Recent Pondering

At work I get to spend a lot of time by myself doing relatively simple tasks that allow my mind to wander and ponder certain things. What has been on my mind lately?

Salvation. And the fact that it is all about the heart. I've been thinking about the verse in Matthew 7:21-23 when Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name cast out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you, away from me, you evildoers!' ". It's crazy to think that this is true. That there will be people that say they knew Jesus but He will tell them He never knew them. That's further proof that God judges the heart of a man and not the outward appearance or declaration of being a Christian.

Love. God's love for us! I love that the Lord describes His love for us in ways that we can understand. We'll not fully know just how much He loves us or what that kind of love would be like but He tells us what it's like in ways that we can experience which helps us better understand His love. He says that He loves us like a friend, a lover, and a father. When we have friends in this life we can understand what loving a person like a friend is. Jesus is the friend who lays down his life for those he loves. God loves us like a lover. He is the groom and we are the bride of Christ. Anyone who is preparing to be married or is married knows what this love is like. They can better understand the Lords love for us by comparing it to their love for one another. Of course Gods love for us trumps any love that we could have for one another. And God loves us like a father. Anyone who has children knows what this type of love is. A special type of love. I've never experienced the love of a bride/groom or the love of a parent but I do know the love of a friend. I think it's wonderful to know that in the future when God brings me to the point in life where I do get to be a wife and a mother I will be able to understand in a new way His love for me. It's excites me!

The fairness of life. This week I have been thinking a lot about circumstances in life and the fairness or unfairness of it. I ask the age old question: "Why do bad things happen to good people?" It frustrates me sometimes that bad things so often happen to good people why the bad person gets off scott-free without punishment. The injustice just angers me. I guess this is where faith comes in. In the present time we live in a fallen world where life isn't fair. bad things do happen to good people and sometimes they never get any vindication. During those times you have to hold tight to the truths of God and remember that God is a just God and that in the end the bad people who "get away with their evil" will have to stand before His judgement seat and give account for everything that they did in life. During those times you simply have to trust God. 

Im Only Jesus

I heard this song on one of my CD's and I really liked it... I was actually really glad to hear such lyrics because it wasn't a "Christian artist" it's Tim McGraw and he sings country and so Im pretty sure a lot of non-believers listen to his music and here it is the gospel message on their radio! It's wonderful!



Lyrics:

Bobby's got a duster '79
Bottle of Jack and a 45
Points it at his head
And he starts to cry,
Too proud to ask me to save his life

Billy's in a limo
On the upper east side
Playing Russian Roulette
With the long white line
His wife gets a call at 3 am
Saying Billy ain't never coming home again

She asks me why?

And I said,
I sure wish you'd believe
That everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
Bu I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

Johnny had a good job
Rakin' it in
Caviar parties
With his well-to-do friends
Something was missing
From his perfect little life
He threw in the towel
And he called me one night

Betty was an orphan
Like so many kids
They taught her in school
That I didn't exist
She had every reason not to talk to me
But every night before bed
She got down on her knees
Just to tell me hi

And I said,
I'm sure glad you believe
'Cause everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
But I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

Hey you're all the same to me
Everybody's free
And I'll help you if you ask me to,
I gave every star a name
The sunshine and the rain
But I can't decide the road you choose
That's up to you
I'm only Jesus

I'm only Jesus
I'm Only Jesus

Gotta have Jesus to see the light
Gotta have Jesus to hold you tight
Gotta have Jesus to talk to me
I gotta have Jesus to set me free

Yes I am Friends with Supermodels...

So four of my friends went to San Francisco, California last week and I was looking at their pictures and so completely in awe of their beauty! They are extremely beautiful girls! But the best part is that they are not only outwardly beautiful but have such great personalities and they really love the Lord! They are such amazing girls and they have been such a blessing to me these past two years! I stole photos from Eva and Tera so hopefully they don't mind but I just had to share their beauty with the world! :)

In order to make this experience truly magical I very much encourage you to play this music before you look at the photos!

Eva, Julia, Tera, and Alisha

 

I Absolutely love their curly hair! It's so wild and fun!

Ali is going to be an amazing wife some day!

Supermodels right?!

They're Fierce!

So in a nutshell I ADORE these girls and I am so glad that they had so much fun on their vacation! I wish I could have been there but I suppose I will have to survive living vicariously through them!

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I've also been listening to the song "Land Down Under" by Men at Work and it has made me super nostalgic! I want to return to Australia so badly!!! Maybe someday... Lord willing... I will be able to return to the land that is oh so wonderful and near and dear to my heart!

Oh yes me in my high school years... These are such old photos!

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Oh and I am coveting this camera right now:

This picture is from Amazon.com

The Canon Rebel XS 10.1 MP (Drool). Unfortunately it is way out of my price range but a girl can dream right? :)

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I am a fan of Julia Childs! I watched "Julie and Julia" the movie and I really liked it! Now I want to buy Julia childs cookbook and learn how to cook French food! I might actually do it too! How cool would that be?!

I don't know how well I would fare with really complex cooking but how cool would that be just to try?! Maybe I will make a night out of it once a week or something! Can anyone say "learning how to cook nights!"?

