Give Thanks

You know i think that i sang a song in choir at one point in time titled "Give Thanks". But that has nothing to do with anything. I havent written in forever!! So sorry about that. I am not in school, but somehow i find my life still busy at times, which is crazy. But- this week has been a great break, even tho i have all the other time off too. Reflecting back yesterday on what i am thankful for. There is so much- i mean really, nothing on this earth is ours. "From him, through him, and to him are all things". Thats such a huge concept and i find myself losing humlity when i get caught up with this world. But the truth is we deserve nothing. Without Christ in our lives, we are worthless. But Praise be to God!! Through Christ we are made righteous, holy, blameless- a perfect 10 in Gods eyes. How incredible is that. How great is His love for us. I love the lyrics that claim "You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same, You are amazing God!!" Even our deepest, darkest secrets that we are too ashamed to reveal to anyone on this earth- our Father, the King of all creation(!!), sees the secrets in our hearts, and He still chose to send His Son and offer us His everlasting love and grace. And once we step out in Faith and choose to follow and love and trust him we are completely perfect covered in Christ's blood. Amen to that!! and oh how easy it is to revert back to our flesh and to search for acceptance and to be bound by the law, but even then, we forget we can do nothing for ourselves. No matter how hard we try to do the right thing or how far away we are from doing the right thing, we are covered in His blood. Once we accept Him, we are righteous because He lives in us, not because of what we do or do not do. What a relief!!! Nothing I do can change that. I am a daughter of the King, an heir to His kingdom!! Wow, what a wonderful truth to rest in. "Be still and know that I am God" He is good, and He is FAITHFUL. so faithful. Thank you Lord for pursuing me and protecting me. Thank you for holding me in the palm of your hand. Thank you for offering Your Son to stand in my place. You must increase Father, and I must decrease. Mold me, shape me, use me to bring all the glory to Your name. You truly are an amazing God.

Kickoff

It's almost 2:30-- almost time for kickoff. oh how i wish i was at the game!! i had been planning on going, but head has been really bad the past week. i even went to bed super early last night, and still woke up with my head throbbing. So anyways, i hope all of you yell super loud and i know it will be a good game. Sad i'm not there with all of you. Oh if only the healthy decision were the funnest decision as well. I guess thats part of the french saying "say la vie". i have no clue if i spelled that right. doesnt matter. peaceout and WAR EAGLE!!!!!!

Encouragement

I was looking through my Bible that I used my senior year in highschool. It is an interesting story of how i got that Bible, and it's affect on me. Going into our senior year, our sunday school teacher at church told us if we read the entire New Testament by January (it was aug. when he said this) he would take us on a ski trip, for free. He said he would pay for whoever read through the entire New Testament. Can yall believe that?? He then gave our entire sunday school class brand new bibles (there was around 25 people in my grade). He gave us a few quizes along the way, which were simple and proved whether or not we had read. I still can't believe this, but when it came down to it at the end, there was only a few who had read all the way through. It was either six or seven of us, i can't remember which. Thats like 20% who took him up on his offer. I still can't believe everyone didnt do it. I mean come on- all you have to do is read through it in five months- and yet only a few finished. But anyways that is how i came to own this particular bible. He bought New Living Translations, which I enjoyed thoroughly, simply because I had only studied NIV up until then. So anyways, this was my bible my senior year in high school. I was looking through it -sometimes I like to look at it along with my bible before that and try to get back into the mindset of a highschooler- that way it is easier for me to identify with the youth, atleast to some extent- so i was perusing this bible and i came across an outline I had made for a "lesson" that i had given. I say "lesson" because it was basically a bible study afterschool on friday afternoons. It simply was a group of kids who met up and spent their afternoon talking about the Lord, but one person would give their "lesson" which then lead us into whatever the discussion was for that week. Ok, sorry, all that to say I found my outline for the week that I led. I talked about prayer and encouragement. It was so interesting that the words and scripture I had put together actually ministered to my heart two years later. So I just thought that was cool and thought i would share the scripture. I was talking just about the seasons of life. Then I quoted from the movie walk to remember- "without suffering there is no compassion". I feel like this is just so true. Until you have to fight for something, or even lose it, you never know how much you love it until that moment. That is just one of the reasons that we should take joy in our trials. Then I had written down 1 peter 1:7....let me share verses 3-7. I found it quite encouraging earlier today:
3All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.
7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Yes, so 17 year old me ministered to 19 year old me- funny how those kind of things happen. Sorry if its not that excting to all of you, but i found it rather exciting myself. Just to be reassured of exactly how sovereign the God that we serve is, and hearing His gentle whisper telling me that He truly is omnipotent.

