusting Sprinkles or jimmies if desired 1. Lay out several sheets of parchment or wax paper on a work surface - preferably a large cutting board or  a surface you don't mind cutting on. 2. Remove caramel from one of the pans.  It should remove easily if you lift one corner and peel the entire  slab of caramel away from the buttered pan.  Place it on the paper-covered work surface. 3. Cover caramel with additional wax paper and roll it a little thinner with a rolling pin.  Try to achieve an  even thickness. 4. Remove paper and cut caramel into long strips, about 2-2 1/2-inches wide.  Pipe a line of creme filling down one side of the length of the caramel. 4. Roll creme filling into the caramel.  The caramel will fold over easily and overlap as you roll.  Roll and  gently stretch into a 16" length.  Cut in two 8" pieces.  Tip:  The caramel rope will squeeze together when  you cut it, making the ends flat.  You can either squeeze it back the other way to make a round end,  or refrigerate the lengths for a few minutes before cutting.  The cold ropes will snap off evenly at the ends when cut with  a sharp knife.  5.  Repeat with remaining caramel and creme.  This will take some time, as there is a lot of candy to work  with. 6.  Roll the candy in powdered sugar and dust off excess.  Wrap each candy in a layer of plastic wrap, then  in a wax paper length with the ends twisted.  This helps it keep its shape. Note: *Alternatively, you may choose to lightly brush one end of the candy with water until tacky, then dip in  chocolate jimmies or sprinkles.  (I much prefer the powdered sugar.)

Tasty Thursday

Okay guys..for those of you who like to cook or bake, this is AWESOME! Every Thursday (hence the Tasty Thursday), I am going to post some yummy looking recipes! They could be ones I have made before or am going to try to make in the near future but this will add a little bit more of me (and food) into my blog. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to watch for delicious recipes! :)

P.S. It will start this Thursday. And special thanks to Britt for creating the button!! :)

Witnessing

My youth pastor preached a message recently about witnessing and getting a friend or some friends in your life that are unsaved. And then after that, my Bible Study teacher expounded on it. He talked about not being super close to them but influencing them to Christ and showing Him in all areas in your life. That includes the way you act, the way you react to people and situations, and your conversation. But he really encouraged us to pray about finding some unsaved people to reach out to. Well I prayed right there and then sincerely asking God to give me someone that I could reach out to. I knew that I didn't have a lot of extra time to devote to someone but I wanted to reach out to an unsaved person. Since I do not go to a public school, I am not around a lot of unsaved people usually. So a week or so has past and Sunday, a lady came to church that my mom had invited and she brought her younger sister and her three kids. Well the sister was my age and she seemed kinda odd but I introduced myself at church and then she ended up coming to my house for the afternoon. Well I later found out that she had a bad background and so she is not completely "with her age group" mentally. So I was like wow...God really brought someone who needed a friend and who was unsaved into my life. We took her to church tonight and she had a lot of questions and she was very curious. We talked for a little while but it seemed that I could only half-way answer one question before she would ask another question. Eventually we left and the conversation was cut short so I know she is very confused still but I hope to become a part of her life and her a part of mine. I pray that she will see Christ in my life continually. She is already so interested and she sees the difference. I am excited about being able to reach out to her and I pray that if it is God's will, that he will save her and she will want to be saved. She has asked some pretty difficult questions to answer so far, so please pray that God will give me wisdom so that I may explain things simply for her. I know she wants to be like everyone else because she tells me that, but she doesn't realize that what makes us different is Christ in our life. So please lift my family up in prayer as we reach out to her sister and their family and for me as I try to show Christ to her.

The Way You See

Why do you suffer?

That’s one of the primary questions in Eyes Wide Open, and the answer may surprise you.

This morning I saw a survey of American college students and how they view themselves and their lives.

 

- 46% felt hopeless

- 61% felt very sad

- 31% felt so depressed that it was difficult to function

- 7% seriously thought about suicide and 1% attempted

- 5% intentionally hurt themselves

 

The difference between religious and non-religious people is negligible. Nearly all of those surveyed believe in God, mostly Christian.

