Reason to Sing

This song is so comforting and reminds me that God has never left even though I am swimming around in this world of sin. Constantly on the go and being busy. He is constant and will always be with us. This song makes me feel like I'm walking back in the front door and coming home to my creator. His peace is a blanket over this crazy life we live in. Don't forget to take time to sit in silence and meditate on his word and listen to him. It is almost near impossible to sit still for that long. I know that my time with God is something I treasure greatly, yet don't get enough of it. Remember you will always make time for things that are most important to you. What do you always make time for? 

P a u s e .

Photo: Blue Mountains, Australia

S  o  m  e  t  i  m  e  s  //

          it's so easy to keep to yourself and stay in your own little world.  However,there 
          is so much more out there. There is so much we can do to change others' lives.
         These things can be so simple!  I know that I need to get better about getting
         out of my box and getting to know others and helping them.  So today I took 
         action.  There are always people selling newspapers on the street corners of 
         Nashville.  I pass them by everyday and they are always there selling papers.  I 
         never take the time to give them a dollar for the paper.  How simple is that?? 
         Today I walked by a lady selling those papers.  I told her I would buy one from 
         her on my way back to the office.  I also asked if she wanted something to 
         drink.  It was so hot out.  She wanted a Gatorade.  I bought her a Gatorade and 
         gave her money for the paper and some for her.  I am writing this to share 
         about giving to those in need.  I want to inspire you to get out of your comfort
         zone and help others.  It can be so simple!  The lady's name was Jamie.  I hope 
         to see her again sometime!  

          

                               the greatest of these is   L   O   V   E. 

                                                                                                      [1 Corinthians 13:13]

Meet Mily

I have recently been praying about being materialistic. I feel as though there is always something on my mind that I want to buy next. I love going out to dinner to new restaurants and that takes up a lot of my money. The only way to turn this around is to do the opposite of using the money for myself and to use it for others. Take a read through my journal entry from yesterday:

"I very much have a longing to help the poor. I think about the children in Guatemala. Their bright glowing faces. How easily it was to feel God's presence. I wasn't enslaved by the things of this world (internet, gossip, TV, computer, money, possessions). The country down there was beautiful. I so very much long for a lifestyle change. I know that while I am on this sinful globe I will be trapped in this sinful lifestyle. But I believe that God can help me make changes to my life so that I can feel his presence even in all this chaos. I felt like time just stopped in Guatemala. It was a gorgeous place. Beautiful mountains and people. People that need Jesus and an education. I will seek out God everyday. He will show me the way to go with my life. Do I stay here in my own comfort? Do I trust God to lead me elsewhere?"

Yesterday, I was talking to a co-worker about Madiana, a girl I sponsor in Haiti. She was interested in the company that does the sponsorship program. I began telling her about Compassion International. We started clicking through pages and pages of children that needed sponsors. I came across Mily in Guatemala and instantly fell in love with her. She is so adorable and is from Guatemala. I fell in love and signed up to be her sponsor. My co-worker now is interested in sponsoring a child! God can move through the chaos of work and be a light to those around me when I least expect it. Such an incredible beautiful thing!

Today is Mily's birthday! I hope to one day meet her and the other girl that I sponsor in Haiti, Madiana. Someday I will be dancing on the streets of gold with Madiana and Mily. How I long for that day to come and how glorious it will be! Interested in sponsoring a child through Compassion? Find out more here.

Happy Birthday Mily!

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone was able to spend some time with loved ones and eat a delicious meal together. I enjoyed spending the day with family. My parents and brother came down to visit today. We were able to spend Thanksgiving at my cousin's house. There were 15 people total. I haven't had a big Thanksgiving in awhile so it was quite fun! I have taken some time to think about what I am truly thankful for...

1. Family :: I have grown up with a loving family all my life. I recently moved to Nashville and was blessed to be surrounded by extended family. It is fun being able to hang out with my cousins more often and still get to see my parents and brother! 

2. Friends :: After moving to Nashville, I had to make new friends. It was hard to make new friends. I only knew a couple of people in the area. I was blessed with a wonderful small group at my new church down here. I have grown closer to several of the girls in my small group and enjoy spending time with them. 

3. My Job :: Being able to take a supervisor position right out of college for the company I wanted to work for and in the exact location I wanted to work for was a dream come true. I absolutely love my new life down in Nashville and do not want to leave! I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. 

4. My Apartment :: Recently moved into a town house with a girl in my small group. So blessed to have met someone so nice and passionate for the Lord. My roomie is wonderful! My apartment is close by to my friends and family down here. I love living on my own and being able to support myself. What a wonderful feeling! 

