A Week Full of Jesus!

So I had an amazing week from start to finish and I wanted to share it with you all!

To start the week off, I was assigned to do a speech in Oral Com about a person, event, phrase, or just something that defined me or shaped me into the person I am today. I couldn't really pin just one thing to define me, so I decided to use the song "Thrive" and basically talk about how I wanted others to identify me with Christ. On the morning of my speech, I wasn't super sure if this speech was going to be all that great. I was driving to school listening to Spotify in on my phone. But an ad stopped my music on Spotify so I angrily switched to the K-Love and guess what song was playing. Yes, Thrive. I know for a fact that God was reassuring me right there that my speech was what it was supposed to be. God continued to work in Oral Com and did a few other things that I believe He's still working on in that class.

All throughout the week, God was evident in many ways and it was so refreshing!

Then came Amplify! Hannah and I left after school and drove to Holland Baptist Church to spend the weekend at a free Christian music festival. I cannot put into words how AMAZING it was! The first performer was Colton Dixon who was one of my favorites if not my absolute favorite! I loved his performance because he was so sincere in the way he worshiped and it could have easily been an actual worship service! Plus I've always been a fan of his and all of his songs.

 

For King and Country closed out that night and they put on a show! They were probably the most talented band I've ever seen. There's no telling how many instruments they incorporated and how many each member could play! They put on the best show for the weekend! If I was to go see anyone again, it would be for King and Country.

 

Saturday afternoon, Alex Edmonds and Dan Bremnes each put on a short show and were very good! Unspoken came on next and they were just really neat to listen to! I wasn't really looking forward to Plumb, but once she hit the stage I really enjoyed her! I only heard a portion of her testimony but from what I heard it was a really moving one! Next was Matt Maher, and he had the best worship for Saturday. "Lord I Need You" has always been one of my favorite songs and when that song started playing, you could feel God moving everyone there. The last performer was Tenth Avenue North, and their lead singer was FULL of energy. They did awesome and closed the festival perfectly. The night ended in a beautiful firework show.

 

 The best part about Amplify was getting to see everyone worship. It was so beautiful to look around and see everyone lifting their hands and voices up to our amazing Savior. I was in awe in how many people were there. Both nights God gave us a beautiful sunset that went down right behind the stage from where we were standing. This picture of Plumb was my favorite from the weekend.

 

 

 

One of the few times we actually sat down!

We made it home about 1:30 in the morning but it was all worth it!

 

I closed out my weekend with my church family, watching Do You Believe? If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend you do! This movie reveals how God works in ways beyond our understanding. It was very moving!

 

To say I'm pumped or on a Jesus high, would be an understatement. God is good all the time!



 

 

 

 

 



I Am Not Perfect.

I started this blog because I wanted to share Jesus. I wanted to share the love and joy I have found in Him in hopes someone else might find that joy. I wanted to share my trials and temptations so maybe someone would read this and realize they aren't alone in their struggles. I want every single one of my posts to be uplifting and encouraging. This blog doesn't make me any better of a Christian or any less of a sinner. However, I feel like God led me to do this and can and will use it for His good. I still struggle with the everyday sins and temptations of this world. I don't always walk as close to God as I should. I don't always show His love to others, forgive like I'm called to do, or behave like a Christian should. I am a sinner. Me being saved doesn't mean I'm not going to mess up, but that when I do, I have a merciful God that will forgive me the instant I ask. What a blessing!

I have grown closer to Christ this past year, and blogging allows me to share to more than just the people I come in contact with everyday. It is out on the internet for any of my Facebook friends to see or anyone else who stumbles upon this website.

No one is perfect. I am not perfect. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." This verse is saying there is not one person that will ever walk the face of the earth and not mess up. The only one that ever will is Jesus Christ, Himself. That is the whole reason we have Jesus Christ. He came and lived the perfect life none of us could live and became the ultimate sacrifice when He died and rose again.