Our suffering runs deep and it begins early in life, doesn’t it?

This isn’t simply an American experience; it’s a human one. We’re all plagued by guilt, self-hatred, feelings of disappointment, judgment, and a sense that, on some deep level, we’re not good enough. We believe we need to be fixed, and have even built an $11 billion industry around to do it in seven steps.

 

I get it. 

 

There have been times when I’ve stared into the kind of darkness of soul that seems bottomless. Hopeless. Where the world seems tattered, broken, and anything but beautiful. Where I’ve felt hopelessly separated from God, others, and even myself.

 

You probably have, too.

 

But what if our view of why we suffer is all wrong? What if we suffer because we’re unwittingly looking at the world upside down? 

 

“The eye is the lamp of the body,” Jesus said. “If your eyes (read ‘perception or how you see the world’) are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” [Matt. 6:22,23]

 

How you perceive the world defines your reality. To the extent you judge your circumstance or world to be dark, unfair, or anything less than beautiful, you will suffer. You don’t necessarily need to change your circumstance; you need to change the way you’re looking at it.

 

I’ve gone through a long journey over the years, asking these same questions of myself. You’ve come along with me on the trip, maybe without realizing it, each time you read one of my novels. These books are my journals, flesh becoming words.

 

If you’ve read Eyes Wide Open you’ve had a snapshot into my life through the eyes of Christy and Austin, two people whose problem isn’t really the terrible situation they’re in, but how they view that situation.

 

Their story is mine in more ways than one. But it’s also your story because we’re the same, you and I.

 

Truth is, you are the light of the world. You are the joy of heaven. You are powerful, not helpless. You have infinite worth. Infinite. All you need to do is change the way you see.

-Ted Dekker

I thought this was a really great insight. I read this and was thinking in my head how true it really was. Maybe you, even though you might not be a college student, can put yourself into one of the categories above. I know that I certainly can and I'm not exactly proud of it but I am thankful to God for shedding a different light on my path and causing me to change course. I am going to read the Eyes Wide Open series this summer Lord willing. I have the first book to start and this really got me pumped about reading it. 

School

So I went to BJU (Bob Jones University) and it was great! I love the atmosphere and the people there were really amazing. It is a good Christian school and its a big possibility. But what I have a hard time with is giving my whole school situation to God. I want to make plans and that is good, but I didn't even pause to ask God to help me decide what I'm going to do. I might not do my school this next year and just be plain home schooled and maybe do a few college courses online while finishing my last few credits for high school. I now praying about it instead of making plans but I still feel that I haven't given God complete control over the situation (and it is very difficult). Please pray for me as I look to God about school. I do want to get the best education I can. And I'm working very hard for it right now with the Lord's help of course.  But hopefully this spoke to you about something you might need to give to the Lord instead of worrying. Oh and please pray for me as I have a big test Tuesday and I have a lot of big end-of-term projects that count for a lot of my grade. So I have a lot going on but I know that God can give me the strength and the wisdom I need to pass and get a good grade.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. -Philippians 4:6

P.S. I am going to put up a few pictures from the beach when I get a chance.  

Dating and Life

Wow! I haven't been on here in forever! I am so sorry you guys! So I have been pretty crazy lately but I finally got a chance to write on here. So today, I had Bible Study and the teacher is teaching on hard decisions we will have to make in life that aren't necessarily mentioned or talked about directly in the Bible. So its been a very good and helpful class and I am super thankful to be taking it.

Well today, we talked about dating. And it really was a blessing to me. We all put on a card something that we were unsure what the Bible said about and handed it in and mine happened to be dating. So it was really cool. But sometimes, when I really like a guy, I will be distracted by him but I never put it into the perspective that he gave us today. So I am going to share a little bit of what he talked about today and how it spoke to me.

So first I am going to define dating:
Dating is an exclusive relationship with a member of the opposite gender. So I am going to give you a few of his points and some thoughts of my own.