P.S.

so apparently alot of you had blogs and i didnt even know it. I put up links to those of you who i know have a blog.....if you're not up there, its bc i dont know it!! so let me know ok?? i love being able to keep up with yall through this, so yes that is all i have to say for now :)

what is going on??

Ok so, earlier today, I typed up this whole long post....i havent put anything up in a while, so i click on publish post and then i lose my internet connection....and nothing was saved!!! now this really is just something that you're like man and move on, BUT this is like the fifth time this has happened to me! how crazy is that! and frustrating. Now i must confess I am extremely frustrated with my head. If I have nothing I want to go do, then I feel great. But, if I have stuff that I want to do, it begins to hurt so bad. Now, sometimes I just push through and all is well, but sometimes it is just so bad, i know if i try to do anything, then it will just continue to get worse and worse. I am going to see the doctor tomorow morning. (very early i might add) so maybe i will have good results from that. Let's hope so. So I can't even remember what I posted earlier that got erased. I havent posted in so long, I have like fifty things I've been wanting to write down, but everytime I actually sit down I can't remember what I wanted to say. I will say that most of you know that I'm like obsessed with the tv show Lost. Now recently i think about it and try to figure everything out all the time. And the show is a bit wierd/scary so thinkin about all of it a lot....I end up dreaming about it, and end up have nightmares (literally) concerning Lost plus my brain always adds something else scary to it as well. I know, it sounds pathetic, but it is the truth. Well, the other day, the Lord was like, "you sure are spending a whole lot of time over that silly show"-- and i was like, yea, guilty as charged. Now I know that I am spending too much time thinking over it- the Lord totally called me out. I know this all sounds like Christy come on. But just like you can become caught up in work, a sport, well I got caught up in Lost- sad but true. The funny thing is even though i know I'm spending way to much time, and i need to step way back, I'm like God- i love it tho, i mean do i really need to back off?? When i step back from the situation, I look at it, and I'm like Christy, let it go. But for some silly reason i dont. Now i know this is all over a simple tv show, I jsut think its funny how i'm so unwilling to give all that time i have wasted and will continue to waste, to give it back to the Lord. Oh how our flesh gets caught up in the smallest things, then doesnt want to let go, even when we know it is wrong. So, i thought i would just share a silly example of something that I am unwilling to let go. It's ok, you can go ahead and laugh at me- even i am laughing at myself. So I dont really know why I shared that with all of you, its not like some huge epiphany, but oh well, i already typed it all so why go back and delete it. Well my head is hurting pretty bad so i think i'm going to go lay down. Maybe I will come back a little later and post some of the more serious stuff that has been on my heart. I hope all of you had a great weekend-- from what i gather, EVERYONE pretty much went to athens for the game. Hope it was fun, i enjoyed it on tv :) war eagle baby!!

Airplane...

( I took this picture in the plane on my way to michigan...i love this picture, especially when i look at it and think about this song, so i thought i would share with all of you)

In an airplane

I take the window seat

A thousand feet

And all I know shrinks in minutes

And when the sky is gray

I want to believe

That when the sun is hiding

It still exists

In an airplane

Are kings and common men

At the window side by side

Their view is now the same

Some relax and rest their eyes

Some sit on the edge

As we all break through the clouds

Into the light of day

Mountain tops peak through

This is where I see you

I've never seen a clearer blue

This is where I see you

Leave behind your busy life

All you have is who you are

Space like this is hard to find

So breathe it in

Someone will say,

"Where are you headed?"

