Sunday

When I got up this morning the first thing that I did was have worship. Yesterday was an awesome day, which consisted of laying in a hammock, and eating to my heart's content. Now it's sunday and I am sitting here typing my blog. Well, today I learned that you can't always see just the good or bad in the people that you hang around with. In order to see the best in people you need to have Jesus Christ as the only one you can truly totally confide in. As I was cleaning my room, I got a whole bunch of feelings of lonliness that hit me and I was not sure what to do, so I called a friend on the phone to try and talk to her (hoping that this would solve my neediness). In the end I felt just as needy. It was not until I realized that the neediness I was feeling was not going to go away until I gave it to God and asked Him for help, that I asked Him. When I asked God to take it away, He did, and not only that, He helped the person I was talking to realize the same thing. There is a that my church puts up, and they change the message every week. It says: A truly happy person will enjoy the detours in life. I guess I need to look at people through Christ's eyes, as well as the events in my life. Well, that is about it for now.

Happy Sabbath

You know, it is an amazing thing when God grabs a hold of your life. I am so amazed at the fact that He would take the time:) What an awesome God!!! Truly Amazing. Well, as you know it's Sabbath again, my most favorite day, a day when I can sit down and talk about the amazing love of my Heavenly Father, and all His goodness:) Yesterday I learned that sometimes the problems we face in life are only problems until we allow God to be in control and face them with us. The only way to get true love is to pray for it. That's what I did last night, and God gave me the love and encouragement I needed. I was able to relate with my earthly dad on a much deeper level, by asking him a simple question, and that was: What was it like growing up in this house. (I was at my grandma's house). Jesus is teaching me that there are hurting people all around. Our own families can sometimes be the most neglected, but with the help of Christ, we can recieve that love we need to love someone. That night I also talked with my sister and we shared our thoughts about a lot of things, and truly the Lord is behind it all. I believe that God wants us to connect with one another in ways that we never even dreamed of being able to connect with them. In my own life, He showed me that yesterday, and even though I am a sinful terrible person, Jesus can help. So friend, if you are despairing right now, don't worry, Jesus loves you!:) He wants to give you a big hug right now, why not ask Him into your heart right now. I know that I am. :)

Right Where I Need to Be

I must admit as I sit here typing that I am starting to feel a little bit nervous. Sometimes I wonder if things will ever get better. When I was reading my Bible this morning I read about Jacob and how when Pharoah asked how old he was, he said that his life was short and trouble filled. When I look at my own life, I think, if that's how my life is going to be, then it would be best to put it into the one who can hold all my troubles. God never promised us a problem free life, problems will come. When we are in problems I am learning that this is where God wants us to be, because we are most apt to rely upon Him and not ourselves. Yesterday seemed to be a long day filled with all kinds of exciting things. That is kind of strange though for a day, since we live in Indiana. But it was still interesting. I ended up spending all my time on the computer all day, and did not get much done. By the time lunch came around, I was more than ready to go, and my brother and I went to taco bell. After that we headed over to best buy and looked at the computers for a while, because my brother needed to get an optical mouse for our dad's computer. After finding the cheapest mouse we could find, we headed over to Meijer and went to look for a suitable vaccume bag. As we walked our way down through the massive store filled with all kinds of items for the buyer to purchase, we went to the back and ended up in the vaccum section. Now a lot of times I think that I know what I am talking about so I decided to let my brother know that I knew where the vaccumes were, and that he did not need to ask someone. When it came down to it though I still did not know where I was going, I could only guess and that's how it is with our lives, we can not truly know where we are going, we can only guess. Only God knows!:) Finally we asked for directions and the vaccums ended up on the opposite side of the asile that I thought they would be. As we stood and looked at all the vaccumes, we laughed about which was the best and biggest. The biggest vaccume turned out to be the Dyson D14 Animal. Its cost was an astounding 529 dollars. After choosing an obviously cheaper model we made our way toward the counter. Where I greated the lady who worked at the register. She smiled, and I carried on an innocent fun conversation. Before we finished our conversation I noticed a sign that said "If the cashier does not ask if you want to buy a fountain drink, then you can have one for free." So I continued the conversation with her until she had paid for the goods, then I quickly responded "Where's my free drink?" Now to be totally honest, I don't think it was the nicest thing for me to do, but, I did it anyways. She turned bright read and handed me a white plastic drink cup, then she looked at my brother and asked him if he wanted a drink and said that he could not have one since she asked. I politely returned my drink and continued on out the door with my brother. When we got back, I played more computer. At the end of the day we went back to the building and then invited some friends over to watch a movie with us. In the end it turned out to be a good day. As I watched the movie there was a scene where the people were working in a graveyard, it was a comedy and the people were scared stiff. But the movie kind of brought a point home hard to me, and that is: That is where we end up in the end forever, without Jesus. Jacob said his days were short and full of trouble, even though he lived 130 years. Life that is not eternal is short, no matter how long it may seem at first, but with Christ, we can enjoy life forever. Friend, my prayer for you today is that you will see just how short life can be, and realize that you need Jesus. I need to realize that each and every day, and sometimes I forget. It is at those times when God taps me on the shoulder and reminds me:) No matter how we look at life, it is best to spend it in God's hands.

