Blessings

As I come to the end of the new year and the beginning of a blog I tend to think back on my past year. This year was full of change to say the least. I graduated from high school, started college and began, essentially, a new life! There were a few things that I learned specifically this past year.

1) I learned that just because you leave a place and move on to a different time in your life doesn’t mean that you can’t still love it and respect the memories that you had there. Let me explain. For a long time I looked to the past and longed for it. I didn’t want change, in fact I dreaded it. It took a long time for me to appreciate and be thankful for my past and to look to the future instead of wishing for memories to come again.

2) I learned that if friends are real you don’t need to do anything to keep them. Friends are tough to figure out. Sometimes they can be moody, and sometimes they can be a pain, but if they’re real friends they’ll  never leave. I’ve been blessed with a lot of real friends. I’ve lost some friends this past year, but I’ve become closer to others, and being able to acknowledge and appreciate that is important.

3) Most importantly, I learned to trust God all the more. I found out this year that I may not always be sure about where my life is going to go or what I’m going to do in the future, but that doesn’t matter. All I need to know is that I have a heavenly Father that I can trust. He will not let me fall, and He will never leave me or forsake me. Knowing that awesome truth can give peace to my heart even when there are storms in my life.

I am so thankful for this year, for the lessons I have learned and for the God that has seen me through. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in my life during the next year and the years to come. 

Light up the sky

When we feel all alone and we feel as if we have no where else to go we know that God will always come close to us. He can light up the sky, figuratively, to show us that He is all around us. Without Him we would not be able to live or see where we are going. We would be completely lost without Christ in our life. However, we need to always have faith in Him. Sometimes we will have doubt but Christ will always be able to pull us through. Trust in Him and He will never, ever let you down.

Light Up the Sky :: The Afters

When I’m feeling all alone and so far to go
The signs are nowhere on this road guiding me home
When the night is closing in
It’s falling on my skin
Oh God will You come close

Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me
I, I, I can’t deny
Oh I can’t deny that You are right here with me
You’ve opened my eyes so I can see You all around me
Light, light, light up the sky
Light up the sky to show me You are with me

When stars are hiding in the clouds
I don’t feel them shining
When I can’t see beyond my doubt
The silver lining
When I’ve almost reached the end
Like a flood You’re rushing in
Love is rushing in

So I run straight to Your arms
You’re the bright and morning Sun
To show Your love, there’s nothing You won’t do

Verses to remember :)

I Corinthians 3:6
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 


I Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? :: You are perfect just the way you are because that's how God made you!!!


I Corinthians 4:4
My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.


I Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. :: You were bought with a precious price! So honor God! Why would you have an excuse not to?


I Corinthians 7:17
Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. :: We must live for Christ all the time. Be sold out for Him. :)


I Corinthians 9:19-23
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. :: Become all things to all people in order to win over people for the Gospel. Come out of your shell and associate with other people to win them for Christ.


I Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. :: As believers we need to be running and be desiring to get the prize. If people are willing to train their whole lives just to win a perishable prize, how much more should we be willing to do the same for an eternal prize!

Headphones

Sometimes in life we can give everything our best shot. We can act like everything is fine. But in actuality everything is going wrong. Sometimes we do not like to let people in to see what is really going on deep down in our hearts. We try to just play it off and try to be cool and pretend like everything is perfect. Her parents might think that he or she is great, and they may praise them. But in the mind of the child they think that their parents don't understand and that the opinion of the kids around them matter more. At points this feeling can get worse and worse, to the point that there can be no point left. However, why are we trying to be like the rest of the people in our lives? Why are we trying to fit in and conform to what the world says that we should do? When you feel alone and like no one is accepting you just hear the love that is coming from the Lord, your Savior. In the words of Britt Nicole, just hear love coming through your headphones. The love that you need can be heard through the words of Jesus. He will never leave you or forsake you. He created you perfectly and for a purpose. Hear His love!

Headphones:: Britt Nicole

She gave it her best
She tried to fit in
She tried to be cool
But she never could win
Her mom says she's great
The kids think she's weird
Honestly she wish she could disappear

Why you try, try to be like the rest of them
When you know there's so much more within
There's only one you
Here's what ya' gotta do

Whoa, whoa...
Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones
Love, love's coming through your headphones
Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones
Love, love's coming through your headphones
L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones
L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones

He gets in his car
He falls apart
It came to an end
And now it's breaking his heart
He wants to give up
Wants to try again
Honestly he doesn't know what he's feeling

Hey, you might not see it with your eyes
But keep your head up to the sky
The sun is coming through
Here's what you gotta do

So keep your head up high and dust off your shoulders
It's alright, no, it's not over
Love is here, it came to dry up all your tears
Oh, can you feel it
Gotta believe it, gotta see it
By your side in the middle of the night
So keep your head up high and the dust off your shoulders
It's alright, no it's not over

Twinkle, twinkle in your eye
Listen to this lullaby
The sun is shining in the sky
I see love it's in your eyes

This aint' the first time you felt like this
This ain't the first time, this aitn' the first time
This ain't the last time you'll feel like this
But it'll be fine
If you can just, smile

You are more!