And it might be the first time

You ever thought about it

Mountain tops peak through

This is where I see you

I've never seen a clearer blue

This is where I see you

A baby's talking two rows behind me

The sun just set for the second time today

You seem to use the smallest things around me

To get me to this place

Mountain tops peak through

This is where I see you

I've never seen a clearer blue

This is where I see you

Isaiah 26:8

So i finally am going to post what i've been wanting to talk about since last Sunday. Last Saturday night, I came up to auburn and had some amazing time just sitting around with people I love, talking about the Lord and what He is up to in each of our lives.

I was reading up on some of the postings in other’s blog ( a pass time I have found I quite enjoy). Katie B had written this, and I wanted to let it just introduce all that I am fixing to write—“The heartbeats are the same because the Father is the same Father who wills and works in each believer for His purposes great (for His glory!) and small.” How true is that?!?! Now, for what has been on my heart:

The week before last the Lord was just teaching me (yet again) 2 Cor. 12 “His power is made perfect in my weakness” My weakness—well there are so many to choose from, but right now I was specifically thinking about my head. Lord, how in the world can you use my head to reveal YOUR power and glory? That was the question in my head. So when I came to auburn, I went and talked to Stephanie for a good while. I was telling her everything on my heart, and she was like dude—we totally talked about all that at encounter this past Thursday. So we continued our conversation as the Lord just laid out His AMAZING truth.

Then I went on to see a whole bunch of you hanging out, and after that, Lauren and Robin and I went back to my apartment and sat at my kitchen table talking about, yes you guessed it, Jesus and all his greatness :). The Lord was moving, and all three of us had to step back for a sec- literally all of our heads were just spinning because of everything He was doing in that moment. So this amazing fellowship continued for about four hours. Then I went to bed and woke up around 5:30 a.m. My mind was still processing everything we had discussed, so I pulled out the journal and just started writing; here is what came out—

God you are so big. Why do we put You in a box?? Why am I so scared of what all you can do when I begin to take that box away. Why are so many of us scared of the Almighty power of the Lord?? You have brought us LIFE, so that we can have life to the FULL!! (John 10:10). Bethany Dillon wrote a song called “Revaloutionaries”—the lyrics are as follows:

Many have traveled this road before

I see their tracks in the dirt

But maybe I don’t agree

With where they are leading

And who am I, just a youth

But why has that become the excuse

A monotone voice

In my head saying

Dreaming all the time

It’s so foolish

Your flood of empty words

Will drown you in ruin

So we listen

Should we listen.

They shake their heads

As they drive away in the bandwagon

Didn’t feel like hitching a ride

Oh, but I’ll be fine

Some nights it’s hard to be alone

I want some kind of kinship

But the finish line

It drives me on

When they say.

Dreaming all the time

It’s so foolish

Your flood of empty words

Will drown you in ruin

So we listen

Should we listen

Come with me

They’ll call us revolutionaries

Come with me

They’ll call us revolutionaries

Revolutionaries, Revolutionaries

Dreaming all the time

It’s not foolish

Your flood of life giving words

They will refresh, they will refresh

Dreaming all the time

It’s not foolish

Your flood of life giving words

They will refresh

Should we listen

Revolutionaries.

Wow- I think that song does a great job of describing OUR generation. He is SO big—so much bigger than Auburn or Montgomery or Chelsea, Michigan. His GLORY is being spread throughout ALL the earth. “For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth” (Ps. 57:10-11) So many times the Lord is moving in all of you, and even me being a bit removed from all of you, our hearts always line up, learning the same exact things. We are called to walk in the Spirit, but that road calls for surrender daily, hourly, minutely even. God is moving, all over the earth, but I can tangibly see it here in Auburn. He is calling out to our hearts and we are responding!! And that is amazing.
Be still and KNOW; Lord I want to go at everything, both arms swinging, but its so important to step back and simply let YOUR plan, YOUR sovereignty, YOUR love, YOUR GRACE!! Simply rest in Your promises and find Your PEACE. What an amazing place—our hearts are at home! So for the next few hours I am going to rest in Him and KNOW with all my heart that He has me in the palm of His hand.

