This past year.

I welcomed in the year in Hong Kong.
Finished my 3rd year of college..started my 4th.
had knee surgery.
became a youth leader
realized even more my need for my Savior
made some awesome friends
said goodbye to some amazing friends
played guitar in front of people for the first time
got a new roommate..2 actually
began my career in dog sitting lol
went down 2 pants sizes! woohoo
decided that I might just go to seminary
fell in love with Jesus even more than before

decisions...

So I graduate college in about a year (December '10) and I have been thinking a lot lately about what I should do after. I think God wants me to go to grad school or seminary. I am having a tough time making a decision on where to go and what to study. Here is what I am looking at..

stay at CIU and do the one year Masters of Bible Teaching

or possibly another program at CIU.

Go to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and possibly study student ministry..a 2-3 year degree

Go to North Greenville University for their Masters of Christian Ministry Degree..a 1-2 year degree.

I am kinda ruling out CIU, because it's the most expensive option. SEBTS is the cheapest, but NGU isn't much more. I am kinda leaning towards NGU, but I want to learn more about their program and talk to some students and see what its like.

My other thoughts of what to do after undergrad are..

the Journeyman program with the IMB..its a 2-3 year oversee's commitment.

to to East Asia and teach english..which is a year commitment at a time..and I can stay as long as I want.

go straight to the mission field..not sure with who or how or where.

I know I do not want to get a 9-5, or any "real job"

..thats not me. God has other plans for my life...i think..im pretty sure

pray for direction and guidance..and patience..because I want an answer now..but I know it will come in God's time.

also, I would like to hear your feedback..what do you think? Any other suggestions? Comments..anything.

wow..can I just say that God is super cool.

I just opened my email in a new window, and I receive a daily devotional thing..and it was talking about the future and how it is in God's hands. AMAZING! awesome timing.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." - Psalm 32:8

Be thankful

I am thankful for…

my salvation..my Savior loves me enough to take on my sin and die on a cross for me.

my family..they are crazy but I love them

socks..they keep my feet warm

music.

football.

rainy days

a place to live

my school

God's provision

orange juice

friends

trees

my guitars

the ability to learn

the privilege to live in a country where I can worship Jesus freely and I do not have to worry about my life being taken from me

God's grace..oh how I need it

bagels and cream cheese

the ability to run and play sports

beautiful cloudless skies

a super awesome church family..-they are the best..for real

passion for teenagers

electricity

the ability to cook

swimming pools on hot summer days

a job

coffee

my car

a bed to sleep in

cereal

sweet tea

the youth group I work with

clean drinking water

Gamecock football

awesome professors to learn from and to be mentored by

quiet, cool fall mornings

the mountains

orange jello

This is just a short list. God has given me so much to be thankful for. During this thanksgiving season think about, even write down the things you are thankful for, even the small things..like orange jello :-)

I am redeemed!

Redeem

-to buy back

-to free from what harms

-to atone for

-to remove the obligation of payment

I owed a huge debt that I could not repay. This debt was to God. He required perfection. I am flawed and sinful. I had no chance of paying this debt. There was one person who was able to pay it. His name, Jesus. He lived a perfect life. He was flawless. Never once did He sin. Therefore, Jesus was able free us from the damnation of hell that we deserve. It is because Jesus shed His blood, died on the cross and rose again, that our sins are taken care of.

Isn't awesome that God LOVES us that much that He is willing to sacrifice His son as the payment for OUR sin?

I love this song. The words are powerful and they are so true in my own life.

When I think of all my faults and my failures

When I consider all the times I’ve let God down

I’m humbled by the grace he has extended

I’m amazed at the mercy I have found

I could never earn His love on my own

Yet every time I come before His throne

Chorus:

I stand redeemed by the blood of the lamb

I stand redeemed before the great I am

When He looks at me He see the nailed scarred hands

That bought my liberty, I stand redeemed

Even at my best I am unworthy

I have nothing precious I can give

A broken life is all I have to offer

And yet it is a priceless gift to Him

The bitter mark of sin will never fade away

But I can come before Him unashamed

I screw up.. a lot. I let God down plenty. I don't like that I do, but I am just human so it happens. His grace, His unmerited favor, is awesome. It amazes me that His love for me is that great. I have nothing but my brokenness to offer God, and the cool thing is, that He accepts that. He uses my brokenness. WOW. What an awesome God. Because of the blood of the lamb, because of the nail scarred hands, I stand redeemed!!

My friend,

are you redeemed? Have you accepted that grace that God so freely offers?

If your saying no, then please, allow Him to redeem you. He will do awesome things in your life!

Facing Your Giants

I found the book Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado a few weeks ago at walmart for 5 bucks. although ive got very little money, this was one book i couldnt pass up. I have been wanting to read this book and for 5 bucks, that was a steal!
anyway i started reading it last week. and wow its awesome! It was really spoken to me. I decided to write this blog b/c 1. it will help me to process and better learn and remember what I read, and 2.maybe it will encourage someone. idk but anyway
The first chapter is called facing your giants. Lucado tells the story of David and Goliath in a way that is just awesome to read. He makes a few points that stuck out to me. When we are faced with a problem is that all we see, or do we see God in the midst of it? When David faced Goliath, he faced Him in the power of God Almighty. None of the other Isrealites bothered to even mention God. We have to focus on God not on our problems. We must remain God-focued, not giant-focused.

Another point that Lucado mentions that I loved is that David majored in God. He say the giant, yet He saw God even more so!

1 Samuel 17:45 (New International Version)

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

To many times we run away from our “giants” when what we need to do is run towards them and do so with a “God-saturated soul.” David ran quickly towards Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:48). The only way to face our giants is to do so with our focus on God. In 2 Samuel David makes only 2 statements regarding Goliath, yet he makes 9 statements about God. Clearly David’s focus was on God and not Goliath! Lucado asks the question, “Do you ponder God’s grace four times as much as you ponder your guilt?” That question made me think. I am one who ponders over guilt again and again. It is something the devil uses to bring me away from God. I was challenged to be mindful of God’s grace and not to forget it and to think on it rather than on all the times I’ve screwed up. I can’t let guilt keep me from being who God wants me to be. That is something that God starting teaching me last semester and I am continuing to learn that lesson!

The last thing that Lucado says that I love is this phrase-

Focus on giants-you stumble

Focus on God-you giants tumble

God can make us people to overcome and defeat giants just like He did with David. That excites me! I am glad to know that I serve a God who can help me overcome the “giants” in my life.

Well, that’s just what I learned from chapter 1. I may write more in the future on the rest chapters. We’ll see!!