So when I was at Cedarville we had Keith and Kristen Getty come.  They were with us for two chapel services.  For those of you that don't know Cedarville has chapel Monday-Friday at 10am and you are required to go.  You only get 8 skips per semester.  Thankfully I didn't skip either one of these chapel services.  I got to thinking about these two chapels and why I loved them so much.  Not only is their music enjoyable to listen to, it speaks volumes.  They are the ones who wrote In Christ Alone.  Now while this is their more popular song, I have fallen in love with another one.  The words are AMAZING!  In light of the things I have been dealing with these past 4 months or so, they words speak to me so much!

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I'll follow, though I'm worn.

(To me this opening verse reflects where my heart is right now.  God has called me to this storm and I am worn, but I will follow.  I want Him to draw me nearer to me, otherwise I can't get through this storm.)

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart's testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

(I really do want this journey to bring a blessing.  It would be one of thes best gifts God could give me.  I pray daily for the faith to get me through things.  I know this is a testing of my heart, because the Lord is showing me what I need to change.  I also pray to be more like Him through this process.  It is one of those things that I know God is going to bless it when the timing is right.)

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit stayed and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

(I definitly need God's guidance right now.  My spirit goes up and down quite a bit.  This verse of the song encourages me because it helps me to know how to pray.  I can ask God to keep my spirit stayed and sure.  I am also always striving to love Christ even more, so being able to pray something like let me love You even more when I wake-up every morning is great.  I need that reminder daily.)

Let the treasures of the trial                                 
Form within me as I go -
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

 (So this final verse sums it all up.  I have actually prayed for trails from God knowing that they draw me closer to Him.  I want more than anything to look back on this season of my life and say that I could leave them at His throne.  Placing my burdens at the feet of Jesus is a wonderful feeling.  This is a great way to end a song.)

So yeah, I just thought I would share this song with you all and the impact it has on me.  I know I will continue to enjoy it for some time and have been blessed by it already.  I hope it has been an encouragement to you as well.  The Getty's sure do have a way with words! 

 I know it may seem odd to some people, but counting your blessings really does have its benefits.  I was thinking about a lot of things the other day and instead of getting all depressed over my circumstances, I started to think about what good things I have in my life right now.  I wanted to think them all through so I wouldn't loose focus of why I am in love with my Savior.  I started to just say off the things I was thankful for and before I knew it, my mood was getting better and better.  I have so many people in my life who I love ever so dearly and who help me through the hardest days of my life.  God has blessed me with some of the most incredible people I have ever know.  Through them I can see how much God loves me and why He did for me.  They are faithful to remind me how great of a sinner I am and how GREAT of a Savior He is.  So I want to take this post to introduce you to those special people in my life that are having the greatest impact on me right now. 

First there is Kaitlin and I

Kaitlin is my level-headed friend.  I can tell her anything and she will know what questions to ask me to help me see things in a different light.  She has been ever so faithful to pray for me and check up on me these past 4 months and I can't thank her enough.  Kaitlin knows me really really well.  She can tell things about me just by looking at my face.  Not many people can do that with me.  She always points me back to the Cross and helps me to realize that my Savior loves me more than I can EVER comprehend.  I thank God for her all the time.

Then there is Andrea and Catherine.

These two girls have blessed me more than I can say.  They both live in MD and everytime I came home, I came with them.  Sharing a 7 hour, one-way drive with these two was always awesome.  Andrea has such a great heart for others and she is sooo caring!  I treasure her because she is wise beyond her years.  Catherine is one of the best encouragers I know.  She has a way with saying the very thing that needs to be said.  (She would probably deny this..)

Then comes Meredith and Katie

These two girls are beyond wonderful.  Katie is so so faithful in prayer.  She never ceases to have a verse for me or a prayer in her heart.  She is so sweet and gentle, I love her to death.  Meredith is just awesome.  She isn't as girly as I am, but we work really well together.  I can talk to Meredith and she will give me the straight to the point answers.  She just knows what I need to hear and says it.  I am a pretty blunt person as well, so I can appreciate that in someone else. 

Then there is Mister Jordan Link.

Jordan is one the BEST listeners I know.  Whenever I just need to talk something out, he is there to listen.  He has heard some pretty crazy things from me and still sticks by me.  He also has really great taste in music and my iTunes library would be CRAPPY without him.  :)  Jordan is one of those guys that I hope to know for a very long time to come.  He is truly awesome.

And of course, I can't forget Kyle.  :)

Kyle gets it.  He knows me inside and out.  If there is something going on with me, odds are he knows about it.  He has proven to be one of my best friends.  No matter how I'm feeling or what is going on he can make me smile and laugh.  I wish I could explain how truly amazingly awesome he is, but words won't do it justice.  He is just one of the best people on this planet.  End of story.

There is my mentor as well.  I don't have a picture of her, but she is amazing.  The advice and counsel I have gotten from her as proven to be the best.  I just can't express how much I love her and I don't know what I would do without her.  She is just one of those people who I can never get mad at and she understands where I am coming from before I even say anything. 

Now of course there are FAR many more blessings in my life than just the people surrounding me, but God is really using them to show me those others blessings.  My church family is wonderful.  They uplift me in prayer so much and I am so very thankful.  So many of the people I know, have helped me to grow and change through this difficult season.  I cannot thank God enough for His love for me.  I know that He is blessing me with these people for a reason.  He is continuing to teach me about His love, grace, and mercy everday and I am so glad that I have these people to help me see it.  All credit goes to Him for these people.  It had nothing to do with me.