Back in Indiana

Well, the first day of my mission trip to Indiana has consisted of getting up and going to work, and now as I sit here on the work computer typing, I wonder what things God has in store for me during this time. I know that He is the one who orchastrated my return here, and I am sure that He has great plans! I had an awesome ride back up to Indiana yesterday. The reason that it was so awesome, was because of constant prayer. My only hope is that today can be just like yesterday as far as prayer goes. I need to be honest, lately I haven't been "feeling" very spiritual, but I know that we are not to go off of feelings, but on God's promises. When I got back I decided to go and see my dad. He was busy working on stone last night so I didn't get to talk to him much. I invited him to come to the lake but he was too busy. Last night I ended up staying with my brother and his friend as they ate fish, I layed on a hammock that was nestled between two trees by a lake on our property. As I watched my friend and my brother just talk to each other, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of the futility of materialism, and where it will take us. Without God life has little meaning to it, and I have slowly begun to realize that more and more. Even though it is not easy being back here, I know that this is where God has called me to be and He will help me through the rough times in my life. No matter what, constant prayer is a must. Friend, if you are going through a rough time, just remember that God loves you and wants you to get through whatever you are going through. Sometimes the things that God calls us back to are not the easiest to deal with, but if you and I put our hand in Jesus hand and talk to Him, He will get us through.

Just Ask

How do we become more like Christ? The question has been on my mind for a long time and I really have not understood the answer, but God has been lovingly showing me His character. I know that I am no where near perfect, but I do know that all I need to do to get the comfort and understanding that no one on earth could ever give me is to ask. All I need to do to be able to love others is ask. Instead of being so afraid, just ask for the peace of Jesus. Ask to be like Him:) He will do that in your life. In my mind, I was afraid this morning, and then I asked God for those things I need: Peace, Love, Joy, Happiness, Kindness. The fruits of the Spirit. We cannot get them by an act, we need to accept that they are a gift from the Father, Son, and Spirit. In your life, you cannot attain them, because you are imperfect, but... ask God to give them to you. When you fail, don't be discouraged, Jesus still holds out His loving hands to you and wants you to know that He cares and accepts you.:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we areyet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:15-17

Sabbath is So Special

Do you know why I like the Sabbath so much? I like the Sabbath because it is a time when we can have one on one time with the Man Himself, Jesus Christ. Hey, if anyone is reading this, I would just like you to know that you have a Savior and constant friend who can help you through all of the difficulties that you are going through. As a pastor friend told me today: Just call out to God and He will get you out of your confusion. It takes a while to be able to recognize God's voice, but if you are willing, He is willing to teach you to listen. I praise His name for that. This morning I was having my devotions and at the end of my devotions I had a prayer where I was pouring out all my desires before God. At the end of the prayer I prayed for peace of mind no matter what way things went. As soon as I said "Amen" I hit my head on the top of the bunk bed as I went to lay back down. My head still throbbing, I asked God why this had happened. During the course of the day I was listening to a radio program called "Down Gilead Lane". The story was about a girl who was a missionary. To her it seemed that everything that could go wrong was going wrong. In the end though, she realized that God was merely helping her rely upon Him. Sometimes bad things in life happen, but it is no reason to give up on God. He never said it would be easy, but He did promise that He would be with us through the storm. Reader, you can know that today! You can know that He will be right next to you all the way. Just talk to Him right now and ask Him to be your friend, and He will. Life has sooo much more meaning when God is in it. That is why I love the Sabbath sooo much. I believe that the Sabbath is a time to worship God as the creator of the universe. Exodus 20:8,9 talks about that wonderful day. If you are contemplating whether or not to keep it, know for a fact that Jesus kept it, just read the Gospels to find out:)

Have a Happy Sabbath

Be content with what you have :)

Well it's independence day already, and as I sit here at my computer, I am wondering how to get through the pain of being single. The last relationship that I had with a girl turned out not so good. I knew that we were just not meant for each other to begin with, but I kept trying and trying to make it work... oh well, I guess things don't always work out. Now I'm trying to get used to the grind of working and consuming myself with other activities. I really like people and interacting with them, I think they are very cool! So I guess that is what the answer is. As I was reading my Bible this morning, I was struck with the thought that I should be content with what God has given me right now, and not worry about the rest, because He knows already what He has in store for me... still I must admit it can be hard to wait. Sometimes I just want the person in my arms right away. It is so easy to get caught up in all that, and I do realize that this is not going to solve the problem. Well, that's about it for the day:P