Thursday, January 29, 2015

opportunity.

We spend our whole lives waiting for something 
bigger
or better
than what we already have. 
We plan, research, and worry about the future and what it holds. But what if every
opportunity
you ever needed or wanted was right in front of you
Now
And the only thing you had to do to get it was
Take it. 

Stop wasting time dreaming and wishing about the future you want. 
Go and get it. 
Who cares if you're young? That just means you get more time to work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labors. 
Who cares of you're old? You've got more wisdom to start with then. 

If you don't like something about yourself, 
change it.
If you want something more out of life,
go find it. 
And if you can't seem to find it anywhere,
ask around. Someone knows where it is. 


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

senior retreat.

the Lord will bless you over and more abundantly than you can ever imagine
you need only ask
i am thankful for the opportunity i had this past weekend to go to calvary's new prayer house, on the senior retreat.
it was seriously such a blessing.
it wasn't your typical retreat.
there was no altar call,
no super emotional time
nothing extra spiritual, so to speak.
but everyone there loved jesus.
like really loved him
and wanted to learn
and grow
and change
the theme was god's will.
and boy, does he have a will. 
we know from the bible that he has a plan for all of our lives, and there is good in store for those who love him. but i don't think that we always believe it. and we can't always find it. or find him, for that matter.

so,
pursue godliness.

"all the sin of my nature, and all the sins of my life - all that i am, and all i have ever done, was imputed to him. he represented me and was treated accordingly...god and sin met at the cross and sin was judged & abolished." - mackintosh

but above all,
we are not creating ourselves
rather,
we are discovering who god wants us to be.
and that is the most important thing.


Friday, January 9, 2015

only a little while

Only a Little While

After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10)

Sometimes in the midst of the afflictions and ordinary stresses of daily life, we may cry out, “How long, O Lord? I can’t see beyond today’s pain. What will tomorrow bring? Will you be there for that affliction too?”

This question is utterly urgent, because Jesus said, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). We tremble at the thought of being among “those who shrink back and are destroyed” (Hebrews 10:39). We are not playing games. Suffering is a horrible threat to faith in God’s future grace.

Therefore it is a wonderful thing to hear Peter promise the afflicted and weary Christians, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).

The assurance that he will not delay beyond what we can endure and that he will abolish the flaws we bemoan and that he will establish forever what has tottered so long — that assurance comes from “all grace.”

God is not the God of some grace — like bygone grace. He is the God of “all grace” — including the infinite, inexhaustible stores of future grace.

Faith in that grace is the key to enduring on the narrow and hard way that leads to life.

From Future Grace, page 68.   

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Friday, January 2, 2015

overdue.

well, the new year is here and I am long overdue for a post.

Dressember is over and I didn't meet my goal. However, the campaign as a whole raised over 440,000$ which is enough money to warrant over 70 rescue missions. We are still taking donations until the end of January and hope to meet 500,000$. Wearing a dress everyday for a whole month was really hard actually. I'm glad that I could be a part of something bigger than myself and step out of my comfort zone a little bit. 

Also I'd like to take this opportunity to list some goals I have for 2015. I don't want to call them New Years resolutions because we all know no one ever sticks to them. So they'll just be goals and you can keep me accountable to reach them.  

1. Graduate high school 
2. Read the Bible more 
3. Pray more
4. Be a better friend
5. Work toward being healthy (not skinny!)
6. Work hard in everything I do 
7. Read more 

I think that each new year brings a fresh start. It's a time for people to erase the past and look toward what's coming. This is the first year that I'm not looking back with regret or sighing in relief. 2014 was actually pretty good and I'm super excited to see what 2015 has in store. There's going to be some pretty big milestones coming my way.