5. Opportunity :: I am thankful for the many opportunities that my family and I receive. My brother has been accepted to study abroad in Australia and my family and I get the opportunity to visit him next semester. I am super excited to visit Australia and it still hasn't sunk in yet! 

6. My Church :: I am truly thankful for the church I have connected to. I have met so many people through my church and have become closer to a lot of them. I feel connected to people in my community and enjoy spending time with them. 

7. Spare Time :: I work about 45 hours a week and get a lot of spare time to do things I enjoy. I recently joined the public library down here. I love taking walks/running around my neighborhood. I also find time to scrapbook, knit, and of course blog! 

8. Education :: I am thankful for my college education. Boiler Up! I miss college so very much, but I am also loving post-college life just as much. I was blessed with funds for a 4 year college degree in hospitality and tourism. 

9. Travels :: I am thankful for all the many many places I have gotten to travel to. Studying abroad in Florence, Italy for a semester and going to all sorts of places in Europe while I was there. For the many trips across the United States with my family (48 states total!). For my mission trip to Guatemala and for the international family trips to Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Canada (soon Australia!). 

10. Freedom :: I am thankful that I live in a country where we are free to worship and live how we want. I praise God for all that he has provided me with and I want to use what he has given me to give back to others to further his kingdom. 

What are you thankful for? 

Live Like That

Sometimes I think
What will people say of me
When I'm only just a memory.
When I'm home where my soul belongs.


Was I love when no one else would show up?
Was I Jesus to the least of these?
Was my worship more than just a song?

Like Like That by Sidewalk Prophets

Do you ever wonder what people will remember about you?

Light Up the Sky

Currently listening to: Lift Me Up by The Afters

I absoultely LOVE this song. A friend of mine introduced me to The Afters when I was in high school. I hadn't really heard their stuff since high school. But they recently just came out with the album Light Up the Sky. The band wrote this song as encouragement that God is always with them and will always lift them up. One of the band member's favorite inspirational verse is Psalm 23. 

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Prov 2:1-6

Since I have moved down to Tennessee I have been trying out different churches. This past Sunday I went to The Journey. Little did I know that the band All Sons and Daughters originated from that church! How cool! I love listening to All Sons and Daughters. I was with a couple of friends who had spoken with one of the band members via email. We went up and talked with her after service. It was so neat to talk to one of the lead singers of the band. And it was just crazy to me that I was going to go to that church and didn't even know that that is where that band originated from and that they play there every Sunday! Love those little secrets that are hidden around Nashville. 

My favorite All Sons & Daughters song by far is this one: 

This is the band live at their home church in Franklin, TN 

called The Journey. So honored to have met the lead singer

 Leslie. She was so nice and down to earth!

All Sons & Daughters
The Afters

He Chose the Nails

Antigua, Guatemala 1/6/12

Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. 2 Cor 13:4

"The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched a top a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope.

The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution? Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam horizontal - the other vertical. One reaches out - like God's love. The other reaches up - as does God's holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards." 

He Chose the Nails

Grace for the Moment Vol II, Max Lucado

God Sees What We Can't

Yesterday I was reading my daily devotion from Max Lucado's Grace For the Moment Volume II. The book has a devotion for each day of the year. I felt like yesterday's devotion really was meant for me. It's crazy how a little book can directly reach you on a certain day. So here is what I read...

"On a trip to the United Kingdom, our family visited a castle. In the center of the garden sat a maze. Row after row of shoulder-high hedges, leading to one dead end after another. Successfully navigate the labyrinth, and discover the door to a tall tower in the center of the garden. Were you to look at our family pictures of the trip, you'd see four of our five famiy member standing on the top of the tower. Hmmm, someone is still on the ground. Guess who?

I was stuck in the foliage. I just couldn't figure out which way to go. Ah, but then I heard a voice from above. "Hey, Dad." I looked up to see Sara, peering through the turret at the top. "You're going the wrong way," she explained. "Back up and turn right." Do you think I trusted her? I didn't have to. But do you know what I did? I listened. Her vantage point was better than mine. She was above the maze. She could see what I couldn't.

Don't you think we should do the same with God?"

No one is like the LORD our God, who rules from heaven. -Psalm 113:5

Grace for the Moment Vol. II - Max Lucado

Endure the Race

This is something that has been on my heart 

lately. Something that I struggle with. 

It is easy for me to lose sight when things

seem to be going the way I want. 

When all of a sudden things are not

going as I had planned, I get impatient. 

Let us throw off everything that 

hinders and the sin that so

easily entangles and let us run

with perserverance

the race marked out for us.

Heb 12:1-3

We should be running for 

Christ, not ourselves, &

we must always keep 

him in sight.

