Currently Listening American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics By Various Artists see related

Well it's been a while since I have written...I apologize for that you guys. Life hasn't really been crazy, I have just been slacking! haha Christmas time is here...woooo hoooo!! For those of you who know me, you know that I absolutely love this time of year. I can't really put my finger on one thing that I love about it...just everything as a whole! I love the music, the decorations, the lights, but ultimately I love the reason for the season...Christ! The world becomes so wrapped up in the material things of this season, and for us christians, this is the perfect time to bring the world to Him. I know that many of you students will be going home to see family and friends and quite possibly could be spending a lot of time with people that aren't saved or are not living their lives sold out for Christ. What better time for us to show them the love of Christ. I pray that the Lord opens up huge oppurtunities for you to love on the unloveable and reach the unreachable. This season is such a happy time of year but the world takes it and turns it into a stressful time trying to make it everything they want it to be. I pray that we can all distance ourselves from the stress and that the world sees something different in us. This is the perfect oppurtunity for us to get out of our "oh so comfortable lives" and begin saving the world through His powers. I pray that the Lord lights a fire in each one of our hearts...that we die to ourselves and begin living sold out for the Lord. How can we say we love someone when we don't know or even care that they are going to hell? I don't understand that. I pray that the Lord begins to break our hearts for the lost around us and that He begins in me...What will you do with your gift of life today? Spread the word or feed yourself?

*Live for ourself or live for Him...which will you choose today?

Currently Listening Live Like You Were Dying By Tim McGraw see related

Happy thanksgiving everyone!!! I hope everyone found it refreshing and relaxing spending time with those family and friends that we love so much. When I got up this morning, I was very excited to be getting to spend time with my family. I did my quiet time readings but then I wanted to do something a little different....I got out a pen and some paper and wanted to list everything I possibly could that the Lord has blessed my life with. I wanted to try and avoid the materialistic items because those soon will perish but instead I wanted to focus on the things/people that the Lord has placed in my life to bless me, to teach me, to encourage me, and most importantly to point me back to Him and the cross. I get so wrapped up in the everday things of life that I forget how incredibly blessed my life is, so I felt like this "list" would point me back to the things that truly have value in my life. I want to share a little glimpse of my list...I am only sharing a piece of it because it's too long and a bit personal to put on here but I do want to publically say thank you to all those in my life that have made a difference whether you know it or not. I love you all and thank the Lord for you daily..not just once a year.

"Some people are brought into your life permanently and some for just a season, but all are for a reason."

My list of thanksgiving.....

1.) Ultimately my salvation; Christ delivering me from the penalty of my sin and eternal separation from Him
2.) A family that has believed in me no matter how far I fell...a family that loved me in spite of how I treated them..a family that has shown the true meaning of loving others the way Christ has loved
3.) Two amazing roommates who I would have never thought I would live with...2 girls that have become my sisters that know the real me and love me anyways...2 girls that continue to draw me closer to the Lord and have no problem letting me know when I'm slipping...2 girls that I never knew I could love so much...Charly and Amanda
4.) A man that has become a father figure to me when mine has failed...a man that knows my past but loves me as a daughter just as I am...a man that encourages me to live every day as if it were my last but not for myself; for others...a man that has taught me to love the unloveable...Bert Lyle
5.) Renewing friendships that were once lost...bringing me to amazing friendships that I would have never thought I would have and wouldn't have if it weren't for Christ...bringing Tanya into my life at just the right time and bringing her closer to my heart daily...the friendships I established a long time ago that were rocky and have their ups and downs but friends that never left me or gave up on me...friends that loved me when I was the unloveable one...you girls know who you are.
6.) As strange as it sounds, I thank the Lord for taking people away from me...He placed some incredibly strong Christians in my path to love me when I was at a low and taught me so many amazing lessons through them...friends that even though they aren't really a part of my life now, left everlasting footprints on my heart and in my life

As you can see, my list goes on and on and there are so many more things that the Lord has blessed my life with on my list that I am not going to post on here. I look at this list and it actually breaks my heart. The Lord has poured his blessings onto my life and what have I done to thank Him? Not a whole heck of a lot...I complain about material things, I complain about work, I complain about school but what I don't think about is that He has given me a job oppurtunity and the oppurtunity to go to school along with all the other things I complain about. My prayer for myself, and for you, is that we begin to remember the every day things that the Lord blesses our life with....a breath every morning, a new day, a chance to start over and live for Him, a beautiful sunrise. If we open our eyes before we open our mouths to complain, the complaints would become few and far between.

Father, I pray that I open my eyes and my heart before I open my mouth. I pray that I begin to see your every day blessings and that they transform my ways of thinking. You have blessed my life in ways unimaginable and it's time to give back...time to live completely sold out for you. Thank you, Lord, for the every day grace and mercy that I take for granted. May I begin living for you and not myself.

Currently Watching A Cinderella Story (Full Screen Edition) By Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray see related

A little about myself...if you wanted to know:

1. First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Ingersol
2. Last person you kissed:  Cole, my younger brother
3. Last word you said:  I love you
4. Last song you sang: whatever is on A Cinderella Story right now 
5. Last person you hugged:   Jennifer
6. Last thing you laughed at: oh wow, I laugh at everything, are you kidding me!!
7. What's in your CD player:   WOW 2005
 9. What socks are you wearing: none, I have on my Pocahontas Shoes :)
10. What's under your bed: nothing I don't think
11. Current status:  single, but I am totally content with it
12. Current taste: um, I have NO idea what this question is asking me :S
13. Current hair style: medium, straight...no more curls :(
14. Current clothes: pajama pants and a long sleeve SHSU shirt
15. Current Job:   Peer counselor in the Financial Aid Department on campus
16. Current longing: not enough room on here :)
17. Current desktop picture: Of course me and my girls :)
18. Current worry:   I'd rather not get into that
19. Current hate: wondering if I am going in the right direction
20. Story behind your username:  there is no story...it's my name i think
22. Favorite physical feature(s) of the opposite sex: hair
23. Last CD that you bought: wow, I don't even know
24. Favorite place to be:  in my bed!!!
25. Least favorite place:  SCHOOL
26. Time you wake up in the morning:  usually around 8:00 i guess
27. If you could play a new instrument, what would it be? piano and electric guitar
29. Current favorite word/saying:  Shut up!
31. Favorite Movies:  OH GEEZ, trust me you don't have the time to sit here and read that
34. One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to:  my grandfather
35. Favorite day: Saturday
36. Where do you want to go: New York, Africa
37. What is your career going to be:  I hope that I am a Christian based child psychologist but I'm just going to see what the Lord wants me to do
40. A random lyric:  be my escape
42. Hair Color: brown i think lol
43. Righty or Lefty:  Righty
45. Zodiac Sign:  taurus
46.Innie or Outtie:  bellybutton...innie. 

DESCRIBE...
47. Your heritage: Scotch/Irish...i guess lol
48. The shoes you wore today:  grey new balance tennis shoes
[Uh... 49 and 50 are where?]
51. Your fears:  betrayal
52. Your most recent secret? I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you ;)
[53???]
54. Your thoughts first waking up:  here we go again lol
[55??????]
56. Your bedtime:  ha, yeah right!!
57. Your most missed companion:  I live with both of them :)
58. Your perfect pizza:  gag, i don't eat pizza
59. How would your friends describe you?  haha, we won't go into all that ;)
60. Single or group dates:  group dates for now
61. Dogs or Cats: Dog
62. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: don't really care
63. Chocolate or vanilla:  i don't eat ice cream either
64. Cappuccino or coffee?: cappuccino

DO YOU...
65. Smoke:  HEFK NO
66. Curse:  nope
68. Take a shower everyday:  haha, of course.
69. Have a crush: hmm, i believe this is confidential information ;)
[70???]
71. Think you've been in love:  yes
72. Want to go to college:  already in it..ugh
73. Want more than what you've got:  Unfortunately
[whoever wrote this can't count]
75. Type w/ your fingers on the right keys:  yep
76. Think you're attractive:  i dunno
77.  freak:  sometimes
78. Get along with your parents: Yep...my Mom and I are great friends. 

IN THE PAST 3 months:
80. drink: no
81. Smoke: no
82. Done a drug: no
83. Made Out: yeah right!
84. Go on a date:  NOPE...this is sad lol
85. Eaten an entire box of Oreos:  awewome...but no
86. Eaten sushi:  Nope
87. Been dumped:  A time or two lol
88. Made homemade cookies:  not in a while
90. Gone skinny dipping: never
[91??? I give up, no more pointing these things out]
92. Stolen anything: haha, a box from wal-mart cuz they wouldn't give me one :)
97. Changed who you were to fit in:  far too much
98. Cried at something beautiful:  Too much!
99. Spent too much money on something you didn't need?  haha, no comment
100. Cried when someone died:  yes.

Currently Listening Lifesong By Casting Crowns praise you in this storm see related

Well it is now 1:15 am and I have been studying for the past 3 hours for my Art test and still don't feel confident. This week is going to be full of all-nighters (yes, tonight) and cramming because i have a test on every day of the week. No, I'm not complaining...just stating the facts. While I should be studying, I felt the need to write on here. Why, I'm not too sure of that...just felt like I need to share what the Lord is doing in my life...so here goes:

    Over the past few weeks my "quiet times" have definitely been suffering. Life has been so hectic that something had to give and far too often it is our walk that suffers first. Why that is, I don't know, but it is always the first to suffer in my own life. I have been praying for the Lord to break me and draw me closer to Him and He has done so in some amazing ways. While I was busy basquing (sp) in my own self-pity about how crazy my life is right now, He put some amazing people in my life to draw me back to what should be my main focus...THE CROSS. Far too often we lose sight of what our true goal in this life is. We confuse our goal with getting a degree, excelling in sports, having fun, and simply just living life...that's far from what our focus should be. As His people He has called us to live a life of sacrifice and a life of love. Bert talked about how we are commanded as His people to love our neighbor as Christ loved the church...wow, if that doesn't convict! It is so easy to love those who love you in return, and it isn't until we love the "unloveable" that we truly experience the love that Christ has commanded us to. That is my prayer for myself and all of you that we can begin as the hands and feet of Christ to reach out to the unreachable and begin loving the unloveable. I pray that we all die to ourselves daily, take up our cross, and serve. We are ALL faced with ample oppurtunities to forget ourselves and give to others...that's my challenge to each of you today:

              1. Die to yourself
           2. Take up your cross
           3. SERVE

I encourage us all to find someone to serve today...someone in your class, a teacher, a friend, a stranger....a simple act of selflessness speaks volumes of Christ's love to others...who will you choose to serve...SELF OR GOD??

Currently Listening Testify to Love: The Very Best of Avalon By Avalon see related

As I was looking through some friends' xangas, I came across this small story. After reading this, a lot of things began going through my head and my heart. Children are one of the most amazing  little miracles that the Lord gives us. Oh what I would give to have the faith of a child. They don't worry about how they will pay bills, where they will live, or what they will do with their future...their biggest worry is who they are going to play with at recess. They aren't consumed with the ways of the world or the struggles of the heart. They love unconditionally and desire nothing more than to be loved in return. When will I have the faith of a child? When will I begin to love others in the way that children love? I leave you with this:

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

         The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

                      "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Wow, just ponder on that for a second....God bless!