maggie4chr1st's Xanga

A Whole Semester of Learning

Wed, 09 May 2007 12:00:20 GMT

Okay. So I've been gone for a while. But since my paper journal is gone now, I have no journal to write my thoughts in as of yet. So here goes.

This semester, God has shown me SO MUCH about myself that needs changed & that He has changed. For one, I pay too much attention to what people think of me. I cannot base myself on other's expectations & opinions, no one but God's. If I do this, then I will always fall short of grace & love & forgiveness, b/c no human can provide 100% forgiveness & love. Only God, who's Son Jesus died mercifully for our sins & who's blood was shed on that fateful day for our pardoning, can forgive us with pure intentions & a pure heart. Everyone falls short of God's glory. My worries about others opinions of me have become a sort of ... idol. God has been showing me this in just this week alone. My desire to please man above God has become a tiring game, somewhat.

Funny... how every time we mess up in some way, we come running back to Jesus, the only being that can truly forgive us, love us, provide grace & mercy, & accept us 100%. We need Jesus, people.

Another thing that God has been showing me is His grace. I used to live by the law. When people said "Saved by grace," I thought I knew what it meant. But realizing my faults this semester has allowed me to take a closer look at the idea, definition, & true meaning of grace. I cannot be perfect...ever. No matter HOW HARD I try, I will always fall short of perfection. BUT... I have a Lord who covers me in His blood when I repent of the things that I have done wrong. I have a Lord unlike any other god or definition of the one TRUE God in this world! The God of Christianity, the TRUE GOD, is a God who forgives & loves beyond any human comprehension or good doing. Good works WILL NOT SAVE US, people. We can never be 100% good. What saves us is a Lord who is in love with His children, every day, despite their shortcomings.

Checking your intentions & your heart is not always fun, but it is something that needs to be done 24/7 in the life of a Christian. We are called to be different, so how can we be different if we are giving into the corrupt definitions & lifestyles of this world, even if it is unknowingly? We need to constantly check our heart, & make sure it is on the same track as the Lord Jesus Christ's. We were made in His image, after all! It is time that we start acting like it.

So that's the end of my semester.... ending this semester with a full recognition of my need for Jesus, & my need for the grace He gives freely. I hope that this helps you. Have a great summer, ya'll! I will try & update more often,... I'll TRY. Haha. :)

In 5 days, I will be going to Japan on a mission trip with my group in Chi Alpha. Please pray for me & my team, guys! Pray for favor, pray against the spirit of depression & suicide (which runs rampant in Japan!), pray for protection, & pray for divine appointments & for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thanks ya'll. :)

God is good! "Freely grace has been given to you, so freely give grace to others." ~ Unknown

"Here I am, take me as an offering. Every heartbeat, living for You. Worthy is the Lord." ~ Alabaster Jar by Christ for the Nations Institute

To the Korean students who are leaving tomorrow - Saturday, I love you. I dedicate these pictures to you. I will forever miss you, my friends. God is with you always, & so am I.

me & Shin Young from Korea, last International Student Friendship Ministries meeting, May 4th 2007

"Peter," Mina, & me at a football game, Fall semester 2006

Si Joon & I at the last ISFM meeting, May 4th, 2007

me, my mom, my pastor & his wife, & 2 people from church with some of the internationals & another SHSU student at my house, April 2007

Mina, me & "Peter" ~ International Office Programs Volunteer Recognition banquet, May 2007

I'll miss you, my friends, always.

Good devo, so true

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:00:47 GMT

This is just reallly good! I receive these in email from Proverbs 31 Ministries of KSBJ! We all need to hear this sometimes ... sometimes we do forget who we are, as weird as that sounds! So ... Enjoy! I hope it blesses you! :)

January 19, 2007

“Know Whose You Are”

by Melanie Chitwood

1 John 3:1, See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (NAS)

Devotion:

One day at church when a man asked my five-year-old son his name, Zachary responded, “Zachary Patrick Chitwood, son of Scott Joseph Chitwood.” I’m not sure what that little five year old was thinking or why he responded that way. I had certainly never heard this answer before, but I sure liked it! Zachary knew who he was. He knew who he belonged to!

How would you answer if someone asked you who you are? My first response would be that I am Melanie Chitwood: a wife, a mother, a daughter, a writer, a speaker, a teacher, a friend, and a child of God.

Yes, like Zachary, I know Who I belong to. I know I’m a child of God. When I was sixteen years old at a Young Life camp in North Carolina , I sat on a rock, gazed up at the stars in the night sky, and prayed a prayer that changed my life. Lord, I know that You love me and want me to be in a relationship with You. Thank You that You died on a cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You that I am forgiven. I want You to be my Savior and Lord. I want to live for You. From that day forward, I was a child of God.