In our lives we go through times when we are feeling like we are not worth anything. We have times when we feel worthless and when we feel like the trials that we are going through will never get better. We feel shame for the actions that we have committed in the past and think that there is no hope for the future. Sometimes we don't know how we even got to the place that we are. We have been in a downward spiral for so long and we don't realize where we went wrong. Whenever we think of that we need to think of what has been done for us through Christ's work. We are children of the king and if we don't realize that we will be completely worthless. We try to do better on our own, however we cannot. We can't do better apart from God and His work for us. If we try to do it on our own then we will never make it. Apart from Christ we have no hope! But with a Savior and a King on our side we have the best advocate that we could ever hope for, ever! When you feel all alone and don't know how to get out of your trial find consolation in Jesus as your Hero and the love of your soul! He will never let you down, you will never go too far that he will not accept you back. His forgiveness is unending and all encompassing. Take hope in that today.

You are More! :: Tenth Avenue North

There's a girl in the corner
With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she's wandered
And the shame she can't hide

She says, "How did I get here?
I'm not who I once was.
And I'm crippled by the fear
That I've fallen too far to love"

But don't you know who you are,
What's been done for you?
Yeah don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

Well she tries to believe it
That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling
That it's not true tonight

She knows all the answers
And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better
But then she's too weak to try

'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.
You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XY2yudW5n4

To Write Love On Her Arms

Today is To Write Love On Her Arms day. To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.  TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. TWLOHA's mission is to tell people that you were created to love and be loved.  You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story.  You need to know that your life matters.

Some statistics of depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide are that:
-121 million people worldwide suffer from depression.
- 18 million of these cases are happening in the United States.
- Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression.
- Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem.
- 2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers. Teenagers need help!

To show your support write love on your arm today :)

How He Loves

We serve a jealous God that loves us so much. He has a great love for us that is eternal. We should always be overcome by the weight of God's love. Sometimes we do not see the love of God around us because we are caught up with what is going on in our lives. However, the love of God is still there. We are God's portion and He is our prize. His grace is an ocean that we are sinking in. Think of that imagery! ! We are sinking in the love, mercy and grace of God! When we think about what we have done in view of what God has done for us we should have absolutely no regrets. God's love covers it all. No matter what we have done, the love of God will still cover us! What an amazing God we serve!

How He Loves ::

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,

Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCunuL58odQ

Never Alone

In our daily lives there will always be times when we feel alone. Parents will dissapoint us and hurt us. Friends will leave you out and forget about you. Teachers will make you feel as if your not important. However, you really are never alone. We always have the Lord with us. We will always have a stronghold and a strong tower that will be there there for us. Sometimes we feel as if there is no one by our side, but whenever we feel like that we just need to remember that God is always near and we are never alone.

Barlowgirl :: Never Alone

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
No no no
I needed You today
So where did You go?
You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I"m never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8QubLxJI54&feature=BF&a=GxdCwVVULXdS-GaXIxMxOWIYHRoCzpgI&list=ML&index=1

The Faithful One

I have a faithful God. He will always be with me, through every trial. We, as Christians, have no hope without Christ. He is the source of our strength and joy. We will always have issues and trouble but we have to have faith that the faithful one will guide us through them all. As you go through the day, look for evidences of the faithful one in your life, and praise Him for it.

The Faithful One:: Selah and Christy Nockels
I find no hope within to call my own
For I am frail of heart, my strength is gone
But deep within my soul is rising up a song
Here in the comfort of the faithful one

I walk a narrow road through valleys deep
In search of higher ground, on mountains steep
And though with feet unsure, I still keep pressing on.
For I am guided by the faithful one.

Faithful, faithful to the end,
My true and precious friend,
You have been faithful,
Faithful, so faithful to me

I see your wounded hands, I touch your side
With thorns upon your brow you bled and died

A mighty fortress is our God!

Many times we lose our focus on God and His glory. As human beings we think that we are really important, but really we're not. Our God is great! He is a "consuming fire, [and] a burning holy Flame." His name is a refuge for us to run to when we need Him. We have a great God. Today as your going through your day think about His great name and rejoice in Him. He is our mighty fortress and our great rock. Trust in Him! :)

A Mighty Fortress :: by Christie Nockels

Our God is, a consuming fire,
A burning holy Flame, with glory and freedom
Our God is, the only righteous judge,
Ruling over us with kindness and wisdom

We will keep our eyes on You
We will keep our eyes on You

A mighty fortress is our God
A sacred refuge is Your Name
Your Kingdom is unshakable
With You forever we will reign

Our God is, jealous for His own
None could comprehend, His love and His mercy
Our God is exalted on His throne
High above the heavens
Forever He’s worthy...

To listen to A mighty fortress by Christy Nockels follow the link::
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4H-iWayY5M