1. First he talked about how EVERY young heart longs for acceptance, dreams of love, but teen hearts are not prepared for exclusive relationships. 
2. Exclusive relationships are meant to progress, but teen relationships have no where to go. So what he is saying is that relationships and dating is eventually supposed to lead to marriage. And when your a teen, there is really no where for that relationship to go because you cannot get married yet and so you end up doing things that you regret. 
3. Every date is a potential mate.
4. A teen's biggest struggle is: waiting. "I am tired of waiting." That is often what we say and its our excuse for a relationship. But you should understand that You Are Not Waiting, You Are Preparing! 

If you make a habit (like a lot of teen girls do) dating a guy for 6 months, breaking up with him and moving on, only to break up with the next guy and then go to another, it will only develop a bad kind of thinking. So when you actually get married, when something happens, your mind automatically turn to leaving him like you have always done with every other guy. We need to prepare now so that we can be a good spouse one day.

So these are some things he encouraged us to think about:

• I will maintain friendships that honor God and help me grow in His grace.
• I will recognize the dangers of exclusive relationships.
• I will keep God first in my life and all my friends will come after Him.
• I will pace my friendships and focus on what I am becoming rather than who I like or who likes me. 
• I will not date an unbeliever, a backslidden Christian, or someone my parents would dissaprove of.

The difference between young and older people's relationships are: that a teenagers relationships are based on feelings and that he makes you feel good. But our feelings change so easily. When we are older, our relationships are based on love and its a lasting love. That is another reason to wait until God brings the right one into your life. But it also has to be the right time. If he is the right one in high school, he will still be there and the right one in college. 

And then here are two good points he made regarding waiting.

• Exclusive teen relationships trade preparation for pretend, and that's a bad trade.
• You focus on the preparation and let God focus on the person.

So I could really relate to wanting to be accepted and loved for who I am but sadly to say it, I have let a guy cloud my view. I let a guy distract me and he even took the place of God in my life. That is idolatry. Thankfully God has helped me to just be friends with this person. I think that often, when we don't wait and we struggle, we make mistakes that will ultimately effect our lives. Not always in a good way. So I pray that the Lord will help me to wait on His timing and He will bless me with the person He knows is best for me. So hopefully, this kind of made sense and helped you.

Well, tomorrow morning, I am leaving for the beach and I am so excited..pictures to come. And I have been praying about college and where to apply for scholarships but I am praising the Lord because I have the opportunity to BJU (Bob Jones University) to look at the school next week. So please pray for me that the Lord would lead me in the right direction and provide the finances that I will need to go. 

What is Your Heart's Desire?

I am so sorry you guys! I honestly feel terrible about not being able to blog recently at all. It just seems that life gets quite chaotic sometimes. But I wanted to share with you whats been on my heart recently. I post a lot of thoughts on being different and how hard it is sometimes, but i want to take it one step further. Hope and I have been talking about this. We need to show others how different we are but we also need to show them that living for God brings a good life. Its not some boring life that everyone thinks about when they think about being a devoted Christian. But Its impossible to help people if they don't have any kind of desire driving them to be different. But where does desire for God and that kind of stuff come from? Please leave comments and tell what you think. But two questions and I'm done...what is your hearts desire? Is it a desire for God and Heavenly things, or for this world and it's earthly possessions?

Friends

I honestly had no idea when I started writing this what I wanted to talk about tonight. But I am gonna talk a little bit about friendships. Often I ask myself if I am truly being the kind of friend I want or expect someone else to be. I very easily slip into the habit of wanting everything done for me and to please me. If we are honest, I would say we all do. It is a hard thing to always be in check. But sometimes, I have a hard time with what I say to my friends as well. When they say some unnecessary comment, I can be quick to bite back because it hurts. But I think would Jesus do that? Its hard to constantly fight your feelings and your flesh. Especially when your friends become close to you. They become kinda like your family in the way that you take stuff out on them. But I want to work on that. I want to constantly make sure that my conversation is what it should be. These are photos of my friends and I at the mall Saturday. I am very thankful for them and these are really for you Hope! :)