We should not expect perfection out of anyone, and no one should expect perfection out of us. As Christians, it's not our jobs to judge the way others Christians are behaving. God is the only righteous judge. It's our job to encourage them to get back on the right path and pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Galatians 6:1- "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness....."
Romans 14:19- "So then let us pursue what make for peace and for mutual upbuilding."

I know I am not perfect. I know I never will be perfect. I mess up EVERY SINGLE DAY. I will never achieve perfection. The only thing I can do is ask God to lead me every single day. I know there will be times I stray. Sometimes I may not be the witness I should be to those watching. But I hope and pray that any of my brothers and sisters in Christ have enough of His love inside of them to accept and forgive me rather than condemn me. The devil is always working to ruin a testimony. We should not allow the devil to use us to discourage other Christians. Be uplifting. Forgive.

This blog is not what qualifies me as a Christian. Christ knows my heart. This blog should not be the only thing that testifies to my salvation. My actions, words, and daily walk with Christ should portray Him just as much. However, I can edit my blog. I can't edit my words once they've come out. I can't edit my actions once they've been acted. Therefore, I am going to mess up ALOT, and I can't "delete" it. I have to live with each mistake I make. I have to put forth the effort and pray for God to speak through me and for my actions to represent Him. Thankfully, when I don't, God has already paid the price.

God has been so good to me and I know He wants me sharing what He's done and is doing in my life. "...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..." (Luke 12:48) Whether it's through my blog or through my actions, if someone sees Him, it's something of worth.

I want everyone to experience salvation and the joy of it! I cannot put into words how great God's love is and how amazing it is to have a friend in Him! I enjoy writing and I definitely enjoy worshipping Christ. God has given an opportunity to collaborate the two, and I'm going to keep on until He is the one who leads me elsewhere.

Mr. Right needs a Mrs. Right

Every girl has a dream guy. We have this "future husband" designed in our minds that possesses special personality traits and physical features. Three years ago, our girl's bible study began a study on purity using the book And the Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh. In this study, we designed our "Mr. Right". Being a Christian in today's world, it's hard to date and find someone with the same morals and standards. We didn't create our "Mr. Right" to plan how attractive we expected our future husband to be, but the standards we expected him to meet. Some of my qualities listed... "spiritual leader, good listener, confident, pure, has Godly friends, giving, etc.". It's so important to have a set of standards you expect your future spouse to have, and it's important to go by those standards when choosing who to date.

About a week ago, I purchased Magnetic by Lynn Cowell after my friend recommended it. The book focuses on how to become a girl that attains all the fruits of spirits that's "magnetic" to the right type of guys that God wants us to be interested in. After starting in on the first few pages, I took my "Mr. Right" out of my bedside table.

 

For those of you who don't know, I have been in a relationship for almost three years now with Dustin Forsythe. We both love Jesus Christ and want others to see Him through us and our relationship. When I started in on Magnetic I began feeling very guilty. I want Dustin to be my "Mr. Right" and I had caught myself getting upset and reacting in anger when Dustin upset me or maybe couldn't come see me due to uncontrollable situations. I wasn't loving and forgiving the way I expected my "Mr. Right" to love and forgive me. It's so easy to get caught up in what we want and need and forgetting how we should be meeting the needs of others.

I looked at my little paper-made "Mr. Right" and imagined a cut-out "Mrs. Right" created by Dustin. What Godly qualities does he desire her to have? Would I meet them all? He may not have it written down on paper but I know in his mind he a has his "Mrs. Right". Instead of striving to be a virtuous woman of God that acted in love, kindness, joyfulness, and forgave, I had got caught up in what I wanted and when I didn't get my way, I let myself act bitter and angry.

The point of this post is the "Mr. Right" needs a "Mrs. Right" and vice versa. While we plan for this great Godly person to come into our lives, we need to allow God to transform us into the Godly person that will attract the right person. We can't put the expectations on someone else and go about living a secular life. That's not going to attract the man/woman of God we want. We must put our faith in God's timing that He will bring us to that person. Maybe we are already in a relationship. Work hard to build that relationship on the foundation of Christ, but we should keep focusing on ourselves individually too. Show the Christ-like love we long to receive. If we begin to ask God to give us the love, patience, and forgiveness we need, it's amazing how He can change our attitude about everything. It's so much easier to let go of the little things and react in love and forgiveness versus bitterness.