T R U S T

God to give you patience

to E N D U R E the

small trials you face

everyday.

From His Perspective

Athens, Greece

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ -- that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life -- even though invisible to spectators -- is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too -- the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.
Colossians 3:1-4//MSG


A friend of mine recently went down to Haiti with Heifer International to work on a project called REACH (Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti). The project builds fencing and plants trees. I have a passion for the people in Haiti and I plan to visit Haiti in the near future. To find out more or to donate click here. You can watch the video below about their trip!  

God's Pursuing Presence | My Drifting Humanity

Starting this week and for the next 4 weeks Campus House is having an Easter Project Bible Study. This is the first week and we read Romans 8:35-39. It talks about how nothing can separate us from the LOVE of Christ. A question that was asked in the study was:  What do I think is separating myself from God's love? -- I came up with a short list of things: being selfish, too busy, wasting time on the internet, going out to bars, not being an example of Christ, and not spreading His word.

All of these things do not get in the way from God loving me. This is pretty crazy to wrap my mind around. How could he love me after all of these mistakes I keep repeating!? I am comforted by God's grace and his love. I am trying to work on these things... I want to take more interest in others than myself, I want to take time to stop and spend time with God, I want to read the Bible more than I spend surfing the net, I want to hang out and have deep conversation than going out to the bars, I want to do everything for God, I want to be the best example of Him that I can be.

Part of the Bible study included a poem by Jaclyn Myers. Part of it stuck out to me: "nothing comes between God's pursuing presence and my drifting humanity." I just think about how God is always knocking on the door to come into our lives but we are too busy to even hear him knocking. We need to stop rushing through our lives and spend meaningful time with God.

Another question that was asked in the study was "What is God asking me to sacrifice to be more intentional about my relationship with Him?" That did not take long to answer. FACEBOOK. I spend wayyyy too much time on Facebook just looking through stuff. I want to take all that time I waste on Facebook and use it to read the Bible. Just think how much I could be learning. I want to limit myself to only going on Facebook 2 times a day instead of 24/7. I want to do this for the next 4 weeks. Maybe I can try to even go without Facebook for a full day. We shall see.

I was cleaning out the notes from my Bible and came across this...
Romans 12: Holy & Pleasing --
The essence of holiness is not new behavior, activity, or disciplines. Holiness is new affections, new desires and new motives that then lead to new behavior. | Tim Chester

Over the summer I worked at a kids summer camp. Some books recommended were My Upmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers and The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Let me know if you have read either of these and your thoughts. I am not much of a reader but I don't mind a good book once in awhile. Have a good rest of the week!

Guatemala Day 7: Homeward Bound

Woke up at 4:30AM! Ate some Frosted Flakes then headed out around 5:30AM for the Guatemalan City Airport. Checked-in, went through customs and security. Got a pretty stamp in my passport! Was sandwiched between 2 Guatemalans from Guatemala to Dallas. Got a Mighty Kids Meal and candy with Jessica at the Fort Worth airport. Flew from Dallas to Chicago between Sara and Mitch. Played telephone pictionary and random questions. So fun! Landed in Chi town. Got baggage and took vans back to Purdue. Having Lewis tell stories and sing in the van... priceless. Got extra food for free from Wendy's. Nothing can describe how much this trip moved me. I am excited to see where God is taking me next. Praise God!

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth, give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, I will glorify your name forever.

My Guatemalan Family.

Last night I had another meeting for my Guatemala trip.  We went over the itenerary, packing list & other last minute details.  We found out a little bit about the family we will be building a house for.  It is a family of four.  The dad, Rosalio is 23 years old and his wife, Maria, is 25.  They have two kids, Carlos, who is 4 and Silvia, who is 2.  They are of Mayan descent, like the majority of the people in San Raimundo.  Rosalio is the family's main source of income.  He makes 425 Quetzal per week which is about $55 per week ($2,800/yr).

It just is mind blowing how they live off of an income like that.  They are living off about $7/day for a family of four.  I can't imagine my family living off that much a day.  We would probably only get one or two meals a day.  I just think about how they were born into that level of poverty.  I think about how I was born into a middle/upper class family.  I have always gotten everything I needed and much more.  It doesn't seem fair that we are born into our social class.

I am looking forward to how God will use me to serve this family and the things I will learn while I am there.  I would like to thank everyone who gave financial support towards my trip.  As a whole, our team of 17 raised the amount of money we needed and more!  We are using the extra money we have raised to buy household things for the family's new house.  I think that this is a great idea.  Thank you all so much!

"And whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many."
~Mark 10:44

His Word is Flawless

Living for God in a deceitful world can be very difficult and lonely.  So many people are liars and deceivers.  Sincerity and truth are extremely valuable because they are so rare.  We have to have HOPE in God's word.  His word is as pure and flawless as refined silver!

