whew! what a month!

I was reminded today that God is faithful. That His promises are yes and amen, and that He does give us the desires of our hearts. There have been some things recently in my life that I have made way too big of a deal about… mundane things that with eternal eyes don't have a lot of significance. Then there are things that I have been focusing on, that do have a lot of eternal value but I have realized that those things need to be handed over. How am I expected to do all of this alone? I'm not. My God is still in control, He's got the whole world in His hands, and He loves me more than I could ever imagine or comprehend. Even though it’s not easy- I need to remember. My God is an awesome God. What else do I need in this world? So what if a friendship doesn't work out or if I don't get the guy I've had my eyes on, or if I don't get the car I've been wanting. What if? People have gone through life with a lot less than I have and they are some of the happiest people in the world. As long as I love my Creator and put my trust in Him, life may smack me right in the face, but at least knowing that He's got my back, that'll take away the sting a bit.

As I held baby Ava Lynn Stewart [a.k.a. Dora the Explorer Stewart], I realized that life really is beautiful, God has the whole world in His hands, and Jesus does love the little children of the world [heck, why else would He have made such a little miracle that we can hold in the palm of our hands?].

this has spoken to an entire new level to me this weekend...

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.~anonymous~

east to west-casting crowns

if you havent heard this song it is A-MAZ-ING! its my new favorite song!

Here I am Lord and I’m drowning, in

Your sea of forgetfulness

The chains of yesterday surround me,

I yearn for peace and rest I don’t want to end up where You found me

And it echoes in my mind

Keeps me awake tonight

I know you’ve cast my sin as far as the East is from the West

And I stand before

You now as though I’ve never sinned

But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away

From You leaving me this way

Chorus:

Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west

‘Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been

Rising up in me again In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins

Endless reminding of my sin

And time and time again

Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in

Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from

You leaving me this way

[chorus]

I know You’ve washed me white

Turn my darkness into life I need

Your peace to get me through

To get me through this night

I can’t live by what I feel

About the truth Your word reveals

I’m not holding on to You But

You’re holding on to me

You’re holding on to me

[chorus]

the cold months of winter

I find myself often times going through a winter. I mean a harsh, eskimo style, teeth chattering, icescicles dripping off your nose winter. I know we all feel like our valleys are far more worse than anyone else in this world could ever imagine. And I know mine isn't. I don't have a right to complain. But I am going through a rough spell. By far not the worst I've ever gone through- prob not even the top 5 but anyways, needed to vent. I don't feel like I have someone to sit in front of me and just let me blab so my blog gets to hear it. Sorry blog.

Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will. -A.W. Tozer

I found an old journal that I’ve been looking for while I was at my parents this weekend. I’m glad I found it. It keeps me in sync with the things that God has brought me through. It also reminds me of how much more I still have to go. As I was writing the things in this journal, I was wondering if God would every get me through that time in my life. I was also wondering why He took me through it in the first place as well as why He made me hurt so much because of it. Looking back, I realized a lot. Now I can better understand why God did the things He did and even the way He did them. It was a rough time in my life, and it seems that it lasted forever, but God is indead who He says He is and His promises are YES and AMEN. Maybe someone out there will get something out of it that is half of what I got out of the words that I found in this raged, highlighted, book.

-its just when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us. it’s the very sign of His presence.

-you must lay yourself on the alter before you can become a living sacrifice.-Tim Newby

-never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is falling in love with your smile.

-remember the days blessings, toss the rest to the wind.-Christina Mendoza

-You must be broken before you can have a breakthrough-Tim Newby

-God only promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

-God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.-John Piper

-If God asks you to lay something down, something that is not a sin, merely a sacrifice, and you do not obey…you will not be able to receive the very best that God has for you.-Vanessa Snyder

-Bad things are gonna happen in your life, I mean things that will knock your world completely off its axis, but don’t forget about the One who put that world in place in the first place.-Johnny Mendoza

-God may not lead you on the short route, but He will lead us on the best route.-Tim Newby-2.20.05

-God takes the rain and makes a rainbow.

Friendship is about loving rather than being loved.

Contentment comes not from having more, but desiring less.

Our fulfillement in this life depends not on our skills to avoid life’s problems but on our ability to apply God’s specific solutions to those problems.

-When there is nothing left but God, that is when you realize God is all you need.

-Christians are not loved because they are loveable but they are loveable because they are loved.

Friends are flowers in the garden of life.

If my life is broken when given to Jesus, it is because pieces will feed a multitude but a load will only feed a small lad.-Ruth Stull

Should you for some reason choose not to give God what He desires, you’ll worship anyway, simply exchanging the creator for something He created.-Louie Giglio

Prayer is what we do to get us in line with what God is doing.

Whatever you worship, you imiate, whatever you imitate, you become.-Louie Giglio

You were blinded by diamonds and you missed a pearl.

A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to turn

Remember, people judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heard of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.-Anon

Every day is a blessing. Every moment has a purpose.-christina Mendoza

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.-henry ford

don’t dwell on reality. It will only keep you from greatness.-Rev Randall R. McBride, Jr

There’s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

God cant flow through you if you are clogged with garbage

don’t just sit on the verge of victory

To find a treasure, you can just look for it cuz you wont find it--you’ve got to seek for it. You will have to dig deep and get dirty-get a shovel!-Tim Newby

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you will land among the stars

If Christ learned obedience and was perfected through suffering, how can we expect anything less?-Vanessa snyder

If we are walking close to God, the bad things may burden us in this world but will NOT overwhelm us!-Ginger Mendoza

God will only require from us what He has placed in us.

The secret to contentment is how to enjoy what you have.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny compared to what lies within us.-Ralf Waldo Emerson

Those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.-Alexander Hamilton

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.-Elbert Hubbard

I want to make my life so that people don’t look at it but they look to it.-me 5-4-05

don’t let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game-Cinderella story

What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger

If you lead but no one follows, you are merely going for a walk.-john Maxwell

The only way to have a friend is to be a friend.-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Train yourself to let go of all you fear to lose.-Yoda