The truth is sometimes I forget who I belong to. I forget that God alone gives me my identity. If I dig a little deeper and answer with complete honesty the question of who I am, my answer includes these responses: I am someone who struggles with losing the same ten pounds; sometimes I respond in fear rather than faith; I can be selfish and not want to serve others; I’ve made mistakes in the past and can carry them around like a ball and chain.

The truth is that sometimes I let my past, my feelings, and others’ disapproval of me define me; rather than letting God and His Word define me. However, the closer I grow to the Lord, the more I understand that those other definitions are lies, not the truth. God’s enemy, Satan, is a liar who wants to keep me from walking in the truth. The truth of who I am is found in God’s Word. I know who I am when I know Whose I am.

Let these statements remind you of who you are and Whose you are:

Nothing can separate you from God’s love (Romans 8: 35 – 39).

You are God’s work of art, His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

God does not condemn you (Romans 8: 1,2).

God loves you so much that the price He paid to have a relationship with you was His own life (1 Corinthians 6: 20).

Jesus is your Daddy (Romans 8:15).

God’s love for you is everlasting and unfailing. He wants you to have a relationship with Him where you grow closer to Him and look more like Him as you abide in His truth. Rest in the truth that His steadfast love never fails.

Dear Father, I am so thankful that I am Your child and that You love me. I am thankful that Your love never changes and that nothing will take Your love away from me. Open my eyes to any lies I’m believing about myself and my life. Help me to believe only You – not Satan, not my feelings, not what anyone else says. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

The Korean Invasion

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 01:30:19 GMT

So ... I've been so blessed this week so far! 34 Korean students (not all pictured here) came in Friday from Soonchunghun (I think that is right?) University in South Korea. They are so much fun! So joyous, so carefree & easy-going. But I want them to be able to use this energy for God, you know?

On Monday, about 15 students came in from Kyung gi University in S. Korea, as well! It's been so awesome! Today, we got to go shopping in Conroe & it was so good. We ate Chinese food. Just hanging out with the students is showing Christ to them, through my actions I am able to show them love.

We have the students from Soonchunghun for about 3 wks is all, but I know that God can do amazing things through all of the Christians on this campus, to change these students' lives!

I know this b/c I have seen what He has done this past year in the internationals lives around me, particularly - my friend Orange from China.

Anyway, I have been mostly driving students around, which has been tiring & I should be in bed right now haha! But ... it's been so rewarding. To see the look on their faces, the questions that are so easily read in their eyes, as to why we are doing what we are doing for them ...... it's so rewarding. I just thank God that He has let us, & let me, be apart of this great hunger for love that internationals have. Hopefully, this hunger for love will spawn for the rest of their time here, into a hunger for Jesus. But I need ya'll's prayers ... well, God needs ya'll's prayers in this matter. So PLEASE be praying as much as you can!

Anyway, enjoy my pics! Have a great day tomorrow & may God bless you. Ephesians says to 'bear one another's burdens," so please leave requests for prayers & please be praying for the Korean internationals! Thanks.

Blessed by God & through God

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:34:31 GMT

So I know I have not posted in nearly a MONTH now! I am so sorry for this. Things have been crazy hectic, but also crazy good. For Christmas, I went home & though it was tiring, it was also good because I got to be a witness to the people that I call my family but normally don't see much.

God blessed me with a job that I didn't even expect to have, I just randomly walked into the store & I was hired on the spot! For 2 wks, I got to work for Waldenbooks, & at the end, my boss told me that she was so honored to have me work for her & that I was a blessing sent from Heaven ... word for word! So ... God used me there b/c most of my co-workers were not "active" Christians!

Also, I have lost all but one of my small group girls now I think, but ... I thank God for it. In the gospels, Jesus talks about a tree & its fruit. I would rather have a tree with one good apple than a tree with 49 bad apples & 1 apple. The 49 could easily contaminate the 1, & then no good fruit would come from this tree. In other words, I would rather have 1 really hungry, faithful girl who wants the Lord, than to have 8 who don't, b/c that won't glorify God like the 1 girl can.

& even if I do not lead a small group ... I am blessed to have internationals in my life! God has brought about 20 new Korean students this semester, & it is amazing already! After 3 days of being with them, 2 girls want to join my small group & come to Chi Alpha tomorrow!

At SALT, God freed me from so many things that I never knew that I had deep within my heart & my soul! I gave them up to Him at the altar. Many others felt the same way. God kept speaking "release" & "receive" to us all weekend long! Also, I got to meet many of my bro's & sis's in Christ.