"And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times."

~PSALM 12:6

On my iPod today:

How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin

A Vision

"For whoever wants to save 

his life will lose it, 

but whoever loses his life 

for me will find it."

MATTHEW 16:25

Real discipleship implies real
commitment - pledging our whole
existence to his service.
If we try to save our physical life from death,
pain or discomfort, we may risk
losing our true eternal life.  If we
protect ourselves from
pain, we begin to die spiritually and
emotionally.  Our lives turn inward,
and we lose our intended
purpose.  When we give our
lives in service to Christ,
however, we discover the real 
purpose of living.

This winter break I will be
traveling to San Raimundo, Guatemala.
I am going with my church
at Purdue which is
Purdue Christian Campus House.
I will be going with a team
of 17 people.  We
will be building a house for
a famiy in one of the
villages of San Raimundo.
The mission we are working
with is called Casas por Cristo.
I am looking forward
to seeing how God changes
me and how I can change
the lives of the people
of Guatemala.

Never Forsaken

Today I read from chapter 9 of Psalms.  It talked about how God sees and remembers all the good that we do, even if others put us down for it.  It is up to God to decide the timing of our rewards.  Praise God.  If we trust him, we can experience God's peace and be free from the worry of how others perceive us and treat us.

"Those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

~Psalm 9:10

God will NEVER forwake those who seek him.  He will NEVER leave us no matter what we face.  When you call to God for help, consider your motive.  Is it to save yourself from pain and embarassment? Or to bring God glory and honor?  It is comforting knowing that God is by our side no matter what.  Pray to bring God the glory.

Childlike Faith

"From the lips of children and infants 

you have ordained praise

because of your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger."

~Psalm 8:2

Children are able to trust and praise God without any doubts or reservations.  They are too young to have large responsibilities and worry about things.  As we get older, we find this more and more difficult to do.  We have to make bigger decisions that come with bigger consequences.  I remember going to church when I was younger and it was a lot of fun.  We had Bible stories and played Bible games.  Why do we have to outgrow that phase of our life?  You can still be on fire for God and worship him.  Ask God to give you childlike faith, removing any barriers to have a closer walk with him.  

Over the summer I had childlike faith quite a bit.  I was surrounded by younger children every week.  Every Wednesday we had Wednesday Night Live at camp.  It was the one night of the week where the campers could dress up in crazy outfits.  It was so much fun to do something so simple and act crazy with the campers.  We would sing songs of worship and watch funny skits that the staff put on.  I miss these nights.  Remember that you can still have childlike faith even if you are not 

under the age of 12!

Happiness is temporary

I have recently been reading through the book of Psalms.  I came across this verse which struck me hard:  "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound" (Psalm 4:7).  This verse is saying that inward joy comes from knowing and trusting God and happiness comes as a result of pleasant circumstances.  Inward joy is steady as long as we are trusting God.  Happiness is unpredictable.  Inward joy defeats discouragement; happiness covers it up.  I struggle a lot with finding happiness in the things of this world.  I just have to remember that inward joy is lasting, happiness is temporary.

More than just camp.

This past summer I had the privilege of working at SpringHill Camps down in Seymour, IN.  It was probably the best summer of my entire life.  It was more than just a camp.  It was moving.  It was peaceful.  I loved the people.  I looked forward to waking up for "work".  People were interested in who you were.  They wanted to get to know you.  I could not have asked for more than what God gave me this summer.  A camp focused on him beneath the stars, surrounded by his creation.

Over the summer I spent more time getting to know people, reading God's word and being outside than I probably had any other summer.  I spent less time on the computer or Facebook for that matter.  I got to spend a majority of my time surrounded by God's creation and just feeling him breath into my life.  It was amazing.  The people at camp were dedicated to their work and devoting their life to Christ.  They worked completely and solely for Him.

My job consisted of answering the phone and running the front desk in the morning.  Then in the afternoon I woud run into Seymour to pick up random things the camp needed.  I would get anything from ice pops to horse feed!  It was so much fun.  I loved the 20 minute drive from camp to town.  I would blast the radio and sing praises to God.  I had never really listened to Christian music on a regular basis.  But over the summer I got hooked on K-Love radio station.  It is such a great radio station with positive and uplifting music.

I enjoyed every minute of my time at camp.  I have already gone back two weekends to volunteer.  Everytime I go back to camp I feel the peace of God with me.  It is so joyful to feel.  I love serving God's people and doing it with an open heart.  Hopefully you enjoy reading my blog posts.  I will post more stories that happened over the summer and how God worked through me.