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

Today in  church we sang this song and it really spoke to me! I love the lyrics they are so powerful!

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

An Extremely Odd Blessing

At the very end of the work day on friday I was getting antsy and just wanted to go home. I only had thirty minutes left of work but it seemed to be dragging on like no other! I was watering the plants which was a nice change from my normal weeding routine but still the time was passing so slowly. I had started to become negative which I have been trying very hard not to do this summer! As I got more and more antsy I asked the Lord to help me with my attitutde and help me get through the final few minutes of my work day!

The Lord definitely answered my prayer, but in the strangest way...

A gnome!

I was watering by the pond at my work and I saw something in the bushes. When I went to take a closer look I found this little guy staring back at me. It made me chuckle because it was so random and then after that I was extremely happy! The Lord changed my attitude in an instant with a small gnome. Is that weird? Hahaha!

Has the Lord ever blessed you in an extremely odd way?

 

Ode to Alexis Mehlhoff

I decided that I was going to write different blogs about my wonderful friends that God has so graciously blessed me with. The first one is going to be Alexis Mehlhoff because I told her about how I was going to do this so she can be first!

Ode to Alexis Mehlhoff

Alexis Mehlhoff has brown hair

A girl like her is very rare

She's clever and witty and extraordinarily sweet

without her as a friend my life would not be complete

The perfect companion to have by your side

I know one day she will be a beautiful bride (... huh?! huh?!)

She's quiet, gentle, compassionate and wise

She's so much more than what meets the eyes

To think that I've only know her two years

I'll raise up my glass to that and say, "cheers!"

"Cheers to many, many more years!"

 

Alexis has been my friend for two years (like the poem said) and we have had an amazing time to get to know each other! She is really funny and I love that she thinks that I am funny... it makes me feel better about myself (hahaha although now I sound either 1. extremely egotistical or 2. extremely lacking in the self-esteem department).

She's really beautiful! But the beauty isn't just external it's also internal! And she is extremely wise! I love hearing her talk about the things that God has been teaching her because she looks at things in a different way than I do and so it helps me get a better perspective on things.

I also love that she loves children just like me! Some day we will be married and have a family and hang out together! I'm excited for those days! We get to talk about the crazy stupid stuff together that you don't really think that girls talk about... but they do...or at least Alexis and I do... like the possibility of potentially being pregnant at the same time and then hypothesizing that if one had a girl and the other had a boy that the two would marry...

I love hanging out at her apartment and cooking together... or rather she cooks for me because I never bring anything over! I also love that sometimes she makes cooking blunders like I do and occasionally sets off the smoke alarm or starts a small fire in the kitchen. It makes me feel a little better about my inability to use a microwave!

I love that she is unphased by my incessant singing.

I love that she isn't afraid to share her opinion.

I love that she sticks to her convictions.

I love that she is grounded in her identity in Christ.

I love that she doesn't let the past dictate her future.

I love that her favorite color is purple.

I love that we can go a day without seeing each other and feel like it's been years since we last talked.

I love that we can be satisfied with one anothers company even if we're sitting in a room doing completely different activities.

I love that we have the same taste in music.

I love that she is short.

I love that she will play at the park with me.

I love that she is passionate.

I love that she is shy... but then not really.

I love that she is compassionate.

I love that God saved her.

I love that she desires to be obedient to God in her life.

I love that she is patiently impatient... Just like me!

I love that she is a servant.

I love that she is dependable.

I love that she is courageous.

I love that she perseveres.

I love that she is honest.

I love that she is trustworthy.

I love that she is encouraging.

I love that she is my friend.

I love that she loves.

 Oh! And I love that no matter what her facial expression, Alexis always looks beautiful while I manage to look like a complete psycho...

Exhibit A, B and C:

And I love that she loves when I sing this song to intentionally sound horrible!

The Art of Giving

I was reading in 2 Corinthians, which I love, and the topic that the Lord highlighted to me recently is the act of generous giving. The verse that really caught my eye was 2 Corinthians 9:7

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Giving isn't anything spectacular if you're not doing with the right heart attitude. This verse says that we shouldn't give reluctantly or under compulsion. I looked up the word compulsion, because to be honest I can use the word correctly in a sentence but I couldn't really define it for you, and it means a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will. The Lord doesn't want us to give because of impulse. That's really interesting because often times there are opportunities to give that cause you to do it on impulse but this verse highlights that God wants us to put thought and prayer into the decisions we make on giving. We shouldn't give reluctantly and we shouldn't give irrationally either. 


I really like how the end of this verse says that God loves a cheerful giver. This clearly emphasizes that God is indeed looking at our hearts when we give and that we should do it with His joy. This, for me, is something I need to work on not only in giving but also in serving. Often times I can do something because I feel that I am obligated to do it but I don't do it with the joy of the Lord. It's such a pity when that happens because there is so much to be gained from giving and serving with the joy of the Lord. It not only makes the task that much better but it also glorifies God more!

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." 2 Corinthians 9:12

I love the result of giving, that it not only supplies the needs of God's people but more importantly that it causes and overflowing of thanksgiving to God! How awesome is it that our simple act of kindness can bring people to praise God and be thankful to Him?! Is that not the whole reason that we are alive, to glorify God?