I encourage everyone to have a set of standards to go by when dating and if making your own "Mr. Right" helps, create one for yourself! But don't stop there. I made myself a "Mrs. Right" that night, that listed the qualities that I should pray for and strive to possess. Challenge yourself to love deeper and wider, forgive quicker, and be more patient. It starts within ourselves. Before you start searching, be content with your relationship with Jesus Christ. We will never be satisfied if we expect our "Mr. Right" to completely satisfy us. True satisfaction comes from the love that can only be given from Christ alone. Don't put pressure on yourself to become perfect, because we can never be perfect for anyone either. If someone is expecting you to be perfect, they haven't been satisfied completely with Christ either. Remember Jesus is the only perfect being, and we are all going to make mistakes. That's why it's so important to be able to love and forgive. Don't work to achieve perfection but work to become as Christ-like as possible.

This was so eye-opening and God really showed me what I could start doing to better myself for me and how I could become more "magnetic" for Dustin. Christian people are drawn to joyful people. Instead of only thinking of "Mr. Right", think of what you can do to become "Mrs. Right" and attract that person God desires you to! "Mr. Right" needs a "Mrs. Right"!

I highly recommend Magnetic by Lynn Cowell and And the Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh

Another Blessed Summer

Since school is right around the corner, I thought I'd share the experiences God blessed me with this summer. Summer break is never really a break for me, however, I love staying busy, traveling, and having fun. I kicked off my summer with cheer camp with my squad only a day after school let out!

The week after I came home, I started my first job as a waitress at Little Italy. I also got help out with our Mini Basketball camp in the afternoons and our basketball team attend team camp at OBU during the evenings.

Next was my favorite part of every summer. West Central Camp at Bogg Springs! My first year there I was only 6 months old. I wouldn't miss it for anything. This year was my second year to be brave and ride the zip line, and our church's volleyball team ended up getting runner-up in the tournament. God never ceases to amaze me. His presence is EVERYWHERE at that camp. It's so refreshing to see souls saved and be somewhere where everyone is on fire of God. It's like a slice of heaven.

Right before beating Athens!



After so many years you begin to make friends and expect to see them every year. It's always great getting to see Alli and Caleb!

I had about a week of just working and being home with the family, and also celebrated Dustin's birthday before leaving for the beach. I got to vacation a week with my best friend Brennan and her family. It was a week full of eating tons of sea food, kayaking, sun bathing, and enjoying our four flights of stairs that led to our bedroom.

After my first helicopter ride. Definitely not my last! Favorite part of the trip!

Kayaking with Brennan.

The day after coming home from the beach, my family loaded up the camper and I got to spend another week in sun at the lake. Then I attended my last ever basketball team camp at Arkansas Tech. This is by far my favorite camp! I cannot believe my years of team camps are gone!

I left from Tech and repacked my bags for a weekend in Alabama for our annual family reunion. I love getting to visit my family there! If I couldn't live in Arkansas, Alabama would definitely be next choice!

Maggie, Carlan, and I at the family reunion.

After Alabama I spent my last couple of weeks at home working, hanging out with friends and family, and our church also had an AMAZING revival.

We got to go to the Blue Hole twice this summer! I stuck to holding the air mattresses while everyone else jumped.

We had one last pool party at Jade's after football and cheer practice!

We went bowling a few times this summer. The boys may have been a little bit better than us girls, but we managed to bowl a few strikes!

This summer was another one full of camps and traveling. I love getting to go places and spend time with my friends and family. I am so fortunate to have had so many opportunities. It's really sad knowing at this time next year I won't be going back Centerpoint, but headed to college. Back to school is always challenging for Christians, and we often get pulled back into the world. I encourage everyone to stay close to God by staying in constant prayer and by digging into His word. I can't wait to see what God has in store for this last year of high school. Be bold and be courageous! You never know who is watching and what type of impact you're making!

Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

Before opening my Jesus Calling this afternoon, I had Pandora playing and one of my favorite songs "Fall Afresh" started playing. This time the lyrics "pour into me to overflow" really spoke to me. I wrote it down in my journal to save for another day because I had already planned on what I would write about. Then I opened up my Jesus Calling to "Watch Your Words Diligently" and the song Multiplied started playing. In a weird way (that makes complete sense to me) the three things all tied together in my mind and I realized God didn't want me to save this for another day.

I am so fortunate. I'm not trying to be proud or boast in this fact, but it is true. I am blessed beyond measure. God sent His son to die for me and gave me eternal life. While that should be enough, God decided to bless me with an amazing family. He gave me parents that don't allow church to be optional. They don't just expect church to teach me, but they also lead by example every single day of the week. I was also blessed with a very rare and special church family. One that loves like Christ. It has so many members that lead by example- from past teenagers that I once adored, all the way to older couples that show what marriage should really look like and also show love and care to the youth. But that's not all. I was also given friends in and outside my church family that are also my sisters in Christ and stand for the same things as I do. I attend a school where it is still accepted to pray and speak of Christ. I have a boyfriend that loves the Lord, accepts my flaws, and stands for the same things as I do. As of right now, I am in good health and God has blessed me with the ability to play sports. Again, I'm not bragging but counting my blessings. Yet when I see all that I am so fortunate to have, I feel pathetic.

How often do I complain and groan about the little things that don't go my way? Why do I choose to get consumed by the way of every teenage girl and continue to gossip? How often do I say hurtful things that don't portray Christ? If I am so blessed, I should be overflowing with His love and joy. God has a purpose for me. That purpose could be to "pour [blessings] into me to overflow" and give others the love and joy they aren't given elsewhere, and when I complain and gripe I'm failing to fulfil that purpose.

Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

To edify means to "instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge". Not only should our words not be corrupt, but they should be uplifting and improve others knowledge in Christ. God has provided each of us with so much. First off eternal life. That should be enough to speak in praise of God and God only! But most of us have been blessed way beyond that. I know I have. This post is speaking to me before anyone else. Those blessings should allow us to speak praises and "minister grace" to all that listen.

For me, the school year is the hardest time to be that uplifting person. I'm around others who nag and complain, so I begin to have the same outlook. I want everything to go my way and if it doesn't I'm going to complain because it just isn't fair. I begin to let things make me stressed and I start reacting in anger. I get so caught up in my "problems" that I'm not being a Christ-like example that uses edifying language. James 1:19 tells us to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath".

Last year before getting out of my car each morning and entering the school, I tried to remember and ask God to help me be slow to speak, slow to anger, slow to judge (another big problem I struggle with being a teenage girl). It's so important what we say. God gives us so many reasons to praise His name. There really is no reason for us to complain over temporary discomforts.

See how it all added up? God has blessed me with so much. He has poured His love and blessings into me, and I'm called to share that love I'm overflowing with. When I speak negatively, that is not pointing to Christ and showering His love over those listening. If I am always complaining, how will that draw others to Christ? It could even potentially turn people away. They might think "well she's not that happy, I can find more happiness in the world than that." Don't take God's blessings for granted. There are those much less fortunate than us and we never know when we might not have all the blessings we once had. Before speaking negatively, stop and think of all the things we have to be thankful for. Is complaining going to help? Is this really a problem or is it just not going the way we want it to? You never know who is watching and listening. Allow yourself to be led the Holy Spirit and pull others to Christ rather than turn them away.

It does matter what we say and what words we use. Count your blessings and examine yourself to see if your words and language portray Christ and all the blessings He's given you! Be overflowing with joy and love!

Words- Hawk Nelson
Fall Afresh- Jeremy Riddle
Multiplied- NEEDTOBREATHE