Go With the Flow

Listening to? Glow -Britt Nicole

Smelling? Both the vanilla and cappuccino scented candles in my room. and something weird too, not sure what that is.

I think I may have a problem.

I can be pretty stubborn.

It's not that I've just realized this,

I just came to the conclusion that maybe it's not a good thing.

You see, I'm an only child. That can cause some problems with sharing and allowing others to have their way when making plans or other such things. Don't get me wrong! I love hanging out and doing what others do, but usually I like to go by my ideas of what we should do. Like for example, I hateeee spending money to do basically anything. It gets kinda hard to have fun when you don't like to go out and do anything. Now, I will spend a pretty penny on food, but that's my weakness. :) The movies really aren't my favorite thing because they're so expensive, if you want to go to the nice ones. I wait for movies to get into the dollar theater. And even then it's rare that I'll go see one. This weekend I'm going bowling. It's decently expensive too, unfortunately. But I'm super excited.

Anyways, so. Are you stubborn about anything? (like me) Or do you just go with the flow? I was thinking today, that the extreme of either is not good. Mostly, the extreme of anything is never good.

Example? Too much food vs. too little food.

Well this one is a little bit obvious. Too much food is very unhealthy,

Too little, is also unhealthy, maybe even more so.

Too stubborn vs. going with the flow

Stubbornism never ever gets you anywhere. Not being open to listen to what people

have to say does you absolutely no good and only gets people mad at you.

Going with the flow shows little character and belief in yourself and whatever you've

put your faith in.

Too much power vs. no say in anything

Well, let's just look at government. It's my opinion that if the gov. has it's hand in too

many public affairs things just don't go right. Ever heard of laizze-faire? That's when

the government lets things go their own way. It means "to let be".

No say in anything, kinda like the government having too much power. If one person

or one group of people have all the power and no one else has the say in anything

things don't turn out well.

One thing I have realized, though, is that you CANNOT have too much faith.

Isaiah 7:7- ".. if you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on."

Matthew 8: 10- (This verse is sad to me,) "Those who grew up 'in the faith', but had no faith will find themselves out in in the cold, outsiders to grace and wondering what happened."

(have you made your faith your own?)

Luke 7:50- "Your faith has saved you."

Luke 17:5- The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith."

May i just say, the verse above, is beautiful.

That's my daily prayer. I hope it's yours too. :)

Have a great weekend.

Holey Jeans, Boys, the Bible, Bestfriends and of Course, the Cops.

"What is he doing?" That's what I said to my best friend when a gorgeous mustang convertible pulled into the parking lot. "Let's get back in your car," and she scrambled for the keys. Eventually the cops followed us.
I really had missed hanging out with her. And talking to her. And, just in general, having a blast with her. That's why we used to be best best best friends. I think we might be getting back to that. :)
I love the suspense of TPing, and saran (however it's spelled) wrapping your friends cars and writing on the windows with window paint. Especially on a Friday night.. after you've just spent two hours eating chocolate and playing MarioKart.

I also love the Bible, most of all.

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
-Isaiah 40:28

You can't tell me that's not just beautiful.

Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up you will get the wind knowched out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.
-Matthew 23: 11-12

How's that for God pointing a finger right at all of us?

so, about boys?
Us girls have the ultimate Boy pursuing us.

Jesus Christ.

What're we doing, chasing guys when God, our Father has everything all planned out for us? He's right now, currently, working in the life of the guy he has for you. He's transforming him and testing him and blessing him and just making him into the only guy we will ever fit together perfectly with.
Follow Jesus. Pursue Him.
I read an amazing book called "Authentic Beauty" by Leslie Ludy. It talks about how she really met God, and her true Prince, and about how forgiving He is and just how he loves us. Here's her websiteee. It beautiful. :)

http://setapartgirl.com

Ever Had That Feeling?..

What's your favorite thing to feel? I love that feeling of just waking up, and the blinds are open and the sun is just shining in on you. It's the warmth of a summer day just beginning, with new opportunities right at your doorstep; you're free to choose and jump right in.

Or the feeling of a late night with your friends, where you've all just talked and laughed and shared with each other. Happiness. When I was in middle school my friends and I were in contest for choir, and we sang the song from Charlie Brown called "Happiness". I can't remember all of it, but some of it went like this:

Happiness is two kinds of ice cream,
knowing a secret,
climbing a tree.

