Pressing On

"Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffereings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but on thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 3:8-14 NKJV - Italics and Bold mine)

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God gave me this Scripture tonight through the obedience of a lady at my church. God is so faithful to me. I praise Him for speaking to my heart. The last few days my heart has been yearning to know Jesus more, in the power of His resurrection but also in the fellowship of His sufferings. I want my life to be lived so that others can see Jesus in me. Many times I feel so discouraged and disappointed at my failures and shortcomings, my lack of passion for Jesus Christ. But I've been reminded that God delights in new beginnings. He doesn't give up when we fail. He doesn't throw the clay away. His grace is greater than my sin. And I was reminded that I don't need to do more. I need to worship more. I need to sit at His feet more. Love more. It's not about checking off the lists. It's not about appearing perfect to others. It's not even about saying all the right words at the right time. It's about Him. It's about the time we spend with Him. It's about allowing Him to live through me.

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"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

(Matt. 6:33 NKJV)

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Seeking...

Happy Year of Newness

I just HAD to post one more time in 2009.

Hehe.

2009 - The year where I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God knows me. Me. Little me with my happy and sad times. He was/is/will be so faithful. God is too wise to make a mistake and too good to be unkind. You know, I think I can trust Him. With everything. And I do.

2010 - ???

but I do know that He is already there.

Christmas 09

Our ideal Christmas is spent at home. Sleep in. Big Breakfast. Gifts. Big Meal. Games. Being Together.

Dad's gag gift from Andrew: Red Plastic Cups and Plates! Great Value even! :P

Hmmm...wonder what this could be? I'm such a clever wrapper!

Gifts from Dad and Mom - this is all too much!!

A wonderful Christmas day being with the ones I love remembering the One who gave His love.

No Skeletons

I checked.

This was my closet this morning:

Several bags of trash and Goodwill stuff later --- this is my closet now! :)

Much better!!

just read it and you'll find out ;)

Well it is nearly Monday morning.

What a sleepy weekend I've had. I finally succumbed and went to the doctor on Friday and got an antibiotic, and subsequently felt much worse on Saturday, but alas I felt some better today. Ah - the joys of sickness. I have been sleeping a lot which is rather nice seeing that I haven't gotten much the last few weeks.

One more exam. A few more chapters of reading. A portfolio to turn in. Financial registration to sign. And then I'm DONE! With my 7th semester of college!!! Wahoo!!!

My dear aunt Brenda bought me Avalon's Christmas CD which I LOVE! Oh and I uploaded 50 of my favorite Christmas songs, and I stopped at 50 cuz it is such a nice number.

Our Christmas tree is finally decorated. *YAY* And Dad and I watched It's a Wonderful Life last night. Such a wonderful movie - for real - I love it.

The big news is I'm working FULL TIME over Christmas break. Yep - not sure how I'm gonna make it either. I love my breaks. Oh well, I need the money to pay my bills. I am now officially hired by an Ameriprise Financial Advisor. I'm really excited about this new chapter of my life!

I'm kinda saddened because on Tuesday, I will be saying goodbye to two dear friends for quite some time. :( Ah - change is not always easy.

But Thursday, Mom and I are going out on the town. Here's a hint - we will be on Elm Street in Cincy and I'm wearing my new gold sequined heels. ;) Hey I just paid like $7.50 for them and you should have seen the shoes my friend Rach bought! ;)

Sometimes it is so nice to get on here and just type whatever comes to your brain. Lol.

I wish you all, dear friends, a LOVELY week. :D

Mi Familia

Family is:

where probably 90% of you drink coffee - enough to keep two coffee pots busy.

when you play 31 games of Uno, mostly the "crazy" type till after 1 in the morning.

Family is driving through the snow once, turning back, and trying again.

Family is singing, playing, clapping, and occassionly clogging.

Family is sitting around camp, eating ham sandwiches and chips, with the snow falling outside.

Family is crowding 9 people and a dog into a Jeep in order to get across the creek.

Family is getting with cousins, laughing and joking, and jumping over chairs (for some).

Family is setting the camera on a rock on the self-timer setting, and scrambling over rocks to get in place before the picture takes.

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you as you are to them." - Desmond Tutu

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you." - Kendall Hailey

"When you look at life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." - Joyce Brothers

[Brain] Storm

...

So many thoughts

a crashin' in my head

...

A Little Heart-talk

~Cinnamin Toast Crunch makes for a tasty snack. Selah and the Isaacs make for some good listening, and sing-along music. I'm glad to be home. :)

~Just wrapped up a 20.55 hour work week at Panera Bread. Larry and Sandy, a dear couple who are regulars at work, don't know how I'm making it. I tell them that it is by God's strength and His alone. One of my work buddies asked me to pray for his girlfriend who got beat up by her ex. My manager apologizes for his cursing. Another regular Pete, says I'm such a good girl that he can't help but tip me. (I think the bag of goodies I give him help too. lol.) I tell him that I'm only a good girl because I serve a good God. Another guy invites me to go out and smoke with them or just bring food out and be with them. I politely decline. My mind thinks of the verse in Matthew: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (5:16 KJV). Now, I'm not sharing all this to boast. I'm just humbled that God is using me to be a light in a very dark world. I'm even more determined to represent Him well and to do all for His glory.

~I'm so thankful that I serve a God who hears my prayers. I was so blessed on Sunday as Mr. Wolf and the choral ensemble sang that song with the band.

Yes I know He hears my prayer, and He knows my every care. Jesus gives, gives to me, victory blessed victory. Praise the Lord, I feel Him now. Loyalty I to Him vow. Yes I know, Savior hears, I know He hears my prayer.

~Wow! I want to experience more of the power of prayer in my own life, because I know God wants to hear from me. He cares about me and my problems. And in Him, I can find peace in every situation.

~I'm just feeling thankful and blessed tonight, and I wanted to share. God is so good all the time. I'm finding Him to be all that I need. I'm thankful for His Word. I'm learning to let it guide my life, my thinking, and my actions. I'm thankful for the people God has placed in my life - to encourage me, challenge me, laugh and cry with me. I so appreciate the family of God.

~Well, just wanted to share from my heart tonight....

You know...

I should blog more.

I really miss it.

I miss the mountains...

Was it really a week ago that I was on my way to WV? Goodness the time flies. Well, I have been to WV and back - climbed a mountain (well, the trails, at least), walked in the creek (loved that!), played some music, talked and laughed with family, and ate lots of yummy food! Some pics:

The "Rocks" (Seneca)

Lee and I wearing our cousin's firemen coats. Isn't that cool - they are younger than me and on the volunteer fire department!

Katie, Emily, and I - in the creek! :)

The view from the top of the Rocks.

This week has been busy - I'm looking forward to being HOME tomorrow night! :)

I just want to say that I am so blessed to be surrounded by awesome people. From my immediate family to extended family, my teachers and GBS administrators and staff, my friends and classmates, church family - I'm truly blessed to have you all in my life! :)

Well, the hour is quite late and I need to go to bed. I must have a profitable day tomorrow if I'm going to have a successful week. It's just hard being disciplined! lol.

I bid thee all a good night.