A Day of Renewal

For me today truly was a day of renewal. God reminded me of so many wonderful things today, I guess I'll start with this morning around 3:30 am. I couldnt sleep so I got up to spend some time in the word. To be honest I must have been too tired to remember what was running through my mind but I ended up writing this on one of my notepads:

If as Christians our life is centered around God and God is love then in essence our lives center around love. Our speech and our actions should reflect love in the way that God intends it to be portrayed. Our priorities are often times the best way to examine what or whom we love or hold in the highest regard. Is God in that number one spot each day?

I may have been to exhausted to remember those thoughts this morning but what a challenge to myself. I need to keep God first and I need to make sure that Im setting aside that personal time to spend with him because i know that relationships dont grow unless you spend time together.

Tonight some of the students here got together for "Worship Under The Stars" my friends did a great job of putting it together. I've only known them all for 10 days some of them not even that long but i am so blessed to have them. What a wonderful gift to have friends that love God with their lives an in all they do. I was amazed and overjoyed at the number of students that showed up for the time of worship and prayer. I am so thankful that God led me to Gordon College. I can't wait to see what else he has in store.

God Bless you guys, Keep shining Gods light!

"Unanswered" Prayer

Yesterday, on a few different occasions the subject came up of "unanswered prayer". The Sermon that I heard asked why some peoples prayers get answered time and time again while others of us pray and God seems to "change the channel". As a believer I dont think that there really is such a thing as an unanswered prayer, now before you start thinking of all those times that what you prayed for didnt happen, think about this: God can say no. I think that often times we feel as though God doesn't answer our prayers because he doesn't answer them the way we want or expect. When it comes down to it Gods ways are higher than our ways and he has a reason for everything in this life. Take a second to think about this quote from Beth Moore "Trusting God doesn't mean you expect him to do what you ask it means trusting him to do whats best". Its very important as believers to realize that God always answers our prayers and also to remember that God knows best and if we're praying in accordance with his will he'll grant our request but as any good father would if we ask for something that isn't in our best interest he may not give us what we think we want. So I'll leave you all with a verse:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New International Version) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Dread....and Excitement!

Yes its true. I am dreading saying goodbye to my friends, my family and my amazing boyfriend. I keep reminding myself that its not 4 years all at once that I'll be away. Its truly only 4 months away then 1 month home. Then 4 months away then 3 months home. Then repeat the process 4 times. I know I'll survive and I know that God has amazing things in store for me out there. As the dread and apprehension increase so does my excitement to experience something new. I've already started getting to know so many amazing people that will be attending Gordon with me in the fall and i know that Im going to get along with them all splendidly. In all of this God knows my heart, my emotions, my setbacks and my hopes. The things I'll long for, the things I'll miss, The people my heart will ache to see. The new things that will make me smile, laugh, the new friends I'll make, the wonderful experiences I'll have and the spiritual growth i'll experience there in a thriving community of believers. So now at the end of my rambling I'll simply say that I know Gods in control, keep living for him :) God bless you!