So that is where the Lord had me last Sunday morning—then Andy talked about letting the Lord be the Good Shepherd that morning in church, how important it is to surrender and let Him do what we cannot. And yet again on Thursday at Encounter- Be still and know—and only then can we ask ‘what do You want to do in and through me, so the world will know you and give the glory to You alone.’ Then the prayer offered over us by the couple from Venezuela- “May God be released in a generation who can do ANYTHING. We already have all the potential that we need in us so that Christ can move through us.”

Let me restate KtB’s thought again—“The heartbeats are the same because the Father is the same Father who wills and works in each believer for His purposes great (for His glory!) and small.” Pretty cool huh?? Sorry that this post was really long; I hope the Lord spoke to you somehow, someway through this whole thing, especially since you read all the way to here :)

God is on the move; He is calling out to the hearts of our generation. He wants to do MAJOR things IN and THROUGH us. Christ is on mission through us. "The creation awaits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed." The Lord needs hearts that can manifest His glory His way.

“Your NAME and RENOWN are the desires of our hearts”

helloooo!

Can yall believe i havent posted anything all week long!! ha its amazing :) Well- did you know that there are over 10 million blogs out there?? thats insane. So i thought i would play history teacher for a bit- did you know that today in history:


1493
Christopher Columbus arrives at the Caribbee Isles (Dominica) during his second expedition.
1507
Leonardo da Vinci is commissioned to paint Lisa Gherardini ("Mona Lisa").
1529
The first parliament for five years opens in England and the Commons put forward bills against abuses amongst the clergy and in the church courts.
1794
Thomas Paine is released from a Parisian jail with help from the American ambassador James Monroe. He was arrested for having offended the Robespierre faction.
1813
American troops destroy the Indian village of Tallushatchee in the Mississippi Valley.
1868
Ulysses S. Grant elected the 18th president of the United States.
1883
A poorly trained Egyptian army, led by British General William Hicks, marches toward El Obeid in the Sudan--straight into a Mahdist ambush and massacre.
1883
The U.S. Supreme Court declares American Indians to be "dependent aliens."
1896
William McKinley is elected 25th president of the United States.
1912
The first all-metal plane flies near Issy, France, piloted by Ponche and Prinard.
1918
The German fleet at Kiel mutinies. This is the first act leading to Germany's capitulation in World War I.
1921
Milk drivers on strike dump thousands of gallons of milk onto New York City's streets.
1935
Left-wing groups in France form the Socialist and Republican Union.
1957
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik II with the dog Laika, the first animal in space, aboard.
1964
Lyndon B. Johnson is elected the 36th president of the United States.
1964
Robert Kennedy, brother of the slain president, is elected as a senator from New York.
1983
Jesse Jackson announces his candidacy for the office of president of the United States.
1992
Arkansas Governor Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton is elected 42nd president of the United States.

I always thought those were so interesting. sorry if you felt like this post is boring. I have ALOT on my heart right now. but im kinna still processing it, so im going to wait before i put it down in words. I came to auburn this past weekend-- it was so amazing to just be back in our community!! it was so good to laugh!!! i really have missed each of you so much. Im headed to encounter tonight (YAY!!) I cant wait to see what the Lord has instore for tonight. He has been working so much in me this week. I'm kind of scared to go simply because all that has to happen is just barely scratch the surface and i lose it- but there is also something so comforting to just be compeletely physically, emtionally overwhelmed and just loosing it and giving it up and then to just sit right at His feet. To let Him hold me in the palm of His hand, tell me its going to be alright. So, I am going to end it here for now. I pray that the Lord is teaching all of you amazing things, and that you will see his pursuit of you. bc wow, when you do-- well it blows me away. God is good- he is so good and so faithful. well, i think thats a pretty good thought to end on :) hope you all are having an awesome week. love yall!!
~christy~