Anyway, as you can see, GOD HAS BLESSED ME SO MUCH, & I am continuing to grow in things. I am so ....... so undeserving of His grace & love, yet ... He loves me. Broken & all, He honors me with blessings that I didn't even ask for but am so grateful to accept!

If ya'll need prayer for anything, please let me know. I am here. Have a great day, & walk in God's grace not the law! Amen.

"Worthy is the Lamb" by Hillsong

Thank you for the cross, Lord!
Thank you for the price You paid.
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came,
And gave amazing grace.

Thank you for this love, Lord!
Thank you for the nail pierced hands!
Washed me in Your cleansing flow,
Now all I know... Your forgiveness and embrace!

Worthy is the Lamb,
Seated on the throne,
Crown You now with many crowns,
You reign victorious!
High and lifted up,
Jesus Son of God,
The Darling of Heaven crucified,
Worthy is the Lamb!
Worthy is the Lamb!

Without God I can't but without me God won't. -St. Augustine

This Semester

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 19:26:20 GMT

So ... this semester has been tiring. As of right now, I am sick & have been for two days but it seems like a week. My small group has steadily dwindled down to two or three girls (although they are hungry, faithful girls, which is what we as leaders should be looking for in the Christian faith, not the numbers! amen!). My classes have been super hard, & I have been so tired from observations. Worry has been all over my heart about passing the THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment) Math portion, so that I can go on from Reading Block next semester to Methods. Also, I have been stressed about getting into Reading Block b/c of my missing Math THEA component which is needed to be in the Education Prep Program.

However ... this semester has had many blessings, as well. For one, both of my parents now serve & love the Lord! This is something that I have been praying about & waiting for for about 2 1/2 years now, since I have become a Christian. Also, just a week ago, an old small group girl emailed me to tell me that she loves me, & asked for forgiveness for hurting me in any way... this is big b/c I have been praying about it all semester long! About a week 1/2 ago, I was praying & the Lord really lead me to pray for my brother Mike ... whom I just found out about nearly 4 years ago. So I did, & then Mike ended up contacting me on Myspace, which he hasn't done in about a year 1/2!!! Also, I got into Reading Block, & it's here in Huntsville, so I won't have to go very far for it ... this is a rare coincidence! THIS IS THE FINAL PIECE OF BLESSING that I must share w/ you: I have taken the Math THEA 8 or 9 times ... spent about $500 dollars on it in 4 years ... & now ... I HAVE PASSED IT! I made a 263 on the test, & all I needed to pass was a 230!! Now ... I can truly say this is by God's wisdom alone, b/c I told Him that if I passed the test, it would be all to His glory ... so I claim my passing in His glory. He is worthy of all of the praise.

So ... as you can see, there have been many downs this semester, but there have also been many ups in my life. We must all go through valleys, & we must all go up mountains ... we all have different seasons in our lifetimes. In order to grow in our walk with God, we HAVE TO go through those valleys, though. & if we remain faithful to Him during those low times, He will bless us abundantly later on - amen! B/c of the lows, I have learned what it is to be clinging to the Lord. Through my struggles, I have learned about things that I need to rid of in my heart & my life, like anger & selfishness & impatience. & the whole time, God has stood by my side, never leaving. My faith has become completely restored in Him alone ... & this is how it should be.

Anyway, I hope that I encouraged ya'll with this. Have a great Christmas break, & I will see most of you when we get back! I love you all ... thank you, my faithful Brothers & Sisters who commit themselves to the cause of Jesus Christ ... I know that He is way more appreciative than I could ever be. May God bless you.

*James 1:12 ~ " Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

Crying for the Prodigal Children of God

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 12:56:08 GMT

The following song realllly hits my heart. How much am I crying for my neighbor that doesn't know the Lord? How much am I weeping before God for the lost & the destitute? (Psalm 35:14, Psalm 126:6, Jeremiah 9:1, Jeremiah 31:16, James 5:4) When we pray to God on their behalf, He answers, b/c His word says that He doesn't want anyone to perish but all to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. (2 Peter 3:9) Please read the lyrics ... & meditate on how YOU can be apart of bringing someone to Christ. All things we do must & will be for God's glory, if we are apart of His kingdom & even if we aren't b/c God always has the upper hand. (Colossians 3:23, 2 Cor. 2:15) I love ya'll ... have a good weekend. "May the Lord give His people an anguish for the church." ~ Leonard Ravenhill

http://www.myspace.com/leelandmusic

"Tears of the Saints"
By: Leeland (from MY HOME TOWN - Baytown, Texas)

There are many
prodigal sons,
on our city streets they run.
Searching for shelter.

