Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A huge blessing in a great opportunity

I've been asked to read and talk about a Bible verse at baccalaureate for our senior class. So what does that mean for me? It means I have maybe a minute to choose a verse that will hopefully resonate in the hearts of my fellow classmates and I have the chance to say something that will hopefully stick with them. So where to begin? There are so many verses, so many things to be said. We're leaving what we've known for almost our entire lives and setting off on an adventure that will lead us into the rest of our lives here on Earth and that is something truly exciting! But this transition in our lives also means that we will be facing all sorts of new struggles along the way. I know that whatever verse I choose Gods word will speak for itself, but if any of you have any suggestions for me I'd love to hear them. Right now Im leaning towards using Jeremiah 29:11-13...

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mothers Day in a whole new way



Wierd. Why is it that this year as I listened to the mothers day sermon, I was not only grateful for the blessing of a wonderful mother but was struck by the idea of the kind of mom i want to be when i have family of my own? I started thinking about the little things that I want to do with my kids to hopefully bring them closer to Christ. I want to be someone they can turn to with their struggles as well as their joys. Someone who listens to them, protects them, and loves them. Not overprotective but guarding, holding their best interests at heart. Its an odd thought to be struck by in a way but in the words of Mack I'm "such a girl" so maybe its not to weird. So what traditions do i want to have with my kids?

1. Blessings before bed
My mom and step dad always blessed me before i went to sleep and they still do to this day. Its one of the things i remember most. Praying for the little things that i asked them to and the things that were coming up in my life. I love that they care enough to do that each night.

2. Praying before each meal
Pretty self explanatory on this one. Pray before you eat. Thank God for his provisions and his blessings.

3. Eating meals together on a regular basis
Its a chance to catch up and find out about each others day. If you miss a day or two a week for different activities or things its not the end of the world but that time together is very important to me with my family and when i have a family of my own i want that time with them as well.

4. Daily Devotionals
When we were younger my parents always did this devotional book with us each night. It would have a story, a bible passage, and then some discussion questions. I feel like that really helped me grow in my faith. Learning the basics of applying my faith in my life with my parents by my side was a great thing for me. As we got older we started doing personal devotional books and Bibles by the Bedside and now we spend our own time in the word each night.

5. An Open Home
I want to have a house that my kids feel comfortable inviting their friends too, not to focus on material things but i want them to have fun inviting their friends over. Theres always one or two of your friends that seem to have everyone over all the time and i want my house to be that one. There's a lot of things out there that i want my kids to stay away from and if they and their friends have a house they have fun at then maybe it will help keep them out of trouble. I suppose in a way is so i can monitor what they do as well haha.

6. Love
One of the greatest things that my parents did to encourage my faith was letting me watch the way they treated each other. They loved each other they treated each other and us in a Christ-like manner and it was such a shining example to me and i want to be that to my children as well.

I guess this all fits into my dream for the future. I am so blessed to have the wonderful mother I do, I appreciate all that she does and has done for me. I hope that one day I'll be as good of a mother to my kids as she has been to me.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Prayer in School

Yup thats right. You can pray in school. I was always so worried to ask people if I could pray with them. I thought they'd be offended or just flat out refuse, we're not all that open to things like that here in America. But the stories of some friends of mine after they returned from Haiti really encouraged me to step out a little bit. Why can't I at least offer to pray with them right on the spot? Why do I always offer up a simple "I'll be praying for you"? So I decided that if I had an urge to pray for someone today that I would ask them if i could pray for them right then and there.... Today I prayed with two different people. Its a start. And ya know what? Neither of them seemed to think that was wierd or out of line and they actually thanked me. So Im just gonna throw a challenge out there for you guys. Pray with someone. Out loud. On the spot.

Have a blessed day!

Monday, May 3, 2010

God Help Me

I've come to realize that we are going to encounter things in life that we dont understand. They'll be hard, they'll make us cry and they may very well have us asking why. I had it happen today with one of my very close friends. He means so much to me and i've watched the change in him.... I wont go in to details but by doing the right thing, and the thing that i believe is best for him in the long run i made him very upset with me. He said he'll never talk to me again. I really hope thats not the case but... even if it is I know that God brought him into my life for a reason and I hope that one day he'll realize that I did it because i cared and not to get him in trouble. God never promised us that life would be easy in fact i can assure you that you'll face adversity but he does promise to be with us every step of the way. My thoughts and prayers are with my friend and I hope that one day he'll forgive me and that he'll have the strength and courage to give God control of his life.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you; declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future."