A Life in God's Will

Hey guys! I wanted to share with you guys the opportunity to reach out that the Lord gave me today. I have been sick all day, my voice is gone, I have a sore throat, and congestion. But honestly, I am thankful for the sickness! It has helped me to take a step back and realize where I am at and see things or people differently then I did before. I am going to share two things on my heart. They both tied together which I thought was pretty amazing the way it worked out. Lately, I have been trying to accept the Lord's will for my life. I have the personality that wants to fight about whether or not its the Lord closing the door, or someone else. I realized this week that I needed to honor my parents and my friends decisions about certain things because that is how God will bless me. My parents said no about something yesterday, and it was really hard for me. I prayed for God's will but I was fighting this feeling that told me that it didn't matter what they really thought. Through prayer, it was great to see God work in me. My mom told me that she realized that I didn't fight about their decision and I dropped it. She thanked me for trusting them. It was very difficult for me and I realized that God really does put parents in your life to guide you (even if you think they might be wrong, most of the time, its you! I had to realize this the hard way). They thought it best if I waited for something I wanted and they were right because I ended up being sick anyways. 

The second thing was because I am sick, I didn't get to go to school or go out. It was nice because I could relax but God put this girl on my heart again. I met her at camp 3 summers ago and then saw her again last summer. We are friends on Facebook and I have seen for a long time that she is hurting. Her best friend left her and she doesn't really have anyone. I had sent her messages before, but she never replied. But today, I was able to message her and try to encourage her. I couldn't get away from the feeling that she needs someone. I remember being in the same situation. I was hurt and confused. Everyday, I felt like I needed to come up with new ways to make everything go back to the way it was. I didn't have anyone though. And that was really tough! So I want to be there for her. She is not a very open person so its difficult to talk to her sometimes, but I would really appreciate some prayers as I try to minister to her. I know she has been hurt a lot. I can almost see it in her eyes. A sadness and loneliness that can only be changed by Christ. But someone needs to help guide her to Him. I feel that I am the person God has chosen to be there for her. So thanks in advance for your prayers! They mean a lot. 

P.S. I am going to work on the prayer bar as soon as I get a chance. I need to talk it over with storyteller and see what all I can do. Thanks for you patience. 

  

Be Different

Sorry I haven't been able to blog in a while. I have been super busy with school and work. Its been pretty crazy! So I thought about have a prayer list on my blog for pressing needs. Maybe to the side so that when people see it, they immediately stop and pray! I know that I could use the prayer and I am sure all of you could too! I am going to challenge you guys today. Be different. Its so easy to blend in and to just not care but the world needs Jesus. My youth pastor says, "look at everyone you pass by or look at as eternal soul that is going to live somewhere forever." We have the power of Christ in us to witness and to share His gospel. So I encourage you today as I have challenged myself to be different!

So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. -Hebrews 13:6

My Birthday Blessing

Well some of you know that today is my birthday. It was kind of difficult because I had to go to school and work. And if you know anything about me at school, you know I don't really fit in and I am basically invisible to most people. So I got left alone at lunch and had a major headache in classes (as usual) and my day was just not so great. It didn't feel like my birthday at all. I wasn't even excited about it. My sister did have my mom bring cupcakes to school. We ate them at lunch break but it was still like oh cupcakes and never really cared about me or my birthday. I didn't really expect them to but for some reason, it was a little bit of a shock! So after school, I went to work (part-time nanny position, house cleaning) and watched the kids for a few hours and that was pretty cool! It was a highlight of my day from that point. So Laura (the lady I work for) said her and her husband wanted to take me to dinner. So I was okay with it. I was like its way better than staying at home doing absolutely nothing.

So my mom called me and asked me if it was something that I really wanted to do. If I wanted to spend my birthday night with them or whatever. I was like yeah..they are sweet and I enjoy their children and everything. So we got the kids ready and went to Mazatlans (a local mexican restaurant). When I walked inside, all my family was there and I was in shock. But I was so disappointed because I was like I am gonna have no birthday celebration this year and stuff and it wasn't gonna work out. But when I saw them and everything, it made my birthday. Being with my family on my birthday was really all that mattered to me. They are the people who truly care about me and will always be there for me. Yes I have great friends and they care about me too and I am grateful. I just wanted to say that sometimes, we don't see what we have until we don't have them. I thought there would be no family for my birthday and honestly, I was bummed out. But I was so happy when my family was there! It was my birthday blessing from God that He knew I needed. Sorry about all that, I just felt the need to share my heart!