There are homes
broken down,
people's hopes
have fallen to the ground.

From failures...
This is an emergency!

There are tears
From the saints,
for the lost & unsaved.
We're crying for them ... come back home!
We're crying for them ... come back home!
& all you children,
stretch out their hands,
& pick up the crippled man.
Father we will lead them home,
Father we will lead them home.

There are schools
Full of hatred.
Even churches
have forsaken.

Lost their mercy!

May we see
this generation (AMEN!)
in its states of desperation
for Your glory.

This is an emergency!

There are tears
From the saints,
for the lost & unsaved.
We're crying for them ... come back home!
We're crying for them ... come back home!
& all Your children,
stretch out their hands,
& pick up the crippled man.
Father we will lead them home,
Father we will lead them home.

Sinner ...
Reach out your hands.
Children ...
In Christ you stand!

& sinner ...
Reach out your hands!!!
Children ...
IN CHRIST YOU STAND!

There are tears
From the saints,
for the lost & unsaved.
We're crying for them ... come back home!
We're crying for them ... come back home!
& all Your children,
stretch out their hands,
& pick up the crippled man.
Father we will lead them home,
Father we will lead them home.

& all Your children,
stretch out their hands,
& pick up the crippled man.
Father, we will lead them home ... Father, we will lead them home!

Faith in Christ!

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:20:26 GMT

For the past week, God just keeps writing it on my heart to concentrate on Him & Him alone. Wed @ the Wesley, they talked about focusing on Christ & letting go of all other distractions. On Thursday last night @ XA, the same message was given, w/ more direction to thank Jesus for all that He's done for us. Then this morning, I read a scripture randomly in Hosea 6 about learning more of who God is. In Matthew 14 (which I read for both my own pleasure & for my devo scripture), it talks about Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. All is well ... until he sees the winds & the waves & takes his focus off the Lord. People praised Jesus after He calmed the storm, & only after that did they truly recognize Him as the son of God. As our Savior.... The meaning to this is the following: We all have distractions in our lives. We all have things that pull us away from Christ. We all have things that hurt us & keep us from drawing near to the Lord & instead focusing on ourselves. But God calls us to keep our eyes focused entirely on Him. What is faith? Eli said last night @ Chi Alpha that it isn't that if we have faith we'll know Jesus, but that if we know Jesus, we'll have faith. Amen! The ?'s he posted to us were these: How much do we want God? Like the woman in Mark 5 who steadily presses in to the enormous crowd (that she wasn't supposed to be in b/c she was declared "unclean" b/c of her bleeding that she had endured all of her life), just so that she could touch even just one particle of Jesus (His robe was what she ended up catching in her hand). It wasn't easy for her to get to Jesus, but she kept pressing in, kept pushing forward toward Him. How much are we willing to seek out God? How much do we want Him? It's not from some "magical potion," Eli said last night. It's from the reality & the truth: that we need Jesus in our every day lives. Without Him, we're sure to die ... both in this present world & the world hereafter.

How glorious our Faith is! Rather than restricting hearts, as the world prefers, it uplifts them and increases their capacity to love. -St. Therese of Lisieux

I hope that this inspired you to press more into God each day, esp during the Christmas break when we can become so complacent. I love ya'll so much. Hope you're having a great day! ♥God bless ya'll ... your'e in my thoughts & prayers. :)

P.S. Be expecting an AWESOME performance from me/my small group, & 2 other small groups, for XA Skit Night! :) Yeehaw!

Sowing vs. Reaping

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:54:07 GMT

God has given me a MAJOR revelation into why things don't seem to be blooming at all or just right this semester quite yet: There is a time for sowing & a time for reaping. In my particular season right now, sowing is what God is calling me to. Right now, I have the privlege of sowing into several internationals, my small group girls, & others around me (my family, classmates, etc). In Ecc. 3, God talks about there being a time for everything .... the time will come when the sowing that God has done through me, that God has allowed me to do for Him, will reap its harvest full of benefits for His kingdom. Things may not seem "up & up" this semester, but if I continue to sow for the Lord, next semester.... His harvest will spill over abundantly for His kingdom. Amen! So I stay faithful to my Lord & Savior, as we all should. Thanks be to God, for His perfect will & perfect timing! Amen!

SALT comes up in like 2 months. Man .... I am super excited! I cannot believe it is already here. In some ways, I like SALT way more than I like World Missions Summit, b/c it's a chance to get to see & meet some of myBro's & Sis's in the Lord more one-on-one, ya know? To Richard: I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU BUD! :) To Al-Dana: I can't wait to meet you! & to anyone else who is reading this that is going to SALT: It's going to be amazing!