Happiness is five different crayons,
catching a firefly,
setting him free.

For happiness is anyone and anything at all
that's loved by you.


How cute is that? I could really use two kinds of ice cream, five crayons and a firefly right now? What about you? I wish I could go back to being a kid, not worrying about the exams I have coming up this friday, and not worrying about what I eat, or how many calories I've burned today. Who cares what you wear and how your hair looks? It's not gonna matter in the future. I wish I could look at the whole picture sometimes.

This last Sunday we watched a video in church about relationships. Something that the guy teaching the lesson said was that if we could all learn and live by this one phrase, our lives would go so much smoother.

"It's not about me."

In 2011, I am going to try to live by that. Of course, I'm going to make many mistakes, as I already have. I've been forgive though. So have you. I'm going to look at the big picture. I hope you'll join me. :)

Bless Your Name

No matter what,

I will choose to

Bless Your Name.

The book of James: Day 4

Today I read James 2:14-26. The title of this section in the three versions I read in are "Faith in Action", "Faith without Good Deeds is Dead", and "Faith and Deeds". These verses can often be very comfusing. Because doesn't everyone tell us that it's our faith that gets us to Heaven and it's not by anything that we do? It's true. There is nothing you can do to get into Heaven other than accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and commit your life to him. That's just step one though.
Step two involves a little more work. How do you prove to people that you are a Christian? Just sitting there isn't going to convince anyone that you truely believe and that you're different from the rest of the world. In the Message it says that even talking about faith doesn't show that you really are faithful. The Bible goes on to talk about telling a friend who doesn't have addequite clothing or food that just telling them that you hope they stay warm and are well fed isn't going to do anything for them. You must be the hands and feel of Jesus and give them these things, by which you are proving your faith.
The most tricky thing about all this is that you must have faith. You can't just have deeds. The Book says "But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons delieve that-- and shudder." (James 2:18 and 19)
This illistrates that just because you believe there's only one God you obviously don't go to Heaven based on that believe because the demons are not in Heaven. Deeds show that you have faith. The Bible talks about a couple examples. One being Abraham and the other being Rahab.
The final verse in this section says "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

The Book of James: Day 3

Today we're reading James 2:1-13. This passage is about treating everyone the same, no matter how much they have or how popular they are or whatever. It askes, "Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" (James 2:6 and 7.) In one of my Bibles on the side it askes if we treat people different if they're popular or prettier than everyone else. So I'll ask myself that question. Do I? Well, I'd have to say I used to. I always wanted to be well-liked by the 'popular' girls in my grade, but now I could care less if they like me or not. Don't get my wrong, I'm still just as nice to them as everyone else, but I don't care what they think of me or the choices I make anymore.
These verses also talk about all sins being the same in the eye's of God. The same God who said not to commit adultery also said not to murder, so if you commit one, you also commit the other. That even goes for small sins. If you lie, you commit murder. He considers saying that you hate soeone commiting murder, and looking at someone else's spouse is adultery. They are all the same.
In the Message version this is my favorite verse in this passage: "For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy winds over harsh judgement every time." (James 2:13) So if we think that by judging someone you are getting yourself somewhere, we are completely wrong. That's definitly a lesson I can apply to my life.

The Book of James: Day 2

In day two of this study we are reading James 1:19-27. It's titled "Act on What Your Hear" or "Listening and Doing". In my NIV Bible it says that the verse everyone should try to memorize is this:
"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, whic can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so decieve yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:21-22 NIV.
Here's what it is in the NLT: "So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves."
Message: "So throw out all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let out gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other."
I am going to try to memorize that verse in the NIV, because I like that one the best. Usually the NLT is my favorite, but it make smore sense to me this time in the other version.
Another thing I think is something to remember in this passage is the very first verse. It is definitly a hard one to follow. Here it is in the NLT:
"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." James 1:19.
I guess I'm quick to listen most of the time.. and usually I think about what I say before I say it, but sometimes I let Satan get the best of me. I say things I don't mean to in my head.. but God still hears them. To Him it's as if I said whatever it is that I thought. And I know a lot of people get angry pretty easily. I've been known to do that, too. So I guess those are all things I need to ask God for help with. But like the verses said yesterday, ask Him for help and He will help you. Our God loves to help.