Special Thanks

I love the new design! Thank you so much Story Teller! It looks great and I could have never asked for anything more from it! :) I highly recommend you!

Are You Thankful?

It's awesome having friends like you who don’t mind when I ramble, or get carried away telling them what's on my heart. Friends like you who are there whenever I need to talk or just need a word of encouragement. Friends like you who truly care about me, who are always interested in what I have to say. Friends like you who are godly, and that encourage me in the Lord. Friends like you who live their life in such a way that it sets a godly example for me. Friends like you who stand up for what's right, no matter the cost. Friends like you who love, when all others hate. Friends like you who stay, when all others leave. Friends like you who laugh when I laugh. Friends like you who cry when I cry. Friends like you who show me where I've gone wrong, just because they love me. Friends like you who are different, so different that I’m amazed at there awesome love for God. Friends like you who are the kind of friend God wants them to be. Friends-I thank God for them.

-Hope McDaniel.

Hope sent this to me and I thought I would share this! It was so encouraging and I can say that she is definitely this kind of friend to me. I thank God for the great friends He gives me! Not everyone has this kind of friend so when you realize that you have such an amazing friend, you should thank them and thank God for them. No one is perfect but we are all striving for perfection. I love when you see friends that work together and strive to be more like Christ; keeping each other accountable. Hope is one of the best friends I could ever ask for and I pray that if you have the kind of friend Hope is to me, then you will be thankful for them.

This picture was taken January 30, 2012, the day after my 14th birthday!
   
        

 I love this song. Such a good reminder to give everything to God before its too late!

And another good reminder that God is in control no matter what the circumstance!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

Weekly Challenge

Okay, second blog post, here I go! Today has been a pretty chill day. But one thing I have been struggling with lately is having personal time with God. Sometimes, I don't really know what to study next because I have so much piled up; so I put it off and it never gets done. No matter how many times I here someone (like a preacher or an evangelist) say that you can never be too busy for God, it seems that things come up and there is really no time for Him. Its really easy for me to do a 5 minute devotional book and say I'm done so I can check it off my list. This is something that I really need to work on!

Since I have been going to my school, its been hard for me to adjust to the different beliefs. Especially this year. But I have seen God grow me and I feel so much stronger in my faith than ever before. But sometimes, I get so overwhelmed in trying to study that I do want to quit. So this is another weak area pertaining to my time with God. I believe that it is very important to have this time everyday. No, I don't see it as a sin to maybe miss one or two days because of a busy schedule, but I need to try to make time for Him. Once, I heard a pastor say that its not wrong to miss your time with God one day, but you better miss your time with God when you miss it. Easier said, when you miss you personal devotions, you had better miss having them and miss being with your God.

One more thing and I'm done. I don't want to be a "check it off my list" kind of Christian. I want to desire to have my time with God and to pray continually throughout the day like I am talking to my best friend because He is. Like I would text one of my earthly best friends throughout the day, that is how I long to talk to God. But the only way he talks back is through His Word. And that is a problem if I'm not having my time with Him everyday. So to sum it all up, I want to be the kind of Christian who desires to be in God's presence as much as possible, who makes time for Him no matter what the day brings, and who never gives up because things get hard and difficult. I pray that this somehow ministered to your heart and that you could relate to something I said. This is going to be my weekly challenge. Does it need to be yours?

Hello Everybody

Hey guys! My name is Michaella. And I'm a 14 year-old, christian, teen that has a love for God.
I love taking pictures, playing the piano, doing school, cooking, and hanging out with my friends and family.
On my blog you can expect to hear about my daily life, things I'm learning in my walk with God, pictures, and good old crazy life. Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy =)

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." -Isaiah 40:31