God is good! Praise Him all the time. Amen! Love ya'll. Hope you have a great week/weekend. God bless you.

P.S. Please pray for my THEA test, which is tomorrow. *YIKES!* Phillipians 4:13: "You can do all things through Christ which/who strengthens you."

Photo Album

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 22:55:46 GMT

So ... God has blessed me with SEVERAL things this semester. Here are some of those things:

Peter (my friend from Korea) & I @ the ice skating rink! Nov 06!

Jo (my friend from Korea) & I @ ISFM! October 06!

my beautiful friend Mina (my friend from Korea) & I fishing! September 06!

my beautiful friend Young (my friend from Korea) & I @ Evening of Elegance! Nov 06!

my beautiful friend Mia (my friend from China) & I @ Evening of Elegance! - Nov 06!

very sweet Song from Korea, me, & my wonderful friend Orange from China (wonderful Emily & wonderful Duri in the background!) August 06!

me & all of the wonderfully, beautifully-made international students & some American students July 06!

Kye Jung from Korea & I @ a wedding June 06!

Sara J, Laura O, me, & several beautiful Chinese friends July 06!

me & some of my beautifully-made friends from Korea June 06!

God has blessed me with international friends this whole year, & it's amazing! I just want to thank Jesus for all of these people who are in my life, & for the ability to pour into their hearts. It's been so great, & I am surely thankful for it.

Also, there are some other things that I have to thank God for. He has not only given me blessed friendships w/ internationals, He has given my family the following:

Also .... God has given me some of the MOST amazing small group girls EVER! Through them, I've learned so much & I've grown so much, & I know that they are growing very much too! Here they are:

me, Joni & Joanna before XA ... yes I am wearing fairy wings!

me, Joanna, Ashley R, Jessica, & Ashley M @ XA ... it's small!

Us "bein ghetto!"

Overall ... this semester has been AMAZING. God has done CRAZY things, INSANELY awesome things, & I am so thankful to Him for it. :) He's good. Amen.

Thankfulness

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 16:30:58 GMT

Why is it that we can only thank God for the good things that He brings into our lives? Ask yourselves this, for it's a question that can reveal much. I know that I am guilty of doing this.

Today, Pastor Gaston talked at church about being thankful for even the simplest things. We read Daniel, & it was good. He talked about being thankful through the darkness & the pain. Sometimes we get so "high on God" that we forget that it won't ALWAYS be that way, ya know? It's good to be reminded that even through the "lows," God is still good. He is worthy of praise during the highs & the lows, ya know? We should be thankful for the lows, b/c it is through the lows that we learn our strengths & weaknesses - both of which need to rest in the Lord & be built upon or taken down by the Lord. Being built on & taken apart can build us for further growth in the Lord, too. So we should praise God for all things - for all things come by Him & through Him, says His word. What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving? I want to know!! Let me know.

I am thankful that my parents are CHRISTIANS this Thanksgiving (& hopefully forever). God is faithful! If you guys are going home to a non-Christian home during Thanksgiving & Christmas, rest assured that your family WILL be saved. It might not be THIS Thanksgiving/Christmas, or the next one, but it could be. Only God knows when. Just cling to the Lord & trust in Him ... He IS faithful. For 2 years, I prayed for my parents ... & look what happened. Now they are calling me daily to tell me that they are praying for other fam members to come to Christ ... & it's amazing! My parents are so thankful for Christ, & it's so breathtaking. All thanks to the Lord ... He is worthy of all thanks!!

I hope ya'll have a great Thanksgiving & eat a LOT of turkey & stuffing. Come back w/ many pounds on you! :) I love you all & can't wait to see you when you get back. God bless ya'll!

Colossians 3:15: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."

Colossians 4:2: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful & thankful."

Hebrews 12:28: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, & so worship God acceptably w/ reverence and awe..."

Psalm 31:21: "Praise be to the LORD, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city."

Isaiah 12:1: "In that day you will say: 'I will praise you, O LORD. Although You were angry w/ me, Your anger has turned away & You have comforted me."

Isaiah 63:7: "I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things He has done for the house of Israel, according to His compassion & many kindnesses."

Luke 1:68: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, b/c He has come & has redeemed His people."

"Oh God
I will abandon myself
as I worship
You on Your throne.
Oh God..." ~ Jason Morant, Abandon

"Gratitude is the mother of all virtues." ~ G.K. Chesterton